I nodded and we went our separate ways.
Patsy was in the kitchen cutting up vegetables for a pasta salad. I used the only ammunition I had.
“Hey, can we head outside and talk? I have a few more things to clear up for your interview.”
She rested the knife on the counter and dropped her head. “Do we have to?”
“I’m afraid so. Come on, it’ll only take a few minutes.” We walked out the front door and around the side of the house. “Patsy, your interview made me question a few things.”
“Like what?” She wrapped her arms around herself and stepped backwards.
“Don’t be scared. Really, I just want to get to the bottom of this mess. It has to be really weighing on you. You know, helping set up one of your own for murder.”
Patsy’s eyes doubled in size. She stumbled, using the side of the house as a brace. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Come on, you know that’s not true.” I had always been a great poker player, bluffing was my specialty. “I know that it was Zombie who killed Numar. I also know that it was you who helped him get Ronin’s gun out of the clubhouse. What I don’t know is why you would want to set him up for murder. Ronin’s always been there for you, even when your own old man wasn’t.”
Patsy collapsed to the ground as if the wind had just been knocked out of her. Tears streamed down her ashen face. “I didn’t want to hurt him. I didn’t want to do it.”
My pulse quickened. “I’m looking for answers, and I’m going to find them with or without you. However, if you help me, then maybe I can help you.”
She had broken out into a sobbing mess, peering up at me.
“I can take you down to the station. I’m a lawyer, Patsy. I can get you a deal, but you have to be able to give them Zombie, do you understand what I’m saying?”
“I don’t know if I can do that,” she muttered.
“It’s either you or him. You have to make a choice and don’t you think it’s about time you chose yourself?”
Right on cue, Jessa came around the corner dangling a pair of keys in the air. “You gals ready?”
Turns out Jessa had spiked Herc’s root beer and stolen the keys to the old 56’ Chevy truck Pop stored in the back shed. It was what I used to learn how to drive. I can’t believe that I had forgotten all about it and its robin’s egg blue paint job.
“Yeah, I think we’re ready.” I offered Patsy my hand.
We all three jumped into the truck and headed back to Jericho. Silence the entire way, other than the phone call that I made to Mr. Garner, asking him to meet me at the station. I parked in front of the Jericho Police building and waited for Patsy to pull herself together.
“I’ll be with you the entire time. You just have to follow my lead and be honest. You have to tell the truth or I won’t be able to do anything for you, got it?”
She nodded.
“I think I’ll just wait out here,” Jessa said. I couldn’t blame her. She was a Miller through and through. Not exactly on a friendly basis with the cops.
“Ms. Miller, looking lovely as always. What can I do for you today?”
“Mr. Garner, we’re going to need a room. We have some things to discuss and you’re not going to want to miss out.”
His face fell as he motioned for us to follow him to an interrogation room.
“I’m here on behalf of Ms. Clark. She has valuable information that would solve the Alex Numar case. However, we’re asking for immunity involving all charges surrounding the case for Ms. Clark in exchange for her testimony.”
He leaned back in his seat, rubbing his chin and eyeing Patsy. She was visibly uncomfortable. She stared at her hands on the table, never looking up.
“How do I know this is legit and it’s not just you trying to get your boyfriend off the hook?”
“You don’t. I guess that’s a chance you’ll have to take on my word. Ronin Steele did not kill Alex Numar and I have new testimony to prove exactly that.”
“Ms. Clark, is this true?”
Patsy glanced over at me and waited for my signal. I nodded and she dropped her head once again.
“Yes,” she whispered.
“And you’re aware that your immunity will only stay in place if you testify in court with what you know and help bring Mr. Numar’s killer to justice?”
His words pierced my heart. I didn’t want to help avenge Numar’s death. He could rot in hell a hundred times over for all I cared. But I didn’t want Ronin to go away forever either. I had to play nice with the stuffy prosecutor before I blew the entire plan. I titled my head and nodded toward Patsy, giving her the ok to answer.
