by Gen Griffin
“Yeah,” he told Ian. “Breedlove will fix it. Breedlove always fixes everything. It'll be like she never died.”
Ian nearly smiled. “David can fix anything.”
“Of course he can,” Addison lied. “Now come help me get your truck rolled back over.”
“Okay.” Ian got out of the truck with his shoulders straight. If he hadn't been covered in blood and vomit, Addison would have been hard pressed to tell that anything was wrong with him.
Chapter 9
There was a shovel on the far back wall of the shed. Cal was halfway past a stack of old tires and trying to step over a pair of broken lawnmowers when someone shoved the shed door open. The room was flooded with unexpected dim light.
“Boy, do you know you've got a dead girl in your toolbox?”
Cal stiffened as he turned to face David's career felon of a father. “Why are you digging around in the toolbox?”
Ricky squinted his hooded eyes, clearly struggling to see clearly in the dim shed. “Shit. Cal?”
“Yes?” Cal pulled his foot loose of a lawnmower deck and leaned as far as he could towards the wall. He grabbed hold a splintery wooden handle and yanked the heavy old shovel down off the rusty nails that held it in place.
“You need a shovel?” Ricky Breedlove crossed his arms over his narrow chest and titled his head curiously in Cal's direction. He wasn't slurring his words, which was surprising this late on a weekday afternoon. Ricky was normally trashed on either drugs or pills well before the sun hit the western skyline.
Cal waved the shovel in Ricky's direction. “Yes. You happen know where David's spare toolbox is?”
“In the cab of my truck,” Ricky replied. He leaned against the shed door. “I borrowed it the other day because I couldn't find mine.”
“I need it.” Cal began to make his way out of the shed, navigating the piles of debris and junk more easily since Ricky was letting in so much light.
“You going to use it to bury the dead girl who is in the toolbox of David's truck?” Ricky asked.
Cal hesitated. He wasn't exactly thrilled that Ricky had managed to stumble across the body in the truck, but he wasn't exactly worried that Ricky would call the cops either. “Maybe,” Cal admitted.
“Where's David?” Ricky didn't seem remotely upset or concerned by the idea that Cal needed to borrow a shovel so he could dispose of a corpse.
“He had to go pick up a truck.” Cal emerged from the shed. If Ricky had been 20 years younger and significantly less strung-out, he and David would have been mistaken for twins. They had the same dark, shaggy brown hair, hooded green eyes, olive skin and lean, almost skeletal build. If David had any of his biological mother's DNA in him, it sure didn't show on the exterior.
“Your truck?” Ricky pressed the issue, his tone still deceptively lazy.
Cal sighed. He knew better than to underestimate Ricky. If Ricky wanted the truth, he could have it. Besides, David had already said he was planning to get Ricky to help him put Ian's truck get back together.
“Not mine,” Cal admitted. “Ian wrecked his truck.”
“Ian?” Ricky blinked for a second and then scowled, giving Cal a clear view of exactly how many teeth he was missing. “Dammit. I told Maggie she was an idiot to give that nice of a truck to that kid. That boy is an unrepentant idiot.”
“He rolled it playing on the management trails. David took the wrecker to go get it.”
“Did he?” Ricky glanced back towards where the wrecker had been parked. “You know, I didn't even notice it was gone.”
“But you noticed what was in the toolbox?” Cal countered.
“I was looking for my twelve-gauge shotgun,” Ricky explained. “David's been keeping my Browning in his truck. I was going to go hunting with Leon in the morning so I wanted to get it back from him for the day.”
“If it was in the toolbox then its probably in Addy's Jeep now. That's where we put everything when we cleared it out.”
“Cleared it out so you could put that little girl's body inside?” Ricky asked.
Cal shrugged.
“Calvin, I know you don't like me and ain't got no respect for me, but you might want to tell me how you boys killed that girl.” Ricky narrowed his eyes at Cal. “I'd just about guarantee that I'm the only adult y'all know who'd rather help you get rid of her than call the sheriff's department.”
