Deceived (Free Indeed Book 2), page 4
Then there was the issue of Gideon already having a trusted confidant. Long time member Paul was his close second in command. His right-hand man. Basically, he was the man’s lackey. While Jake had his doubts on Gideon’s sincerity, even though he preached a pretty convincing message, there were no doubts when it came to Paul. When away from Free Indeed and its people, Gideon would loosen up and relax his high-handed morals. Not Paul. Paul was the epitome of the perfect true believer.
More or less that meant he had a ginormous stick wedged up his ass. And on top of that, he was probably the biggest douchebag on the planet. Pretty much the only positive thing to say about the guy was at least he wasn’t a hypocrite. Unlike some of the other people that lived here, he chose to immerse himself completely in the religion of this place, and he believed every word of it. Scarily so.
Especially when it came to the patriarch. When Gideon spoke, Paul soaked up every word like he was hearing the voice of God himself. It was damn creepy to witness that level of devotion when it came to a normal red-blooded man. Paul creeped him the hell out. Something about that guy just wasn’t right. And it wasn’t just the constant way he was berating or belittling woman to keep them in their God-ordained place, or how he’d repeatedly beat on helpless kids (all in the name of godly discipline of course). No, it was more than that. Sometimes he’d swear that guy had some screws loose upstairs. And while it made him an absolutely horrible human being, his unflinching loyalty made him the perfect sidekick for the patriarch.
Speak of the devil. As Jake drove back into the tight-knit community, he saw Gideon and Paul walking down the main dirt road. Now was as good a time as any to check in, Jake supposed. Since Gideon had been out of town the last couple days, he hadn’t had the chance to learn anything new.
At least he’d managed to break into the man’s office and do a thorough search (of what he could access anyway). Unfortunately, it all came up clean. The only places he wasn’t able to look were in Gideon’s safe and his computer. That would require more technological know-how than he had access to right now. Maybe he could place a call in for some backup that he could sneak in to hack Gideon’s computer. He’d be willing to bet his last year’s pay that was where the good stuff was.
This mission was just taking way too damn long for his liking. Jake was called in to investigate Gideon’s financial dealings. They were pretty sure that everything he did at Free Indeed was all just a front for what he was really up to. And it’s not like what he was doing here was petty. The man fleeced all of his people for almost every last dime they had, pocketing the money himself all in the name of God. There was also a lot of speculation around the death of Gideon’s wife five years back. Suspicious circumstances, but unfortunately nothing could be proven or linked back to Gideon. And it’s not like anyone in Free Indeed would speak out against their patriarch. They would practically equate that with speaking against God.
The way Sheriff Bowman had handled that whole mess also led them to believe that the local police force may have a corrupt hand in whatever was going on around here. Everything had been just too conveniently swept under the rug. Hence the reason he was now a deputy under the man. Well that and the fact that if he tried to go undercover as a born again believer no one would have ever believed him. Being a cop was much easier to pull off.
But all of that was beside the point. What the FBI really wanted to find out was if Gideon was the front man for a money laundering operation of terrorist funds. If he could find the evidence needed to prove that was Gideon’s ultimate endgame, the rest of his crimes would just be bonus. Of course, even if it turned out they were wrong, and Gideon wasn’t funneling money through the system, Jake would still hit him with every last little piece of dirt he had come across. He’d throw the book at the man with great pleasure after everything he’d seen here. Even if the man wasn’t guilty of any crime whatsoever, the psychological control he overlorded on these people was just so wrong. It literally made him sick to watch that bastard manipulate good albeit misguided people.
Jake pulled his car off to the side of the road and parked next to one of the wooden all-purpose buildings. He climbed out of the car and strode forward to where Gideon and Paul had stopped.
Red-faced and angry, Paul was yelling at a teenage boy while Gideon stood behind him looking on. Damn, the kid was sixteen-year-old Levi. Sheriff Bowman had found the kid years ago. Apparently, he was a runaway from the foster system and wound up in Bowman’s neck of the woods stealing food.
The way he heard it, Paul stepped in and told the sheriff he needed someone to take care of his shithole of a trailer and cook his meals. Since God hadn’t blessed him with a wife (yet), he couldn’t have another woman in his home, so he offered to take the boy as his ward (aka his servant). With a little greasing of the sheriff’s palms, he agreed and kept the finding of the runaway off the books.
That was four years ago now. The poor kid has had to deal with Paul’s verbal and physical abuse ever since. Of course, any type of punishment done to children in this town was all considered godly child rearing, so if Levi showed up with bruises on his face or a broken arm, no one batted an eye.
It pissed Jake off to no end. Especially since Levi was really a great kid. And it wasn’t like he didn’t try to do whatever Paul demanded of him. There was just no keeping Paul happy. Like now. Paul’s arm slashed back ready to slam a fist into the boy’s already bruised face.
Jake stepped next to him, “Everything ok?”
