Spin Out

by James Buchanan

  Like he almost couldn’t hold himself up any longer, Chris grabbed the lip of a table and leaned over it. “I got to my sister’s house and I can’t sleep and I’m wondering what really happened to Lane, ‘cause I didn’t have the guts to ask, I was too scared.” He darn near swallowed the next words rushing it all out. “Then I’m also thinking, well if they can do something like this, then what if they find out about me. It’s like three o’clock in the morning and I’m thinking, I’m just going to go take a walk. And I don’t know why, but there’s this big rig at the gas station and I went up to the guy and told him my sister was sick in Cedar City and could I get a ride down the mountain. Pulled all my money out of my bank account when I got there and then hopped another truck and hitchhiked into Vegas.”

  See, that told me something I still waited for. Folks, those who watch the movies, TV and all, think an officer snaps his fingers and companies throw their records at them. Not by a long shot. We’d filed a request for Chris and Lane’s bank account info, maybe a week after the boys’ been reported gone. Still hadn’t come in. Financial institutions and credit cards, maybe, took three months or more to process and that was with a court order…could take upwards of six to get phone records under a full blown subpoena.

  Chris kept on talking. “Stayed for a bit in this hotel, real cheap place. I tried to make it and just couldn’t.” I got hit with another haunted stare outta his eyes. “So, I ah, went to a LDS church there and said, I need to go home and they bought me a bus ticket back to Cedar…no questions asked. Got back here and realized I couldn’t really go home either. All them are still there and my dad would beat the crap outta me. So I figured I’d just stay here.” Pushing himself away from the table, Chris crossed his arms over his chest; looked like he wished the ground would open up and swallow him whole. “Got the job, found a roommate wanted sign over on campus and just kept my head down.”

  I processed all that. Had to say, Chris’ emotions tasted a heck of a lot more honest than either Cooper or Trey’s had. Mumbled, “Well, that puts some things into perspective, I think,” to buy myself some thinking time.

  Chris insisted, “I’m telling the truth.” It interrupted my thoughts some.

  I hit him with the hard stare I leaned while working the State Pen. The kind that said I’d as soon cut you as look at you. “Shut up, boy.” I growled it out. “You are in so much hot water you’ll be lucky you have skin left when we’re done.” Then I willed my face to relax, just a hair. “But,” I let that word hang between us…a little thread for him to grab onto, “You check in with me, every day.” Fished out one of my cards and tucked it into the pocket of his shirt. “Let me know where you’re at, I’ll consider playing nice with you.” I stepped in close to his body, right up in his personal space. “You run though, I will hunt you down and you’ll wish you’d never been born. I found you once, don’t doubt I can do it again.” Somehow I just figured, knowing Chris’ past, he’d respond to that attitude. Not that I liked myself giving it to him, but I went with what the case demanded. Knew I’d end up telling myself that over and over when I tried to sleep. “You go on now, get back to work.”

  “Okay.” He nodded his head so hard I thought it might fall off. “I will. I promise.” When I didn’t give him no answer more than a set of dead eyes, he backed up a few steps and then scooted out of the room.

  I closed my eyes. A fair deal of pondering Heavenly Father’s plan sat between me and a good night’s sleep. Didn’t like having to play that hand with Chris. Sometimes though, you just did what needed to be done. You pushed those who needed pushing. You sweet talked those who needed a soft hand. Mostly, you got the job done.

  As I’m all wrapped up in my thoughts, Kabe whispered, right behind my ear, “Dude, massively harsh.”

  I actually busted up laughing…all the stress of it just popped like a soap bubble. Managed to get out between breaths, “I wasn’t any harsher than I needed to be.”

  He still stood all close. “Yeah, well, that’s why most guys go on their knees for you.” Then he bumped my shoulder with his. “Don’t think that this means I’m completely over it yet.” At that he tucked his hands in his front pockets and sauntered on out. Kabe didn’t even look back or nothing.

  Now I had two things to ponder for the rest of the day.

