Deadly Deception (SCVC Taskforce) (27 page)

The New Light
. Daniel had imposed the same restrictions on his followers after one of his visions. He’d claimed that God told him it was necessary for His people to abstain while Daniel was to procreate and raise a family of chosen children. A kingdom on earth.

Kristine. The first to carry Adam’s child.

Disappointment unfurled in Ronni’s stomach.
My brother really
is
a nutjob.

She should have asked Anita more questions about Jacob, but all she could think about was Kristine and Adam. The baby. Her niece or nephew was growing inside Kristine’s womb. She should have felt happy about the prospect of Adam having a child. Instead, she felt sick to her stomach.

Steam hydration followed the conditioning treatment, then a blow-dry with a flat brush and oil. All the while, Ronni thought about Adam, the farm, Melanie and the others. Thought about Thomas.

Her family—if you could call Adam that—continued to be a disappointing mess, but she might be able to salvage her personal life yet.

Melanie went in and out of her office every hour or two to hit the restroom or grab some coffee from the break room. She checked on Ronni once during the hours it took to wash, dry, and calm her crazy hair. The salon was moderately busy, so while watching customers come and go from her chair, Ronni came up with various scenarios to get her into the storage room so she could take a peek. Time for the operation was running out. This might be her only chance to prove Jacob was the real criminal and save Adam.

Save Adam
. All kinds of weirdness about that idea.

Finally, Anita used a ceramic flat iron to finish. Ronni’s hair looked beautiful, shiny, and healthy once again, and she thanked Anita, adding a nice tip to her fee.

After four hours under Anita’s talented hands, she had to pee. She was washing her hands when Melanie burst in. “Your hair looks miles better,” she said, heading for one of the three stalls.

“Anita did a good job.” She fiddled with her face and waited until Melanie emerged a minute later before asking, “Is there anything I can do for you while I’m here?”

“Heavens, no. You’re Adam’s sister. I can’t put you to work.”

“It’s no problem. I could clean the break room or empty wastebaskets while you finish your day.”

The woman glanced at her with an odd expression on her face. “How kind of you, but not necessary. I’ll only be another half an hour or so. Grab a magazine up front and relax. You had a rough night, remember?”

Always solicitous and attentive. No wonder everyone gravitated to her.

Ronni followed Melanie out of the restroom and they both pulled up short. Jacob stood in the hallway about to knock on Melanie’s office door.

“Jacob.” Melanie glanced at Ronni, back to him. “What in the world are you doing here? Is everything all right at the farm?”

Surprise at Ronni’s presence showed on his face, but he quickly shut it down. “We need to talk.”

Grim. Demanding. So opposite of the upbeat, outgoing Melanie. Once more, Ronni had a hard time envisioning the two of them together.

Opposites attract?

“Come right in.” Melanie ushered him forward, the smile on her face forced.

They disappeared into her office, Jacob slamming the door behind them. Ronni took two quiet steps up to the door and laid her ear against it. The two spoke in hushed, urgent tones.

“What is
she
doing here?” Jacob.

“She had a problem with her hair.” Melanie, defensive and annoyed. “I brought her here so Anita could work on it. Why?”

“We need to keep a closer eye on her. I caught her friend snooping around.”

Ronni’s pulse jumped.

“Don’t be silly. Thomas is a dear. He’s just curious. You were curious, too, when you first joined us.”

“I don’t trust him. Or Adam’s sister.”

Makes two of us, buddy. I don’t trust you either.

“Is Adam concerned?”

A heavy sigh from Jacob. “I don’t know. He won’t talk to me.”

“He has a lot on his mind right now. We all do.”

“He’s starting down that road again.”

Melanie clucked under her breath. “It’s too soon. He never has episodes so close together. Must be the stress of having Roanna here. And Kristine’s pregnancy on top of it all.”

Jacob
did
know about Kristine. “He needs to stay on his goddamn meds. I thought you were taking care of that.”

“I am, I am.” The soft sounds of Melanie moving around the office filtered through the door. “Oh, my, you’re so tense. Why don’t you take off your shirt and let me rub this new lavender and eucalyptus lotion Belinda made into your shoulders? Here…” More shifting around. “Smell it. Isn’t it divine? We want to introduce a whole line of this scent for the holidays. To combat holiday stress and all.”

Jacob didn’t reply. At least not verbally. But he must have grabbed Melanie…she giggled, then sighed. A moment later, she moaned.

Uh, yeah. So
d
on’t need to hear this.

Anita was right. There was more going on between these two than Ronni had been led to believe.

One of the nail techs emerged from the storage room door behind Ronni, carrying a plastic container of nail polishes and talking on her cell phone. She was speaking Chinese and completely ignored Ronni as she passed her in the hall.

Storage room.
Now or never
.

Checking that the coast was clear, Ronni tiptoed down the tiled hallway and slipped inside.

The room was little more than an oversized closet. One wall had shelves filled with various supplies. Another held a small inventory of organic products from the farm—essential oils and lotions Melanie sold in the shop.

In the far corner sat a mop bucket and janitorial items next to an old washer and dryer set. The dryer was running, a load of towels spinning manically.

Ronni quickly worked her way around the room, looking for hidden doors or a safe.

Nothing.

Hands on her hips, she stared sullenly at the towels flipping around. Her gaze traveled upward. A drop ceiling. Perfect place to hide small stuff without much weight, but not guns and teargas grenades.
Should check it anyway…

The door banged open behind her and she swung around. Tried not to visibly gulp.

Jacob stood in the doorway, a murderous scowl on his face, and Melanie looking over his shoulder.

Chapter Twenty-eight

“What the hell are you doing in here?” Jacob demanded.

He would have been scarier if the smell of lavender didn’t engulf him.

