Page 54 of Ranger Bravery

“We’ve done a lot of work on the case in the last few days,” Derek said, his elbows on the table. Dark circles under his eyes were a testament to the long hours he’d put in. “While we don’t know everything, I think we’ve pieced together everything that happened. Felicity, why don’t you start?”

She nodded, making her ponytail bob. “Todd Hutchinson was eighteen years old when he and Lionel Islip made a plan to attack Piper. Lionel had a history of violence against women. He didn’t like Piper and blamed her for the breakup with her mother. Todd also had an obsession with Piper, but he wasn’t bold enough yet to attack her on his own. He decided to help Lionel by being the lookout.”

Her chest squeezed tight. “I didn’t know he was there.”

“That’s because he never entered the house.” Felicity’s gaze was sympathetic. “There was no way for you to know. Todd, however, could see everything that was happening through the open back door. Emilia did a profile on him, and it’s her belief, Todd was inspired by Lionel’s attack on you. Five years later, he stalked Debbie Rhodes. She was blonde, blue-eyed, and petite. He kidnapped her from a bar parking lot, took her to a remote wooded area, beat her, and then shot her.”

Piper breathed out. “He was reliving the assault on me. But this time, as an active participant.”

“Yes. Three years later, he killed Iris Grayson. Same M.O. Last year, Todd was arrested for possession of marijuana. Paul was his attorney. Sometime during the case, Todd told Paul about the murders he committed. Bragging, perhaps?”

“It makes sense.” Piper nodded. “Todd created a persona of a drunk dimwit. He didn’t have anyone other than his brother to confide in. It wouldn’t surprise me if he felt comfortable telling Paul the truth because of attorney/client privilege.”

Daniel grunted in agreement. “Paul decided to use Todd’s proclivity for murdering blonde-haired, blue-eyed women to get rid of his own problem. Elena.”

This much Piper had been able to put together. “Elena and Shawn were in love. Paul was worried that his son would divorce his wife and marry her. He didn’t want that. Elena wasn’t powerful or connected to a wealthy family. She was undesirable in Paul’s eyes. My guess is that he tried to buy Elena off first, but she wouldn’t take the money. She and Shawn broke up, but Shawn was so much in love, he kept pursuing her.”

“You nailed it. Paul hired Todd to kill Elena. What he hadn’t counted on was Todd’s obsession with you. The little creep decided it was the perfect opportunity to play a cat-and-mouse game. He killed Elena in the nature preserve, close to the trail where you run. Todd wanted you to find her. Once Jackson arrived in town to help work the case, he took it as a sign that he could finally get his revenge as well.” Daniel smirked. “It seems you annoyed him, Barker. He didn’t like that Piper preferred you.”

Jackson rolled his eyes. “That explains why he tried to blow me up. Several times.”

Dark humor, but it made everyone in the room laugh.

“The more things got out of hand, the more nervous Paul became,” Felicity said. “He thought Todd would kill Elena, take the money, and leave town. He had no idea Todd had his own agenda until it was too late. Paul tried to control Todd, but that was an impossible feat. As we suspected, Todd used Gerdie to lure Elena out to the woods. Then he killed her too, using her to fuel his game with Piper.”

Sick. Piper’s stomach swirled with nausea. She didn’t want to imagine what poor Gerdie went through. Judging from the grim expressions on everyone else’s faces, they were equally appalled.

“How does Marcus fit into all of this?” Jackson asked.

Felicity flipped a pen between her long fingers. “Wally knew what his brother was up to and was worried his obsession would destroy them all. He dosed Marcus with meth, gave him a gun that he’d used in a previous robbery, and then sent him to shoot you. Thankfully he missed, but Paul immediately became concerned Marcus knew too much. He became his lawyer so he could prevent Marcus from talking to us.”

“It almost worked.”

“Sure did.”

“Why was Wally so scared of Paul?”

“Because Paul threatened to tell the police about some crimes they hadn’t linked to Wally yet. Like the robbery.”

“He did the same with Todd.” Piper grimaced. “It didn’t go the way Paul planned.”

“That explains why Wally demanded protection in exchange for the information he had.” Jackson glanced at Piper. “He wouldn’t tell us where Todd had taken you without a deal. Lieutenant Rodriguez wasn’t having it. Once she had some indication the Kingstons were involved, she had troopers drive by their houses and offices. Wally’s truck was spotted in Paul’s driveway. That’s when SWAT was called in.”

Piper was incredibly grateful for the lieutenant’s quick actions. It’d saved her life.

“What about Shawn?” Jackson’s jaw clenched. “Did he know what his dad and Todd were up to?”

Daniel shook his head. “He didn’t have a clue. The emergency he was called away on was legit. A family friend had been in a terrible car accident. Shawn learned about the cabin from Wally. I guess it never occurred to Paul that his son might turn over that information to the police. Additionally, Melanie didn’t know about Paul and Todd either. She nearly fainted when she heard the truth. Paul ordered her to keep Wally from talking at all costs. That’s why she fought so hard in the hospital room when we went to question him.”

Piper sat back in her chair. Her heart hurt for Elena and Gerdie, along with the two other women Todd murdered, but it was a miracle more people hadn’t died during this investigation. Three bombs had been detonated. “Where did Todd learn to make the bombs? Her brother?”

Daniel nodded. “Along with a little help from the internet.” His expression screwed up in disgust. “I’ll never understand why clever people use their brains for evil instead of for good.”

Everyone in the room nodded in agreement.

Derek leaned forward. “There’s good news and there’s bad news. The good news is that Paul, Todd, and Wally will never see the outside of a prison cell. The district attorney is throwing every charge she can at them. We have enough evidence to convict them, but I suspect the DA will cut a deal with Paul. He’ll testify against Wally and Todd in exchange for life in prison. It will ensure the other two men’s convictions.”

Piper breathed out. “I’m okay with that.”

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