BRIAN MADE BAIL. From the station’s lobby, Leann watched as Brian and Lydia headed for the exit. Before they quite got there, Gary entered. Peeve was at his side, but only momentarily, as the dog moved past Leann and confidently through the foyer to Chief Riley’s office.
Lydia didn’t hesitate. She quickly gave Gary a hug and said, “Thank you again for picking me up at the airport yesterday and for getting Russell’s truck to work this morning.”
“My pleasure,” Gary said while giving Brian a slow stare.
Brian returned the stare before following Lydia out the door.
“I—” Leann began at the same time Zack said, “They’re waiting for you.” The smile Gary shot her as he headed for Chief Riley’s office was genuine, yet didn’t reach his eyes.
She wondered how his greeting would have been if he’d not encountered Brian. And, she wondered how he’d take the news Oscar and Lucas would surely share with him now. An hour ago, she’d finally located and spoken to Willow Bartholomew. At first Willow had been defensive, but soon switched to complaining about the time she’d spent caring for Brian. No wonder he was messed up.
In the end, she’d verified that until Brian turned eighteen, he’d been under her roof—with his mother’s permission, and yes she had documentation proving this—and she’d received a cash payment for his board in the mail every month. There’d been no correspondence, but Willow had been told, by Angela, that the money came from Roberto Guzman—Brian’s biological father.
“Hey, Leann, come in here,” Lucas called.
Oscar sat at the desk, his expression mirroring Bianca’s from last night just before she’d walked out of the kitchen.
“I’m not convinced by Brian Blackgoat’s claim,” Oscar said drily. “Tell Gary about what you discovered.”
Leann cleared her throat and repeated her morning conversation with Willow.
“We need to look into this more,” Lucas said, deftly taking over the conversation. “Leann, we investigated Roberto Guzman’s disappearance seventeen years ago. There should be records and other evidence in the storage unit. I’d like you to head over there and—”
“I can do that,” Oscar butted in.
“Conflict of interest and you have other duties,” Lucas said firmly, never mind that Oscar was now acting chief.
“I’ll go with her as a family representative,” Gary volunteered.
“Good enough,” Lucas agreed.
Oscar didn’t look happy, but his phone pinged. He glanced at it and gave her and Gary a nod.
Instead of being on her usual patrol alone through town, she had a brooding Gary next to her as she drove to the station’s storage facility behind Little’s Grocery Store.
He finally burst out with, “How did Willow sound? Was she nice? Genuine? Could you tell anything about her over the phone?”
“She didn’t sound like anyone I’d let watch my kid,” Leann said. “According to her, she hasn’t seen Brian the Loser—her words, not mine—since he graduated high school. She did add that it would be nice if the ungrateful kid sent a little money her way showing his appreciation for her keeping him out of foster care.”
“Tell me again how much she was paid for housing him.”
“A thousand dollars a month.”
Gary shook his head. “Couldn’t have been my father. He didn’t make that much. He gave his paycheck to my mom. She handled the money.”
Two kids were playing catch in the street. When they saw Leann, they stopped and shouted, “We’re sick, not playing hooky,” before running across the street and up the steps into a house.
“The perks of being a cop.” She parked alongside a golf cart bearing a for-sale sign and pulled a key from her pocket. “We’re unit five, the biggest here.”
“Is this safe? Couldn’t someone break in?”
“There are no valuables stored here, just the remains of cold cases.”
Something twitched in Gary’s expression.
She inserted the key and turned the knob. Dust particles swirled about her face as she pushed her way in and switched the light on, Gary at her heels. She blinked against the stark, hanging bright bulbs. Steel shelves, three rows high, lined the room. Additional shelves were in the middle of the room.
“Chief Riley told me we’d be cleaning it soon.” Of course, he’d told her that a dozen times, starting with her first day on the job. Looking around now at everything from cardboard boxes to large grocery sacks to a few suitcases and even one garbage bag, she had to agree with the chief. It was past time. Probably most of this stuff could be disposed of.
“Some of this stuff is in alphabetical order,” she said. “Other items are by date. I’m not sure how your father’s things were stored.”
It took them almost an hour to find the small cardboard box labeled Roberto Guzman.
