Piper continued, “Your instincts are going to tell you to shoot this plan down, so try to fight that. Remember your other options. You can drive your truck to Rylie’s house right now and kill him in cold blood, spending the rest of your life in jail. Or you can take the information you do have, most of which is hearsay, and report it, crossing your fingers and hoping whoever you confide in doesn’t have a hidden alliance of some sort. You’d spend the rest of your life looking over your shoulder and worrying that you’ve endangered people you love.”
Piper thought a preemptive strike against Bobby’s possible points of contention would be her best approach. “Knowing all that, my plan shouldn’t sound so bad. I haven’t worked out all the details yet but I’ll give you the basic outline. The judge is a pedophile. He engages in sexual activity with underage girls. That doesn’t matter to the men he’s aligned with. If the judge was more inclined to engage in this type of behavior with underage boys, this may change some minds. But I’m not willing to take a chance on maybe swaying someone against an association with the judge, so I plan to up the ante. Christian Donavan has a young son who attends Millersville West Academy. I intend to plant evidence that convinces Christian the judge is targeting his son as his next victim. There is no way Christian will continue any type of affiliation with the judge under those circumstances, leaving him vulnerable and with limited protection.”
Bobby shook his head. His mouth was agape as he searched for the right words. Piper had hoped he was on the verge of calling her a genius, or that his next question would be about how he could help, but as he started to speak she knew she had further persuading to do. “You think he’s going to simply discontinue his affiliation with the judge? Christian isn’t an ‘I’m taking my ball and going home’ kind of guy. We’ll be pulling the judge’s bloated body out of the river within twenty-four hours of finding that evidence. Do you really think you’re prepared to cope with what part you’re going to play in that? I know it’s not going to sit right with me, not to mention the legal implications if it comes back on us. And how does this tie in Rylie with Christian?”
Well, he didn’t say no outright, so Piper felt like that was a start. She had been pretty sure what she was doing could very well result in the judge’s death at the hands of Christian, but she didn’t think that was a good starting point for attempting to win Bobby over.
“It’s chess, Bobby. All I’m doing is setting up the pieces. They’re the ones playing the game. If Christian wants to kill the judge, then that’s on him, not me. As far as taking the other two down, think of how advantageous it will be to know a murder will be committed before it happens. Think of how easy it will be to gather crucial evidence when you know ahead of time both the victim and the murderer. Once Christian believes his son is in danger, I’m confident he’ll seek some form of revenge. If we keep eyes and ears on him we’ll be there to either catch him in the act or collect everything we need for an irrefutable slam-dunk case. I overheard in today’s meeting there was bad blood between Christian and Rylie. We give Christian the opportunity to flip on Rylie. Christian is a smart guy. He’d be covering his bases and have some type of blackmail or evidence against Rylie in his back pocket in case he ever needs it.” This was the first time Piper had talked out loud about anything regarding the judge. It was exhilarating, yet still strange, to think how far she had come all on her own.
“You’d be comfortable with giving a plea deal to a guy like Christian?” Bobby had to admit Piper had some solid ideas and, implemented correctly, there was a chance all of it could work. Whether or not they could live with themselves when all this was over was a different story.
“A plea deal for killing a man I already want dead? Yes, I think I can live with that,” Piper said, immediately regretting the admission, knowing it made her sound cold. “As much as I think Christian probably deserves to spend the rest of his life in jail, he didn’t conspire to kill Stan. Christian would have barely been out of high school back then. I thought I was doing this because I wanted a man like the judge to be held accountable for his crimes against that young girl. I thought it was shameful to live above the law and that his abuse of power needed to end. Now, it’s also about what they did to Stan, what they took from Jules and Betty all because of money and influence. Christian is good collateral damage, but I want to see the judge and Rylie pay for what they’ve done.”
Piper knew this wasn’t how Bobby would want to handle any of this. Vengeance wasn’t as appealing to him as straightforward legal justice, but she took his allowing her the opportunity to speak as a good sign.
