Back at the Lindsay residence, Brielle was now tied to a chair in their basement. Bound and gagged, the only thing she could do to fight back was to fight with her eyes. She looked up at Bobby and Misty with eyes that blazed with justified anger.

Sheriff Bobby reached down and tore the duct tape gag off Brielle’s mouth. The pain was such that Brielle thought for sure that he’d ripped her lips off along with the gag.

“Ow! You sadistic sonofabitch!” Brielle shouted, flinching in her chair. The binding zipties were taut around her wrists, preventing her from grabbing her mouth out of reflex.

Sheriff Bobby looked down at Brielle and sneered.

“I just want to let you know that there’ll be some charges coming.” He warned her.

“What kind of charges?” Brielle asked.

“Escape from legal custody is one of them. The rest, I don’t know yet.” Bobby answered.

Misty’s Revelation

“What do you mean you don’t know? What are you going to do, go back to your office and trump them up? Look, you either know what charges you’re going to file or there are no charges. You make me aware that I’ll be charged but don’t know all of what I’ll be changed with? Well, then the law must not exist. How much sense does that make?”

Just then, Misty knelt in front of Brielle, getting level with her. She then grabbed a hold of Brielle’s chin and jaws with one hand, squeezing the lower part of her face so hard that the grip contorted Brielle’s lips and forcing Brielle to look at her.

Years of Stalking and Spying

“I want to let you in on a little secret, Brielle. Something you never thought was happening all those years you were away in sunny California,” she sneered, “We’ve had our eyes on you all this time- all these years. Oh, yeah, even after you moved, we found out where you’d moved to, and we kept track of you. ‘You see, we believe in the old saying, ‘keep your friends close but your enemies closer.’ And, for the last 20 years, we’ve kept your ass reeeeal close, sweetheart. We knew when you got married, we knew when you had each of your kids, we know that you got your online college degree shortly before you separated from your husband. We also know where you got it from. Oh yeah, we knew all of it. Because, you see? Births? Marriages? Deaths? Graduations? All that’s public record, darlin’, and damn easy to…um…dig up. Hell, it was easy to find back when we graduated, only it’s gotten a lot easier to do since.” Misty sneered before letting go of Brielle’s face with a hard shove that threw her head backwards.

Brielle glared evilly at Misty.

Misty Unknowingly Reveals Much About Herself and the Thomasville Elites.

“So, you’ve spent all this time being so obsessed with me and what I was doing? How sick is that, Misty? Did you ever have a life?” Brielle said with sarcasm dripping from ever word.

“It’s not about having a life, Brielle. It’s about power. You see, Brielle, our god is the prince of the air. And he is not your god.”

“(Scoff) I’ll say! And I’m glad!” Brielle shot back.

Misty continued.

“Well, you shouldn’t be. ‘You see? Your God is a God of love. Of peace. Of mercy. But our god, he’s a god of power! Pure, raw power! Your God gives free will and freedom to choose. Our god is a god that demands and expects total obedience and absolute loyalty! He shows no mercy because mercy is for the weak and timid.”

“Then you underestimate the True Living God, Misty! You don’t know Him at all! And in return, He…doesn’t…know…you! And I sincerely hope you change your ways before it’s too late!” Brielle growled back.

Misty’s Satanic Connections

“I don’t think so, Brielle. Our god is a god of blood and sacrifice. And soon you will witness the full power of his might and the pain of his wrath against you and your spawn, sweetheart. And you will witness it through us!”

“You know, Misty! I don’t doubt that you serve the devil! And I’m certainly not surprised, because you are the devil- in human form,” Brielle said in a low, gravelly, and taunting voice.

Misty sneered at Brielle.

“You know what we’re going to do to you eventually, don’t you, Brielle?” she said plainly

“I have pretty good idea. But you won’t get away with it,” Brielle told her.

Misty’s Veiled Threat

“Oh, we won’t do it right away.  ‘You see, Brielle? We can’t just kill you right off the bat. No. That would be too obvious and would cause more trouble for us in the long run. So, we laid the groundwork years ago. We had to get rid of your support system first- make everybody hate your guts. We had to make you trash in the eyes of everyone else in this town. You see? Killing must be done delicately- carefully- slowly. It must be done subtly and step by step. There are channels you must go through- little bitty steps you have to take- gradually and in itty-bitty bites! You have to make it a slow kill. ‘You see? It’s like this. To prepare a good roast, you have to bake it on lower temperatures and get that slow burn. That’s what this is and has been. And now that you’ve lost everything and everyone- now, we can kill you and your sweet little daughters because nobody will give a damn. Therefore, they won’t care to even look for you because they won’t care less what happened to you. They’ll just be so glad you’re gone. So, why would they even investigate it? You’re just another missing person= another needle in a stack of needles!”

The Sinless

Misty got eye to eye with Brielle.

“In this county, we don’t have to follow any rules because we’re sinless! In other words, the rules don’t apply to us because we can do no wrong. Therefore, we’re untouchable. That’s why no one fucks with us! They knew better than to fuck with us in high school and they damn sure don’t fuck with us now! You see, Brielle? There are certain people in this town- in this county- that you just don’t fuck with! Certain people here can do whatever they want to you and anybody! And what are you going to do about it? Nothing! Not a damn thing! The only thing you’re going to do is keep your mouth shut and take it or we make it worse on you! And not only will we come for you, but we’ll also come for your family! We’ll come for your kids, your spouse, your parents, your whole fucking family!”

