Chapter 43 - Dean
Dean
Istuck my hand out of the open window to signal the evening’s end. “This place looks decent,” I said to the driver.
Our vehicles stopped at a small concrete-block home. The dark interior and the backyard, large enough for three box trucks, made a perfect camping spot. One man grabbed overnight supplies from the trucks, while another searched the nearby area for firewood.
Two days since we left Deer Lake, and several more until we returned. I was exhausted, and not because of the physical activity.
Our dinner conversation rambled as the night progressed, the way it always did with bored men trapped together. I listened as needed and responded as required until Henry asked his question.
“Any of you think we’ll find those men stealing people’s supplies?” he asked after a lull in the conversation.
The three men quieted.
Sheriff Gustafson selected them to accompany me, and each one proved himself easygoing and dutiful. One claimed a secret girlfriend waited for him in Deer Lake, while another called himself lazy even as he asked for another job.
Lionel spoke first. “If it were me, I’d be long gone from here. That sort of thing is how you get a town-sized mob coming for you. Why stay when you can hole up somewhere else?”
I’d reached the same conclusion, assuming the thieves didn’t have a reason to stay.
“They’re at some rich man’s house, enjoying his pool,” Steve added.
The third one spoke next. “It’s snowing, dumbass.”
The snow had resumed as we drove out of Deer Lake and away from Lily.
Bill Sutton insisted she’d forgive me, except he didn’t know our past, while I relived it in a single agonizing conversation. All these weeks, it’d been banging around in her head, while I never saw it coming. I rarely regretted my decisions. Leaving her that long-ago day haunted me.
Lionel shot at the far wall with imaginary finger guns as they joked about finding the thieves.
Henry changed the subject. “Where are you boys from? Julian’s friends, right? I saw you palling around with him. He was a fine lad growing up.”
Steve answered for the three of them. “Fraternity brothers. After the comet hit, Julian arranged for his uncle to give us jobs. Why not? None of us had a wife or kids.”
“And my family lives all the way in Idaho. Plus, his uncle is a decent guy.” Lionel chuckled. “Julian wanted his uncle to quit so bad, and now look. Poor guy is stuck taking orders forever. He hates it.”
I schooled my expression at the dropped tidbit.
One of them cleared his throat and tapped Lionel’s foot with his own.
I pretended not to notice. “Any of you three used to snow? Growing up in Idaho, you must have seen your share of winter storms. My guess is we’ll have some of our own soon.”
The conversation shifted.
After Winston fell asleep, I approached Henry for another favor. “Watch those three tonight. Take the second half for me? Sit and watch; that’s all. Pretend you’re sleeping.”
He agreed, and I took the first shift.
The third and fourth days passed without incident.
The fifth started the same. We checked grocery stores and a couple of hotels for potential supplies. Our almost-full box trucks signaled the trip’s end.
We picked the same small concrete-block home once more, where Weston built up the fire while everyone else busied themselves cooking the night’s dinner.
Like before, I stayed quiet and let Henry do the work.
“I’m sure you’re all eager to get back home again,” Henry said.
I pretended to laugh. “Back to Idaho? If you want snow, that’s the place to be.”
The three new members joked about potential rewards for their scouting mission.
None of that mattered to me.
Henry tried again. “The sheriff did well picking you three. Don’t suppose you’d be up to doing this with us again? Assuming there’s time before winter starts up.” He smoothed back his white hair and gave them an amiable smile.
I bit back a laugh. A wonderful spy and a fantastic actor.
Leonard spoke first, as he often did. “He said we only had to do this once.”
Only once? Who knew this was a temporary assignment? Not me.
“Why did he make you come?” Weston asked. For the poor kid, foraging was the same as any other punishment. I’d fix that for him soon.
None of the three men spoke.
“I’m sure the sheriff had his reasons,” Henry said, dispelling the temporary awkwardness.
Perhaps my paranoia steered me wrong. I’d found no evidence of West Lake’s thieves, and for all my detective efforts, these three appeared as they claimed. If Sheriff Gustafson was behind the West Lake robbery, I’d found no evidence to support that.
“Well, can’t say anything about the sheriff. I doubt he knows our name,” Leonard said.
“He’s a busy man.” An accurate statement, regardless of my opinion.
“That’s why he makes Julian do all the assignments.” Leonard leaned back in his wing chair and closed his eyes. “He does all the work, and his uncle gets all the credit. Isn’t that how it always goes?”
Did Julian assign them? He’d spoken to Bud Northman before that strange incident with Mrs. Willoughby. He also hated my guts. Did my focus on the sheriff blind me? If so, Lily was trapped in Deer Lake, with her father focused on the wrong person, and me far away.
“Weston. Henry. Go get more firewood, so we don’t freeze to death.”
Henry nodded at my signal.
I slapped Leonard’s cheek, jarring him awake. “Hey. I’m in a hurry.”
The rag in Leonard’s mouth muffled his terrified screams. He fought the ropes binding his arms and legs to a chair.
“No one can hear you. We’re in the garage, alone, and your friends are unavailable. You get what I’m saying?”
He stilled, listening.
“Let’s get to it. My wife needs me, and you’re trapped. I’m about to remove that rag from your mouth, and when I do, you have two choices. You can scream, or you can talk. Nod if you understand me.”
He nodded. A tear slid down Leonard’s cheek.
I removed the rag.
“Don’t kill me. I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”
“Excellent, this will go easy for you,” I said, though he wasn’t frightened enough for me to believe him yet.
I grabbed my favorite knife out of my front pocket and licked the cold metal.
Leonard fought his bindings. “You should know, the only reason I’m not killing you is because of my wife.
She deserves a better man, so I have to try. We owe her that. Do you understand?”
“Yes!”
“Then let’s get started.”