by J. T. Baier
“Matt, I’m going to ask you one more time. Please. Leave this alone.”
“I’m sorry, Luke. You have my answer.” He pulled open the door and left the office.
Riker headed west down Main Street, crossing in front of the window of Dewitt Construction. He kept his eyes in front of him, but he felt Luke’s cold stare on his back.
He circled the block, making his way around to Grady’s Coffee. He walked inside, ordered a tall black coffee, and took a seat near the window—a seat that just so happened to give him a clear view of the front door to Dewitt Construction. The only other exit to the building led to a small alley, and Riker knew it was rarely used; at least it had been in the old days. When Luke left, Riker would see him go, and he’d be able to follow him. As much as he hated to admit it, his old friend was likely his key to understanding the criminal enterprises going on in Kingsport.
As he watched, a bit of sadness crept up in Riker. His oldest friend was now in the drug game. If things had gone differently Riker’s senior year of high school—if he’d stayed in Kingsport or gone to college and then come back home—maybe things would have worked out differently for Luke. Maybe all he’d needed was one friend to help nudge him off the dark path he’d taken.
Riker pushed such thoughts away. Playing out the possibilities of what might have been was a sure path to misery. Riker had spent plenty of time traveling that road, and he now did everything he could to avoid it. Besides, Luke was a smart, capable person. The choices he’d made were his own.
“Matthew Riker?”
The voice came from behind Riker, and he instinctively cursed himself for not watching his own six. A rookie mistake he wouldn’t usually make.
He swiveled around and stared blankly at the older man behind him.
The man looked to be in his late sixties. He was nearly bald, and the little hair he did have was shock white. He stood about five-ten and he was so thin that he looked like a stiff wind might blow him over.
Then Riker recognized the man, and he broke out in a smile. “Doctor Hanson?”
“You remember me! I’m impressed.”
“How could I forget?” Riker shook his head, surprised it had taken him even a few seconds to recognize the doctor. Hanson had treated him for every childhood ailment he’d had as well as given him the annual sports physicals required for wrestling.
“I take it you’re in town for the funeral?”
“Yes.”
Doctor Hanson shook his head. “Sad what happened. Coach Kane touched a lot of lives in this town.” He gestured to the seat across the table from Riker. “Do you mind if I sit? I’d love to hear what you’ve been up to these many years.”
Something out the window caught the corner of Riker’s eye. He saw Luke step out of the door and head to his car, hands jammed into his pockets. Riker’s heart sped up as he watched his friend disappear from his line of sight.
It wasn’t too late. He could have made some quick excuse and went after Luke. But he’d have to hurry and his chances of being caught were high. He turned back to Doctor Hanson, a man who knew just about everyone in town. Perhaps the source of information he’d been looking for was standing right in front of him.
“Sure, Doctor. Have a seat. Let’s talk.”
6
Megan took a sip from her coffee mug without looking up from the paper she was grading. When the room temperature liquid hit her lips, she grimaced.
“Okay, girl,” she muttered to herself. “Time for a break.”
She stood up, grabbed her coffee mug, and headed out into the empty hallways of Kingsport High School. Though this was technically called her free period, it was usually anything but free. She spent the hour grading papers and prepping for the next class. Like every other public school teacher she knew, she was facing a less than ideal student-to-teacher ratio and found herself working late into the evening most nights, even on the days she wasn’t coaching the debate club or the volleyball team. But unlike some of her colleagues, Megan truly loved the work.
She’d stumbled into teaching, picking the major in college almost on a whim when most of her energy had been focused on softball. But whether it was happenstance or fate, she’d quickly realized that working with kids was her true calling. She felt truly privileged to spend time with young people at such a pivotal stage in their lives. A few of her coworkers told her that was just the overly sunny outlook of youth and it would fade with time. But six years in, she still felt the same way.
The sound of her boot heels clicked on the linoleum floor as she made her way to the teachers’ lounge, and her mind wandered back to earlier that day when Matt had stood in front of her class and awkwardly answered their questions. She smiled at the mental image of her Navy SEAL cousin squirming. He could face enemy soldiers, but somehow a room full of teenagers was his undoing. She let out a soft chuckle and reminded herself to give him a hard time about it that evening.
She had to admit, it felt pretty good having him back in town, even though the reason for his visit was heartbreaking. For years, she’d blindly sent her Thursday emails off into the ether, never expecting them to be answered or even read. She’d once considered adding a read-receipt to her messages so that she would receive a notification when the email was opened. She’d ultimately decided against it, knowing that if Matt was reading the emails and not responding, he must have his reasons.
But here he was, back in Kingsport. It was surprising how quickly they’d reconnected. After all, she’d just been a kid when he’d left town. But their conversation had been comfortable and easy the previous night, the family connection strong enough to overcome their years apart, and she was very glad.
As Megan rounded a corner to the hallway that led to the teachers’ lounge, a loud voice stopped her in her tracks.
“You’d better keep that name out of your mouth!”
