Tested

By Gary D. Williams

FBI agent Matt Sawyer had been tested most of his life and his present assignment wasn\'t any different.

He was working undercover in a small North Carolina town searching for the master mind of a gang of bank robbers that was terrorizing the eastern seaboard.

His first night in town found him being attacked by two men, being drugged, and being thrown in jail. After his release from jail, he was shot by an unknown assailant. But he persevered, following leads until he closed in on the master mind, only to discover he had disappeared.

The only bright spot was Marie, a woman he fell in love with at first sight. However, she didn\'t want to have anything to do with him, she didn\'t trust him. His trying to win her love was his biggest test ever.

And he came to realize that God was testing him too.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jan 21, 2023
• ISBN: 9798886164039

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Tested

Gary D. Williams

ISBN 979-8-88616-402-2 (paperback)

ISBN 979-8-88616-404-6 (hardcover)

ISBN 979-8-88616-403-9 (digital)

Copyright © 2022 by Gary Williams

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Prologue

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

About the Author

I dedicate this book to my father, Ellis Delbert Garland Williams,

a man who loved God and his family

Prologue

H ey, Matt, could you come here for a minute? Special Agent in Charge Frank Livingston shouted from the doorway of his office.

Matt Sawyer looked up from his computer screen and shouted back, Be right there. He closed the program he was working on and walked to Livingston's office. What do you need, Frank?

Come in and sit down. He waited for Matt to sit down before continuing. I just received some information about the Cartoon Bandits case. I know Norman Lueders was the lead on the case, but since he retired last week, I am now making you the lead detective. Anyway, I received some information and I want to make sure you get it.

I hope you have information that will help identify the ringleader, Matt replied. While we caught the men who were actually committing the robberies, the ringleader has still eluded us. In fact, of the three men who committed the robberies, one was killed when he shot at the police, another was shot during the ensuing gun battle, and the third is in jail. The wounded robber is in the hospital, and it looks like he will recover. While we have gathered a lot of information about them, we still don't have any information about the leader. He's like a ghost.

Frank listened intently before saying, Refresh my memory. Tell me again how the suspects were caught.

Matt knew that Frank didn't forget anything; he had the memory of an elephant. Evidently, he wanted to ensure that he had all the facts of the case. Matt began, As you know, we have been after these suspects for about three years. We flooded the media with a lot of information, and they passed the information along to the public. Last Wednesday at about ten o'clock in the morning, a woman was outside the Peachtree Bank waiting for her mother to finish her banking. She saw a car pull up in front of the bank with three men in it. The car stopped right in front of the doors to the bank. The witness noticed the occupants of the car put on cartoon masks. She immediately called the police, and the Atlanta police responded. The police were there in minutes and quickly captured the driver of the getaway vehicle without firing a shot. Moments later, the other two suspects exited the bank and discovered they were surrounded by the police. One suspect shot at the police, and they returned fire, killing him. The other suspect was wounded in the exchange of gunfire and is presently in the hospital. The third surrendered and was taken into custody.

Has either of the surviving suspects given you any information that might help us identify the ringleader or locate him?

"No. They both claim that they have never seen or talked to the Boss, as they call him. They said that Mark Bell, the robber who was killed, was the only person to talked with the Boss. And Mark Bell can't tell us anything now."

Were you able to get a tap put on the suspect's phones? Have you gone through all their phone records?

We have reviewed their phone records, and we didn't discover anything that could help us. However, we were able to convince a judge to let us tap their phones in case the Boss tries to call them. We were even able to get their wives' phones tapped.

Well, that is one of the reasons why I called you in here. The phone taps paid off. Mark Bell's wife made a phone call to someone in western North Carolina last night. However, she didn't talk to anyone. She apparently had to leave a message, and that message was in some type of code. So right now, we don't know what the message was or who she called.

I heard about that. I got a call this morning from the tech boys, and I understand that the code-breaker teams are already working to interpret it.

