by Kaje Harper
“Left them. For now. I don’t want to spook him, and we can feed him information that way. Max says they’re broadcasting, not recording, so he has a receiver somewhere. Max says these are medium power, with a range of maybe a mile. That’s a big enough area that we’re not likely to find it, but he also isn’t likely listening continuously in the comfort of his home. Unless it is one of the hands, of course.”
“Now what?”
“Well, your trailer’s clean, so if we need privacy we can go there. Other than that, I dusted the note and thumb drive for prints, and got a few partials. I submitted them to AFIS but there were no hits. They might be useful at a trial if we catch the guy, though. For now, I guess we wait.”
“For that sumbitch to contact us for his money?”
“Yeah. The money drop’s always the hard part for a blackmailer. They have to get to the cash, physically, without getting caught. We’ll see how sneaky this guy manages to be.”
Will nodded slowly. “So, are we going to give him the money and record him? Or try to catch him and… do something else?”
Casey ran his hand over his head. “If this was the old West, two hundred years ago, I could set up on some ridge with a rifle and shoot him.”
Will shook his head. “Not you. Beat the crap out of him, yeah. But even if it was a life-and-death thing, you’d have brought him to justice. Scotty might’ve arranged an accident though. He’s more ruthless than you are.”
Casey stared at him. “Hockey player. Marine. More ruthless?”
Will kicked his foot under the desk. “Yep. It’s not a bad thing, being an honest lawman.”
“Sadly, this isn’t the Wild West. What do you want to do?”
Will spoke slowly, feeling his way though. “If you can arrest him for something else, and that tape stays a secret, that’s best. I really don’t want to come out now. And definitely not by having people listening to that.”
“Hell, yeah.”
“But if it means letting him go free with your money, then no.”
“It’s just money. I’d spend all of it to keep you and Scott safe, no question.”
“But that’s not what this is. Not really. Like you said, he’ll just come back for more. And if he did have something to do with the accident…” Will took a sharp breath. He was a peaceable man, usually, but the thought of someone getting the Slaters killed, for money, made him want to destroy them. “If he did, then nothing’s too much to put him down. Right?”
“Even outing Scott?”
That was a dash of cold water. Will thought twice, before saying, “Ask Scott.”
“You know what he’ll say. He’ll say do it. The question is, do we let that happen?”
Damn, damn, damn! Coming out would change Scott’s life. But what if it were him facing the situation Scott was? What would he do? He’d been damned scared for years, ashamed even, till he learned different. Certain he’d stay in the closet for good. But for this, to get justice for two good people… yeah, he’d have come out, and been furious if someone tried to stop him. “We don’t take that choice away from him.”
“Right.” Casey stood up. “So, I’m thinking we should stage a fight for the bugs, outside the bathroom door. Pretend I want to pay him, you don’t. He’ll feel safer approaching me if I sound weak, and it’s plausible I have more to lose. Keep it short and simple.”
“Okay.”
They made the trek upstairs and down the hall. Will felt weird and strained, but Casey nodded at him, mumbled something unintelligible, then said loudly, “You may be fine coming out, but I’m not! Not one of my men will respect me. I have to count on those guys having my back for three more weeks! I say we pay.” He stopped by the bathroom.
Will blinked. “Um. If we pay now, we’ll pay forever.”
Casey gave him a nod. “It’s my money. And I can get more.”
“You said it was our money.”
“For this, I call the shots. I don’t ever want those men looking at me and thinking ‘fag.’ And I’m willing to spend that much and more to make sure Scott never finds out about us either!”
“You think we can hide forever?”
“I don’t care. I’m thinking about now. I say we pay him. I will if you won’t.”
Will said more quietly, trying to sound bitter, “So in the end, it really is your money.”
“Hell, yeah.” Casey lowered his voice some, but kept it clear. “It’s also my life.”
“Ours. Yours and mine. You really think paying is the right choice?”
Casey made a slashing gesture at his throat to cut him off, and then said, “The only choice. Fuck, yeah, it is!” He headed them back down the hallway. At the top of the stairs he gave Will a thumbs-up, and went down. Will followed.
