Chapter 3 #2
Riley noted, “Just because he wasn’t supposed to be here doesn’t mean he wasn’t.
And just because no game was supposed to be going on down here doesn’t mean that there wasn’t.
” Derek’s gaze was hard, but Riley shrugged.
“I get it. Believe me that I do,” he stated.
“I’ve seen all kinds of people do all kinds of shit over the years, and most of the time they did it because they just didn’t think it through.
If Timmy was young and stupid or wanted to make a bit of money or thought to make a name for himself,” Riley suggested, “then … young men will be young men.”
Derek closed his eyes for a brief moment and replied, “I hadn’t really expected you to put it quite so succinctly.”
“When it comes to the shit that young men pull, no easy way to put it,” Riley stated, gazing at him. “I hope for your sake that you get all the answers you’re looking for. God knows, I’m looking for answers myself.”
Jacob asked, “Are you gonna hook back up with Gail again?”
“Not likely. She’s engaged and almost married.”
“Yeah, but I heard it was more of a business arrangement,” Jacob shared, his tone laced with humor. Riley frowned at him, surprised, and Jacob nodded. “That’s the word on the streets. Merging families, … for business and all that good stuff.”
Riley snorted. “That would make her father very happy.” Then he shrugged.
“Yeah, but you also know it’ll make her very unhappy.”
“Maybe,” he conceded. His mind was already fully occupied with keeping his feet stable and steady.
The last thing he wanted was to wipe out down here, possibly breaking his prosthetic.
Just the moisture here alone would play havoc with it, and Kat would not be impressed if he damaged this one in areas known to cause him trouble.
On the other hand, if he located a missing K9, then she might help him get a new prosthetic.
He almost smiled at that but had to focus on what he was doing here.
The area was dark, hard to see, edgy, and hard to walk on.
He had to move carefully. The men moved at a faster pace than Riley did, but he wasn’t so slow that they had to stop and wait for him.
As they went from room to room within the tunnels, Riley noted, “I’m sure you’re not doing any gambling in these rooms, so get to the places where you’ve been set up for gambling.”
After a moment of silence, old man Derek frowned at him and repeated, “We don’t know you that well.”
“No, you don’t, but I can tell you that, if the trained War Dog was anywhere here, he would have made his way out, unless he had problems from people.
The fact that he hasn’t made it out means that he is in the catacombs that you’ve either locked off or haven’t used much, and it’s messing up his senses,” he shared.
“Do not ever underestimate these dogs. They are military trained and lethal in their own right.” Riley faced Derek and asked, “How did your son get the K9?”
“He wanted one and applied. He was stable financially. This area has lots of places for the dog to have plenty of room to move. And Timmy himself is active.” With that, Derek frowned. “Was active and hopefully can be again.”
One of the men immediately added, “Don’t discount him.”
Derek nodded slowly. “No, I don’t want to do that.
” He looked over at Riley and added, “We were pretty surprised when he wanted to take on a War Dog, but he was ecstatic, and they bonded immediately. That’s one of the reasons why I’m trying to get Cain back again.
I’m hoping, if I can get him in the hospital, Cain can help pull Timmy out of this. ”
Riley nodded in understanding.
Derek stared at him. “So, if you were military, do you have one of them?”
“Not right now, but I’ll apply to adopt when I get settled somewhere. I don’t have a place to keep a dog at the moment, and you really need that.”
One of the men noted, “Timmy lives here at the pub and apparently has a heavily invested percentage in it, so maybe that’s why he got Cain.”
Riley turned to the man and asked, “Is the pub ownership an issue?”
“We’re wondering if it’s an issue because of Granddad’s recent announcement,” the other man replied.
Four men were with Derek, and Riley only recognized Jacob.
One was probably Jackson, Selene’s husband, since she had shared that he was supposed to be here today.
Riley didn’t remember him. Then two or more cousins were expected to be in this team as well.
Jacob was an older cousin. So Riley figured the other couple of cousins were the two youngest guys of the bunch.
They all seemed to be Beltran family members.
Derek and Jacob were for sure. So was Jackson.
Riley didn’t know the names of these last two guys, other than that they were cousins.
Yet all of them walked carefully and moved slowly, as if understanding how dangerous this tunnel area was from one step to the next.
