Cold Case Coverup

By Annagail Lynes

Jessa "Peacock" Masters is at home in DC, awaiting the green-light to start her new assignment when a woman shows up at her doors in the moments her father is a bad car crash. The woman wants her to solve a forty-nine year old murder and clear her name. It soon becomes apparently that the two events are not separate but linked, which leads Jessa, and her partner Nate "Jaguar" Masters down a trail to the truth. Along the way, they uncover family secrets as well. Will they get to the truth, or will the family secrets stay buried?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Jul 11, 2021
• ISBN: 9781105399725

Book preview

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~one~

Hello, a woman greeted as she stood at the door of our DC residence.  She gave me a long, appraising look from head to boots.  Then she stuck out her hand.  I’m Alexis Kramer.

I gave her a once-over, folding my arms across my chest.  Her black roots appeared at the top of her short, tousled reddish-blonde hair.  Her face held the same square jaw and high cheek bone structure as my own.  I noted that her nose and her forehead were a touch larger than mine though.  With one gaze into her forest-green eyes, my heart broke.  I could see the pain, the regret, the brokenness that swirled around in them like the bubbles in a whirlpool. When you want to be honest with me and yourself about who you are, I’m here to listen, but until then... I told her, walking back into the house.  I slammed the doors.

Putting her foot in the doors, she stopped them from closing.  I’m Amelia Jessica Thomas.

I reopened them and stepped to the side.  I know who you are.  I just wanted to know if you would be honest with me.  After she crossed the threshold, I locked the doors behind her. 

Her eyes darted around the house wildly as if she was an interior designer in an unfurnished mansion.  She focused her eyes on me again.  What has Bradley told you about me?

Would you like some lemonade, I asked.  I motioned for her to follow me.  I led her past the stairwell near the doors, down the hallway to the dining room area.  Have a seat.  Before moving to the kitchen, I peered over at my terminal screen.  On it was the Liberty’s Command Central.  Troy Riley relieved me of my shift just before I went to answer the doors.

Major Riley, I trust that you have been thoroughly briefed, I addressed my third-in-command.  Do you have any questions?

In 2100, with more vessels exploring space, Earth’s Armed Forces joined together and created the Freedom Alliance.  Each branch still functioned on its own but came under the rules and regulations set forth by the Freedom Alliance.  Fifty years later, some members broke away to form the Crimson Fleet, a group who wanted to turn Earth and its colonies on other planets into a one-world totalitarian government.  Thus, sparking the Freedom Alliance-Crimson Fleet war.

A month and a half ago, Crimson Fleet members had implanted the children and other residents of the USS Liberty, the vessel I commanded with my husband Nate, with a device that changed their brain waves.  It enabled the Crimson Fleet to control their actions.  When we learned how to shut down the device and remove it, my god-brother Tony and I made a bet to see whose team could remove the most implants. Since we both lost, Tony had to sit for my kids and my sister on the Liberty and handle all our Intergalactic Intelligence Bureau (IIB), a covert organization based in Washington, DC, assignments.  In addition to being commanders of the Liberty, Nate and I also solved crimes in space and on Earth for the IIB.  While Tony took care of our assignment, we would be solving his involving the allegations that the Freedom Alliance abused their prisoners of war and forced them to live in despicable conditions.

As long as the Freedom Alliance was still investigating the prisoner abuse allegations, the I.I.B. had to back off.  Nate and I were supposed to wait until the Freedom Alliance was finished investigating before leaving for DC, but I had a dream.  In the dream, my first husband, Nate’s deceased brother Ben, told me that we had to go to DC immediately.  In the years I experienced these dreams, I found them to be one-hundred percent accurate, so we headed to DC.

Not wanting to shirk our responsibilities to the Liberty, Nate and I still ran our shifts via our terminals. 

Not at the moment.  Don’t worry, Colonel, everything is fine here.  And if there are any problems, I know how to reach you, Major Riley answered me.  Tilting his head and giving me a small smile, he added, I know that you are on special assignment for General Graham, but please do what you can to come back to us quickly.  Being the ranking officer on board is nice for a while, but I am not ready for the responsibility full-time.

I gave him a sympathetic smile and said, We’ll be back as soon as we can, Major.  Have a good shift.

He and I locked eyes for a moment, but before I could ask the question that was on the tip of my tongue, he expressed, The kids are fine, Colonel.  They miss you both, but they are fine.

