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“And we’ll know if you’re lying,” Ash adds.
“I got no reason to lie,” the runner tells us with a shrug. “Need the money more than I need to keep any secrets. I’ve seen stuff come in for Maduro before, and I know where he gets his shit from.”
“Can you tell us when his next shipment is coming in? And what route it will take?” I ask.
He nods. “Yeah, sure. It’s been about two weeks since he’s gotten any supply if my timing’s right. So it should be in the next two weeks or so. He’s a big dealer, so he goes through shit pretty fast. He doesn’t deal super locally, either. He’s got it good enough that he can have shit coming in from wherever he wants, pretty much. But he usually goes to the same source, and his runners take one of three paths. Usually switching it up every once in a while.”
“And you know what path the runner will be on this time?” Ash wants to know.
“Sure do. Been a minute since this one was used, and I’m cool with a friend of the guy who does the running.” He gestures for us to lean in closer, and he starts describing the route the driver will take, and we both commit it to memory as best we can.
It’s enough to go on for now, and it gives us a place to start.
With that information, we head home. Ash is in a better mood since we have something actionable to work on, something that will get us to the next stage of the plan.
I feel a little better too, but I keep thinking about what Ash said about running into Julian and how River was fucked up afterward.
I know, probably better than anyone, that we can’t erase her pain. We can’t bring her sister back or make it not hurt anymore that she’s gone. But I want to do something. Something that will help in this time where we’re still putting the pieces together for how to take out Julian.
I keep turning it over and over in my head. Julian’s a fucking prick for saying that no one would mourn Hannah, especially in front of the one person who’s mourning her the most. He might not want to do anything to celebrate Hannah’s life, but that doesn’t mean River doesn’t want that.
Thinking about it that way gives me an idea.
“Ash. I think... we should do a memorial for Hannah. We don’t need a church or a casket or a funeral to honor her passing properly. Julian won’t do it, so we will. For River. Maybe it will give her some closure or peace. I don’t know.”
Ash glances over at me and grins. “That’s a great idea.” He hesitates, then adds, “You know, you’ve changed.”
“How do you mean?”
“Since River came into our lives, you’ve been... I dunno. More alive. More present than you were before. I’m glad to see you coming to life again.”
I don’t really have anything to say to that, so I just nod. He’s right, in his way. Things really have changed since River came along. She’s changed me for the better. She’s so deep under my skin that I couldn’t get her out if I tried.
And I like it, although a part of me fears it too.
Because if something ever happened to her, it would wreck me beyond repair.
