AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I decided to take the offensive and not bother easing my way into this. I didn’t have time for pleasantries. “Why’d you move back to Jackson Creek?”
His eyes widened slightly. “I thought I answered that last night.” His gaze drifted to my drink, then back up to my face. “Or were you too drunk to remember?”
I nearly snapped at him then held back. “I think there’s more to it,” I said in a low, conspiratorial tone. “According to Chief Larson, your mother’s doing better.”
He shrugged. “Maybe she’s doin’ better because I’m back.”
“Maybe.”
Misti placed his beer in front of him, then moved down to the end of the bar.
“I know about your father.”
He froze for a second before taking a long swig of his drink and setting it down. “You’ll have to be more specific.” He kept his gaze on the back wall.
“I know he warned my sister’s murderer when Chief Larson was headed out to arrest him.”
He took another drink but held his tongue.
“Do you know why he warned him?”
He pressed his lips together, then finally said, “No. We were kids then. You were a sophomore, but I was a junior. There were rumors he screwed up the arrest somehow, but he never said and the chief was hush-hush about it. We figured he just did something to get the other officers hurt.”
“So when did you find out?”
“When I joined the force. The chief insisted he didn’t have any problem hiring me, but he thought I should know.”
“Did you ever confront your father about it?”
“I haven’t spoken to my father in nearly twenty years.”
My mouth dropped open.
“Don’t look so surprised,” he said with a bitter laugh. “He abandoned us.”
“He didn’t try to make any contact?”
“Sure,” he said with a shrug then took another sip. “In the beginning, but I was so pissed at him that I refused to visit him or even talk to him. Finally, he got the message and gave up.”
“What about your brother?”
“Danny?” He turned to me, his eyes wide. “What about him?”
“Did he stay in contact with your dad?”
“He went to live with him for a while,” Drew said, his forehead furrowed. “It only screwed him up more.”
“He was screwed up?”
“Drugs. Shoplifting.” He took a long breath and pushed it out. “Mom couldn’t handle him, so my dad took him until he graduated, then he moved around, kept getting into trouble in new places until he killed someone a few years ago. Manslaughter.” He shrugged again. “Maybe part of me wanted to be a cop here to make up for what he and my father had done.”
“I heard your dad became a Little Rock police officer?”
“Yeah.” He hunched over his drink, looking resigned. “Still is, although I got word that he took a leave of absence a week ago.”
My chest tightened. “Do you know where he is?”
“Not a clue.”
