House of Secrets E-Book

D.F. Hart

• Herausgeber: 2 of Harts Publishing
• Kategorie: Krimi
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021

Beschreibung

What happens when the man whose specialty is hunting down killers becomes the hunted?

FBI agent Nathan Thomas faces a new whole challenge – solve the puzzle of several mysterious and unreported deaths in rural Texas, while also facing off against a ruthless and lethal cartel head.

Unbeknownst to Nathan, the clock is already ticking… and not everyone in his circle will survive the countdown.

Can Nathan keep himself, his loved ones, and his team alive long enough to bring a homicidal maniac to justice and end the threat that looms over them all?

Vital Secrets is a suspenseful crime thriller series chronicling FBI profiler Nathan Thomas and his team's cases, who capture serial killers while also juggling their personal and professional lives. While each suspenseful, riveting title in this series can be read as a standalone, readers will find maximum enjoyment if these full-length books are read in order - because while there are no cliffhangers, there is character growth over the series. If you enjoy the works of Elle Gray, Mary Burton, Lucinda Berry, Melinda Leigh and Pete Zacharias, the Vital Secrets series should make for a very enjoyable read!

House of Secrets is perfect for readers who enjoy fast-paced, action-filled crime thriller novels that are brimming with unexpected twists and turns and feature FBI profilers.

Leseprobe

House of Secrets

Book Six of the Vital Secrets Series

D.F. Hart

withK.W. Branzell

2 Of Harts Publishing

Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Also by D.F. Hart

About the Author

Copyright © 2021 by D.F. Hart

Library of Congress Control Number: PENDING

ISBN: eBook - 978-1-952008-29-0

Softcover - 978-1-952008-31-3

Large Print - 978-1-952008-30-6

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination, or used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Custom Cover Design and Artwork commissioned for D.F. Hart by Rocking Book Covers

I feel supremely blessed to have an awesome group of ARC readers – my ‘Hart’s Heroes’.

Among these folks are Don B, Leslie M, and Siobhan A.

I am forever grateful for your passion, your excitement, your feedback, and your support. You guys make this already fun journey even more amazing for me.

This is for you.

With Affection,

D.F. Hart

Prologue

Six years earlier…

“What do you think, Pastor?”

Evangelist Remiel Lighte stood at the edge of a tiny little body of water a few miles south and east of a tiny little town in Jack County, Texas.

“How many acres is this again?’

“Just over two hundred. And it includes twenty acres’ worth of this lake, since the land boundaries are there,” his companion pointed, “and there, and they extend across the water.”

Remiel closed his eyes and steepled his hands in front of his chest, a gesture that he had relied on for years to settle his nerves and open his mind to divine guidance.

Yes, he thought to himself as peace washed over him. This feels like home. This location is perfect for my ministry.

He opened his eyes and smiled as he turned to the old man standing beside him.

“Brother Abel,” Remiel murmured, placing a hand lovingly on the man’s shoulder, “I appreciate and accept your generous praise offering.”

ChapterOne

“You’re getting pretty good at this,” Nathan told Bella as he watched her maneuver herself up and off the chair, using her two-wheeled walker to help keep her steady.

It had been a long hard seven months since her accident, but Bella Thomas had finally received medical clearance to ditch the wheelchair – for short distances, at least – and do some actual walking outside of her scheduled physical therapy regimen.

“Yep. But the end goal is to be able to walk across the stage under my own power at graduation in three months. So just be ready, because in no time at all I will be back to my old self again, and when I am, you owe me dinner and dancing,” she announced.

“Whoa, whoa. I never mentioned dinner,” her husband teased, and she playfully swatted his arm.

“It’s a given,” she retorted with a mock pout as she shuffled her way over to the whistling kettle on the stovetop.

“So, what’s on your list to conquer today?” Bella asked as she poured hot water over the teabag in her favorite mug, then leaned against the counter to wait while her drink steeped to the proper strength.

“Well, Jamesin’s trial starts today. Sadly, I am barred from attending,” Nathan answered with a grim look as he cleaned off Charlie’s face and hands, then lifted the highchair’s tray to free his son.

“Nothing would make me happier than listening to all the evidence against him being read into the record, but the Director thinks it’s best if I keep my distance.”

Bella tilted her head and gazed at him, remembering his uncharacteristic outburst of violence toward a sinister serial killer that had almost cost her family everything, including her husband’s freedom.

“I think that’s a wise idea,” she murmured.

“Yeah, me too,” he said on a heavy sigh. “But Steve sent me some files that I can be working on to distract myself. Besides, Lizzie’s going, and she can be my eyes and ears since I don’t get to see that psycho’s downfall for myself.”

And there is another thing I am grateful for, Bella thought to herself. That he and Lizzie patched things up. They make an excellent team and there is no one I trust more to watch out for Nathan.