Bobby Gets a Call

“Oh, no! I haven’t lost everyone, dear heart. And speaking of my kids, where are they, Misty? I know they were brought here. But it’s awful quiet in this house so I can only assume that they’ve been taken somewhere else,” Brielle said in a stern voice.

“Let’s just say that they were taken to a very secret and secure location,” Misty said with a smirk on her face.

Suddenly, Sheriff Bobby’s cellphone rang, and he removed it from his beltloop case. He then looked at Brielle, shook his head, and put his index finger to his lips before answering.

“Hello?”

Suddenly, Bobby’s eyes widened, and all the color seemed to drain from his face.

“What!!! Okay! You hang out at the office until I get there! I’ve got some personal business to take care of, but I’ll be at the office as soon as I can get there!” he shouted before he hung up.

He then gave Misty a serious look.

“We’ve got big problems!” he told her, “Let’s haul this bitch on to jail!”

Suspicious Detour

Misty and Bobby untied Brielle from the chair but left her hands tied in the zip ties. They pulled her to a standing position, then took her upstairs, out of the basement.

Minutes later, Brielle sat zip tied in the back of the sheriff’s car as Bobby drove and Misty sat in the passenger seat.

“Ashton and Aaron will meet me at the station. You stay with Brielle,” The sheriff said.

Brielle cocked her head.

“What’s the hell?”

Suddenly, she noticed that they drove right passed the jail.

“Hey! I thought you were taking me to jail!” Brielle shouted from the back seat.

“Nah! We’re taking you to a special kind of jail. One where there are no visitors and that hardly no one knows about,” Bobby said giddily.

Misty only giggled maniacally.

It was one of Jane dressed in only her bra and panties. Brielle screamed and covered her mouth as the others flinched.

“Oh, God! Cindy, we need to take Brielle upstairs!” Shannon said as Jo helped a sobbing Brielle to her feet and the women took her upstairs, followed by Grandma Bennett.

“I swear to the Good Lord on High! I’m gonna kill every last one of those perverted bastards, mark my fucking words!” Jesse thundered as tears ran down his face. Chris and Miles sat him down.

“I don’t blame you. I totally understand the righteous anger you must be feeling. But Jesse, we gotta keep our heads on straight right now. Okay?” Chris softly suggested, “These people are sex traffickers, and they’re dangerous.”

Brielle’s Worst Fears

“I worked for the CIA for many years and one thing I know is this. Child sex trafficking is widespread and its big business. There’s a hell of a lot of money in that shit and we’re messing with their golden goose. There are a lot of powerful people that are involved in it, corporate fat cats, celebrities, big name politicians- billionaires. If they even suspect that we’re onto them, they’ll kill us, all of us.” Daniel somberly said, “And we’re also going up against a local Luciferian Cult to boot? I don’t think we realize yet exactly who we’re up against.”

Grandma Bennett came back downstairs.

“There’s something I need to tell you,” she said.

Everyone looked Grandma and she continued.

A Mysterious Suicide

“A girl committed suicide just after the Thomasville Conspiracy. Her name was Elizabeth Wilkins. She shot herself in her bedroom and her mother found her. Elizabeth had just gotten out of the state Psychiatric Facility the week prior. Before that, she’d been taken from her mother and father because of vicious lies that their neighbors told about them. In reality, they were good parents and they’d taken Elizabeth out of the public schools because she was being bullied. The school board didn’t like it when they moved her to a new school in another district and they made things hard on them. They got Glover County CPS involved and CPS took Elizabeth and placed her in a foster home. In that, they forced her to re-enroll at Thomasville High. For two years, Elizabeth was moved from one foster home to another. Then she ran away and when the law found her at home with her parents, they sent Elizabeth to a juvenile facility and her parents to jail. Eventually her mother and father finally regained custody of her after hiring a Memphis lawyer and they sued Glover County for violation of civil rights in federal court. And they won. But it was still too late. Elizabeth wasn’t the same after she returned to her parents. After she killed herself, her mother found her diary and read it. She found that a few members of each of her foster families had sexually abused and raped her repeatedly. When the parents reported to the news outlets what had happened to their daughter, the law came after them. Even some henchmen showed up at their doorstep and threatened to kill them if they didn’t keep their mouths shut and leave it alone. The law looked high and low for that diary but never found it. The parents had left the diary with Elizabeth’s grandmother. The grandma is still alive, and I know her. I can go talk to her and get her to bring us the diary,” Grandma Bennett told them.

A Dead Girl’s Diary

“Good idea, Mrs. Bennett. If you could bring the grandmother to us and we could get a hold of that diary and take pictures of each page, we’ll have more evidence.” Chris said.

With that, Grandma nodded, grabbed her coat, and left.

“I remember that,” Popeye added, “And, from what my sources have told me, the Crabtree’s are still searching for that girl’s diary even today. It’s widely rumored that Glover County Child Protection Services is deeply involved in the child sex trade. If the Crabtree’s find that diary, they will destroy it. Because they and many of their friends are implicated in it.”

