Chapter 39

39

Jenna's heart sank. Diners started talking at once, and she heard "serial killer" mentioned. Junior Bledsoe stood—she hadn't seen him when they arrived but now noticed that he shared a table with the banker, Todd Donelson.

"What I want to know," Junior said, pointing a finger at her, "is who's going to be next? And what you're doing about it."

Max stood as well. The two men were about the same height, but Junior probably had fifty pounds on Max's lean frame, not that Jenna thought Junior would start anything.

Max held up his hand. "There's no serial killer running around Russell County—"

"You don't know that." Junior's hands fisted at his sides. "You come in here with your big-city ways, acting the big shot. Well—"

"Junior," Jenna said quietly. "You're not helping matters. We're investigating the Slater accident, as well as Paul Nelson's death—it's not like TV where everything gets wrapped up in an hour. Why don't you sit down with us and tell us what you know about anyone who might have a grudge against Nelson."

Uncertainty clouded the big man's face, and Todd tugged at Junior's sleeve. "Don't make a scene."

"We could use your help," Max added.

"Yours too, Todd," Jenna said.

Junior gave them a curt nod. While they grabbed their iced teas, Max slid in beside Jenna in the booth. Junior and Todd sat across from them. Both men removed their ball caps, laying them on the seat.

Junior eyed Max suspiciously. "What's he doing here in Pearl Springs, anyway?"

She pressed her knee against Max's leg, hoping he understood she should handle this. "He came Monday to coordinate with Nathan and Alex the security for Harrison Carter's political rally." Jenna leaned forward. "Max was my boss in Chattanooga. He's a good guy."

Junior's expression softened, but he still frowned at them.

Todd nodded. "Why is the TBI involved in Carter's rally?"

"It's a long story, one we're not at liberty to discuss," she replied.

Junior rubbed his jaw with his thumb. "Somebody threatening to kill our illustrious former mayor?"

"Do you know anyone who would want to?" Max asked.

The big man snorted. "Just about anybody he and the city council imposed those silly zoning regulations on ... and then there's those who were forced to sell the government their land, my dad and your folks included." He raised his eyebrows and looked down at Jenna. "That enough?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Carter about started a war with his rules and regulations in town. And you ought to know what happened with the dam project. Your granddaddy refused the government's offer. He was totally against everyone selling their property and vowed to fight it."

Junior picked up his tea glass and rattled the ice in it before using a spoon to dip out a couple of slivers. He set the glass down. "After he died in that accident , Eva didn't have the heart to fight any longer. She turned the fight over to Sam and your dad, and they caved."

Jenna frowned. "The way you said that—you don't think it was an accident?"

Junior shrugged. "I can't say ... and with three deaths this week of people involved in what was going on back then, I'm not sure I should. You might want to watch your own back."

"What else can you tell us?" Max asked.

"Nothing concrete, just things I observed."

"Like what?" Jenna asked.

"Like your granddaddy and Todd's dad, Earl, dying in ‘accidents.'"

She shifted her gaze to Todd. The lanky banker hunched over his glass of tea. "How much land did your family own?"

He picked up his cap and studied the John Deere logo. "Two hundred acres in the valley where the reservoir is now. Land my daddy and granddaddy loved." He looked up. "After my dad died, my grandfather lost heart. He took whatever the state offered—don't know how much, but it was enough to send me to college."

"I'm sorry," Jenna said. "I don't remember the accident that took your dad's life. Do you mind talking about it?"

Todd's melancholy expression hardened. "He supposedly shot himself climbing out of a deer stand, but anyone who knew my dad would never believe that. He was too safety conscious about his guns."

"So, what do you think happened?" Max asked.

"Me?" Todd straightened. "I think he stood in the way of Carter's ambitions. My dad was planning on running against him in the election later that year, and her grandfather was backing him." He lifted an eyebrow. "If I were you and something happened to Harrison, I'd probably be looking at me or Junior as the main suspects."

Looking at the two men across from her, Jenna found it hard to believe either was their killer, but she needed to check their stories out. The sheriff's office should have a file on her grandfather's accident in the archives as well as one on Earl Donelson. Jenna made a mental note to ask Alex about it. "Anyone else we need to know about?"

Junior stared up at the ceiling then returned his gaze to Jenna, his brows raised. "Gordon Marsden's dad. After he died, Gordon ended up selling out instead of fighting like his dad would've wanted."

"How did he die?" she asked.

"He had a stroke 'cause he got so upset at the price the government first offered him for his land. His blood pressure got so high it popped a blood vessel in his head. At least that's what the doctors said—the blood pressure part, anyway."

"Anything else?" Max asked.

Junior ran his finger up and down his glass, making lines in the condensation.

Todd cleared his throat. "It wasn't long after the dam and reservoir project got off the ground that Slater bought his first Cadillac, and he didn't borrow money from the bank to pay for it, at least not from my bank. That was also about the time Paul Nelson started wearing those expensive clothes of his."

Junior laughed. "Don't know if either has anything to do with the dam project, but the timing of Slater's Caddy and Paul's fancy duds always struck me as peculiar, but maybe it was one of those serendipity things."

Max jotted a note on his pad and looked up. "How many families owned land where the dam and reservoir are now?"

"I'd have to stop and think. A whole bunch of folks sold their property to some company before we even knew there was a dam in the works." Junior nodded to Todd. "You'd know more about that."

Todd nodded. "At the time, I thought it was strange that a company would come in here and buy up a bunch of land, but hunt clubs had made a comeback, and that's what the farmers who sold believed the company planned to use the land for."

"Do you know the name of the company?"

Junior shook his head. "If I knew it, I've forgotten it."

"Something to do with the earth ..." Todd shook his head. "Just don't remember."

Max nodded. "How about the others? How many families held out?"

"About ten or eleven families sued or fought the dam to the end."

"Could you give me their names?" Max held his pen poised, ready to write.

Junior and Todd rattled off seven names, half that Jenna was familiar with.

"I don't remember any of the others." Junior turned to Jenna. "My daddy sold out after your grandfather died, and there wasn't a day that went by that he didn't regret not fighting that dam to his dying day. It ain't served one useful purpose other than a place for people to have fun on the water."

Ethel approached with Jenna's and Max's meals, and Junior checked his watch and stood. "I have cars waiting to be worked on."

Todd stood as well. But they didn't leave until Ethel walked away. Once she was out of earshot, Junior said, "I don't know what caused Slater's car to go off the road, but you might want to check out your granddaddy's accident."