Nathan asking Charlie, “You ready to go play at daycare, buddy?” and Charlie’s emphatic “go!” brought Bella out of her reverie, and she laughed.

“I take it that’s a yes. Have fun today, Charlie.”

Nathan scooped him up and carried him over to his mother for a big kiss before Nathan kissed her as well.

“I love you, Bella. See you this afternoon.”

“I love you too. I’ll be right here waiting,” Bella answered with a grin.

“Bye, Mommy!” Charlie whooped as Nathan carried him out, and Bella chuckled when Nathan’s conversation with the toddler floated back to her as the two loves of her life headed toward the front door.

“Okay, buddy. Let’s get you strapped in, and we will get on the road. Are you driving, or am I?”

“I just remembered that I’ve got a client meeting tonight over dinner,” Donny said, his voice and face filled with a silent apology. “Mike and Grace are in town from Vail and want to get together.”

“It’s all right, since I have no idea what time I’ll be home anyway,” Lizzie assured him as she looked through her side of the closet for a suitable blouse to wear to work. “Among other things, the Jamesin trial starts today.”

“Oh. Well, if you don’t get too caught up, maybe you can meet us? I’ve reserved a table for four at Reata. Seven o’clock.”

Lizzie’s ears perked up.

“Reata? I will try my best to be on time.”

She walked past him while shrugging into her blouse, and Donny chuckled before he reached out and caught her around the waist to turn her to face him.

“Oh, so since it’s Reata, you’re in?”

“Yep,” Lizzie fired back, her eyes sparkling with mirth.

“I see how you are,” Donny teased as he buttoned up her blouse for her. “It’s all about the food, not me.”

“That is so not true… it’s not all about the food,” she said, and hummed appreciation in her throat when he leaned down and kissed her. “And if you keep doing that, I am going to be late.”

“Hey, I’m behaving myself very well for a newlywed, thank you. Exhibit A – your shirt got less revealing with my help, instead of ending up on the floor.”

“I know, and I appreciate it – and I will make it up to you later.”

“I’m gonna hold you to that, my very Special Agent Zimmerman.”

Four hundred and ten miles south, in Corpus Christi, Texas, investigative reporter Susan Lawford was completely dumbfounded at the sudden turn the unscheduled morning meeting with her boss’s boss had taken.

“What do you mean, ‘indefinitely’?” she asked, her eyes wide with surprise.

“Exactly what it sounds like,” Roger, the smarmy seventy-something owner and editor-in-chief of underground newspaper The Watcher said smugly. “While your… relationship with Mr. Andersen is not strictly against company policy, it does fall into a bit of a gray area, and I need some time to mull it over. So, I’m placing you on paid leave until further notice.”

Susan closed her eyes and inhaled sharply through her nose, trying desperately to rein in her temper.

Who I date is none of your business, old man, she seethed in her head. Besides, didn’t your bubble-brained wife number three start out in the secretarial pool here? You have zero room to talk.

“I’m the best investigative reporter you have, and you know it. Sidelining me won’t do a thing except help you miss a lot of good stories.”

“Matter of opinion,” the owner said dismissively, waving his hand at her. “And irrelevant. What’s important is the integrity of this paper.”

Susan only barely managed to restrain herself from rolling her eyes and emitting a snort of derision.

That’s rich. He wouldn’t know integrity if it jumped up and bit him squarely on the…

And, railing about this is not helping, she chided herself. Nod and smile, get out of here, and go home and polish up your resume. It’s time to move on from this dump.

“Whatever. Sir,” Susan ground out through gritted teeth, then stood and stomped out of his office to gather up her things from her cubicle and flee.

“You going to court today?”

“I am,” Annie confirmed. “I’m supposed to leave with Lizzie in about five minutes. You?”

“I had planned to, but Nathan’s asked me to hang out here,” Ben, her teammate and boyfriend, responded with a shrug. “Steve sent down some profiles to work on.”

“Huh. Well, I guess I will see you back here at some point today, then.”

The conversation faltered into silence.

What is up with you lately? Annie almost asked but stopped herself. For two weeks solid, Ben had been giving off a strange vibe that she just could not decipher.

Can’t force it. Whatever is going on with him is his to deal with, I guess. If he wants to share, he will tell me.

“Okay, so, see you later,” she said abruptly, and left the breakroom, relieved to see Lizzie waiting for her at her desk.

“You ready?”

“I am. Let’s roll.”

The two women rode the elevator down to the parking garage in silence. It was not until they climbed into Lizzie’s vehicle that Lizzie broke the oppressive quiet.

“So, everything good with you two?” Lizzie asked Annie as they put on their seat belts.

“Truthfully? I have no idea. He’s been acting super strange lately,” Annie confessed, then turned pink. “I mean, I probably shouldn’t even be talking to you about this, but you asked me.”