Satisfied, I ended the transmission.  I headed into the kitchen and grabbed three glasses from the cupboard and the pitcher of lemonade from the refrigerator.

Moving back toward the dining room table, where Amelia now sat, I yelled, Jag, we have company.  I set the pitcher down and the three glasses.  I hurried back to the kitchen, returning with three plates, three forks and a Southern Sour Cream Pound Cake. 

When I saw Nate walk over to the dining room table, I took a seat opposite Amelia.

He sank into the chair at the head of the table.  Glancing at Amelia, he exchanged a trouble look with me.  What’s she doing here, he mouthed.

I shrugged my shoulders.  I passed out the plates, forks and glasses, then required, What can I do for you, Gran...Lia...A.J.?  What should I call you?

Everyone calls me Lia, Amelia replied, pouring herself some lemonade.  She looked over at me.  You go by Jessa, right?  Then she turned toward Nate.  And you’re Nate?

I see you have done your research, Nate voiced.  He sliced the pound cake.  Leaning across the table, he clutched my plate and dumped a slice on it.  He cut another piece and put it on Lia’s plate before cutting himself a piece. 

You have the advantage, then, because we only know your name and what you look like.  Dad has never mentioned you or his family, I admitted, sliced my cake with my fork and stabbed a piece.  Waving it at Lia, I warned, But if you are here to hurt my Dad or any of my family, you should walk out the door now because I am fiercely committed to protecting them.  I bit the cake off my fork.  After eating it, I commented to Nate, This is actually quite good.  Remind me to have a craving for pound cake more often.

I’ll add it to the list, Nate returned.  He shot me a coy smile. 

You two are Feds.  Am I correct, she queried, glancing from Nate to me several times. 

If you mean, are we Federal Agents, then yes, I responded.  I lifted my glass to my mouth and sipped the lemonade.  Looking over the glass at her, I searched her face for any clue as to why she was here.  When I found none, I prompted, Why?

I want you to look into a case for me.  She picked up her fork.  Slicing off a piece of the cake, she put it to her mouth.  But I need you to be discreet about it.  No one can know that you two saw me.  You understand?

I laid my fork down, running my tongue over my teeth. We can do that.  Believe it or not, that request is not that uncommon in our line of work.  I folded my hands underneath my chin and peered over at my grandmother. She looked like a high-society woman dressed in her black tailored pant suit with red lining the sleeves and inner edges. Was she raised in a well-to-do family?  I didn’t know.  I didn’t know much about Amelia Thomas, but I intended to find out everything I could.

Bradley was about seven or eight, she began after eating her bite of cake.  She cut off another piece.  I was working for the GIO when this woman, a Senator, was murdered.  I wasn’t even in the country, she continued as she sank her teeth into another piece of the cake.  GIO—Global International Organization.

Suddenly I’m being charged with murder.  I thought I’d be cleared at the trial.  Instead, I was convicted.  That’s when I got scared and ran.  She put her tongue in her cheek as she looked over at me.  I have been on the lam for almost fifty years.  I want to go home, but I can’t.  Not with these charges hanging over my head.  Giving me a sidelong glance, she demanded, Will you help me?

I caught Nate’s gaze and raised my eyebrows questioningly.  When he nodded, I gripped Lia’s hand.  We will help you.  However, if at any time, I find out that you have been lying to me, I advised her, meeting her eyes, or leaving out information, our help will cease.  Do you understand?

Oh, I understand perfectly, she declared and devoured the rest of her cake. 

Do you need a place to stay, Nate solicited.  With Tony and his kids on the Liberty, the guest house isn’t being used.  If you’d like to stay there until we can clear this up, you are welcome to.

She nodded and remarked, It will give me a chance to get to know my granddaughter.  Her facial features fell.  Are you sure you can keep me safe?

That’s no problem, I assured her.  Sage monitors this entire property.  No one comes in and out without his knowledge.

Sage is the computer system in the house, Nate clarified, pointing to the ceiling.

I stood and walked down the hall and into our master bedroom.  Picking up the picture frame on my nightstand, I carried it back to the dining room table.  This is the family, Lia, I explained, handing her the picture.    It was taken the last time we were all in DC. 

Lia put her finger on Bradley and sighed.  My boy’s all grown up.  Then moving her finger to the woman next to Dad, she queried, Is that your mother, Jessa?

