Asher

by Piper Davenport

  I could almost hear him shaking his head on the other end of the line.

  Tired of waiting for him to come up with a witty retort, I got down to business. “What’d you call for?”

  “A recommendation, actually. You know we don’t have any private investigators in town, but there’s been some theft happening lately.”

  My ears perked up. “What kind of theft?”

  “Nothing too serious, but some of the seniors have reported missing jewelry.”

  “Seniors? As in Grandma?” I asked.

  He sighed. “Yeah, your grandma is one of them. She claims someone snuck into her room down at the old folks’ home and took some rings and necklaces and shit.”

  My grandma and I weren’t close. My dad was Grandma’s baby and she worshiped the ground he walked on. She’d never forgiven my mother for taking him away from her. And since I was the spitting image of Mom, that’s who Grandma saw when she looked at me. Regardless, the idea of someone breaking into her room and stealing her jewelry ruffled my feathers. It took a special kind of evil to steal from old folks.

  “Is Grandma okay?” I asked.

  “She wasn’t there when it happened, but she’s pretty shook up about it. She told the cops, but you know how they are.”

  My home town police force was known for their inaction. They mostly hung around the Main Street restaurants, drinking coffee and talking about people like a bunch of old church ladies. In their defense, Lakeview was a small town where nothing ever happened, so they had to be bored out of their minds.

  “You said there were other seniors who were robbed?” I asked.

  “Old lady Rogers, Ms. Samuelson, Jeff Long’s aunt, a few others.”

  “Ms. Samuelson?” I asked. “As in my kindergarten teacher, Ms. Samuelson?”

  “The one and only. She still asks about you every time I go in to visit Ma.”

  “What kind of asshat would steal from Ms. Samuelson?” I asked.

  Where Grandma was an opinionated old goat who didn’t care about anyone’s feelings, Ms. Samuelson was a sweet woman with a heart of twenty-four karat gold. My class had been the last one she taught before retiring, and we’d run circles around that poor woman, but she was bound and determined to teach us a thing or two. She had the patience of a saint and the tenacity of a pit bull, and the idea of someone stealing from her made me want to turn into She-Hulk and smash up the guilty party.

  “That’s what we’re tryin’ to figure out. In your new line of work, I was hoping you had some recommendations—maybe from the city—who might be able to help us out without charging an arm and a leg.”

  “I see.” By ‘the city’ he meant Klamath Falls or Bend. They were two and three hours away from Lakeview, respectively, and where we’d have to go to shop for things like school clothes and Christmas presents. I didn’t want to admit that I didn’t know any other private detectives, so I said, “Let me do some research and get back to you.”

  “Thanks, honey. Talk to you soon.” He disconnected.

  I needed to talk to Addison, but she was hurting and I didn’t know if now was the best time to bring up something related to the job that had just cost her a relationship. Still wondering what to do, I walked out to the living room to find Addison standing in the middle of the foyer staring at the door, her face expressionless.

  “Addie?” I asked, glancing around. After the wine, ice cream, and our boyfriend bashing session where we both lied and swore we didn’t need them, we’d both headed to our rooms to get some sleep. “What are you doing out here?”

  Her chin quivered and a flood of tears poured down her face as she lost her composure and slid to the floor. “Addie?”

  “I didn’t expect it to hurt this bad,” she said on a sob.

  I crawled to the coffee table, which wasn’t far, and grabbed a box of tissues, handing it to her. Swearing under my breath, I hugged my friend. It was a good thing Jake was gone, because I’d kick him in the teeth if he was still there. When things got a little rough, he totally bailed. I thought he had more character than that, and I was disappointed to say the least. Addison cried herself out of tears, and then mopped up the mess and sighed. We sat in silence for a few minutes while I tried to think of something that could cheer her up or distract her. Then I remembered the reason I’d come out to find her in the first place.

  “I might have a job for us.”

  She dabbed away the last of her tears. “Stupid Jake and stupid Asher and my stupid dad aren’t going to let us take any more jobs, Dylan. They’re going to lock us in this condo like we’re convicts for doing our last job.”