"Well, I think we at least have a lead now, although a weak one. We are going to follow that lead, no matter how small it is. I want to catch that guy before he disappears or starts a new gang. We were lucky to have stopped the robbers before they hurt someone, but we might not be so lucky next time. As you know, in each robbery they committed, the suspects became bolder and meaner. Now, I don't want to give the leader an opportunity to start anew. Nor do I want to let him get away scot-free. If that happens, we will have to start all over again. And another thing—I hate that the news media refers to the robbers as the ‘Cartoon Bandits.' It makes them sound harmless. That name doesn't even begin to convey how dangerous they were. Just because they wore masks of Looney Tunes characters doesn't make them funny or harmless."

I agree, Frank. Do you know if the tech guys were able to trace the call to a certain location or person? Last I heard, they were still trying to pinpoint the exact location. They were able to trace the call to a little town in North Carolina called South. The call pinged off a cell tower there.

Matt stared at Frank. Did you say South? Like in South, North Carolina? You are joking, right?

No. The town is called South. I guess someone thought it would be funny to name a town in North Carolina ‘South' since there is a town in South Carolina named ‘North.' Don't tell me that people living years ago didn't have a sense of humor.

Matt laughed. Okay. I enjoy a good joke myself. But please tell me that the tech boys got more information other than the call pinged on a cell tower in South. I would hope they got the name of the individual she called or the address for the phone number.

Unfortunately, they did not. All they know is that she left a voice message and the call pinged off the cell tower in South. And it was a quick call. She left her message and then hung up. All we have at this time is what I just told you. The fact that voice mail could possibly be accessed from anywhere creates a whole new set of problems.

What about the phone number she called? Were they able to get any information from that?

"Not really. It appears to be a burner phone. However, we were able to get the name of the company that sold the phone, and we found that the phone was shipped to a store in Atlanta where it was sold. The bad news is, it was sold months ago, and there is no record of the sale. And since the buyer paid in cash, there isn't any personal information about him. Thus, we have no idea who bought it. Right now, the only clue we have about the ringleader is the ping on that cell tower. That is why I called you in here. I need you to go to South, North Carolina, and see if you can gather any information that might lead us to the ‘Boss' of the ‘Cartoon Bandits'."

Matt paused before answering, choosing his words carefully. Frank, don't you think we should wait until we can get more information? He could be anywhere around there. In fact, he could have just been passing through the area. Working on that flimsy information would be like looking for a needle in several haystacks.

"That's true, but South is a small town, and most of the surrounding country is composed of farms. Also, I want this to be an undercover assignment. That way you should be able to get a job there. Preferably a job that will put you in contact with a lot of people there, like in a restaurant or grocery store. When you do, just keep your eyes and ears open for any information that will help you find that criminal. I know it sounds crazy, but like the old saying goes, You have to risk it to get the biscuit."

Matt started to argue but decided it would be useless. Frank was from the old school of investigation. He believed that an agent needed to knock on doors and talk to people. He thought that every lead should be checked, no matter how small. He had been with the FBI for thirty years and been the SAIC in the Atlanta office for over fifteen years. He was a great SAIC to work for, but he had his quirks. As far as Matt was concerned, Frank had one drawback. He didn't trust technology to help with investigations. But luckily for Frank, he would be retiring in a couple of years and wouldn't have to deal with the technology that was being used more and more.

Matt had worked with him for about six years and discovered that Frank seemed to have a sixth sense for solving crimes. Matt didn't want to go to the town of South, but he would do as he was told. Especially since Frank usually knew what he was doing. However, he wondered how he would find a job in the small town. And he had no idea about how he would find the suspect, who was like a ghost. Then he smiled as he thought that maybe he would get lucky and the suspect would walk up to him wearing a sign that read, Here I am, the ringleader of the Cartoon Bandits. Arrest me.

1

One week later

Matt tried to sit up, but his head was killing him. Every time he moved, it felt like someone would bang on his head with a sledgehammer. And what was all that noise, the metal clanging? Was someone beating on his head with a hammer? No, it couldn't be that because it would be a clunking sound instead of a clanging sound. And his head would hurt more if that was possible. Then he heard another sound. It sounded like someone shouting. If someone was shouting, he wished they would shut up. They were being extremely loud, and it was hurting his head.

