by Robin Mahle
Riley’s eyes filled with tears, impotent to stop any of it. She watched Sims walk toward the boy. “Please don’t hurt him.”
“Go to your room!” Sims yelled and the boy ran. He turned back to his wife. “I’ll do whatever the fuck I want to do with my money. You think you’re the boss around here, huh?”
“No. No,” she whimpered. “We just—we needed that money.”
“You think I don’t know that, bitch?” With the back of his hand, he struck her cheek while she lay on the floor of the living room. “I’ll get it back, okay? I’ll get it fucking back and I don’t need you telling me what a piece of shit I am.”
The final blow came and she was out cold. As Riley looked on in horror, she knew the woman would not awaken again.
Riley’s back shot straight, her eyes widened, and she inhaled a great deep breath as though she’d been underwater the entire time.
“Riley? Riley, are you okay?” Ethan stood in front of her to block Sims’ view. He gripped her shoulders and peered into her eyes. “You’re back. Christ All Mighty, I wasn’t sure when you were coming back.”
Riley regained focus on the present. She held on to Ethan’s gaze as though he were the only person in the world. It was how she remembered the when and where. Time lost all meaning when she was submerged in a vision. But her wits returned. “I’m okay. I’m back.” She studied her clammy palms and wiped the sweat from her brow.
She stepped aside to lock eyes with Sims.
“Jesus H. Christ, lady, the hell is wrong with you? You sick or something?”
“You lost money that your family needed, and you got mad at her for being upset about it.”
Bewilderment masked his face. “What did you just say?” Sims gripped the bars of the cell. “What did you just say to me?”
“That’s why you killed her. You lost your temper and couldn’t stop.” Riley moved toward him, close enough to smell his fear. “I think you would’ve killed your son too if he hadn’t run from you.”
Sims released the bars and his eyes exposed his remorse. He stepped back. “I would never hurt my kid. You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.” He looked at Ethan. “You better get this crazy bitch away from me. I’m not saying another goddamn word.”
“Riley, let’s go. It’s over.” Ethan tried to move her, but she wouldn’t budge.
“I’m not going anywhere until he tells me about the money.” She stood firm and fixed her sights on Sims. “How much and how did you lose it?” Riley waited for a response but felt the walls tower around him. He wasn’t going to say anything else and the trauma of the event made it too difficult for her to see beyond his crime. She couldn’t see the source behind it.
“That’s enough now. We’re leaving.” Ethan squeezed her shoulder. “Now.”
She broke away from Sims’ stare and returned her sights to Ethan. And without another word, she started back out into the corridor, the door to the holding cells slamming behind them.
As Riley and Ethan stood in the hall, Ward appeared and walked toward them. He looked at Riley, then to the door and back at her again. “Was it worth it? Did you get what you wanted?”
“It was about money,” Riley said.
“It usually is.” Ward folded his arms. “Anything else that might be useful at all?”
“I know you don’t agree with it, but I…”
“I don’t agree with it this time because I’m not sure it was necessary. Look, Riley, I get that, yeah, sometimes the things you see are invaluable. But we have the culprit in our custody. We might not know why, but we know how, and it’s going to put him away. The rest will come out in the trial. I just hate seeing what it does to you. It changes you, whittles away at your soul. I see it. So while it might help put him away for longer, I’m not sure it’s worth the price. Are you?”
The commercial strip where HVM’s office building dwelled also housed two other office buildings and a café that served breakfast and lunch only. Jacob ate lunch there at least three times a week, and today, he opted to sit outside on a rare cooler day this summer.
As he bit down on the tuna salad sandwich, a shadow crossed his table. With the afternoon sun shining down, he gazed up to see Alex in front of him. “Hey, man. Finally taking your lunch break?”
“Yeah.”
“Have a seat. Did you order already?” Jacob asked.
“I did.” Alex pulled out the metal chair and dropped down. He removed his sunglasses and set them on the table.