Paul’s hand froze in midair at the interruption. “Everything’s fine.” He turned his eyes back to the boy in front of him, “Levi just needed some encouragement for his chores before running on home.”
“I can give him a ride if you want,” Jake cut in again to pull Paul’s attention off of the boy. “If he’s in a hurry to get home.”
Paul shot him one more look before finally dropping his arm back to his side. “That won’t be necessary. God gave the boy two legs for walking, so he can just get to it and not inconvenience anyone else.” With a glower leveled in Levi’s direction, he sneered, “Get out of here, boy.”
Levi nodded quickly and scampered down the road before Paul could change his mind and punish him after all. Jake watched the kid leave before Gideon’s voice brought his attention back.
“How’re things around town? Still quiet?”
“For the most part,” Jake answered. “There was another issue today with a reporter trying to get info on what happens around here, but it was insignificant. I got rid of her, so she shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Good,” Gideon replied. “I have a meeting with Ken later today, so I don’t want any outsiders around or on the premises. Let me know if anything else seems out of place.”
Interesting. Ken was Gideon’s accountant. Yeah, cuz a place like Free Indeed really needed someone to take care of the books with all the dough it was rolling in. Gotta make sure those church socials and quilting bees were all budgeted for apparently.
Damn, he’d love to be in on that meeting.
“Need any help?” Jake asked.
“That won’t be necessary. I’ll have Paul in the meeting with me should anything arise.”
“Understood. I’ll keep an eye on the perimeter to make sure there isn’t anyone else nosing around.”
Gideon gave him a nod and then without another word continued on his way. He wasn’t exactly a man of many words. Unless, of course, he was in the pulpit delivering a sermon of God’s wrath and damnation. In that case, the man never seemed to shut up. Like a leech, Paul followed right behind the man as they continued down the street.
Yeah, it was gonna be tough to get more in Gideon’s trusted circle when he already had Paul doing everything he needed done. Well, Jake would just bide his time and take advantage of any opportunities that came along. In the meantime, he wanted to check on Levi and make sure the boy was doing ok. That poor kid was all skin and bones. Even though Jake tried to slip him candy bars and other small prepackaged items, it obviously wasn’t enough, and Jake worried about him.
Jake took off at a jog in the direction that Levi had gone. It didn’t take long for him to catch up because as soon as Levi had gotten out of sight of Paul, his run had turned into a slow trudge. Obviously, he wasn’t too excited to get back home to his never-ending list of chores.
“Hey Levi, wait up,” Jake hollered.
Levi’s head swung around over one shoulder to see Jake hurrying up behind him. A look of relief crossed his face, and he stopped and waited for Jake to come up alongside him.
“I need to stop by the Kensington house to drop something off, and I know you’re walking right past there. Want to join me?”
Levi’s face remained impassive like it always seemed to be. The kid kept his emotions locked up tighter than anyone else he’d ever met. It made Jake think he’d probably had a really shitty life even before he had wound up in this place. That was why Jake always tried to be nice to the kid or even just give him someone to talk to who wasn’t going to beat him senseless.
Levi hesitated, and Jake could sense although he really did want to go with him, the kid would probably just say no. So he threw him a little extra encouragement.
“I hear Evie was making some of her famous chocolate chip cookies earlier.” Jake cast the boy a sideways glance. Evie was Gideon’s second oldest daughter at fifteen and based off of the furtive looks he’d seen cast back and forth, he was pretty sure she and Levi were sweet on each other. While boy-girl interactions were extremely frowned upon in Free Indeed to the point where even speaking to the opposite gender was punishable, Jake supported the kids’ innocent humanness wholeheartedly. With a grin, he continued, “Maybe she’ll have some cooling by now.”
The barest of smiles finally started to tick up one side of the boy’s mouth. It wouldn’t even be enough to be considered a smile, and God knows that boy deserved to smile every now and then, but what the hell, Jake would take it as a win.
“Let’s go, kid.”
He turned in the direction of the Kensington house with Levi trailing next to him. The girl actually did make damn good cookies. And nothing made a man feel better about living in a shithole than chocolate chip cookies. As for whatever it was he supposedly needed to drop off, well, he’d think of something.
Chapter 5
Cara had left the area at the deputy’s instruction but stopped at the first motel she came to for the night, which just happened to be right down the road. The place was old and not much to look at, but at least it was clean. Now after some sleep, breakfast and coffee, and a once again full tank of gas, she was ready to go back to find out what the hell was going on with Brian.
It was weird, the people there seemed to treat Brian with respect, even admiration. It was almost like he was special to them. Plus he did have the only office in the biggest building and the largest house in the entire community. If that didn’t scream a status symbol, she didn’t know what did.
The question though was, why in the world was he living in a backwards community such as that? And what about all of those kids? There were six of them in the photo. The little girl she had seen definitely called him daddy and ran right to him, so it’s not like Cara could have misinterpreted that. What in the world was her stepdad up to?
