“No, I didn’t.”
“Yes, you did. You reported it to Jim, and then to Agent Wilson, this man, and the other one when you told your story to everyone at the meeting room at Erin’s Way. They are federal agents with the FBI, you reported it to the authorities. There’s no reason why you had to go locally.” She turned to look at Roger. “Does your boss have her statement?”
“Yes, it’s back at the office, but yes, she has Myrna’s statement.”
“Good, then you’re in the clear. Now, how about we go through this journal, take notes, and do what we have to? I know you’re here to pack up and get back to New Double. I’m here to help with that, as well as do everything for you legally. So far, I haven’t seen anything that you have done wrong.” She looked at the agents. “I presume that the evidence mentioned in the letter is safe?”
“Yes.”
“Good, I don’t want to know where it is, becauseit’s none of my business. If you don’t mind, I’m going to call Duane Manchester.” As she talked, she pulled her phone, dialed, and made sure it was on speaker. Myrna liked that she didn’t mince her words as soon as it was answered.
“Duane, it’s Ilsa. I’m here, and we have a new direction for you to investigate.”
“What’s your data?”
She took the letter and read it, and they all heard his whistle.
“Are you saying that Mary’s husband’s side piece wanted the horse, that’s why he allegedly killed his wife?”
“That’s what we’re going with. I’m assuming Agent Wilson has people working on this at her office in Denver. I’m with Myrna, Pedro, Agent Benjamin, and Agent Smith with the FBI. They’ve taken photos and sent them to Agent Wilson. I trust you to be discreet in your background check into Officer Avery Mosher. I’m also not telling you what to do, or how to do your job, but as backup for us, what do you think about reading Jake Cogburn into this?”
“I was going to give him a call when we hung up. If Myrna’s there, we have your back.”
“Thank you,” Myrna said, and the call was ended. After that, they settled in and Myrna read the entire journal, while others took notes. By the time the last page was read, Myrna had gone through almost anentire box of tissues. As she closed the journal, Robert picked it up, slid it into a plastic bag, sealed it, and wrote on the outside, before he left the room.
“Do I want to know?” Ilsa asked.
“Nope,” Myrna said as she removed the gloves she had donned to keep her prints off the pages of the journal and looked at the clock, and started getting lunch together. Again, there were sandwiches, but this time it was laid out in a buffet style so they could take what they wanted. As they ate, they made small talk, when they finished cleaning everything, the men went out to the barn to start loading Sally’s tack, while the ladies went into the spare room and started packing.
Pedro had just taken some tack to the trailer and stepped out of it when a vehicle pulled in, he spotted it, then went to the back of the barn, to rush in to talk with Robert. It turned out to be nothing but someone looking for someone else. At least that’s what the driver said, and after going inside to talk with Myrna, Pedro gave these people directions to their destination.
CHAPTER 19
A few days later,Myrna leaned against the counter with a cup of coffee in her hand and looked around at all the boxes yet to be packed. It was only a select few kitchen items, and the beds. Everything else was loaded in the trailer.
“What now?” she asked the two agents and Pedro. Ilsa had gone home the day after she’d arrived, but she had taken the evidence Mary had left in Myrna’s attic up to Yvonne at her office. Yvonne had been working on getting warrants to go over the books in the factory Myrna had worked in, Godwin’s’ garage, and when the results of the samples Mary left came back from the lab, the FBI would get warrants to search Officer Mosher’s home, work, and both her vehicles. They would also get a warrant to search Mark Griffin’s place of employment, home, and vehicles.
“Now,” Robert said as he closed the dishwasher and turned it on. “We finish packing, and get you and Pedro back to New Double. I’ll be escorting you home, help you unpack, make sure you’re safe, then I’ll be heading to my home. I’ll go back to the office tomorrow and help SSA Wilson.”
“And I,” Lela said as she picked up a box, and opened it to put last minute items inside. “Will be staying here to see if anyone comes around, or tries to do anything once the warrants are served.” She saw Myrna’s expression and shook her head. “With your permission, if you’re still interested in selling, I can contact several real estate agents and walk them around. I won’t do it all at once, maybe one a day, and get three or four people here. I can call you at night to keep you up to date.”
Myrna didn’t respond at first. She held up a finger in a wait gesture. She grabbed the pad of paper everyone had been making lists on, and opened one drawer, the one she had said was a junk drawer. She withdrew a business card and wrote something on the paper, ripped the sheet off and handed them both to Lela.
“Do not, under any circumstances, allow this gentleman in this house.”
“Why?” the three of them asked as one.
“One, one day, about a week after I broke up with Randy, this guy was here when I got home from work. I caught him in my barn, which was lockedwhen I left for work, and he said he wanted to purchase my home. I told him no, he kept returning. I threatened to call the police to trespass him, and he quickly left. I don’t know if the business card is legit or not.”
“But?” Lela asked, and she moved it so that Robert could take a photo of it, then flipped it over, using the corners, and snapped a photo of the number written on the back of it.
“I’ll investigate this when I get back to the office.”
“You think he might be a part of this?”
Robert only shrugged, and gave her a look.
“Oh.”
