Fear The Storm (Storm Warning Series Book 1) Read online

  Rachel nibbled her bottom lip and twisted her fingers. "If we can't get the evidence, then let's retrace the crime. I mean, the bank must still have the records. Can't we check them out?"

  Sighing, he knew the bank would be a dead end. "They turned it all over to the FBI. That's how they built the case." He took a sip of his tea. "And, to be honest, I don't think the bank would give us jack shit. They're still pissed."

  Rachel gave him a look that would fry bacon. "They were insured. Technically they didn't lose a dime.”

  Kendall sucked on her straw. "Don't go looking for a handout there. Old man Burke still hates your dad."

  Rachel frowned and he wanted to take her in his arms and assure her that everything would be okay. That they could get past this, together, and it wouldn’t feel like the end of the world forever, like it did now. He knew he could make her happy again, if she’d give him a chance.

  "Kendall is right. The bank won't be much help."

  The frustration on Rachel’s pretty face brightened her high cheeks and flushed her smooth complexion. "Okay, I guess it's useless. The FBI has the evidence and the bank won't cooperate." She shoved him to move so she could leave. "We're wasting our time."

  Refusing to budge, he held up his hands and said, "Wait a minute. Let's talk this out."

  Her jaw tightened. "What's there to talk about?"

  "Yeah," Kendall added. "We were all so young, no one told us anything. We can hardly remember what went on because we never really knew it in the first place."

  Rachel looked at him. "Except for Lucas. He was the deputy."

  "A twenty-one-year-old rookie deputy, barely dry behind the ears," he reminded her. “And personally involved with the accused and his family. They weren’t going to tell me anything too important.”

  Kendall leaned across the table. "Okay, so let’s find out what we all knew, collectively." She paused. "The night your dad was arrested I was upstairs in my room trying to figure out my new phone and my parents were downstairs having after-dinner drinks with Robert Spears and his wife, Jeanette. My mother had invited them the week before."

  Rachel straightened. "As I remember, Jeanette Spears and your mother were close friends."

  "Yes, they were, but old man Spears and my dad never hit it off. However, he liked him better after he offered your dad the job at the bank."

  "He didn't do Dad any favors. He got that job on his own," Rachel said defensively.

  "I wasn't on duty that night," Lucas added, changing the direction of the conversation. "And, until my dad told me that he saw Jim in the back of a squad car, I didn’t know they planned to arrest him that night."

  "What did you do when you heard?"

  "I drove to the station to find out what was going on. My dad went with me."

  Rachel stiffened. "Did my dad know you were there?"

  "Yes, my dad went over to Sheriff Townson and demanded to know what was going on. That's when the FBI stepped in and started grilling him."

  "And what did he say?"

  "That Jim wouldn't take anything that didn't belong to him, and there had to be some kind of mistake."

  Rachel chewed her bottom lip. "What did my dad do?"

  "He kept telling them he didn't know anything about the missing money. As far as he knew, every penny in the bank was accounted for. His record keeping was perfect."

  Rachel propped her chin on the palm of her hand. "He must've been terrified."

  "I can vouch for that," Kendall said, quietly. "My dad said he was almost in tears. Wasn't there anything about the whole thing that stuck in your mind, Lucas? I mean, anything at all?"

  "Well, I found it strange the way information was dribbled out to me but, like I said, I was too involved with Jim for them to give me too many details. What I know for sure is, Burke came to the office and told Sheriff Townson that there was money missing from the bank. Then, a few days later, Spears came in and said he’d traced it all back to Jim. Then Townson called in the FBI."

  "That must've been hard for Sheriff Townson. I mean, he was so tight with your family."

  "He and my dad played high school football together and went to the same college." Lucas took a sip of his tea. "You know he almost married my aunt?"

  Rachel looked surprised. "I didn't know that." She turned to face him. "Couldn't your dad talk any sense into him? Wouldn't he listen to reason?"

  "The FBI snatched the whole thing right out of his hands. Once they were called in, it was over more or less, for our department. We did a few things for the Feds, but they ran the show."