Megan stared in disbelief for a moment, not just at the volume of the words, but the person who was speaking them.
David Underwood was only a few inches from Blake Mullins, and his face was beet red as he shouted at the other boy. Both of them had their hands balled into fists. Megan had been at this job long enough to know when a fight was about to break out.
“Aren’t you two supposed to be in class?” she asked, marching briskly forward.
Neither of them answered. Their eyes were locked and both looked ready to throw a punch at any moment.
“Hey, I asked a question.”
They stared at each other for another moment, then David broke eye contact and looked at Megan.
“Sorry, Ms. Carter. I have a pass.” He fished a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to her.
She quickly read it and frowned. “This is a pass for you to go to the library. I don’t see anything here about you being allowed to yell in the hallway.”
Blake let out a laugh.
“And how about you? You have a pass, Blake?”
His smile faded, and he shook his head.
“Where are you supposed to be?”
“Chemistry.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Then I suggest you get there fast.”
He gave David one last angry look, then turned and disappeared down the hallway. Megan watched him go.
Blake Mullins was the kind of kid she would have expected to find wandering the halls and picking fights during class. He was a junior, and his grades were somewhere between below average and horrible. This semester it seemed he was absent more days than he was in class. As much as she hated to admit it to herself, she fully expected Blake to drop out sometime in the next six months. She just hoped he’d find his way and not disappear into the prison system, though that outcome wouldn’t exactly surprise her.
David, on the other hand, was not someone she’d expect to find fighting in the halls. He worked hard, was always polite, and managed to pull down top grades while being one of the best wrestlers in school. He started to walk away, but Megan held up a hand.
&nbs
p; “Wait. You want to tell me what this was about?”
“Not really,” he said.
“Okay. Fair enough. Thing is, you were yelling, which makes me think you wanted someone besides Blake to hear.”
His eyes were on the floor. “No. He just made me so mad. I was minding my own business and he walked by. Started talking crap.”
“Crap?”
“About Coach Kane.”
With that, everything fell into place for Megan. David had been more distant than usual since Coach’s death. And Blake…again, she hated to think poorly of any student, but there was a good chance that Blake was involved in the very drug problem that Coach had been fighting to solve.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” she said. “I guess he didn’t know Coach Kane very well. I can’t imagine anyone who knew the man having anything negative to say about him. He was a good man.”
“Yes, he was.” David’s voice was hollow.
“And nothing can change the man he was. Certainly not some crap Blake Mullins said in the hallway to tick you off.”
A slight smile touched the corner of David’s lips. “Yeah, I guess not. You going to be at the wake tonight?”
“Yes. I’ll be there.”
“I’m not looking forward to it.”
“Me neither. But it will give us the chance to say goodbye and pay our respects.”
David nodded. For a moment, it seemed like he was going to walk away, but then he spoke again. “Do you think it was worth it, Ms. Carter? What he did? Standing up to the drug dealers?”
“That’s a tough question. I wish he wasn’t dead. I wish he was standing right here with us now. But I’m not going to say he was wrong to do what he did. He stood up for what’s right, and that’s never the wrong thing to do.”
David sighed. “That’s what I thought. I agree on both counts. Maybe it’s time for me to do the same. Thanks, Ms. Carter.”
He turned and headed toward the library. Megan watched him go, wondering if she’d said the right thing. His parting words troubled her. She hoped the young man was all right, and that he wasn’t planning to do anything stupid.
7
Moments after Doc Hanson took a seat a young barista placed a cup of coffee in front of him.
“Thanks, Tim. Did you put two sugars in it?”
The young man laughed. “I hope I can get your order right, Doc. It’s the same every time you come in here.”
“Sorry, I always like to double-check.”
“Maybe someday you will trust me.”
Tim placed a spoon next to the cup of coffee and moved back into his position behind the counter.
“Looks like you are every bit of a fixture in this town as you were twenty years ago,” Riker observed.
Doc smiled. “More than ever. The kids that I used to take care of have kids of their own now. I’m two generations of this town's history.”
“Are you getting close to hanging up the spurs?”
Doc’s face soured, “I’m still a long way from retirement.” He puffed his chest out a bit. “I’m old, but there is still a lot of life in me.”
“Sorry Doc, I didn’t mean any offense. I guess I’ve never been that good at interacting with people.”
“I don’t think that’s true at all. I still remember the first time we met. You were at the ice cream parlor with your mom. I was the new doctor in town back then. I didn’t know anything about your family, or anyone in town for that matter. Your mom was at the counter paying for an ice cream cone that you held in your hand. She realized that she didn’t have enough money with her. She was flustered and didn’t know what to do. Little Matthew Riker handed the cone back to the attendant. You told him that you were worried about cavities and could not take the ice cream. I still remember the look on your mother's face. It was a mixture of pride and sorrow. She knew that you were a good kid at heart. Willing to sacrifice to protect other people.” Doc took a sip of his coffee and set it back on the table with a smile.
