Read Online Dust To Dust by Tami Hoag - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Tami Hoag
Tags: Fiction, General, Suspense, Mystery & Detective, Mystery, Crime & mystery, Crime thriller, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Gay police
Ads: Link
about?"
Fallon's lips twisted. "He wanted to tell me he was coming out of the closet. That he was a fag. Like I needed to hear that."
"You didn't know he was gay?"
SOT A M 1
0 A G
"Sure I did. I knew it years ago. High school. I just knew it. It wasn't something he had to tell me." He took another snort of the Crow, then pulled on the cigarette. "I told the old man so once. Way back when. Just because I was pissed off. Sick of it. Sick of 'Why can't you be more like your brother?"'
He laughed loudly then, as if at a hilarious joke. "Man. He damn near broke my jaw, he hit me so hard. I'd never seen him so mad. I could've said theVirgin Mary was a whore and he wouldn't have been half that mad. I sinned against the golden child. If he hadn't been in that chair, he'd have kicked my ass blue."
"How did Andy seem when he told you?"
Fallon thought about it for a moment. "Intense," he said at last. "I guess it was a trauma for him. He'd told Mike. That mustve been a scene and a half I would've gone back to see that. I couldn't believe the old man didn't stroke out."
He sucked on the cigarette, dropped the butt on the floor, and crushed it out with the toe of his work boot. "It was strange, though, you know? I felt sorry for Andy. I know all about disappointing the old man. He didn't."
"Had you seen him since?"
"A couple of times. He came out to ice fish. I let him have one of my shacks.We had a drink one other time. I think he wanted us to be like brothers again, but, shit, what did we have in common besides the old man? Nothing.
"Howd Mike take this?" Fallon asked quietly, staring at the floor. "Andy being dead." He blew out a breath of smoke through flared nostrils. "He sent you out here? He couldn't call me to tell me himself Couldn't bring himself to admit the perfect son didn't turn out to be so fucking perfect after all.That's Mike. If he can't be right, he'll be an asshole."
Taking the bottle of Old Crow by the throat, he pushed to his feet and headed out the door. "Fuck 'em."
Kovac followed, hunching into his coat. It was getting colder, a damp kind of cold that bit to the bone. His head hurt and his nose was throbbing.
Fallon stepped around the corner of the shed and stopped, staring between the shitty little fishing cabins he rented out in the summer. The buildings squatted near the shore of Minnetonka, but there was no shore to speak of this time of year. Snow drifted across land and
0 U S T
T 0
D U S T51
ice, making one nearly indistinguishable from the other. The landscape was a sea of white stretching out toward an orange horizon. "How'd he do it?"
"Hung himself" "Huh."
just that: Huh. Then he stood there some more while the wind blew a fine mist of white from one side of the lake to the other. No dem*aI or disbelief Perhaps he hadn't known his brother as well as Steve Pierce had. Or maybe he'd wished his brother dead in the past and so had less trouble accepting his death by any means.
"When we were kids, we played cowboys," he said. "I was always the one that got strung up. I was always the bad guy. Andy always played the sheriff. Funny how things turn out."
They said nothing for another few moments. Kovac imagined Fallon was seeing those old memories play out before him.Two little boys, their whole lives ahead of them, in two-dollar cowboy hats, riding on broomsticks. Bright futures stained dark by the jealousies and strains and disappointments of growing up.
The images of childhood faded into the memory of Andy Fallon hanging'naked from a rafter.
"Mind if I have a belt of that?" he asked, nodding toward the bottle. Fallon handed it over. "Aren't you on duty?"
"I'm always on duty It's all I've got," Kovac admitted. "I won't tell the brass if you don't."
Fallon turned back toward the lake. "Hey, fuck 'em."
T H E N E I Q H B 0 R W A S in his yard harvesting burned-out Christmas bulbs when Kovac pulled up. Kovac stopped halfway up the walk to watch him as he unscrewed a light from the Virgin
Fallon's lips twisted. "He wanted to tell me he was coming out of the closet. That he was a fag. Like I needed to hear that."
"You didn't know he was gay?"
SOT A M 1
0 A G
"Sure I did. I knew it years ago. High school. I just knew it. It wasn't something he had to tell me." He took another snort of the Crow, then pulled on the cigarette. "I told the old man so once. Way back when. Just because I was pissed off. Sick of it. Sick of 'Why can't you be more like your brother?"'
He laughed loudly then, as if at a hilarious joke. "Man. He damn near broke my jaw, he hit me so hard. I'd never seen him so mad. I could've said theVirgin Mary was a whore and he wouldn't have been half that mad. I sinned against the golden child. If he hadn't been in that chair, he'd have kicked my ass blue."
"How did Andy seem when he told you?"
Fallon thought about it for a moment. "Intense," he said at last. "I guess it was a trauma for him. He'd told Mike. That mustve been a scene and a half I would've gone back to see that. I couldn't believe the old man didn't stroke out."
He sucked on the cigarette, dropped the butt on the floor, and crushed it out with the toe of his work boot. "It was strange, though, you know? I felt sorry for Andy. I know all about disappointing the old man. He didn't."
"Had you seen him since?"
"A couple of times. He came out to ice fish. I let him have one of my shacks.We had a drink one other time. I think he wanted us to be like brothers again, but, shit, what did we have in common besides the old man? Nothing.
"Howd Mike take this?" Fallon asked quietly, staring at the floor. "Andy being dead." He blew out a breath of smoke through flared nostrils. "He sent you out here? He couldn't call me to tell me himself Couldn't bring himself to admit the perfect son didn't turn out to be so fucking perfect after all.That's Mike. If he can't be right, he'll be an asshole."
Taking the bottle of Old Crow by the throat, he pushed to his feet and headed out the door. "Fuck 'em."
Kovac followed, hunching into his coat. It was getting colder, a damp kind of cold that bit to the bone. His head hurt and his nose was throbbing.
Fallon stepped around the corner of the shed and stopped, staring between the shitty little fishing cabins he rented out in the summer. The buildings squatted near the shore of Minnetonka, but there was no shore to speak of this time of year. Snow drifted across land and
0 U S T
T 0
D U S T51
ice, making one nearly indistinguishable from the other. The landscape was a sea of white stretching out toward an orange horizon. "How'd he do it?"
"Hung himself" "Huh."
just that: Huh. Then he stood there some more while the wind blew a fine mist of white from one side of the lake to the other. No dem*aI or disbelief Perhaps he hadn't known his brother as well as Steve Pierce had. Or maybe he'd wished his brother dead in the past and so had less trouble accepting his death by any means.
"When we were kids, we played cowboys," he said. "I was always the one that got strung up. I was always the bad guy. Andy always played the sheriff. Funny how things turn out."
They said nothing for another few moments. Kovac imagined Fallon was seeing those old memories play out before him.Two little boys, their whole lives ahead of them, in two-dollar cowboy hats, riding on broomsticks. Bright futures stained dark by the jealousies and strains and disappointments of growing up.
The images of childhood faded into the memory of Andy Fallon hanging'naked from a rafter.
"Mind if I have a belt of that?" he asked, nodding toward the bottle. Fallon handed it over. "Aren't you on duty?"
"I'm always on duty It's all I've got," Kovac admitted. "I won't tell the brass if you don't."
Fallon turned back toward the lake. "Hey, fuck 'em."
T H E N E I Q H B 0 R W A S in his yard harvesting burned-out Christmas bulbs when Kovac pulled up. Kovac stopped halfway up the walk to watch him as he unscrewed a light from the Virgin
Similar Books
