by Brenda Novak
“Divorced. His wife moved away last year, after they split, with both kids. He didn’t have a problem with it.” She’d been jealous that Hannah Hardy had so easily managed to leave Alex behind. She wished she had the same option.
“Do you think he’ll talk to me?”
“Might. He’s anti-government, which makes the police nervous. Sly talked about him every once in a while, said he was building up an arsenal and the department was watching him with a skeptical eye. The fact that there’s no love lost between them should be a good thing for you. At least you know he wouldn’t be likely to take their side over yours.”
“That’s good. I’d rather not get shot trying to approach his place,” he said with a humorless laugh.
“Why don’t I go with you? That should make the approach easier. I could introduce you, explain what’s going on. He’ll recognize me.”
“You think it would be safe to go along? And take Jayden?”
“I want to go!” Jayden said, even though he’d obviously just tuned in and didn’t know what they were talking about.
Sadie ruffled his hair while she answered. “Of course. Alex has never hurt anyone, not that I know of. And I’d like to feel as if I’m doing some good somewhere. Might take my mind off my own troubles.”
Dawson closed the cereal box before putting it in the cupboard. “Okay, then. We’ll leave as soon as you’re ready.”
Getting ready wouldn’t take her long. She had only one change of clothes—the T-shirt and sweats she’d washed last night—and no makeup or anything. Dawson had stopped and bought her a toothbrush at the 24-hour mini-mart, at least.
She helped her son down from the table and wiped his mouth and hands before dumping the rest of her cereal down the sink. As she put the bowl in the dishwasher, she noticed Dawson frowning at her.
“I hesitate to say this because I don’t want you to think I’m criticizing your appearance again. I feel bad that I ever did that. But you need to eat more—for the sake of your health.”
“My health is fine,” she said. “As for taking it the wrong way, it doesn’t matter how skinny I get. No one’s going to want me as long as I’ve got Sly dogging my every footstep.”
“I wouldn’t say no one,” he said. At least that was what Sadie thought she heard, but he spoke in a mutter, as if he wasn’t even really talking to her, and left the kitchen before she could ask him to repeat it.
* * *
The barbed wire fence surrounding Alex Hardy’s place had half a dozen Keep Out and No Trespassing signs posted along the road. Once he saw that, Dawson was glad he’d brought someone who knew the property owner. Given the anger that simmered just under his skin these days, it wouldn’t take much to get him in a fight. Sometimes he wished for a target, some way to vent his despair and frustration. And the person who owned this land looked like he’d be happy to interpret anything as a threat.
“Alex Hardy is coming off as seriously antisocial,” he grumbled as he eyed the cabin-like home beyond the safety of the fence.
“He’s not as unfriendly as you might think,” Sadie said. “He just likes to look tough.”
Dawson could feel her leg against his whenever she moved. They’d swung by her place to get Jayden’s safety seat out of her car, which had been necessary, but seeing the charred side of the house had been difficult for her. She’d barely spoken since. He’d pointed out that the other half of the house looked just fine, that there had to be some things left she could recover, but she hadn’t really responded. She’d just turned her back on the whole sad affair, put Jayden’s safety seat on the passenger side, because it required a shoulder strap, and climbed in next to him.
Fortunately, and sort of surprisingly, given all the signs, the gate to the driveway of Alex Hardy’s place stood open. Dawson pulled in behind a red truck that sported several NRA bumper stickers and one that depicted a woman with bare breasts. “Should we leave Jayden in the truck, just in case?” he asked. “After all the press about me, once this guy recognizes who I am, there’ll be no telling how he might react.”
“He’s not going to do anything.” She unstrapped her son, and they all walked to the front stoop together.
They didn’t have a chance to ring the bell. The door swung wide before they could even reach it.
“Wow. Alex. That was fast,” Sadie said. “Don’t tell me you have motion sensors on the property these days.”
A burly man with a long Duck Dynasty beard and a rifle tattooed on his arm looked out at them. “Not yet. Might get some, though. That’d be cool. I saw you from the window. Who’s this?” He gestured at Dawson.
Sadie started to reply, but Alex cut her off before she could.
“Wait! I recognize you! Saw you on TV. You’re that dude who killed his parents a year or so ago.”
Dawson felt his muscles bunch. No matter how many times he suffered that accusation, it never got any easier. “They were killed, but I didn’t do it,” he said. “That’s why I’m here.”
Alex ignored his response and focused on Sadie. “Since when did you become friends with him?”
“We’re not friends, exactly. Well, we are friends. But we’re more employer/employee.”
“You work for him? What about the restaurant? I just saw you there a few days ago.”
“I’ve still got another week at Lolita’s, but it wasn’t paying me enough, so I had to look elsewhere,” she said. “Dawson has hired me as a caregiver for his sister.”
“Whoa! You’re quitting Lolita’s and working for the Reeds’ son even though we don’t really know... I mean, what does Sly have to say about that?”
“It’s none of Sly’s business.”
“Since when did that ever stop him from getting involved?” he said with a laugh.