“What’s wrong? You looked bummed out.” Jacob wiped his mouth with his napkin. “Is the resubmittal going okay?”
“Sure. Yeah. Sorry, I’m just a little tired. How’s things with you?”
“No complaints. Man, are you sure everything’s okay? You don’t look well. Maybe you’re coming down with something.”
“I said I was fine.”
“Here’s your food, sir.” The waiter set down the plate in front of him. “Can I get you anything else?”
“No.” Alex took a mouthful of hotdog and washed it down with a Coke. “I don’t mean to be an asshole. I guess I’m a little stressed.”
“About what? Anything I can help with?”
“Nah. It’s on my shoulders. I have to deal with it.” Alex took another bite and appeared to reconsider. “Well, actually, there is one thing.”
“Oh yeah? What’s that?”
“You feel like joining me for a friendly game of poker on Thursday night?”
“Don’t tell me you’re in on that deal at the Crooked Horse?” Jacob asked. “Dude, my girlfriend’s a cop. She’s been in there making sure the owner knows the drill. Shit’s illegal, man.”
Alex peered down at his plate of food and took in a deep breath. He gazed back up at Jacob. “Look, I’m in a bind. I just need you to come with me and throw some games. I’ll cut you in so you aren’t actually losing any money.”
Jacob held up his hands. “Wait. Cut me in? To what? Alex, what the hell’s going on?”
“I’m trying to tell you. The owner of the bar, Silas Levin, he’s a shady character and I didn’t realize it at first, but I went in there last week, took all his guys for a shit ton of cash. Next thing I know, Silas is paying me a visit insisting I come back. Well, I did. I let those guys win back their money, except it was Silas who kept the majority of it. Now he wants to set up some con or something. Hell, I don’t know.”
“Should I get Riley involved? This sounds bad, Alex. Like really, dangerously bad, for you.”
“Are you kidding me? This guy has already unleashed threats against my family…”
“What? That’s it. I’m calling Riley.” Jacob retrieved his cell phone.
Alex slapped it down. “Dude! Are you serious? Do you hear what I’m telling you? He knows where I live, and that my wife stays home. How the hell do you think he found that shit out, huh?”
“There has to be a way. I mean, you can’t go through with this. You’ll be the one to get busted. If this guy is smart, he’ll figure a way to put the blame on you.”
“Look, I think if I just play the game, maybe once or twice more, lose my shirt, he’ll move on. I have a feeling he must rotate his favorites and keeps the game fresh with new people. Otherwise, he’d have no one to play. I just need you to come with me. Just this once. I have to bring in people or, well, I don’t know what’ll happen, but I don’t want to find out. Will you help me or are you going to puss out and call your girlfriend?”
Jacob held his phone and eyed Alex. He considered for a moment that this might help Riley and Ward if they had an inside track on Silas Levin. Riley already had a feeling this guy wasn’t on the straight and narrow. Although it would mean he would have to lie to her, or rather, keep the truth from her. Either way, that was always a challenge when faced with a woman who could literally see through you.
“Well?” Alex asked. “If I came to the wrong person, then so be it. But I’d appreciate it if you keep this to yourself.” He began to rise. “Otherwise, you migh
t’ve just signed my death warrant.”
“Hang on, Alex. Sit down.” Jacob waited until he returned to his seat. “If you think you’re in real danger, then maybe you have come to the wrong person. I won’t sit back and watch something bad go down around here. Been there, done that, my friend. But if what you said before is true, that this is just a means to an end—a short end, then you can count on me. But if I think it’s going south or either or both of us are in real danger, you’d better believe I’ll take it to Riley. I’m not an idiot and I don’t think you are either. Unless I’m wrong?”
“You’re not wrong. I appreciate it, man. Let’s see how Thursday plays out and we’ll go from there.” He took a drink of his Coke. “I’m glad to know you’ve got my back.”
Two deputies from the county sheriff’s department arrived to take custody of Wyatt Sims, the man who had beaten his wife to death because she questioned him over money. And all of this in front of their young son, who was now with Child Protective Services.