Bobby looked hesitant. “There has to be a way we can do this without risking the judge’s life. I want him held accountable, but I’m not sure how I’ll sleep at night if I know we put into motion actions that led to his death. I need time to think about it. For now, I’ll do my part with Rylie today and let him know I’m not moving forward with the pursuit of the judge.”
Bobby tapped his fingers on the steering wheel and bit his lip. This was a position he thought he’d never find himself in. When faced with moral dilemmas there always seemed to be a clear right and wrong, but Piper was making him think maybe there had to be more options than that. Maybe rules are important, but when they stop working you have to create your own in order to stay one step ahead of dangerous people.
Chapter Fifteen
“Where the hell is he?” Bobby grumbled to himself as he drove his squad car up and down the streets of Edenville. It was nearly dark and Bobby felt the last fifteen minutes of his shift melting away. It seemed as though Rylie was being incredibly elusive today, which was frustrating the hell out of Bobby. He didn’t want to be transparent and call Rylie. He needed their conversation to seem unprompted, and chasing Rylie down ran the risk of seeming desperate. He crisscrossed side streets of Rylie’s normal routes and continued to curse under his breath. Finally, he suspended his search and decided to check in on Jules on his way home. He was sure to see Rylie tomorrow as Friday mornings always included a little gathering of the first shift for coffee at the precinct.
He pulled his squad car up to the front of town hall. He only planned to make a quick stop and no one tended to complain about a cop’s car out front. Every Thursday was Jules’s day to work the late shift. The only part of the building that was left open this late was the records department so that officers and court personnel could gather what they needed. It tended to be pretty quiet, and Jules always appreciated company on these long days.
Bobby pushed open the large revolving door and, after seeing that Jules wasn’t in her office, headed down the hall to the records room. He felt a flash of heat flow through his body as he remembered this was the first place he had kissed Piper, the first time he had realized how much he cared for her.
“Hey Jules, just stopping in to say hello,” Bobby called as he peeked his head into the large room lined with filing cabinets and storage boxes. There was no one there, no sign of Jules. This room and her office were the only two places she’d normally be once the front desk was closed for the day. She’d never leave the front door unlocked and not be around to meet anyone coming in for the records room. Bobby felt his chest tighten at the thought of Piper’s warning about Rylie. Maybe he should have tried harder to track him down and convince him that he wasn’t interested in pursuing the judge any longer. Perhaps Rylie had already acted on his plan to hit Bobby where it hurt.
The silence in the old, drafty building was broken by a loud deep voice coming from the front desk. Bobby darted in that direction not sure what he might find.
There, at her usual post for the daytime hours, stood Jules with an enormous grin on her face. “Oh Bobby, I was wondering if you were going to stop by tonight. You know Officer Rylie.” Standing across from Jules with the cap of his uniform tucked dutifully under his arm was the redheaded backstabber who had killed Stan. Bobby worked quickly to assess the situation and determine if Jules was under any type of distress. She seemed to be
oblivious to any danger.
“Why aren’t you in your office or the records room? It’s late. Isn’t the front desk usually closed this time of night?” asked Bobby, pulling the small swinging half-door that led to the large desk Jules was standing behind. He wanted to be closer to her than Rylie was and being next to her behind the high oak counter was the best he could do right now.
“Office Rylie came in looking for a burning permit, and I said I would help him out. I know you guys work odd shifts, and it’s not always easy to get in here during the day.” Jules turned toward the filing cabinet and thumbed through the folders, searching for the necessary paperwork.
“A burning permit?” Bobby raised an eyebrow skeptically at Rylie.
“Hey there, kid. Yeah I’ve got some stuff I need to get rid of, and I figured the best way to do it would be to burn it. Sometimes you need to reduce things down to ashes in order to be done with them. You know how it goes.” Rylie winked at Bobby and flashed him a crooked grin.
