“Phillip had contacted the DEA a little over a year before you saw us.” Shadow turned to face her directly. “He provided information on some criminal activity happening at the dealership in Crayton. When the Agency checked out the details, they found there might be more going on than he thought.”
“At my dealership? Peyton’s?” Betsy felt like she might throw up.
“Yes, ma’am.”
She straightened with indignation. “That’s not possible. I run an honest business. Always have. Always will. DEA or not, I don’t take kindly to your insinuation.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “And that includes whatever Phillip told you. He really wasn’t even involved in the dealership. Never spent more than a couple hours a week at the place.”
Shadow glanced at Cain and JB.
Clearing his throat, JB got everyone’s attention. “Recently, I’ve been involved in Shadow’s assignment. So has Kennett. And I filled Cain in early this morning. It’s important that all of you hear what this DEA agent has to say.”
For the next few minutes Shadow proceeded to explain the assignment parameters. Originally the DEA had sent him to gradually ingratiate himself into the regional drug ring. Which he’d done. Which was why he’d needed to be arrested today and gotten out of harm’s way. Because that group was fighting amongst itself, and splintering factions were scattering to other locations in North America.
But during his time in Crayton, Shadow had also learned of another crime family trying to take hold of the area. One that had been in business for almost a century. Dealing and stealing, loan sharking and blackmail, anything and everything had been fair game through the decades. It wasn’t just local either, the group had radiated from northern Illinois to Iowa, Missouri, western Kentucky, and even eastern Kansas.
As if a switch had been flipped, Kennett sat down. His expression cried alert. Slow and precise, he leaned forward, rested his elbows on the tops of his knees. “Did you say Illinois?”
“Yes.” Shadow stared directly at him. “If you want, we can have a confidential conversation about that later.”
“I’d like that.” Kennett nodded and rested back in his seat. His expression suddenly harder to read, ranging between stress, anger and misery.
Shadow turned back to the group to continue. The DEA and FBI had decided to keep him in place so he could keep an eye on the other group from his position in the original drug cartel. The FBI had someone already in place tracking the group from Illinois. “That would be the man killed at Peyton’s.”
“The man I called the lookie-loo?” Betsy asked.
“Yes. He was a good man. A good agent.” Shadow shook his head. “But there was a leak somewhere and that got him killed.”
The room was quiet for a bit, as if giving respect to the agent who had lost his life. After a minute or so, everyone seemed to come back to the situation at hand.
“I’m sorry for that loss, but that still doesn’t explain why you were meeting with Phillip,” Betsy said.
“You’re right. We all knew going in that the case would be a slow build. One that might take years. Cover a lot of ground, physically and research wise.” Shadow turned to face Betsy. “The break came when Phillip agreed to work with the DEA, FBI and myself.”
Betsy looked as if someone had just punched her in the gut. Her mouth dropped open, her breathing became jerky. “My Phillip worked with you?”
“Yes, ma’am. I trusted Phillip from our first meeting. Even more so when he verified some points only on my radar. From that point on, things progressed fast and expansive. We needed a place to meet that would be safe for both of us. Your all’s house seemed like the logical spot.”
Blinking away tears from her eyes, she cleared her throat as her chin quivered. “You behind the pine tree. Phillip on the front porch.”
“I want you to know that Phillip quickly became one of the most trustworthy informants I’d ever had on any job,” Shadow said. “Our system worked fine for a while. Then things started getting dicier. Wasn’t long till my side of the assignment seemed to be changing. I got the feeling there was a new bull trying to move in and take charge with the group I’d first infiltrated. Also, got word here and there that they were planning another expansion in the Midwest.”
Trying to stay with the story being told, Betsy had to admit there were times she couldn’t keep all the ins and outs straight, but she listened. Listened close to everything that the agent had divulged about his assignment. Knowing Phillip had been helping with the drug case brought her a sense of pride that he’d taken his rehab seriously.
Still, part of her was not a bit happy with the fact JB had kept her out of the loop once he’d been added to the DEA info path. Or with Cain for not filling her in when he got the whole report from JB. She understood why—still didn’t make her happy.
“I warned Phillip to be careful, but he just kept digging and digging on his side of the assignment.” Shadow removed his hat and placed it on the desk. His brow pinched together as he raked his fingers through his hair. “Phillip was so close to finding the final piece of the puzzle regarding the Illinois group. He’d almost figured out how his dad had had such a sudden success in the auto business.”
The agent shook his head. “He was so determined to do what was right and take down the controlling element. Even if it meant taking down his dad, the dealership, and possibly even more of their estranged family.”
Betsy felt lightheaded. Those words she’d understood. “Wait! What did you just say about the dealership? What did Phillip and you find out?”
“Nothing specific, but we were close. Real close,” Shadow said. “In fact, Phillip planned to confront someone at that picnic. I told him not to, but he was determined. He always talked about buying some land so you two could build a bigger house and start a family. But first, he wanted whatever hold there was over his dad to be put to rest. Said he didn’t want a child of his to ever be threatened or blackmailed because of their past.”
Shadow braced his legs a foot apart, his body swaying forward and back, forward and back, forward and back as his expression shadowed remorse and strength. “I’ve often wondered if the wreck had anything to do with that final piece. And I’ll never know if he talked to anyone at that picnic or not. Once he was killed in the wreck, the trail went cold. Cold and quiet as ice.”
Suddenly all her business pride flew out the window as Shadow, Cain, JB, Officer Hastings and Kennett laid out everything they knew—not only from the past few days since the events at Peyton’s had happened, but evidence that dated back five, ten, even twenty years.
Gradually, they pieced together the possible premises they’d started with and tried to see where the information she and Cain had gathered from the insurance agent earlier today fit into the mix. Especially the business partner life insurance policies that had been paid out through the years. And the people on the current list.
