Ryker’s Justice (7 page)

“I
will if she wants,” he replied. “We’ll be back.”

Beyond
the goalpost, the cinderblock restrooms loomed out of the darkness. Shadows
from the trees behind were dark and deep. He pointed Nicole to the Ladies’ and
promised to wait a few steps away from the lit door. “I’ll be right here,” he
said.

His
city girl curled her lip but nodded. “I won’t take long.”

Jude
remembered the aged fixtures, the battered stall doors, and the sinks which
worked at least half the time. No, he doubted she would. He just hoped a stray
snake or skunk hadn’t crawled inside. A steady stream of women headed for the
restrooms and on the slight breeze, he inhaled a blend of scents. Perfume,
heavy tobacco smoke, and a faint hint of weed mingled with the aroma of popcorn
and barbecue from concessions. Jude caught a whiff of chewing tobacco, beer,
and grass, too.

Both
the Ladies’ and
Mens
’ Rooms were housed in the same
building with separate entrances. He heard the rumble of male voices from
behind the building and after noting the line had stretched through the
door,
Jude stepped around to see who might be doing what. His
eyes were adjusted to the dark so he made out all six faces. Five were
teenagers or not much past, young men. He recognized Josh, Noah’s kid, but none
of the others. When Josh spotted his uncle, his wide grin narrowed and within moments,
he started to mumble excuses. Then he headed back toward the illuminated area. The
sixth person remained in the shadows but Jude saw enough of his profile to know
he was a man. He wore a broad-brimmed Western hat rather than the popular ball
caps most of the guys sported, and he nodded in Jude’s direction.

“Long
time no see
, Ryker,” he said.

Junior
Wetzel hadn’t changed much over the years since he’d last seen him. In high
school, Junior played football, too, but his strong point had been size, not
skill. Although he’d lost bulk, he still loomed large and as Jude answered, he
remembered how much he’d always loathed Junior. “True enough, but I’m back.”

“I
reckon we ought to change your nickname to ‘Penny’, like a bad one,” Wetzel
said with a short laugh and no smile.
 
Jude shrugged. He hadn’t had one back
then, didn’t need one now. “I answer to about anything these days,” he said.

The
other man’s eyes narrowed beneath his brim. “I bet you do. How ‘bout a snort or
are you still too good to take a drink with the men?”

Until
now, Jude hadn’t noticed the quart fruit jar passed between the remaining boys
but when he did, he caught a whiff of the pungent odor of raw moonshine. His
gut clenched hard and tight. When he least expected it, he’d walked into a
clue. “Oh, I’m not so picky now,” he said with a careless toss of his head.
“Hand me the jar, Junior.”

Without
any hesitation, Junior passed it and Jude raised it to his lips to drink. The
clear liquid burned his lips and cut a trail of fire down to his belly. Although
he gave no outward sign of discomfort, Jude hoped one shot wasn’t enough to
cause any damage. Moonshine seldom had pure ingredients and it wasn’t uncommon
for those who drank it to go blind or suffer other consequences. Some added lye
and on occasion a little fertilizer found its way into the mix. The one taste,
however, was more than enough to confirm he’d drunk illegal home-brewed hooch. And,
he had a suspect.

Junior
Wetzel fit the profile and the family had a long, gnarly history with the law. Now
Jude had somewhere to start his investigation. When Junior offered another
drink, he shook his head. “See you around, Junior.”

“If
you want more, give me a holler,” the man called after him. “I can let you know
where to get some.”

“I
just might do that, thanks,” Jude said.

He
rounded the corner in time to see Nicole leave the bathroom. She glanced
around, her expression almost frantic, until she spotted him. He crossed the
grass to her with three big strides. “Hi, honey. Do you want some popcorn or a
soda?”

“A
soda would be nice,” she said. “I’m thirsty. Where’d you go?”

“Aw,
I saw somebody I went to school with over there,” Jude told her. “I walked over
to say howdy.”

Although
Jude often drank quality whiskey or other alcohol in reasonable amounts without
any ill effects, the burning in his gut reminded him why moonshine was often
called ‘rotgut whiskey’. He needed a soft drink, too, to dilute the stuff
before it ate a hole through his stomach. He ordered two large drinks and they
carried them back to the stands in time to watch the last half of the game.

Preoccupied
with the first break he’d made in finding the moonshiners, Jude almost missed
David’s dramatic touchdown. After his idle months, he wanted to get enough
evidence to make the bust and send anyone involved to prison and his mind
schemed how to start. Forty-eight hours ago, he would have been celebrating,
eager to wrap-up and head back to the world, but now he had Nicole. If he told
her, he might compromise the operation. He wasn’t at liberty to share it with
his family
either,
and he hated to damage their
reunion by holding back. If Nicole hadn’t tugged his arm and pointed, he
wouldn’t have seen David’s play.

As
the crowd cheered and the home team won, she put her lips close to his ear.
“Jude, are you okay?”

God,
she’d noticed. “I’m fine,” he said.