“True, I did,” Lizzie admitted cheerfully as she started her SUV for the short drive to the federal courthouse. “Because I can almost cut the tension between you two with a knife lately, and it concerns me, to be honest. Last thing we need as a team are distractions. That could get somebody hurt.”

“I know that,” Annie retorted a little sharply, then hunched her shoulders when Lizzie’s eyebrow rose.

“Sorry. It’s just… I am all over the place lately, and I have no idea what is running through that thick skull of his, and yeah, I worry about whatever this is putting us and the rest of the team at risk. And I have no idea how to fix it other than transfer off the team.”

“Do you want to leave?”

“No. No, I don’t. I like being a part of this team and I don’t want to start over again somewhere else.”

“Okay, then,” Lizzie told her calmly. “Then you two are going to have to work on whatever is going on between you and get it solved.”

Lizzie and Annie patiently made their way through the security checkpoint and took seats on the last row inside the courtroom.

“Lucky we got here early,” Annie remarked quietly. “At this rate, it will be standing room only in here.”

“Especially if the media is allowed in,” Lizzie agreed. “That crowd outside was huge.”

“It was. Glad I don’t have to deal with them.”

Lizzie’s cell phone buzzed on her hip, and she retrieved it long enough to skim the message from Tank.

Tucker Cole Lydealea, nine pounds, four ounces, born at seven-eighteen this morning, the text read, and was accompanied by a picture of two tired but elated new parents with their baby boy.

She grinned and fired off a quick reply.

Tank, that’s awesome! Congrats! I am in court right now but will call you later. Love you guys! – Zim.

As Lizzie put her phone away, Annie glanced around the gallery, then nudged her co-worker.

“See that man over there? Brown suit and glasses?”

“Yes. Who is he?”

“Mark Steward,” Annie said sadly. “Elaine’s husband and Timmy’s dad. I’ll remember the day Ben and I interviewed him for the rest of my life. It was heartbreaking.”

The proceedings got underway promptly at ten a.m. as scheduled, starting with the jury being seated and the appearance of the defendant. The judge took his position on the bench and court was called to order.

Next came the list of indictments. With fifty-nine separate counts levied against Jamesin, noting the indictments for the official record took upwards of ten minutes.

One by one, the victims’ names were read. Lizzie felt her own eyes misting up in response to the soft sobs of mothers and fathers whose children’s lives had been cut short echoing through the large, eerily silent room. Her gaze drifted back to the bereft-looking man in the brown suit just in time to see tears coursing steadily down his cheeks as he stared straight ahead.

She closed her eyes and swallowed hard against the lump that formed in her throat when the memory of how the monster on trial had stumbled across Charlie rushed to the front of her consciousness.

Once the indictments were finished, the judge solemnly cleared his throat, then called for opening statements, and the lead prosecutor rose to make his first impression on the jury.

Susan had just gotten back to her apartment when her cell phone rang.

“Are you all right? I heard about what happened,” she heard Trevor’s voice, warm and concerned, say across the line.

“I’m fine, except we work for a crusty old hypocritical dickwad,” she hissed as she set the box of her belongings down on her dinette table with an extremely satisfying thud. “Let me guess. You didn’t get put on indefinite leave.”

“I did, actually - but only after Carlos in Human Resources pointed out to Roger that treating us differently was illegal,” Trevor confirmed. “So, there you go. Want some company? I happen to know for a fact that both our schedules just got cleared for the foreseeable future. I can pick up some pizza and beer on the way over, and we can work on our resumes together.”

“Sounds like a plan, because my time at The Watcher is done, I can promise you that. I am not staying in an environment where my personal life is on trial. We didn’t break any rules or company policies, and we are two consenting adults. If Roger has a problem with us dating, it is his problem, not mine.”

“Just so you know, I’m not planning on staying there, either, for the exact same reasons. And I feel the same way you do, and we’ll get through it together. Now, you want the usual?”

“Sure. See you in a bit.”

Susan hung up and headed to the shower. When she returned to the kitchen fifteen minutes later, she noticed she had missed a call, so she opened her voicemail app and pressed ‘play’.

Hey sis. Call me when you get a chance. I’ve got some awesome news!

Grinning at how happy Sophie sounded, Susan dialed and waited.

“Hey, you, what’s up?’

“I have a gig!”

“That’s awesome! Tell me about it.”

“Well, there’s this company in North Texas that’s been looking for a videographer, and they reached out. They have seen some of my work on YouTube and they want me to do a project for them as a trial run. If it works out, I will have a full-time job. I’m leaving in the morning.”

“Wow, that’s fast,” Susan mentioned as the hair on the back of her neck began to stand on end.

Something is not right here, she thought to herself. Should I mention it?

But as she listened to Sophie gush with excitement, her nerves settled. The younger half-sister that she had only discovered she had in the last year was brimming with confidence, something that Susan knew Sophie had been struggling with for several months.