“It was an accident.” Cal was surprised when the words spilled out of his own mouth. “We were playing on the trails and Ian was in the lead. He didn't see her until it was too late.”
“He run her down?” Ricky raised his eyebrows in surprise.
“He hit his brakes, lost control, flipped and landed on her.”
“Jesus H. Christ,” Ricky said.
“She was dead when we got the truck off of her.”
“I'd have figured as much. That's a heavy truck.”
“David's hoping you can help him fix it.” Cal decided he might as well tell Ricky everything. Ricky Breedlove was the only adult he knew who had more experience hiding things from the cops than he did socializing with them.
“He's asking for miracles.” Ricky shook his head. “Y'all were drunk, weren't you.” It was a statement rather than a question.
Cal nodded.
“David's protecting Ian, ain't he?”
Cal nodded again.
Ricky kicked at the dirt for a minute and then shrugged. “I reckon let me go put my boots on. There should be another shovel in here somewhere. Maybe on that back wall.”
“Another shovel?” Cal was baffled.
“We'll get her buried faster if we're both digging,” Ricky replied.
Chapter 10
A tiny girl with a sloppy dark blonde ponytail was standing in the center of the David's shop when Addison walked out of the back room of the office. She was staring at Ian's mangled truck with both of her small hands clasped over her mouth.
“Hey, little girl. We're closed for the night.” Addy tried and failed to make the mechanic's coveralls he had been forced to borrow from David button over his chest. Try as he might, the coveralls only fit him from the waist down. The snaps across his chest were at least three inches away from being able to close. He was showing a lot of undesired cleavage.
The girl turned to face him as he approached. He watched her warm, honey-colored eyes travel from his bare feet to his stained coveralls and exposed, hairy chest before reaching his face.
“That's Ian's truck,” she whispered.
“What?” Addison wasn't entirely sure he'd heard her right. For a kid, she was kind of cute. She was wearing a pair of short blue cheer shorts with leggings layered underneath them and a sloppy dark blue hooded sweatshirt that was several sizes too big. Addison had initially pegged her for being around eight years old, but he was reassessing that estimate as he watched her watch him. She was short and flat-chested but athletic in a way that kids rarely were. He decided that the sloppy honey-colored ponytail and the freckles that dusted across her ski jump nose made her look significantly younger than she was. There was nothing child-like in her wide eyes as she pointed at the Dodge.
“Ian was supposed to pick me up after practice. He never showed up. He never called me back and his phone is going straight to voicemail.” The girl swallowed visibly, her face filled with genuine fear as she pointed at the wrecked Dodge. “This is his truck. Where is he? Please tell me he's okay?”
Addison stared at her blankly for a minute and then the pieces of the puzzle snapped together in his head. Cal had mentioned that Ian's girlfriend was a cheerleader. This girl was wearing workout clothes and she'd just said he hadn't shown up to pick her up from practice.
“You're the girlfriend. Katie, right?” he guessed.
“Right,” she nodded. “Where is Ian? Is he okay?”
“He's fine. A little scraped up, but fine. He's in the bathroom in back taking a shower. We were out playing in the woods and he lost control of the truck. It looks worse than it is.”
Addison jerked his thumb back towards the office. His own hair was still wet and dripping from his own shower. It had felt damn good to wash the dead girl's blood off his hands.
“Oh thank God,” Katie slumped back against the side of David's wrecker. Her relief was visible as the tension disappeared from her shoulders. She hugged herself tightly. “He's okay?”
“Yeah. The truck is screwed but Ian is alright.” Addison debated whether or not he should tell her to leave. She appeared to be genuinely concerned about Ian, but Addison remembered that David had said Ian's new girlfriend was only in the relationship because she liked his truck.
“I was so worried when he didn't answer his phone,” she said.
Addy decided she could go. Regardless of how worried she seemed, Cal and David hadn't had anything nice to say about Katie.
“He's fine, but look, you really shouldn't be here. David's funny about who all comes in the shop.”