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  Chapter 21

  All alone, in separate little interview rooms, a couple boys with nothing to stare at but a set of institutional green walls whiled away time while I made them wait. Sheriff Simple and I watched Trey and Cooper fidget on the video monitors. The sound from Trey’s room…didn’t give me nothing. Trey was one cool customer. Right now he just sat there, literally twiddling his thumbs and acting bored out of his mind. The state trooper who’d brought him in said Trey hadn’t done more than read his Italian language phrase book all the way up. When the President at the MTC called him out to go with the officer, Trey shrugged and reassured the man that “it had to be a mistake.”

  Mistake my left nut…it was an arrest warrant.

  In the other room; well, Cooper’d done gone through every curse word he likely knew in the last fifteen minutes. He paced the tiny little room and kicked at the chairs. Reminded me of a coyote in a pen. Knew he didn’t want to be there, but had no clue how to get himself out.

  Figured I’d start with Trey first and let Cooper simmer a little longer in that pot of anxiety he had going on.

  Gave a nod to my boss, grabbed my file and headed on in. “How you doing, Trey?” Started speaking the moment I opened the door, ‘cause I didn’t want Trey to have any bit of time to get used to the intrusion. “I know the Trooper done advised you, but I’m gonna tell you again.” Although the Trooper said he had, I wanted to dot the I and cross the T on this. Relying on other folks could land you in hot water if they didn’t do what they claimed. If’n I got up on the stand, I could tell a judge that I gave Trey his rights myself. “The law says you don’t got to talk to me, but if you do we can use what you say.” Plus, if Trey ever got ornery about it, I’d have it on tape. “I can get you an attorney, at no cost if you cain’t afford one. You understand all that?” Trey just shrugged instead of answering. “Yes or no, boy,” I prodded, “do you understand?”

  “I get it.” He glared. “Whatever.”

  I’d have to take that as a yes. Hopefully, if a jury ever saw it, they’d read his attitude. I pulled out the only other chair and sat myself down at the little table bolted to the wall. “Now, Trey, you ain’t been all that honest with me.” The place weren’t fancy, but it was fairly modern—wired for sound and video and all. Sheriffs, corrections and the State Troopers’ outpost on the other side of the building all shared this bit of space.

  He shifted, just a skosh. “Who says?”

  “All your friends,” I kinda spread my hands open and smiled, “and maybe some folks who ain’t much of a friend to you.”

  “Yeah, right.” All sorts of disbelief came out in his snort. Boy didn’t believe that any one of his friends had rolled. Boy didn’t believe that I’d talked to none of them. Boy didn’t believe that there weren’t anyone out there who didn’t just kiss his butt.

  Dead wrong on all counts.

  “No, look boy, the rules, they have changed.” Put my elbows up on the table and rolled my weight onto ‘em, getting up in his space. “See, your buddy, Cooper,” jerked my head over towards the door, “he’s over in that other interview room.”

  “So what?”

  I lied. “He knows about Lane and what you all did.” Folks think cops cain’t lie in situations like this. They’s dead wrong. I dropped one my hands down and tapped a finger on the folder, implying all sorts of things I kept in there. “I found Chris.” Well, that weren’t a lie. “And Chris, well he ain’t singing the same song y’all were. See now, I’ve heard all about the fight that y’all were having.”

  “Chris is an idiot. He’s lying.” Trey rocked back in his chair and crossed his arms ov
er his chest. “What fight?” I’d just put him on the defensive. Score one for the deputy.

  “Right.” I grinned and tossed in another grenade. “Him and Austin.” Caught the tiny little reaction—bit of sucked in breath, the corners of his mouth going tight and a little twitch at the corner of Trey’s eye—that told me I hit the mark. “Yeah, Austin came back and me and him had a talk.” My turn to rock back in the chair and cross my arms over my chest. “Very interesting talk. So see I got five boys up on a mountain, fighting together and one don’t come home.” ‘Course my gesture reeked smug and self-satisfied…lot different than Trey’s reaction.

  It took him a moment to collect himself. “Nothing happened up there.” He insisted…without uncrossing his arms. “We dropped Lane off at his house.”

  I let that hang heavy in the air for a bit. Then I popped the balloon. “That ain’t what Chris says.”

