Charlie Kirby stood looking out the kitchen window, glad the forecast called for a warming trend. He looked up at the clock, then turned his head toward the hallway and raised his voice. “Okay, gang. The bus is leaving.”
One by one, the kids started coming, followed by Marlie, who looked lovely in spite of her frown.
“Where’s Kevin?” Charlie said. “Never mind; I’ll get him.”
Charlie walked to Kevin’s room and saw it was empty. There was a note on his bed. Charlie read it and let out a sigh of frustration, then walked back to the kitchen.
“Is he coming?” Marlie said.
Charlie shook his head. “I’ll deal with him later. Let’s not be late because of him.”
“The idea was to go as a family,” Marlie said.
Charlie picked up his youngest daughter and then grabbed his Bible. “I’m not letting Kevin spoil it for the others. Let’s go.”
Kevin laid his bicycle on the ground and climbed up on the same boulder as last time. He took the red foil wrapper off a cereal bar and took a bite. He looked out over Heron Lake and wondered what he was he going to do out here all day. He stuffed the rest of the bar in his mouth, then licked his fingers and wiped them on his jeans.
Kevin took off his stocking cap and unbuttoned his jacket, then stretched out on his back and let the morning sun melt over him. He slipped off his jacket, rolled it up, and put it under his head. The breeze felt warm. He looked up at the cloudless sky, his eyes following a flock of cormorants until they dropped down behind a bluff. He closed his eyes and felt himself drifting off to sleep.
“Hey, lazy bones, you gonna sleep all day?”
Kevin squinted and let his eyes adjust to the light. Where was he? He lay there a second and then remembered. He smiled and sat up. “Josiah! When did you get here?”
“I’m never far away, boy. Been fishin’ for nigh onto three hours while you were up on that rock, just snorin’ away.”
“I don’t snore,” Kevin said, a grin taking over his face.
“How do you know?” Josiah laughed. “Come down here and take this other pole for me, would you?”
Kevin hopped off the rock and walked to the water’s edge.
Josiah handed him a rod and pointed to a red-and-white bobber floating on the water several yards out. “That thing goes down, you start reelin’ like nuts.”
“Yeah, I remember.” Kevin sat on the ground next to Josiah’s chair.
“What brings you out here, boy?”
“Didn’t feel like going to church, that’s all.”
“Your folks know where you are?”
Kevin looked up at Josiah’s kind face shaded under a big straw hat. “Not exactly. I left them a note that I didn’t want to go to church today.”
“I see.” Josiah pursed his lips and nodded his head.
“It’s no big deal.”
Josiah kept his eyes on the bobber and seemed to be thinking. “Been prayin’ like we talked about, have you?”
Kevin shrugged. “Sometimes. It’s not doing any good.”
“How do you know?”
“Because my dad came home, and my mom seems more miserable than ever.”
“Your folks fightin’, are they?”
“Not really. They just look sad and Mom sighs a lot.”
The old man kept his eyes on the two bobbers at the end of the lines. Several minutes went by without either of them saying anything.
“So, how’re you handlin’ all this?” Josiah finally said.
Kevin looked at the ground between his knees. “It’s really hard. Everyone’s saying awful things about my dad. Embarrassing stuff.”
“I’ve heard it.”
Kevin looked up at Josiah’s dark, round eyes. “Then you know who my dad is?”
Josiah nodded. “Do you?”
“What do you mean?”
“He might’ve fallen, but that ain’t no reason for folks to keep steppin’ on him, Best I can tell he’s a fine man.”
“Tell that to my mom,” Kevin said.
“The Lord’s gotta change her heart, boy. Give it time. The wound’s still fresh.”
“How much time does it take?”
“No tellin’. But the Lord’s got it timed just right.”
Kevin sighed. “Well, I’m sick of waiting.”
Several minutes passed in silence.
“My dad leaves her a rose every single day, and all she does is throw it in the trash. She doesn’t love him anymore.”
Josiah reached under his straw hat and wiped his forehead with a red kerchief. “Hurt don’t leave room for a person to feel much else. But that don’t mean those feelin’s ain’t still there.”
Charlie hung his sport coat in the closet, then picked up his Bible off the bed. He started to leave when Marlie came in and shut the door.
“All right, the kids are eating lunch. Let’s go talk to Kevin. He’d better have a good excuse for not going to church today.”
“You won’t find him in his room.” Charlie took a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Marlene.
She read it aloud, “ ‘I don’t feel like going to church today. Please don’t be mad. I’ll see you later. Love, Kevin.’ He left?”
Charlie nodded. “That’s why I didn’t say anything before church.”
“I would’ve thought he’d be happy we were all going to church together.”
“Kevin and I had words last night,” Charlie said. “He had cigarettes on him again. I think he’s under as much pressure as we are.”
“It can’t be easy for him, but running isn’t the answer. We need to look for him.”
“My guess is he’s at the lake with Josiah.”
The lines on Marlie’s forehead deepened. “I struggle with the idea that Kevin should be rewarded for bad behavior.”
“Well, considering all the bad things our son could be doing, I prefer to think of his being with Josiah as an answer to prayer.”
Ellen Jones walked into the kitchen from the garage, Terri Farber and Michelle Taft behind her.
Guy looked up, the Sunday paper spread in front of him on the table. “So, how was church?”
“Good,” Ellen said. “Marlene and Charlie were there.”
“That’s good, I guess.” Guy raised his eyebrows. “Well, how’d you two enjoy the church experience?”
“I’m not big on religion,” Terri said. “But the people were nice.”
Guy smiled. “A girl after my own heart.”
“Well, I loved it,” Michelle said. “I don’t often get the chance to attend church when I’m working an assignment.”
