BooksBarbecue
Back Season of Fear
Chapters (67)
  1. Contents
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright Page
  4. PROLOGUE
  5. PART ONETHE EXTREMES
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. PART TWOSOMETHING BAD
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. PART THREECHAYLA
  38. 31
  39. 32
  40. 33
  41. 34
  42. 35
  43. 36
  44. 37
  45. 38
  46. 39
  47. 40
  48. 41
  49. 42
  50. 43
  51. PART FOURHIT AND RUN
  52. 44
  53. 45
  54. 46
  55. 47
  56. 48
  57. 49
  58. 50
  59. 51
  60. 52
  61. 53
  62. 54
  63. 55
  64. 56
  65. 57
  66. EPILOGUE
  67. AUTHOR’S NOTE

‘What the hell is this?’ Walter asked.

‘Check out the date of the consultation.’

Walter did. The two-hour discussion between Lyle Piper and his lawyer took place a week before the Labor Day murders. ‘Okay, so? I’m being dense here, but I still don’t get it. It doesn’t look like a bombshell to me.’

‘Do the math, Walter,’ Bush told him. ‘Deacon Piper hit a girl in Lyle’s Mercedes and dragged her off the road and left her to die, right? His brother figured it out. So he consulted a criminal attorney, because he wanted Deacon to turn himself in. This is the invoice.’

‘Yeah, I know the story,’ Walter said.

‘Okay, but do you know who was a partner in criminal law at that Orlando firm ten years ago? And do you know who was also a friend of Lyle Piper’s going back to their law school days?’

Walter’s brow wrinkled in confusion, and then his confusion washed away like footsteps in the wet sand. He realized that Bush was right. The paper he was holding in his hand was radioactive. ‘Son of a bitch,’ he murmured. ‘Ramona Cortes.’

Bush tapped his nose with his index finger. ‘You got it.’

Ramona Cortes.

Walter shook his head in disbelief. ‘She knew. She knew what Deacon Piper did to that girl. She knew it ten years ago.’

‘Yeah, pretty convenient, huh? Ramona had Deacon Piper’s whole life in her hands. One word from her, and he’d be behind bars for thirty years. Talk about having leverage over somebody.’

‘She’ll deny everything,’ Walter said. ‘The invoice doesn’t list her name. It doesn’t say anything about the nature of the consultation. We’ll never be able to prove that she was involved in the plot.’

Bush shrugged. ‘Who cares? Let her deny it all she wants. She’ll spend the next four months answering questions about what she knew and when she knew it. The allegation alone will destroy her.’

That was true. This piece of paper would change the race. Ramona would lose. The Governor would win.

Or would he?

‘Why would Common Way give this to you?’ Walter asked.

‘Obviously, they don’t want their fingerprints on it.’

‘So what’s their game? Nothing’s free with those slippery bastards.’

‘They don’t like Ramona. She’s out to destroy the foundation. If they can’t have Diane in Tallahassee, they’d rather see the Governor re-elected than a sworn enemy like Ramona.’