“They were going well.” His jaw clenched. “My daughter should’ve stayed out of it. I warned her, but she wouldn’t listen.”
Bile churned in Megan’s stomach. Franny had been killed by Dan, but she’d been betrayed by her own father.
“Quentin kept the gun and tried to use it against you to get out of the business.” She adjusted her grip on the phone in her pocket. “But you didn’t let him, did you?”
“Nope.” His expression twisted, becoming sinister and cruel. “I tied him up and gave him a dose of barbiturates. No one—absolutely no one—threatens me.”
“Quentin should have known better.”
She swallowed hard, struggling with another wave of nausea. Heath’s callousness was disgusting.
“Turning on you was disloyal,” she added for good measure.
He nodded. “Exactly. After all I’d done for him. He deserved what was coming to him.”
Megan pushed a branch out of the way. How far was the road? How far away was backup? She needed to keep him talking.
“Who came up with the idea to frame Wade for Franny’s death?”
“Dan. Franny was getting close to figuring out who I was working with, but she hadn’t quite made it. She was focused on Brent and Sheriff Franklin. Dan stole Wade’s phone during the party. Afterward, he stopped by Franny’s house under the guise of neighbor complaints regarding loud music. He helped her clean up and found Wade’s phone in the cushions where he’d hidden it earlier in the evening. Franny called Wade, and before he got there Dan killed her. It was the perfect setup.”
A shudder ran down her spine. He was discussing his daughter’s murder as if he was organizing a Sunday picnic.
“Afterward, the whole thing with Quentin happened, and I decided the risk of exposure was too great,” he continued. “I told Dan to recruit Kyle.”
That explained why Kyle had no idea Heath was involved.
“Wasn’t it risky to recruit the sheriff’s nephew?”
“Naw. I knew from the rodeo days Kyle had a tendency to walk on the wrong side of the line. Besides, we never sold any drugs or weapons inside Medina County. We always sold them in other areas to prevent the sheriff from catching on.” He glared at her. “We were supposed to expand our operation once Dan was sheriff by manufacturing meth and shipping in other drugs. Between his control of the department and my political connections, we were set to be unstoppable.”
The corruption would’ve spread like a cancer, infiltrating every corner of the county and moving throughout the state. Megan’s stomach twisted at the thought. Still, she had to keep stroking his ego.
“You still can, I’m sure. The steps you took to protect yourself were perfect. No one thinks you’re a part of this.”
He nodded. “I made sure of it.”
“What about Skeeter?” she asked.
“That…” Heath growled. “That piece of trash deserved what he got. I couldn’t stand seeing him around town knowing he’d tried to separate my daughter from her family. He disrespected me.”
He was insane. His logic was off the wall. Megan mentally calculated how long she could hold up this charade. She had the feeling time was running out.
Lord, give me strength.
Her gaze shot to the weapon in Heath’s hands. “Is that the rifle you used to shot Skeeter?”
“No, I had to get rid of it, which really ticked me off. That rifle was my trophy. Every time I looked at it, I remembered shooting Skeeter. It was supposed to take out you and Luke too.”
Except he missed. It wasn’t wise to mention that mistake.
Megan licked her dry lips. “We played right into your hands by taking the saddles from the tack room. Spray-painting the message on the wall was a nice touch. But who was responsible for the fire? And June’s car accident?” Her steps faltered. “The attack on Wade in prison?”
“All me. Dan helped me coordinate them, but after the shooting in the woods, I knew it was only a matter of time before you linked it to Skeeter’s death. The plan was to frame Kyle and Sheriff Franklin for the thefts and the murders. That way we could speed up our takeover of the sheriff’s department.” He shoved her again with the muzzle. “Where is the journal?”
“Just a little further.”
Please God, I know You are with me. Help me think of a way to keep him talking, give me the right words.
She chewed on the inside of her cheek. “You were the anonymous caller. The one who called the sheriff’s department to report Kyle.”
A smile stretched across Heath’s face. “Someone had to take the fall. Dan was supposed to drop off a huge shipment at Kyle’s house for law enforcement to find and then leave.”
Except Luke and Megan had arrived unexpectedly to interview Kyle, throwing the plan off.
“That was smart to set up Kyle.” She paused. “How could you be sure he wouldn’t flip on you?”
“Dan had already convinced Kyle he would get him out of any trouble if he was ever arrested.” Heath puffed out his cheeks. “But the truth is we planned to kill him after he was arrested. County jail can be a dangerous place you know. Of course, all of that went out the window when Dan was caught at Kyle’s.”
He scanned the woods and then glared at her. Heath’s patience was wearing thin. She had to stall him, but change tactics.
“The journal is near here.”
Megan stopped and glanced around as if looking for her spot. Her mind whirled, trying to think of a way to distract him and buy more time.
“Since Dan knows about the operation, he’s a liability. Surely you have a plan to take care of things.”
“You’d be right.” He chuckled. “The dummy ran straight for my house after he escaped. Dan’s tied up in a barn on the far edge of my property. Once I’m done with you, I’ll kill him. It’ll be framed like a suicide, of course.” He patted the rifle again. “This baby will be in his