“Yes.”
“Ok, I’ll grant you the deal, but only if the information allows me to bring charges and indict the person in question. Agreed?”
“Agreed,” I responded and urged Patsy to do the same.
Mr. Garner whipped out a video device and waited for her testimony.
“It’s ok, go ahead.”
She squirmed in her seat, adjusting her legs and picking at the table with her fingernails. “My name is Patsy Clark. I am Zombie, I mean, Daryl Tucker’s old lady. Zombie had been meeting with Numar and his crew behind the MC’s back.”
“The MC?”
“Motorcycle club. He said he had business to take care of and this was the best way to infiltrate the Pistol Kings to take out the enemy. One night, Zombie said it was coming up on the perfect time to end Numar. He said he had a plan to keep us both out of trouble. When he told me that his plan was to set Ronin up by stealing his gun and using it to kill Numar, I said no. I would have no part of it, but he wasn’t happy. He knocked me around like always, but this time was different.”
Tears flowed, slipping down Patsy’s cheeks. Her chin quivered and the blood had drained from her face. I placed my hand on her shoulder for comfort. Not that I was prepared to hear the rest of her story.
“Zombie took me back to one of the apartments he uses sometimes. I expected what was coming. He went on a bender, drinking and smacking me around. I was used to his anger outburst. I tried to make him feel better by, you know, trying to sex it up. Turn him on. Thinking maybe he would forget about the horrible plan. But that didn’t work.”
She dropped her head into her hands and sobbed.
“Can we take a break,” I asked Garner.
“No, really I want to get it over with,” Patsy responded. “The next night, while I was sleeping, Zombie called up a bunch of his buddies. Not from the club, but people he knew from other shit he’s involved in. I woke up to find Zombie on top of me with a room full of men watching.” She swallowed hard, blinking back more tears. “When he was finished, he let each of them take a turn. They spent the entire night raping me one right after the other. They made me do whatever they wanted until they were exhausted.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I wanted to slit the motherfucker’s throat myself. “Why didn’t you go to the club? You know they would have protected you.” I felt Garner’s eyes on me and I knew the recorder was still on, but I just couldn’t fathom such a vile experience.
“I never could go to the club. Jesse knows how Zombie treats me and doesn’t do anything. Do you really think I look at the MC like my protectors?”
Now it was my turn to drop my head.
“Anyway, over the next few days, I couldn’t even leave the house. My body was broken. Once I was finally able to get out of the apartment, everywhere I turned was one of those men, staring at me at the grocery store. Standing behind me at the Post Office. Following me in my car. Zombie said it wouldn’t stop until I got Ronin’s gun from his closet. He said
none
of it would stop. None of it, until I did what he said.”
“So you got the gun?” Mr. Garner’s face had fallen. His baby blue eyes were now a dark, stormy gray.
She nodded. “Yes, I can’t believe I did it. I love Ronin like a brother. I never wanted to hurt him. But I couldn’t go through that again. I knew that he kept the pistol Jesse gave him in the closet, you know, after you two lost Baby X.”
Garner’s head snapped in my direction. My stomach had lurched into my throat, leaving the sting of bile. I released a thankful sigh when Patsy continued.
“I found it during family supper when everyone was over at the prez’s house. I slipped it out of the clubhouse after carefully putting everything back in its place. I gave it to Zombie. He waited a few nights and then made me ride with him to the Pistol King’s territory. Numar didn’t think anything of it because Zombie had used that time to befriend him. Once he got close, he said something I didn’t hear, made him get down on his knees, and pulled the trigger. Shot him Executioner style. He threw the gun to the side and we took off.”
She peered up from the table for the first time. “That’s it, that’s all I know.”
“And you’re willing to sign the statement, as well as testify before a grand jury?”
Patsy nodded. Garner shoved the recorder closer.
