“What is he saying?” Dr. Linden asked the sheriff.
Conrad didn’t answer him. Neither Travis nor the other two deputies said anything.
“I’m going to have to step in,” said Agent Mathews. “Sheriff, I’m going to ask that you voluntarily step down, pending an investigation into your possible criminal misconduct in office. Deputy Travis Conrad can fill your position until we get this cleared up.”
The ambulance arrived and Bob went with the paramedics to the cells.
“What’s this about?” asked Dr. Linden.
“The sheriff put me in the cell with three drunk men who tried to gang-rape me,” said Diane. She pointed to her ripped clothing. “I defended myself.” She started to add, “with help,” but she was afraid the sheriff might try to use that to hold Liam again.
Dr. Linden looked at her, puzzled, as if she might be lying, but noticed that no one contradicted her.
“I’m going home,” said Diane.
“I would like the return of the items from my pockets,” said Liam. He squinted at the sheriff, as if trying to see inside his brain.
Travis walked over, unlocked the desk in the corner of the room where they kept possessions, and lifted out an envelope with Liam’s name on it and handed it to him. Diane noted that they hadn’t listed the contents on the outside. Unprofessional to the end. She shook her head.
Liam emptied the envelope out on the desk and quickly inventoried the items, gathered them up, and put them in his pocket. He took his billfold and looked at his credit cards and his money, counting the bills before he pocketed the billfold. He looked again into the face of the sheriff as he put his belt back on.
“I’m opening a formal investigation through the attorney general,” said Agent Mathews to the sheriff and his deputies.
“Investigate all you want. You got no authority here,” said the sheriff.
“Rendell County isn’t a separate country or another state,” said Mathews. “You’ll find that a great many people have authority here, in view of your misconduct. I fully expect criminal indictments and orders removing you from office to follow quickly.”
Diane walked outside with Frank and took a deep breath. She was tired of listening to Conrad’s pigheadedness. Others followed-Neva, Mike, David, Andie, and Liam. They all stood in a group on the sidewalk.
“Are you all right?” Frank asked Diane.
“Not yet. But I will be,” she said. She turned to Liam. “I had your things tested to protect you. The sheriff in this county has a reputation.”
He eyed Diane for a moment before he gave her a quick smile. “I know.” He looked back at the door to the sheriff’s department. “He’s some piece of work.”
After several moments, the paramedics came out with the large guy on the stretcher and loaded him into the ambulance. “We’re going to have to call for another ambulance,” one of them said as they went back inside.
Diane didn’t want to wait for the others to be brought out.
She reached for David and hugged him tight. “Thank you,” she said.
“We always have each other’s backs,” he whispered in her ear.
He was right. Especially since the massacre in South America, they watched out for each other like family.
Frank was shaking Liam’s hand when Diane let go of David. She thanked Liam again.
“You did okay,” he said.
She shook her head. “It wouldn’t have ended well had you not been there.”
Diane felt exhausted. She turned to Frank.
“Let’s go home,” she said.
Frank put an arm around her. She leaned on him as they walked to his Camaro parked at the curb. She just about fell into the front seat.
“You know, I liked this suit,” said Diane, when Frank got in the driver’s seat.
“Bill it to Conrad,” he said. He started the car and pulled out onto the main street and headed for Rosewood.
Diane asked Frank what happened at the church after she was taken by the sheriff.
“More quarreling between the members. They were split in their opinions. The Watsons, the Barres, and most of the younger people supported you. Some of the older people did also. The sheriff had a definite vocal contingent-mostly among the older residents. But his rough treatment of you gave them pause-I’m not sure how much. I’m afraid a lot of them feel you caused a rift in their church.”
Diane shook her head and leaned back against the headrest.
“Andie and I left them arguing,” Frank continued. “Izzy stayed to try to get more information, hoping that in the heat of conversation people would say something unguarded. On the way to the sheriff’s office, I stopped at the Waffle House to pick up David, Neva, Mike, Gil, and Colin. I’m not sure how David knew he should organize a rescue before the fact,” said Frank. “I was going to play it by ear.” He reached over and squeezed Diane’s hand. “I didn’t think it would get that bad.”
“I didn’t either. I’m not sure how David knows these things,” she said. “Part of it is that his own paranoid view makes him always come prepared for the worst.” She paused. “I know he’s always had little or no respect for Sheriff Conrad. But I suspect there is something more personal. You know David teaches some of the classes for certifying deputies and sheriffs. I think there may have been some anti-Semitism from Conrad.”
“It wouldn’t surprise me,” he said.
Diane closed her eyes the rest of the way home.
She headed for the bathroom and drew a hot bath the first thing, slipped out of her clothes, and soaked in the tub until the water cooled. When she got out, Frank had prepared a light dinner of bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches and tomato soup.
“Gil Mathews called while you were in the tub,” said Frank. “He got a call from his partner. Tammy and Slick want a deal. They say they can tell us where there is a cave with two bodies in it that don’t belong to them-I think that’s the way Tammy put it.”
Chapter 45
In the early morning, the woods at Slick Massey’s place were cool and there was a wispy fog low to the ground. Diane was wearing her favorite caving jeans, shirt, and hiking boots. It had crossed her mind on more than one occasion that perhaps she should wear some variation of her caving clothes all the time for quick getaways. Mike was with her. So was Neva. Frank, his hands in his warm pockets, stood looking at the house, probably wondering how anyone could live there. Frank kept his house in good condition always. Agent Gil Mathews and several GBI agents stood leaning against their SUVs, parked where Diane’s had been only a few nights before.
Mike, Neva, and Diane were present because they were certified for cave rescue-though the only rescue would be of the dead. Frank was there because Slick and Tammy were partially his and his partner’s case. Gil was there for the same reason. Diane thought Gil looked as if he’d like to skip the whole thing.
Slick arrived in a prison van. He was wearing an orange jumpsuit with his hands cuffed in front of him and was accompanied by an entourage of guards. Slick sported a haircut, and looked better for it. He stepped off the van and looked around at his place as if making sure everything was okay.
In the rising fog, Slick Massey’s house looked one hundred percent spooky. The windows were dark and the porch was sagging as if no one had lived there in years. Slick frowned at the place as his gaze drifted beyond the house to where his empty dog runs stood. Diane thought he looked wistful. She had heard that he was worried about his dogs and wanted to be sure his friend was still caring for them.
The last to arrive at the house was Liam Dugal. He was invited because he was looking for two lost people, and Slick, in searching for places to put his own bodies, had found two stray ones. Liam nodded to Diane and her team as he walked over their way. Diane noticed he was also dressed appropriately for the business at hand. She hoped he didn’t think he was going inside the cave.