He decided to try and sit up again, but when he tried, he became dizzy. He used his right hand to brace himself against whatever it was he was lying on. Then it dawned on him that he was on some type of flat metal, and it was cold. He tried several times to open his eyes before he was finally able to accomplish it. As things came into focus, he looked around and discovered that he was in a jail cell. The metal he was lying on was a metal cot. He thanked God when the metal clanging stopped. Then it suddenly started up again. He slowly looked up and saw an older man in a uniform rattling the cell door.

He spoke to the man. Will you please stop rattling that door? The noise is killing me.

"I will stop when you wake up, Sleeping Beauty."

I'm awake, I'm awake. Please go away, leave me alone.

The man laughed. You better be nice to me. I am the only thing between you and starvation. Then he held up a paper bag from a fast-food restaurant. I got you some coffee and a breakfast sandwich. He paused for a moment as he watched Matt try to sit up straight. Also, I need to get your personal information, like your name. I need to verify it for the police report.

Matt just looked at the man for a minute before answering. My name is Matt Sawyer. He slowly turned his head and surveyed his surroundings. Then he asked, Why am I in jail? In fact, where am I?

You are in the Bacon County Jail. You are here because you were arrested for being drunk and disorderly. Also, you are charged with resisting arrest without violence. Don't you remember?

Matt looked dumbfounded. No, I don't. All I remember is that I finished eating and went to the restroom. When I got back to my table, I finished my drink and prepared to leave. He slowly shook his head and looked at the jailer in wonderment. That is all I remember until you woke me up.

The jailer smiled. Man, you must have tied one on last night if you can't remember getting in a fight and getting arrested. By the way, my name is Jack Willard, but everyone just calls me JW. I am a correctional officer here.

Matt slowly got up and walked to the cell door. Glad to meet you, JW, but I wish it was under better circumstances. Then he hesitated before asking, What did you mean when you said there was a fight?

Since you don't seem to remember, I will repeat what I heard. Misty Franks, a waitress at Leo's Bar and Grill, was being harassed by the Anderson twins. Those boys kept grabbing at her every time she walked by them. You told them to stop, and y'all exchanged a few words. Then they walked over to your table, and Tom Anderson threw a glass of beer on you. I don't know how you did it, but somehow you put both twins down in a matter of seconds. That was impressive since they both are about four inches over six feet and weight about two hundred forty pounds. Around here, they are considered to be tough. However, I understand that you made it look easy. Are you a black belt in some type of martial arts or something?

Matt just looked at him and didn't answer. He was trying to remember but couldn't. Then JW said, You have a court hearing in about an hour. You need to straighten yourself up a little before you go. Right now, you smell like a brewery with those beer-soaked clothes on. I guess I should try to find you a clean shirt to wear, but I don't have any pants that will fit you.

Matt just looked at him before asking, Are you always this nice to your prisoners?

JW gave a lopsided grin. No. As a rule, we don't get many customers in here. This is a fairly quiet county. But since Misty is my niece, I appreciate you protecting her from those two Anderson twins. The only reason she works at Leo's is because she needs the money for college. He stopped for a moment as he looked at Matt. Then he said, Now let me go see if I can find you a clean shirt. He walked down the hallway and disappeared through a metal door.

Matt bent over slowly to pick up the sack of coffee and food that had been placed on the floor next to the door. As he did, he thought his head was going to fall off. He wasn't sure if he could eat, but he figured he could at least drink the coffee. JW returned minutes later with a plaid shirt that had seen better days. Oh well, Matt thought, beggars can't be choosey. JW passed the shirt through the bars to him. Matt stripped his old shirt off and put on the old, clean shirt.

JW watched as he changed shirts and saw a couple of scars on Matt's torso. It looks like you were shot a couple of times, he said.

Matt looked up and replied, Yep. Afghanistan. JW waited for him to embellish his comment, but he didn't.