“Oh, Lord Jesus!” Atticus grunted in a low voice.

“Remember Gina and Terry Fox? Terry was the former mayor. They were involved in it too. Also, they both had parents who were members of the Weather Underground, the American Communist Party, and The Citizens of Anarchy back in the seventies. These are domestic terrorist groups who have a lot of political influence and they’re hell bent on destroying America. Gina and Terry developed Vita-Youth not only to make a lot of money, but also to destroy this country with it. And they almost did,” Malcolm added.

Gina and Terry Fox’s Connections to Domestic Terrorist Groups

“Those were the people who had Shannon’s kids,” Chris recalled aloud. He looked back at the computer screen.

In the photograph, Jane looked to be on her knees, on a bed, with her hands tied behind her back. Beside the bed, was a nightstand. On the nightstand was a pack of matches with indistinguishable words printed on it. Chris sat down beside Daniel and joined him in looking at the picture for any clues that might be in the background.

“Hold up, Daniel!” Chris said, putting his hand up, “Zoom in on the matches on the nightstand.”

Daniel did as he was told, zooming in on the matches four times and sharpening the images. They were then able to see the words clearly, “The Cozy Corner Hotel.”

“Let’s go!” Chris shouted, “Malcolm, Popeye, Miles, Atticus, and Jesse, grab your guns and come along!” The chosen men did as they were instructed, grabbing their guns, holsters, and smartphones.

“Daniel, you, Alvin and Oliver stay here with the women. Also, Daniel, the hotel is bound to have a security system run by computer. Find it, sent it a virus, and disable it. Then let me know when you’ve done that. And, if anything comes up, shoot me or Atticus a text!” Chris ordered before they left in a hurry.

Alexandra grabbed her hooded jacket and put it on.

Springing into Action

“I’m going to go into town. ‘Sit in some of the restaurants and see if I can’t pick up some crosstalk. Or maybe hit a few of the dives around here and see if some sloppy drunk accidentally lets a few things slip out. Someone in town is bound to have a big mouth and I just might get lucky,” she told them. Atticus looked up after holstering his Glock nine-millimeter.

“I got a car hidden in my barn under some tarps. It’s a 2020 Chevy Impala. It’s unlocked and the keys are under the floormat on the driver’s side. You’re welcome to it,” Atticus said, “The windows are tinted and few people know I even own that car. They’re so used to seeing me in the Denali.”

He then looked at Jo.

“Jo, go with her. She may need you to be a tour guide.”

Jo grabbed her snub-nosed thirty-eight and stuffed it in her shoulder holster under her jacket.

“I’m out,”

“Thanks, Atticus!” Alexandra said, “We should be back in a few hours.”

And Jo and Alexandra left out the back door.

Glover County CPS- A Front for a Child-Trafficking Ring

Sadly, they had discovered that Glover County CPS had indeed become one big child sex trafficking ring- selling innocent children to the highest bidder. Most people had already known that Glover County was crooked and corrupt, but few knew how deep this river of shit ran. From the Sheriff’s department, all the way down to animal control, the corruption ran thick.

“Jesus!” Malcolm cried as they sped in Atticus’s SUV toward the hotel, “They might as well put razor-wire around this whole damn county!”

“What you just said!” Chris agreed.

“Amen, brotha!” Popeye seconded.

When they pulled into the hotel parking lot of The Cozy Corner, Chris’ phone vibrated in his pocket, emitting a short but loud buzz. Chris jerked his phone out of his pocket and checked it. It was Daniel.

“The security system is down, it’s safe to go in!”

“It’s a GO! The hotel security system is down!” he told the rest of the men.

When Atticus arrived with the Bledsoe’s, Grandma Bennett and Jesse had also arrived. Atticus and Jo took their luggage upstairs and put them all up in the upstairs bedrooms. Chris and Shannon would sleep in one, Miles and Cindy in the second upstairs bedroom, Daniel in the third, and Alexandra, in the fourth. The fifth was Jo’s room and Atticus would sleep downstairs. Luckily, each bedroom in the house had its own bathroom.

Once they all got settled in and gathered back in the living room, Atticus spoke.

“You all wait here with Jo while I go get Brielle. We’ve got her hid in a secret underground bunker on the property.

Fifteen minutes later, Atticus returned with Brielle.

“I’ve never been so glad to see some people in my life!” Brielle cried as she burst into tears.

Grandma Bennett hugged her, then Jesse. Finally, Shannon, Cindy, and Alexandra each give her a long hug.

Atticus and Malcolm Make it Back to Atticus’s House with the Bledsoes

“My children! They’ve taken them and I have no idea where they are! If anything happens to them…oh my God!” Brielle sobbed, “I can’t wait any longer! We’ve got to find them! The longer we wait-“

Shannon put her arm around her.

“I completely understand, sweetie! I’ve been there! There’s nothing worse than having your kids taken and not knowing where they are and if they’re safe. But we’ve got to handle this very delicately,” she gently and lovingly told her, “My Kelsey is missing too. She might be here. But as much as I want to just run out and search for her, I know it’s not a good idea right now.”

Cindy placed a hand on Brielle’s shoulder.

“We will find your kids, honey. And you will see them again!” she assured Brielle.

Chris looked at Atticus.

“Who did you say the sheriff was?” he asked.