Gary followed her to a table right by the door. He scooted aside two old newspapers and an empty water bottle. She set the box down and peeled old tape away from the edges. Dust flew when she lifted the lid. A sneeze sent it flying. Gary moved closer, watching her every move. She carefully opened the top and pulled out a few file folders that had the standard paperwork for a missing person’s case. Below the documentation were a number of photos, a small calendar and a wallet.
“I remember this wallet,” Gary said and picked it up. “It was usually crammed full of money, credit cards, old receipts. He had to take it out of his back pocket and set it on the console between the seats when driving. Sometimes it fell on the floor, and I’d be on my knees looking for it.”
She took the wallet from him, his fingers brushing hers. She opened it, and both of them stared at Roberto Guzman’s driver’s license photo.
“It’s you,” Leann said.
“Only I would never desert my family.”
It made Leann lose her breath a little, hearing his words now and remembering his words last night. I’ll always come if you need me.
Looking at the birth date, Leann calculated and determined that Roberto had been in his midthirties when he disappeared seventeen years ago.
She opened the money flap and found a video store membership and several photos encased in plastic. The top photo showed a bride and groom, young looking and happy.
“My parents,” Gary acknowledged.
Then, there was a photo of four dark-haired children all looking impossibly young. Leann figured out Gary was the one grinning jauntily at the camera, already cocky and looking barely six years old.
Next came photos of Gary and his siblings.
“All of us kids.”
She touched one photo. “Oscar?”
“Pretty sure. Look at that expression. He’s the responsible brother.”
She tapped the next photo. “You?”
Gary shrugged. “Absolutely. Look at that adorable face,” he teased, going for a bit of false modesty. “I’ve always been the best-looking brother.”
“Ahem, and the most humble, too.”
Leann flipped to the next photo. “Then this must be Hector. What is he known for?”
“He’s the smartest of the brothers.”
The last photo protector bulged a bit more than the others. Leann knew it had to be Anna, the sister. Probably, as the only girl, Anna rated a few more pictures. Didn’t matter. As a cop, Leann knew how to investigate. There was a saying about leaving no stone unturned. The same went for photos.
“Let’s see what’s behind it.” Leann got out her fingernail file and started gently separating the photo from the plastic sleeve it was gummed to. It took even more time and care to extract the photo wedged next to it, but finally, she stared down at a photo of Angela Blackgoat, wearing an evening gown, holding a bouquet of flowers and sporting a tiara. Gary cleared his throat. His cheeks were a bit flushed red, his lips drawn together tight and his eyes unblinking.
She badly wanted to touch him, offer comfort, something, but his body language clearly said, “Stay back.” She wanted to, though. Oh, how she wanted to. More than anything, she wished they could take their friendship forward, allow their relationship to reach the next level. If she was honest with herself, she was already half in love with him.
She hadn’t seen him close himself off to her in weeks, certainly not since they’d started seeing each other every day.
Every day?
Yes, it was true. He’d become such a part of her life that she couldn’t remember a day without him. She took tiny one step toward him.
He frowned.
Leann carefully put the wallet back in the evidence box and then took out the pocket calendar from the year Berto disappeared.
With Gary watching closely, she flipped through the pages. Roberto had been working the first few months, and he’d carefully written down where he was supposed to go, both address and start time.
“Was your father in construction? Is that why he worked so many different locations?”
Gary kept his voice even, no emotion. “He worked on cars, but he was especially great with transmissions, so often he’d helped out in other shops besides the one my uncles own.”
The second week of May, Berto had actually written down the word bus, a number and a time.
She took out her phone and found the number for the bus company that serviced their area. It took a while of punching numbers before she got someone who could help her research what she wanted to know. Eventually, she hung up. The number belonged to a Greyhound bus that had left Hollywood, California, and arrived in Sarasota Falls at the time indicated.
She dialed Russell’s number. He didn’t answer. No surprise. She quickly called Lydia.
“Russell’s right here,” Lydia said.
“Yes?” Russell’s voice came on the line. It sounded stronger and happier than it had in years.
“Jace here yet?” she asked.
“We’re in the truck. Lydia’s driving us to Santa Fe to get him. His flight arrives at noon.”
“Think your truck will make it?” Leann said, half jesting, half concerned.
“Brian said it’s in better condition than a lot of others of the same age and make that he’s seen.”
So, Brian was good with cars, too. Just like Gary’s father.