Ward directed them to the holding cell. “He’s back here and he’s all yours.” He unlocked the door and allowed them entry before following behind to unlock the cell. “It’s time for you to get the hell out of my town, Mr. Sims.”
Wyatt Sims stood up and brushed off his clothes as if he needed to impress the deputies. “I still haven’t seen my lawyer.”
“He’ll be waiting for you at County,” one of the deputies replied.
“Good. There are some crazy-ass cops in this town. I’m better off someplace else.” He was led in cuffs past Ward. “Safer someplace else.”
“Whatever you say, Sims.” Ward closed the door behind them and led them back to the main bullpen area where Riley, Ethan, and Chris Decker waited.
The three officers stood in a line as Sims was pulled along.
“That one there,” Sims eyed Riley. “You folks better watch out for her. She’s bad news.”
Decker shot a sideways glance to Riley, then quickly looked away.
She felt his gaze and knew exactly what it meant. Decker was still afraid of her, at least, a little. He’d been at the warehouse when the mafia attempted to destroy the evidence about the murder and hide the real reason behind their arrival in Owensville. She’d lost control that day and it almost cost the lives of the criminals. Those there at the time had no idea what she was capable of. Not her colleagues and not the bad guys. And now it was clear Decker wasn’t going to forget anytime soon.
“You’re the one who’s bad news and you’ll pay for what you did.” Ethan pulled open the front door. “Good riddance, asshole.”
“That’s enough, Pruitt,” Ward chided. “Thank you, deputies, for doing us a favor. Don’t let him out of your sight.”
“Not a chance, Captain.” The first deputy walked through the door and waited for the prisoner to follow. “Let’s get you loaded up.”
Sims turned back again and peered through the window directly at Riley. She returned a menacing smile and he looked away.
“He is an asshole.” Riley returned to her desk. “But I know he did what he did for a reason. Now I just need to find out what that reason was.”
Decker approached her desk. “What do have in mind?”
“I’d like to run a background check on him.”
“This isn’t our case anymore.” Ward approached Riley’s desk. “Decker here will likely be called to testify, but as far as anything else goes, there’ll be minimal input from us. I can see you want to say something there, Thompson.”
“What if I can prove this is part of something bigger?”
“You mean that Sims killed others?” he replied.
“No. I mean I think Wyatt Sims is involved in some sort of money scheme. Laundering, I don’t know yet, but I’d like the opportunity to find out. A man doesn’t just kill his wife for asking about money. At least, I don’t think he does. I think there’s something hiding below the surface.”
“You have a hunch about this, do you?” Ward asked.
“I do, Captain. I think it’d be a shame to have let that woman die for nothing.”
Ward looked at the other officers. “You two agree with your colleague?”
“I can’t disagree,” Ethan replied.
“Uh-huh.” Ward turned to Decker. “And what about you? You think there could be more to this than meets the eye?”
“If Riley thinks so, then who am I to disagree?”
“Well, I can see I’m outnumbered here.” He started toward his office. “Fine. But you best not let any of this get in the way of your day to day, you understand me?”
Riley revealed a victorious smile. “Understood, Captain.”
9
For the most part, Owensville was a sleepy town, which meant the police department was only called upon to investigate petty crimes. Sometimes a residential break-in, the occasional traffic violation, but rarely anything more serious. Not like today, when they’d arrested a man for beating his wife to death. Not since the mob attempted to infiltrate the quiet town had anything so horrifying transpired. And none of this was sitting well with Riley as she emptied her dishwasher, her mind pondering the reasons behind Wyatt Sims’ actions. He was a high school coach, for Pete’s sake. “He must’ve been in something deep,” she whispered.
“Did you say something?” Jacob walked into the kitchen holding a glass and plate. “I brought in the dishes from the living room. Thought I heard you talking.”
