Page 38 of Only Girl Alive

The man addressed as Brother Hammond turned his gaze to Aaron and gave a small nod. Aaron moved back a step.

This shocked Eve. She realized whoever these men were, they held power over the county attorney and Aaron did their bidding without hesitation.

Hammond turned his head only slightly in Eve’s direction. He didn’t meet her gaze, treating her as a lowly apostate who wasn’t worth his regard. He had no problem speaking as long as there was no eye contact.

“This house and the believers inside are off-limits to you. The community has suffered a tremendous loss and it has affected us all. A good family died and they deserve justice. Someone from outside our community did this and if you do your investigation correctly, you will discover the truth. Now you will leave this home.”

The man’s tone held fanatical belief that every word he said was that of God. He did not understand that Eve, as a lowly woman, did not answer to him. Her recorder was still on and the audio file would be emailed to the judge as soon as Eve left. She also knew the chances were high that the women would disappear. It was what the church did best. This moment was not hers. Without another word, Eve gave Bina a small nod and they both went to their vehicle. They drove away quickly.

Collin and Ray followed, the media trailing behind.

“I shouldn’t wear my gun when I’m around those people.” Bina’s words broke the silence, though Eve’s glare continued burning up the road in front of them.

“Their views will never change,” Eve said after a deep inhale.

“Do we have a lead now?” Bina’s question finally calmed Eve’s nerves.

“Kathryn Wilson was not home the night of the homicides. Candace thinks Kathryn knows who committed the murders.”

“Okay.” Bina drew out the word. “Is there a possibility the murderer is Kathryn Wilson?”

“Maybe. She only has a slight motive. Candace told Kathryn what happened in the attic two days before the homicides. It’s weak. We still have a child alive from the Tanner home who we haven’t interviewed.” Eve took another slow steady breath. “If it was Kathryn, we need to find out if she has been inside the Tanners’ house. With the rules against friendships outside the family, she shouldn’t have been. We’ll need a warrant to obtain her prints and DNA. I doubt they are on file. Knowing she wasn’t home the night of the homicides is likely not enough to gain that warrant.”

“We’ve been here before,” Bina said. “We need to break it down as a team.” She was right. Looking at ways around impossible situations was what they did best.

“If the church is involved in the Tanner deaths—at the very least, covering who did them—they will remove the women out of state or the country. It’s the only duck and cover they know.” Eve was thinking out loud. Maybe she could get the judge to call Aaron and put the fear of the court in his prophet-worshiping head.

“When I compare this to past cases,” Bina added, “nothing about this makes sense. We don’t have a tail and haven’t had one since we arrived. I know we’ve been over this but it’s bothering me more and more. The church does everything they can to impede us and the intimidation squad, or God squad, as you call it, follows us everywhere. They never let up and make sure we know their authority comes directly from God. On this case, we’d been left completely alone until the suits arrived on the Wilsons’ doorstep. It’s like they think we’re bumbling fools and if they just give us space, we’ll stumble our way to the wrong conclusion.”

Eve’s thoughts were racing. Everything Bina said was true. When Eve first took the job, she saw a conspiracy around every corner. She’d had to remind herself to keep an open mind for the sake of her cases.

Now her brain was filling with conspiracies that could be true. She didn’t see how a simple man from the church committing these murders would cause the cover-up. They would hang him out to dry, allowing the media stories to die as quickly as they started. If, on the other hand, one of the wives, put through years of abuse, killed the Tanners, it could cripple the church again. The last thing they wanted were journalists taking notice of their atrocious practices in the name of God. They’d been down that road before and practically lost everything. Or another possibility was someone high up in their organization. A seed bearer, maybe, or the bishop. The team needed to think the possibilities through.

“The county attorney was afraid of Hammond. Maybe he’s the bishop,” Bina said.

“That wasn’t who Aaron was staring at. Once Hammond started speaking, his eyes never left Bockstater. It was a bait and switch. He was the real threat.”

Bina pulled up to the Tanner home. The media who had stayed behind swarmed their vehicle. Thankfully, an officer moved the tape aside. Eve’s cell rang just as she was stepping from the car.

“It’s Aaron. I’ll be inside in a moment,” she told Bina.

“Hello.” Keeping her anger in check wasn’t easy. She watched Collin and Ray walk into the house after they parked.

“We need to talk,” he said.

“We are talking.” He would not walk all over her. She was tired of the crap that went on at the Wilson home. Aaron understood the lawful authority of the judge and how close law enforcement, including his own office, came to being prosecuted. The men of the church did not care. Their authority came from God, or so they believed.

“The women in the community are distraught over what’s happened. They are afraid for their families. They are gossiping and making it harder on themselves. You know how things work here,” he declared, his demeanor exactly as it was during their childhood. He excelled at manipulation and bullying.

Eve knew exactly how things worked. No gossiping and no friendships outside the family, at least for the women. Secrets and illegal activities were kept to minimal discussion so the men didn’t do jail time.

“Is that all you have for me?” Eve asked calmly, even if she didn’t feel it.

“These women aren’t like the worldly ones you know. They will say things to start trouble for us because they have difficulty abiding by God’s commands.”

Eve’s mouth dropped open. He was trying to pacify her. Did he have a clue who he spoke to? Eve had lived this life. She knew what the men thought of women. It was as if her stepbrother thought he could appeal to her fundamentalist side. There wasn’t one, and she needed to make that clear immediately.

“I’m contacting Judge Remki. I have recorded conversations from two women that make them part of this case. I have reason to believe someone else in the home may have information. If those women disappear, the judge will know why and you will be held accountable. We will interview all the wives tomorrow and Mr. Wilson too.”

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