Golden Trail (87 page)

“Fuck,” Layne whispered.

“Goulding?” Devin asked.

“Picked him up. Charged him with identity
theft times two, Gaines and Aubry. Informed the authorities in
Tennessee we’ve got him. We’ll process him but he’ll go down there
first to answer to those charges. Don’t expect we’ll see him back
in Indiana for awhile,” Merry answered.

It wasn’t much but it was something.

Layne’s eyes went to Devin and Devin nodded.
Layne needed to tell his man in LA. Marissa didn’t need to know, it
was unlikely any of this shit would blow west, but his man needed a
head’s up, just in case.

“Colt, Sully and me went to the Captain
yesterday with what we have on Rutledge. He’s called an
investigation,” Merry went on.

“Just like that?” Layne asked.

“Not exactly. Cap wasn’t big on us keepin’
this under our hats but he had his own suspicions. He said he
didn’t want to think that of a cop in his Department which was why
he didn’t move on it himself. What he means was, he’s too fuckin’
lazy not to mention worried what it’d say about him that a cop
turned under his watch,” Merry replied.

“Rutledge been picked up?” Layne asked.

“Yep, late afternoon yesterday. They were
still talkin’ to him after I got home from here last night,” Merry
answered.

“Did he roll over?” Layne asked.

“Investigation is off-limits to those
officers not assigned to it but since he went home last night, my
guess is no,” Merry answered

“He bolted?” Layne asked.

“Not yet, got a man sittin’ on The Brendel,”
Merry replied.

“He’ll bolt,” Layne stated.

“I know, the interesting thing will be,
where will he bolt?” Merry returned and Layne’s eyes went to his.
“Goulding is stupid but Rutledge is a piss ant. He’s not gonna
wanna go down for other people’s shit.”

“You think they can get him to inform?”
Layne asked.

“No, I think he’s gonna go lookin’ for help
outta this tough spot,” Merry answered.

“Wanting to keep his job?”

“No way, wanting a lifetime guaranteed
lounge chair in Brazil or wherever the fuck he intends to go.”

“Shakedown,” Layne muttered.

“Be my guess,” Merry replied. “He’s not
keepin’ whatever money he got from her in his accounts, we know
that, it’s probably in his mattress. But he lives at The Brendel.
Roc tells me his clothes are nice. He drives a top of the line,
Hyundai Genesis Coupe. He has a standard of living. He’s the type
of man who’s gonna wanna keep it. He’s not dumb, but he’s just
stupid enough to make that play.”

“So we’re not done yet, you reckon?” Layne
asked.

“Nope,” Merry answered.

Layne’s eyes went to Devin. “Bugs.”

“Can I finish the Colts game?” Devin
asked.

Merry pulled out his phone and flipped it
open. “Let me see where Rutledge is. He may be watchin’ the Colts
too. Obviously, I know nothing about illegal listening devices
being planted in the home of an officer of the law, but I might be
able to arrange to know when Rutledge leaves his apartment, where
he’s going, if it’s safe for someone, say, theoretically, to plant
illegal listening devices, and I might be able to arrange for that
someone to know when Rutledge is on his way back.”

Layne turned away from Merry and grinned at
the mouth of his beer. Then he took a slug.

Merry ascertained that Rutledge was home and
asked for updates on his activity. Devin and Dave wandered inside,
taking Blondie with them. Merry shook another cigarette out of his
pack.

“You might not wanna light that, brother,
since I intend to talk to you about Mia,” Layne told him and
Merry’s eyes cut to Layne.

“Don’t go there,” he warned.

“Sorry, I’m gonna,” Layne returned.

“None of your business, Tanner.”

“She cheat on you?” Layne asked.

“Tanner –”

That meant no.

“Bust your balls?” Layne cut him off.

Merry looked away and lit his cigarette.

“Was she shit in bed?”

Merry exhaled and then his jaw got
tight.

That meant no too. A big no.

“You think about her when you fuck your
other women?” Layne pushed and Merry’s eyes sliced to him.

“Shut it, Tanner.”

“You do,” Layne murmured.

“Fuck off,” Merry clipped.

“Not doin’ any of those other women a favor,
closin’ your eyes and thinkin’ of Mia,” Layne remarked.

Merry was silent.

“You can fuck your way through the ‘burg,
you care about her and can’t get her outta your head, you’re never
gonna find that again,” Layne told him.