“Bobby Crabtree,” Atticus answered, “And the guy’s a weasel!”

Shannon’s eyes widened.

“Crabtree? Oh, that’s just lovely! What happened to Crawford?” she asked.

The Lowdown on the Late Sheriff Crawford

“He’s dead. The narrative around here is that he was on a hunting trip with Bobby Crabtree, who was deputy sheriff at the time. He was shot accidentally by another hunter in the woods- mistaken for a deer. But most of us know that Bobby had something to do with it, only we can’t prove it. Because, after Crawford died, Bobby slid right into his spot and then bad things started happening again.” Malcolm explained, “crime went up, drugs, crimes started going unsolved, and innocent people started being terrorized. Just like before.”

“No doubt he’s probably kin to Johnny somehow,” Chris mentioned.

“His younger brother, and he’s just as ruthless as Johnny,” Grandma Bennett told them.

“He’s also a little wuss! He’s got all these flying monkeys around to protect him as he hides behind that damn sheriff’s badge,” Jesse added, “I’m just waiting for my time to beat the breaks off that little tulip!”

“Well, you just might get your chance,” Daniel told him as he sat down, opened his laptop case, and took out his laptop. He sat down on the sofa, placed the laptop in his lap, and began typing quickly.

“We found some evidence online that the sheriff might be heavily into pedophilia. We found nude pics of young boys and girls- minors, when we hacked into Bobby Crabtree’s computer last night. We also think that Glover County CPS is involved. They take children and then put them in foster homes where they know there are pedos living. Also, there’s a Satanic cult here and a few people and several pets have come up missing,” Malcolm continued.

The Bledsoe’s Find that it’s Worse then What They Thought.

“What? A Satanic Cult? Child sex-trafficking?” Miles shouted in surprise.

“Oh, my God! You’ve got to be kidding!” Cindy said, stricken with horror.

“Yep. Shannon, when you uncovered what you did in this county six year ago, you only scratched the surface. The evil runs much deeper. And the rabbit holes we’re about to discover may lead to things none of us can even imagine!” Atticus told them.

“Well, back when I was growing up here, I had heard that this County had a Satanic or Luciferian Cult. But I always thought that all of it was only a bunch of wild rumors,” Shannon recalled.

“Unfortunately, the rumors are true, Shannon,” Grandma Bennett told her.

When Atticus’s phone rang again, he looked at the screen, then up at Shannon and Brielle.

“It’s Popeye Suggs. He’s good people. His brother was Willie Suggs, he and another friend of ours, Alvin, know a lot about what’s happening in this town.” Atticus told them all before answering the phone.

“Hello, Popeye,” Atticus said before pausing.

“Okay, I’ll see you all when you get here,” Atticus said before hanging up.

“Popeye and Alvin are on their way here now. Alvin’s brother Oliver is also coming. Kim is also on her way.” He told them.

Okay, I need to know who the evil people are in this town so that I can look them up on here and hack them,” Daniel said.

Old Rumors that Prove to be True

“Well, there’s Bobby Crabtree and his wife, Rita Winchester Crabtree. And they have two daughters Audrey and Giles. They also have a nephew, named Stephen, who they’ve raised since his father, Johnny went to prison. There’s Grant and Misty Lindsay, their daughter Breanna. Then there’s Ashton Childers, Aaron Hughes…”

Once Brielle named all the bullies in town, Daniel created a list with their names on it. He then went to work, looking up their social media accounts and emails, while taking notes in a notebook.

Atticus went upstairs. After about five minutes, he came back downstairs with a police scanner, set it up, and turned it on.

“This scanner will tell us where the cops are and what they’re doing. If they head this way, we’ll know it,” he said.

Suddenly, his phone vibrated. Atticus checked his text messages, then looked at the rest of the people in the living room.

“Popeye just texted. They’re here,” he announced.

Atticus opened the door and let the three African American men inside the house.

“What’s up, Atticus?” Alvin greeted as he shook Atticus’s hand.

Daniel looked up from his laptop.

Daniel Digs Up Imformation

“I just found the sheriff’s cell number and looked up the IP address of his phone. I installed spyware. And it should spread to the cells of the people he cohorts with. Once that’s completed, I’ll be able to eavesdrop on their calls, see their internet habits, and pin their locations.” He assured.

“Good deal!” Miles said excitedly.

Another knock at the door sounded.

Atticus opened the door and let Kim inside. Kim immediately embraced Brielle.

“I’m so glad you’re safe! I was so worried about you!” she cried. She then looked at everyone else in the room.

“Have they found any traces of Raina yet?” she asked.

“I’m afraid not Kim,” Atticus answered somberly.

Kim’s eyes welled up with tears.

Raina Still Missing

“Who’s Raina?” Daniel asked.

“Raina Carrier is Kim’s sister and Brielle’s best friend. She’s gone missing. Been missing for several days now,” Atticus told them.

Brielle sat beside Daniel to look at his screen and watch him work. The rest also crowded around Daniel to have a look at his computer screen. Daniel hacked into the computers of a few more of Brielle’s former bullies’ computers and discovered that they too were pedophiles. He continued to type feverishly, digging deeper and deeper into the Dark Web.

Just then, another picture surfaced.

