Kenneth furrowed his brow and spat out, “You don’t know what you’re talking about—any more than your father did when he tried to railroad my father by looking for darkness—but only finding the light within the Braison Family orbit. We’re not the enemy, Detective, no matter how much you want to make us out to be this radical group of misfits and weirdos. Now, unless you’re here to arrest me, I suggest you be on your way and track down whoever is responsible for either Jasmine’s or Mia’s deaths—if they weren’t self-inflicted. You won’t find the person on this ranch…”
That’s still open for debate, Campbell told himself, in spite of the cult leader’s words to the contrary. It stung to insinuate that his dad was out to get Wendell Braison without just cause. As it did to imply that Braison’s son was merely the misunderstood victim of a witch hunt. Or warlock.
All things considered, Campbell preferred to believethat there was something to the Braison Family involvement in the mysterious deaths of three women spanning two decades. He intended to keep up the pressure on Kenneth Braison and his cult to find answers—till he was satisfied that they were barking up the wrong tree.
Campbell shot him a cold stare and said curtly, “If you have nothing to hide, then you have nothing to worry about with this investigation. But if the evidence indicates otherwise, then you’ve got a real problem that this compound won’t protect you from.” He took a breath and added thoughtfully, “And just for the record, as a police detective, my father was only doing his job—going wherever the case led him. The fact that it was never solved doesn’t mean he wasn’t on the right track. Or that the same track has come full circle in bridging the past with the present investigation…”
Campbell left it at that and walked away from the two men, wondering if he would be any more successful in establishing a clear link to the Braison Family in Jasmine’s and Mia’s deaths than his dad had been in making the case in linking Wendell Braison to Lynda Boxleitner’s murder.
* * *
KENNETHWAS FROWNINGas he observed Campbell Sawyer exit the Braison Family property, a swagger to the detective’s step. It was bad enough that another one of his followers, Jasmine, had died so soon after Mia’s death—and apparently under similar circumstances. Worse, though, was that it put the Family—and him, in particular—under the microscope. Much like when his father was at the helm two decades ago and became the target of an investigation that went nowhere—but his father had neverquite been able to get out from beneath the specter of being an alleged murderer.
This didn’t set well with Kenneth. Whether or not his father, Wendell Braison, had actually poisoned to death Lynda Boxleitner—one of his many bedmates—and gotten away with it was irrelevant in present day terms. Wasn’t it? His father, whatever his faults, deserved to rest in peace, just like his mother did.
But Kenneth wondered about his own peace of mind while still among the living. Would the detective continue to hound him, hoping to pin two deaths on him while tarnishing the intent and reputation of the Braison Family? Or would the investigation veer off in a different direction and Campbell, along with the meddlesome yoga instructor he was bedding, Stefanie Nguyen, leave well enough alone? So they could finally go about their business and mission as a family without further interference.
Juan interrupted his thoughts by asking scornfully, “So, do you think the detective is going to lay off us?”
“Only when he has good reason to look elsewhere,” Kenneth answered truthfully, rolling his long fingers through this hair. “But he doesn’t have nearly enough smoke to start a fire. Otherwise, Campbell would be making arrests. He’s got nothing…” Or at least not enough substance that Kenneth felt would ultimately hit the mark.
“Yeah, I’m thinking the same thing,” Juan muttered, scratching his head. “They’re looking for scapegoats within the Family—instead of going after outsiders who hate us and must have targeted Jasmine and Mia to make examples out of us.”
“Perhaps…” Kenneth set his jaw. “Gather everyone to meet in front of my house. I need to share with them theunsettling news of Jasmine’s untimely death. More than that, though—after what’s happened to her and Mia, I think we may need to put more restrictions on coming and going… And maybe even start instituting drug testing to keep members of the Family from both danger and succumbing to some of the evils of society—”
“I agree.” Juan nodded. “I’ll get on it.”
“Good.” Kenneth patted the shoulder of his most loyal follower, with Siobhan, his current bedmate, a close second. He would need them both while navigating troubled waters in the riverscape.
* * *
THATAFTERNOON,STEFANIEsat in a booth with Bella at the Reston Hills River Pub on Third Street, as they sipped on mojitos.
“It sucks,” Stefanie admitted, laying her sorrows out, not wanting to hold them in with the tragedy of Jasmine’s death weighing on her.
“I know.” Bella grimaced. “Especially since it seemed like Jasmine had something on her mind when she agreed to meet with you and Campbell. Someone must have wanted to prevent that meeting from ever taking place…”
“Right?” Stefanie sighed. “She was suspicious about Kenneth Braison—if not the entire Braison Family. Yet Jasmine was either too afraid or too brainwashed in the cult to break away altogether.” Stefanie took a drink.
“Isn’t that how it goes with these cults?” Bella pointed out. “They say all the right things to rope you in—perhaps convince you to give up your life savings and self-respect—then mess up your mind so you lose sight of what’s right and what’s wrong. If Jasmine—and maybe Mia as well—had decided they had enough of the BraisonFamily, that might have been the catalyst for Kenneth going after them. If it turns out that Jasmine, like Mia, died from a drug overdose, this will prove my point.”
“Mine, too,” Stefanie concurred, thinking about the conditions of which both died. “Both were without clothing, as if to make some type of morbid statement from their deaths to anyone else who would dare go against the cult…” Would Campbell reach the same conclusion? Or was there more to the story of the disturbing victimization than met the eye?
Bella tasted her cocktail and commented, “It is a bit bizarre… Just like it was when Lynda Boxleitner was found dead in a similar fashion on Founder’s Day twenty years ago. It rocked the community and had people whispering and pointing fingers at the Braison Family. And even though Wendell Braison managed to avoid prosecution for the homicide, many people—including Mason Sawyer—never believed him to be innocent. The same may be true for his son, Kenneth Braison, who’s fiercely protective of the Braison Family brand, whatever that entailed. The apple never falls too far from the tree, as the saying goes…”
“That’s what they say,” Stefanie agreed, though she was striving to keep an open mind as more details unfolded regarding Jasmine’s death. “We’ll just have to see what the investigation uncovers and just how deep within the Braison Family this could go—if anywhere at all.”
Bella nodded. “I’m sure that Campbell and the entire police department are committed to doing their job and reaching the proper conclusions—whatever they happen to be and however long it takes—while giving the citizensof Reston Hills some much needed resolution to this unwelcome drama that they can live with.”
“You’re right about that,” Stefanie said, offering her a smile of mutual support. “I need to take a step back and give Campbell the space he needs to figure this out.”
“Probably a good idea.” Bella held her hand. “You’re my best friend, Stefanie. The last thing I want is to see you swept up in the Braison Family deeds and misdeeds—putting you in any type of danger.”
Stefanie squeezed her hand, happy to see that she felt that way about her in such a short period of time since taking up residence in Reston Hills. “I feel the same way about you—we’re besties,” she told her.
“Nice to know.” Bella’s eyes lit up and she lifted her glass for a toast. “Cheers.”
“Cheers.” Stefanie grinned. She thought about her feelings for Campbell, which went well beyond camaraderie—and was sure he recognized this and was on the same wavelength. Beyond that, she would take any real friendship she could get in this new environment. Even if it meant sharing Bella with anyone she chose to romance, such as her current beau, Russell Kercheval, whom she insisted was only a work-in-progress at the moment.