“Roc’s had a tough weekend, brother, don’t
think she’ll wanna rush out to your backyard and wade into a
fistfight between her brother and her man,” Merry threatened.

Layne ignored him and advised, “Get back in
there.”

Merry didn’t respond.

“Look around and learn, Garrett, don’t waste
time.”

Merry took a drag from his cigarette.

“You did me a favor, brother, you took a
chance and pushed me into makin’ the right decision. Now, I’m
returnin’ that favor,” Layne stated.

Merry wrapped three fingers around his
bottle of beer, lifted it and took a pull.

“It’s all around you, Garrett, wake the fuck
up,” Layne whispered and Merry didn’t turn his head but his eyes
slid to Layne.

“What?” he asked curtly.

“Colt and Feb, Cal and Vi, Roc and me.
Jesus, just look at Cal. Fuck, what happened to him? Now I see him
laughin’.” When Merry made no comment, Layne went on. “I remember
Mia had a wicked funny sense of humor.”

Merry looked away.

“This is what I know,” Layne started. “Life
was what life was for me and after Rocky, it was never great. What
sucks more is knowin’ that Rocky led a life that also wasn’t great.
That sucks more, Merry.” Layne stood and looked down at Merry who
kept his eyes to Layne’s yard and he fired his parting shot. “If
Mia feels the way you feel, don’t you wanna stop that?”

Merry closed his eyes and swallowed.

Layne turned and walked into the house.

* * * * *

Layne’s eyes shifted to Devin, who was
sitting in an armchair, his head nodding. He needed the couch.

“Dev,” he called and Devin’s heard turned to
him. “Try the sectional,” Layne advised.

“Will do, you get your woman upstairs,” Dev
returned.

Layne looked down at Rocky who was stretched
out with him on the couch, half on him, half off.

He curled up, taking her with him, her head
came up, she looked around, pulling her hair out of her face.

Her eyes semi-focused on Devin.

“Sorry,” she whispered. “I fell asleep.”

“No problem, girlie,” Devin whispered
back.

She looked at Layne then climbed over him,
got to her feet and Layne rolled off the couch right behind her.
She lurched toward the stairs, Layne got close and put his hands to
her hips, guiding her while calling behind him, “’Night, Dev.”

“’Night, boy.”

They got to the stairs, Rocky bent double,
mostly crawling on hands and feet up them while Layne tried not to
laugh. She lifted up at the top and staggered into the bedroom. He
let her go, closed the door and turned to see she was at her side,
reaching under her pillowcase. He watched as she tugged her clothes
off, put on his tee, threw back the covers and did a face plant in
the bed.

Layne changed, joined her there and turned
out the light.

Rocky shifted into him.

“’Night, baby,” she mumbled into his
chest.

“’Night, sweetcheeks.”

Her arm tightened for half a second around
his stomach and then she was out.

Layne stared at the dark ceiling while his
hand moved, sifting into her hair, he pulled it out of her face,
off her shoulder and neck, so it all fell down to the bed and on
his arm.

Lying there, it occurred to him that life
was now just life.

Therefore Tanner Layne smiled before he
closed his eyes and fell asleep with his lips tipped up.

Sheer Evil

Saturday, 1:37 p.m., two weeks later

“I can’t believe Gram’s movin’ back here,
that is so cool,” Tripp remarked from the back of the Suburban. He
was sitting behind Layne, Keira was in the middle, Jasper behind
Rocky.

They’d just seen Vera off at the airport.
She was going home to put her condo on the market and sort her shit
out. When she came back, she was taking over Rocky’s rental
because, even though The Brendel had a waiting list, they were not
fond of letting people out of their rental agreements. To get out,
Rocky would have to pay through the nose. The market was good in
Vera’s area but she wasn’t going to wait it out, just sort her
shit, put the stuff she couldn’t pack in at Rocky’s in storage and
she was going to take her time finding a place to settle in the
‘burg. The Brendel’s rent was a little steep but Layne was going to
help until the agreement ran its course and Vera was in her own
space.

Rocky was moving in the minute Vera
returned, sooner, if Layne could talk her into it. She, however,
didn’t want to move in until she’d signed the divorce papers, an
event that was scheduled to happen late next week. He could see why
she wanted that which was why he was letting her make that
play.