“That was a good idea, about Scott,” Will murmured when he was sure they were out of range.
“I hope so.” Casey grabbed his jacket. “I’m going back to the station. We’re still dealing with some other cases. I might be late.”
“Okay.” He had a dozen chores left to do too, anyway.
Casey gave him a grin he could almost believe. “It’s the douche… whatever’s move now.”
“Canoe,” Will said.
Casey grabbed Will’s hair at the back of his head in a tight fist and kissed him hard. “Be careful. Keep your eyes open.”
“You too.”
When Casey’s truck had disappeared down the drive, Will headed back to the barn. One thing about working with animals— they kept a man from brooding. No matter what else was going on, the critters needed feeding and watering and exercise and doctoring and all. He had two more young horses to work with, and a cow with a discharge to watch, and a load of feed coming, sometime, if the bastard ever showed up. He had plenty to keep him busy.
Even so, he turned, time and again, to cast a glance down the driveway. The future felt like a storm cloud hanging over him.
***
Scott had just started unlacing his skates when his coach came up to him. “Edison? Mr. Milgrin’s looking for you in my office.”
Scott’s stomach lurched— mostly excitement, with a touch of dread. A guy from the Leafs front office looking to chat could be a sign his big chance was here… unless it was because that blackmailer had sent them a present. Two days without another move, and he and his guys were all strung tight. There was no reason in the world the blackmailer should’ve outed him to his team without warning. No money in that, no advantage at all. And yet, his mouth was cotton and he shivered as he pulled his jersey back on.
He padded to the office in socks and full uniform. When he knocked on the door, an unfamiliar voice said, “Come in.”
He recognized the man’s face, although he’d never dealt with him directly before. The smile Milgrin gave him helped his nerves.
“Hey, Edison. Come in and sit down.”
He perched on the edge of a chair, waiting.
“I’m sure you heard LeBlanc is out for the rest of the season.”
“Yeah,” he said cautiously, not wanting to seem eager. “I heard.”
“You’ve got the most points of any forward in the league so far, and the third-most goals. The most shorthanded goals. You have the speed we need, to replace LeBlanc.”
“Thank you.”
“That wasn’t a compliment. Pure fact. You’re not some eighteen-year-old rookie; when you’re healthy, you’re a consistent scorer. Those assists show you’re a team player. You were CCM/AHL Player of the Week last week.”
Scott was sure he was blushing.
“On the other hand, your penalty minutes are real low and you don’t use your size as well as you could. I don’t think you’re actually afraid of hitting and getting hit?” Milgrin raised an eyebrow.
“No, sir.” He’d been wary of his knee at the beginning of the season. He hoped he was over that.
“You need to be more physical out there. Not rely on speed as much. In this league, you can out-skate almost everyone. If you m
ove up, you’ll find a lot of the players are a step faster. You’ll have to ramp up your checking, fight in tighter along the boards for the puck. The guys are going to see if they can intimidate you. You’ll have to stand up to that.”
“I can do that.”
“Your coach thinks so too.” Milgrin waited for a moment, as Scott held his breath, then reached into his jacket pocket. He handed over a narrow folder. “There. We head to Boston Friday morning. That has all the details. We have a practice tomorrow at ten.” He stood and held out a hand to Scott. “Meet in the head coach’s office, nine AM. Call your agent. We’ll talk through the details and make the announcement. Welcome to the Leafs.”
Scott stood stunned, holding the folder, as Milgrin left the office. Welcome to the Leafs. Holy, holy shit! He stood up and walked slowly out of the room. As if magnetically, he was drawn toward the now-shadowed ice surface. He’d already practiced in the MasterCard Centre for three years now, whenever he was healthy. The Marlies shared the practice rink with the Leafs. But tomorrow, when he stepped out on that ice, he’d be wearing the maple leaf on his chest without the Marlies shield. The real thing.
The low gleam of the freshly Zambonied ice beckoned with promise.
He needed to call home. He needed Casey’s growl and Will’s calm voice to ground him. His agent, yeah. He should contact Fraser. But first he needed to call home.
