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“Oh yeah? What’s that?” Rance asked.
“We got your man. He broke under pressure and confessed to everything.”
Rance let out a whoop. “This is the best news ever. I’ve got a kid who’s been afraid that man would come back and finish him off. I’ve had a whole mountain full of his family on my ass for days, asking if there wasany progress. This is wonderful news! Did he say why he did it?”
“It was an accident. He thought the kid was a bear and shot before he looked. He said he’d gone to Jubilee to verify information he’d found in the journal, but he didn’t say what that was.”
“We think he was hunting for Confederate gold. A damn treasure hunter,” Woodley said. “We found an entry in the journal about some Confederate soldiers coming through Jubilee with a wagon full of gold. Then the soldiers who were guarding it were all found dead and the wagon broken down on the trail. Either they hid the gold to go back for it, or someone stole the gold and killed the soldiers…or some such story, and he shot and left a kid to die for his stupidity.”
“Good to know,” Sosa said. “Even as he confessed, he was still lying about why he was there. Well, tell Charlie Raines the man who shot him is going to spend the rest of his life in prison. Maybe that will help.”
“Will do, and thank you for your assistance. I’d like a copy of your arrest report for my files so I can close the case.”
“Certainly, Sheriff Woodley. Been a pleasure working with you,” Sosa said, and disconnected.
Rance drove the rest of the way home with a smile on his face, and as soon as he got into his house, sat down and called Sonny Warren.
It was almost 7:00 p.m. in Jubilee, but Sonny Warren was a long way from getting to go home. Between a three-car pileup in town, an attempted robbery at Reagan Bullard’s music venue, which Wiley Pope busted and had the perp in cuffs by the time police arrived, and a woman using a stolen credit card in three shops before she got caught, he and his officers were still wading through the arrests and paperwork involved. When his phone rang, his first thought wasNow what?, even as he answered.
“Chief Warren.”
“Sonny, this is Rance. I have good news. We caught the man who shot Charlie Raines. His name is Nyles Fairchild, and he’s sitting in a jail cell in Alexandria, Virginia, as we speak.”
“Oh man! This is the best news we’ve had all day! How did you make the connection?”
“A strong tip came in on the hotline. I contacted the Alexandria PD to follow through. They took him in for questioning. One thing led to another, and he ran out of lies and excuses. The reason he even shot at Charlie was because he thought it was a bear coming through the woods. Then he thought he’d killed him and ran. I’ve asked them for copies of the arrest so I can close my file. I’ll get a copy to you as well when it comes through.”
“Much appreciated,” Sonny said. “Are you going to make the notification to Ray and Betty Raines?”
“As soon as we hang up,” Rance said. “And thanks again for everything. Your help was invaluable to thecase…as was Dani Owens, our secret witness. Be sure and let her know.”
“I will,” Sonny said. “Thanks for calling.”
Rance disconnected, then looked up Ray Raines’s number and called him.
Betty Raines was at the stove frying chicken, and Charlie was already sitting at the table, playing a game on his iPad. Ray had just come in the house from doing chores and was at the sink in the utility room, washing up for supper, when his phone rang. He grabbed a towel to dry his hands and answered.
“Hello.”
“Ray, this is Rance Woodley. Got a minute?”
“Yes, sure,” Ray said, talking as he entered the kitchen. “Do you have news?”
“Yes, I do!” Rance said. “We got him, Ray! We caught the shooter. He confessed and is in jail in Alexandria, Virginia.”
“Oh my God! That’s great! That’s wonderful news! Who was he? Why did he do it?”
So Rance explained once more, giving him what he knew about the case.
“Charlie doesn’t have to be scared anymore. The man who shot him is going to prison, which will likely be his last stop in this lifetime.”
“Will Charlie have to testify in court?” Ray asked.
“No. The man confessed. He’s not denying anything. It will be up to the judge to sentence him, and the only reason he won’t be charged with murder is because Charlie didn’t die. He’s going down for attempted murder and a whole list of other infractions.”
“Thank you, Rance. From the bottom of our hearts,” Ray said.
“You’re welcome. I don’t always get good conclusions from the cases we get, but this is a winner all the way around, and most especially for Charlie.”