“You forgot to tell the end of that story. A young doctor stepped forward and paid for the cone. You said that you were the new doctor in town and that you gave permission for an occasional cone of ice cream. In fact, you said that it was doctor’s orders when you handed me the cone.” Riker sipped his own coffee. “My mom retold that one often over the years.”
“Those were simpler times. It was easy to know what the right thing to do was.”
“For you and me both, Doc.”
“Your mother was a good woman. It’s a shame what happened to all of you.”
Riker looked down at his lap for a moment. “It feels like all of that stayed with this town. If you don’t mind, I’d like to move on from that topic.”
“Of course.” Doc paused for a moment. “Where are you staying?”
“With my cousin Megan.”
“That’s great. There’s nothing more important than family. Will you be in town long?”
“I’m not sure. I was going to leave after the funeral, but I may stick around for a little while.”
“Why’s that?”
“Coach Kane meant a lot to me. He meant a lot to this town. The way he died doesn’t sit right with me. I’d like to make sure it doesn’t happen to anyone else.”
“Be careful, Matt. There is a bad element in this town now. I don’t want to see you end up like Coach Kane.”
“I was actually hoping to talk to you about that.”
Doc’s eyes widened and he set his coffee down on the table. “Me? Why?”
“You know the people of this town better than anyone. What can you tell me about Gabe Sullivan?”
“That’s a sad tale, if I’ve ever heard one.” The doctor shook his head. “I gave him his annual physical in January, blood work and everything. He was clean then. Six months later, he was dead. My heart goes out to his parents. To be honest, they’re not doing very well.”
“I heard that Coach Kane was looking into who his dealer was.”
Doc nodded. “That was Oscar Kane. He charged headfirst into situations, trying to right any wrongs he saw. He had a big heart.”
“And how about you? Any thoughts on what might have happened to Coach? Was he asking too many questions to the wrong people?”
Doc shifted in his seat, clearly uncomfortable about the direction the conversation was taking. “Oscar turned over every stone in his investigation, including speaking with Gabe’s doctor.”
“Oh? And what did you tell him?”
“The same thing I’m telling you. But it’s what he told me that might be of interest. He implied that he had a source with inside knowledge of the drug operation who was willing to share information with him.”
“Who was it?”
“He didn’t say and I didn’t ask. I’m not a detective, and I’m smart enough to know I can’t change the world. I try to stick to making a difference in small ways. Helping my patients is enough for me.”
“I take it you’ve seen the impact of the drug problem more than most.”
“Indeed. I remember about ten years ago when I saw my first overdose. I thought it was an isolated incident, but it turns out it wasn’t. There have been many since then. More and more people came in with opioid issues. Some were trying to get prescriptions. Others were looking for help with withdrawal. I did what I could to help them kick the addiction. None of it mattered. I have seen the same men and women dozens of times. I hate to say it, but it’s more than I can handle.”
“Doc, it sounds like you’ve given up.”
He shook his head. “I’m not going to stop fighting. I’ve just become a realist about it. I know that the police feel the same way. The problem is just too big.”
“Sometimes a fresh perspective can make the difference. I have some experience dealing with bad people, and I think I might be able to help here.” Riker paused as a car pulled up to Luke’s building across the street. It was a large black SUV with tinted windows. Two men in tailored suits stepped out. Both checked
the area and then went into the building. One of the men had a tattoo that flowed up from the collar of his shirt and wrapped around his neck.
Doc turned to see what Riker was looking at. “Did you find yourself at this coffee shop by chance or are you playing detective?”
“I was just visiting an old friend.”
“Luke Dewitt? He is an old friend, isn’t he? Have you had a chance to catch up with him?”
“A bit. We still have things to discuss. I’m surprised that you know where Luke’s office is. Are you two friends?”
“He and the men on his construction team are frequent patients. I’ve patched them up a lot over the years, everything from puncture wounds to crushed hands.”
“Does he seem okay?”
“What do you mean?”
“I think you know exactly what I mean.”
“All I know is that life is complicated and Luke is a good guy at heart. When the school wanted to put in tennis courts, Luke did the job at cost. He helps out in the ways that he can.”
“Have you considered that guilt may be the driving force behind his good deeds?”
“Does it matter? A good deed is a good deed.”
“Yeah Doc, it matters a lot. I have dealt with some truly evil men. They all found a way to justify the things they did. But they still made the choice to hurt others for their own gain. That ‘complicated world’ stuff is always a bullshit excuse for them to do what they knew was wrong.”
“That is a very simple way to view the world.”
“What can I say? I’m a very simple guy.”
Riker watched as the two men in suits came out of the office across the street. When they exited the building each man checked their blind spots. They did it on instinct, and Riker knew how much training it took to make that level of caution happen automatically.
Riker made a show of checking his watch. “I didn’t realize what time it was. I’ve got to go meet up with Megan.”
The doctor gave him a long look. “If you’re serious about following up on this, I would investigate who Oscar’s source was. If you find that person, maybe you’ll find the information that got Oscar killed. And that could lead to who killed him.”
