He’s pressing charges, and he wanted me to give a statement, but I figured it would make shit worse. Since I wasn’t planning on going back….”
“You’re an idiot,” Ray snapped. “Go on.”
“I didn’t give a statement. But one of the kids is the son of another deputy up there, and he brought him by to apologize Friday morning before me and Doug left.”
Ray looked disgusted. “One of his coworkers’ kids?”
“Yes. He identified the other kid, the one who actually chucked the rock at me. And yesterday Brittney called because she was dispatched to Doug’s house. Apparently there was a fire, and the fire department found a male body. Guess who it was?”
“Well, since Doug was here, I’m guessing it wasn’t him.”
“It was the boy who threw the rock. How much do you want to bet either me or Doug would be in a jail cell right now if we hadn’t been at your wedding?”
“No,” Ray said quickly. “There’s no motive for a setup. Nobody is going to kill an eighteen-year-old kid to frame you or Doug for murder. Kids have families, friends, and activities. I can see where being stuck in a place like that could leave you paranoid. And I think you’re too emotional right now to realize this is paranoia, not logic. There’s no way someone would kill one of their own to set you up. It doesn’t make any sense.”
“I….” Christopher froze, letting Ray’s warning sink in. “I’m not….” But his partner was right. “I might be paranoid. But I can’t lose him like this….” Not after Doug had finally told him why he still woke up screaming and reaching for a weapon, when he could finally begin to piece together why Doug stayed in Elkin.
“I’m not saying you shouldn’t go after him. Looking at the facts, it sounds like he could use someone to back him up. Or at least help him clean up the mess. You want help?”
“Help?”
“Yeah. Help, company, whatever,” Ray shrugged.
“But you and Elliot….”
“We’ve still got time off. He only went back to work today because he had to testify in a case. Either way, he should be home in a few hours. What do you say?”
“No.” Christopher said after thinking about it. “I’ve got to talk to Doug, figure stuff out. You’re right about me getting paranoid. He’s friends with his boss, and Brittney too, and I know there are other people up there who aren’t total dicks. But I….”
A homicide investigation he could handle, but losing Doug wasn’t an option. Doug had finally opened up about what happened, so now he could start trying to deal with it. But a lingering fear had been growing inside Christopher, fed by simmering rage, and he needed to deal with it before he talked to Doug. He didn’t want to help Doug work through all the pain of being victimized only to have this Leon guy turn up five or ten years down the road.
“The two of you don’t have to face everything in the world like you’re all alone,” Ray said, tossing the stack of folded clothing into Christopher’s bag. “Besides, with three of us, we can drive straight through and get there faster. Then, if you decide to stay, you can drop me and Elliot off at the airport.”
“No,” Christopher said, glancing at his watch. “I’ve got to deal with this, with him, on my own.” But with so little time to get to Montana and help corroborate Doug’s story, he’d need to enlist help to make sure Leon never came back to haunt them.
C HRISTOPHER STOPPED outside of the expensive, sprawling house he wasn’t supposed to know the location of. He thought about the harness and pistol in the trunk of his car, wished for the comforting weight of the weapon against his ribs, and cursed. He couldn’t bring a gun into this home. Not if he wanted to come out alive.
A dangerous-looking man in a dark suit opened the door and stepped aside, motioning for him to enter. The door clicked shut behind him, and the man in the suit silently gestured at an ornate
“You’re an idiot,” Ray snapped. “Go on.”
“I didn’t give a statement. But one of the kids is the son of another deputy up there, and he brought him by to apologize Friday morning before me and Doug left.”
Ray looked disgusted. “One of his coworkers’ kids?”
“Yes. He identified the other kid, the one who actually chucked the rock at me. And yesterday Brittney called because she was dispatched to Doug’s house. Apparently there was a fire, and the fire department found a male body. Guess who it was?”
“Well, since Doug was here, I’m guessing it wasn’t him.”
“It was the boy who threw the rock. How much do you want to bet either me or Doug would be in a jail cell right now if we hadn’t been at your wedding?”
“No,” Ray said quickly. “There’s no motive for a setup. Nobody is going to kill an eighteen-year-old kid to frame you or Doug for murder. Kids have families, friends, and activities. I can see where being stuck in a place like that could leave you paranoid. And I think you’re too emotional right now to realize this is paranoia, not logic. There’s no way someone would kill one of their own to set you up. It doesn’t make any sense.”
“I….” Christopher froze, letting Ray’s warning sink in. “I’m not….” But his partner was right. “I might be paranoid. But I can’t lose him like this….” Not after Doug had finally told him why he still woke up screaming and reaching for a weapon, when he could finally begin to piece together why Doug stayed in Elkin.
“I’m not saying you shouldn’t go after him. Looking at the facts, it sounds like he could use someone to back him up. Or at least help him clean up the mess. You want help?”
“Help?”
“Yeah. Help, company, whatever,” Ray shrugged.
“But you and Elliot….”
“We’ve still got time off. He only went back to work today because he had to testify in a case. Either way, he should be home in a few hours. What do you say?”
“No.” Christopher said after thinking about it. “I’ve got to talk to Doug, figure stuff out. You’re right about me getting paranoid. He’s friends with his boss, and Brittney too, and I know there are other people up there who aren’t total dicks. But I….”
A homicide investigation he could handle, but losing Doug wasn’t an option. Doug had finally opened up about what happened, so now he could start trying to deal with it. But a lingering fear had been growing inside Christopher, fed by simmering rage, and he needed to deal with it before he talked to Doug. He didn’t want to help Doug work through all the pain of being victimized only to have this Leon guy turn up five or ten years down the road.
“The two of you don’t have to face everything in the world like you’re all alone,” Ray said, tossing the stack of folded clothing into Christopher’s bag. “Besides, with three of us, we can drive straight through and get there faster. Then, if you decide to stay, you can drop me and Elliot off at the airport.”
“No,” Christopher said, glancing at his watch. “I’ve got to deal with this, with him, on my own.” But with so little time to get to Montana and help corroborate Doug’s story, he’d need to enlist help to make sure Leon never came back to haunt them.
C HRISTOPHER STOPPED outside of the expensive, sprawling house he wasn’t supposed to know the location of. He thought about the harness and pistol in the trunk of his car, wished for the comforting weight of the weapon against his ribs, and cursed. He couldn’t bring a gun into this home. Not if he wanted to come out alive.
A dangerous-looking man in a dark suit opened the door and stepped aside, motioning for him to enter. The door clicked shut behind him, and the man in the suit silently gestured at an ornate
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