  “Yeah, well Lane and Chris went off together.” Everything about his voice said he was darn sure of that. His body told me different. Heard his heels start to knock on the tile, meaning they weren’t confidently flush on the floor. He brought up his hand, don’t even think he knew it, and scratched some little spot on his chin. And his breathing, it’d gone just a hair over on the ragged edge. “I’d look real hard at Chris.”

  “Now, see.” Me, I was confident, I opened up my whole body with wide hands and a big grin. “If you’re gonna go on and insist on keeping this whole chain of lies going, you gotta be sure you don’t have no weak links.”

  “Bullshit.” He spat, giving the word six times more force than it needed. “This is all bullshit. Nothing happened up there.”

  I shrugged and kept smiling. “Ain’t what Cooper’s saying neither.”

  “You know what.” He smacked the table with his fist. “If you’re going to try and trick me into something…I want a lawyer.”

  Damn. “Well, I can get you one.” I pretended it didn’t matter none. “But, you’re gonna have to wait in holding for a while.” Didn’t have to lie about that. We didn’t actually have anyone full time for that job, so it might be a while calling around. That is, unless Trey’s folks ponied up for a private defense attorney. “And you ain’t gonna ever get to tell me what your side of the story is.” I stood up, rested the weight of my body on my fists pressed against the table top and leaned over him. “Everyone else is gonna be talking and you ain’t. Don’t look good.”

  “Yeah, right.” He sneered at me like I was stupid or something. “I watch TV. Lawyer!” He pointed down at the table. “Now!”

  Well, that meant we were done. Didn’t like it none at all, but unlike that boy, I respected the law. “Alright then.” I stood and gathered up my file. “Sit tight and we’ll get you counsel.” I knew it would be quite a while, but I didn’t tell him that. Didn’t have any duty to. Figured I’d let him sit in that tiny little room and let the worms of doubt I’d planted start to wriggle in his mind.

  Walked out, pulling that heavy door closed behind me, and tossed the file on the video console. “Darn fool’s lawyered up.” I growled out the obvious. I kinda knew I had Trey, even if I couldn’t hook him right then. Still, didn’t like him stringing me on. “Won’t bite on that fly.” I could throw the line out there, but I couldn’t get the boy to take the bait if he wouldn’t open his mouth.

  “Them’s the breaks sometimes.” Sheriff Simple swung his boots off the desktop. “You’ll probably have more luck with the other boy. He’s acting as antsy as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.”

  Heard a rap on the glass behind me that made me turn. “Hey, Joe.” Kabe’s muffled greeting came from the sally port to the interrogation area. Jess walked him on in through the security door.

  Had to just grin at his voice. The tone kinda said he weren’t happy to be here but, even if he didn’t want to admit it, he might be glad to see me all the same. Given everything we had going recently, I’d hang on to any little thread of hope I could. “You got it?”

  “Yeah.” He nodded. “My uncle, T, brought it in, then he went over to the cafe.”

  “Here. I ain’t your butler.” Jess handed me over a soft-sided rifle case. Then he jerked head towards Kabe. “Made me carry the darn thing in. Didn’t even want to touch it.”

  I unzipped the side and pulled the rifle on out of the leather case and gave Kabe a sideways stare. “Why didn’t you just bring it on down?” Cupping the stock in my left hand, I pushed down on the loading gate with my ring finger and caught the rounds in my right hand. Did it until it the tube was empty. Then I cycled it once to make sure a round wasn’t in the chamber. Took me all of three seconds to make sure the rifle was unloaded. “Didn’t need to haul T down the mountain or make Jess step-n-fetch.”

  “Hello?” Kabe snorted and rolled his eyes. “Probation.” He pointed to his own chest and added, “Felon. Not about to be even touching the damn thing.” Then he added a shudder. “I don’t even like being here. Reminds me too much of a couple years I’d just rather forget.”

  The sheriff snorted up half a laugh at Kabe’s attitude as he pointed at the weapon in my hand. “What you got there, Joe?”

