by Jen Talty
“And what do we know about Ricky?” Jared wrote the name on the board.
“We know he’s Becky’s nephew,” Reese was now standing next to Jared, also staring at the board. “And he’s Andy’s friend.”
“But when did he become Andy’s friend? Before or after his mother drowned?” Jared questioned. “Andy said Ricky could get him a hit man. Ricky’s dad is Becky’s brother, who was a delinquent most of his youth, and also works for Taylor.”
“Like I said, it’s all one big set-up. And not a very good one at that,” Frank said, completely annoyed. They were missing something, and he hated talking in circles. None of them believed Lacy did anything. It was all Taylor, but there was no way to prove it. Based on what was sitting right in front of them, Lacy looked damn guilty.
“But why? Just to gain custody of Andy?” Jared rubbed the back of his head. “This is where nothing fits for me. I can see how the custody issue is hot with Lacy. Her sister died and asked her to take care of Andy. She’s just doing what her sister wanted. But what makes her look bad, besides the so-called evidence, is that she hasn’t been around in years.” Jared shook his head. “But in a way neither has Taylor. I question his motives more than hers.”
“According to all my records, he never once fought Hannah for visitation or custody. If I go by what Lacy says, he never really saw his own kid after the divorce, but we can’t go by that because it’s hearsay.” Frank moved to the side of the desk and started to shuffle through some of the papers. Sometimes things were right under your nose, but you were just too close to see them. “There is no documentation that Taylor ever tried to either gain visitation or custody before Hannah died.”
“Wait,” Reese said. “Did he have any rights to his son?”
“He never gave them up.” Frank handed Reese some papers he’d gotten from social services. “According to the divorce papers, he didn’t have any set visitation. He was supposed to pay a certain amount of child support, but Lacy says that never happened.”
“But we don’t know what kind of agreement he and Hannah might have had. Everything could have been just peachy between them,” Reese tossed the papers on the desk. “Lacy’s word means nothing here because she lived on the other side of the country.”
“Taylor insists he visited with his son regularly. Took him to ball games and shit. Andy doesn’t say he did, but he won’t deny it either. I think the report Ms. Lazzery first filed said Andy would only comment that his father was around. Whatever that means.” Frank slammed his fist against the desk. “We’re missing something here.”
“I’d put money down that Andy knows what that something is,” Jared said tossing the marker on his desk. “I’ve decided the trailer is still a crime scene. I don’t want Lacy back there until I’ve had a chance to search it.”
“Excuse me?” Frank questioned. He’d known Jared a long time. Long enough to know that Jared didn’t bend the rules unless he thought he could back up his actions enough, so he wouldn’t lose his job. This might be pushing it.
“We’re looking at this from a custody standpoint, but that’s not what it’s about.” Jared lowered his chin.
“Well, shit,” Frank said, shaking his head. “Whatever the issue is, it happened before Lacy came home. Either the man is trying to keep Andy quiet about something. Or Hannah had something on him and he’s trying to find it.”
Jared rested his hip on his desk. “We know that Paul Carlton is a questionable character. He’s got a juvie record a mile long and he’s been in a few incidents since then. Locals are investigating him for drug dealing, and his son is a criminal in the making. His sister Becky is a model citizen, and to my knowledge, has never done a bad thing in her life.”
“What about that Billy kid?” Reese questioned.
“Jury’s out on that one. He says he doesn’t hang that much with Ricky anymore, but wouldn’t say why. The only thing I can connect him to is the jet ski Andy was driving the day I pulled him over for harassing a boatload of girls with Ricky. Otherwise, he’s kept himself out of my way.”
“Basically, we have the Carlton family connected because they are either engaged to Taylor, work for Taylor, or are friends with Andy. Billy seems to be the odd kid out, except he’s been seen with both Andy and Ricky.” Jared continued to tap his finger on the desk as if he were listening to music and following along with the beat. “Chad works for Taylor.”
