Chapter 2 #3
Anderson shrugged. “Not that I know of, but, after our parents died, everybody was full of condolences, but nobody really wanted to help or really knew how to help,” he shared a bit too casually, as if he had detached from it. “Everybody just drifted away.”
“I’m sorry about that. That would have been a shitty time of life.”
“It absolutely was a shitty time of life,” he confirmed, with a smirk. “Not a whole lot you can do about it but just step up and keep moving because there is no other option.”
“Right, so would you ever suspect that this Colbert guy was involved in drugs?”
“Suspected him? No, but nothing really surprises me anymore. Let me put it this way. He certainly would have had the connections from way back when, and getting into politics would have been a way to throw suspicion off him and to build his connections.”
“Politicians aren’t supposed to be liars or cheats.”
“No, they aren’t, but a lot of politicians are trying to shake off tails themselves. They’ve done something that they need to put a more legal spin on,” Anderson noted.
“So, we’ll have to see how that comes out. Yet I found a fair bit of information on the internet about him, but not necessarily anything too negative.”
“No? Maybe get Levi to pull his criminal record.”
“He really had a criminal record?”
“Yeah, but it was juvie, so, people are likely to forgive if people have cleaned up their act.”
“Interesting. I wasn’t even thinking about something like that, but it’s possible, isn’t it?”
“Absolutely. And, if he’s gone back to that life of crime again, then we need to know,” Anderson muttered. “The bottom line is, hopefully Talia’s out of danger.”
“I did speak with Sammy again, and she’s pretty sure she saw the husband again this morning. I did text you, asking whether asshole Tim had a brother.”
“Did you?” Anderson asked blankly, then pulled out his phone. “God, I didn’t even see it. Sorry about that.”
“It’s all good. Your priority is the babies.”
“Yeah, the priority is the babies, and everything else is a mess.”
“We’ll get this figured out, don’t worry. Anyway, does Tim have a brother?”
He sat back and frowned. “I am not sure I even know anything about his family. Why?”
“We’re wondering if his brother, if Tim has one, wasn’t the one at the hospital, assuming Tim is still in custody.”
“Well shit, that’s a good thought too. Why didn’t I think of that?”
“Because you’re a little busy,” he reminded him.
He nodded. “I got complacent,” he admitted, with a smile.
“Pamela was here every day, handling all this with such ease that I forgot what it was like to be alone with them. I have been go-go-going all day and haven’t even had two seconds to answer phone calls.
So, even if you’d called me about it, I wouldn’t have been able to answer you. ”
“And, again your whole job right now is looking after the babies.”
“How is that a thing?” he muttered, shaking his head. “I’ve done two tours in Afghanistan and fought for what? Eight years? And yet here I am, … changing diapers.”
“And,” he pointed out, “loving it.”
He stared at him for a long moment, and then he started to laugh. “It’s definitely different,” he clarified, with a smile. “I’m not going to say loving it, but I am not hating it.”
“That’s for sure, and that’s because you also know why you’re doing it, and you know who you’re doing it for.”
Anderson smiled. “Agreed. And the fact that she’s getting better is huge news.”
“And these guys? … Are we talking naptime now?”
The babies had started to cry and whimper a little bit.
“I was hoping to feed them first and then maybe get them down to sleep. What time is it?”
Burton checked his phone. “Holy … crud. I didn’t realize it was seven already.”
“Yeah, you’ve been at the hospital all day.”
Burton added, “Speaking of the hospital, somebody in a small black truck tried to run me down in the parking lot there as I left today. No license plate.”
“Of course not. Tells us we’re getting close to something though.”
Burton nodded. “True.”
“Our lives are on a completely different tangent now, aren’t they?”
“Yep. It’s a completely different life.”
“It is, indeed,” Anderson confirmed, handing him a baby. “Give me a hand. Let’s get them fed and maybe we can get them to sleep.”
And that’s what they did. They were in luck, as the babies were tired but hungry. Dinner went reasonably well, and, by the time they had them all cleaned up, bathed, and in bed, no whimpers or arguments came from any of them.
The men managed to get back out to the living room, where they both collapsed. Anderson looked over at him and said, “If you’re okay to stand watch, I’ll hit that computer for a few minutes and see if I can find out some information on Roger Colbert that is niggling at the back of my head.”
Burton smiled at him and nodded. “You go. I’ll crash for five.”
“Good enough,” Anderson replied.
Burton added, “Presumably you’ll hear them.”
Anderson turned to him and muttered, “Oh, I think I’ll hear them. I can’t imagine anybody not hearing them.” With a laugh, he headed to the computer, leaving Burton in the living room, stretched out on the couch, ready to close his eyes.