Guy looked over his glasses. “You’re one of them? Just kidding. Religion seems to work for Ellen. I’m fine with it, as long as she doesn’t drag me into it. So, who did you tell people you were?”
“Friends of Ellen’s, visiting from Knoxville,” Michelle said.
Guy took a sip of coffee. “Well, all’s quiet on the home front.”
“That’s good news,” Ellen said. “Anybody ready for lunch? I’m thinking of making fajitas.”
Michelle nodded. “Mmm … let me help you. I was raised in Texas and we had Mexican food once a week, whether we needed it or not.”
“What’re fajitas?” Terri said.
“You’ve never had them?” Ellen said.
“No, I grew up in Rhode Island. I never developed a taste for Mexican food.”
“Actually, it’s Tex-Mex. A bit more Americanized.”
Guy got up and pulled out a chair. “Well, sit down, Ms. Farber, and let us tantalize your taste buds with a dining experience in a class by itself.”
“Of course, we’ll need to have some of that chocolate dream pie I took out of the freezer,” Ellen said. “You do know that the word stressed is desserts spelled backwards, don’t you?”
Guy chuckled. “You would know that.”
Ellen’s cell phone rang and everyone froze.
“Okay, people, let’s stay calm,” Terri said. “Ellen, do you remember what Jordan told you to say?”
She nodded, her heart racing. “It’s probably just Margie. Okay, here goes.” She picked up the phone and hit the talk button. “Hello, this is Ellen.”
“This is your ol’ pal, Lucky Day.” The voice sounded slurred. “I’m just callin’ to remind you that—”
“I’ve been waiting for you to call. I’ve got something for you.”
“You do?”
Ellen put her hand over the receiver. “I think he’s drunk,” she whispered.
Terri motioned her to go on.
“I haven’t had time to check it out, but I have a pretty reliable lead on Risotto,” Ellen said.
“That was fast.”
“I know someone working the Paxton case. But I had to step way over the line to get this for you.”
“Stop whining and let’s hear it.”
Ellen glanced up at Guy and saw the angst in his eyes. “About eighteen years ago, a couple by the name of Lawrence and Priscilla Carver moved into the town of Micklenburg in southwest Oregon, and set up a bakery called the Bread Basket. They still run it today. My source claims their real names are Antonio and Rita Risotto.”
“Would your source just happen to be a fed?”
“Look, my life and my career are in serious jeopardy. If anyone in law enforcement finds out I divulged this information, I’ll be facing charges. Do whatever you want with the information, but you didn’t hear it from me.”
“You’d better be on the level,” Merlino said. “I know how to get to you.”
“Please, I did exactly what you asked. Now leave me alone.”
“If this pans out, lady, you’ll never hear from me again—unless of course, you lied. In that case, I’d have to kill you.” Click.
Ellen hung up the phone, her hand shaking.
“Great performance!” Terri said.
“I’m sure he was drunk. I hope he can keep the details straight. I want this over with.”
Guy leaned forward and took Ellen’s hands in his. “Did it sound like he believed you?”
“Hard to say. But I doubt he’ll be able to resist the carrot.”
Terri got up from the table. “I need to call Jordan and fill him in.”
Charlie heard a car door slam and went to the front door. Kevin got out of Josiah’s truck, and the two of them lowered his bicycle from the bed of the old pickup. Josiah put his arms around Kevin and held him for a moment. Charlie went outside and walked toward them.
“Evenin’, Mr. Mayor,” Josiah said. “Thought I’d best get your boy home before it turned dark on us.”
“Thank you.” Charlie shook his hand. “Kevin, go inside and let your mother know you’re home.”
“All right. Bye, Josiah. Thanks for everything.”
Charlie waited until Kevin went inside and then looked into Josiah’s kind brown eyes. “I was hoping he was with you. Did he tell you he skipped church this time?”
“Yes, sir. He told me all about it. Hope you don’t mind, but I was thinkin’ he’d be safer fishin’ with an old man than wanderin’ around the lake by hisself, tryin’ to clear out all the cobwebs.”
“No, I’m grateful. His mother, on the other hand, is having a hard time with Kevin enjoying himself every time he skips out. She has a point.”
“There’s a lot more healin’ goin’ on than fun.”
Charlie nodded. “I’m really worried about him. Is there anything I should know?”
Josiah looked deep into his eyes and held his gaze. “The boy believes you.”
Charlie felt an unexpected surge of emotion and quickly blinked the moisture from his eyes. “Kevin talked to you about me?”
“Your boy’s heard more than any kid should have to. But he knows what his daddy’s made of. And he believes you ain’t lyin’ to him. Thought it might help to know that.”
Charlie bobbed his head up and down, unable to find the right words.
“I best be goin’ now. You and yours’ll be in my prayers.”
Charlie put his hands in his pockets, his feet rocking from heel to toe. “Josiah?”
“Yes, sir?”
“Did you catch anything?
Josiah smiled, his eyes squinted. “Yessir. We got us a bucketful!”
Giorgio dropped two Alka-Seltzer tablets in a glass of water. He waited a minute, then chugged them down. His head felt huge. But even nursing a hangover was better than twiddling his thumbs in Baxter.
He looked at the information he had written on the motel stationery. Was Ellen Jones telling the truth, or was she setting him up?
Whoever she talked to had to be a fed. Who else would’ve known Risotto went into hiding eighteen years ago? Then again, there was no love lost between the FBI and the Risottos. Maybe her source was implying that they’d turn their backs if someone happened to take Spike Risotto out.
Didn’t matter. Giorgio was way past the point of no return. This was as close as he’d ever been to finding the man who gunned down his father. Risotto was getting old. And the thought that he might get lucky and die of natural causes was reason enough to check out Jones’s tip.