The dryer chose that moment to finish, sounding a flat, annoying buzz that grated on Ronni’s tight nerves. “I was waiting for the towels to finish. One of the gals needed a few but she didn’t want to wait for them.” She sniffed the air. “What is that smell? Is that lavender?”

Melanie beamed, brushing Jacob aside and heading for the dryer. “Isn’t it wonderful?”

For the next several minutes, Melanie and Ronni folded towels under Jacob’s solemn gaze. Melanie told Ronni all about the new stress relief products she and Belinda were working on.

Melanie wrapped up her business afterwards, and Jacob followed them home to the farm. Disappointment at not finding any evidence at the salon ate at Ronni.

Maybe there
isn’t
any evidence. Maybe my brother is not a criminal. Maybe Thomas and I should call it quits and go home now.

Then what? She’d failed at this mission. Dupé wouldn’t offer her another.

She’d been so sure Melanie was hiding the money, the drugs, or even the guns in the salon, but for whom? Jacob? Adam? Her conversation with Jacob hadn’t given Ronni any clues.

Once home, Ronni followed Melanie up the front steps. Jacob wandered off toward the men’s quarters, throwing one last glare over his shoulder at Ronni. What had he caught Thomas doing? How was she going to get in touch with her partner tonight?

I can’t call it quits. Not yet.

“The part for the oven came!” Melanie lifted a box left by the front door. “I sure hope Thomas can fix it.”

Ronni opened the door for Melanie and helped her bring the box inside. The damn stove might buy her a few more hours. “I’m sure he can work on it tomorrow.”

“Why not tonight?”

They headed for the kitchen. “I didn’t think you’d want him messing around in the kitchen, spreading parts and dirt everywhere, while we prepare dinner.”

Melanie placed the box on the kitchen table, a small frown on her lips. “You’re probably right. It can wait until tomorrow.”

Tomorrow. Thomas might not want to stay, but Ronni did. She’d take one more lap around the farm tonight, double check any place she could think of. She’d stay off Jacob’s radar the best she could and see if she could turn the tables on him. Shadow him and find out what he was up to.

Come tomorrow, if she hadn’t heard or seen anything suspicious, she’d send Thomas on his way. But she was staying. There was something going on here, regardless of the lack of criminal enterprise, and she’d be damned if she wasn’t going to find out what it was.

From the corner of her eye, Ronni saw Kristine’s daughter appear in the doorway. Melanie spotted her at the same time.

“What are you doing in here, Paige?” Melanie asked her. “Where’s your momma?”

The girl shrugged. “Adam locked himself inside the chapel, so we can’t have bible study and my daddy said it’s because he’s sinned and feels guilty. Is he in trouble with God now?”

Ronni shot a look at Melanie. The woman gave the girl one of her charming fake smiles and hustled her toward the back door. “Of course not. God must be speaking to him, that’s all. You run along, now. I’m sure your daddy and the others are looking for you.”

“Daddy’s looking for Jacob.”

“If you hurry, you can catch Jacob headed for the men’s quarters and tell him.”

The girl looked back at Ronni. “Momma won’t come out of her room.”

Her sad, slightly confused countenance tugged at Ronni’s heart and her memories. “She’ll be all right, sweetie.”

Liar
. Why did adults always do that? Tell kids things would be all right when they wouldn’t be?

Melanie waved the girl out the door and started putting things away, not meeting Ronni’s eyes.

Ronni washed her hands in the sink and gathered plates for dinner. Looked like it might be a quiet one again. “Should we check on Adam?”

“Jacob will take care of him.” She ducked her head in the refrigerator. “He’ll be fine.”

Kids weren’t the only ones adults lied to. “What about Kristine?”

“She’ll come down for dinner if she’s hungry.”

Avoidance. Redirection. But was Melanie evading the truth for Ronni’s benefit or her own?

“If it’s okay with you, I’ll make myself a snack and take it to my room tonight.” Ronni faked a yawn. “I’m going to turn in early.”

Melanie’s head came up. True concern etched her features. “You do look tired. A little extra shut eye would do you good.”

Fifteen minutes later, Ronni stood at her bedroom window, watching out through the lacey curtains. Her sandwich sat untouched on the nightstand. Jacob entered the house and she heard him climb the stairs, Melanie on his heels. From the sounds of it, they entered Adam’s bedroom, stayed inside for a minute, and left. Jacob exited the house and headed for the chapel, a bottled water in one hand.

Melanie followed shortly after, taking the same path. Ronni ran down the stairs and followed her, sticking to the evening shadows.

Chapter Twenty-nine

Adam’s mind raced.
Where are you, God? Why are you silent? Show me the way. Please, show me the way.

He bowed his head. The wood of the dais bit into his knees where he knelt. The pulpit stood before him…a cross.
My load to bear. My load to bear. My load to…

“Adam?”

Jacob’s voice was harsh, condescending.

“Leave me be.”

“You’ve been out here for hours. You haven’t eaten. You haven’t slept.” He held out a hand and a bottle of water. “I’ve brought you a pill. Take it.”

“No.” He’d already taken a pill. It hadn’t worked. The demons were closing in. “God is punishing me.”

“Adam, you’re losing your shit. We can’t afford that. Take the goddamn pill.”

Anger shot from his burning knees up into his stomach. He jumped up, ignoring the fact his feet were asleep. “They’re hunting me. Don’t you understand?
Me
.” His finger shook as he pointed. “Not you. I’ve sinned. The flames are licking at my feet.”

“No one is hunting you.” Jacob was a steel force. Unmovable. Impenetrable. “The FBI is, however, planting evidence against you. That’s why your sister is here. Not to investigate the farm, but to blackmail you.”

A new anger surged. His entire body vibrated. “What?”

“I warned you this would happen.”

The FBI! Jacob! Kristine! They were all after him.
All
after him.