by Gen Griffin
Ian was standing on the porch staring at the Toyota when he came around the corner.
“You're a fucking idiot,” David announced as he walked up on the porch. The bed of Ian's S-10 was loaded down and they had covered the load with a tarp. David discretely snapped a picture of the truck with his phone before tucking the device back into his pocket.
“W-w-what are you doing here?”
David crossed his heavily tattooed arms over his slender chest. He was wearing short sleeves despite the cool weather. “You do know that electronics don't burn worth a shit, right?”
Ian's shoulders slumped. “I don't know how else to get rid of them. It was the only thing I could think of.”
“You'd have been better off digging a hole and burying them,” David informed him.
“Digging a hole will ruin the sod. You know how my mom is about her sod. She'd have noticed.”
“I wouldn't have suggested digging the hole here,” David clarified. “In fact, I wouldn't have suggested hiding stolen property at your parents' house even if your mother's live-in boyfriend wasn't the Sheriff.”
Ian leaned hard on the porch railing. “Addison called you, didn't he?”
David nodded.
“He won't be able to get a warrant,” Ian didn't sound all that confident.
David raised one eyebrow at him. “I wouldn't underestimate Sullivan Briggs if I were you.”
“Look, David-.” Ian started to say something and then stopped abruptly as David walked past him and headed through the front door into the house. “You can't go in there!”
David ignored Ian and walked into the living room. He was immediately assaulted by the smell of bleach. Someone had been cleaning and cleaning hard. The odor was strong enough to make his eyes water.
Ian tried to grab David's arm, but David dodged him easily. “You're supposed to dilute bleach with water before you pour it on the floor. Jeez, it smells awful in here.”
“David, you can't be here right now. You have to leave.”
“Or what?” David scowled at his cousin as he continued walking through the house. He was heading for the door that separated the kitchen from the garage. Sully had specifically asked for pictures of the zero turn mowers in the garage and he intended to get those pictures just because he figured Sully didn't think he'd be able to do it.
He had made it as far as the dining room when someone stepped out of the master bedroom. David had just enough time to wonder why the dining room table had been shoved all the way into the far wall when he noticed the revolver that Joe was pointing directly at his chest. “Stop right there.”
David stared at the gun through hooded green eyes. “You've got to be fucking kidding me.”
“You're leaving. Now.” Joe stepped towards David. “Or maybe I should just shoot you.”
“You're going to shoot me?” David eyed him coolly. He didn't like how wide Joe's eyes were or how much white was showing around his pupils. If he had to guess, Joe was probably strung out on methamphetamine. It wasn't a particularly comforting observation.
“Don't move,” Joe commanded.
David held still. Joe's grip on the revolver looked shaky. He clearly wasn't comfortable with the weapon and he was probably too high to shoot straight. That thought didn't provide as much comfort as David would have liked. The gun was too large of a caliber for that.
“Joe, we can't shoot him.” Ian looked utterly and totally panicked. “He's my cousin.”
“I don't care who he is.” Joe was sweating profusely. “He's seen too goddamn much.”
“He won't turn us in,” Ian said quickly. “David's just like us.”
David scowled. “I'm not a fucking criminal, Ian.”
Ian shot him a terrified look.
“Either you're with us or against us,” Joe said. He still had the gun trained on David. “Personally, I don't like the look of you. You look like trouble. I think I'd like you better dead.”
“Joe, no. You can't.” Ian held his hands up in surrender.
Two things happened at once. Joe pulled the trigger on the .357 just as David lunged for him. David knocked hard into Joe and they both hit the ground.
David's entire focus was on getting hold of the gun. He didn't lift his arms to try to defend himself as Joe swung one elbow down and clocked him in the temple. He grabbed hold of Joe by the shoulder and twisted as hard as he could. The other man let out a yelp as David pinned his arm to the ground and ripped the weapon loose from Joe's grip. Joe let out a howl as two of his fingers bent backward and broke.
The fight should have been over immediately, but Joe didn't know when to give up. David sat back and Joe took advantage of the withdraw. He swung around and punched David in the jaw. David responded by kicking the hell out of the sweaty man with his steel-toed boot.
The two of them exchanged several more blows before David got the upper hand by putting his knee in the center of Joe's chest and then bringing down the butt of the revolver. He was just about to strike Joe in the temple with the gun when someone hit him hard from behind.
David rolled with the blow, curling his knees underneath him and then bouncing up onto his feet with catlike agility. He still had the gun in his hand. The worn grip felt comfortable there and he had a moment to realize the gun was familiar before he found himself standing with his back against the wall.
Lowery was standing over his bleeding friend and holding a shotgun. The shotgun's barrel was trained on David.
“I'll kill you,” Lowery said.
David scowled at him and adjusted his grip on the revolver. “Want to bet?”
“Don't try me. You hurt Joe.”
“Joe shot at me,” David kept his voice as calm and unaffected as he could. His left arm was starting to burn and he could feel blood running down his skin. The bullet Joe had fired had grazed him. He couldn't afford to care right now. “Five bucks says I'm a better shot than you are.”
“I'll shoot you. I mean it.” Lowery held the gun on David.