You are just being overprotective. This will be good for her. Be supportive.

They talked for another twenty minutes, until Sophie said, “Guess I’d better spend the rest of today getting organized and packed so I can make my flight on time in the morning.”

“You’re flying? But you hate to fly.”

“Yeah,” Sophie sighed. “I do. But it is a five-hour drive one way. Besides, they are paying for the plane ticket, so I am only out a little of my time if it doesn’t pan out. Anyway - I am booked on the seven-fifteen flight from Houston to Dallas, and you know I am not a morning person, so, I’d better square everything away now.”

Susan chuckled.

“I remember. Be safe, and text me when you land, okay?”

“You got it. Love you, big sis.”

“Love you too, little sis.”

Susan held the phone to her ear a moment longer after Sophie had disconnected.

“It will be fine. Just fine,” she murmured to herself. “Stop worrying. She is twenty-four and she’s got an excellent head on her shoulders. She’s got this.”

Sighing, she plugged her phone into its charger.

By the time court adjourned for the day, the two FBI agents had reached their limits.

“That was brutal,” Annie sighed with sadness when she and Lizzie walked out of the building. “So much raw grief in that room. I felt it weighing me down like a lead blanket.”

Lizzie could only nod in response, her emotions too close to the surface to articulate cleanly.

I don’t know if I can deal with sitting through this every day, Lizzie realized. All those kids…

“You okay?” Annie asked.

“That was… rough,” Lizzie conceded as she turned to her teammate, “and to be honest, I was just questioning whether or not I can stand to be in there for the entire trial.”

“You and me both, sister, you and me both.”

Lizzie dropped Annie off at the office, then headed home.

On the way, she called her old partner, and began to feel the cloud lift from her soul the moment Tank’s voice surrounded her through her car’s speakers.

“Hey Zim!” Tank said softly. “I gotta be quiet, Tucker and Renee are both sleeping right now. How you doing, girl?”

“I’m good. Tank, that baby is precious. I can’t wait to meet him and hold him.”

They talked the entire drive, and Lizzie’s mood had shifted from bleak back to merely somber by the time she got home just before six o’clock. Donny sensed it, and at once crossed the room to her for a hug.

“Rough day,” he guessed, and she nodded silently against his chest.

“If you want, you can stay here and relax and I promise to bring you back some food,” he offered.

“No,” Lizzie decided, then lifted her head to look at him. “I really need ‘normal’ tonight to help wash away the horrible aspects of my day. Just let me get changed right quick and we’ll go to dinner.”

“Your call, Liz. We’ll leave whenever you’re ready.”

“There was one awesome thing that happened today. I heard from Tank,” she called out as she walked swiftly to the bedroom to change. “I’m an aunt. Renee had the baby this morning.”

“That’s great!” Donny exclaimed, following her down the hall to lean against the doorframe. “Everybody’s healthy, I take it.”

“Yep. Check out this picture,” Lizzie said, and opened her text messages then handed Donny the phone.

“Man, that kid has a head full of hair, doesn’t he?”

Lizzie grinned, her first one since before the trial started.

“I know, right? And he was over nine pounds. But Tank said everything went smoothly, no issues, and he and Renee are exhausted but thrilled. And they asked me to be Tucker’s godmother.”

“Sounds like we’re making a trip to Houston soon.”

“That we are. I was thinking next weekend. Give them a chance to get home from the hospital and get settled in.”

Nathan Thomas had just pulled into his driveway when his phone rang.

“Good, you got my message about that profile,” Nathan started to say, but Steve cut him off in an uncharacteristic show of impatience.

“Let’s get to that in a minute. I just found out some information that you really need to know about.”

Alarmed, Nathan leaned forward to rest his arms on the steering wheel and frowned.

“I know that tone. Whatever you’re about to tell me isn’t good.”

“No, it isn’t. Not at all. You know we kept the mole in place in Chicago, right?”

“Yes.”

“I just got off the phone with the Director up there. She came to him late this afternoon and told him that she’s been asked by her cartel handler for some information.”

“As usual. And?”

“Nathan,” Steve said gently, his voice tight with tension, “she’s been asked to provide in-depth dossiers on you and the people on your team in Dallas.”

Nathan lowered his forehead to the steering wheel, his mind racing as he processed the information.

“After all this time? Jones left the area months ago, so why is this happening now?”

“I know. It doesn’t make sense to me either. I don’t know what to tell you, Nathan.”

“Can she even access that information?”

“No, she doesn’t have the clearance to get into much of anything anymore – the Director made sure of that. But it worries me that the cartel even wants it – not to mention the steps they might take to get it. You watch your backs down there. Things could get ugly.”

ChapterTwo

Sophie tried her best to remember to breathe normally the following morning as she found her assigned seat on row twelve, then buckled and tightened down the lap belt as far as she could without cutting off her circulation.