  "Anything else?"

  He shook his head, thinking it best he kept his opinions to himself at this point.

  "What happened when Sheriff Townson showed up at your house, Rachel?" Kendall asked.

  She leaned her head back. "That's when the nightmare started.”

  * * *

  Rachel wasn't sure she could verbalize that fateful night. In eight years, she never uttered a word. Even with her mom, they'd only shared bits and pieces. It was too painful to relive the whole scenario.

  She wasn't sure she could.

  "Mom and I were sitting on the couch looking through a fashion magazine," she looked from Kendall to Lucas. "You guys know how she is."

  They both nodded.

  "Dad had just finished mowing the lawn after dinner, taken a shower and was reading the paper in his recliner. Butch laid across his lap."

  Her dad's faithful bulldog, Butch, died from a broken heart six months after her dad went to prison. It'd been horrible to tell him about it. Listening to what happened, Lucas and Kendall lowered their heads.

  Kendall let out a gloomy sigh. "That was so sad. Jim loved that dog."

  "We were just having a relaxing night at home. It was Wednesday, so nothing special. I'd just gotten off the phone with you, Lucas, then texted Kendall. A typical middle of the week evening."

  "Then what happened?" Lucas asked.

  "Don't you know?"

  "Not everything. And I want to hear it from your point of view."

  "Sheriff Townson came over, Mom answered the door and asked if he wanted coffee. When he refused, she offered him either pie or cake, whichever was left over from dinner, I can't remember, but he just wanted to talk to Dad. We heard them in the foyer, but Mom and I didn't think much of it until Dad raised his voice and asked Sheriff Townson if he'd been drinking."

  Lucas stared at her. "Then he took him to the station?"

  She shrugged, "Pretty much. Sheriff Townson advised us to contact Franklin, Dad’s lawyer, then they left."

  "Franklin came to the station and he advised Jim to keep quiet until they knew all the facts." Lucas gazed into the distance. "Neither the FBI or Burke liked that."

  "Did they just assume my dad would confess to something he didn't do?"

  He gripped his chin, deep in thought. "I'm not sure what was expected, but Sheriff Townson was mad as hell. He kept arguing with the Feds. It didn't do any good, but he gave them an ear full."

  "My dad said he had no idea what was going on until he arrived at the station."

  Kendall shook her head. "What a night."

  "When Mom and I showed up, no one," she glared at Lucas, "including you, told us anything."

  His gazed flickered down, then back up to meet her stare. "I’m sorry for that, Rachel. I should’ve had more compassion. You deserved better."

  "It would’ve helped if you'd said something...Anything."

  She turned to her friend. "What happened to the Vice President, Robert Spears, and his wife the night my dad was arrested?"

  Kendall thought for a few minutes. "I don't know. They just got a call and left right as I was coming downstairs."

  "He wasn't curious why my father called him to come to the police station?" Lucas asked.

  "I didn’t know your dad was the one who called him. He was just sort of quiet. But," Kendall pointed out, "at that time, my parents hadn’t been called yet, so none of us knew anything."
r />   "Spears had to know why he was being called." Lucas’ interest grew. "If he knew money had been taken from the bank, and that Burke had reported it, I'm sure he knew exactly what was coming down the pike."

  "That would mean that Robert and Jeanette Spears came to our house that night knowing that Rachel's dad would be arrested later."

  Concern stretched across Rachel’s face, turning her features tight. "That's strange," she said.

  "And he never came to the station. The only person from the bank was Burke."

  At that, she sat up straight. "It’s hard to believe Spears knew all along my dad would be arrested that night. Let’s say he did, and he still went to your house? My dad's best friend’s, for dinner?"

  Lucas looked at her. "Unusual behavior, considering Spears had to have known how this would all play out."

  Rachel glanced away. "I'd say."

  Chapter 8

  Lucas needed time to think. "I suggest we go home for now. Let me make a few phone calls tomorrow and we'll get together here in the afternoon."