“You have a point,” she replied. “He thinks he can weigh in on everything. That he owns this town, owns me. But I’ll deal with it.” She stopped Jayden from trying to slip inside the house to pet the cat that sat watching them with its black tail twitching from side to side. “Listen, Alex. Gage, down at The Blue Suede Shoe, mentioned that someone who put in a bunker for you saw a homeless man fitting the description of the hitchhiker Dawson picked up the night his parents were murdered. Do you remember anything about that?”
“He was from Santa Barbara,” Dawson added, hoping to jog his memory.
“We need to reach him,” Sadie continued, “to see if he can tell us any more about that vagrant—if he talked to him, what his name was, where he was from, where he was heading, if he had any tattoos or other distinguishing characteristics. You know, anything that might help us find him.”
“Really?” Alex said.
Dawson was taken aback by his response. “Really. Why? What do you mean?”
He tugged on his beard as he talked. “You’re looking for a needle in a haystack, man. I don’t even remember the name of the guy who built my bunker. And even if you end up tracking him down, what’re the chances he’s going to remember anything about a bum he saw a year ago?”
“I admit the chances aren’t good,” Dawson said. “But I have to start somewhere, and it’s all I have. I’ll worry about the rest once I get that far. So do you have a receipt or work order or anything else he might’ve signed?” Dawson asked.
“Sorry. Don’t keep crap like that. But the company was called Safety First. I remember because there aren’t a hell of a lot of companies in this area that build bunkers, you hear what I’m saying? Maybe they can tell you the name of the dude they sent out. If you’re real lucky, it might even be that he still works there.”
“We’ll see what we can find.” Dawson lifted Jayden into his arms so that Sadie wouldn’t have to keep him from trying to approach the cat and started back toward the truck.
“Thanks, Alex,” he heard her say.
Although Alex lowered his voice, Dawson could still make out his words. “I know Sly was no picnic, Sadie. I’ve had a couple of run-ins with him myself. But are you sure you haven’t jumped from the frying pan into the fire by moving on to this guy?”
“We’re not together, Alex. I just work for him,” she reiterated.
“Seems to me like you’re pretty set on helping him.”
Even Dawson could hear the skepticism in Alex’s voice.
“Because Dawson hasn’t killed anyone,” she said, her tone turning defensive. “He’s a nice guy.”
“Then I hope Sly doesn’t kill him.”
As angry as Dawson was, at the police, at Sly, at the vagrant who murdered his parents—at the whole world right now—he almost wished Sly would come after him. He craved the opportunity to put Sly Harris down in any kind of meaningful way. Sly deserved it.
Except he knew Sadie’s ex wasn’t the type who would ever fight fair.
16
Sadie took her son from Dawson as soon as they got back to the truck and strapped Jayden in his safety seat while Dawson used his phone to research the contact information for Safety First in Santa Barbara. He found a listing and shot her a “wish me luck” look before dialing. There was always a possibility that the company wasn’t even in business anymore.
She fended off her son’s pleas to eat his sucker two or three times with a “not now” or “after lunch” while trying to listen to Dawson’s side of the conversation. Finally, she gave in, just to keep Jayden quiet. She figured one treat at an irregular time shouldn’t cause any lasting damage.
Dawson had already identified himself and asked for the owner. She could hear him saying, “When will he be in?” and “Can you tell me if you have access to job orders for the company going back thirteen months or so?” over the crackle of the wrapper.
When he hung up, she raised her eyebrows in expectation. “So?”
“That was a woman by the name of Amber.”
“And?”
“The good news is that they have every single job order since they opened their doors eight years ago.”
“What’s the bad news?”
“She wouldn’t give me any more information. Said I’d have to speak to the owner, who won’t be in until Monday.”
“Did you get his name?” She’d heard him ask for it.
“Big Red.”
“That’s it?”
“That’s all she gave me.”
“I’m sorry you have to wait even longer.”
“That isn’t all bad. At least I still have hope,” he said and waited for Sadie to get in before climbing behind the wheel.
“You let him have his treat?” Dawson asked, hitching a thumb at the pleased-as-punch Jayden.
“He couldn’t wait any longer.”
“You mean you got tired of saying no,” he said with a chuckle.
“Essentially,” she agreed.
Dawson leaned forward to see her son. “You got lucky today, huh, bud?”
Jayden offered him a sticky but toothy smile.
Sadie was surprised when Dawson parked in front of The Mint Julep instead of continuing on to the farm. Silver Springs didn’t have a lot of clothing stores. There was no mall, Target or Walmart, just a few small, expensive shops that catered to the wealthy tourists who came through. Sadie had purchased her blouse the other day from this place; it was her favorite boutique. But she’d found the blouse on the clearance rack. Typically, she couldn’t afford to shop here, even though she stopped in once in a while to browse.
“What are we doing?” she asked as Dawson cut the engine.
“You need clothes,” he said simply.
“I can wait. Chief Thomas told me I could give him a list of the things I need. I was planning to do that today.”
“He also said that the bedroom was one of the most damaged parts of the house. I doubt there’ll be much to salvage, and in the meantime I’m sure you’d like a few things—beyond that T-shirt and those baggy sweats.”
