Chapter 6 #2
“Yeah, I get it. I’m the loose end. I was the one who found the trail.
” He shivered again as a thought raced through his head.
“What if the guy I saw isn’t some kind of hired gun?
What if he’s the person behind it all? What if he got Bryce to do this?
And if that’s the case, maybe Haver’s isn’t the only business he’s running stuff through.
What if they are only his Olympia connection?
But there could be more. If this operation ran this smoothly for as long as it did, then what would stop the man in charge, the one with the product, from getting other people to do the same thing?
” He stood and began to pace. The more he thought about it, the more he wished he had never said anything in the first place.
“I’m going to do whatever I can to make sure you stay safe.” Eddie told him, his eyes as hard as granite.
“I know you will. But you can’t live my life for me.
At the moment, I’m staying here… but for how long?
Weeks? Months? I can’t have someone watching over me for the rest of my life.
As it is, right now, I can’t even go to the grocery store.
I sit here for most of the day, alone. And I know that it’s safer here because, hopefully, they don’t know where I’m at.
But it’s only a matter of time until someone sees me or figures it out.
Then where am I supposed to go?” He was really getting worked up.
His life was completely out of control, and he had no idea what to do.
“I can’t even go out and try to find a new job now that my old one is gone. ” He wiped his eyes.
“I know. But I think that’s what the chief wants to talk to you about. So relax for now, and let’s get through this.” Eddie looked as defeated as Marty felt, and he hated that.
“Don’t you dare think this is your fault.
It’s not. It’s Bryce’s and Mark Haver’s.
They did this.” He stepped closer. “I need you to be strong and clearheaded. That’s your job.
I may go to pieces, but I need you to be there to help me put things back together again.
Okay?” The quicksand was growing wider and deeper by the minute.
“Hey.” Eddie stood and gathered him into a tight hug. “I’m not going to let you go anywhere. You and I are in this together.”
Marty held him tightly, wondering just what he was going to do.
“I did what you said to do. I took things one step at a time, and look what happened? My job is gone, my life is in danger, and I don’t know what to do next.
” He pulled away and grabbed a tissue from the box on the coffee table.
“This isn’t your fault. I know that, and I don’t blame you.
But so help me….” He looked Eddie square in the eye.
“Have you had any luck finding a voodoo priestess?”
Eddie smiled slightly. “Not yet. But I’ll get on that the first chance I have.”
“Good.” He took a deep breath. “I think I’m going to go to bed.
Hopefully, things will be better in the morning.
” He pulled away from Eddie, went down the hall to the room he’d been using, and closed the door.
He was seconds away from falling apart, and the last thing he wanted was for Eddie to see him come unglued.
Marty lost track of time. He might have dozed—he really wasn’t sure. A soft knock sounded on his door and then it opened slowly, the dim light of the hallway cutting into the room.
“Are you still awake?” Eddie whispered. Marty hummed, and Eddie came into the room in his robe and sat on the side of the bed. “Then come with me.” He held out his hand, and Marty took it, letting Eddie lead him to his bed.
Marty climbed under the covers, pulling them up to his neck, like they were going to keep him safe. “Maybe I should leave and go east or something,” he said into the darkness.
“You could,” Eddie whispered. “But you’d be running for a long time and looking over your shoulder on a daily basis.”
“I know. But what am I going to do? I have to get a job, and I’m going to take this mess along with me.
I know you’re trying to help, but counting chickens and all that.
” The more he thought about it, the more he knew he needed to have all of this resolved.
It was the only way for him to come out of this with his reputation in one piece.
Otherwise, the taint of just working there would follow him.
“I know that. And I don’t want to sound like a baby. ”
“You would be crazy not to worry. But you aren’t alone.
The doors are locked, and so are the windows.
I have cameras outside around the house, as well as motion-sensor lights.
If someone does try to get in the house, they’re going to be met with half the police force on the lawn in a matter of minutes.
So for you, this is about the safest place in the city right now. ”
“Okay. But how are you going to catch this guy?” Marty asked.
Eddie was quiet before finally answering. “I don’t know yet. Sometimes all it takes is a single piece of information or someone to come forward, and the whole case breaks wide open. We just need to keep looking… and we will.”
Marty knew that Eddie wouldn’t give up; that wasn’t an issue.
On TV, some magical insight usually led to the way to identifying the bad guy.
But that wasn’t going to happen here. Marty rolled over, his hand sliding across Eddie’s chest. He rested his head on his shoulder and did his best to try to go to sleep.
“I wish I could be of more help. But I don’t even know what to do next. ”
“You did plenty.”
“I was wondering if there are pictures or something that I could look through in case I see him.”
“You mean old-school? I don’t see why not.” Eddie sat up. “I know we asked, but he didn’t have any tattoos or marks on his face or hands, did he?”
“Not that I saw. He was wearing a long coat both times that I saw him. So I didn’t get a good look at his hands, and I couldn’t see his arms. There wasn’t anything on his face, except…
.” Marty sat up as well. “His teeth,” he said a little breathlessly.
“They were perfect. Like, as perfect as any set of teeth could possibly be. I don’t know if that’s a help. ”
“Do you think they were fake? Maybe caps?” Eddie asked.
“I don’t know. It seems like a weird thing to remember, but it just came to me.
” Marty lay back down and sighed. “I see his face in my sleep. Well, not his face, but him. He chases me sometimes, and I try to get away. Every time he gets close to catching me, I wake up and try to remember something more about what he looks like, but then it’s gone. ”
“Hey, it’s okay. You remember what you can.
” Eddie lay down as well and slipped his arms around him.
“We had a case last year. It was a robbery, and four people saw it. Not a one of their descriptions matched the others. One said the man was blond, and another said he had dark hair. Blue pants versus black jeans—even his shirt color was different. It happens, and we learn to take a description with a grain of salt. So don’t worry if bits and pieces come to you.
But I’ll add what you just told me tomorrow. Maybe we’ll get lucky—you never know.”
“Maybe,” Marty said as he snuggled closer to Eddie and let himself relax. He was safe for now, and if he was going to help anyone, he needed to get some sleep.
It was still dark when Marty snapped awake. “What’s going on?” he asked as Eddie got out of bed, pulled on a pair of pants, and got his gun.
“Get down on the floor and stay in here,” Eddie told him. He left the room, closing the door.
Marty slipped out of the bed and lay on the floor, sliding halfway under the bed as he listened. Light shone through the bedroom window that overlooked the backyard, which meant someone was back there.
Sirens sounded in the distance and drew closer. “Stop!” he heard Eddie snap, and Marty pressed closer to the rug, wondering where he would be safest. More sirens joined in, and soon they came to a stop as other voices drifted into the room.
“Marty,” Eddie said from outside the door. “It’s okay.” He came in and helped him up. “Go on back to bed. It was one of the neighbor kids. He thought he could sneak across my yard to get back into his house without his father knowing. It turned out he was wrong and woke the entire neighborhood.”
“Oh.” He climbed back into the bed, shaking from cold and nerves.
“I need to wrap things up out front, but you try to sleep. Everything is fine.” He helped Marty settle in bed and leaned over to kiss him gently. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He left the room, and the lights in the back went out.
Marty lay there staring at the ceiling. Well, if someone did show up here, the police had proved that they would get there fast. That was a comfort, but the biggest one would be getting this jackass behind bars.