  Rachel frowned. "That could mean wasting a whole day. I can't stay long. I have a job to get back to. My mom does too."

  Disappointment hit his stomach, but he ignored it, for now. "How long are you here?"

  “Five or six days, maybe. Mom and I are the decorating committee for Grandma Mercy’s birthday, but they’d both like us to stay over for the holidays. I don’t know if I can."

  Kendall leaned toward Lucas, her chin close to the table. "Is that enough time?"

  "I don't know." He put his arm across the back of the booth, close to Rachel's shoulder. "We don't have a lot to go on. I'm going to ask the FBI if I can re-check the evidence. I'll lie and tell them it's concerning another case."

  "First off, you, lying to the Feds? Are you sure you can do that? And secondly, will they even believe you?" Rachel asked. "I don't want anyone in trouble. I just want the truth."

  "I’m a changed man, Rachel. I still believe in the system, but if my gut tells me something is off, I’m going to do everything I can to find out if I’m right.” He looked into her eyes, openly and honestly, hoping she would understand how serious he was. “But, what if we’re wrong, and your dad taking the money is the truth? Can you be happy, knowing we did everything we could to find out the truth?"

  "I'll never be happy with my dad in jail. But,” she conceded, reluctantly, “if I'm thoroughly convinced he did what the FBI and Mr. Burke claim, then I'll have to settle for the truth."

  That was huge for her and it gave him hope. He wanted to ask her about their relationship, too. Did they stand a chance? Could she ever forgive him or was she going to run away again? Looking at her now, he realized his entire life had been on hold for the last eight years while he waited, hoping she'd return.

  Now, here she was, right next to him and he couldn't do anything except stare, wish, and dream. Not how he planned this would all go down. In his mind, he would explain why he did what he did and what he was going to do to make it up to her and that would be enough. However, there was a real chance there wouldn’t be a happily ever after for them and, regardless of what she said, it would destroy her to learn her dad was guilty.

  She'd never forgive him or Jim.

  He looked at Kendall. "Your dad and Spears are still good friends, aren't they?"

  "Well, not as close as they were before all this happened. My dad didn't feel Mr. Spears did enough to try to convince Mr. Burke that Rachel's dad didn't do anything wrong. He didn’t believe Mr. Spears could have found enough evidence to convict Rachel’s dad in the first place, so giving Mr. Burke what he did was just adding fuel to the fire. "

  "Did he think Jim was hiding anything?" he glanced at Rachel. "Spears didn’t testify. He gave a statement, but he wasn't called to the stand."

  Kendall stretched her back. "I'm afraid that's a dead end. My dad was disappointed in Mr. Spears and he let him know it, but he doesn't think he's guilty of anything.”

  "So, we can't get him to talk to Spears?"

  Rachel popped up like a cork in a bottle of wine. "What? Talk to who?"

  He looked at her and shrugged. "I just thought maybe Kendall's dad could get a little more information than I can. Burke refuses to utter a word about what happened, except to the Feds."

  "What about Nancy Wigan, the bank clerk?" Rachel asked. "Does she know anything?"

  "She gave a statement saying she didn't have a clue. Claims it was all news to her. I think she was afraid they'd somehow implicate her in the charges."

  "Was she cleared?"

  "Yes, according to Burke. He said she wasn't smart enough to pull off something so sophisticated."

  "Was it that difficult?" Rachel asked. "Did this actually take a master mind?"

  Lucas leaned back and stretched out his legs. "I sat through the whole trial and I still don’t totally understand how it was pulled off, but the FBI's accountants did. Their lawyers knew exactly how the money had been moved from account to account, then transferred offshore."

  "Is that where they think the money is? In a place like the Cayman Islands?"

  "That's what is suspected."

  She reached over and put her hand on his arm, the power of her touch going right to his heart, causing it to flutter.

  "Lucas, as difficult as it was on my mom and me, I find it hard to believe my dad has knowledge of where all that money is hidden and hasn’t told us."