  It was obvious I had a rifle, but I kinda knew what my boss fished for. “Lever action Marlin .30-.30.” Inspected it as I talked, “Seen it at T’s place. Austin emailed me a picture of him with the rifle he lost in case we found it up on Mount Dutton.” Deep blued metal, dark butt cap on a scarred walnut stock with a factory mounted scope…wasn’t an exact match, but good enough for government work. “Recalled T’s and they got all the same scope, finish and such on ‘em.”

  “Didn’t want it for Trey?” I think my boss figured why I’d asked Kabe to bring in the Marlin.

  Shook my head. “That boy’s cold.” I figured I couldn’t raise the hairs on the back of his neck if I dropped ice down his shirt. “There ain’t much that could rattle him.” Sorta swung the barrel in the direction of the room holding the other boy. “Cooper. Cooper’s going to react.”

  Kabe stared at me like he done thought I lost my mind. “You’re going to tell him that’s Austin’s gun?”

  In response, Jess and Sheriff Simple rolled their eyes, I just grinned. “Ain’t gonna tell him nothing.” Fished out the evidence tag I’d stuck in my back pocket. “I’m going to imply a lot.” Then I tied the tag to the trigger guard.

  “Ah.” Kabe propped his butt and the heels of his palms against the ledge of the viewing window between the sally port and us. “Wouldn’t like a gun that’s been outdoors for a month be all rusted or some shit?”

  “Probably.” Actually, it’d be filthy as all get out. I shrugged. “It’s not like he knows what we’ve been doing with it between then and now.”

  “So you think he’s stupid enough to fall for it.” That was the sheriff’s question.

  “Naw.” I picked up my file again and sandwiched it in between my fingers and the forestock of the rifle. “I don’t think Cooper’s stupid at all. Boy’s not one for schooling, but he ain’t dumb.” Then I stepped over to the door interview room where Cooper still paced. “What I think he is, is guilty as all sin. And this,” I patted the rifle with my free hand, “it’s like putting ice down someone’s back. He’s gonna be pretty sure it ain’t the gun…but he ain’t gonna be a hundred percent sure.” Felt my grin go a little bit mean, cain’t say that I didn’t sometimes enjoy messing in someone’s head…least if it got a suspect to turn. “And that little bit of maybe is gonna nibble on the back of his mind.” Then I took a deep breath and headed in to shake up Cooper.

  Cooper froze in place the moment I walked in. Stood there for a bit as the door closed behind me. Let him get a feel for how big I was and how small the room was with both of us in it. Plus, the rifle in my hand, with that little piece of paper dangling from the trigger guard, well, there weren’t enough space in the place for it. “Well, hello, Cooper. How you getting along?” I grinned, big and wide, and set that rifle right in between us. Kept my hand on the forestock as I s
ettled down into my seat and waited. “Sit yourself on down.” As he eased into the other seat, Cooper’s eyes did just what I expected; followed that rifle like it was a snake about to bite him. In a manner of speaking, it likely was. “So, you been thinking about anything you want to talk to me about?”

  “Ah.” He swallowed hard.

  See, now I knew Cooper’d already been read his rights—I did it when I’d brought him in. I could just jump right in and swim. I rapped my knuckles on the barrel of the rifle and made it rattle against the table. “No matter how many times I watch those, you know, crime scene shows on TV,” sorta did a slow shake of my head, like I really was floored, “it amazes me what they can do with science these days.”

  Cooper’s face went a little gray. “Like what?” I could have snapped his words like a rubber band, his voice had gone so tight.

  “Lots of things.” Consciously, but trying to look like I weren’t thinking on it, I touched the rifle where folks would normally put their hands and cheek to fire it. “You know, with fingerprints and DNA and all that stuff.” Then, like I’d caught myself giving away something, I kinda straightened up and moved my hands off the weapon. “Never had much of a head for science though. I just know what they tell me.”

  The table started to rattle a bit. Figured it was from Cooper’s knee doing a mile-a-minute jig against it. “What have they been telling you?”

  “All sorts of things.” As if the thought suddenly occurred to me, I rolled my eyes. “Oh, you know, you’ll be happy to hear that Chris is okay.”