Page 48 of Shelter for Sharla

“TaliqKent. He kept telling his wife he had an ‘insurance policy,’ but she never found it. My god. He was the only one who knew where the money was.”

“Right. You know what I’m thinking?” Cruz asked.

“Yeah. You’re thinking we need to visit those two convicts,” Carter said with a nod. “And I’m in agreement.”

“You called and they said to come when we wanted, right?”

“Yep. Just give them at least a few hours’ notice.”

“Well, then, my friend, looks like you and I are going to PenningtonGap, Virginia,” Cruz said as he sorted the paperwork and put it back into the boxes. “This should be interesting.”

Chapter 8

Prisons always creeped Carter out,but this one was particularly imposing. It was gray, a whitish gray that blended into the surrounding hills. There was a prison camp on its grounds also, but these two guys weren’t in the prison camp. They were definitely in the “big house.” The two law enforcement professionals had been told both men would be awaiting their arrival.

To their disappointment, they arrived only to discover that SeanMcCutchen was in solitary for attacking a guard and wouldn’t be available.That would’ve been good information to have, Carter thought, but they’d made the trip, so they’d work with what they could get. A guard led a shackled prisoner in, a dark-haired man, and guided him to a seat, then locked his cuffs to a ring embedded in the table. As soon as the guard stepped away, BrandonEstevez glared at Carter and Cruz. “What da fuck dis about?”

“I’m AgentLivingston from the FBI’s SanAntonio office. This is SheriffCarter Melton, TriggCounty, Kentucky. We’re investigating a crime in SheriffMelton’s area and we wanted to talk to you to see if there’s a connection between it and your case.”

“Whaaa? How dey be a connection? I been here for a while and I don’ know nobody inKentucky,” he said, almost spitting the state’s name as though it was a bitter pill.

“Sir, I’m sure you don’t know anything about the particular crime, but it did involve a relative of someone you know. Knew,” Cruz corrected. Estevez just glared at him. “TamaraKent, the daughter of your late friend Taliq.”

“Taliq’s girl done somethin’? Well, how ‘bout dat? What she do?”

“She killed a state trooper,” Carter said with as little spite in his voice as he could manage.

“Woo-hooo! No wonder you here to talk to me! I don’ know nothin’ ‘bout dat either.”

“No, but you know about the fourteen million dollars.” As soon as the words left Cruz’s lips, the man’s eyes went wide.

“I don’ know nothin’ ‘bout fourteen million dollars, dude. Nope.”

“I know, because you have no idea what Taliq did with it, do you?” Carter hiked an eyebrow up as he asked and gave Estevez a smirk.

“No. I don’. And if I did, I wouldn’t be tellin’ no cop.”

“We don’t expect you to. But there are some things you could help us with.”

“And wha I get outta it?”

“The knowledge that you helped in an ongoing investigation. That should make you feel like Superman,” Cruz said, his voice caustic.

“Oh, hahaha. Very funny, lawman. I don’ give two shits ‘bout no law an’ order.”

Cruz sat there for a few seconds and Carter wondered what he was going to say. “Well, okay then. What do you do around here?” When Estevez didn’t answer, Cruz asked, “Work in the dining hall? Laundry?”

“Bathrooms.”Oh, that’s a lovely job, Carter thought when Estevez answered.

“How ‘bout I get you two weeks off bathroom duty?” Cruz asked.

“Make it a month an’ we talk.”

“Okay. I’ll ask for a month. I can’t guarantee anything, but I’ll ask. Good enough?”

Estevez sat there for a few seconds and Carter was sure he was going to say no when he finally piped up. “Okay. I tell you what you wanna know.”

Cruz was primed and ready. “Good. So Kent kept telling his wife he had an insurance policy. Know anything about that? Or was he talking about the money?”

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