Chapter 34 Nash #2
Lawson glared at all of us. “You’re riding behind the cage, and I don’t even care.”
Roan shrugged. “Just as long as you cleaned up the vomit from the last drunk you had back there.”
Holt wrinkled his nose. “Gross.” He glanced at me. “But worth it.”
My brothers were the best.
Lawson pulled to a stop in front of the trailer that looked exactly as it had the last time I’d been here, just a little worse for wear.
It’d been years. Maddie had moved out the second she turned eighteen, renting a tiny studio apartment over one of the shops in town.
The place hadn’t even had a true kitchen, but it was a million times better than this sty.
Lawson glanced at me. “You sure you’ll be able to keep yourself in check?”
“I need to look him in the eyes. See if he’s lying.”
“That’s not exactly an answer,” Lawson said.
It wasn’t. Because I wasn’t sure I’d be able to keep myself from shooting Jimmy Byrne where he stood for what he’d done to Maddie. It was something I’d happily go to prison for.
Holt leaned forward and squeezed my shoulder, hard. “Nash has this. He knows getting into it with Jimmy will only hurt a case against him.”
I did know. And that might be the one thing that could restrain me. A quick death would be too merciful for Maddie’s dad. He deserved to rot behind bars for the rest of his days.
I stared up at the house. “I can do it.”
Lawson nodded and opened his door to exit the SUV.
I pulled out my phone and hit Roan’s contact. He hit accept on the first ring and sent me his version of a grin, which looked more like a grimace. I looked back at him. “Mute yourself.”
He nodded and tapped a button on his phone.
I climbed out of the vehicle and followed Lawson up the walk toward the trailer. My throat tightened as I took in the series of cement steps. Stairs that Jimmy had thrown his daughter down without a care in the world.
“Hold it together,” Lawson warned.
I nodded, too afraid that he’d know my hold on my control was tenuous at best if I spoke.
We climbed those damn steps, and Lawson rapped on the door. The aluminum screen door smacked against the wooden one with each contact.
Only silence greeted us.
Lawson knocked again.
“Keep your pants on, would ya?” a gritty, feminine voice called from inside.
A few seconds later, Betsy Byrne hauled open the door. The woman couldn’t look less like Maddie if she’d tried. Dark hair bleached to within an inch of its life, smeared makeup, and a haggard complexion.
“Do you know what time it is?” She blinked a few times, and then rage filled her expression. “My crybaby of a daughter calls the police because I had words with her in a bar?”
I stiffened. Maddie hadn’t said anything about a run-in with her mom last night.
Lawson kept his expression carefully blank. He’d always been a master at it. “That’s not why we’re here. You were at Dockside last night?”
Betsy straightened her spine. “It’s still a free country, ain’t it? I don’t have a restraining order against me, do I? But then again, seems like you give ‘em out for hurt feelings these days.”
The anger pulsed again. Blinding fury at a woman who should’ve cared for her daughter but instead sided with her asshole of a husband. “Attempted murder is a little different than hurt feelings, Betsy.”
“Pfft. That girl was always a troublemaker and drama queen. Always had a sob story for everyone she met.”
“Who’s here, Bets?”
That voice. I hadn’t heard it since the trial.
My parents hadn’t wanted me to attend, but I wouldn’t let Maddie go through it all alone.
And even then, they’d understood the special bond the two of us had.
But I’d never be able to unsee the photos.
Never forget the testimonies. And through it all, Jimmy hadn’t shown a flicker of reaction. Not a single emotion.
“Fuckin’ pigs, that’s who,” she shot back.
Jimmy appeared from the hallway. He wore a rumpled T-shirt and boxers. His eyes narrowed on us. “Whadaya want?”
“Mr. Byrne, we need to know where you were between the hours of eight p.m. and eleven p.m. last night,” Lawson said evenly.
“Why?” Jimmy’s gaze didn’t stray to my brother; they stayed locked on me.
“You aren’t the one asking questions,” I clipped.
An ugly grin spread across Jimmy’s face. “Shoulda guessed you’d become a pig. Always were an interfering bastard. Even when you were a kid.”
Lawson shifted his stance. “Mr. Byrne, I’d be happy to place a call to your probation officer and let him know that you’re being less than helpful. But be warned that a call like that can increase drug tests and random inspections.”
“You’re a buncha bastards!” Betsy shrieked.
“Shut up,” Jimmy barked at his wife. “Get in the bedroom.”
Betsy snapped her mouth closed, her face paling. But she dutifully walked away.
The whole scene made me sick to my stomach. Most of all because this was what Maddie had lived with for far too long.
Jimmy turned cold eyes on Lawson. “I was home. Shootin’ the shit with a couple of guys. That against the law?”
“Were there drugs or alcohol present?”
Jimmy’s hands clenched. “Not against my parole to be around alcohol. Just can’t drink it.”
Lawson nodded. “Names, please.”
Jimmy rattled off the names of two of his closest friends from back in the day. Ones who would do anything to cover for him.
“You ask Dale or Mitch to do anything for you lately?” I asked.
There was a spark of something in Jimmy’s eyes, and a smile stretched across his face. “I ask them to do lots of things for me. Help me change my oil. Fix that chipped front step. They’re my friends, after all, and pals help each other out.”
Lawson straightened. “You know anything about Maddie’s vehicle being vandalized?”
Jimmy let out a low whistle. “That’s a real shame, but I guess that kinda thing can happen when you’re a snitch.”
I ground my teeth together so hard I swore I felt one crack.
“What about an attack on Maddie last night?” Lawson pressed.
Jimmy’s smile only got wider. “That daughter of mine just can’t stay out of trouble.”
Lawson’s gaze narrowed. “We’ll be checking your alibi. We’re also pulling camera feeds from any shops in the area. If you were anywhere near Dockside last night, we’ll find you.”
Jimmy just laughed and turned those dead eyes on me. “Tell my daughter to be careful. Karma has a way of coming around.”