Chapter 13

Enter Shannon and the Bledsoe’s

That evening, at the airport, Atticus stood behind the last checkpoint, near the front exit, holding a handmade sign that read, “Chris and Shannon Bledsoe, welcome.” Malcolm stood alongside him. The airport was crowded, and the sounds of roaring jet engines could be heard, along with a female voice over the intercom.

“Flight 262 from Phoenix now approaching Gate 12…”

When a group of six- three women and three men, approached, pulling their rolling luggage behind them, one of the men spoke.

“Atticus Carpenter?”

At the Airport 

“Yes, and you must be Chris Bledsoe,” Atticus greeted as he stuck his hand out for Chris to shake. Chris shook his hand.

“That’s me,” Chris responded.

“This here is Malcolm Malone,” Atticus greeted, introducing Malcolm.

“Malcolm,” Chris greeted as he nodded and shook Malcolm’s hand.

Chris then introduced each of the people with him, pointing each person out as he went along.

“My wife Shannon, and my brothers Daniel and Miles. This lady here is Miles’s wife Cindy, and this here is Alexandra McGregor, Shannon’s oldest daughter,” he said.

“How do you do?” Atticus and Malcolm greeted as they went down the line of guests, shaking their hand.

Suddenly, Atticus cellphone vibrated in his belt case.

The Bledsoes Make their Introductions

“Pardon me for just a moment,” Atticus said before he grabbed his smartphone and checked his texts. As promised, Jo had sent a text message that read, “The cops just pulled up. They must have gotten their warrant. I’ll give you an update after they’re gone.”

After reading the text, Atticus looked at their new guests.

“Would you mind stopping in Bush County on the way? My sister, Josephine just texted. Those creepy cops just arrived at the house with a search warrant, and we don’t want to pull up with you all in the vehicles while they’re still there,” he informed them, “Jo will send another text to let us know it’s okay to head back once they’re all gone.”

“That’s certainly understandable,” Chris said. “When we get to Bush County, we can find somewhere to eat while we wait.”

Bobby and the Deputies Question Jo

Meanwhile, back at the Carpenter property, Jo sat on the living room sofa as Bobby, Ashton, and Aaron stood over her. Four more deputies scoured the grounds outside.

“Now, Jo, where has Atticus run off to?” Bobby asked.

Thinking up a good story, Jo answered cleverly.

“He’s gone on a date,” she lied.

The cops stood there and chuckled as they looked at each other.

“Did you hear that, Aaron? A date! Damn! I didn’t think that dry-dicked old buzzard had it in him!” Ashton laughed derisively before returning his eyes to Jo.

“Really? And where did he go to have this date?” Ashton grilled.

“Look, I’m his sister, not his damned shrink! He’s a grown-ass man! He doesn’t tell me where he goes when he leaves! All he told me was that he was going to meet a woman and they were going on a date! He doesn’t have to give me any further details!” Jo chided.

Aaron chortled and looked at Bobby.

The Crooked Lawmen get Personal

“Guess old Atticus has gone to get him some tonight!” he taunted.

Jo glared at the cops who stood over her.

“So, what if he has? It’s none of my business and it damn sure isn’t any of yours! He’s a red-blooded man and has needs just like every other man! And the last I read; this is America, not Iran! Having an occasional booty call isn’t a crime!” she shouted.

“It sure makes you wonder if he’s diddled Brielle a time or two, don’t it? He’s sure been awful friendly with that bitch!” Ashton said, looking back at Bobby.

Jo stood up and her glare at the lawmen became more intense.

“Well, I can assure you that he hasn’t! That much, I do know! But, if he had, it wouldn’t be any of your damn business now, would it?” she growled in contempt.

When all the other deputies came back into the house, Bobby looked up.

The Lawmen Get Insulting 

“What’d ya find?” He asked.

“Nothing. Brielle’s not here,” one of the deputies answered.

Bobby looked at Jo and smiled.

“I guess that bodes well for you, don’t it? You have a nice evening…Miss Carpenter.” he said pompously before he and the rest of the county cops left.

Chris sat in the passenger seat of Atticus’s SUV while the women sat in the backseat. Miles and Daniel rode with Malcolm after having loaded all the luggage into the bed of his pickup, which Malcolm covered with the truck bed cover. Because it was getting dark by the time they left the airport, they were able to stop in Bush County to eat. Once Jo texted the okay to come home, they left Bush County and drove over the County line. As they made their way back to Thomasville, Atticus and Chris looked to see that sheriff’s cars were parked at the county line, one at the junction of each side road and a few more at the Sugar Village exit.

“A Cop-cop Here and a Cop-cop There”

As they got closer to Thomasville, they saw several more squad cars. Chris looked at Atticus.

“There’s an awful lot of cops out tonight, Atticus. Are you sure they don’t know we’re coming?” he asked.

“Nope. They’re out looking for Brielle. I and few friends helped her escape jail last night. I’ll tell you the circumstances around that when we get back to the house,” Atticus told them.

With that, Chris continued to scan the landscape outside the vehicle as they drove down the highway as he began to sing a song parody.

“…with a cop-cop here and a cop-cop there…here a cop, there a cop, everywhere a cop-cop…”

Atticus and the women chuckled.

Luckily, they were able to arrive at the Carpenter estate under the cloak of night and without being spotted.

