Colt dropped his hands and looked at Sully. “You tell her I’m not workin’ this case?”
“Seein’ as you were first on the scene, I’m your partner and I am workin’ this case, this is our town, but we still got a task force made up of boys from every department in the county, not to mention the frickin’ Ef Bee Eye, I didn’t share that morsel with her because she’d know somethin’ was up if I did.”
Christ, he hated it when Sully was smarter than him.
“Feds would appreciate it, you have a word with her,” Sully said.
He had no choice and that pissed him off.
“I’ll have a word with her,” Colt replied.
“Got much on the robbery?” Sully asked.
“Got everything on it. Asshole didn’t wear gloves, prints everywhere and he made a mess. He pinged huge when we ran his prints. Junkie from the city, what he’s doin’ out in the sticks is anyone’s guess but riper pickin’s, likely. Figure they got lucky on timing, the family had a redeye back up from vacationing in Florida. Big house, lotsa shit. He probably wouldn’t of cared they were home or not and, if he’s jonesin’ and they confronted him, no tellin’ what he’d do.”
“You run him down?”
“Called into IMPD to check what they know about him and Drew and Sean headed into the city because Feb and I had to go to Amy’s funeral. Drew reports, not surprisingly, he’s not home. His woman says he disappears a lot.”
“Bet he does.”
“Drew and Sean also ran down a couple of his known hangouts but he’s gone. He’s scored and he’s not sharin’ so he’s disappeared.”
“Anything show up in pawn shops?”
“Not yet, least not the ones he’s known to use.”
“So I’m guessin’ IMPD Vice know him.”
“They say he asks for his favorite cell when they bring him in.”
“Jesus,” Sully muttered. “City’s closin’ in on us, Colt.”
“Funny, that,” Colt replied. “City’s closin’ in and the worst crime we ever had was one of our own against our own.”
“Yeah,” Sully said softly, “funny.”
* * * * *
Twenty minutes later, Colt walked into J&J’s.
It was Friday night and the place was a crush. Everyone was on, Ruthie and Jackie working tables, Darryl clearing them, Morrie, Jack and Feb behind the bar.
The minute he walked in, Feb’s eyes came to the door and he got the impression her eyes went to the door every time it opened that night, waiting for him. When she caught sight of him, he saw it, even in the dim light, her face got soft, her eyes especially, her lips tipped up at the ends and she did the jaw tilt.
That was new, her face getting soft like that. He liked it so he smiled at her, even though he would have smiled at her anyway.
Her eyes slid away and she smiled at the floor before she turned to the cash register.
He headed to his seat which was, as ever, empty and saw Lore sitting on the stool next to it.
He slid on his, Lore turned his head to him and asked, “We good?”
“You apologize to Feb?” Colt asked back.
“Yeah, and I bought her a shot.”
“She drink it?”
“She gave it to Joe-Bob, but said, ‘No offense, Lore, I’m workin’.’ So I’m thinkin’ she’s good.”
Colt’s eyes found February and saw she was giving someone change.
“She’s learnin’ the art of forgiveness,” Colt muttered to Lore.
“Lucky me,” Lore muttered back as Feb headed their way.
“Hey babe, off duty?” she asked when she arrived.
“Yeah, honey, beer tonight.”
“Gotcha.”
She got him a beer, opened it and instead of putting it on the bar in front of him, she handed it to him. He took it and then drew in a long pull.
“Ruthie’s holdin’ on you gettin’ here to put our orders into Shanghai Salon,” she told him when he put the bottle on the bar.
“We practicin’ for when we move to China?” he asked, she smiled and he allowed himself a moment to enjoy sharing an inside joke with Feb. It’d been a long f**king time.
“You’re movin’ to China?” Lore asked and Feb burst out laughing.
Neither Feb nor Colt answered but they didn’t have to. Tina Blackstone sidled by, eyes darting from Lore to Colt, opening herself to either one of them had a mind to slip in.
Colt looked away.
Lore muttered, “Catch ya later,” and slid away.
“Honest to God, she’s a nerve, comin’ into my bar,” Feb said and Colt looked at her to see her eyes following Tina.
“She pay for her drinks?” Colt asked and Feb’s eyes moved to him.
“Yeah.”
“Good, then you can buy yourself more heels.”
She grinned at him then said, “Find Ruthie, tell her your order, we’re all hungry.”
She started to move away but stopped and turned back at his call.
“You’re hungry, baby, don’t wait for me,” Colt told her.
She tipped her head to the side and replied, “You said you’d be in.”
“Yeah, but my schedule’s always uncertain. You’re hungry, get food, I’ll sort myself out.”
She leaned into her forearms on the bar and got close. “But, you’re Colt. That means we’ll wait, or at least I will.” Then she leaned in further and touched her mouth to his before she pushed back and walked away.
Colt watched, his vision filled with the movement of Feb’s ass, his mind filled with memories of her standing in his bathroom in nothing but his t-shirt, solving the mystery of how she smoothed out her hair. Both made him smile.
He found Ruthie and as he had Shanghai Salon’s menu memorized much like practically every citizen in town, he gave her his order.
“You got it, Colt,” Ruthie said and headed to the office to call in the order.
Colt returned to his beer and his stool and watched his family work their bar and the way they did it. You have a few drinks, you got the money to pay for them, you enjoy yourself but keep yourself in line, it was like you were at a party at their home; welcome and they hoped you’d stay awhile. Dee being there would make life complete. Colt was pleased she’d made that choice, taken that chance and he hoped it worked out for her and Morrie.
On that thought, his phone rang, he pulled it out of the pocket of his suit jacket and looked at the display. A number came up he didn’t recognize but he flipped it open and put it to his ear, covering his other ear with his hand.