“You probably do.” David smiled at him. It wasn't a nice smile. “I'll blow your fucking brains out when your finger is only halfway down on that trigger.”
Lowery gulped. “You ain't that good.”
“Don't try him,” Ian said. “You might shoot him, but he'll kill you. He doesn't care if you live or die.”
Lowery hesitated once more. “Joe, what do I do?”
Joe moaned as he sat up. He had a bloody lip and what promised to be a really sharp looking black eye. He was still sweating profusely despite the cool temperature inside the house.
David decided not to give him time to recover his wits. “You're not going to do anything except stand there. I'm going to walk out of here. If any of you three try to stop me, I'm going to shoot your nuts off. Understand?”
Lowery looked nervous. Ian was kneading his hands together unhappily. Neither of them responded, but David wasn't about to wait for them to give him their permission.
He took several steps backward. He kept the gun trained on Lowery until he was all the way in the kitchen. He lowered the gun but kept it in his hand as he cleared the doorway and entered the garage. He kicked the door shut behind himself. He was on the wrong side to be able to lock it. He quickly jammed the gun into his waistband and pulled out his phone. He figured he had maybe thirty seconds so he put the phone's camera on video and hit record.
David spun in a slow circle with the phone. He made sure that the camera captured a full view of April Lynne's big gray Mercedes, all three of the zero turn mowers and a pile of televisions and gaming systems that had been haphazardly dumped in one corner of the garage. He was quite certain the electronics didn't belong to Frank and Maggie.
David could hear Ian and his buddies talking on the other side of the door. He knew he would be stupid to waste any more time snooping after he'd already been shot at. He traded the phone back out for the gun and then ducked down and slipped out the partially open garage door.
He was hal
fway across the yard when a very familiar older model blue Chevy pickup pulled into the driveway. The motor shut off and Katie got out of the driver's seat. David suspected she had borrowed the truck from Cal and Gracie with the intention of confronting her wayward husband about his recent criminal and extramarital activities.
“Get your scrawny little ass back in that fucking truck,” David snapped at her. His arm was starting to burn. He didn't need to turn around to know that Ian and his buddies had come out onto the porch.
“Not a chance,” Katie said. She looked like a pissed off pixie in a hoodie that nearly went down to her knees and a pair of black leggings that failed to hug her skinny little chicken legs properly. “He burned my freaking house down and I'm about to have some very serious words with him. I don't care if he's your cousin. He's still my husband. You don't scare me and-.”
She went to charge past David. He didn't have time for this. He grabbed her around the waist and threw her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. She couldn't weigh more than 90 lbs. He'd never been happier that she was so scrawny. His arm was really starting to sting.
Katie let out a yelp and kicked him in the stomach. It wasn't the most pleasant feeling in the world, but David ignored the pain. He carried her back to the Chevy and yanked open the driver's side door. He dumped her unceremoniously in the driver's seat.
“We're leaving,” he informed her.
Katie kicked him again. “How dare you? I don't care if you are his cousin! He burned my house down and he took our truck and I need that truck and-...” Katie stopped mid-sentence. “Are you bleeding on me?” Several drops of blood had landed on the sleeve of her hoodie.
David glanced down at his left arm and then nodded. “Yes, I am. The bastards fucking shot me.”
“What?” Her anger disappeared instantly and her eyes went wide with surprise and horror.
“Ian's stupid buddy shot me. Pretty sure it's just a graze, but we're still leaving. And I do mean now.”
“They shot you.” Katie's mouth had fallen open.
David held up the revolver he'd taken off of Joe. “They shot me. With this. It's time to go, Katherine.”
“But my truck..” She cast a glance at the S-10. It was still parked in Maggie's flowerbed. “I need that truck. It's all I have left.”
David eyed the S-10 for a long minute. Ian and his buddies were watching them from the porch. Lowery was still clutching the shotgun.
“That truck is worth around $800,” he said after a moment. “I'm not getting killed over it. We'll find you a new truck. Okay?”
Katie swallowed and then nodded. She fumbled for her keys as David pressed the lock button inside the door and then shut it firmly. He kept the revolver at his side as he walked back to the Toyota and climbed into the cab.
Katie had already backed the Chevy out the driveway when he cranked the Toyota and followed her off the property.
Chapter 34
“I can't believe they shot you. Hold still.” Katie held up a tiny bottle of rubbing alcohol and several pieces of gauze.
“It stings.” David was sitting on the tailgate of Cal's gold Chevy with his shirt sleeve rolled up. The first aid kit was spread out across the bed of the truck. “I can't believe they shot me either.”
“I'm more concerned about what they shot you with.” Gracie was sitting on the edge of the toolbox. She stared pointedly at the familiar revolver that David had laid on the tailgate. Joshua Walker's initials were very clearly visible where they had been engraved on the barrel years ago. The gun had been on Pappy's side for over forty years before Cal had acquired it.
“That gun is supposed to be in the safe at the store,” Cal said. He had put on jeans and a heavy leather jacket before coming to meet up with Katie and David. He had his keys in his right hand. “I'm going to be pissed if I get down to town and discover our safe has been cleared out. There's no way burglars should have been able to break into the safe.”