He went back to his locker and scrabbled for his phone. His teammates were all still there, getting changed. Andre looked over at him. “Hey, what’d you get called into the coach’s office for?”
Scott improvised. “Congratulations for the player-of-the-week thing.”
“That was last week.”
“Well, he wants me to do it again this week.” He wasn’t going to say a word till the official announcement made it true.
There were some catcalls and ribbing from his teammates, and some speculative glances too. They all knew about LeBlanc. He grinned at them around clenched teeth. No way was he going to be able to make a private phone call here. He set the phone down and scrambled out of his gear and into street clothes. After stuffing everything into his locker in a shambles, he hurried to his car.
There at last, finally, he could close the door and dial the phone. He listened to it ringing, picturing Casey’s face, Casey’s hands, thinking about Will’s blue eyes, Will’s smile. He gripped the phone tighter. Answer it. Answer it.
Casey said, “Hey there, Scott, wait a second.” There was the sound of a door closing. “Okay. How are you?”
“I’m good. I’m excellent. Is Will around?”
“Down at the barn. You want both of us?”
“Yeah. I really do.” He could conference them, but he wanted to hear his guys together when he told them.
“I’ll go down there.” More sounds, then Casey said, “Damn, it’s cold. Should’ve grabbed a parka. I’m gonna freeze my ass off.”
“Don’t do that. I like your ass.”
Casey laughed. “Here. At least the barn is warmer. Wait.” He spoke at a muffled distance. “Where’s Will?” The response was unclear, but Casey said, “Thanks,” and then to Scott, “He’s cleaning out a cow in the last box. Whatever that means.”
“Not sure I want to know either.”
More noises, and then Casey said, “I’ll go to speaker phone. Hey Will, it’s Scott.”
“Just about done,” Will said distantly. “Let me rinse my hands. Crap job, that. Okay. Hey, Scotty, how’s tricks?”
“Are you two alone?”
“Um, close enough. Yeah.”
Scott blew out a breath, trying to say it calmly. “Hold on to your hats. I made the Leafs!”
“You what?” He could hear the grin in Will’s voice. “Holy hell, Scott. Congratulations!”
Casey said, “For real? That’s great! When do you move up?”
“Tomorrow, apparently. Meeting at nine, practice at ten.” He couldn’t hold back a whoop of joy. “And then the Boston fucking Bruins on Friday!”
“Wow. We have a real-life celebrity on our hands.”
That sent a trickle of chill down Scott’s spine. “Yeah. I’ll get more noticed, for sure. Any, um, anything on our mystery guy?”
“Nope. Still hanging fire.” Casey sighed. “Sorry, Scott, I didn’t say that celebrity bit to rain on your parade. I’m happy for you.”
“I know. I just hate waiting for the guy to make a move.”
“Don’t let it spoil this,” Will said softly. “I wish we could be there.”
“Yeah,” Casey added. “We’d take you to dinner. Buy you champagne. Check and see if you’re getting too big for your britches.”
“Only when you guys are around. Otherwise my britches fit just fine.”
“Or better than fine,” Will said.
“I wish you both were here.”
“Are you gonna celebrate?”
“This is it. Me celebrating. I’m going to let you tell me how great I am, and then I’m going to call Fraser and tell him the news, and Mom and Dad, and then I’m gonna go home and have a good meal and exactly one beer, and pretend to sleep.”
“Sounds smart,” Will commented. “Who are you and what did you do with our Scotty?”
“I’m saving the drunken blowout till we can do it together.”
Will laughed.
Casey said, “Seriously, you know how big this is. This is what you’ve wanted all your life. Your dad’s going to be over the moon.”
“I know, right? At least he’ll have this, if things go bad later.” He sobered again, at the reminder of just how bad it might get.
“Jesus Christ! Aaargh.” Will’s growl was almost Casey-worthy. “You need to damned well enjoy this moment. We could all get hit by a bus tomorrow. Don’t let that poison the good stuff, right? This is spun sugar, whip-cream on top, double-decker good stuff.”