The flight’s only an hour, she reminded herself. One hour. You can do this.

To distract herself, she reached down and pulled out a slender notebook, her iPod, a pen, and her earbuds from her backpack, then shoved the bag back under the seat in front of her.

She opened the notebook and reviewed the handful of notes she had taken during the phone interview.

Lighte Limited – based near Cundiff, Texas. Looking for a full-time permanent videographer. Position includes housing, transportation, and all meals, in addition to fifty thousand dollars per year as the starting salary.

She had tried her best not to gasp aloud like a complete rookie when the man she was speaking to told her all that, and she’d triple underlined the little tidbit of information about the pay in her notes.

Fifty thousand.

She still had trouble picturing it. That kind of money would be a huge step up. Her current situation was the odd bit of freelance work sandwiched between two waitressing jobs to make enough to cover the exorbitantly high rent for her efficiency apartment.

It’s a chance to finally be able to focus solely on what I love for a living, and not eat ramen every day, she reminded herself. Yes, for that chance, I can handle one hour on a plane.

She inserted her earbuds, queued up her favorite playlist, and settled in for the flight toward her future.

Nathan gathered his team in the conference room at seven-forty-five and relayed the ominous news from Steve.

“That’s not good,” Ben muttered under his breath. “Not good at all.”

“What’s the plan, boss? Misdirection?” Lizzie asked.

“I’m not sure yet. We don’t even know for certain that they will try anything, so, I don’t think it makes sense for any of us to abort our day-to-day lives just yet.”

He paused and looked at his team.

“But,” he continued carefully, “this group was mentioned specifically. As a result, I do think it’s an excellent idea for each of you to form an individual plan that can be activated at a moment’s notice, should the worst-case scenario start to happen.”

“A bug-out plan,” Annie said evenly.

“Yes. And until further notice, no one goes into the field alone. We’re pairing up in whatever we do for a while.”

When the meeting adjourned, Ben motioned to Annie to wait for him. He murmured a few words to Nathan, then walked over to her.

“Can we talk for a minute?”

She shrugged.

“Sure.”

They wandered down the hall until they found an empty office, and no sooner had Ben shut the door than he shocked the hell out of her by saying, “Move in with me.”

“What?”

“At least until all this blows over. It will be safer.”

Annie folded her arms across her chest and narrowed her eyes at him.

“Why are you looking at me like that? We’ll be safer together, and you know it.”

Unfazed, Annie jutted out her chin.

“Is that the only reason you want me to move in? Because some bad guy somewhere might come after us?”

“Well, no,” Ben said, and Annie watched his ears turning uncharacteristically pink as he looked at the floor. “I, um…. I’ve been wanting to ask you for a while now.”

“Is that why you’ve been so weird lately?” Annie blurted suddenly, and Ben’s gaze jerked upward to meet hers.

“What? I have not been weird. I’ve just… got a lot on my mind lately, is all.”

They stared at each other, Annie tapping one foot, and Ben frowning.

“Yes,” Annie finally said, then marched around him to get to the door.

“Yes, what?”

“Yes, I will move in with you,” she announced, and left quickly so he wouldn’t see the megawatt smile beginning to form on her face.

Sophie gave a silent but heartfelt thanks when the plane’s wheels touched down safely on the runway at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Within ten minutes, the pilots had ferried them safely to their arrival gate, and the passengers disembarked rapidly, those around her bound for destinations Sophie could only guess.

She turned on her phone, then kept her promise to her big sister.

I’m here in one piece. Wish me luck!

Her phone chirped, and she grinned at Susan’s response.

Good. Now go knock ‘em dead. You got this!

Shrugging her backpack onto her shoulders, Sophie made her way to baggage claim to wait for her small black suitcase with the pink ribbon tied on its handle to appear on the conveyor.

Seven minutes later she was rewarded for her patience and hefted her bag off the carousel and down onto the floor, then extended the bag’s handle to its fullest height for easier maneuvering.

Luggage in tow, she turned to make her way toward the car rental counters and was shocked to see a man with brown hair, who looked to be in his mid-forties, scanning the crowd – and holding a small sign with her name neatly printed on it.

Wow. How cool is that?

She cleared her throat, straightened her shoulders, and walked over to him.

“Good morning, I’m Sophie Drimmel,” she said politely, and the man smiled.

“Good morning. It’s nice to meet you in person. I’m Andreas,” he answered, and stuck out his hand to firmly shake hers. “We spoke on the phone the other day. How was your flight?”

“Given that I’m not really a fan of flying, it was better than I expected,” she remarked, and his smile grew.

“Well, welcome to Dallas. Right this way, please.”

They walked side-by-side out of the terminal and into the parking garage, where Andreas loaded her suitcase into the back of a black SUV, then opened the front passenger door for her.

