Wednesday night, found some warrants. I didn’t make bail till a few hours ago.”
Bernie gave him a long look. Then he put the AK aside and took out his cell phone. “Damn, no service.”
“Wanna use mine?” Ruben said.
Bernie used Ruben’s. He dialed a number. “Gina? Bernie Little here. Trying to confirm processing times for a possible recent booking down at County, name of Ruben Ramirez.”
We waited. Ruben gazed at my teeth. The biting urge—I hardly ever get it, but when I do, oh boy—grew stronger.
“Thanks, Gina.” Bernie clicked off, handed Ruben his phone. “Your story checks out.”
“You gonna apologize?”
Bernie laughed. I loved Bernie’s laugh. There’s this crazy run I do in the yard, zooming back and forth, that always works.
“What’s funny?” Ruben said.
Bernie stopped laughing. He tapped Ruben’s shoulder with the shotgun, this time much harder. Ruben winced. “Paying attention?” Bernie said.
“I was at County, man. Why the hell—”
“Forget that part,” Bernie said. “How did Madison get home from your place?”
“Already told you,” Ruben said. “I drove her.” Or something like that. I didn’t really hear because at that moment my jaws were suddenly clamping around Ruben’s leg. Not hard, no blood drawn or anything dramatic, but the big baby let out a scream like he was being ripped in two. “All right, all right, I didn’t drive her. Call off your damn dog.”
“Language.”
“Oh God, come on, man.” Ruben wriggled around on the floor.
“Chet?”
I unclamped. It took everything I had.
“Maybe take a moment or two, Chet.”
Bernie was right. I walked around a bit, snapping up the burger in an absentminded way.
“If you didn’t drive her,” Bernie was saying, “how did she get home?”
“She walked out, that’s all I know.”
“Into a bad area? Why would she do that?”
“Couldn’t tell you.”
“Think,” Bernie said. “We really want to know, Chet and I.”
Ruben glanced at me, fear in his eyes, no doubt about it. I was licking burger juices off my lips. “Nothin’ happened,” he said. “I was feelin’ a little romantic. She wasn’t in the mood.”
“You don’t look like the romantic type.”
Ruben frowned in a thoughtful way, like maybe he was learning something about himself. “I didn’t touch her,” he said. “Or hardly. She just walked out.”
“In what direction?”
“Toward Almonte.”
“You watched?”
“I wasn’t really watching her,” Ruben said. “There was this strange car out front.”
“What was strange about it?”
Ruben raised and lowered his heavy shoulders. “Not from around here.” He looked toward the window; there was tape on one of the panes. “Maybe the dude offered her a ride.”
“What dude?”
“This blond dude in the car. He opened the door as she went by, kind of held out his hand.”
“Held out his hand?”
“You know,” said Ruben. “To stop her. But she didn’t stop. Maybe even started running, now I think of it. Up to Almonte, kind of thing.”
“And the blond dude?”
“He got back in the car, drove off.”
“After her?”
“Don’t remember.”
“Think.”
Ruben squeezed his eyes shut. Time passed.
Bernie sighed. “What make was the car?”
“A Beamer,” said Ruben. “Which was how come I noticed in the first place.”
“Model?”
“Don’t know the models.”
“Color?”
“Blue.”
When Bernie was worried about something, his eyebrows got closer together, and his eyes seemed to be looking inward. That was happening now. On the way back to the car, I sprayed markings on the gate and maybe one or two other spots.
We tried the convenience store on Almonte. No one there remembered Madison. I started worrying, too, about what I didn’t know.
eight
Here’s a scenario,” Bernie said, starting to lose me right off the top. “It makes
Bernie gave him a long look. Then he put the AK aside and took out his cell phone. “Damn, no service.”
“Wanna use mine?” Ruben said.
Bernie used Ruben’s. He dialed a number. “Gina? Bernie Little here. Trying to confirm processing times for a possible recent booking down at County, name of Ruben Ramirez.”
We waited. Ruben gazed at my teeth. The biting urge—I hardly ever get it, but when I do, oh boy—grew stronger.
“Thanks, Gina.” Bernie clicked off, handed Ruben his phone. “Your story checks out.”
“You gonna apologize?”
Bernie laughed. I loved Bernie’s laugh. There’s this crazy run I do in the yard, zooming back and forth, that always works.
“What’s funny?” Ruben said.
Bernie stopped laughing. He tapped Ruben’s shoulder with the shotgun, this time much harder. Ruben winced. “Paying attention?” Bernie said.
“I was at County, man. Why the hell—”
“Forget that part,” Bernie said. “How did Madison get home from your place?”
“Already told you,” Ruben said. “I drove her.” Or something like that. I didn’t really hear because at that moment my jaws were suddenly clamping around Ruben’s leg. Not hard, no blood drawn or anything dramatic, but the big baby let out a scream like he was being ripped in two. “All right, all right, I didn’t drive her. Call off your damn dog.”
“Language.”
“Oh God, come on, man.” Ruben wriggled around on the floor.
“Chet?”
I unclamped. It took everything I had.
“Maybe take a moment or two, Chet.”
Bernie was right. I walked around a bit, snapping up the burger in an absentminded way.
“If you didn’t drive her,” Bernie was saying, “how did she get home?”
“She walked out, that’s all I know.”
“Into a bad area? Why would she do that?”
“Couldn’t tell you.”
“Think,” Bernie said. “We really want to know, Chet and I.”
Ruben glanced at me, fear in his eyes, no doubt about it. I was licking burger juices off my lips. “Nothin’ happened,” he said. “I was feelin’ a little romantic. She wasn’t in the mood.”
“You don’t look like the romantic type.”
Ruben frowned in a thoughtful way, like maybe he was learning something about himself. “I didn’t touch her,” he said. “Or hardly. She just walked out.”
“In what direction?”
“Toward Almonte.”
“You watched?”
“I wasn’t really watching her,” Ruben said. “There was this strange car out front.”
“What was strange about it?”
Ruben raised and lowered his heavy shoulders. “Not from around here.” He looked toward the window; there was tape on one of the panes. “Maybe the dude offered her a ride.”
“What dude?”
“This blond dude in the car. He opened the door as she went by, kind of held out his hand.”
“Held out his hand?”
“You know,” said Ruben. “To stop her. But she didn’t stop. Maybe even started running, now I think of it. Up to Almonte, kind of thing.”
“And the blond dude?”
“He got back in the car, drove off.”
“After her?”
“Don’t remember.”
“Think.”
Ruben squeezed his eyes shut. Time passed.
Bernie sighed. “What make was the car?”
“A Beamer,” said Ruben. “Which was how come I noticed in the first place.”
“Model?”
“Don’t know the models.”
“Color?”
“Blue.”
When Bernie was worried about something, his eyebrows got closer together, and his eyes seemed to be looking inward. That was happening now. On the way back to the car, I sprayed markings on the gate and maybe one or two other spots.
We tried the convenience store on Almonte. No one there remembered Madison. I started worrying, too, about what I didn’t know.
eight
Here’s a scenario,” Bernie said, starting to lose me right off the top. “It makes
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