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“I promise. Thank you.”
Her wobbly smile made him want to promise her anything—everything—just to bring that smile to full, glowing strength. “No problem. Ease your seat back a little and get comfortable. Rest your eyes if you’d like. Ellie said there’s no need to stay awake.”
It was probably a testament to how exhausted she was that she murmured, “’Kay,” and snuggled into her seat. After a moment, she closed her eyes.
They popped open several minutes later when he pulled to a stop in a slot in front of Rawley’s. Her hand was halfway to her forehead before she appeared to remember why her skull throbbed and stopped herself from exploring the damage. “We’re here?”
That she seemed to be tracking their plan and aware of her surroundings calmed his nerves about not taking her straight home. “Yep.” Cars still dotted the parking lot, but not as many as usual for a Wednesday night when Roxy performed. The second set was a definite money-maker for Rawley’s. He could use that to lean on Earl to install proper lighting and a fucking security camera. And to give Roxy a raise. He got out of the car, shut the door, and then turned to look at her and the flea-bitten mess of fur on her lap. “Stay here, or I sic my guard dog on you.”
She saluted him. “Roger that.”
“And you.” He pointed at the pup. It lifted its head and rolled its bulging eyes at him. “Don’t pee in the car.”
The dog yawned and lowered its head to its crossed front legs.
“I’ll take that as a, ‘Yes, sir.’”
The reply earned him half a smile from Roxy, but the sight of it wasn’t enough to burn away the anger still churning inside him. It needed a better outlet than tonight’s victim, no matter how ill-advised her behavior had been.
He banked it as best he could as he stepped inside Rawley’s and saw Jeb behind the bar. Employing some tact would get him farther than storming in and hurling accusations. He walked over and nodded to Jeb.
“Hey, West,” the other man responded. “I hope you’re not here to pick up Roxy. She had a little mishap tonight, and—”
“I know. I caught up with her at Ellie’s office.”
Jeb nodded and started wiping the bar down with a towel. “How’s she doing?”
“She’ll live. I’m here to pick up her things.”
“Oh. Sure.” He tossed the towel under the bar and nodded toward the hallway that led to the restrooms. “Follow me.”
A few seconds later, West waited while Jeb unlocked a door at the end of that hall marked PRIVATE and walked into a small office crammed with boxes of restaurant supplies, a couple filing cabinets, some oversize plastic storage bins, and a wall-mounted cork board covered with layers of old flyers and out-of-date employee rights notices. An incongruously new and modern desk occupied the less cluttered side of the room. In the narrow zone of free space in front of the desk sat Roxy’s guitar case and purse. Jeb picked them up and held them out to West. “Here you go. Tell her I hope she feels better soon. Love to have her back here Friday. She draws a good crowd.”
West took the items. “Improving the lighting out back and installing a security camera would go a long way toward helping her feel well enough to return.”
Jeb laughed. “Or she could stop taking breaks in places she’s got no business being. She usually stays inside, gets a sweet tea, and chats with folks. No reason for her to go sneaking around out there.” He swung an arm in the general direction of the back of the building.
“Sneaking around” struck him as an odd way to describe what she’d been doing. West didn’t have any problem figuring out why she’d been back there. He’d smelled it on her as soon as he’d walked into Ellie’s exam room. The girl who was trying to quit had slipped outside to smoke.
“Well, here’s the thing, Jeb. She’s not the only one who might step out there. I mean, you went just a few minutes after she had her run-in with whoever-the-hell was back there stirring up trouble. Seems to me you ought to be concerned about your own safety, as well as the safety of your employees and customers, given the risk presented by this unidentified criminal, unless”—he cocked his head as if a notion had just occurred to him—“maybe you have an idea who he was and what he wanted, and that’s why you, personally, don’t feel threatened?”
Jeb shook his head. “Sorry. No. As I told Hudson, the guy was gone by the time I showed up. I didn’t see a thing.”
“I didn’t say you saw him. I suggested you know who he is and why he was hanging around your back door, given you seem curiously resistant to the idea of implementing a few very basic safety measures.”
“Look, I’m not resistant, okay?” He sat on the desk and crossed his arms. “But my dad is a cheap son of a bitch. It takes a crowbar to pry his fucking wallet open. If Earl wouldn’t cough up a lousy ninety bucks for basketball shoes when I was fifteen, what makes you think he’s going to shell out a couple hundred now on lights and a camera for something that’s never been a problem?”
“It’s a problem now,” West replied in a cool voice. “And Earl may have been a less than generous father, but he’s a keen enough businessman to keep this place running in the black for going on thirty-five years. He coughed up two hundred bucks a night for Roxy because he knew it would be good for the bottom line. My guess is he’ll put another small chunk into making the property safer for the same reason. But don’t trouble yourself. I’ll take it up with him directly.”
“Yeah, whatever.” Jeb turned his concentration to some paperwork on the desk. “Good luck with that.”
West took a couple steps toward the office door then turned and pinned Jeb with a level stare. “Did Hudson give you a copy of your statement?”
Jeb held up a sheet of paper.
“Good. We’re going to be asking around and working with the county sheriffs to cast a net for the truck. My guess is sooner or later we’ll find the guy, and he might become talkative once he understands the seriousness of charges like assault, battery, and cruelty to animals. If you think of anything you’d like to add to your statement, I highly recommend you give Shaun a call.”
With that warning hanging in the air, he walked out.