As they got to the end, a couple miles in, Derek looked around and ordered, “Open it up, and let’s keep going.”
The men glanced at each other, and, after a nod from Derek, the three younger guys started removing bricks and panels, part of a facade, and very quickly opened up another area.
Derek pointed. “Let’s go.” With that, they headed into a much-less-well-kept area of the catacombs.
Riley moved carefully, keeping an eye on the uneven surface even as he stepped confidently forward.
The conversation stilled as everybody focused more on their steps.
When it got a little darker, lights came on, and he realized several of the men carried big heavy flashlights, something Riley had not thought to bring and was already cursing himself for.
When they got a little farther, they stopped, and Derek turned and pointed to a general area. “Timmy went in over there,” he muttered, his voice thick.
Riley asked for one of the flashlights. When one of the men handed it over, Riley immediately started a careful search.
“You look like you’re investigating something,” one unfamiliar man said, eyeing Riley curiously.
Riley nodded. “Yeah, well, up until the Montoya asshole sent me out into a war zone, I used to do a fair bit of investigation work.” At that, everybody stepped back and gave him space, as if he would find answers for them.
Riley hoped so, but there was no guarantee in this instance.
“No tracks because everybody’s pounded through here.
You’ve also had high water. It’s fairly moist.”
“Yes,” Derek agreed. “A huge swell came the other day, and the water rose up in this area. … We’ve had a couple really ugly storms, and it almost always hits this particular section. It’s one of the reasons why it’s more closed off than any other.”
Riley nodded. “Where did you pull Timmy out?”
Immediately he was shown the exact spot. “Right here.”
“Do you know how long he was in there for?”
“Too long,” Derek muttered, his voice somber.
“Which doesn’t tell me anything.” Riley frowned at Derek.
“We don’t know because he was down here alone.”
Riley asked, “I presume you didn’t allow that?”
“Nobody comes down here alone,” Derek barked, his tone hard and bitter.
“Glad to hear it.”
Derek looked around the area and nodded. “Too unstable, too many people coming and going at random times, too many uncertainties down here,” he shared.
“Exactly.” Riley glanced at him with respect.
“The conditions can change. It’s creepy. It’s dark,” Derek continued, then hesitated.
Riley looked over at Derek. “No point in holding back now.”
“One of the concerns is that, while we came down here via our pub access, there are many other ways to get here. Probably dozens we know about, yet …”
“Then there’ll be dozens you don’t know about too.” Riley nodded. “And we all have to remember that.”
Derek grumbled, “Well, the police don’t give a shit. As far as they’re concerned, it was an accident.”
Riley looked over at him and grimaced. “Because that’s an easy answer.
If it was an accident, nobody’s at fault, nobody has to worry about it, and life continues just as before.
It’s only the victims, those people left behind, who pay the price, while the rest of the world barely notices.
” Riley barked a bitter laugh. “That’s exactly what happened to me.
Everybody moved on but me, and, in my case, people went even further, hoping that I never lived. ”
“That kind of bullshit needs to stop,” Derek declared.
“I never liked nor trusted Montoya. He’s a thug in an expensive suit.
Long ago he tried to buy the pub, and thankfully Dad told him no.
Now, as for this bullshit with my son, if you need a hand with any of this investigation, just let us know.
We want this kind of violence stopped, and we want to know what happened to my son,” he added, his voice breaking.
“He’s a good kid, and he sure as hell didn’t deserve this. ”
“Okay, so then tell me,” Riley began, turning to face Derek directly. “If this wasn’t an accident and if it was a deliberate attempt on his life, who would inherit the pub if Timmy is dead?”
Derek winced and looked around until his gaze landed on one of the men—blue eyes, burly, hardened expression on his face. “Jackson here. He’s my older son, a good ten years older than Timmy.”
So Selene’s husband. “And why just one heir?” Riley asked. “Why not many people inheriting, since this is a family-run business with possibly three generations working there?”
“Granddad always declared that there could only be one boss,” Jackson shared.
Riley turned to Derek. “And why not you?”
Derek winced. “Because I messed up when I was younger, and there is no forgiveness in my dad’s eyes,” he admitted. “So, it goes to the younger generation.”
“And you’re okay with that?”