“Unless someone gave them the code,” David finished for him. “We all know who would have done that. Her car was in the garage at Frank's house.”
“April Lynne.” Cal scowled as he leaned against the side of the truck's bed. “Do you have any idea how much cash is in that safe?”
“Probably around fifty grand,” David said. “Give or take five or 10K. We all know Pappy doesn't trust banks.”
“I'm going to have some real words with my Dad and Pappy if that money is gone. I wanted April Lynne fired when I caught her stealing money from the company accounts. They overruled me.” Cal cracked his knuckles into the palm of his hand. “I'm so damn pissed off right now.”
“You didn't even get shot,” David complained as Katie finished cleaning the shallow wound with rubbing alcohol. “Ouch.”
“You're going to have a gnarly scar,” Katie informed him as she bandaged him up. “The tattoo right here is ruined.”
David shrugged. “Not my first scar. Addison can cover the tattoo if it looks too bad. Its been awhile since he had the tattoo gun out. Might be fun.”
“Ian's gone too damn far this time,” Cal said.
“Something else has got to be going on with him,” David mused. “Damned if I know what it is. I've got to get back over there. Ian had the S-10 loaded down. They're taking it somewhere. I want to know where.”
“We'll see them if they make their move now. The road is a dead end.” Cal stared at the road in question. David and Katie had only gone as far as the corner gas station after leaving Frank and Maggie's house. Ian and his buddies would have no choice but to drive past the store if they tried to leave. Cal was right. They weren't going anywhere undetected.
“I'd bet my last dollar that they're waiting for dark to fall. It's a whole lot easier to break the law in the dark.”
“It's probably just more stolen tools and equipment,” Cal said. “They're dumping everything since Sully said he was going to get a warrant to search Frank's house. They've got to dump everything. It's their only choice if they don't want to go to jail.”
“I can't believe they shot me over a couple of stolen lawnmowers,” David said. He patted the bandage on his arm tentatively and then shook his head in disgust. “Something wasn't right. I'm telling y'all. Something was off inside of that house. They'd poured so much bleach on the floor in there that my lungs actually started to burn when I inhaled.”
“I don't know.” Cal picked up the revolver and started to put it into his waistband. David shook his head and gestured for Cal to hand him the gun instead. Cal hesitated and then passed it to him.
“Thank you. I want to be able to return fire if I get shot at again.” David quickly tucked the gun away.
“I need to get down to the store and check the safe,” Cal said. “I have a feeling it's going to be a very long day.”
“No shit. Maybe we'll get lucky and Sully can do something with that video I texted to him. Maybe we'll get really lucky and he'll be able to arrest them before they blow through every dime they stole from your safe.” David stood up. He walked over to the off-road motorcycle that Cal had unloaded from the bed of the Chevy when he'd arrived at the gas station. “Thanks for bringing me Addison's dirt bike.”
“No problem,” Cal said. “Do you mind me asking what you wanted it for?”
“My truck is going to be too easy for Ian and his clown posse to spot. I want something a little easier to hide.”
“You're really going to sit here all day?” Gracie demanded. “You just got hurt.”
David shot her a scathing look. “Addison asked me to figure out what Ian was up to. I still don't have a good answer for him.”
Katie buried her face in her hands. “I still can't believe Ian is behind any of this. He used to be such a great guy.”
David rolled his dark green eyes. “Ian was never a great guy. You just loved him.”
Katie slumped down and put her chin in her hands. Her elbows were resting on the side of the truck bed. “Thanks, David. I needed to hear that to
day.” Her voice practically oozed sarcasm.
He shrugged. “Just being honest.”
“You're being an asshole,” Cal said. “I'd always considered Ian to be a pretty good friend up until this last year. Something's changed. I don't know what it is, but something's changed.”
“He's on drugs,” Katie muttered.
“What?” Cal looked startled.
“I wasn't going to tell anyone, but it's one of the reasons I decided I had to divorce him. I found drugs in the S-10.”
“What kind of drugs?” David asked.
Katie shrugged helplessly. “You act like I really knew what I was looking at. Pain pills for sure. Weed and something else. It was powdery.”
David scowled. “Drugs would explain a lot.”
“Yeah, they would.” Cal rubbed his palms together. “Did you tell Malone what happened?”
David nodded. “He offered to come back and arrest them. I told him to hold off until we figure out what they're up to. I'd hate to get charged with trespassing and miss out on nailing them for the real crimes.”
“Like breaking into the hardware store?” Cal asked bitterly. “You and I both know that gun didn't walk out of the safe on its own.”
“Or burning down Katie's house,” David said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his keys. He tossed them to Gracie. “I'm assuming that you're riding along with Cal since Katie's got the blue truck. Take my Toyota home for me, will you?”
The keys landed by her feet. Gracie scooped them up. “I can do that,” she said.
“Is there any chance I can borrow $10 in gas from one of y'all?” Katie asked with only a slight hesitation. “The beast is running kind of low.”
“Where are you heading?” David pulled out his wallet and handed her a $20.