“Lighte Limited’s headquarters is about sixty-five miles from here, so, it will take us about an hour,” Andreas advised her. “Well, I say that. Normally it would. Rush hour traffic will add to that. But we should definitely be there by ten.”

She nodded, smiled, and buckled her seat belt, ready to get her on-the-job audition underway as soon as possible.

It was Ben’s turn to make an appearance in the gallery at the Jamesin trial on the team’s behalf. Annie opted to join him, since per Nathan’s announcement Ben could not go alone.

“Hopefully today will be easier to get through,” she said wistfully as they exited the elevator and walked to Ben’s car. “Yesterday was heartbreaking to witness.”

“The families?”

“Yeah. Especially Mark Steward. He just looked so… lost.”

He reached over and squeezed her hand in understanding.

“That’s the toughest part of what we do,” Ben said solemnly. “Interact with those who are grieving and try our best to give them some sort of closure somehow. But a lot of times, it’s just not enough.”

“Do you ever think about doing something else?”

“Sometimes,” he admitted. “But then again, I love this job. I feel like I can make a real difference. Keeping that in mind makes the bad stuff a little easier to deal with so I can focus on the good.”

The conversation lapsed as they made the drive to the courthouse.

Andreas kept Sophie’s mind occupied during what turned out to be a seventy-three-minute drive by asking her questions about herself. By nine-fifty-two they were making a left-hand turn from the main road onto a gravel side road.

As Andreas smoothly navigated the terrain, Sophie looked out the windows and noticed that the area did not seem to be developed much at all. Mesquite trees with a few oaks and pines scattered into the mix was all she could see past the barbed wire fence that lined either side of the road.

Man, I really expected that Lighte Limited would be in the city limits... I wonder how close the nearest town is…

Andreas speaking to her disrupted her musings.

“I’m so sorry, what were you saying?”

He grinned.

“I was saying, I bet you’re wondering where on earth we’re heading right now.”

Sophie chuckled nervously.

“I was, actually. This seems very… rural. Undeveloped.”

“The current surroundings, yes. Our company’s location, no. You’ll see.”

A half-mile and a right turn later, Andreas rolled the SUV to a smooth stop outside an ornate, wrought-iron gate directly underneath a massive arch with more iron work that spelled out ‘Lighte’s Landing’ in an elegant script.

He put the vehicle’s transmission into ‘park’ then climbed out of the SUV and walked over to a little square panel mounted on a four-foot-high steel pole. He pressed some buttons, and the electronically controlled gate began to slide back to allow them to pass.

“Welcome to Lighte’s Landing,” Andreas said with a smile once he had climbed back in behind the wheel and driven through the now open gateway.

Sophie stared straight ahead through the windshield, willing her mouth to not drop wide open at the stark difference. The rough, untamed wildness outside the gate did not continue inside the property’s parameters. Now, the trees lining either side of the paved driveway were orderly and well-maintained.

“How big is this place?” she asked, awe-struck.

“Two hundred ten acres total, including some lakefront.”

“Wow,” was all she could think of to say in response.

They drove another quarter of a mile, up a slight incline then down again, and Sophie’s eyebrows raised as the main facility itself came into view – a surprisingly modest-looking, rectangular one-story structure of brick, wood, and glass in warm earth tones. The building’s very design seemed to embrace, rather than overshadow, the natural beauty of its surroundings.

“That is really, really pretty,” she blurted.

“Thanks. We wanted to honor the landscape as much as possible but still have great functionality.”

Andreas pulled up to the front doors situated halfway down the front of the structure and parked.

“We can leave your bag in the car for now, if you’d like,” he offered, but Sophie shook her head.

“It’s got some of my equipment in it. I’ll grab it.”

“As you wish. Right this way.”

Andreas retrieved her suitcase, then led the way into the building. He held the door open for her, and when she crossed the threshold, Sophie gasped as she gazed around at the lobby area.

Just off to the right, situated between two milk-chocolate-colored armchairs, was a huge wall-mounted natural stone fountain with rustic copper accents and beautifully colorful, smooth stones. The water trickling down the façade onto the stones made a soothing sound, and Sophie felt her shoulders relax in response.

In the center of the room two long, dark tan couches complemented the earth-toned color scheme and faced each other on the stacked stone flooring to allow anyone who gathered to easily engage in conversation.

Four grand windows, one on each side of the door she had just walked through and two more across the room, allowed for plenty of natural light, as did the two skylights overhead.

The decorative touches in the space were minimal, but effective – strategically placed live plants and flowers.

“This place is beautiful. So tranquil,” she murmured as she took it all in.

“That was the goal. Pastor Lighte believes it is important for our surroundings to be a source of calm and comfort, even at work.”

“Pastor Lighte?”

Andreas smiled.

“Yes. Lighte Limited is the legal setup for his ministry.”

“Oh,” Sophie said, brows knitting together, not sure what else to say for a moment.

“Are you all right? You look like you have a question.”

