Page 41 of Truth is the Ultimate Weapon

“He’s… in your barn?” Charlotte asked.

“I’m so sorry, Charlotte. I don’t mean to sound so cold and crass answering these questions.” Glen said, taking her hand between his, “Your daddy was a good man once. A damn good man. Sometimes, the world gets its grips on the best of them, and it’s an unfortunate thing. I’d like to think of the good times. Maybe we should postpone the questioning, Coy. I hate to be insensitive.”

“It’s fine.” Charlotte said, wearing a brave face, “I’ll be fine. We need to get to the bottom of all this and put it all to rest. What about that Steele fella?”

“I have no idea where Ellis Steele is.” Glen admitted, “I suppose in the wind, and that means we are all in danger until we find him and end him too. He will not stop until he gets what he wants otherwise.”

“You’re staying out at the Stone ranch with the rest of us,” Kenzie informed.

“I couldn’t do that. I’ll be fine here,” Glen informed.

“By yourself? Not a chance.” Kenzie scolded. “You’re coming with us, and that’s final.”

“Glen, it really is the best option.” Coy said, “We can protect you and keep an eye on you while you’re healing.”

“Well, I suppose that would make things easier, huh?” Glen chuckled. “Okay. I’ll give you this. I know I can be a bit stubborn, but I won’t be on this issue. I’ll be able to keep an eye on y’all myself. There was nothing more terrifying than thinking he’d already gotten to you and hurt or killed each of you like he promised.”

“You really think Steele will stick around?” Coy asked.

“Definitely. There’s a lot of money to be made here. You know what he’s doing with all this land in our rural, off-the-beaten-path county? Growing poppies.” Glen shared, but nobody said a word or acknowledged the fact that they already knew, “You know what that means, don’t you? He’s into the drug trade. Manufacturing out in these random barns in the middle of nowhere and shipping it south of the border. Dealing with some really dangerous people down there.”

“You know this for a fact?” Coy asked.

“I do.” Glen said, “He told me so. You know how it goes when you got one by the balls, and they know their timer is about to ding –– they spill their guts. Told me everything.”

“Including where we might find Steele?” Coy quizzed.

“That he didn’t share, unfortunately. I think we’re going to have to find him ourselves. A good old-fashioned manhunt.” Glen said. “I believe he holds the keys to the kingdom. Knows where all the bodies are buried, so to speak, and where the money is.”

“He’s valuable.”

“Sounds like he’s the key to cracking this thing wide open now that Bridges is out of the way.” Glen rested his face in his hands for a moment, then ran them down his face as he contemplated his words. “I hope I did the right thing. I grilled him the best I could, but when he came at me the way he did… I was tired, growing weak. They’d gotten a good beat down on me already. It was kill or be killed, and I couldn’t go out like that –– not with the information I had. I needed to get it to you, Kenzie.”

“Did you, now?” From the shadows emerged a familiar voice echoing in the distance.

Coy rose to his feet, weapon at the ready, aiming in the direction of the unmistakable voice, seemingly resurrected to haunt them once more. The others mirrored his stance, and Diesel positioned himself at the forefront, crouching low with bared teeth as he emitted a menacing growl.

“Daddy,” Charlotte murmured, her weapon dropping slightly in shock and disbelief at the sight of her father, bleeding out, shot but alive. Yet, she quickly regained her composure, realigning her weapon to target her father with steely resolve.

“Charlotte, honey. I’m sorry I put you through this.”

“Murder? You’re sorry you put me through that? Killing our friends and neighbors for… land? Drugs? Money?”

“It’s not what you think, sweetheart.” Owen said, “I’ve been working this case right along with you, just from a distance.”

“A distance? Really?” Charlotte chuckled maniacally, “Is that what you call all this? Working a case?”

“Tell them, Glen.” Owen challenged with his weapon solely fixed on Glen Stoddard. “Tell them the truth –– the whole truth.”

“I have. They know everything, you treasonous son of a bitch.”

“No, you told them your version –– tell them the truth, I said. The one about how you found Ellis Steele and recruited him a decade ago. Used your position as Sheriff to conspire to kill, cheat, and steal. And how you killed all your friends but me…”

“You were never my friend,” Glen said. “You’re delusional.”

“Really? Never your friend?” Owen chuckled, “It was the four of us growing up. You, George, Ben, and… me. You see, I remember those days clearly. They haunt me constantly because I knew better than to let you off the hook like we did back then, and I’ve been paying the price with deep-seated guilt ever since. I know what you did, Stoddard.”

“Glen, what’s he talking about?” Coy asked, eerily calm and unsurprised.

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