“David can kiss my butt if he thinks I'm leaving this shop without seeing Ian is okay for myself.” Katie didn't even blink as she shook her head at Addison. “That truck rolled. At least once. And there's blood all over the driver's side.”
“Ah, yeah. Shit.” Addison mentally cursed himself for forgetting about the blood on the truck. He reassessed Katie's age again. She wasn't a kid and she could clearly think on her feet. “I need to wash that off of there.”
“Whose blood is it?”
“Ian's.” David came walking back into the main garage portion of the shop. His hooded eyes narrowed as he focused his attention on Katie. “He cut himself up pretty good when the windows shattered.”
“Does he need to go to the hospital?” Katie asked immediately.
“No. He'll be fine,” David shook his head. “Katie, now really isn't a good time.”
“A good time for what?” Katie countered. She met David's cold gaze head-on. “I just sat out in the cold for over an hour waiting for Ian to come pick me up. He's never left me sitting before. I kept calling his phone and it kept going straight to voice-mail. I finally just gave up and decided to walk home. I was walking past here when I saw the truck.” She pointed at the Dodge. “I've never been so scared in my life. I saw the truck and I thought Ian was dead. I want to see him. I'm not leaving without giving him a hug and kiss.”
David and Addison exchanged an uncertain look. After a minute, David hardened his expression and turned back to her. “Katie-.”
“Don't you dare,” Katie cut him off. “I know everyone at school thinks you're Billy Badass, including Ian, but I'm not real impressed. You're not going to intimidate me into running off without seeing that Ian is okay with my own eyes.”
David scowled but, much to Addison's surprise, he backed down from this 5 foot nothing girl. “Fine. You can stay. But only because Ian says he loves you.”
“Thank you,” Katie smiled sweetly at David. “You weren't getting rid of me anyway.”
“I know,” David replied as he walked out the front of the garage bay and came back a moment later dragging the end of the hose. He turned the water on and began spraying down the side of Ian's truck, washing away the blood.
Addison couldn't help snorting back a laugh. He looked over at David. “She's kind of a spitfire, ain't she?”
David shrugged in response. He appeared totally immersed in washing the totaled truck.
Katie tilted her head sideways at Addison, as if she were really noticing him for the first time. “I am who I am. Nice coveralls, by the way. I think you need to go up a size. Your boobies are hanging out.”
“Yeah, I'm thinking I might need to shave my chest.” Addison stared down at the curly light blonde hair that was dusting over his pecs. He flexed his shoulders uncomfortably in the too-small coveralls.
“I'm thinking maybe you should start by shaving your face,” Katie replied. “You might be kind of cute if you didn't look quite so....homeless.”
David snorted back a short laugh. Clean water was now flowing freely down the side of the Dodge, removing all traces of red.
Addison blinked at Katie, clearly insulted. “You think I look homeless?” He demanded.
“You have kind of let yourself go lately,” David commented.
“The beard isn't doing you any favors,” Katie said. “You have pretty eyes though. I've never seen anyone with turquoise eyes before. Is the color real or do you have contacts in?”
Addison responded by batting his long dark eyelashes at her. “I have contacts in because my vision sucks, but the color is real. My contacts are clear.”
“I'm officially jealous then,” Katie said. “Boys aren't supposed to be pretty. Its cruel and unusual punishment for all us plain girls in the world.” She halfway smiled to show she was teasing.
Addison couldn't help laughing. “David said you were only dating Ian for his truck, but you know, I kind of like you.”
“David said what?” Katie whirled around on David, her face flushing with instant anger. “You said what?” She demanded. Her hands were on her non-existent hips.
“I can't think of any other reason you would be dating him.” David shut off the hose and turned to face her. He shrugged as if his words didn't matter.
Katie took two steps toward him, raised her right hand and slapped him just as hard as she could. Her blow hit his shoulder.
“Hey! What the hell?” David rubbed his arm where she'd hit him.
