Coby frowned, looking from Michael to Ben, who was standing a little way behind the sheriff. ‘Does this concern him?’ he asked, jerking his head in Ben’s direction.
‘In the sense that you might need his advice, as your lawyer. And as someone who knows the ways of this world.’
‘Can you quit talking in riddles and tell me what the fuck this is about? I’m kind of busy right now…’
‘When was the last time any of you saw Shane?’
Coby’s frown deepened. ‘Yesterday. He was here, helping out with painting the apartment. Why?’
‘What time was that?’
‘About eleven thirty, in the morning.’
‘Anyone seen him since?’
Coby looked over at Ben, who just shrugged. He had no idea what this was about, either. ‘Not that I know of. He said he had something to do, left the clubhouse around half one… Look, Michael, what’s going on? I don’t fit the brothers here with tracking devices, they’re free to come and go…’
‘Something was found, on the night of the fire. Outside, round the back of the clubhouse. By the blue skip.’
Coby was starting to get impatient now. ‘And?’
‘It was an empty bottle. A bottle that had been filled with gasoline, so that means whoever dropped it probably had something to do with what happened.’
‘I thought that was all down to Bear?’ Coby said, frowning slightly. ‘I mean, he was the one inside…’
Michael threw Ben a quick look, but Ben was still none the wiser. He was as confused as Coby was.
‘The back door, the one that leads into the clubhouse from the yard, we’re assuming that whoever was responsible for starting the fire – we’re assuming they entered through that door. Coming in through the front would have been too obvious, given that everyone was out there at the time.’
‘Okay… So…’ Coby’s irritation was growing by the second.
‘When we checked round the back soon after, that door was locked.’
Coby and Ben exchanged more confused looks.
‘Whoever had gone inside, they wouldn’t have deliberately locked themselves in, would they? If Bear really had been the one responsible for whatever the hell this was, then he would have made damn sure that door was left open, giving him a means of escape. Because I’m as sure as hell that he had no intention of killing himself that night.’
‘What’re you saying here, Michael?’ Coby asked, his eyes boring into the sheriff’s.
‘I’m saying that… I’m saying that someone else must have locked the door once Bear was inside. Someone who didn’t want either him, or you, Coby, to get out of there alive. The poor bastard was nothing but an innocent pawn in someone else’s fucked-up game.’
Coby’s eyes narrowed as he continued to stare at Michael.
‘Look,’ Michael sighed, pushing a hand through his hair, dropping his gaze to the floor. ‘I’m guessing the bottle we found… I’m guessing it wasn’t dropped deliberately. More than likely fell out of someone’s pocket, and in all the commotion they just forgot about it…’ The sheriff’s eyes once more locked with Coby’s. He was about to tell him something that he knew was going to rock this club all over again. Something he shouldn’t really be telling him just yet. Something he wished he didn’t have to tell him at all, because Michael knew the shit-storm it was going to kick up. And it was something neither him nor the club needed. The Lone Riders were trying to get back on their feet, but this – this was going to put all that on hold. It was going to change everything. And Michael was consumed by an all-too-familiar feeling of dread. The rumblings of a whole new war could be starting up here. This very second. ‘The fingerprints on that bottle, Coby… they belonged to Shane Randell.’
The ride continues…
‘Resurrection’ – Book #3 in The Lone Riders M/C Series – coming late 2015…
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Retribution (The Lone Riders MC Series Book 2) Page 27