  “Not if we leave town.” I grabbed my laptop and gave Addison a rundown on the conversation I’d had with my dad while I searched for private investigators in Klamath Falls, Oregon. Klamath was about a hundred miles from Lakeview, and despite its population of a whopping twenty-one thousand, it was referred to as “the city,” since it was the closest larger town. I scanned the results of my search, and they did not look promising.

  “You think we should do it?” Addison asked, still looking a little dazed.

  “People are stealing from the elderly. If we can help, I kind of feel like it’s our duty.”

  “Yeah. Even if the assholes would let us out of lockdown, Ethan doesn’t have anything else for us yet.”

  Ethan was too swamped to give us a proper interview, but he suddenly didn’t have any other jobs for us? Not likely. Either Asher and/or Jake had gotten to him and convinced him not to toss work our way, or he was upset about Greg’s wife dropping her case. After all, he did hire us to nail the guy, not to scare him straight. But, I didn’t mention any of this to Addison since she was already upset enough.

  “If we go to southern Oregon, we can get off the radar of the Spiders, and to be honest, I’m kinda relieved,” she said. “I don’t know if I’m ready to take on another divorce case yet after Greg. I’d love to get out of here for a while and finally see your home town.”

  I held up a hand. “All excellent points, but I have...concerns.”

  Addison fiddled with the hem of her shirt. “Okay?”

  “To start with, Lakeview is more than six hours away.”

  “We do have cars,” she countered. “Mine’s even dependable.”

  “Secondly, the population is two thousand, and it’s in the middle of nowhere. There’s no shopping centers, no fine dining, there aren’t even any hotels. Staying with my dad is off the table, so we’d have to stay in a motel. That’s motel, with an ‘M.’ Have you ever stayed in a motel in your life?”

  She suppressed a shudder. “No, but there’s a first time for everything. Besides, it’s not like it would take us forever to solve the case. I can rough it and be a country girl for a few days.”

  She said this with a straight face, while sitting on her plush carpet in her million-dollar condo, wearing silk pajamas that required dry cleaning and cost as much as my car, and I lost it. My home town wouldn’t even know what to do with her, and she would probably go into culture shock and die the minute we passed the “Tallest Town in Oregon” sign.

  Addison joined me on the sofa. “Stop laughing at me. I could totally survive your home town.”

  The hurt look on her face silenced my laughter. “Addie, it’s not you, it’s Lakeview. It’s...difficult to explain. Everyone in town will know we’re there, and we’ll have to deal with my dad, my crazy uncle Ron, my grandma, and that bitch Brandy who used to torment me.”

  “It’s been years since you’ve been back, Dylan. People change. Besides, I’d love to meet Brandy right about now. It would give me a chance to work off some of this rage I feel toward Jake.”

  I opened my calendar, wishing some important appointment would appear and make it impossible to leave town, but other than plans made with Asher my schedule was depressingly clear. The date piqued my interest, though. “Crap. We can’t go. It’s almost Labor Day.”

  “So?” she asked.

  “Labor Day weekend
is when they hold the fair and Roundup. It’s the biggest event the town has each year. The motels are probably all booked up.”

  “Roundup? Isn’t that like a rodeo? Is that where you used to barrel race?” she asked.

  A few years after Addison and I had become friends, I’d had a moment of insanity and shown her my barrel racing ribbons. She’d called me “Cowgirl” for months afterward, making me want to lobotomize her so she’d give it a rest. I was no cowgirl, at least, not anymore. I’d moved to Portland to get away from that life. Refusing to associate myself with the answer, I replied, “There is barrel racing during the roundup.”

  “Ohmigod!” she squealed. “Dylan, this is just what I need to get over Jake.”

  Rubbing my temples, I asked, “What is, exactly?”

  She looked at me like I was stupid. “Hot cowboys, horseback riding, and a new case. It’s perfect. We will be able to ride horses, right? You know I haven’t ridden in over a year, not since Tizzie died.”