  He covered her hand with his and squeezed. "I know. I don't think he does either. That's the one part that doesn't fit the whole scheme of things."

  "I'm embarrassed to say that we had to ask friends for help," she nodded to Kendall, "even her dad, for money to pay the rent on our apartment a couple of times. We lived on Ramen noodles and SpaghettiOs. If my dad had access to money, he would've taken care of his family."

  "I believe you."

  Lucas never told anyone, but he'd worked a part time job and gave all the money to Kendall's dad to help Rachel and her mother. How could he not? Their situation what it was, that's what never made sense to him. Jim Snyder loved his family. There were only the three of them, but he'd been a good provider, an honest man, and a deacon in the church. The very idea of Rachel's dad doing anything dishonest didn't ring true under any circumstance.

  Kendall scooted to the end of the booth. "Let's get out of here. We'll meet tomorrow. I'll hint to my dad and see if he's willing to tell me anything. He never believed Jim did it either."

  He slipped out of the booth so Rachel could stand. "Okay, but don't give away too much. Just make it sound like you're curious and see how far he's willing to go. It's important that only the three of us know about this. If it slips I'm trying to get Jim Snyder's case reopened, the Council will have a fit. And I don't even want to think what Burke will do."

  Rachel stood and adjusted her coat and Lucas envisioned a very long night ahead of him, alone.

  "Tomorrow, at two.”

  * * *

  Lucas dropped Kendall off first and, for the first time in a very long time, he and Rachel were alone. Rachel didn't know what to say. She was grateful he was willing to help now, but she hadn't forgiven him for deserting her eight years ago. She was beginning to see he was different, less naïve, more perceptive, but even so, she wasn’t sure she could ever get over the hurt and humiliation.

  Long, silent minutes later, he pulled into her grandma's yard, facing the dock, and killed the engine. With his arm across the back of the seat, she hugged the door.

  "Thanks for the lift," she rushed out, wanting to get away as fast as possible. "See you tomorrow."

  Before she could escape, he took her hand, causing her to freeze in place. She didn't look at him because she feared what she would see in his eyes. Compassion. Sincerity. Maybe even love…and that would weaken her resolve. She couldn't afford to be weak now. Not after all this time. It was too soon, if ever.

  "I hope we can find something that will help your dad, Rachel. But don't get your hopes up."
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br />   And that did it. Wonderful. Resolve back in place.

  She turned and glared at him. "What?"

  "I didn't mean it like that. I hope you understand that I don't want you to suffer more than you have already."

  Anger soared through her body and she yanked her hand free. "Is this all just an attempt to make amends for being a jerk for the last eight years?"

  "That’s part of it, yes, but that’s not all of it."

  "Are you sure? Because I’m starting to think you never intended to help, did you? A tiger really can’t change his stripes. It’s all about the law and your career for you and it always will be." Was she just being a fool? Again? One day home and she was already falling into his trap.

  "That’s not true. Rachel, you're just angry. Take a minute and think about what I’m saying. Trust me."

  She caught sight of the dock out of the corner of her eye and that was it. All hell broke loose. "Trust you? Oh, you want to talk about trust? Okay, remember our night together out there on the dock?” She threw her arm out, motioning towards it. “You know, the one I didn’t hear from you after for, oh right, ever!”

  “What? Is that the real reason why you wouldn’t answer my calls?” He slapped the steering wheel. “Your dad was arrested two nights later. I barely had time to wrap my head around what happened before something else major happened.”

  She folded her arms and glared out the windshield. “But you knew he was under investigation and didn’t say a word, you already had time to think about what was coming.” And then it dawned on her. “You knew. You knew what was coming and what you were going to do and you still slept with me!”

  He had the good grace to look abashed, at least. “Ah, Rachel, I honestly didn’t think the suspicion around Jim would amount to anything. And the way you looked that night, everything that was between us…it was meant to happen. We couldn’t stop it and you know it.”

  “We never talked about it after,” she whispered softly. The night they’d made love for the first, and only time. Right there on the dock.