“You know,” Reese started, “the FBI had no reason to show up at Chad’s accident.”
“They didn’t really do anything. Didn’t seem to have any reason for being there. Have we seen them since?” Frank asked.
“I’ve seen them around, but then again, one of them grew up around here, so no biggie there,” Jared glanced toward the ceiling. “They were at the accident. I saw them at the hospital parking lot, which makes me think they’re investigating something related to Chad.”
“Or Taylor. Everything seems to come back to him,” Reese said.
“But we’re still missing the point,” Jared said. “While they all say it’s about Andy, something tells me that’s not what Taylor is after.”
“I think Taylor wants what he thinks Andy knows,” Reese said.
“Or thinks Andy has,” Frank added, finally feeling like they were getting somewhere. They might have been talking in circles, but the pieces of the puzzle were starting to take shape. Now all they had to do was add the colors and the pictures to the white pieces, so they could see how they all fit together.
Should be easy.
Frank almost laughed out loud at his own thoughts. “Okay, so Jared is going to search Lacy’s house.”
“I’ve got a buddy with the FBI, so I’ll give him a holler and see if he can shed some light on what the heck the FBI is doing around here,” Jared added. “Reese, you keep grilling Chad and Becky and see if you can trip them up. And Frank…”
“I’ll be getting married,” Frank said.
Jared raised a brow. “You do that and I’m going to have to ask you to step away.”
“I know.” Frank didn’t like giving up control. Even when he’d been put on forced medical leave, Jared had never asked him to stay away from the case. This was different. Frank knew it, understood it, but didn’t like it.
“Are you sure you can handle this? You can’t question…hell, you can’t go near anyone even remotely involved in all of this. You could really fuck things up if Taylor starts screaming favoritism or any kind of harassment on your part.” Jared stood tall. “I need to know that you won’t do anything to put me--or this office--in a precarious situation.”
“I understand, sir.” Frank knew Jared hated it when he said the whole ‘sir’ thing, but it was to prove a point. Frank got it, he respected it and he would abide by Jared’s request. That didn’t mean Frank would sit around and do nothing. He’d still work like hell to prove Taylor was a slime ball. He’d still do all the grunt work and research while continuing to try to get Andy to talk.
Andy had to talk. Whether the kid knew it or not, he had all the answers. He alone held the power.
“Well,” Jared said, moving toward the door. “What the hell are we standing around here for? Get your lazy asses to work.”
“Jared,” Frank called, “thanks.”
Jared nodded, then disappeared from the station house with Reese following behind. Even though a few other Troopers were milling about, Frank felt alone. He hadn’t felt this way since the night the medical examiner zipped up the black bag over Hannah’s face. His mind kept going back to Lacy and Andy. Essentially, they were alone in the world; Frank wasn’t. He had a family and close friends. Frank had it all.
Yet right now, he felt like he had nothing but the consequences of making a huge mistake.
Well, that ended right now. Marrying Lacy was going to be the smartest thing he’d ever do. Making sure Andy had everything he deserved was his only focus. Frank couldn’t replace Andy’s mother, but he could make sure she didn’t die in vain.
>
Lacy stuck her big toe in the lake, but couldn’t bring herself to let her whole foot go in. Andy, on the other hand, easily scooted to the edge of the dock, immediately rolled up his pants, and plopped both legs into the water with a splash. She tucked her feet under her butt and stared out at the boats humming along. She used to love the lake. She wanted to love it again, but every time she came near it, visions of her sister—lifeless—came to mind.
She shook her head. She had to get Andy to talk. “I know you’re not telling Frank and his buddies the truth. Something tells me you have good reason, but you have to tell me.”
“If I tell you, you’ll tell Frank. You might as well pack my bags and send me to my dad’s place.” Andy splashed the water with his feet in an angry motion.
This was a start. “I don’t want to do that, but if you don’t start talking, they’re going to arrest me for something I didn’t do and then where will you be?”