She was so glad she’d grabbed her shoes before running out of the house, or she’d need those, too. She just wished she’d managed to save more of her and Jayden’s belongings. She’d been afraid the electrical box or something else would explode, or she’d get blocked in if she lingered. “But...I don’t really have the money right now. And what little I do have I need to reserve for Jayden.”
“We’ll get him some things, too. There’s a ‘nice twice’ place for kids a few blocks off the main drag.”
“I’m familiar with it.” That was where she’d purchased most of his things since leaving Sly.
“We’ll go there next.” He lifted a hand. “No need to worry about the money. I’ll front what you need as an advance against your wages.”
Problem was, she’d need every bit of those wages for other things—like car insurance, day care, rent and utilities, so she could move out of the farmhouse and get back on her own two feet. She hated having to lean on someone she hadn’t known all that long, someone who had enough of his own problems.
But what could she say? She and Jayden were wearing what they’d slept in. At a minimum, they’d need underwear and socks for when they bathed or showered later. Which meant she had to buy them.
“Okay. Thanks.” She scooted out the driver side right after he did and would’ve walked around to get Jayden, but Dawson beat her to it, and Jayden didn’t seem to mind. He didn’t reach for her once, didn’t even look over at her as he would have if his father were carrying him. She found it so ironic that they both trusted Dawson more than they did Sly—intuitively—in spite of how everyone else felt about him.
Jessica Spitz, the owner, was inside the shop, creating a new display. She glanced up as the buzzer sounded over the door and stopped what she was doing. “Sadie! I read about the fire in the paper this morning. I’m so glad you’re okay.”
Sadie managed a smile, even though she felt extremely uncomfortable in what she was wearing, given how fancy the shop was, and how Jessica was always dressed like she was ready to walk down a red carpet in LA. It didn’t help that she didn’t have much money with which to rectify her situation and would have to check price tags so carefully. “Thanks. It’s a bummer—that’s for sure.”
“But you have renter’s insurance, right?”
Sadie didn’t. She’d been so broke she hadn’t even considered an additional bill. But Jessica made it sound as if every renter would have insurance, so she avoided answering more honestly by saying, “I’ll be okay,” as if she did have coverage.
“How do you think the fire got started?” Jessica asked.
“What’d it say in the paper?” Sadie hadn’t even thought to look. She’d been too distracted with the simple act of recovering and helping Dawson find the vagrant he believed murdered his parents.
“Not much—just that a fire broke out in your home after midnight last night and destroyed half of it before the fire department could put out the blaze. I hope you didn’t lose too many of your things.”
Sadie drew a deep breath. “So do I. The police won’t let me go back yet, so it’ll be a day or two before I find out what’s left.”
“I read that they’re still investigating the origins of the fire.”
“Yeah. That’s what they told me, too.” She wasn’t about to mention that she thought it was arson. She supposed there was a chance that seeing a man in her yard right before she smelled smoke was a coincidence, but it had to be a very small one.
“I’m guessing it was faulty wiring,” Jessica mused. “My aunt once had an electrical fire break out while she was on vacation. Burned her place to the ground.”
“Wow. I’m sorry to hear that,” Sadie said.
“Don’t worry about it. Happened years ago.” Her gaze shifted to Da
wson. “And you are...” Once again, Sadie witnessed recognition dawn before she could introduce her new employer. “Dawson Reed,” Jessica finished before they could answer.
Sadie knew he couldn’t enjoy the notoriety he’d gained, but he dipped his head politely in spite of that. “Nice to meet you.”
To Jessica’s credit, she offered him a smile. “It’s nice to meet you, too. So...what can I do for the both of you?” Her gaze swept over Sadie’s comfortable but shapeless apparel. “I take it you need a few things to wear.”
“A blouse and a pair of jeans should get me through, for now.” Sadie didn’t want Jessica to suggest too much, didn’t want Dawson to feel as if he’d have to buy her a lot. Not only was she sensitive to the fact that she couldn’t really afford to shop here, she didn’t want him to feel she was taking advantage of his willingness to loan her what she needed until payday.
“I have a new brand of jeans that’ll look great on your slender figure,” Jessica said.
Slender sounded better than skinny, but mention of her size made Sadie self-conscious in front of Dawson. She knew what he thought of her weight. “Great. I’ll try on a pair,” she said. If Jessica liked the jeans, she knew she would, too, but she had no real hope that she’d be able to buy the latest and greatest, so she slowly gravitated over to the clearance rack, where she found a lightweight sweater that might work and a long-sleeved blouse.
Dawson was playing with Jayden. Sadie could see her son darting between the racks, trying to hide from him, could hear the squeals of delight when Dawson “found” him. Dawson seemed preoccupied until Jessica returned with the jeans she’d suggested and asked if Sadie was ready to “start a room.” Then he looked up as if he was interested to see what she’d chosen.
“Sure.” Sadie followed her into the two-stall changing room in the corner of the boutique.
“Make sure you come out so we can take a look,” Jessica told her as she left.
Sadie checked the price on the jeans first thing—$125. She wasn’t even going to bother putting them on, she told herself.
She tried the sweater first. She liked it, but it was on sale for $44 and the blouse was only $35.