“Yes, I’ll testify as long as I have immunity.”
“Done. Ms. Clark, I can’t say that I approve of what you did. You aided in taking a man’s life. However, I can say that I am very sorry for all you’ve gone through. I hope we can help bring you some closure. And Ms. Miller, as of right now, all the charges are dropped against Mr. Steele. I’ll enter the paperwork immediately.”
All of the muscles in my body released, the tension melting away.
Numar was dead and Ronin was free.
CHAPTER TWENTY
(Ronin)
This is not happening. Not again.
Heat from the flames radiated all the way across the street and down the alley where the MC waited, attempting to find a lead on what the fuck happened.
Fugi’s house was nothing but a blaze. His family had been inside, but they were all pulled to safety when the Pistol Kings showed up right before the Fire Department. Who the hell would have done this? And it’s no coincidence that it’s the same scenario that happened to him eight years earlier.
“Boys, we gotta ride. Can’t get caught here. We’ll catch up back at the cabin. Haul ass,” Jesse ordered before taking off.
My head was spinning out of control the entire ride back to the cabin. Innocent people could have been killed. Women and children. This wasn’t the Executioners work, at least it better not be. I would never stoop that low as to get to Fugi through his family. That’s the cowardly way out.
“Church in ten.” Jesse stormed inside and quickly bolted back out the front door. “Fuck!”
“What’s up?” Clint’s gaze darted to me and then back to Jesse.
“Ruth just got back from making a grub run. She found Herc passed out on the couch and the girls are gone.”
I shot forward, my stance wide and rigid. “Jo?”
He nodded. “Jo, Jessa, and Patsy.”
Zombie shouldered his way through Clint and me. “What the hell are you talking about? That bitch wouldn’t go anywhere without my say so. She’s gotta be around here.”
“No, she’s gone. I’ve checked everywhere. And none of the girls have seen her anywhere. The other crews packed up and rode out earlier. She’s not here.” Ruth stood on the porch with her arms folded across her chest. Her face twisted with worry.
“I’m gonna kill that bitch!”
It was all too much. I snapped. “Is that all you can fucking think about? We’re at war. The females are missing and you’re gonna kill her for taking off? Have you ever thought, maybe she didn’t take off on her own?”
“I know she didn’t,” Zombie snarled. “She’s off with that little bitch of yours. None of this shit would be happening if it weren’t for that slut.”
I lunged, landing the first powerful lick in the center of Zombie’s face. His nose cracked under my heavy knuckles. He tried to come after me and I secured the second punch, right to the kidney. He fell to one knee, gasping. I went in for the next blow when Jesse put an end to the fight. It was a good thing because I wasn’t going to stop until I killed him.
“Enough!”
“You’re a sorry sack of shit.” I spit at Zombie through a clenched jaw.
“This isn’t gonna help find the girls.” Ruth said as her cell phone vibrated in her back pocket. “Holy shit, it’s Jessa.”
“Well, answer it!” Jesse’s usual dominating tone dripped with fear.
“Jess, where are you, honey? Are you ok?”
I examined Ruth’s expressions as Jessa talked on the other end. Her eyes glazed over as if no one else was here.
“Ok, honey. I’ll let him know. You be careful now and watch out for your sister.” She hung up and stared at Jess. “Let’s talk, babe.”
They disappeared into the house leaving the crew outside. Clint clasped my shoulder and squeezed. My blood seared against my flesh, boiling, begging to be unleashed. As if I might explode.
Jesse’s entire demeanor had changed when he stepped back outside. His dark eyes full of rage. The fear was still there, but it was different this time. He was shaken.
“What the fuck’s going on? Where the hell is Patsy?”
“Ronin and Clint, head back to Jericho with Ruth. She’ll explain everything. Stoner, stay here and get Herc up on his feet. Get everything cleaned up around here and restock the ammo, grub, and supplies. Zombie, you’re with me.”