“Russell,” Leann said, “do you remember when Angela showed up on your doorstep with Lydia and Jace? I mean the exact date.”
“No, I don’t. All I remember is I was sitting at my kitchen table eating chili, the next minute I’m staring at Angela, and she has in tow two grandchildren I didn’t know I had. Wait a minute.”
Leann listened while Russell shared the conversation.
Lydia took back the phone. “It was May. I missed the last two days of fifth grade, and boy was I annoyed because it meant I missed the class party. Plus, Mom only let us pack one bag.”
“Why?”
“I guess, really, it was all we had left. People came and took the furniture, toys and stuff. I know we had a date to get out of the house. All Mom did was cry. We were totally out of money. We didn’t eat anything on the bus from California to here.”
“Where was your father?”
“They separated. I didn’t know it at the time, but we never had any contact with him after that.”
“Your mom just had money for bus fare?”
“Not even that. She got it from a friend. He paid for the tickets, met us at the bus station here and brought us to Grandpa’s.”
Was the friend Berto Guzman?
Leann looked over at Gary. She knew he was listening intently while searching his father’s cracked leather wallet.
“Do you remember what friend?”
“No, I only met him a few times, and it’s been years. I know Mom grew up with him.”
“What if I showed you a photo?”
“Why are you asking?”
“I’m following a lead,” Leann said.
“Why don’t you come to Russell’s place for dinner tonight, sevenish,” Lydia invited. “We’ll be celebrating Jace’s homecoming. I’ll cook hamburgers and hot dogs for everyone.”
Bring everyone? Her boys might be with their father and new stepmother. Leann was pretty sure Gary didn’t want to be anywhere near Brian until the DNA swab result came in.
“I’ll be there.” She hated that she would be cutting in on Jace’s reunion, but she’d also get to hear what Jace had to say, why he left.
“Be where?” Gary asked.
“I’m invited to Russell’s tonight to talk.”
On the phone, Lydia said, “Go ahead and bring Gary.”
Leann wasn’t quite sure how Lydia knew it was Gary. Could have been Oscar, Lucas, the mailman.
“Are you positive?”
“Of course. If Brian and Gary are related, they need to work this out.”
In theory, that was true, but Leann wasn’t confident that would happen. What Gary had learned about his family had affected him deeply.
Gary was watching her, waiting.
She swallowed, knowing if she brought him with her, she was admitting this could be a “relationship.” If she didn’t let him come along, then he was just a man who happened to be a part of an ongoing investigation, who happened to be the brother of her favorite coworker, who happened to be handsome, single and likely to pop up at inopportune times.
“Okay,” Leann finally said, “Gary will be there tonight, too.”
After she ended the call, Gary asked, “Where will I be tonight?”
“Over at Russell’s. We’ll be celebrating Jace finally coming home.”
Gary raised an eyebrow and shook his head. “I’ve got things to do.”
“Like what?”
“Like work on the cabin, like look into Brian’s claim, like—”
“You’d rather do that than spend the evening being supportive of Russell?”
“Russell wants to be surrounded by family.
“Russell considers you family,” Leann said.
“No, not really.”
“Yes, really. And if Brian turns out to be a relative that he shares with you, it will make the bond that much stronger.”
“No. Russell was simply happy to have a neighbor around to talk to. Now, his family is here and he’s not lonely.”
“I don’t think Russell was the only one lonely. And you’ve got family here also.”
“You like to argue.”
“I like being right.”
“This thing with Brian isn’t going to be quite that easy.”
“No, but how hard it is will ultimately be up to you.”
He didn’t answer right away, so she continued. “I have no business giving advice on family. My relationship with my parents, my brother and sister, and even my ex means I’m not anywhere close to being an expert, but if it meant a change for the better for my sons, then I’d give it a chance.”
“I’m only here temporarily. Oscar’s probably better suited for dealing with this.”
Leann flinched. She’d almost forgotten that he’d not put down roots. She closed her eyes, not wanting him to see her true feelings. “Well, I still like being right, so, you’ll go with me tonight?”
“Yes.”
It had to be enough.
For now.
* * *
LEANN RETURNED GARY to the station, saying very little. He didn’t have much to offer either, images of his dad and how happy their family had been flooding his mind. Leann might be right about his attitude making the situation harder. He’d decided that were Brian truly a half brother, then so be it.