Meanwhile, Jane, shivering in the chilly morning air, ran deeper and deeper into the woods, making sure to stay away from the roads just in case the wrong people were to drive by and spot her. Her body warmed up as she ran faster. A sense of panic flooded her head. She knew that her mother had escaped jail but did not know where she was. She had to get to someone she trusted. She had to find her way back to Grandma Bennett, Uncle Jesse, Kim, Popeye, someone she knew who would protect her in her mother’s absence. And she had to tell them where they could find Olivia, Roxie, Bruce, Brenda, Andy, Kelsey McGregor, and several others who were who remained locked away in an underground dungeon near Opaque Lake. Then they had to find Baby Kennedy!

Jane on the Run

When Atticus and Jo arrived back at the house, the sun was rising, and they prepared to get some sleep. Jo slept upstairs in one of the guest rooms. Atticus, suspecting that the law might show up, looking for Brielle, slept downstairs, on his living room sofa. And sure enough, his suspicions were correct.

Atticus was sleeping soundly when he was startled awake by the beating and pounding on the door. He shot up on the sofa and looked at the clock on the wall. It was just after two-thirty in the afternoon. He and Jo had been asleep for approximately eight hours.

“Sheriff’s department! Open up!” called the voice of Ashton Childers.

A Knock at the Door

Atticus rubbed his eyes, then swung his legs and feet off the sofa and unto the floor. Dressed only in a tee shirt, boxers, and socks, he reached for his pants, which were crumpled on the floor beside the sofa with his belt still in the belt loops. The belt buckle jingled loudly as Atticus quickly put on his pants and began fastening them.

Jo sleepily crept down the stairs in her pajamas. Atticus looked to see her.

“Go back upstairs,” he whispered while waving her away.

Then, another cluster of loud fist pounds against the door.

“We ain’t gonna tell you again, Carpenter! Open the goddam door!” Bobby shouted from outside.

On the Hunt for Brielle

“Why don’t you give me time to get to the door, you fucking assholes!” Atticus yelled back as he finished zipping and fastening his pants, then buckled his belt. He then threw on his flannel shirt but didn’t bother to button it before answering the door.

He opened the door to find Bobby, Ashton, and three more deputies on his front porch. Bobby and Ashton looked Atticus up and down.

“Damn, Atticus! You look like hell!” Bobby remarked.

“No shit, Bobby! I was taking a nap! Now, what do you assholes want?” Atticus shot back.

“We got a fugitive on the loose. She escaped my jail last night. You know her, her name’s Brielle Markowitz. You wouldn’t happen to know where she is, would you, Atticus?” Ashton asked in a suspicious tone.

The Sheriff Questions Atticus

“How the fuck would I know where she is? Hell, if she’s smart, she’s probably out of the county by now!” Atticus answered rudely.

“Oh, I doubt that. She wouldn’t leave this county without her kids,” Bobby said, “Now, where is she?”

“I just told you I don’t know!” Atticus thundered, “Have you tried Mrs. Bennett’s house?”

“We just came from there and she’s nowhere on the Bennett property. Mind if we come in and take a look around and search your property?” Ashton asked.

“Damn skippy, I mind! ‘You got a search warrant?” Atticus growled.

“Nope. But we can get one!” Bobby said with a smirk.

“Then get one! And until you do, get the hell off my land!” Atticus smart-mouthed before backing into the house and slamming the door in the crooked lawmen’s faces.

Sheriff Bobby Kicked off the Property

Atticus stood a few feet from the window as Jo came downstairs and joined him. They watched through the window as the multitude of squad cars left the property. As soon as they were out of sight, Atticus turned to Jo and gently took her by the shoulders.

“Get dressed and stay here at the house because you can be sure those assholes will be back in an hour or two with a warrant. In the meantime, I’ve got to head to Memphis. Shannon and the Bledsoe’s plane will be landing there at about five o’clock. If the sheriff and his minions come back, shoot me a text. The last thing we need is for me to pull up with the Bledsoe’s and the cops be here,” Atticus told her.

Malcolm and Atticus Partner Up

He took out his cell and dialed. Then placed the phone to his ear and paused before speaking.

“Malcolm, it’s Atticus. Are you ready to go?” He asked.

Another pause.

“Okay. We’ll need your truck. There will be six, maybe seven people to pick up at the airport. I won’t be able to fit them all in my truck and their luggage. I’m gonna need an extra vehicle. I’ll meet you in Bush County at the old Wagon Wheel restaurant, then from there, you can follow me to the airport. I would have you meet me here, but just in case someone’s watching this place, it’s better that you leave right now, and be at the old Wagon Wheel when I get there. I should be there about five to fifteen minutes after you. Got it?”

A strategic Plan

Atticus hung up and stuffed his phone in the case that was clipped to his belt. He then buttoned up his shirt and tucked it into his pants before taking a comb out of his pocket and running it through his hair. He looked at Jo.

“Remember, text me if the cops pull up. If they show you a warrant, let them in. If they need to search the property, let them do so,” he instructed.

“I just thought of something, Atticus. If they search the property, what if one of them walks across the bunker doors? If that happens, you know they’re going to feel a difference in the ground,” Jo reminded.