“Yeah, I know how it goes. Hey listen, Jules, can you finish up the paperwork? I’ve got to talk to Officer Rylie out front. Work stuff.” Bobby crossed back through the swinging half-door and waved for Rylie to follow him out.
“No problem. Officer Rylie, it was good seeing you. I’ll put this in the mail tomorrow and you’ll have it in time for the weekend,” Jules said, waving to them.
As the two men pushed out the front door Bobby reached into his coat and pulled out an envelope containing all the pictures he had taken of the judge.
“Rylie, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and I’m really not in a position to do anything with these pictures. I’m practically the laughing stock of the department right now, and I don’t think I’ll survive another mess. I’m in over my head, and I’m not really sure what to do. It’s none of my business if a judge wants to screw around on his wife. Here are all the pictures I took. I want to put this behind me. Can you help me out?” Bobby handed the envelope over to Rylie who struggled to mask his delight. He had a “this is easier than I thought it would be” look on his face.
“I hear you, kid. I was going to warn you if you want a career in this town this isn’t the way to go about it. I’ve got some guys I can trust, and I’ll pass these pictures along to them. They’ll look into it, and if there is anything, and I mean anything, going on here they’ll handle it. You don’t need to be a superhero. Keep your head down and do your job. Messing around with stuff like this will get you or someone you love hurt. A pretty girl like that in there, it would be shame to see anything happen to her.” Rylie tucked the envelope into his jacket pocket and put his cap back on his head. Rain started to sprinkle down and a rumble of thunder sounded in the distance. “I’m out of here, kid, before this storm starts. It’s supposed to be a bad one. You made the right call though. See you in the morning at the precinct.”
It took an enormous amount of self-control for Bobby to not get in his car and run the man down. He was a slimy, arrogant, corrupt bastard who didn’t deserve to wear that uniform. He stood outside for a few minutes after Rylie pulled away and tried to calm himself down.
Even with the extra time outside Bobby couldn’t help but storm down the hallway boiling with rage as he made his way back to Jules. “I’ve told you so many times it’s not safe to be here by yourself with the door unlocked. You need to change your schedule so that you’re not a sitting duck in this big building. Someone could come in here, murder you, and no one would even hear you scream. This is the last time I’m going to warn you about it. You’re smarter than this, Jules.” Bobby’s face was red and his voice was a booming echo in the large empty building.
Jules had initially jumped at the sound of Bobby’s voice but her fear turned quickly to annoyance. They’d had this argument many times before, but it was the first time Bobby had been so resolute about it. She rolled her eyes and returned back to her work as she spoke, “The only people who come in here at night are cops and lawyers. You’re acting like we live in a crime-ridden metropolis and I’m some kind of target.” Jules tucked the paperwork into a file and came out from behind the counter. She brushed past Bobby dismissively and headed for her office.
“Well maybe you should take your mom’s advice and stop trusting everyone wearing a uniform. All I’m saying is there has to be a better way to run this late shift on Thursdays.” Bobby was marching right behind Jules not letting her brush the situation off so easily.
“You’re the one always talking Ma out of that asinine conspiracy theory crap. You’re not my keeper, Bobby. I hear what you’re saying but I think you’re being a little over-protective. It’s sweet and all, but it’s getting old.” Before Bobby could retort, his phone rang and Piper’s name lit up his screen. Jules spun around and grabbed his wrist to see who was calling. “Wait, you still get to talk to Piper, but we have to give her space? I really like her, and I don’t understand why we haven’t seen or heard from her in two months. I already told you that if there is something going on between you guys I’m fine with it. You don’t need to keep her from me because you think it’s going to hurt my feelings or something twisted like that.”
“That’s not it Jules, give me a second.” Bobby shook Jules’s hand from his wrist and walked back out the front doors. He felt a nervous shiver run up his spine as he stood in the misting rain. “Hello?”