And then there was that deputy. God, where to start with him? Hands down the man was gorgeous. From the tips of his dark brown hair, past those swoon-worthy chocolate brown eyes, past his absolutely yummy and well-defined chest, to his black midnight boots. The man just oozed sexiness. He looked like a first-rate badass.
But despite all the yumminess he had going for him, something in his eyes just felt off, almost like he was hiding something. Just like the rest of that place, it screamed secrets. But seriously, that teeny, tiny backwards community couldn’t have nearly enough excitement or crime to justify having their own personal cop patrolling around. If Brian had his hands in this, then she definitely had her suspicions something weird was going on. And if that two-bit rent-a-cop was trying to scare her away from the truth, then he was probably just as dirty as her stepdad. No matter how unfairly hot he was. She couldn’t trust anyone but herself right now.
Cara grabbed her overnight bag and slung it over her shoulder. Leaving her room key on the end table, she left the room locking it tightly behind her. Hopefully, she wouldn’t need to come back here. If she could get the answers she was looking for today, then she could be out of this place and on her way back to WVU by nightfall. Unfortunately, the only place she was going to find those answers was back at the creepy village. Which meant she needed to go back.
She climbed back into her car and pulled out of the falling-apart parking lot. Then she turned in the direction of the mountain and drove back into the heavily wooded area. Since she knew where she was going this time, the trip seemed to go much faster. Before she knew it, she had reached the dirt road leading to Free Indeed, and this time parked her car down a different turnoff than before. Just in case that deputy came sniffing around again.
Cara quickly transferred everything from her purse to her messenger bag and slung it over her head, resting the strap on her shoulder. She locked her car and then started to walk once again through the woods. This time she stayed in the woods until she had circled around to get behind the sanctuary. Then she finally broke the cover of the trees and crept up to the big, wooden-planked building.
The office window would be the easiest access point, so she tried that first. Unfortunately, it was locked tight and considering how many people wandered around with nothing to do around here, breaking it was out of the question. She stuck to the shadows of the building and softly made her way along the side towards the front. Eyes and ears were wide open for any indication of people approaching. She learned her lesson yesterday from Deputy Badass to always watch her surroundings and stay alert.
Finally, she reached the front corner of the building and peered around. On the plus side, one of the double doors was propped open, so it would be very easy to slip right inside. But on the downside, there were people strolling back and forth down the street, and if anyone spotted her in her jeans and tank top, they’d know right away that she didn’t belong. That meant she’d just have to wait for an opening. In the meantime, at least she’d get some more time to observe these people and grab a couple more photos. She reached into her bag and pulled out her phone, activating the camera with one swipe.
These people were so creepy. Their ever present smiles were unnatural and disconcerting. No one was that happy all the time. It was like she was in a super-religious Stepford community. Her gazed passed across the faces milling about until she saw the man the deputy had tried to pass off as Brian yesterday. Seriously, what a dummy. Obviously, she knew who her own stepdad was, so she wasn’t sure what he was trying to prove at the time. Badass probably didn’t trust her and was trying to trip her up to expose her for lying. Well, the laugh’s on him because she did happen to actually know Brian despite what he thought. She just really didn’t want to see him or let him know that she was here unless she absolutely had to. So the fact that he escorted her off the grounds before dear old stepdad saw actually wound up being a good thing.
Well there was the slimy, old bastard now. Brian was standing several feet in front of her chumming it up with his little minions while beaming from ear to ear. Gosh, something about that fake, plastic smile slapped across his face gave her the shivers from head to toe. That was the smile he used when he was trying to schmooze one over on her mom.
Another one of the men down the street a ways yelled something that got all of their attention, and they turned and walked toward him. That was just the opportunity that Cara needed to dart around the side of the building and slip inside unseen. She froze just inside the door and peeked back out to make sure no one had noticed, but it looked all clear. With a soft sigh of relief, she turned and marched up the aisle to Brian’s office.
Cara placed her hand on the knob, turning it, and pushed the door open. The large open window gave enough light to fully illuminate the small space. It wasn’t nearly as fancy as the office her mom had set up for him back home, but it wasn’t awful either. Bookcases lined the wall to her left and were filled with heavy looking, thick hardback books. To the right was his solid oak desk with filing cabinets against the opposite wall. She took a quick look around the room making sure she didn’t see any obvious security cameras before stepping inside and heading straight for his desk. Considering that the computer setup he had here was the only thing of value or technology that she had seen so far in this backwater town, Cara figured if he had any secrets they’d probably be there.
This was where her computer science major and hacking skills were going to come in handy. Granted she never thought she’d be using them to pry into her stepdad’s secret life, but desperate times called for desperate measures. She plopped down in his overly plush leather chair and hit the power button to start up his computer. He had a pretty pricey system, and it powered up almost instantly. Sure enough, it was password protected, but she had expected that. Cara reached into her pack to pull out her micro SD card that she had been preparing late into last night and slipped it into her USB adapter before sliding it into one of the computer ports. She let the program do its thing, and within minutes she had bypassed his password and gained access to his desktop.
