a niggling in his gut. Something fishy was going on, and his dad was right in the middle of it. His first instinct was to notify the sheriff of Hays County. They had the resources and the manpower to deal with this.
As the constable in this precinct, he provided law-enforcement services for Willow Creek and the surrounding rural areas. People called 911 for major crimes, which were rare. Those calls were handled by the sheriff’s department in San Marcos, and Carson would usually assist. Most people in town had his direct number and would call for minor incidents like a fight at the beer joint, trespassers or family squabbles.
They called Carson because they didn’t want to draw the attention of the sheriff. They just wanted the annoyance to go away. Very rarely did he have to arrest anyone. If he did, he had to transport them to the county jail in San Marcos.
Carson would contact the sheriff about Ms. Brooks’s allegation, but he had to be cautious for his dad’s sake. Asa wasn’t in good health, and sometimes he wasn’t even in his right mind. All his thoughts were focused on Jared. He couldn’t seem to let his youngest son rest in peace. To protect his father, Carson had to work the case.
Reaching the paved road, he stopped his vehicle. He’d have to do a thorough investigation and ask questions of the people in Willow Creek. They would remember. If someone could place Ms. Brooks with Roland and Curly, it would substantiate her claim.
The best person to question would be Ms. Brooks herself. Since he was already on the other side of the tracks, he’d do it now. He’d like to get her reaction to what Minnie had said.
He pulled into the Brookses’ driveway. He hadn’t been here in years. Lamar had killed his brother, and he’d just as soon have nothing to do with the murderer’s family. The house was run-down, as it had been for years. It had belonged to Norma’s mother. After her death, Norma inherited it. The old lady had kept the place up, but Lamar had never lifted a finger to fix anything. Sorry bastard!
The sound of a mower roared through the late afternoon. He got out and saw a woman pushing a mower on the left side of the house, making a circle to the front. At first he thought it was Hilary, but she wasn’t that curvy. It was Jena.
A completely different Jena from the morning. In denim shorts, a tank top and sneakers, she struggled to move through the tall grass. Her body glistened with sweat. She trudged behind the mower until she was about four feet from him. The whirly blades scattered grass all over his boots.
She reached down and turned off the mower. “What are you doing here, Constable?” she asked, using her forearm to wipe sweat from her brow.
“I’d like to talk to you.”
“Just a minute.” She ran for the porch, where there was a bottle of water. Unscrewing the top, she took a big gulp. For the first time he noticed how beautiful she was, with her dark hair and eyes and olive complexion. Beth had said Jared was besotted with Jena, and he could now see why. She had a fresh innocent appeal that was hard to ignore.
Slowly, she walked back, the bottle in her hand. “What did you want to talk about?”
He leaned against his vehicle. “You not used to hard labor?”
“Not really. I work in an office.”
“Ah, the lawyer.” That brought him down to earth like a shattered clay pigeon and reminded him this wasn’t a social call. He cleared his throat. “I paid Minnie Voltree a visit.”
“And?”
“She said you’re lying. That she did not deliver your baby.”
“Did you actually think she’d admit to it?” Her eyes never wavered from his, and that sincere gaze was doing a number on his senses.
“I was hoping for some hard evidence to place you at the Bar C.”
She pointed the bottle at him. “Then why aren’t you asking Asa? He knows everything. Or is he getting special treatment because he’s your father?”
“Maybe.” He wasn’t ashamed to admit it. “He’s not well, and he’s still grieving for Jared. I want real evidence before I confront him.”
“Okay.” She gazed off to the oak trees. “How many people know the Bar C has a basement?”
“Not many.”
“How many people have been in it?”
“Even fewer.”
She brought her eyes back to his. “I know exactly what it looks like. There’s a stairway near the kitchen that leads to the top floor. Underneath the staircase is a door that leads to the basement.”
He held up a hand. “Jared could have taken you there.”
“Other than when I gave birth, I was only on the Bar C once.” She held up one finger. “Jared wanted to take me horseback riding. I didn’t want to go, but he insisted. As soon as we drove up to the barn, Asa galloped up and shouted to Jared, ‘Get that piece of trash off my property and get your ass back home. I want to talk to you.’ After that I would never go there.”
For some reason he believed her—that certainly sounded like Asa. She was confident, sure and never took her eyes off him.
“Roland and Curly grabbed me as I was leaving the convenience store. Roland had a pistol, and he told me to shut up and do as I was told. I was scared—for me and my baby. Curly tied my hands with a rope, and they took me to the basement at the Bar C. With my big stomach I couldn’t see the steps very well, and I tripped a couple of times. I was shaking with fear and wanted to shield my baby. When I saw Minnie, I was relieved. She told me everything would be fine, and then she gave me some stuff to drink. She said it would calm my nerves. A half bed was in a corner with sheets and towels stacked high next to it. I became woozy, and she undid the rope and helped me to lie down.”
Jena screwed the cap back onto the bottle, and her hand shook slightly. He knew she was reliving that day. At that moment he knew she wasn’t lying. For the first time, he was torn between family and the truth.
Like everyone else in Willow Creek, he’d never really thought about what had happened to Jena’s baby. He’d listened to what his father had said about the baby’s paternity and put Jena Brooks out of his mind. When he returned home from the Marines for good, the murder cases had been closed and everyone had moved on. Now...
“I woke up to labor pains ripping through my body. I was under a sheet, and my maternity jeans and shoes had been removed. Minnie gave me more stuff to drink, and it helped the pain. Then I heard the word breech, and another voice said, ‘Let her die.’ It was Asa.”
Both of her hands gripped the bottle. “I felt as if my insides were being yanked out of my body. Just when I thought I couldn’t bear it any longer, I heard the baby cry. I held out my arms, wanting to hold it, and I heard Asa again. ‘I got it,’ he said. That’s when I knew they were taking my baby. I screamed and tried to get up. I was so weak I blacked out. When I woke up, I was fully clothed. I got up, intending to find my baby. Roland and Curly were there. I fought them, and Roland slapped me and told me to shut up or Asa would kill me. He told my mother the same thing. She got me out of Willow Creek that night.”
“Why didn’t you call the sheriff?”
“I was a teenager and
