Chapter Three. #2
“Good idea, though,” I said.
“Throat slit and a bullet, that’s a message.”
“Yeah, but to whom?” I asked.
“That’s what you need to investigate. Keep me informed, and Thief is all yours to handle. Don’t forget that we’re in your corner.”
“Thanks. I’ll keep you updated.”
Drake cut the call, and I turned around, eyeing the water. Drake might have been onto something, except there was no direct route to the ocean. Still, something about the idea settled.
Falcon
Gossip ran Ortonville. I swore it did.
On Monday, as I walked to the tattoo shop, I caught stares following me. People whispered behind their hands, and I rolled my eyes. Small towns, Jesus. Stubbornly ignoring the gossip, I kept walking and swung into Inked in Rage.
Ghost looked up from where he was preparing his station.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Yeah. You had any crap to deal with?”
“None, Veep. Had a few nosy fucks but nobody’s said shit.”
“Tell me if they do,” I ordered, removing my cut and tee.
A soft, indrawn breath came from a client being tattooed by Lucius, an artist Ghost had hired. Guess he’d hit a sensitive spot. He was good, but only Ghost inked my skin. Ghost pressed the transfer down on my shoulder and showed me in the mirror how it looked.
“Great,” I enthused and meant it. Ghost had hand-drawn a skull with thorns. Woven amongst them was Nova’s name. My twin would be the only woman’s name ever tattooed on me. I settled in and shot the shit with Ghost for the next couple of hours.
Calamity
To my surprise, Cates appeared at the clubhouse and asked to speak to me.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“Calamity. The dead guy. We’ve got an ID.”
“Yeah?” Somehow, I knew I wouldn’t like the answer.
“Need you to come to the station.” Cates looked awkward as fuck.
“Am I being arrested?”
“No, but we need to talk,” Cates insisted.
“Dragging me down there will point fingers at the club. This will damage relations,” I warned.
“Calamity, you’re not under arrest; we just have to discuss a few things,” Cates repeated.
Angrily, I rose to my feet. “I’ll follow.”
“I’d rather you let me take you.”
“This is bullshit! I already said I didn’t recognise him. But you want a chat. I ain’t under arrest, so you ain’t taking me in the back of a car.”
With that, I left my office and spotted Klutz. “Call Luca.”
Klutz stopped walking and yanked his phone out.
“Calamity, it’s just a conversation,” Cates insisted.
I turned to her. “No, it ain’t, or we’d do that here. Lawyer.”
Shit was that simple.
I sat back, totally relaxed, as Luca stared at Cates.
“My client isn’t under arrest?”
“No!” Cates insisted. I rolled my eyes. I’d been here for an hour now, and Luca, a prospect and lawyer, had just arrived. Until he had, I’d not said a word.
“We just have some questions,” Cates repeated.
“That you wanted recorded and on record,” Luca retorted.
“Look, Calamity can leave at any time.”
“Good, this interview is finished,” Luca snapped, and I grinned.
“Let the sheriff ask. The damage has been done,” I stated, and Cates winced.
“Calamity, you claim you didn’t recognise the dead body,” she asked.
“Nope.”
“Does the name Carter Smith mean anything?”
I frowned. I’d gone to say no, but something niggled at me. “It rings a bell,” I muttered, racking my brain.
“He worked for the scrapyard before you bought it,” Cates prodded.
“If you say so. So that’s the dead guy?” My mind was racing. How the hell did Carter Smith end up in the water, throat slit, and a bullet in his head?
“Yes. Were you aware Smith made threats against your club?” Cates asked.
“He did? Nice,” I drawled sarcastically.
“You’re claiming you’re not aware?”
“Calamity said he wasn’t, and my client isn’t claiming anything; he’s making a statement,” Luca interjected.
“Smith threatened to burn the scrapyard down in a local bar. You didn’t know?” Cates pushed.
“Already answered. Move on,” Luca interjected.
“Have you seen Smith near any of your businesses?” Cates asked.
“Let me make this simple,” I said, leaning forward.
“I don’t recognise him; I don’t know him, and I’m not aware of any threats from him.
If you’re looking to pin this on me, think again, Sheriff.
If someone who worked at a scrapyard ended up with his throat slit and a bullet in his head, he had dealt with some seriously bad people.
Start checking his acquaintances, not those who were his potential victims.”
I shoved my chair back, making it squeal. Luca stood, too.
“You don’t speak to my client without me being present, not even in a social setting,” Luca warned. “We might see that as harassment.”
With that, I left the room.
Falcon
Ghost was wrapping my tattoo when my cell rang.
“Klutz?” I answered.
“Cates just took Calamity in for an interview for that dead body.”
“Alert Luca. I’ll go over there now,” I stated and cut the call. Ghost turned to me with a raised eyebrow. “Cates is questioning Calamity about the stiff.”
“Let’s go,” Ghost said.
“You’ve got clients.”
“They can come back,” Ghost growled and glanced at his receptionist.
She nodded and popped a bubble. Well, that was fuckin’ professional.
Ghost glowered. “Spit the gum out!” he snapped.
She paled before obeying.
I left ahead of Ghost and headed for the Sheriff’s office. Fuck, had the Notorious Princes been bailed? Was Calamity locked up with them? I hurried down the road and slammed into the office.
Cates was at reception and looked up.
“Calamity is fine. He’s waiting in a room for Luca,” she said immediately.
“What the hell, Cates? You arrested Calamity?” I demanded.
“Some issues have arisen, and I need answers. Calamity isn’t under arrest; he’s here to answer some questions,” she replied.
“And you couldn’t ask them at the clubhouse?” I snarled.
“No. Not unless I wanted bias levelled against me. I don’t think you’ve got anything to do with this, but I need to ensure everything I do is above board,” Cates explained.
“I’ll tell you what Calamity will: you’ve done damage between us,” I warned.
“Calamity already stated that. You’re telling me nothing I don’t know. But these questions need answers, and I do the same, no matter who you are,” Cates replied.
Deep down, I knew that was true, but it rankled. I nodded and took a seat, Ghost beside me.
“Always said we couldn’t trust cops,” Ghost declared, staring at the deputy at reception. The guy dropped his gaze, damn pussy.
“We’ll wait here for our Prez,” I announced to Cates, who agreed.
“Make yourself at home,” Cates replied.
“Plan to do exactly that,” I retorted and settled in. The deputy point-blank refused to look in our direction, making me snort. Christ, what a fuckin’ mess.