“Bobby, I’ve got some bad news. I was at the diner, and the judge was there. I guess his wife is traveling or something so he’s eating there all week. I heard him take a call, and it didn’t go well. He said he didn’t care if the situation sounded under control- it was too risky for them to sit back and do nothing. He told the person on the other end of the phone that he thought they should stick with the plan. I’m guessing it was Rylie he was talking to, and he didn’t like what he was hearing. The judge said if he wasn’t interested in the job then Christian would be. They talked for a bit more, and it sounded like the judge might have been coming around to Rylie’s side on the whole thing, but all he said was they would talk more about it later. I don’t know if Jules and Betty are safe at this point, it’s all going to come down to how convincing Rylie can be. Until we know more, you have to be hyper-vigilant.” Piper was short of breath from the sprint she made back to her apartment after hearing the judge’s phone conversation.
“I’m with Jules now. Betty would have gotten home an hour and a half ago. I’m not sure exactly how we should handle this. Neither of them will be willing to blindly trust any warning I give them right now. Jules is already pushing back. I think we should talk to them tonight. We don’t have to tell them everything but we should let them know they may be in danger. Can you get to Betty’s house in about an hour? I’ll stay with Jules while she locks up and we’ll head over there, too.” Bobby felt another chill run down his spine. He wasn’t sure if it was from the cold rain or the thought of an impending threat on the dearest people in his life.
Piper hesitated on the other end of the phone, not sure how to ask a question weighing heavily on her. “What did you tell them about me? About why I wasn’t around? The way Scott was avoiding me at work I figured it had to be something pretty substantial. I want to know what I’m walking into.” Piper went from being winded to feeling sheepish. Somehow the thought of Jules or Betty thinking negatively about her was more intimidating than anything she was doing with the judge.
“I told them you were going through some stuff, and that you needed some space. I said that you’d come around when you were ready and as hard as it was to stay out of it, we needed to. The reason Scott was avoiding you is because he and Jules separated last month. They filed for an annulment.” Now that Bobby had learned more about Piper he found himself looking for little moments of vulnerability. Moments like this reminded him she wasn’t quite as damaged as she liked to think she was. She cared so much about the girls and about what they might think of her.
“Thank you. I know you were only watching out for them and that you weren’t intentional
ly trying to hurt me by keeping me away. They are lucky to have you. I’ll get over there soon. We’ll figure this all out.” Piper waited for Bobby to say goodbye and then hung up the phone from her end. She wasn’t sure sharing anything with Jules and Betty would be in their best interest, but Bobby knew them better than anyone. If he thought it was the only way to keep them safe then it was the right thing to do.
Chapter Sixteen
Pulling into Betty’s long dirt driveway felt incredibly right to Piper, even if her stomach was fluttering from nerves. She had missed this place. If she had to sum up the feeling of Betty’s home in one word it would be unconditional. That seemed like the perfect way to describe the love Betty showered on everyone, and the friendship around her table.
Bobby’s truck was already in the driveway, and the light on the porch was shining brightly, cutting into the dark night. Piper tapped on the screen door, no longer feeling that her old blank check about “come right in, no need to knock” still applied. Betty came barreling around the corner with her arms stretched wide.
“Child you better not be knocking on that door. You come right in, I don’t care how long it’s been between your visits—this house is always open to you.” Betty beamed animatedly, scurrying across her kitchen toward the screen door where Piper stood. “I’ve been as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs about you. The only reason I knew you were still alive was because I had some spies at the diner. They served you dinner a few nights and reported back to me that you seemed all right.” Piper pulled the door open and let Betty fold her arms around her in a warm embrace. Piper had survived a lifetime without being embraced by a mother, and until this moment she hadn’t realized what she had been missing. She had never been held so tightly and so gently all at once. In subtle ways, through small gestures, it felt like Betty was handing Piper little pieces of love. Like she was giving her something to keep and string together. Maybe one day it would be a road map to a place where Piper could feel whole.
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