“And that was that. As I said, I’d all but forgotten about the damn thing until last night, when Bateman asked me about it.”
Jason was glad to see her smile, and to feel her relax beside him. He’d worried that her recounting of what had happened the night before might upset her, but he guessed he really should have known better. Leesa Jordan had spine. He counted it a true compliment to both him and Phillip that she felt secure enough with them to let them see her at her most vulnerable, as she had been for a time last night. He squeezed her hand, knowing the interview was nearly over.
As if hearing the hope in Jason’s thoughts, Adam turned off the recorder.
“How’s Bryce doing?” Jason asked. “And can you explain what the hell Bateman was after? Do we know what the significance of that letter was?”
“Bryce is fine. According to Robert, the bullet just grazed him. Doc patched him up, gave him his tetanus shot, and drove him over to the B&B for the night. He’s asked me to relay an invitation to meet him for lunch today here at Lusty Appetites. You can let me know about that before I leave.”
“Wait a minute!” Leesa turned to Adam. “You found out when Bateman first came here that Bryce had been one of the guys involved in trafficking drugs. Isn’t he going to be charged?”
“That, along with Bateman’s attitude, was one of the things that tipped us that maybe Bateman wasn’t all he appeared to be,” Adam said. “But no. All we have is Bateman’s word that Bryce was involved in that business.”
“And Bateman now is a disgraced federal agent,” Jason said.
“Exactly. He was on the take when he was undercover, so none of the evidence he can give would make it past a competent defense attorney.” Then Adam turned to Peter. “Want to fill them in on the rest?”
Peter grinned. “Happy to. That fuck-wad, Bateman, is on his way back to Dallas. Under arrest, of course. He’s got so many charges being filed against him he’ll be able to count on state- and federal-supplied housing and meals for the next several years.”
“That doesn’t surprise me. I told my guys that I wasn’t really frightened last night, until I looked in his eyes and realized he was at the end of his rope.”
“He wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed,” Peter said. “Apparently, Bryce had already traveled the path Bateman was planning to take. As it turns out, each of them, without knowing about the other, overheard Levine telling another member of their alleged gang, Johnny Post, about his contingency fund. Levine boasted he had a huge stash—nearly a million dollars—at his family farm in Virginia. It was, according to what Levine told Post, cash he'd amassed through larcenous means even before he’d joined the army. The house had been deserted, but Levine said he still owned it. Allegedly the cash had been squirreled away in a buried safe in one of the bedrooms.
“Bryce headed there as soon as he got out of prison to find the safe open, with only a single hundred-dollar bill inside.”
“Wow. That must be the drug dealer’s version of leaving the waitress a two-cent tip,” Leesa said. Then she covered her mouth. And gave up the effort a moment later and simply laughed.
“That poor, dumb bastard.” She looked at Phillip then turned her gaze on him. “I’ve never wished Bryce ill. I just wanted nothing more to do with him.” She shook her head. “Now that I know about the drug dealing, I can see him a bit clearer. He was looking for the proverbial get-rich-quick scheme. He thought that, after getting out of jail, he had a fast way to a fortune—and that never really works, does it? At least not for the long haul.”
“Not that I have ever seen,” Adam said.
“So, Levine got the last laugh on everyone,” Phillip said. “He teased everyone about his fortune then snapped it up himself before any of them could get to it.” Phillip frowned. “Why would Levine have done that? He went to all the trouble to have money hidden away, and he teased others with its existence, putting his so-called security in jeopardy.”
“Who knows how some minds work?” Adam shook his head. “My impression, speaking to Bryce, was that Levine used his own products, and when he was high, he got…silly.”
“As to having the last laugh, he didn’t really,” Peter said. “After our interview with Bryce, I got in touch with the Department of Defense. Apparently, Jerry Levine was killed in a fiery car crash during a weekend leave. The scene of the accident was just a couple of miles from that farmhouse. He was traveling back to base when it happened.”
“A fiery crash? So all that money went up in flames?” Jason asked.
“That’s the speculation at the moment, and it’s certainly what Bryce believes.” Peter said.
“This whole thing—with Bateman and Bryce and even poor Jerry Levine?” Leesa shook her head. “It’s just…sad. More than anything, that’s how it feels. Three lives ruined, because of greed.”
“Sad,” Adam agreed. “And also, sadly, all too common.”
Leesa looked at Jason and then at Phillip. When she squeezed his hand, he assumed she squeezed Phillip’s, too. “Let’s go have lunch with him. Let him speak his