Tucking the shirt in, Matt asked, Did you say this is Bacon County? Were you joking?

JW grinned. No. And for your information, the county next to ours is called Coffee County.

Matt jokingly asked, Is there an Egg or Grits county?

Not that I know of. I guess they figured that coffee and bacon was enough.

Matt slowly shook his head. I want to thank you for breakfast, but I couldn't eat all that sandwich, sorry.

That's okay. If you are still here for lunch, you will get a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich. And if you are here for supper, you will get a spectacular meal, a jelly-and-peanut-butter sandwich. We put on extra PB&J for supper, he said with a smile.

Matt had to laugh. I guess I will have to pray they will let me go before then. Speaking of which, I'm ready to go when you are.

It will be a few minutes. We have to wait for a deputy to escort us to the courtroom. So just sit back and be patient.

Thanks for your help, JW.

Like I said, you helped my niece, and those Anderson boys needed to be taken down a notch or two. By the way, you were supposed to get a PB&J sandwich for breakfast, but what I gave you was a gift from me for helping Misty. He turned and disappeared through the hall door again.

As he waited, Matt wondered how a person who didn't drink alcoholic beverages could get drunk. He also wondered why he didn't have any remembrance of what had occurred last night. There appeared to be only one answer.

*****

Deputy Marie Marks pulled into the parking lot behind the courthouse. It was her turn to escort prisoners to court. Most of the time, the jail was empty since there was very little crime in the county, but this morning there were three to be taken to court. As she walked through the back door, she was given a printout with the names of the prisoners who were to appear in court. She looked at the names on the list and saw that the Anderson twins had been arrested again. But she didn't recognize the third name. Since there were only three prisoners, it appeared that it would be slow in court this morning. That is if there weren't a lot of people appearing for traffic offenses, civil citations, or misdemeanor citations. She walked to the jail in search of JW. She found him at his desk.

Morning, JW. I see we have three for court this morning. The twins just can't seem to stay out of trouble, can they?

I guess not. But for your information, they have already been taken to the courtroom. I didn't want them to mingle with the other prisoner.

She looked confused. Why not?

He smiled at her. I guess you haven't heard. The other prisoner, Matt Sawyer, was at Leo's last night drinking. The twins started grabbing on Misty as she tried to work, and Matt told them to stop. They turned their attention on him and threatened to whip his rear end. However, Matt took exception to that and quickly subdued the twins, knocked them both out cold.

Wow, he must be something else.

I wished I had been there to see it. The twins finally picked on the wrong person. I guess they thought he was a wimp, but what they grabbed was a tiger instead. Anyway, I didn't want to take a chance of them repeating last night's performance, so I took the twins on over. Come on back and we will get Matt.

Marie read the arrest docket on Matt Sawyer as they walked toward the cells. She suddenly stopped. Wait a minute. I see he was charged with resisting an officer. Do you think we will have any problems with him?

JW laughed. No. He is as docile as a lamb. From what I heard, he didn't try to hit any of the officers. He just resisted them when they tried to handcuff him. He probably wouldn't have done that if he hadn't been drunk.

So he was drunk?

He smelled like a brewery when I came in this morning. I had to get him a clean shirt so he wouldn't smell so bad when he appears in front of the judge.

She paused for a moment more before moving toward the jail cells. Okay. Thanks for the added information. Now let's get Mr. Drunk and Disorderly to court.

JW opened the door that led to the jail cells and walked to Matt's cell. Marie was right behind him. JW introduced them. Officer Marks, this is Matt Sawyer, he said.

Marie, who had been absently reading the arrest report, looked up expecting to see a huge individual since he had bested the Anderson twins. Instead, she saw a man about six feet tall who weighed probably 180 pounds. In addition, she saw he had black hair and big brown eyes. When she looked into those brown eyes, she felt something turn over inside her. And she was surprised that he didn't look like the average drunk. He appeared to be in good physical condition, with a nice haircut, and he had shaved recently. Other than smelling like a brewery, he could pass as a young businessman.