There was a pause from all three of them. Casey said, “He’s been spending waaaaay too much time with you. Or sneaking online to somewhere fluffy. One or the other.”
“Just sayin’.” Scott could imagine Will pouting slightly, pretending, and Casey’s grin.
Scott smiled. “I hear you, Will. You’re right. My dad will be thrilled. I’ll let him tell me all about the latest stats on the Bruins and who to watch out for. It’ll make his day.”
“His year,” Casey said. “Maybe his decade. It’s his dream too. But you know, you’re the one living it. Make sure you enjoy it.”
“I will.” He would. He was. Calling his dad tonight was going to be the next-best thing to this phone call. Or maybe equal, because Casey was right. Edison the hockey player and his successes were part of his dad’s world. Dad would flip out, although quietly because he’d want to seem cool. He’d be so happy, though. Maybe he and Mom could even fly to Boston to see Scott start his first NHL game.
There was a warmth in Scott’s gut at the thought of making his dad that happy. Someday… maybe someday soon, he’d come out, and Dad would have to work through that. It would tarnish things between them, without a doubt. But right now, this? This would be perfect.
“Scotty?” Casey said.
“Yeah?”
Casey’s voice was deep and slow. “I love you. I don’t say it. Not like you and Will do. But it’s true, and I want the best for you, and this? This makes me so fucking happy too. In all the shitstorm of this fall, this is one real good thing.”
“It is.”
Will said, “You want to get on Skype later? Let us tell you how great you are some more?”
“Yeah!” Scott agreed. He could hear both of them chuckle. His men. He was the luckiest guy in the world, in love at least. Between joy at the Leafs and worry from the blackmail, he felt shaky and high as a kite. He wasn’t sure his body was big enough to contain this much emotion. But he had Will and Casey to bring him safely down to earth. “Can’t wait.”
Chapter 8
Casey picked up the manila envelope off the kitchen table in Will’s trailer and t
urned it in his fingers. He’d already dusted the outside for prints and come up empty. Time to open it. Scotty’s playing his first game in the NHL tonight. The timing sucked.
Will said, “It won’t get prettier for waiting.”
He slit the flap and shook out a single sheet of paper. “YOUR SEX TAPE’S CUED UP ONLINE. IT’LL GO TO YOUTUBE, UNLESS I’M AROUND TO STOP IT. SO NO TRICKS. $100,000 IN CASH TOMORROW AT FOUR PM. PUT IT IN A SMALL DUFFLE BAG. DRIVE TO THE CROSS AT THE MILL ROAD INTERSECTION. LOOK FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS. OR ELSE EVERYONE GETS TO HEAR THE SHERIFF FUCKING THE COWBOY.”
It was Will fucking him, dammit. Not that it mattered. Casey muttered a curse.
Will said, “Now what?”
“Four tomorrow. The bank closes at noon Saturdays, so we’ll have to get the money before then. If they have it. I doubt our little branch keeps that kind of cash on hand.”
“Wouldn’t he realize that?”
Casey shrugged. “Who knows how well he’s thought this out? I think he’s watched too many episodes of America’s Most Wanted.”
“Will you get the money, if you can?”
“No. We discussed that. I’ll get enough to fake it at a quick glance. That’s all. If he gets away with it, it won’t matter if there’s two thousand or a hundred thousand in there. He’ll be back either way.”
“Are you going to ask anyone to help?”
There was the pinch. He needed to. He couldn’t deliver the cash and keep watch as well, and he couldn’t expect Will to play cop. But… Yeah, he hadn’t yet told any of the deputies about this, because the first question would be who was being blackmailed for what. He could, of course, say it was none of their business. But asking men to take risks, against someone who might be a killer, without giving them good information, felt wrong.
There was no right here.
“You could ask your friend Max to back you up.” Will eyed him steadily.
“He does tech stuff, not guns.”
“He was a Marine.”
“Yeah, he is.” Once a Marine, always a Marine. “But he put the guns down when he retired. I’m not going to ask him to pick them back up for me.”
“This might not involve any violence.”