Page 137 of The Coppersmith Farmhouse (Jamison Valley 1)
Fuck.
I lifted Georgia with one arm while bracing Maisy with the other. I almost dropped them both until Silas grabbed Maisy, picking her up and pulling her tight to his chest.
I hoisted Georgia to her feet, then reached for my pocketknife.
“Everett!” Georgia yelled. “Jess, he’s downstairs. He was going to kill us but Maisy stabbed him so we could get away and he’s been selling the pills in town and Alex Benson killed Wes and he left us to drug Scottie too and Ida’s in on it—”
She was talking so fast I could barely understand her.
“Breathe, baby,” I said, trying to calm her down. The veins in her neck were visibly throbbing from her racing pulse.
She sucked in a breath and started shaking. While she pulled it together, I prioritized, quickly processing all of the shit she’d just told me.
“Where’s Carlson?” I asked her calmly.
“Downstairs in the storage room.”
“Sam, head upstairs. Find a nurse, anyone other than Ida. Help Scottie. Get Peterson or Seavers here, now.”
“On it,” Sam said.
“Silas, you stay here with Maisy. Call Bryant. Get him down here to lock down Ida. Then have him put an APB out for Benson,” I ordered.
Silas didn’t answer, he just pulled out his phone and started dialing.
“Georgia, you stay here with Silas. If Peterson or Seavers gets here before I’m back, get them upstairs,” I said.
“Okay,” she nodded.
I gave her a quick kiss on the forehead and finished cutting her loose.
“Is Rowen okay?” she asked.
“She will be now,” I said. Her eyes closed in relief.
One last hug and I left her. Slowly, with my gun in hand, I crept through the basement, being cautious in case Carlson had any surprises waiting.
But there were none.
Everett was lying in a pool of his own blood. Dead.
I knelt down next to Everett to get a closer look at the stab wound in his throat. It was deep. Maisy had shoved that fucking scalpel in far, and it had must have hit a major artery. He’d choked on his own blood.
Good riddance.
Gigi
Prescott buzzed for weeks following the events at the hospital.
Everyone in town was talking about Everett Carlson and Alex Benson. Since they were outsiders, their actions hadn’t been nearly as upsetting as Ida’s, a lifelong Prescott resident. The good citizens of Prescott were outraged that one of their own had been involved in such a betrayal.
Bryant had arrived at the hospital shortly after Jess had gone into the basement. He’d arrested Ida and she’d immediately confessed to assisting Everett in smuggling drugs from the hospital. She’d also spilled that Everett’s operation had gone beyond Jamison Valley into neighboring counties with small hospitals. Four other nurses were currently under arrest for their involvement.
As part of her confession, Ida had given up Alex Benson’s whereabouts. Bryant had found him at a remote spot in the mountains where Benson had been digging two shallow graves.
Ida was currently awaiting sentencing but Benson had been immediately transferred to the state penitentiary where he was serving the first of two life sentences for the murder of Wes Drummond and the attempted murder of Scottie Pierce.
Sam had gotten to Dr. Peterson in time to save Scottie’s life. They’d pumped his stomach and administered an antidote for the narcotics that Benson had forced down his throat. Not long after his release, Scottie and his parents had left Prescott. Their mansion in the foothills was listed for sale the day after they left.