“Yes,” she responded quickly. “With him being a pastor and all, um… I mean… I guess you could say I’ve never been much on organized religion, so…”

“And that’s okay,” Andreas said gently. “Neither is he. You’ll understand what I mean by that once you meet him.”

He paused and glanced at his watch.

“Speaking of which, we need to get moving. You ready?”

Sophie took a deep breath, then nodded.

“I’m ready.”

Andreas held out his hand, gesturing to the open hallway to their left. Sophie followed her guide down the hallway, growing more nervous with each passing step. He paused outside a beautiful mahogany door and knocked.

“Come in,” Sophie heard a deep, rich baritone voice say, and Andreas motioned her forward.

Sophie stepped through the door that he opened for her, and her gaze was at once drawn to the man sitting behind the executive-style desk.

“Good morning,” he said warmly, then stood and came around the desk to walk over to her, his hand outstretched in greeting. “It’s so nice to meet you, Sophie. I’m Remiel Lighte.”

She hesitantly took the handshake he offered, using the proximity to study him more closely. She guessed him to be in his late forties or early fifties, and a foot taller than her, with striking green eyes and wheat-blond hair.

“Nice to meet you, too, sir… Pastor… Mr. Lighte,” Sophie stammered, and watched his green eyes sparkle with amusement.

“You can call me Pastor, or Brother Remiel, or even just Remiel – whatever is most comfortable for you, Sophie. No need for ‘mister’ – or ‘sir’ for that matter. Now, please have a seat, and let’s talk about why I’d like you to come work for me.”

Meanwhile, in the courtroom in Dallas, Ben and Annie were tucked side-by-side into a packed gallery. News of Dr. Jamesin’s exploits, plus coverage of the emotional first day’s activities, had caused a massive surge of out-of-state news agencies sending their reps to cover the trial, as well.

By ten a.m. Judge Burns, a typically genial man, had had enough. He formally paused the proceedings, had the bailiff escort the jury out, and then completely lost his temper – something unheard of in his twenty-nine years on the bench. His tirade ended with an invitation to several misbehaving members of the press to leave his courtroom and never, ever return – then he watched, glowering, as the banished offenders hastily gathered up their belongings and retreated from his sight.

That done, he issued a stern and crystal-clear warning to those media members left in attendance that he would brook no further nonsense.

“One more misstep from any of you, and I will kick every last one of you out and invoke a media blackout for the remainder of this trial,” he growled. “Do I make myself clear?”

The entire media section of the gallery nodded its understanding simultaneously, and Annie had to stifle a grin at the sight of over fifty seasoned reporters with humbled – and chastened – expressions all bobbing their heads in unison.

“Good. Now, let’s keep going. Bailiff, please escort the jurors back to their seats. Mister Prosecutor, please be ready to call your next witness the moment we get underway again.”

Ten minutes later the trial resumed, and Ben and Annie were both shocked when the next witness called to testify was Mark Steward.

“Did you expect that?” Annie murmured.

“Yes, but not this early in the proceedings,” Ben murmured back.

Once he had raised his right hand and was sworn in, Mark Steward took his seat in the witness box, and Annie swallowed hard when his heartbroken spirit was revealed in his expression for all to see.

The prosecutor gently led him through a series of questions, pausing on occasion to allow Mr. Steward to regain his composure. The gallery was dead silent, everyone in attendance riveted by the witness’s obvious devastation.

By the time they wrapped up their first conversation, Sophie realized any preconceived notions she’d had about evangelists may not have been right.

Then again, I have never met one before. I have only ever heard about the ones that get in trouble for embezzlement or cheating on their wives. But Remiel seems like he is just a normal guy. Personable. His career is about his faith,that’s all, she affirmed in her mind as they walked out of the main building and down the narrow sidewalk to the chapel on premises.

“Most of our current media platform centers around a weekly prerecorded podcast,” he explained as they strolled. “But I’m definitely open to suggestions as to how we can expand on that – and our online presence in general. Live streaming, for example. Daily devotionals. Social media, even. Unusual ways to reach those who are hurting and help them.”

He opened the door for her and ushered her inside.

“We’ve done most of the recordings in here so far,” he said with a grin. “But I don’t want to be one of those boring old preachers. Part of helping people is connecting with them in a way that speaks to them directly, and I know for a lot of people, it can be off-putting if it’s too much like attending church.”

Sophie could not help but grin back.

“Well, if nothing else, there’s always a green screen approach, and then you just populate the background however you like. But if the rest of the property here is anything like what I have seen so far, I bet we could find some beautiful outdoor locations to record, as well. Andreas said you have two hundred acres here?”

“We do. The land was gifted to the ministry by one of the congregation’s members. Brother Abel was a sweet, sweet man, God rest his soul. Loved meeting and interacting with people.”

He showed her around the small sanctuary, then asked, “So, let’s get started, shall we? I’m interested to see your work firsthand.”