“Just to myself.” She returned a glass to its rightful home. “I’m struggling with Sims. The captain said I could root around and see if something pops up, but I can see he’s not keen on the idea.”
“Can you blame him? The County’s taken over the case and you want to keep it going. It’s not your problem anymore, Riley.”
“I know it isn’t, but somehow I feel like it’s going to bite us in the ass, you know?”
“Look, I’m the last one to question your instincts, but maybe Dan’s right on this count. The man who killed that poor woman is in jail and he won’t be getting out anytime soon. Isn’t that what’s really important here?” Jacob walked behind the breakfast counter and helped her reload the dishwasher.
“Yeah, but I’ll see what comes up.” Riley’s attention was diverted by the knock on the front door. Her brow furrowed. “Are you expecting company?”
“No.” He appeared just as curious.
Riley made her way to the entry and peeked through the security lens. “Oh.” She unlocked the door and pulled it open. “Hey. What are you doing here?”
“I heard about what happened.” Dillon walked inside. “You know Sims worked at the school, right?”
“I do. Can I get you something to drink?” Riley returned to the kitchen.
Dillon trailed behind. “I’ll take a beer, if you have one.”
“Hey, man. Course we do.” Jacob opened the refrigerator and retrieved two bottles of Bud. He popped off the tops and handed one to Dillon. “I assume you must’ve known this guy, huh?”
Dillon dropped to the barstool and took a swig of beer. “I know him. We’re all shocked by what happened. It just seems so out of character. No one would ever believe he could harm anyone, let alone kill his wife.”
“So word’s already reached the school?” Riley leaned over the bar top, resting her elbows against it.
“Are you kidding? It’s like that game, Telephone, except nothing was lost in translation. The principal is going to make an announcement tomorrow to the students. Sims was the coach for junior varsity basketball.”
“Well, he’ll get what’s coming to him. County took him to lockup today.” Riley pulled up again. “What can you tell me about him?”
“What do you mean?” Dillon tossed back another gulp.
“I mean, did you know him well? Are you aware of any bad habits he had?”
“Bad habits? Like smoking or drinking?” he replied.
“Drinking, maybe. Although he wasn’t drunk when Decker brought him in. I’m thinking more
along the lines of illicit activities.”
“What did you see, Riley?” Dillon peered at her. “What was Sims into?”
“I don’t know for sure. I saw something that was troubling, aside from the fact that he beat his wife to death in front of their child.”
“Jesus, Riley.” Jacob turned to her.
“What? It’s true. Dillon has a right to know. He worked with the man.” Riley peered at Dillon again. “He needed money, or he lost some money, something like that. Would you know anything about that?”
“No. We didn’t hang out in the same circles. The counselors and admin generally stay together. The teachers do too, but Phys. Ed…”
“You can find out?” Riley asked.
“I can ask around for you.”
“And you won’t get into any trouble, right?” she added.
“I don’t think so. I’m just asking a few questions.”
Riley folded her arms. “Good. Thanks. Is that why you came by? You wanted in on the action?”
Dillon raised the corner of his lips in a half-cocked smiled. “Maybe. No, but, in all seriousness, I’m concerned. And if I can help, then you know you can count on me.” He pushed off the barstool. “Thanks for the beer. I should get back home. Marjorie will be pissed if she has to put down the kids without any help.” He started toward the door.
“Thanks, big brother.” Riley walked with him to the door. “Just be careful, okay?”
“Always.” He turned to Jacob. “See you later, brother.”
“Oh, and one more thing,” Riley added. “Gracie’s due to head back to the city in a couple of days. Let’s put something together for her.”
“Sounds good.” Dillon kissed her cheek. “Night, little sister.”
Riley closed the door as he left and engaged the deadbolt. She noticed an uncomfortable look on Jacob’s face. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I’m just not sure Dillon should get involved. He’s not a cop.”
“I know that. I’m not asking him to do anything that would get him into trouble. Besides, I think he enjoys feeling a part of what I do. Reminds him of the good ‘ol days.”