Chapter Fourteen #3
“My number’s on the back there. Are you interested in the show?”
Was she interested? There was a certain ick factor to the way he said it. But she’d made it this far, and she was determined to see it through.
He held out the card. “I’d love to see you submit something.”
“Yes, absolutely.” She took the card from him. “I’m definitely interested.”
· · ·
It was after nine by the time Leanne wrapped up for the day and pulled the report off the printer. She skimmed the first page as she walked across the bullpen.
“How was Canyon Glen?”
She glanced up to see Josh. He wore a button-down shirt and slacks and had a computer bag slung over his shoulder.
“Fine,” she said.
“Sanders again?”
“It was the neighbors this time. The husband came home drunk, and the wife poured out a case of his beer in the street. They got into it, and someone called it in.”
“Thanks for taking it,” he said. “I had a dinner thing.”
“No problem.”
A date, probably. She’d heard that Josh had been out with Nadine’s daughter Selma a few times, and Nadine had mentioned that Selma had a birthday this week.
Based on Josh’s attire, she guessed they’d been to Cattleman’s Steakhouse, the only place in town worth dressing up for.
She also guessed it hadn’t gone that well or he wouldn’t be stopping by the office afterward.
Leanne was curious, but she didn’t ask. Prying was a two-way street, and she hated when people quizzed her about her personal life at work. She went to great lengths to keep her private life private, which was hard to do when her father had worked in the very same department her entire childhood.
Josh nodded at the report in her hands. “A little light reading?”
She glanced down at her stack of papers. An autopsy photo was peeking out.
“The Jane Doe report. Korbin just sent it.”
“Wow.”
“I know, right? I couldn’t believe it.” It was a fast turnaround, and she appreciated that he’d picked up on her urgency.
“Let me know if there’s anything new in there,” Josh said, eyeing the report with a look that told her he didn’t intend to read it unless he absolutely had to.
“Will do. See you tomorrow.”
She swung by her desk and added the paperwork to her overstuffed accordion file, then grabbed her keys. Her phone chimed as she stepped out of the station house into the chilly night air.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Have you heard from Ben?” she asked without preamble.
“No.”
Leanne slid into her truck and checked the clock. She’d left her brother a message this morning and another two hours ago.
“I tried him earlier, but he didn’t pick up.” Leanne chucked her file into the passenger seat. “Has he been home?”
“No.”
It was a loaded no, and she knew there was more to the story.
“He was supposed to have a drug test today, but I think he missed it.”
“Shit.”
“Can you try him again?”
Leanne sighed. “Yeah.”
A sour ball filled her stomach as she pulled out of the parking lot. Ben couldn’t afford to miss another drug test. She’d used up all her favors with his probation officer.
“He’s probably with that Diandra again.”
That Diandra.
“Maybe he’s with Alan,” Leanne said, naming the only one of her brother’s friends who wasn’t a complete burnout.
“Alan moved.”
“He did?”
“He lives in El Paso now. He has a real job, like most people.”
Leanne scanned the streets for her brother’s dinged blue Kia as she made her way through town. She tapped her brakes in front of Shooters but didn’t see his car in the lot. Diandra didn’t have her own car, which was one of the reasons she’d attached herself to Ben like a lamprey.
“Will you call him, Leanne? He’ll pick up for you.”
“No, he won’t.”
“He might.”
She sighed. “I’ll try. But don’t stay up worrying. He’s probably just hanging out somewhere.”
“That’s exactly what I’m worried about. Listen, there’s something else.”
Leanne heard the rattle of ice cubes and pictured her mom with her highball glass in hand.
“Sean Moriarty was here today.”
Leanne’s blood went cold. “Where?”
“Here.”
“He was at your house?”
“He was at the ranch. Same thing. He followed me home from my bridge club meeting.”
She gripped the steering wheel. “Are you sure it was him?”
“I’m not blind, Leanne. I know what the man looks like.”
“You haven’t seen him in years, though.”
“He was in his brother’s truck. And no, it wasn’t his brother. It was Sean Moriarty. I’d know him anywhere. He looks the same as he always did, only without the long hair.”
Leanne checked her rearview mirror. She glanced around, now looking for Liam Moriarty’s silver pickup. Ever since her run-in with him at the bar, she’d been checking up on the Moriarty family. Liam had a short rap sheet, but nothing compared to his older brother.
“How did you get rid of him?” Leanne asked.
“I didn’t. He stopped when I drove through the gate. He pulled off the road and watched me drive in.”
“Did you tell Boone?”
“No. It would only rile him up.”
Leanne gritted her teeth. “Well, what do you think he wanted?”
“To scare me. What else?” More ice cubes rattling. “He likes to intimidate people. I just wanted you to know in case…” She trailed off.
“In case what? Did he threaten you?”
“I didn’t talk to him,” she said. “But I thought I should tell you, and now I have. End of conversation. Call your brother for me, all right? I’m going to bed.”
“Wait, Mom. Mom? Lock your doors,” Leanne said, but she’d already hung up.