Yes, her name is Rachel.  Although Dad calls her Rae.

Are all these your children?

I pointed to Ashley and said, That’s my sister, Ashley.  Your granddaughter.  Shifting my finger in front of Ashley, I introduced, This is Remy.  Nate’s biological son.  My son by adoption.  The little girl in front of him is Reggie.  My biological daughter.  Nate’s biological niece and daughter by adoption.  And the babies Nate and I are holding are our twins–Lizzie and Danny.

Who are the people on Nate’s side of the picture, she posed.  She gestured to the right side of the photo.

Next to Nate is his sister Joey and her husband Colin.  Behind them are Nate’s parents, Nicholas and Katherine Masters, I provided. 

Don’t Joey and Colin have any children?

Their twin boys–Bj and Rj–will be born in approximately three and a half months, I declared, putting my hand on my stomach. 

You and Joey must be close if she trusted you to carry her children, Lia concluded after studying my protruding stomach for a moment. 

You are going to have another great-granddaughter, Lia, Nate informed her.  Amelia Amy is due in five and a half months.  For some reason, Jessa got pregnant when she was already pregnant with Colin and Joey’s twins.

You are naming her after me, she exclaimed; her eyes widening.

And my Great-Grandmother, Nate agreed. 

General Preston Graham is approaching the perimeter of the property.  Shall I allow him to continue, Sage bid.

Yes, Sage.  When he knocks on the front door, let him in and inform him that we are in the kitchen, I instructed Sage, then turned to Nate.  Could you show Lia to the guest house, Jag?  Graham really shouldn’t see her here. 

Nate pulled out Lia’s chair and assisted her to her feet.  She grabbed her cake and lemonade.  Together they hurried out of the kitchen into the laundry room area.  Seconds later, I heard the back door shut.

Peak, Graham screamed down the hallway. 

What is it, I asked him as he entered the dining room area.  The color had drained out of his face.  His hands trembled.  Graham, what is it?  What’s wrong?  I could hear the hysteria rising in my voice.

It’s your Dad.  He’s been in a car accident.  It’s bad.  He’s losing a lot of blood and has some internal bleeding, Graham cried, stroking my arm. 

Sage, tell Nate we have an emergency and to meet me in front of the house, I directed the computer.  Snatching my keys, I rushed past Graham. 

Colonel Masters, your father is asking for you, a woman of Asian descent walked over to me.  Her dark-hair cut to the end of her chin. With one glance at her white lab coat and the stethoscope around her neck, I knew she was a doctor before I read her name tag.  Doctor Ming Yu. 

Glancing at her QuanPad, she put her hand up.  But before you go in, I see from your records that you and your father share the same blood type.  Although we have stopped the internal bleeding, he has lost a lot of blood.  Would you be opposed to giving him some of yours?

Is that going to be okay for the babies, I asked, rubbing my hand over my stomach. 

No problem, came the doctor’s response.  She motioned me to follow her.  After she took blood from me, she wheeled me back out to the waiting area.  I will come back and get you once I have replenished his blood. 

I rolled from one end of the waiting room to the other back and forth several times.  I pressed my thumb to my CommLet, my wrist-worn communication device, and spoke into it, Colonel Masters to Rachel Strazzer.  There’s been an accident.  It’s Dad. 

The chip of the CommLet contained communication channels to all the Freedom Alliance members.  After pressing his thumb to the CommLet, all the user had to do was say the person’s name.  Then the CommLet would activate a channel to that person.  Additional names could be added at the user’s discretion, such as family and friends.

How bad is it, Jessa, I heard Mom say.  Her voice–shaky.

Nate and I are in DC, Mom.  We are here at the hospital.  They are giving him a blood transfusion and have controlled the internal bleeding, but that’s all I know, I expressed as I ran my hand over my face.  I know that you’ve rejoined the colony tour, but I thought you should know.

I am going to catch the next shuttle back to DC, she advised me.  Tell him I will be there as soon as I can.  Then she ended the transmission.

I prayed for her safety under my breath as Doctor Yu reappeared.  How’s my Dad, I demanded.

He is doing much better.  He is stabilized.  We had to remove his spleen to control the bleeding, but other than that, I believe he will make a full recovery, Doctor Yu announced, then looked down at her QuanPad.  "I am more concerned