Chapter 10

10

"We have the preliminary report back on the remains Diesel so kindly found for us about fifty feet away from the original shallow grave, now known to be… Tommy's final resting place until we dug him up." Coy said, his words dripping in sarcasm, "My guess is, the barn was supposed to sit on top of this one too, but… failed to do the job."

"That's a pretty big miscalculation," Nash added.

Rip delivered the report, "We know it was a female, young, maybe twenties or thirties. It appears that she'd had at least one child based on the posterior surface of the pubic bone, but we can't be certain due to advanced decomposition –– similar to the first set of remains."

"She… was a mother," Devyn said. "Where is her child?"

"We don't know. Just like last time, we're working on getting an I.D. and similar composite to give us an idea of what she might have looked like." Coy shared, "We expect it to go much faster this time, now that we have the capability –– thanks to Tommy –– and there's still a chance dental records and other details could give us a hint or two."

"Is she linked to Tommy?" Nash asked.

"Could be, that's an angle we're working. Given what we learned about Tommy, there's bound to be an easier or more obvious clue this time." Coy answered, "Since Glen didn't mention a female, I'm going to guess he didn't know anything about her."

"So, what do we do now while we wait for pieces to fall into place and lead us to answers?" Kenzie asked, "What's your plan? What else can we do?"

"Well, in the meantime, we track this one like we did the last." Coy huffed, his frustration evident in the lingering tone of his words. "We go back through all those missing persons files. We might get luckier this time."

"Though, we never did find a missing persons on Tommy, and we know why now. What if this is just more of the same?" Kenzie asked. "What if… this has something to do with Tommy?"

"You really think our parents are capable of double murder?" Nash asked. "I can barely wrap my mind around one murder. Two is a real hard sell, brother."

"I don't mean Mama and Pop –– I mean Tommy." Coy went on, "He said Tommy was trouble. Pop was trying to save him from himself or somethin' along those lines. What if that was what Pop was trying to protect him from."

"You think our father, the most hard-working, honest man in all of Texas, would cover up a murder to save his delinquent brother?" Devyn asked, her voice tinged with suspicion as she eyed the situation warily, her instincts on high alert. "I may not have known our father as many years as all of you, but I knew him… well enough he'd never stand for somethin' like that."

"Did you ever think he'd be capable of killing his own brother and covering it up?" Nash asked with genuine sincerity –– his voice laced with concern as he leaned in, his brows furrowed with genuine worry, "I sure as hell didn't, but here we are… orphans of a killer."

"That's dramatic, don't you think?" Devyn side-eyed her brother.

Coy shook his head, and the behavior was "Dramatic but truthful."

Devyn rolled her eyes at both of her brothers, "I'll keep reading the journals and see if anything comes up. I'm starting to understand why Mama was so supportive of me becoming a lawyer –– she knew we were going to need one at some point to clean all this crap up."

"While we're all here and on the subject… I, uh, found the will my father had drawn up. Dev, I'd like you to read it if you don't mind." Kenzie chimed in as she handed Devyn a copy of her father's will. "It's exactly as I remember. The property is split between Uncle Glen and me, the trust information is there, and we are each other's benefactors. But there's another part I didn't notice before, or maybe I just didn't understand. If we both pass, the trust names another benefactor, but I can't see what it is or understand how to identify it."

"Who prepared the will?" Coy looked over Devyn's shoulder as she quickly flipped through the pages of the will, hunting for a specific bit of information she knew they were all waiting on.

Devyn ceased flipping the pages of the will, her eyes widening with concern. She let her hands drop to her sides, still clutching the document tightly.

Kenzie's eyes were filled with emotion, "You saw it right. It was prepared by… Ellis Steele."

"That attack was a hit job," Rip said. "It's undeniable at this point, given everything we know. You're still in danger, and so is Glen."

"Shit." Devyn huffed. "This isn't enough. It could be explained as a coincidence."

"I don't believe in coincidence," Coy scoffed, his anger seeming to bubble to the surface and leaving him on edge as he sat there, tense and agitated.

"Neither do I," Kenzie piggybacked off what Coy was saying, "But I do believe in preserving the element of surprise. We're finally getting somewhere and can't blow it."

"I'm with Kenzie on this. We don't have enough for a warrant or even bring him in for questioning by the Sheriff." Devyn continued. "Especially without spooking him."

"You're right, Dev," Kenzie said. "There's not a damn thing we can do but sit around and wait for his next move, and if we're right about him, it's coming."

"Agreed," Coy said.

"So, we put pressure on him," Nash said. "Get the guy nervous so he makes a mistake."

"It isn't that simple. A guy who is this calculated and organized has to have been doing this for some time. He won't be easily triggered." Rip said.

"We're also looking at possible entrapment if we push too hard." Kenzie shared. "You know that, Dev."

"Not if we keep you far enough away from it," Devyn added. "Coy, you're too close, too."

"I'll do it." Rip deadpanned without the slightest hesitation or flicker of emotion, his expression stoic and unmoving as he delivered his response with unwavering certainty. "You're all too close to Kenzie and Glen, and she's right… entrapment would be the easiest way out for him. I don't have any ties here, nor am I connected to any of you in how you are with each other. I'll draw him out. Fuck with him a little. Get him to make a mistake. I know how to deal with assholes like this."

"You'd do that for us?" Devyn asked softly. "It could be dangerous."

"If it keeps you safe? Absolutely." Rip said as he turned to Devyn, meeting her gaze with a depth of emotion rarely seen in his eyes. With a solemn tone and a sincerity that belied his usual demeanor, he made a promise, his words carrying a weight of conviction and something more Devyn couldn't quite define but felt clear to her soul.

As Coy cleared his throat, a subtle reminder of their audience, Rip swiftly reigned in the vulnerability and raw emotion he had displayed moments before. With a slight stumble in his words, he quickly composed himself and continued, his broody tone restored. "For all of you, of course. I have the least to lose here and the most anonymity. It… makes sense."

Devyn's computer pinged on the table beside her, drawing her attention. She swiftly checked the message, her smile widening with excitement. This was the news they had been eagerly anticipating, and it was finally the breakthrough she needed to proceed with her part of the investigation.

"Holy shit!" she yelled. "I'm in. I'm finally in."

She shifted the computer onto her lap, her fingers skimming over the keys with a sense of urgency. As she typed, her focus intensified, her determination driving her forward in the pursuit of answers.

"Care to share the excitement, Sis?" Nash asked.

"Shell companies." She fired back. "LLCs, offshore accounts… Killion helped crack it –– there were multiple layers to get through –– and we're finally in. Whoever is behind this knew what they were doing, and they were smart enough to layer these companies and accounts deep enough to make it hard for even your company and resources, Coy."

"So, who is it? Steele?" Nash asked.

"I said, we're in. I didn't say we had answers yet. This is going to take a while to sort out. Killion is working on it right now, too." Devyn shared with the group. "He just found land deeds."

"Give them to me, and I'll investigate," Rip said.

"Done. I am sending them your way. I don't see anything obvious on here, just… locations. There appear to be several plots of land Mama bought all over the county."

"If we have the deeds, we can work backward to see who brokered the deals, represented each party, and so on." Coy smiled, a sense of satisfaction spreading across his face at the long-awaited breakthrough in the case, a development they had been yearning for and desperately needed.

Kenzie's phone pinged, instantly capturing her focus. With a sense of eagerness, she reached for it, her anticipation palpable as she read the message displayed on the screen. However, as she scanned the words, her expression turned icy, and a wave of panic washed over her.

"Kenz?" Coy prodded. "What is it?'

"Glen… he's been shot."