Layne’s eyes went to the rearview mirror to
look at Tripp then they looked out the back window to see the
Calais peel off. Devin had followed Vera to return her rental car
and driven her to the airport where Layne and his family met them,
Vera checked in, they had a drink and they all waved her off as she
headed through Security. Now, they were still on I-465.

Layne had no idea where Devin was headed and
he’d probably never know. Though it wasn’t home to Ohio. Devin had
stayed put on Layne’s couch for the last two weeks and helped Layne
with some of his cases. He seemed in no hurry to head back to
Cleveland. Layne expected there would be a conversation later on
down the line considering Vera and Devin had grown tight but he was
glad that conversation had not yet happened. Things were settling.
Roc was seeing a therapist twice a week. She liked her. The good
life was shifting to beautiful and Layne didn’t want anything to
rock that boat, such as having his best friend and mother
officially hooking up.

“Your Gram is cool,” Keira noted. “One of my
Grams is really shy, the other one is not very nice but Joe’s Aunt
Theresa is totally awesome, a complete blast. When your Gram gets
home, I should call Aunt Theresa and ask her to come down. They
could have, like, a bake off or something.”

Layne’s eyes slid to Rocky to see she was
smiling at the windscreen.

“I thought girls weren’t supposed to like to
eat because they didn’t want to get fat,” Tripp stated, Layne
rolled his eyes and Jasper exploded.

“Tripp, don’t be a dick!”

“What?” Tripp asked.

“Joe says skinny girls don’t do anything for
him,” Keira put in, obviously not offended in the slightest. “He
says for a woman to be a woman, she’s gotta have curves.”

“Joe’s right,” Layne muttered and Rocky’s
hand shot out and she flicked his bicep with the backs of her
knuckles.

“What’d you say, Dad?” Tripp asked.

“I said,” Layne said louder, “Joe is
right.”

“Layne!” Rocky hissed.

“Baby, a woman without a great ass?” He
shook his head.

The trio in the back laughed but he felt
Rocky’s glare.

“Don’t know why you’re pissed, sweetcheeks,”
Layne told her over their laughter. “That’s precisely how you got
your nickname.”

“Layne!” Rocky repeated on a hiss.

“What was that, Dad?” Tripp asked.

Rocky’s head whipped around to look in the
backseat. “Nothing, Tripp, your father is being tactless.”

“What’s tactless?” Tripp asked.

“Indiscreet,” Rocky answered.

“Indiscreet?” Tripp sounded confused.

“
Rude
” Rocky said, putting great
stress on that one word and Layne chuckled.

“Dad’s never rude,” Jasper put in, “he’s
just honest.”

“I think boys think rude is honest and girls
think rude is rude,” Keira proposed.

“Exactly,” Rocky muttered, turning to face
forward again.

Layne found himself rethinking his desire to
give Rocky a daughter because by the time she reached Keira’s age,
his boys would be gone and he’d be outnumbered and he was still
rethinking this when his cell phone rang.

He pulled it out of his inside jacket
pocket, looked at the display and saw it said, “Ryker Calling”. He
flipped it open and put it to his ear.

“Yo,” he answered.

“Alexis is gone,” Ryker growled in his ear
and Layne’s neck muscles contracted.

“Come again?”

“Alexis. She’s gone. Lissa had a half day
shift at the restaurant, got home at one and Alexis was gone. No
note, no nothin’. She’s just gone.”

“I take it she didn’t have plans?” Layne
asked.

“Yeah, her plans were to get her chores
done, which means stayin’ at home, cleanin’ the house and then when
her Mom got home, they were goin’ shoppin’ and to a movie.”

“She with a friend?”

“Negative. Lissa has called all her friends.
No one has seen or heard from her.”

“Her chores done?” Layne asked.

“Who cares?” Ryker answered.

“We care, brother,” Layne said quietly. “We
need to understand how long she’s been gone. Now, are her chores
done and, if they are, what time does she normally get up and how
long does it take her to clean the house?”

“Don’t know,” Ryker answered, “but the house
is cleaned.”

“All right, talk to Lissa, let’s get a time
line here,” Layne advised. “Once you talk to Lissa, you call Colt,
I’ll call Devin but after you call Colt, you start knocking on
doors. Did anyone see her leave? If they did, what time? Did she
walk? Which direction? Was she with someone? Did she get in a car?
If she got in a car, what kind of car was it? Did they see who was
driving? Was anyone else in the car? Get a description. They
probably didn’t get a plate but they might have seen if it was
Indiana plates or something else. Did you get that?”