Once the prosecutor finished, the defense attorney rose and approached the witness stand to question Mr. Steward.

Annie clutched Ben’s hand and waited anxiously, hoping that Jamesin’s lawyer would tread lightly. To her immense relief, he did, handling his cross-examination of a grieving widower and parent with delicate empathy.

Finally, the defense counsel ended his questioning, and a solemn, sympathetic judge murmured, “You’re free to leave the witness stand, sir.”

Mark Steward made eye contact only long enough to nod his understanding, then stood and stepped out of the witness box, oblivious to most of the jurors fighting back tears after hearing his story.

During the natural pause between witnesses, Judge Burns and both lawyers were all perusing papers in front of them and not paying any attention as Steward walked slowly back toward his seat.

As a result, all three were startled when the panicked screams started.

Annie and Ben watched, horrified, as Mark Steward suddenly charged the defendant’s table, toppled the defendant over backward in his chair, then stabbed Dr. Philip Edmund Jamesin to death in the middle of a courtroom in full view of over one-hundred-fifty people.

Two officers closest to Steward’s position wrestled him into submission and seized the composite blade that he had managed to sneak past the metal detectors. Another police officer called urgently for an ambulance while more officers quickly emptied the courtroom of jurors and all spectators.

But Ben and Annie were allowed to remain once they displayed their badges, and Ben immediately pulled out his phone and called Nathan.

“Boss,” he murmured, “you need to come to the courthouse. Now.”

“So, is this videographer position something new that’s been created, or would I be filling a vacancy?” Sophie asked after they reviewed the short clip she had put together as her audition.

“You’d be filling a vacancy,” Remiel said with a sorrowful smile. “Sister Marjorie passed on a few weeks ago.”

“Oh. I am so sorry to hear that. What happened?”

“She had a heart attack in her sleep, from what we could tell. And she had no living relatives, so we had a little ceremony for her and buried her here. Many of our members are all alone out in the world, and as a result they live here on the property. It’s convenient for them, but more importantly, here they have a family again, people they can count on.”

“So…. everyone lives in the compound?”

“On the property, yes, most everyone.”

Sophie’s eyebrows raised and it was out before she could stop herself.

“Um… is this a cult?”

Remiel stopped dead in his tracks and stared at her intently before he began to belly laugh.

“Wow,” he finally managed, wiping tears from his cheeks. “Most definitely not a cult - but that was hilarious.”

“But you said everybody lives here,” she began.

“Yes, but only if they choose to. Lighte’s Landing is more like a commune than anything else. Everybody here is free to come and go as they please, and if the spirit moves them to leave for good, that is their choice. No one is here against their will. Besides, cults usually have some guy claiming to be a messiah or some sort of prophet. I am most assuredly not either one of those – and I don’t want to be.”

He paused and grinned, and she felt the corners of her mouth turning up in response.

“I’m just a guy who went through a lot, Sophie. But when I finally found hope again, I found peace, and the idea of helping others find it too has led me to where I am now. That is the whole reason I built Lighte’s Landing. I am only a pastor who wants to help people, nothing more.”

You sure are not what I expected,I know this much, she observed to herself.

“Speaking of - would you like to see the housing?” he asked. “Our little cabins are quite pretty. Matter of fact, you’re welcome to stay the night in one, see what you think. In the meantime, let’s head to the dining room. You must be hungry. You can have lunch with us and meet everybody.”

“Sure, I’d like that.”

Nathan Thomas arrived within fifteen minutes of Ben’s call. He stood silently over the body sprawled out on the hardwood floor, looking down at the pale, still, very dead man whose face had haunted his dreams for months.

He will never hurt another living soul ever again, he thought to himself with grim satisfaction, no small amount of relief, and not one single ounce of sympathy.

He nodded curtly, once, then turned his attention to the two agents waiting for him.

“Where did they take Mark Steward?”

“County lockup, six blocks down.”

“I’m going to go see him,” Nathan announced. “You’re welcome to come with me.”

ChapterThree

Nathan, Ben, and Annie signed in and checked their sidearms, then followed an officer down the hallway past the secured double-doors until they reached a visitation room. Several minutes passed before Mark Steward was brought in and seated across from them.

“Mr. Steward, I’m Nathan Thomas, a profiler with the FBI. I trust you remember Ben and Annie,” he began, gesturing toward them.

“I do, barely,” Mark said softly, holding Annie’s gaze. “I think they came to see me at my house not long after Elaine and Timmy…”

His voice trailed off to silence as large tears began to fall once more.

Annie extended her hand across the table and Mark wordlessly accepted the tissue she offered him.

After a few minutes he sighed heavily, and muttered, “So I guess you’re here to ask me why I killed him.”

“I’m pretty sure I already know the answer,” Nathan said gently. “But yes, I’d like to hear it from you.”