  Addison’s beloved Friesian had developed colic and the vets weren’t able to save him. That gelding had helped her win every jumping and dressage competition all over the country for close to ten years. They were inseparable...partly why she hadn’t had the heart to buy another horse.

  “I’m sure we can rent a couple of horses. That would actually be fun. I miss riding,” I admitted.

  “Great.” She clapped her hands. “Then you can introduce me to all your hot cowboy friends.”

  I groaned, wishing she would let it go. I understood Addison’s infatuation with cowboys, because the media romanticized the hell out of them. But the cowboys I knew usually had Copenhagen dripping down their chins and smelled like stale whisky and horse manure. They did nothing for me. “Addie, a few months ago you couldn’t handle ten minutes in my white-trash apartment, and we’re talking about days—maybe even a week or so—deep in redneck territory.”

  “F.Y. information, I was the one who spent almost an hour packing up your apartment. Plus, I love you and it’s where you came from, so how bad could it be?”

  How bad indeed. “Bad. Trust me on this one.”

  “No. I need out of this city for a while, and those little old ladies clearly need our help. We’re going.”

  Knowing there was no way I was getting out of it, I sighed. “Fine. When do you want to leave?”

  Addison

  I WAS FAR too upset about Jake to sleep, so Dylan and I stayed up most of the night packing and preparing for our trip. Even though she wouldn’t admit it, I think she was a little excited about going home. Lakeview had always filled her with complex emotions of both longing and loathing. I didn’t get it, but hoped for better insight once I finally saw the place.

  We slept in, then Asher brought us lunch and saw us off. This sweet act by my brother made my chest feel like an elephant was sitting on it. I wished Jake was there. I wished he wasn’t such a stupid head. I wished he...well, I wished a lot of things. But I was destined to be disappointed, so I kept it all to myself.

  “You’re going to have an escort,” Asher said. Quietly.

  “What?” Dylan squeaked.

  “Oh, so this is the reason you brought us lunch,” I accused. “You’re trying to butter us up because you’ve gone and done something stupid.”

  “Technically, I haven’t done anything.”

  “And what exactly does that mean?” Dylan asked.

  “Oh my god!” I snapped. “What did Jake do?”

  “A couple of the Dogs of Fire guys are going to be following you.”

  Dylan frowned. “Who?”

  “Bikers,” he finished.

  “Aren’t the bikers after us?” Dylan asked.

  “The Spiders are after you.”

  Dylan stared at him. “And how are they different from the Dogs of Fire?”

  “Different factions. The Dogs are good guys. They’ll keep you two safe and make sure no one follows you.”

  “Wait.” I waved my hands in disbelief. “Jake, my ex, organized to have bikers follow us to Lakeview?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why the hell would he do that?”

  “He cares about—”

  “No. Nope. Non. Niet.”

  “Add—”

  “Stop,” I hissed. “We are not talking about him. He is dead to me.”

  Asher laid his hands on my shoulders. “Okay, sissy, he’s dead to you, but the fact remains, you’re going to have bikers on your tail to make sure you get out of town safely.”

  “The man takes liberties,” I grumbled.

  “I’ll be sure to let him know you feel that way.”

  “Let’s go,” I said with a sigh.

  We headed downstairs and Asher loaded our bags into my car.

  “Where’s our tail?” I asked.

  “You won’t know they’re there,” he said. “That’s the deal.”

  “Whatever.” I started my car and waited while Asher and Dylan said their goodbyes.”

  “Be careful,” Asher said, leaning in through Dylan’s window to kiss her again. “No getting kidnapped or shot at. Either of you. And call me when you get there.”

  “Yes, Mom,” I sassed.

  Asher scowled at me.

  “We’re going to the most boring place on earth,” Dylan said. “There probably isn’t even a thief. I bet one of the seniors with Alzheimer’s is accidentally wandering in the rooms of other people and taking things they believe are theirs. We’ll have this case solved before you know it.”

  Personally, I was hoping the case would take us at least a week. “Afterwards, maybe Dylan and I will take a long vacation somewhere. It’s not like we’re looking forward to coming home and being locked in the condo.”