“I’m screwed either way.”
“Not true,” she said, looping her arm around his shoulder. Today he seemed like he’d aged a couple of years. He wasn’t really a young man yet, but he wasn’t a small boy either. “You’re only screwed if I get arrested for trying to kill Becky.” She felt horrible for saying things so straight up. The kid shouldn’t have to go through this.
“But you didn’t do it.”
“I know that, and I think you can prove it. Were you in the car when it happened?”
“No.”
She blinked a few times. She’d been hoping he’d open up, but didn’t expect it to be so easy. “Did they take my car?”
“Yes,” he said, no longer splashing the water. Every muscle in his body went rigid.
“Keep talking.”
“No.”
Well, so much for it being easy. “Okay,” she said softly. “They took you from the trailer in my car, right?”
“Yes.”
She swallowed, hard, wishing Frank were here. He’d know what to ask and how to ask it. “Did they threaten to hurt you?”
“No.”
“Who was driving the car?”
He shook his head.
“Andy, I can’t play this game with you. I don’t know what to ask. You just have to trust me and tell me.”
“But if I tell you, he’ll kill you.”
“Who?” Her left hand gripped the side of the dock with such force she felt the splinters digging into her skin. Desperately, she tried to keep the right side of her body calm and relaxed since that was the side touching Andy.
“Please don’t make me tell you,” Andy whispered.
“Listen to me, and listen good.” She pulled him closer. “Me asking and you giving yes, or no answers is no different than you spilling the beans. Frank isn’t going to let anyone hurt me…or you.”
“He can’t stop them.”
“Yes, he can if you’ll trust him. Trust me. You know he believes your mother didn’t just drown.” She held her breath for a moment as she studied the boy’s expression.
He kept his focus on the water in front of him. His toes flicked in and out of the water sending very tiny ripples across the lake. “Why’d she do it?”
“Do what?” Lacy questioned as calmly as possible, when she really wanted to shake him because they were running out of time.
“Threaten him. If she hadn’t threatened him with turning over those papers, she’d still be alive. She should have just given them to him.”
“What?” Lacy felt her heart leap from her chest to her throat. “What papers?”
“I don’t know. I just heard them fighting one night about something he accused her of taking, and then Dad took me.”
“Took you? Andy, you better start talking. I want it all…now.”
He glanced up at her with tears in his eyes. His face had gone pale and his body trembled. “You don’t get it. If I say anything at all that leads you or the police to him, he’ll kill you.”
“That’s a risk I’m willing to take right now,” she heard herself say. “I can’t help you if Frank has to arrest me because Taylor was able to make it look like I tried to kill his girlfriend.”
Oh, God. How fucked up did that just sound? And I’m telling this to my nephew? This was worse than a bad movie. “Do you see the problem here?”
Andy swiped at his face. “I’m just trying to protect you. I couldn’t protect Mom, but maybe I can stop them from hurting you.”
Damn it! The kid shouldn’t have to protect anyone. “I know you’re trying to do the grown-up thing, but now is the time to stop worrying about everyone else and tell the truth. When did Taylor take you?” She kept her tone soft, but firm. He had to understand that things were as bad as they seemed.
“Two days before Mommy died. He fought with her, then hit her in the gut.” Andy’s face turned hard. The tears had stopped, but his body remained rigid. “He took me to Mr. Carlton’s house.”
“Ricky’s dad?”
Andy nodded. “That’s when I meet Ricky.”
“What did you do over there?”
“Nothing really. Just hung out. Ricky showed me all sorts of cool things and took me out in the woods, so we could shoot his gun. It was fun.”
“Great,” she said, wondering if this was when Hannah had called the cops. She still wanted to go a round or two with whomever it was that let Taylor go. “What happened next?”
“Dad took me home. Mommy told me never to tell anyone I was with him, and that she was going to take care of everything. She said we were going to hop on a plane and go see you. That everything was finally all right.” The boy’s voice quivered with every word.
