Chapter Thirty-Seven
Wes yawned. His alarm went off after he took the four-hour break Mike ordered him to take. He took a quick shower and went downstairs to join his colleagues. Troy was lying on his back on the couch. Ken was on his knees massaging Troy’s calf.
Wes ran back upstairs and returned with a tube of Arnica cream. “This will help.” Wes handed Ken the tube. It was used for pain and swelling associated with bruises, aches, and sprains. How many times had he applied it to a submissive after a session with his whip? The thought made him cringe.
He made a mental note to pack his collection up. He decided after the night he made love to Eleanor, he’d never pursue that part of himself with her, and he feared even sharing that piece of his past with her would hurt her.I need to speak to Zach and one of the therapists about that.
He looked at the group sitting at the table. “Hayes, Galloway, it’s time to unburden yourselves. Start from the top as if Ellie and her sister were still fourteen.”
“According to the file, Eleanor and Belinda were providing community service for the Tulip Gardens Senior Center. Eleanor discovered her parents were moving weapons. The administrator, Cynthia Plummer, called the FBI, who sent a young Stewart Forsyth to interview Eleanor. Eleanor provided them with M4A1 carbine ammunition, and M136A1AT4Confined Space Shoulder-LaunchedMunition. She said there was a green box with what she described as machine guns and another box that held twelve aluminum vials in a silver metal box marked GB, C4H10FO2P, which translates to sarin. The day after she brought the shells, Eleanor was tied to a pillar, stripped naked, and in front of the entire Divine End militia, whipped. Three days later, Eleanor was rescued.” Preston Galloway laid a set of photographs across the table.
Wes rubbed his throat. “How long was she in the hospital?”
“Three months. Two in a coma. Belinda refused to leave her. Jason and Phyllis West were assigned to them. They fought the office for permission to foster, then to adopt them. The girls knew their history and knew the Wests were Marshals. But to them, they became mom and dad.
“Senior year in college, the Wests were headed to New Jersey to visit the girls at their two schools. When I discovered Starr’s deception, I took a deep dive. It was a hit. I assume it was set up by the Drakes, but there was no proof,” Hayes said. “There was no one else who would want to hurt them.”
“How did Malachi and Dinah Drake know?” Zach asked.
“Again, it had to be Starr. Whether it was inadvertent, I don’t know. Starr’s wife was Phyllis West’s best friend,” Hayes replied. “Remember, the girls thought Witsec made an accommodation for them to stay. If the Drakes killed Phyllis and Jason West, it would have taken five minutes to find them.”
“Starr dupes the girls and then abuses that relationship by staying close. Right?” Bruce asked.
“Apparently,” Hayes said.
“Alright, Hayes. Now it’s time to come completely clean. Starr told us he was with his wife on leave when Ellie and Lindy were kidnapped. I want the truth.” Wes slapped the table, demanding the answer. “We know he was playing protector; was he really not around?”
“Starr was with his wife. But the plan was already in motion,” Hayes said.
“Hayes?” Wes’s tone was predatory.
Hayes stared at his hands.
Zach blew out an exasperated breath. “Hayes, I don’t have time to dick around with you. I will tell them if you can’t.”
Hayes looked at Zach with an empty expression.
“Huh,” Zach huffed. “Starr, or Starr’s wife, told Malachi and Dinah the girls were going to be at Hibiscus, a Fredericksburg bar-restaurant. Twins, especially ones who disappear, create a memory. My team reported that two women were together, and they left with two other women.” Zach placed a picture on the table. “The restaurant still had the disk of pictures they took for the night.” A picture of the girls holding a drink stared up at them.
“How do you know who’s who?” Kyle asked.
Wes ran a finger against one of the twin’s faces. “This is Ellie. She’s in the green sweater.”
Zach nodded. “Yes. My guess, Belinda was forced into making a decision.”
“Her sister set her up.” Wes shook his head.
“Looks like it. The restaurant staff reported Eleanor needed assistance to leave,” Zach said.
Troy grumbled, forced himself to his feet and joined the table. “Who knew what was happening to Ellie and Belinda? And what did happen? Hayes, listen to me carefully. I can put a bullet in your head faster than my friends can stop me. And it’s been recorded that I have a traumatic brain injury, and I take mood-altering steroids. No court will convict me.” Troy’s voice was dead calm.
“The Divine End is fully operational. They have amassed a large stockpile of weapons and explosives. They are searching for the sarin. They stopped gun-running to fuel their subversive activities and are now selling infants. We have not been able to find their new compound.
“What we do know is one of their former compounds was situated ten miles east of what you know as the Knolls’ estate. That’s where they were holding Eleanor the night she escaped. According to Starr, she’d been difficult. They moved her, intending to keep her there until she gave birth. Then they were going to dispose of her. Eight months into the pregnancy, she escaped and managed to travel on the inner dirt road until she made it to one of the cabins on the border of the Knolls’ estate. Hypothermic and bleeding, she gave birth to a premature girl. Starr had a bit of a conscience. After they disappeared with the baby, he called an ambulance,” Hayes said.
“And Jeffries was Sheriff, so he never ‘found’ the evidence,” Wes said, shaking his head.
“The infant?” Kyle asked.