  “That reminds me, stay close to your phones. Jake is putting together a list of suspects based on your descriptions of the Spiders you saw with Candy. He’ll be sending you both the link when he’s done so hopefully you can identify the suspects,” Asher replied.

  Knowing I had to stay in contact with Jake made my stomach roil. “I’ve already blocked his number,” I ground out.

  “No you haven’t,” Dylan blabbed.

  “Well, I was going to today.”

  “He’ll need to talk to you about the case, sissy. I can’t be the go-between on this one, so will you take one for the team?” Asher asked.

  I wrinkled my nose, not wanting anything to do with Jake or the case, but I knew I had to deal with this one on my own. “I guess I can wait until afterwards to block his number.”

  Chuckling, Asher shook his head and planted another kiss on Dylan’s lips. Apparently, the two of them had come to some sort of terms since last night.

  “All right, lovebirds, we need to get on the road. We’ll call you, Ashey. Now get your head out of my window so I can drive.”

  He straightened and waved us out of the garage.

  Dylan navigated, leading us away from civilization and over the picturesque beauty of Mount Hood to a desert town where the dirt was red and the trucks were lifted. We stopped for dinner at a steakhouse with a giant carved bear out front.

  This was when I noticed two motorcycles pulling into the parking lot.

  “That must be our babysitters,” I hissed.

  “Just ignore them,” Dylan suggested, and I nodded, glancing out my front windshield.

  “This isn’t bad,” I said, taking in the scenery. “A little dry and rustic, and I don’t see any really good places to shop, but it’s not as bad as you made it sound.”

  “This is Bend,” Dylan replied. “We’re still three hours away. This is where girls from town would come to prom or wedding dress shop. This was basically our Portland.”

  “Wow,” I said. “That’s kind of crazy.”

  We headed inside, and were seated at a booth by the window, our tail sitting not far from us. I studied the bikers covertly over my menu, however, I realized one of them caught me staring at him. He smiled so I smiled back, slipping out of my seat and setting my menu on t
he table. “I’ll be right back.”

  “Where are you going?” Dylan asked.

  I didn’t answer her as I strolled to the biker’s table. “Hi,” I said. “I’m Addison.”

  “I’m Train,” the eldest of the two said. “This is Cheese.”

  Cheese gave me a big, toothy smile, and I immediately realized why he was called ‘Cheese.’ Train’s name was somewhat self-explanatory. He was huge. Dwayne Johnson huge.

  “It’s nice to meet you. Since you’re stuck with us for the moment, why don’t you join us?” I offered. “My treat.”

  Train nodded. “Why not?”

  I led the bikers back to our table, introduced them to Dylan as I sat beside her, then we continued our meal with a couple of very nice men.

  After dinner, Dylan drove us on two-lane roads through more trees and over more desert. We continued for three hours and saw maybe forty cars on the road.

  “Traffic’s a little heavy on account of the fair,” Dylan explained between pointing out landmarks like the Sleeping Indian Princess (a series of mountains), and Picture Rock Pass (a sheer pass with a gravel side road leading to petroglyphs).

  “I feel like we’re driving through one of those old-time westerns,” I said. “Any minute now, Billy the Kid and Sundance Cassidy are going to ride onto the road with rifles and hold us up. And that—”

  “Technically, it’s Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid who were part of Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch gang.”

  I ignored her tutelage and pointed to a loose ball of weeds bouncing across the road. “Ohmigod, that’s a tumbleweed, isn’t it?”

  Dylan gave me a tight grin. “I tried to tell you.” Her knuckles were white on the steering wheel, and her posture was rigid.

  “You okay?” I asked.

  “Yeah, it’s just been a while.”

  I could only remember Dylan going back once since she turned eighteen. “That time right after graduation...was that the last time you were home?”

  She nodded. “Yep. It was the longest two weeks of my life. Dad thought I would stay since I was done with school. I’d told him I was going to Portland to get my degree, but then I just kinda stayed in the city after college. Fair warning, I’m sure the guilting will be epic.”