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“Didn’t stop him,” Johnny answered, and neither of us missed the low note of regret in his voice. “We do what we have to, to protect our children,” he said unapologetically, and I took a swallow of coffee to hide my shock at hearing Johnny basically admit to declaring Clutch a renegade. “I’m not going to lose sleep over it and you won’t mention it again,” he continued, his warning crystal clear to both of us. “Now, you help us,” he told Leroy, shocking the shit out of me when he included me in that statement. “Rob,” he stated, his meaning clear.
Leroy held out for a minute before nodding. He drained his coffee and then gestured to another door. “In the back.”
We followed him to a stockroom so messy, I didn’t know how Leroy could tell anyone had ever been back there. He went straight to a corner, where a rumpled blanket and some crushed candy wrappers littered the ground. “Here.” He shook his head. “Rob’s the only person I know dumb enough to break into my store,” he muttered. “Then he didn’t even have the courtesy to leave money for the stuff he ate.”
I crouched down, scanning the area. “I’d need to dust for fingerprints,” I told them. “Establish he was the one who was here and hopefully a timeline.”
“The cameras should help with that,” Leroy mentioned, and I slowly lifted my head.
“You have cameras?”
“Yep, on the doors and in each corner of the store,” he answered matter of fact. “In the back by the loading door too.”
“Good to know,” I managed to say, pinching my nose and then wincing when I was reminded half my face was swollen. “I’ll need a copy of the footage,” I added and he nodded.
“I’ll get it while you dust for prints,” he suggested and I nodded, not bothering to mention that I didn’t really need to dust for prints if he had a video of Rob breaking in. Leroy disappeared, spry for an old guy, and Johnny squatted next to me. I leaned back warily, pretty sure I had been privy to information I shouldn’t have heard when it came to Clutch.
He pointed at my eye. “He do that?” The question caught me off guard, both of us knowing who ‘he’ was, but before I could answer, he nodded to himself. “Yeah.” Johnny rubbed his mouth, and the faint scent of tobacco and whisky wafted toward me. “You always had a few too many bruises for my liking.”
I didn’t say anything, but I didn’t need to.
“He’s got a lot to answer for,” Johnny mumbled, pushing himself to his feet. “Get those prints. I don’t want any stone left unturned, ya know.” I nodded, in complete agreement with him when it came to nailing Rob for Ronnie’s death. “You need anything, you let me know.”
“I,” I had to pause and clear my throat before it came out like an unimpressive croak, “I will.”
Johnny nodded and headed out the room, pausing in the doorway. “I never did think you were your uncle. You’re your grandfather, through and through.” He was gone before I could say a word, a fact I was grateful for as the floor blurred and I had to blink to clear my eyes.
The scuff of a shoe against the floor had me glancing up, wondering if Johnny had come back. Instead, Leroy stood in the doorway, a USB in his hand. “Clutch is gonna go save the girl, but someone has to stay and make sure he doesn’t take the fall.” Leroy pursed his lips as he tossed the USB to me. “I don’t envy either of you.”
“Thanks,” I mumbled, pocketing the evidence of Rob’s presence. “I’m gonna get started. It’ll take me awhile,” I warned him.
He nodded, “Take as much time as you need. I’ll keep the coffee coming.”
***
A few hours later, I collected the last of my stuff, standing up with a groan. It was a helluva lot easier to process a crime scene with help. “I’m done here,” I told Leroy, my kit in hand as I headed for the door.
“Hang on,” Leroy called and I paused at the door. He hurried over, handing me a Thermos. “For the road,” he said, having kept his promise to keep me in coffee. I’d been amazed by some of the conversations I’d overheard as I stayed in the back room working, a few of which had to have been intentional on Leroy’s part since they’d taken place right outside the partially open door. “Come back anytime,” he added, then nodded at the Thermos I held. “I want that back.”
“Yes, sir,” I answered, appreciating the rare moment of acceptance. “I’ll be back.”
I packed everything in the trunk of the cruiser, planning to get it to Janet in the morning when I knew my uncle would be at his Kiwanis meeting. I found myself smiling on the way home and it didn’t take a genius to figure out why. The possibility of seeing Cadence again had me pushing the pedal a little harder than normal, eager to get home for the first time in forever.
