Darkness at the Edge of Town (Iris Ballard #2)(77)

“What your girlfriend here did. Interviewed past members. Found an informant in the group. She’s been trying to get permanent residence at The Apex, but it hasn’t happened yet. She’s how we know about Helen and Megan’s positions in the cult. I called her right after I talked to your sheriff. She said you rattled everyone. People are growing more paranoid by the minute. They think the FBI are going to go in shooting. Their children would be taken away. You’ve created quite the shit show for us, Dr. Ballard. Thanks for that.”

“Have you uncovered any evidence of drugs yet?” Luke asked, changing the subject.

Carmichael sat up a little in his chair. “During two of her ambassador duties my informant checked the car they used. Hidden in the trunk she found OxyContin and meth packaged for wholesale. She hasn’t had the chance again.”



“Then why didn’t you get a search warrant for the properties?” I asked.

“We’re building a case,” Lucerno said. “The CI didn’t see who put the packages in or picked them up. And the car didn’t belong to someone with a record.”

“Your brother was one of the few members without a rap sheet,” Carmichael said with smug satisfaction.

My stomach lurched. “My brother’s car was used?”

“Yep,” Carmichael said.

“My brother would never be involved with anything to do with drugs. There was no way he knew that shit was in his car.”

“The CI felt the same,” Lucerno said. “Your brother appears clean. Betsy, not so much. We think she’s part of the inner circle. She worships the old man, and he seems to dote on her too.”

“That must be why Mathias risked bringing Billy to The Apex,” I said. “She liked my brother, got herself knocked up, and begged Gramps to convince Billy to marry her and live there.” I scoffed. “All of this because a teenage girl had a crush.”

“Do you have proof she’s involved in the drugs?” Luke asked.

“Not yet,” Carmichael said.

“And do you think they’re just trafficking?” Luke asked.

“No. We believe they’re storing and even manufacturing at this Apex. There’s been some chatter from a biker club, The Scythes; they set up a new meth manufacturing site somewhere in the area. From the satellite footage, it appears there were a few trailers set up on the edge of the property away from everything else. The owner of the farm is also the grandmother of a known Scythe member. She has dementia and lives in a home.”



“Mathias did say a friend donated the property,” I said.

“That seems risky,” Luke said, “having so many people on the property when they’re cooking meth. What if a member stumbled onto the trailers?”

“The only people allowed at the farm are the fully compliant ones,” I said. “All Mathias has to do is tell them there’s bad juju in that location and they won’t go near it. Plus with all the members coming and going already, it’s less suspicious if a few bikers come and go too. Not that anyone’s looking. The nearest neighbor is miles away.”

“But why a cult?” Luke asked. “Why not just stick to drugs? It’d be cleaner. A cult draws attention.”

“Actually, we think the drugs came later,” Lucerno said. “He’s been building the Movement for over a year. Our guess is they needed funding and fell back on old tricks about six months ago.”

“And he has kept the Movement small,” Carmichael added. “Your sheriff didn’t know about them, and the only reason I do is because of the Snows.”

“So where do we go from here?” I asked.

“We were asking ourselves the same damn thing before you arrived,” Carmichael said. “Because of you there’s a ticking clock.”

“What?” I asked.

“I told you. You spooked the fuck out of them. They know law enforcement is onto them. They—”

“No, they don’t,” I cut in. “I was there as a sister, nothing more. And Mathias threatened to spread lies about me and my family if I didn’t back off.”



“He blackmailed you? With what?” Lucerno asked.

“That I was in a three-way with some members, just to name one lie. Since I’m in the public eye, even rumors can ruin my reputation. Worse, they can ruin Agent Hudson’s. I was leaving town when Sheriff Hancock told me about your investigation. Once Mathias hears I’m gone, it may take a little time, but everything should return to normal there. He won. He knows it.”

“Then why has he begun destroying evidence? The trailers we believe the bikers were using were removed from the property last night,” Carmichael said.

“Yeah, last night, when he knew I’d be coming the next day. I would have moved them as well. But he neutralized the threat. Me. And unless your CI blabs, he knows fuck-all about the DEA investigating him. Keep it that way. He’s already paranoid. If you do anything to fan those flames, you’ll scorch the whole damn mountain. I’ve met this guy, okay? He’s pure sociopath. And at age seventy-three he knows if you catch him even selling a joint, he will spend the rest of his life in prison. He will do anything to make sure that doesn’t happen. He will not let you win. Now, I fucked up going to that farm. I admit that. I underestimated the man. But I left my twin brother there. I was leaving fucking town because I don’t underestimate him anymore. And from everything you’ve told me today about him, I still think the best course of action is to back off. Do not take any chances here. Take the python approach. Stick to the shadows, build your case from there, and spring your trap. It may take time, but it’s the safer route.”