TJ nodded and stared at the bottle in his hand. “I might just do that.”
“Now get off my land. I have cattle to tend to and the ranch hands are shit. Not made like we were when I was younger. Need a firm hand to get them going.”
TJ thanked Crompton, who snarled and strode off, leaving TJ behind. Chuckling, TJ got in his truck and drove back to town. Orsen Catlow, son of Ambrose Catlow. Mother Allison deceased. TJ remembered hearing about them growing up. Ambrose had always caused problems from a young age. Like his parents had done before him.
Pulling into his space in the parking lot outside the station, TJ switched the engine off and sat thinking. Orsen gay like Cody. Would Cody speak to him? Shit. He’d just returned and was no doubt finding his feet after dropping the ‘I came back for you,’ bombshell on TJ. He still didn’t know how to handle that, so he pushed it to the back of his mind to deal with later.
Getting out of the truck, he strode inside, nodded to Dee, then headed to his office. “Miles!” he shouted as he walked past the officers’ desks. Once in his room, he waited for Miles to enter. “Ambrose Catlow and his son. What can you tell me?”
“Nothing that you don’t know. Ambrose is always on our list as someone we need to deal with. Every weekend he’s in lockup sleeping one off. As for Orsen, he keeps his nose clean, from what I can tell. Surprised CPS hasn’t taken him away.”
“Yes, why haven’t they? There are clear signs of neglect, yet he still lives at home, and from what I know, rarely, if ever, attends school.” TJ picked up his pen and tapped it on the desk. “Look into Ambrose and contact CPS again. Dig deeper.”
Miles nodded. “Crompton know something?”
“Yeah, so we need to find out what’s going on with Catlow.”
“I’m on it.” Miles left and TJ sat. Pushing Cody from his mind, TJ got to work.
Chapter Seven
Cody
In some ways, the town had stayed the same, but in others it had changed, or was it because Cody had changed? Hoodie on with the hood pulled over his face, Cody walked along the sidewalk towards the therapist's office he’d seen online. That had surprised him. When he’d left, all conversations regarding therapy had been shut down. Cass hadn’t wanted to travel to the large town where one was located, didn’t want anyone to know about his mess of a son, but now Robinson had their own.
He knew who owned it as well. He’d gone to high school with Siobhan Mohan and her older sister Darcy had been at college studying. Her name had been attached to the office. Cody only vaguely remembered her, even though he’d spent time at Siobhan’s house every summer until his life drastically changed.
Then he’d sunk deep into the pit of self-loathing and tried to destroy his life. Had almost succeeded as well. He’d been saved, though, by people who he considered more his family than his own flesh and blood.
When Cody reached the building, he paused on the sidewalk, hands deep in his pockets, staring at the entrance. All simple lines and soft colors. Cody had seen the inside of a few therapy offices, so when he stepped inside, the warm colors didn’t surprise him. He did like the shelves with their plants. The flowers brought a smile to his face.
A small table had magazines on it and a few chairs were dotted around. Soft music in the background. Some instrumental piece Cody had heard before but didn’t know who had created it. Some classic, no doubt.
The woman behind the desk glanced up when he entered, moved away from the computer in front of her, and smiled. “Can I help you?” Her dark hair tied back in a bun, she watched him, her pale blue eyes focused.
Not ‘do you have an appointment?’ She obviously didn’t recognize him, so assumed he hadn’t booked an appointment, and she was right. Cody hadn’t, but he did want to speak to Darcy if she was free. “I’d like to speak to Darcy, please.”
A small frown then, “Do you have an appointment?”
“No, but tell her Cody Paarman is here to see her.” The frown deepened along with a head tilt. “Just tell her. She’ll want to see me.” Cody took a seat and picked up one of the magazines on the table, hearing the faint murmur of voices.
Putting the magazine down, he turned to stare down the corridor and saw a door open and Darcy step through. She walked toward him, shaking her head, her long auburn hair swinging behind her. Her soft pale cream dress floated around her legs, her slip-on shoes barely making a sound on the floor. “Cody Paarman.”
“Darcy. How have you been?”
Darcy stepped closer, her eyes traveling up and down Cody’s body. He stood and saw them widen as she stepped back, a handon her chest. “Jesus, Cody. What happened? You were so tiny when I last saw you.”
Grinning, he answered, “I grew up.”
“I’d say you did. Wow! When did you get back? Where have you been?”
“Can we do this somewhere more private? I don’t want anyone to know I’ve returned.” He glanced at the receptionist; a move Darcy noticed.
“Carma won’t say anything. Patient-doctor confidentiality.” Placing her hand on Cody’s arm, she gave him a wide smile. “It’s so good to see you. Let’s go to my office to talk.”
Cody followed her down the corridor and closed the door behind him after they’d entered. “I need to book an appointment.”
Darcy sat, stared at him, then nodded. “You’ve been gone, what, four years? Things weren’t great before you ran away.”
