This is fucking bullshit.
A twenty-four-hour hospital hold for a bump on the head.I’ve had worse goose eggs hitting my head on the hoods of vehicles I was working on.
Apparently, I was teetering on my feet.Or at least that’s what Tessa claimed as we were walking through the junkyard to get to the vehicles.I should never have mentioned how I was taken down, because she immediately insisted I ride with her.Of course, that ended up leaving my truck sitting in front of the junkyard—which I wasn’t too pleased about—but she assured me it would be safe.
Then, after she’d had to wake me up a few times on our way back to Silence, she ended up driving me straight to the hospital to get checked out.That was yesterday, and I’m still here, stuck for at least another couple of hours, until this damn doctor clears me to go home.
I’m fine, I just have a bump and a bit of a headache, but I blame that on being kept against my will.It’s Monday, I should be at the shop, replacing the ignition cylinder on one of Battaglia Security’s vehicles, but instead I’m in here, having to trust Manuel to run the shop without me.
Already Kyle lost a couple of hours of work this morning, driving back to Kettle Falls with Tessa to pick up my damn truck.She just called, letting me know Kyle, my truck, and the keys were all back at the firehouse, and she’d come and pick me up when I’m ready to be released.
She also mentioned the feds had brought in an entire forensics team, and they were still at the junkyard, working and collecting evidence.Apparently, the white Chrysler 3000—that used to belong to Mrs.Dixon—was found in a low-slung building on the west side of the property, along with a couple of luxury vehicles, presumably stolen.
I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact Wally Shirk, that crusty old man I always thought was hiding a soft core, turned out to be as hard and bitter as his exterior suggests.Let alone a willing participant in his newly discovered youngest son’s diabolical scheme.Possibly blinded by the dream of a better life when the old man had fully expected to live out his life rocking his rusty chair on a dilapidated porch for what remained of his days on this earth.
The clicking of nails on the vinyl floor has me turn my head to the door, just in time to see Mouse’s ugly mug poking around the corner.It’s followed by a grinning Linc and a much more subdued Remi.
“What the hell—” is all I manage to get out before Mouse takes a flying leap onto the bed, landing hard on my stomach, knocking the air out of me.
“Easy, girl,” Linc admonishes her.
Tessa had promised she’d pick up the dog from the firehouse and take him home with her, so I’m not surprised she’s with the boys, but I am wondering what the hell they’re all doing here.
While I try to regain my breath, my dog sprawls on top of me, her head down on my chest and her long tongue scraping the scruff along my jaw.My hand instinctively strokes her back, which is when I discover the vest she’s wearing.In large white letters, it says SERVICE DOG on the side.
“What is this?”
“That’s how we got her in here,” Linc proudly informs me.
“But she’s not a service dog,” I point out.
“You know that, we know that…” He cocks his thumb over his shoulder and grins.“…But they don’t know that.”
“Whose idea was this?”
“Remi’s.”
I turn from Linc to his brother, who seems to be hovering closer to the door.The poor kid still looks shell-shocked after yesterday’s experience.
“Aren’t you the smart-ass,” I tell him, earning a little shit-eating grin from the kid.“What gave you the idea?”
He shrugs.“Mouse missed you.Every so often she’d go to the front door and cry.I figured this was the only way we could get her to come see you.”
“Where’d you get the vest?”
He looks at me from under his eyebrows, a bit of a mischievous sparkle in his eyes.
“Mabel.You’rethe one who told me The General Store was the place to go when no one else has what you’re looking for.She had one, but she wouldn’t give it to me until I spilled what I was planning to do with it.I told her, and she handed it over, no charge.”
I chuckle at the kid’s attempt to draw me into the circle of responsibility, and at Mabel’s complicity.
“And how did you get sucked into this?”I aim at Linc.
“Well, Mom mademego to school today, but classes ended early, and I had nothing planned,” he responds with a shrug.“These two were getting all squirrelly being cooped up inside, and I was up for an adventure.”He grins wide.“It was worth it.”
I should probably at least pretend to take them to task for this little stunt, but I’m enjoying it too much to care.
“How long do you have to be in here?”Remi asks.