It was telling his mother that he dreaded.
She parked, and he followed her inside to the office that already seemed to belong to Oscar, listened to her report and watched Oscar’s expression when Leann showed him Angela’s photo.
He admired his older brother. Oscar had to be reeling from the possible connection between Russell’s family and theirs, but he remained professional and merely said, “Document everything, no matter how small the detail.”
“Is our father’s disappearance still considered a cold case?” Gary asked.
“Yes, but that might change. I feel like Brian has more that he could be telling us.”
“You think Blackgoat might know something? Be involved somehow?”
“One way to find out,” Oscar said. “Gain his trust. Tonight, be reasonable.”
Gary’s snort was cut short when Leann said softly, “Don’t forget, every action you take will also affect Russell and Lydia.”
Gary nodded.
Thirty minutes later, Gary was back at his cabin. He let Wilma and Goober out of their runs, gave them fresh water and hard food, before pausing to stand in front of the cabin. He was desperate to try to lighten his mood.
Goober ran over to him and arched her back until he reached down to pet her. Then she ran off to join Wilma again. The dogs were as restless as he was. He watched them playing for a long while, then whistled. Goober obeyed immediately. Wilma took a moment, proving her independence, and then came to him. He gave them both peanut-butter-filled bones, a treat usually reserved for special occasions. They settled down.
He didn’t.
He changed into his work clothes and started on his cabin.
His cabin?
No, his aunt’s cabin. Not really his. Even the dogs belonged to somebody else.
He was woefully behind; life kept getting in the way. What he needed to do now was take two of the cabin’s interior walls down to their studs. He’d work off steam, maybe take the edge off the adrenaline.
Then, he’d shower and follow Leann up to Russell’s house to learn more about Brian and figure out what he and Oscar would have to tell their family, their mother.
The sledgehammer was on his workbench. At least something in his life was where it should be. He hunted up the pry bar, donned gloves, then punched a hole in the middle of the first wall.
It was usually Oscar who took care of family matters, delivered both bad and good news. Gary had always been gone. This time, though, he had to be the one. This was his story. He felt it in his bones, just like he felt a solid change shifting in his own mind-set.
He’d been such a wanderer. When he’d arrived in Sarasota Falls, the word temporary had been his mantra. But now he was having trouble imagining leaving. He had things to do. Finish fixing up the cabin, his cabin; take care of the dogs until their owners returned—he was keeping Goober; and teach Leann…
Teaching was the furthest thing from his mind.
Kissing was more on his mind.
He stopped pounding the wall, enjoyed the feel of his muscles getting a workout and finally stepped back, thinking of the night in Russell’s backyard: the walk, the tiny cemetery containing generations, the kiss.
He wanted more nights like that.
Letting out a long breath, he felt a hint of a smile. Until Brian showed up with his tall tale that wasn’t looking so tall anymore, Gary had been smiling a lot more lately. Being in love had that effect.
Love?
He started working again, setting down his small sledgehammer and starting to pry apart aged—some rotting—wood.
No, surely not love—maybe intense like. He really liked Leann, liked being with her, touching her, smelling her, seeing her smile.
His mom used to smile a lot before his father disappeared.
He paused, breathing in and out, sweat in the small of his back.
His mother had been smiling a lot more lately, mostly because of Oscar, who’d gotten married and started a family. Oscar had been smiling a lot, too, before all of this business began about their father.
Taking his phone from his back pocket, he punched Oscar’s number. His brother answered not with a “Hello” or “Guzman here” or even a “Yeah,” but with a “What have you learned?”
Looking around the cabin, his cabin, the one he needed to offer to buy, he said, “I’ve learned that family is what’s important and if Brian is our half brother, then we deal with it.”
“What?” Oscar sounded amazed.
“Take care of your people—they’ll take care of the mission.”
“Don’t spout a code of value at me,” Oscar sputtered. “This is Leann’s fault.”
Gary started to sputter back but didn’t.
“Yup,” Oscar continued, “all sappy. Figure out what’s going on tonight. Do reconnaissance. We’ll drive up and visit Mom in the morning.”
“Sir, yes, sir!”
Oscar chuckled. “Little brother, you’ve got it bad.”
Gary hit the off button. Tonight, he’d kiss Leann and tell her how bad.