A Cop Behind Malcolm

“Just pray like the dickens they don’t, Jo. I don’t have the answers to everything, Sis. There are some things you just have no choice but to leave in God’s hands,” Atticus said before grabbing his keys.

Atticus nonchalantly walked out of the house, got into his vehicle, and started down the driveway.

Meanwhile, Malcolm was headed down Highway 72, not far from Bush County, when he looked in his rearview mirror to see a sheriff’s car following close behind the back bumper of his pickup truck. Though the deputy’s emergency lights were not flashing, it was little consolation to Malcolm.

“Aww, shit! What the hell?” Malcolm groaned as he picked up his phone and dialed.

As Atticus pulled onto the road, a call came through. He grabbed his cell from the case on his belt and answered after three rings.

“Malcolm, what’s up?”

Menacing Threat

“Atticus, I’m driving down Hwy 72. I just passed the Sugar Village exit and I’m about six miles from the Bush County line,” Malcolm’s concerned voice sounded on the other end, “I got a cop on my tail, a sheriff’s car.”

“Shit! Does he have his lights on?” Atticus responded.

“Nope. He’s just following me and he’s riding my ass,” Malcolm answered.

“Then keep driving and act natural. Don’t let him rattle you. They’re out looking for Brielle so, they’re keeping an eye on us all- me, you, Grandma Bennett, Jesse, Kim, everyone who’s associated with Brielle. Just make sure you’re driving the speed limit. Once you cross the Bush County line, he’ll turn around and head back the other way,” Atticus advised, “I just left the house so my ETA at the Wagon Wheel should be about twenty minutes. Just hang tight.”

Relief!

“Gotcha, Atticus. See ya there,” Malcolm said before hanging up.

Minutes later, Malcolm crossed over into Bush County. He looked through his rearview mirror and, sure enough, the deputy turned around and headed back the opposite direction, prompting him to sigh with relief.

“Whew!”

At four o clock the next morning, Grandma awoke Brielle.

“Brielle, get up, honey. Atticus, Jo, and Popeye are taking you to Atticus’ property to hide you in his secret bunker,” she told her.

Atticus’s SUV was parked in the backyard, next to the backsteps. He sat in the driver’s seat, with Jo sitting in the passenger seat with the motor idling as Popeye and Malcolm smuggled Brielle out the backdoor, down the steps, and into the truck before shutting the door. Malcolm flat handedly slapped the side of the SUV hard before shouting, “Go!”

Atticus slowly drove through the backyard and pulled unto Grandma’s private gravel road, which was called Bennett Rd. The bumpy road ran past Grandma’s barn and wound through a large cornfield before ending at County Route 16.

Atticus Hides Brielle from Bobby

Atticus then turned onto County 16, which took them across Hwy 72. They proceeded down 16 until they turned onto Landon Rd and drove past Crooke Hill and what was once 627 Landon Rd.

As dawn broke in the East, Brielle stared at the old Crooke property as they drove past, noticing that all that was left of the house was a tall, red brick chimney and some of the foundation with a cinder block-lined hole in the ground where the basement had been. She also noticed the charred remnants of the huge barn off in the distance. The heavily tinted windows of the SUV were enough to cloak the occupants within from any passers by who might have otherwise recognized Brielle sitting in the back of Atticus’ vehicle.

Atticus looked at Brielle through the rearview mirror and spoke.

Atticus’s Connection to Shannon McGregor

“Brielle, I bought the old Crooke Property just last year. Shannon sold it to me for seventy-five thousand dollars, all 20 acres. I still have her phone number on one of my business cards. It took a while, but I finally got in touch with Shannon yesterday. They think that her daughter Kelsey, who’s still missing, may have been brought back here to Thomasville. Her oldest daughter, Alexandra just quit the FBI after working with them for three years. She’s now working as a detective with a national watchdog group called, Watchers of the Watchmen. She’s coming too. You’re finally going to get some help. The Bledsoe Brothers, Chris, Daniel, and Miles are coming here to help you and find Kelsey. Mile’s wife, Cindy Wilkes Bledsoe will also be with them. They’ll all be flying into Memphis International this evening,” Atticus assured her, “Jo and I are going to the airport to pick them up.”

Brielle’s eyes widened.

Pieces of the Puzzle

“Don’t get me wrong, Atticus! I can’t thank you enough for this! But how can I possibly pay them? I have no job right now, my pet sitting business hasn’t even gotten off the ground. Raina and I were going into the business ourselves. But now, she’s missing. I’m living off four thousand dollars a month child support,” Brielle told them, “I’m thankful and blessed with what I do have, but I don’t have the money that Shannon had when Johnny Crabtree tried to destroy her family.”

“Well, this is a special case, Brielle. They think that Kelsey is here in Glover County somewhere and your case with the girls happens to be in the mix. They’re not going to charge you near as much. I’ve already filled them in on your situation so, they may only charge you for their flight expenses and any expenses they incur while they’re here. And if you need any help with that, I’m sure I can work something out,” Atticus assured her, “I may not have Bobtail Bud’s right now, but I still have The Black Trans Am. As soon as an opening comes available, I can hire you on there and take a certain percentage out of your weekly check if I front you. Heck! If I was rich and had money to play with, I’d give you the money and write it on my taxes as a business expense. But with the medical expenses from the attack last year and the deductible I had to pay for my business insurance to rebuild The Double Nickel and Bobtail Buds, it put me in a bind right now. I hope you understand.”

