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“Bye,” he whispered. Then he handed the phone to Simon and he didn’t hear another word. He was focused on just breathing.
Walker followed Simon into the Severe Police station. A lady sat behind the dispatch desk. She glanced up when the sheriff walked in with Walker and Simon. The sheriff stopped them. “I’ll take Walker back alone. Beebee offer Simon Hatfield a drink, coffee or soda.”
“Sure thing, John.”
Walker knew that Simon hated it that he had to go alone. He patted his back and watched him walk down a hallway into a room. Walker glanced back once catching Simon’s eye. This time there were no handcuffs on his wrists. This time there would be no confession. This time it wasn’t Hawk doing the questioning begging him not to do this.
Walker sat in a chair opposite John Johnson. The man was an athlete. He could tell by his physique. He kept in shape. He took off his hat and set it on the table. John ran his hand through his dark hair and sighed.
“Walker I have to tell you I was pretty suspicious of you. Then, Hawk Simpson called me on the way here. He told me about you taking the fall for Jesse, your brother on the drug charges. Why’d you do that?”
Walker looked across the table at the sheriff of Severe. Why was it important to him? He could see that he was waiting for an answer. He decided cooperation was important here if he was going to get home to Danni.
“He threatened Danni Hatfield or our mother if I didn’t take the fall for him.”
John shook his head. “Nice brother you have there.”
“Isn’t he?” Walker replied.
“Rob said you don’t think he murdered the girl.”
“I don’t. He was sleeping with her. He might hurt people as an enforcer if he is one. I don’t really know a lot about Jesse’s darker side of life and don’t really want to. I’m trying to keep my life on the straight and narrow.”
John nodded.
“But Jesse hurting her, just doesn’t seem plausible to me.”
“Rob also called me and said there were no clothes there but possibly hers.”
Walker nodded. “So, Jesse found her and ran with the other girl.”
“Seems that way,” John agreed. “Do you know where your brother is when he’s not staying at that hotel in Severe?”
“I don’t. He pops in town once every other year or so when he needs something.”
“Rob said he wanted money from you.”
“Yes, he was in trouble again with some people. I didn’t ask any questions. I told him no. Then Danni got hurt yesterday and I thought it was because of Jesse…”
“It wasn’t?” John interrupted him.
Walker shook his head no. “That’s why I went to see Jesse. I told him I would give him the money.”
“How much?”
Walker squirmed in his seat. He knew they would once again look at him with question. “Let me start off by saying that I earned this money legitimately. Our grandparents gave us an inheritance a long time ago. I invested mine and Jesse blew his.”
The sheriff nodded.
“He wanted a hundred thousand. I told him I didn’t have that kind of money. I’m not squandering everything I have on Jesse’s screw ups.”
The sheriff simply remained stoic, listening. Not commenting. “Then Jesse requested thirty-five thousand. It was worth it to get him out of Sherwood or Severe which was still too close. With Jesse, comes trouble. I had to protect my mother and Danni.”
“I understand.”
“So, I was to meet him at the bank this morning at ten. He never showed. Simon and I went to the motel looking for him. He was gone. I peeked in the window. I could see Laura. I couldn’t tell it was her because the room was dark. I asked the housekeeper if they had checked out and she said no. Simon knocked, and she didn’t move so he called the police.”
John tapped the table with his index finger. “You have no idea where he might have gone?”
