John Hart - Down River

“That’s personal,” I said, and meant it. I wanted my life back, and that included Robin. But she was not making it easy. She was a cop first, and while I understood that, it still cut.

“You need to talk to me, Adam.”

“Robin, I appreciate what you’ve said, but I’m not sure where we stand. Until I know for certain, I’ll proceed as I see fit.”

“Adam-”

“Grace was assaulted, Danny killed, and every cop in the county is looking at me and my family. How much of that comes from what happened five years ago, I don’t know; but I do know this. I’ll do whatever I have to do to protect the people I love. I still know this town, still know these people. If the cops aren’t going to look deeper than Red Water Farm, then I’ll have to do it myself.”

“That would be a mistake.”

“I’ve been railroaded once. I’m not going to let it happen again. Not to me or anyone else in my family.”

My cell phone rang, so I held up a finger. It was Jamie, and he was stressed-out.

“It’s the cops,” he said.

“What about them?”

“They’re searching Dolf’s house!” I looked at Robin as Jamie yelled in my ear. “It’s a freakin’ raid, man!”

I closed the phone slowly, watching Robin’s face. “Grantham is searching Dolf’s house.” Distaste filled my voice. I could see five steps down the road. “Did you know about that?”

“I knew,” she said calmly.

“Is that the reason that you called me? So that Grantham could do this without me around?”

“I thought it would be best if you were not there when he conducted the search. So, yes.”

“Why?”

“Nothing could be gained if you and Grantham have another difficult encounter.”

“So you lied to me to protect me from myself? Not to help Grantham?”

She shrugged, unapologetic. “Sometimes you can kill two birds with one stone.”

I stepped closer, so that she seemed very small. “Sometimes, maybe. But you can’t have it both ways forever. One of these days, you are going to need to make a choice about what’s more important to you. Me or the job.”

“You may be right, Adam, but it’s like I said. You left me. This has been my life for five long years. I know it. I trust it. A choice may be out there somewhere, but I’m not ready to make that choice today.”

Her face refused to soften. I blew out a breath. “Damn it, Robin.” I took a step and turned. I wanted to punch something. “What are they looking for?”

“Danny was killed with a.38. The only pistol registered to anyone at Red Water Farm is owned by Dolf Shepherd, a.38. Grantham is looking for that.”

“Then I have a problem.”

“What’s that?”

I hesitated. “My fingerprints are all over that pistol.”

Robin studied me for a long time. To her credit, she did not ask me why. “Your fingerprints are on record. It won’t take very long.”

I opened the door to my car.

“Where are you going?”

“Dolf’s.”

Robin moved for her car. “I’ll follow you.”

“What about Grantham?”

“I don’t work for Grantham,” she said.

Four police cars blocked the driveway, so I pulled off into a field and walked. Robin fell in behind me and as we crossed over the steel bars of the cattle guard, dry mud crunched beneath my shoes. I did not see Grantham, and guessed that he was in the house. A uniformed deputy guarded the porch and another slouched by the cars. The front door stood open, wedged with a rocking chair turned flat against the house. Dolf, Jamie, and my father stood together next to Dolf’s truck. The old men looked furious; Jamie chewed on a fingernail and nodded at me. I looked for Parks Templeton and found him in his long, expensive car. He had a cell phone to his ear, one leg hanging out of the open car door. He did a double take when he saw us, and hung up the phone. We reached my father at the same time.

Parks aimed a finger at Robin. “Tell me that you have not been speaking to her.”

“I know what I’m doing.”

“No, you do not.”

“Let’s talk in a minute,” I said to Robin. She turned away and mounted the steps to the porch. I turned back to Parks. “Can you do anything about this?” I gestured at the house.

“We’ve been through that,” my father said. “The warrant is legal.”

“How long have they been here?”

“Twenty minutes.”

I spoke to Parks. “Tell me about the warrant.”

“There’s no need-”

“Tell him,” my father said.

Parks drew himself up. “It’s limited in scope. That’s good. It gives the police the authority to seize any handguns and handgun ammunition on the premises.”

“That’s it?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“That should have taken two minutes. They’re looking for a.38. It’s right there in the gun cabinet.”

The lawyer put a finger across his lips, tapped once. “How do you know they’re looking for a.38?”

“Because that’s what killed Danny. I learned that from her.” I gestured at the house, held the lawyer’s eyes until he was forced to nod. It was good information. “They should have had it by now,” I said. “They should be gone.”

For a moment no one spoke. I wish that it had stayed like that.

“I hid it,” Dolf finally said.

“What?” Jamie slipped off the hood of the truck. Sudden anger boiled off him. “You hid it? No reason to hide a gun unless you’ve got something to hide.”

The disquiet slid off Dolf’s face, replaced by a look of weary resignation. Jamie stepped closer. “I’m always answering to you,” Jamie said. “Got you looking over my shoulder. Now, why don’t you answer to me? Only one reason to hide a gun, Dolf. That’s plain enough. Why don’t you just tell us?”

“What are you saying?” my father asked.

Dolf peered out at Jamie from beneath heavy lids, and there was such regret in his eyes. “Danny was decent enough, and I know you loved him, boy-”

“No, you don’t,” Jamie said. “Don’t you ‘boy’ me. Just explain it. Only one reason to hide a gun, and that’s because you knew they’d come looking for it.”

“You’re drunk,” Dolf said. “And that’s ignorant talk.”

Parks interrupted, and his voice was strong enough to give Jamie pause. “Illuminate us,” he said to Dolf.

Dolf looked to my father. He nodded, and Dolf spit on the ground, hitched his thumbs into his belt. He stared at Parks, then at Jamie. “That’s not the only reason to hide a gun, Jamie, you big, dumb lummox. A man might hide a gun to keep somebody else from using it. To keep a smart man from doing a stupid thing.”

Dolf’s eyes cut to me, and I knew that he was thinking about how I took the gun from his cabinet and how I almost killed Zebulon Faith. He’d hidden it for my sake.

“He’s right,” I said, relieved. “That’s a good reason.”

“How about you explain that,” Parks said to me.

My father spoke before I could. “He doesn’t have to explain anything. We did that five years ago. He won’t have to do it again. Not here. Not ever.”

I felt my father’s eyes on me, the force of what he said. What it meant. It was the first time he’d stood up for me since Janice said that she saw me dripping with blood. Parks went rigid as the color rose in his face. “You are limiting my value to you, Jacob.”

“At three hundred dollars an hour, I make the rules. Adam will tell you what he thinks you need to know. I will not have him questioned again.”

Parks tried to return my father’s stare, but lost his nerve after a few seconds. He threw up a hand and stalked off. “Fine,” he said. I watched him all the way back to his car. Suddenly my father was embarrassed, as if by the act of protecting me. He patted Dolf on the shoulder, fastened an eye on Jamie.