When Matt saw her, he exclaimed, Be still, my heart! She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She had blue eyes and blond hair tied up in a bun. Even though she was wearing a deputy uniform, he could tell she was curved in all the right places. He just stared at her.

She didn't hear what he had said. What did you say, Mr. Sawyer?

I told my heart to be still. As soon as I laid eyes on you, my heart started to pump peanut butter.

She stared at him with a confused look on her face. I'm afraid I don't know what that means.

He grinned at her. It means I have fallen head over heels in love with you. Do you believe in love at first sight? I know I didn't until just now.

She took a step back; this was totally unexpected. What I believe or don't believe is none of your business, Mr. Sawyer.

Please tell me that you are not married.

My personal life is also none of your business, Mr. Sawyer.

Call me Matt. My future wife should call me by my first name.

She wondered if he was still drunk or just crazy. She started to speak, but he spoke first.

I am so in tune with you already. I know what you are thinking. You are wondering if I am still drunk or if I am just crazy. Well, I am not drunk, but I am already crazy in love with you. Oh, and don't worry. I am not mentally crazy. My grandmother had me tested.

JW stood by listening to the exchange, and he couldn't help himself. He started snickering. He had never seen Marie so flustered. He liked her, but sometimes she was too straitlaced. Now he was seeing her in a whole new light. And he liked Matt, even though he was in jail. He snickered loudly, and Marie gave him a dirty look. After a few moments, he was able to stop, but he wasn't able to clear the big smile off his face.

Marie turned back to the cell. Okay, Mr. Sawyer, turn around and back up to the door. Put your hands behind your back. He did as instructed, and she handcuffed him.

He turned his head after she finished and looked at her. Why are you cuffing me? I am not dangerous!

She sweetly smiled at him. I don't know that. You appear to be a little off your rocker. You might go off the deep end any moment.

He returned her smile. I told you I'm not crazy. My grandmother had me tested. Besides, I would never cause any problems for my future wife.

We only have your word for that, don't we? As for marrying me, that is your fantasy. It ain't mine, and it ain't ever gonna happen!

Now don't be that way. I know I'll have to convince you that I will make a good husband. Be patient, and when I finish with this present problem, we can go on some dates and get to know each other. Personally, I don't need to be around you any longer to know that you are not only beautiful on the outside, but you are surely beautiful on the inside. Beautiful clear to the bone! So how about going on a date with me?

She tried to look him in the eyes, but that made her falter. I told you, it ain't gonna happen. I would rather eat worms than go out with the likes of you.

He got a disgusted look on his face. That sounds gross. Please think about going on a date with me, okay?

JW, who had still been standing by quietly, was about to burst out laughing. To prevent that from happening, he said, Officer Marks, we need to get him to the courtroom. We better go or we will be late. He opened the cell door and grabbed Matt by the cuffs and escorted him out of the jail and to the courtroom. Officer Marks followed, smiling secretly to herself. She had to admit that she had enjoyed sparring with him, and she enjoyed listening to his compliments. For some reason, they made her feel better about herself.

When they entered the courtroom, the judge was finishing the sentencing phase for the Anderson twins. They were sentenced to six months of community service and five-hundred-dollar fines. When Matt heard that, he started to sweat. He was afraid of what his sentence might be. Then he heard, Matt Sawyer, step up to the table in front of the judge. JW escorted him to the table and took his cuffs off. Matt noticed that the nameplate on the table read Judge Hill. The judge appeared to be in his fifties, and he was heavyset.

The judge looked at Matt. Mr. Sawyer, I see you are charged with being drunk and disorderly and resisting arrest without violence. Those are some serious charges. How do you plead?

Well, Judge, I don't know. I don't remember any of what happened last night.

The judge smiled. "I see that you took the Anderson twins down a notch. They are good boys when they don't drink, but they are very troublesome when they do. And for them to grab the waitress's derriere is not acceptable. Since you stopped them from grabbing Misty, you get some brownie points with me. But resisting the police is not acceptable. So I have to make a decision about you. I think, for right now, we will adjourn court for ten minutes and will continue this in