“I didn’t shoot Stuart,” he said. “I know what Edna has to say. She and Patrick already told me to my face at the Rockin’ Rooster. But…it’s not true. None of it.”
“I know. I—I’m not here about that. Well, I guess it is about that, but only because I’ve found something I think you should see.”
This threw Rod. What could his father be talking about? Judging by his manner, this wasn’t an errand he relished. With his hands shoved in his pockets and his shoulders rounded in a sort of sick resignation, he looked miserable.
“What is it?” Rod asked.
Bruce glanced around them. “I don’t want to talk about it here, out in the open.” His gaze shifted to Sophia, who was sitting in the Hummer. Turning his back to her, he lowered his voice. “Right now I can only talk to someone I trust.”
Rod never would’ve guessed his father trusted him. Didn’t Bruce believe what Edna believed? “And that’s me?”
“That’s you. Regardless of the past, you’re my son. My blood. Will you be there for me when it really counts? I know I don’t have the right to ask, but…I need you. I need you to—” his voice cracked “—to help me get through this.”
The pain Bruce felt showed in the lines of his face and the muscle that twitched in his cheek. Such evidence of suffering was to be expected from a man who’d just lost his son. But he seemed to be talking about something else. What more could there be? Had he discovered Carmelita’s involvement in the smuggling ring? Did he suspect Stuart had been a participant, as well?
Or was this an attempt to exact retribution for an act Rod didn’t commit? I won’t rest until I see him six feet under, like my boy…. That was what Edna had said at the Rockin’ Rooster. Had she convinced Bruce to try and undo the mistake he’d made thirty years ago?
Rod knew she’d like nothing more. “What is it you want me to do?”
“Will you come with me?”
“Now?”
“Please.”
As much as Rod had always wanted his father to love him, even a fraction as much as his half brothers, Bruce had never been capable of it. Rod owed him nothing. Leaving with him wasn’t smart. But if Bruce was sincere, maybe some good could emerge from the tragedy of Stuart’s death. Maybe they could finally make peace with the past and establish at least a cordial relationship. That had to be better than continuing to grapple with the resentment he’d felt for most of his life, didn’t it?
The problem was, in order to form a more positive bond, they had to put some trust and faith in each other. His father seemed ready to do that, had seemed ready for a while. But it wasn’t until now, until Stuart’s death had torn away the shield of bravado Rod had erected, that he’d become open to the idea.
“Sure,” he said. “Just give me a second to talk to Sophia.”
Rod watched Bruce walk back to his truck; then he opened the door of the Hummer and leaned in.
“What’s going on?” In the cabin light Sophia’s eyes gleamed with curiosity.
“Will you be okay on your own for a while?” Since no one had accosted them as they were leaving the store, it was easy to believe he’d overreacted to seeing that pearl-colored Escalade. Maybe Gary and Anne had an argument and Gary had gone out for a drive to cool off. Or maybe that hadn’t been his Escalade at all. Thanks to the UDA killings and all the press they’d generated, there were more strangers in town than usual.
“Of course,” she said. “Why? Where are you going?”
“Bruce has something he wants to show me.”
“What is it?”
“He wouldn’t say. But I’ll call you as soon as I have some idea.”
She nodded, then reached for his hand. “Be careful.”
“You, too.” He gave her the keys and started toward Bruce’s truck but turned back at the last second, catching her as she got out of the Hummer to switch seats.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Nothing really.” He was just hesitant to leave her. She was the chief of police, she had a gun and she’d managed on her own for all the years he’d been gone. But what they’d discovered at the feed store was dangerous, and with all the killings… “I was hoping you’d do me a favor.”
She studied him for a second. “What kind of favor?”
“Will you stay at the Boot and Spur until I get back?”
“You mean the dude ranch west of town?”
“That’s it. I rented a room there earlier, but no one except the manager knows it. I doubt anyone would look for you in such a remote location, especially since it’s closed for repairs.”
“You think it’s too dangerous for me to go home?”
“It could be dangerous to go anywhere you normally go.”
He knew she had to agree. There was a risk. “What’s your room number?” she asked.
He pulled the key from his back pocket. “Thirteen.”
“All right. First I’m going to swing by Charlie Sumpter’s ranch. I’ll meet you there after, okay?”
He didn’t want her anywhere besides the Boot and Spur, but with Charlie out of town, no one would expect her to go to his place, either. And if Charlie’s house was locked up, Rod was sure she wouldn’t stay long. Not at this time of night. “Okay,” he said, and rested his hands on her shoulders as he dropped a kiss onto her mouth.
She blinked up at him as if the action surprised her, and he could understand why. It’d surprised him, too. He hadn’t planned on making his affection for her a matter of public record. That kiss had been spontaneous.
But somehow he didn’t mind.
“See you soon,” he said, and heard her start the engine as he walked away.
“Where are you?” Gary wanted to know.
“In the parking lot behind the feed store.” Leonard held his cell phone to his ear with his shoulder as he squashed his fifth cigarette into the dirt. Since he wasn’t used to smoking, the nicotine no longer had a positive effect. It wasn’t calming; it was sickening. But he was so angry he didn’t know what else to do. At least smoking kept his hands busy.
“So…did you do it?”
“No.”
There was a drawn-out silence. “You can’t be serious.”
Tilting his head back, Leonard let his breath seep out as he stared at the sky. “You are serious,” Gary said when he didn’t respond. “What happened?”