“You are such an ass,” Katie said. “For the record, I'm dating Ian because he's a nice guy and I love him. Not that I owe you an explanation. Or you either, whoever the hell you are.” She poked a finger at Addison.
“You don't know who I am?” Addison didn't think he'd ever seen a girl stand up to David before. For that matter, he hadn't seen very many people – male or female -, stand up to David. “Now I definitely like you,” he told her.
“Gee, thanks. The jury is still out on you, studmuffin.”
“Studmuffin?” Addison asked.
“If the shoe fits,” David muttered. “I can't believe you slapped me,” he told Katie.
“I can't believe you said that I'm only dating Ian for his truck,” she replied. “I'm officially pissed at you, Breedlove.”
“Remind me to care later,” David replied.
“You'll care,” Katie replied smartly. “And if you're lying to me about Ian being hurt-.”
“He's not lying. David never lies.” Ian stepped out of the bathroom. His face had a slightly raw, freshly scrubbed look. He was wearing one of the t-shirts that David kept at the shop for when he had to go straight to work from school and a pair of jeans that had both knees completely torn out, also David's. He smiled tiredly at Katie. “God am I glad to see you.”
Katie immediately forgot David existed. She ran to Ian and threw her arms around his scrawny neck. “You scared the crap out of me,” she whispered as she buried her face in his shoulder. “Are you okay? I mean, really okay?”
Ian hugged her tightly, squeezing her tiny frame so hard that Addison was surprised he didn't crack a few of her ribs in the process. “I'll live,” Ian told her.
“I didn't ask if you'd live,” Katie clarified. She looked up into his face, running one hand down the cut on his chin. “I asked if you were okay?”
“Not really,” Ian admitted. He took a deep breath and straightened his shoulders. “But I'm better now that you're here. Have I told you how much I love you?”
“I love you too,” Katie whispered. She stretched up to kiss him.
“I'm going to go barf,” David announced as he watched their lips touch.
“Shut up, Breedlove.” Katie pulled back from Ian as the kiss ended. She leveled another glare in David's direction. “You and I aren't done.”
“Yes, we are.”
“No, you only wish we were.” Katie shook her head and let out an irritated huff of breath. She turned back to Ian. “Your buddy here told me that David told you that I'm only with you for your truck. I just want you to know, he's full of shit.”
“He doesn't believe in love.” Ian halfway smiled. He ran one hand through the end of her ponytail. “Don't let him bother you. I know you love me as much as I love you.”
“You damn well better believe I do.” Katie put her right hand in his and traced his jaw with her left hand. “You scared me today.”
“I'm sorry.”
“I tried to call you 10 times.”
“The back broke off of my phone when I rolled the truck. The battery fell out and I couldn't find it again. I still don't know where it is. I'm so sorry.” Ian bent down to kiss her again. “I know I left you stranded. I didn't mean to.”
“Its okay. I know you didn't mean to.”
“You forgive me?” Ian asked.
“Of course,” Katie told him as she stroked his face. “It was an accident. You didn't mean to.”
The shop phone started ringing loudly, startling all of them.
“Who the hell is calling at this hour?” Addison wondered out loud. He glanced out the front of the garage bay, as if confirming to himself that the sky was in fact dark. “Shop closed hours ago.”
“Actually, I don't think we ever even opened today,” David admitted. He eyed the phone for a minute and then shrugged at Addison. “Maybe its Cal?”
“Could be.” Addy walked over to the landline phone and picked it up. “Breedlove Automotive. How can I-.” He cringed and held the phone just slightly away from his ear as someone talked loudly and rapidly through the other side of the line. Addison sighed. “Yes ma'am. Ian wrecked his truck. Um, no. He's fine. Really. Yes, I'm sure. You want to talk to him?”
Addison held the phone out in Ian's direction. “Ian, it's your Momma.”
“Oh crap.” Ian released Katie from his embrace and frowned at the phone. “How did she find out so fast?”
“We're in Possum Creek,” Addy reminded him as he handed over the mobile handset and then immediately distanced himself from the ass-chewing that was about to begin.