“What happened the day your mom died?” She could tell he was doing everything he could to keep his own fears at bay. “Just tell me, honey.”
“Dad showed up at the house all mad and upset, demanding the papers. Mom said she didn’t have them anymore. She made him madder, and that’s never a good sign.”
“Did your father hit her?”
Andy nodded.
Oh, God. Did he see his own father kill his mother? “I know this is hard, but what happened next?”
“He forced us both in the car. They went to the Mason Jug where I was told to stay put, so I didn’t move.”
“You sat in the car? Hannah went in the restaurant with him?”
“I was scared, and Mom said it would be okay.”
“Then what?”
Andy was practically sitting on her lap at this point. She stroked his hair, kissed his temple, and did everything she could think of to comfort him. But, she needed the truth and he needed to get it out.
“Dad took us to the marina.”
“Oh God, Andy. You were with Hannah?”
Andy shook his head. “I went with Ricky on his boat. Mom said it was okay. We screwed around. I spent the night there, and when I woke up, Mom was dead.” He blinked as tears rolled down his checks. “It’s all my fault.”
“No,” she whispered, holding him as close as she could. “I hate to say this, but it’s all Taylor’s fault. He did this. You’re just a kid and your mom was trying to protect you. Kind of like you’ve been trying to protect me.” Knowing that Taylor had killed her sister wasn’t just a theory anymore. It was reality, but a few more questions still needed answers.
“Do you know what your father wants?”
“Some papers, and he swears we have them. He said he wouldn’t hurt you if I could find them, but I’ve looked everywhere. When he took me last night that was a warning. I have two days to produce the papers or he’ll make sure you’re dead or will rot in jail.”
“And you have no idea what these papers are?”
“Honest, Aunt Lacy, I don’t know. I’ve told you everything. Really, I have.” His soft brown eyes were wide with fear, or maybe shock.
Something told her he was still holding back some information.
“Okay.”
“So, what now?”
“I’m not sure. I need to talk to Frank and
let him figure out most of it, although I’m not sure what I can tell him.”
“I don’t want to go back to the trailer,” Andy said. His body still shook.
“You don’t have to. I’m sure we can stay with Frank’s family.” She wondered if they’d want her, considering everything. Staying overnight at Frank’s place wasn’t smart until they were married. “Or maybe a hotel.”
“I want to stay with Jake.”
“I’ll ask.” She kissed his temple, saying a little prayer to the man upstairs that Andy would come out on top. That he’d end up being able to rise above it all and have a good and decent life. That everything happening to him wouldn’t destroy him as a man.
Taylor is going to pay.
13
Frank tossed his towel on the dock and let out a long breath. He felt dirty. In one day, he’d applied pressure on two teenage boys in hopes of frightening the crap out of them. Billy looked as if he might crack, except Frank didn’t really think he knew much about the specifics of what the Carlton family was holding over Andy’s head. To be fair, Billy had admitted to selling drugs for Ricky, but when Ricky expected him to break into people’s homes, Billy had backed away.
Since then he’d had the shit kicked out of him. Stupid kid should have told Frank that Ricky did it, but no, Billy decided to say he had been in a jet ski accident. Hell, there was at least one report on the lake every day, and who knew how many went unreported.
Ricky, on the other hand, was a smart-mouthed little shit. He even threatened Frank with a harassment charge. Unfortunately, the kid wasn’t that far off the mark, and if Jared found out some of the things Frank had said…well, Frank would probably be fired.
He checked his oxygen tank and tapped at the mouthpiece. The lake was dead calm. Bad thought. He should think of the ripple-less water as glass. Had the sun been casting a glow across the top of the water, he supposed he’d feel differently.
He wasn’t so much afraid of swimming during the day. That test would be easy. He could see everything around him. It would be crystal clear. There wouldn’t be any murky waters or distortions of the world around him like there was at night. Or at least this is what he told himself.
