you'll do it?"
"I'll do it. Only because I love you, Sin Callahan. And I owe
you for not telling Jeff about... well... you know."
"So, it's settled? Maddie? Are you on board with this
plan?"
Did it really matter whether she was or not? She had no other
choice. At least he hadn't told his girlfriend who she was. She leaned over,
tapped her forehead against the table once, twice, three times. "I can't
believe this is happening to me."
Luke reached out and stroked her hair as Mark Callahan came
strolling toward them on the trail. "I have a name."
"Already?" Sara-Beth gave her dark hair a toss. "I
don't believe that. Nobody gets information... whoa... are you Homeland
Security?"
"Who is it?" Luke and Maddie demanded simultaneously.
"I printed two jars and found two sets of prints on both.
Maddie's, and Gus's son, Jerry's."
"Jerry Grevas!" Maddie exclaimed. "But he's an
accountant."
"With a record, apparently?" Luke asked his brother.
"One arrest for pot when he was young. Apparently he liked to
grow things even then."
"I can't believe it's Jerry." Maddie massaged her brow.
"He's really a nice guy. He loved his father. He treated him so well. Why
would he murder his own father?"
"What about the cops?" Sara-Beth demanded. "How are
they involved?"
"Maybe they're not," Maddie said, a great weight lifting
from her heart. "Gus was babbling, panicked. When he said don't trust the
cops, rather than meaning they're involved, maybe he was telling me not to get
them involved. Maybe he was trying to protect Jerry." She met Luke's
stare. "I wasn't in danger, after all."
That observation hung in the air for a long minute.
"Maybe not. Unless things have changed a whole lot in the
years that I've been gone, that makes more sense than the existence of a drug
ring in the BBPD. But you were running on adrenaline, and you had good reason
to worry. Didn't help that you were egged on by my old man."
"So I can go home."
Luke addressed his brother. "They're picking him up?"
"I understand Chief Harper has a car on the way even as we
speak."
"How did you do that so fast?" Sara-Beth exclaimed.
"I'm not sure I like that, to be honest. This has a real Big Brother
feel."
"You can go home," Luke told Maddie. "After we take
care of the little detail of disposing of millions of dollars of psilocybin
mushrooms in such a way that keeps you square with the law. And, to be on the
safe side, I'd like to see you give Bee a chance to publish her article before
you return— without mentioning me or Mark, by the way—just in case Jerry had a
helper we don't know about."
"I've been needing to make a shopping run to Dallas anyway. I
could take a couple days."
"That'd be a good idea."
"Have you been to the import district on Harry Hines
Boulevard recently?" Sara-Beth asked her. "You won't believe the
upgrading they've done in that end of town."
The brothers discussed arrangements for a few minutes, then both
men stepped away and spent some time making private calls on their cell phones.
When they finished, they conferred another few minutes, then Luke turned to
Maddie. "It's all set. You're to take the contraband to a field office in
Tyler. Agent Flores will meet you. He's a good guy, photogenic for your shots,
Bee. Flores will make sure all the i 's are dotted and t 's are
crossed so that none of this will come back to haunt you."
"Aren't you coming with us, Sin?" Sara-Beth asked.
He hesitated and Maddie's heart took a dip. No, he's not. Of
course he's not. What had gotten into her, thinking that he might go along?
He'd made it perfectly clear that he was going fishing come hell or high water
or magic mushrooms.
At least she hadn't slept with him. She still had that bit of dignity.
She lifted her chin and pasted on a smile. "I'm a big girl. I
can handle it from here. Luke's been a tremendous help to me, though, and I do
appreciate it." She paused a moment and added sincerely, bravely, "I
do."
The look in her eyes damn near broke Luke's heart.
"I'll do it. Only because I love you, Sin Callahan. And I owe
you for not telling Jeff about... well... you know."
"So, it's settled? Maddie? Are you on board with this
plan?"
Did it really matter whether she was or not? She had no other
choice. At least he hadn't told his girlfriend who she was. She leaned over,
tapped her forehead against the table once, twice, three times. "I can't
believe this is happening to me."
Luke reached out and stroked her hair as Mark Callahan came
strolling toward them on the trail. "I have a name."
"Already?" Sara-Beth gave her dark hair a toss. "I
don't believe that. Nobody gets information... whoa... are you Homeland
Security?"
"Who is it?" Luke and Maddie demanded simultaneously.
"I printed two jars and found two sets of prints on both.
Maddie's, and Gus's son, Jerry's."
"Jerry Grevas!" Maddie exclaimed. "But he's an
accountant."
"With a record, apparently?" Luke asked his brother.
"One arrest for pot when he was young. Apparently he liked to
grow things even then."
"I can't believe it's Jerry." Maddie massaged her brow.
"He's really a nice guy. He loved his father. He treated him so well. Why
would he murder his own father?"
"What about the cops?" Sara-Beth demanded. "How are
they involved?"
"Maybe they're not," Maddie said, a great weight lifting
from her heart. "Gus was babbling, panicked. When he said don't trust the
cops, rather than meaning they're involved, maybe he was telling me not to get
them involved. Maybe he was trying to protect Jerry." She met Luke's
stare. "I wasn't in danger, after all."
That observation hung in the air for a long minute.
"Maybe not. Unless things have changed a whole lot in the
years that I've been gone, that makes more sense than the existence of a drug
ring in the BBPD. But you were running on adrenaline, and you had good reason
to worry. Didn't help that you were egged on by my old man."
"So I can go home."
Luke addressed his brother. "They're picking him up?"
"I understand Chief Harper has a car on the way even as we
speak."
"How did you do that so fast?" Sara-Beth exclaimed.
"I'm not sure I like that, to be honest. This has a real Big Brother
feel."
"You can go home," Luke told Maddie. "After we take
care of the little detail of disposing of millions of dollars of psilocybin
mushrooms in such a way that keeps you square with the law. And, to be on the
safe side, I'd like to see you give Bee a chance to publish her article before
you return— without mentioning me or Mark, by the way—just in case Jerry had a
helper we don't know about."
"I've been needing to make a shopping run to Dallas anyway. I
could take a couple days."
"That'd be a good idea."
"Have you been to the import district on Harry Hines
Boulevard recently?" Sara-Beth asked her. "You won't believe the
upgrading they've done in that end of town."
The brothers discussed arrangements for a few minutes, then both
men stepped away and spent some time making private calls on their cell phones.
When they finished, they conferred another few minutes, then Luke turned to
Maddie. "It's all set. You're to take the contraband to a field office in
Tyler. Agent Flores will meet you. He's a good guy, photogenic for your shots,
Bee. Flores will make sure all the i 's are dotted and t 's are
crossed so that none of this will come back to haunt you."
"Aren't you coming with us, Sin?" Sara-Beth asked.
He hesitated and Maddie's heart took a dip. No, he's not. Of
course he's not. What had gotten into her, thinking that he might go along?
He'd made it perfectly clear that he was going fishing come hell or high water
or magic mushrooms.
At least she hadn't slept with him. She still had that bit of dignity.
She lifted her chin and pasted on a smile. "I'm a big girl. I
can handle it from here. Luke's been a tremendous help to me, though, and I do
appreciate it." She paused a moment and added sincerely, bravely, "I
do."
The look in her eyes damn near broke Luke's heart.
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