Hope for Brielle

“You don’t know what this means to me, Atticus. I can’t thank you enough and I’ll do whatever I have to do to pay you back. But hopefully, that won’t be necessary. The last thing I want is for you to put yourself out for me. I’m willing to pay for their expenses. I can do that myself. Worst case scenario, I may have to pay some of the money in installments, but I can make that. And I have a little bit of a nest egg put back. If they need up to a five-thousand dollar down payment for their expenses, I can handle that,” Brielle told him.

When they pulled into Atticus’ driveway, his two-story, ranch style house stood about a half mile from the road. Its roof was covered with solar panels. Atticus pulled behind the house, and continued to the back property line, which was lined with a neatly kept wooden fence and row of bushes.

“Wait here,” Atticus told Brielle before he and Jo got out of the vehicle.

A Secret Bunker

They went around to the passenger side of the SUV and knelt to the ground. Atticus and Jo then pulled at the ground, rolling back several rows of sod to reveal a set of steel double doors in the ground. Atticus eased his fingers under the edge of one of the doors and lifted it up while Jo grabbed the other door and they both pulled each door up and open.

Atticus then opened the back passenger door of the SUV and motioned for Brielle to come out of the vehicle. Brielle did as she was told and Atticus led her down the stairs into the underground bunker, using the light of his flashlight until they got to the bottom of the stairs. Jo followed behind Brielle.

Once they all got to the bottom of the stairs, Atticus shone his flashlight on the light switch and flipped it on. When the lights came on, Brielle looked around. Her eyes widened in amazement as she beheld the huge, brightly lit underground room.

Keeping Brielle Safe

The place looked like a huge man cave with kitchen and bar, two dart boards on the left wall, a flatscreen TV, and built in shelves and cabinets. In the center of the large room was a pool table. There were also two sofas in the room and a small kitchen table next to the kitchen and bar. The kitchen, living room, and entertainment area were all one room. Atticus looked at Brielle.

“The sofa’s each have a hide-a-bed,” Atticus said before walking up to the right-side wall of the underground room to what looked like four columns of built-in, tall cabinets.

He then pulled on the handles and pulled out a Murphy bed. Jo then opened a door next to the Murphy bed, walked in, then came out holding a set of bedsheets and a blanket.

“We’ll make you a place to sleep,” Jo said as she began putting the sheets on the bed.

Brielle pitched in to help her while Atticus went into the same closet Jo had and brought out two pillows.

In Hiding

“You’ll stay here until the Bledsoe’s arrive. Then we’ll figure out a strategy, do our own investigation, and go search for the children and others who are missing,” he assured her.

He then took Brielle through a door beside the large, stainless steel refrigerator that led to a pantry that was the size of a large bedroom with wall-to-wall built-in shelves which were stocked with canned, boxed, and dry foods and other nonperishables. Then the door on the opposite side of the entrance lead to a large walk-in freezer chock full of frozen meats, pizza’s and packets of frozen vegetables, all vacuum sealed.

Jo looked at Brielle to see that she was visibly stunned.

“Atticus is a prepper. For three decades, he’s been prepping for food shortages, natural disasters, foreign invasions, you name it. We’ve got enough food down here to last three years. Possibly four if we ration it to stretch it out,” she told her.

Emergency Food Storage

“Well, he’s certain got his work cut out for him,” Brielle said before turning to Atticus.

“Wow, Atticus! I really admire your preparedness,” she said.

“He also has solar-panels on his roof and a huge solar-powered generator that powers his house. It’s how he gets his electricity. He’s even sold energy back to the power company and gotten paid for it. He bought Crooke Hill just last year to have extra land to raise cows, pigs, and hogs on. And the Crooke property was adjacent to Atticus’s property so, now, it’s an extension of it,” Jo said.

“Wow! So, you were here when the Thomasville Conspiracy went down?” Brielle asked.

Jo Remembers the Thomasville Conspiracy 

“Jo was here overseeing my property. I was in Texas that summer,” Atticus told her, “I was there helping my mom and dad with some prepping. They’ve since passed away, so I had to go back to Texas after they died and bring their things back here.”

“Were they from Texas? Are you and Jo?” Brielle asked.

“Naw, we were all from here. But mom and dad left here and moved to Texas shortly after my wife and daughter died. I was in the service, and I couldn’t be here to protect them. So, I advised them to move away to keep from being targeted by the Crabtree’s. The early nineties were a dangerous time here for my family. This land belonged to my mama’s side of the family.”

Calling it a Night

“Well, it’s been a long night,” Atticus said as he gave a yawn and stretch, “We need to get some sleep and you do to. Jo and I are going to go above ground, put the sod back over the doors to the bunker, then go to the house and lie down for a while. You can stay down here in case the sheriff comes and decides to search my house for you. After all, he knows that we’re friends of yours. There’s a TV to watch, DVD player and movies. There’s also a laptop with internet on the desk, next to one of the sofas. We also have a bathroom and shower on the other side of the closet and plenty of fresh food in the frig if you get hungry. We’ll be back to get you when the Bledsoe’s get here.”

“I can’t thank you enough,” Brielle said.