A Quiet Little Town Pt. 02

I replied that I was positive and included my reasoning.

The next morning, I walked to my mailbox and retrieved the package that was left for me. The recorder was easy enough to operate and it was rechargeable so I didn't have to worry about batteries. Most of the time I carried it in my shirt pocket but if I worked around the house or wore a shirt without a pocket, I wore it underneath.

As I walked around the property I tried to think of other projects that I might do. Two that came to mind were a sprinkler system and an underground storm cellar. I had done some research and found it was less than five years ago that a tornado devastated Omaha.

I watched as the now-familiar black car pulled up to the property but this time the driver approached me. Frank stayed in the car.

"Mr. Mitchell would like a word with you."

The window of the back of the car rolled down as I got closer to the car.

"I had a feeling you were going to be a pain in the ass."

"Is that why you had my house bugged?"

"You don't know who you're messing with. Mind your own business and you might live to an old age."

"Unlike the Wilsons?"

"People who meddle in my affairs tend to have a short life. Keep that in mind."

"That's the second time you've threatened me."

"Trust me, there won't be a third time."

He then motioned to the driver and they drove away.

After they left I looked at the recorder and noticed the counter had changed. The whole conversation had been recorded. That night I used the audio recorder on the burner phone to convert the recording to text and send it to the FBI. Considering what happened next, I questioned my decision. In return I got a message that made me very uncomfortable. "Time to poke the bear."

The next day, the front-page headline of the local newspaper was "State Police Reopen Murder Case." The story was fiction and was obviously planted by the Feds. It said that new evidence provided by a local citizen would soon lead to the arrest of the people responsible for the deaths of Joseph and Maria Wilson. It continued, saying that according to reputable sources, the testimony of the as yet unnamed individual will likely send the people responsible to death row since capital punishment is still the law in Nebraska.

i immediately sent a text, "You've made me a target!"

The response was "We'll protect you. You won't know it but we'll always be close by."

I wasn't sure when the attack would come but I didn't have to wait long. While I was tending to my new lawn, a car stopped at my property and three men got out. The look on their faces told me they weren't there to sell girl scout cookies. Armed with just a rake I was no match for them as they punched and kicked me repeatedly until three shots rang out. The men dropped to the ground holding their legs. I had no idea where the shots came from but I was grateful to the shooter. He or she probably saved my life.

I took out my regular phone and dialed 911.

"911, what is your emergency?"

"Three men down. Gunshots to their legs. Send the police and an ambulance."

The sheriff and an ambulance arrived and the three men were taken to a hospital. Surprisingly, I was taken into custody when the three men told the sheriff that I had started a fight and then shot them for no reason.

At the police station I was questioned and detained while the sheriff tried to sort out who was telling the truth. Two hours later the sheriff informed me I was free to go and the three men had been arrested.

"How did you know I was telling the truth and they weren't?"

"I asked them what type of gun you used. None of them gave the right answer. The bullets that the doctors dug from their legs came from a sniper rifle. Any idea who the shooter was?"

"Not a clue" was the answer I gave the sheriff but I had a good idea it was someone in the FBI.

"Those guys work for Frank Mitchell. You must have really pissed him off for him to have sent them. Watch your back, Hank. I can't be everywhere."

Those words surprised me. Since Frank seemed to own the town, I thought the sheriff was on Frank's payroll.

None of the three men were willing to testify that Frank had given the order to beat me up. They'd rather face prison than him but Frank still had a problem if he believed the newspaper story. He had to eliminate me.

Frank Mitchell had climbed the criminal ranks by proving he wasn't afraid to take matters into his own hands and this would be another example. At midnight he parked his car by the side of the road about a quarter mile away from the house and walked the rest of the way. He didn't have time to plan something as fancy as the death of the Wilsons. The plan was to make the police think this was just a burglary that went bad. All he needed to do was to steal a few things and use a throw away gun instead of the Glock 38 he always carried. As he kicked at the front door he heard the shouts, "Federal Agents. Drop the gun NOW." Flashlights were turned on and he was lit up like a Christmas tree with red dots covering his chest as each agent pointed a gun at him.

Hearing the shouting, I ran to the window to see about twenty men in outfits with FBI emblazoned on their backs pointing guns at Frank who was now lying face down on the ground.

I quickly threw on a shirt and a pair of pants and went outside.

"What happened and where did all you guys come from?"

One agent spoke for the group, "Frank came to kill you tonight but with the cameras we installed along the road we were able to see him long before he got to your house. We just hid and waited for him to do something we could arrest him for."

"But how did all you guys get here so fast? I don't see any cars or motorcycles."

One of the agents turned around and I saw a familiar face.

"I said we'd always be close by."

"You look different without your robes, Brother Paul."

Epilogue

It was a lengthy trial as Frank Mitchell's lawyer used every trick to delay the outcome but Frank was eventually convicted of first-degree attempted murder which carries almost the same penalty as if he had been successful. No other crimes could be directly linked to him but the government got the sentence they wanted, life imprisonment.

The Five Star Realty office is vacant now. Lisa and Ellie decided to leave town, hoping to start a new life some place where no one knows of their past.

And, as for me, these days I'm content to just relax in this quiet little town, next to a cemetery and an empty church.