Read Online Vengeance (Oak Grove Suspense Book 1) by Reese A Stephens - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Reese A Stephens
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I’m going to make up for that. If it’s the last thing I do.
~*~
I’ve been working in my office for about an hour when May, my assistant, pokes her head around the corner.
“You have a phone call on line three. A Special Agent Marsh?”
I smile and nod. “Yeah, thanks. Shut the door, please.” She does as I ask and I pick up the phone. “Harry! How’s it going, man?”
“Same as always. I finally popped the question to my girl.”
“No kidding! Man, congrats. That’s awesome.”
“Thanks. It’s going to be crazy big. You should come. How’s life in Podunk?”
I laugh. “Ah, it’s not bad. Now anyway. At first, it was miserable. My mom was sick, finding out I have a teenaged son, finding a house. It’s been crazy.”
“Whoa, now. Back that up. You have a teenaged son?”
“Yeah. Nothing like finding out something like that through your realtor.”
“Shayla?” He asks, his voice still shocked.
I clear my throat. It’s not that I don’t want to talk about Dylan and Shayla, but a part of me wants to keep them for myself, but he is my best friend and I haven’t spoken to him in over a year. He’d been on a case when I left and other than the quick email on a case I’d been on, we hadn’t had time to chat.
“Yeah.”
“What in the world? I just can’t comprehend why she wouldn't tell you.”
Sighing, I tell him, “She tried to tell me. I was too stubborn to listen. Then my dad and her social worker had her scared to death. She thought I’d go to jail if she told, which could have been possible. I had turned eighteen when we had sex the first time. And cliché as it is, she got pregnant from that.”
“Wow. I can’t imagine. I bet you were pissed at her.”
“Yeah, I went through a big angry phase. I hated her for a while, but then we really talked. I don’t blame her for what happened. She was trying to protect me and our son. I wish I’d come home during the past years, but that was my choice.”
“She’s lived there this whole time?”
“No, she lived up north about six hours from here. She moved back after her scum of an ex broke her heart.”
“How’d your parents not know?”
I snort in disgust. I still haven’t forgiven my father. “My dad did know. He scared the crap out of Shay so she never told a soul. Made it seem like it was a boy in one of the homes she was in. Her adoptive parents figured it out, but she didn’t confirm it until a few years ago. There’s no denying he’s mine. The boy is my twin.” I laugh.
“That’s awesome. Congrats, Papa,” he laughs.
I smile. “Yeah, man. It’s been great. I never thought of myself as a father, but hearing him call me dad, it’s been … life changing really.”
“I bet. Hey, I hate to ruin all this happy talk, but I called with some info for you.”
“Hit me,” I tell him sitting back in my chair ready for whatever he throws at me.
I hear shuffling papers and his throat clearing before he says, “You remember Jason Mathis?”
“Of course, The Fox Killer.”
“He’s been released.”
I fly up out of my seat in shock, almost knocking my coffee over. “What do you mean he’s been released? Tell me you’re lying. He killed ten people! Ten, Marsh! And that’s only the ones we found. Who knows how many there truly are.”
“I know, I know. One of the witnesses recanted her statement. Somehow, they came up with undeniable proof she was lying. She’s in jail for falsifying. It’s messed up. They’re still trying to pin him with what’s left, but she was a major witness. The whole case is being reevaluated. He was held as long as possible, but his release was ordered.”
I let out a huge breath. I have no clue what to think. This guy was no joke. It took me over two years to take him down. There’s no way that my biggest case could have had some technicality that would throw the evidence into question. This whole thing reeks of an inside job.
“This is huge,” I finally say.
“It is,
~*~
I’ve been working in my office for about an hour when May, my assistant, pokes her head around the corner.
“You have a phone call on line three. A Special Agent Marsh?”
I smile and nod. “Yeah, thanks. Shut the door, please.” She does as I ask and I pick up the phone. “Harry! How’s it going, man?”
“Same as always. I finally popped the question to my girl.”
“No kidding! Man, congrats. That’s awesome.”
“Thanks. It’s going to be crazy big. You should come. How’s life in Podunk?”
I laugh. “Ah, it’s not bad. Now anyway. At first, it was miserable. My mom was sick, finding out I have a teenaged son, finding a house. It’s been crazy.”
“Whoa, now. Back that up. You have a teenaged son?”
“Yeah. Nothing like finding out something like that through your realtor.”
“Shayla?” He asks, his voice still shocked.
I clear my throat. It’s not that I don’t want to talk about Dylan and Shayla, but a part of me wants to keep them for myself, but he is my best friend and I haven’t spoken to him in over a year. He’d been on a case when I left and other than the quick email on a case I’d been on, we hadn’t had time to chat.
“Yeah.”
“What in the world? I just can’t comprehend why she wouldn't tell you.”
Sighing, I tell him, “She tried to tell me. I was too stubborn to listen. Then my dad and her social worker had her scared to death. She thought I’d go to jail if she told, which could have been possible. I had turned eighteen when we had sex the first time. And cliché as it is, she got pregnant from that.”
“Wow. I can’t imagine. I bet you were pissed at her.”
“Yeah, I went through a big angry phase. I hated her for a while, but then we really talked. I don’t blame her for what happened. She was trying to protect me and our son. I wish I’d come home during the past years, but that was my choice.”
“She’s lived there this whole time?”
“No, she lived up north about six hours from here. She moved back after her scum of an ex broke her heart.”
“How’d your parents not know?”
I snort in disgust. I still haven’t forgiven my father. “My dad did know. He scared the crap out of Shay so she never told a soul. Made it seem like it was a boy in one of the homes she was in. Her adoptive parents figured it out, but she didn’t confirm it until a few years ago. There’s no denying he’s mine. The boy is my twin.” I laugh.
“That’s awesome. Congrats, Papa,” he laughs.
I smile. “Yeah, man. It’s been great. I never thought of myself as a father, but hearing him call me dad, it’s been … life changing really.”
“I bet. Hey, I hate to ruin all this happy talk, but I called with some info for you.”
“Hit me,” I tell him sitting back in my chair ready for whatever he throws at me.
I hear shuffling papers and his throat clearing before he says, “You remember Jason Mathis?”
“Of course, The Fox Killer.”
“He’s been released.”
I fly up out of my seat in shock, almost knocking my coffee over. “What do you mean he’s been released? Tell me you’re lying. He killed ten people! Ten, Marsh! And that’s only the ones we found. Who knows how many there truly are.”
“I know, I know. One of the witnesses recanted her statement. Somehow, they came up with undeniable proof she was lying. She’s in jail for falsifying. It’s messed up. They’re still trying to pin him with what’s left, but she was a major witness. The whole case is being reevaluated. He was held as long as possible, but his release was ordered.”
I let out a huge breath. I have no clue what to think. This guy was no joke. It took me over two years to take him down. There’s no way that my biggest case could have had some technicality that would throw the evidence into question. This whole thing reeks of an inside job.
“This is huge,” I finally say.
“It is,
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