“You
look like you’re a million miles away,” she said. “You didn’t say three words
after half time. Are you tired?”

Her
lips pursed with concern so he pushed his thoughts about moonshine away for
now. “No, honey, I’m up for anything you want.”

“Well,
you promised me ice cream.”

“You’re
right,” he said. A smile lifted his lips for the first time in over thirty
minutes. “I think everyone’s heading over to the Dairy Den—if you don’t mind,
we can join them.”

She
glanced down at his jacket. “I don’t think I’d mind, Jude, after wearing this
with your name across the back like a tattoo. Let’s go.”

At
the ice cream parlor, high school students, football fans, and families crowded
into the tables and left standing-room only. Jude’s brother, Noah, commandeered
one of the large corner tables and held it.
Rykers
of
all ages gathered around it and made room for Nicole. Jude watched as she
spooned hot fudge sundae between her lips, and sighed when his cock tightened within
his jeans. If she noticed, she gave no indication as she talked with Tania and
the other wives.

Josh
sat a table with other teenagers nearby but refused to make eye contact when
Jude glanced in his direction.
I’ll talk
to him later and find out what, if anything, he knows about the booze, whether
he likes it or not,
Jude vowed.
Have
a little uncle-to-nephew chat.

Elijah
tapped his shoulder and broke his concentration. “Have you seen David?” he
asked Jude.

“Not
since he left the field, no.”

“He
said he’d be here with Sierra but it’s been quite
awhile
.
I wonder what’s keeping him.”

A
discreet glance at his watch revealed more than an hour and a half had passed
since the game ended. Traffic had been slow to exit the parking area and the
lines at the ice cream counter had been lengthy. Allowing for a quick shower
and change in the field house, David and his date should have arrived by now. Anxiety
knifed through Jude’s chest but he schooled his face calm. “Aw, he probably
stopped to do a little necking,” he said.

His
brother laughed. “From what I remember, you did your share back in the old
days.”

Tania
didn’t share her husband’s amusement. “David’s never late,” she said. “I’m
getting worried.”

So
was Jude. Nicole finished her ice cream and took his hand beneath the table so
she must be aware. The exuberant conversation faded at the Ryker table. A few
minutes later, the distant wail of sirens screamed into the night. A county
sheriff’s car followed by an ambulance and fire truck roared past the Dairy Den
at top speed and everyone became silent. Around them, other people laughed and
talked, their voices a babble in the night. When Elijah’s cell phone rang, then
Tania’s, Jude knew, and a frigid ball of ice took up residence where his heart
should be.

No
one said a word and everyone listened. By the time the calls ended, everyone at
the table and most of those in the restaurant knew there’d been an accident. David’s
car had been struck head-on by a drunk driver,
then
careened to the bottom of a deep ravine. Emergency personnel were on-site but
the situation appeared grim. So far, they hadn’t recovered either passenger.

“I’m
going to the site,” Elijah said. His voice emerged gruff as an old man’s.
“Tania, take Nora and Cody home.”

The
little girl began to cry. Tania hugged her close, rocking her body in an effort
to ease her tears. “I want to go, too,” she said. “I need to be there.”

Elijah’s
phone shrilled again and he answered. He listened and said, “Okay, we’ll be
there.”

“David’s
on his way to the hospital,” he said. “But Sierra’s gone.”

Jude
stood first. “Then let’s go,” he said. In unison, the Ryker bunch rose and
went.

Chapter Seven

Jude
had no need to ask what hospital or where. He headed for the county seat and
the nearest hospital at top speed. He remembered this tragic small town ritual,
the gathering of near and dear to wait for news of their loved one. Specters
from the past assailed his brain with memories of other times. Among his nieces
and nephews, he’d grown closest to David since his return. He’d taken the kid
fishing and hunting several times. Jude had also helped David tinker with his
vintage Trans Am at Elijah’s house and they’d bonded. His need to be there to
hear the news, good or ill, carried the power of blood ties. Although she rode
beside him, he’d all but ignored Nicole until she spoke, “Where are we headed?”

He’d
forgotten she wouldn’t know, not the beautiful outlander from another place.
“Town,” he said. “We’re going to the hospital, in the county seat. It’s about
eighteen miles but it’s where they’ll take David for treatment. If you want, I
can drop you off at the inn, honey.”

Nicole
put her hand on his right leg, close beside him. “I want to go with you, Jude,”
she said. “Besides, isn’t the inn in the other direction?”

“Yeah,
it is. Are you sure?”

“Yes,
Jude.”

With
a sigh, he patted her hand. “Okay. To tell the truth, I’d like to have you
there for support and comfort.
Thanks,
honey.”

In
response, she leaned against his shoulder, her presence a balm to his worry as
they rolled over miles of pavement. In town, Jude navigated the narrow streets
to reach the medical facility in the heart of the city. The old hospital loomed
to one side of the newer construction. An ambulance, rear doors open wide,
stood at the Emergency Room entrance, and as they walked across the parking
lot, the
EMTs
rolled a gurney into the building. “That’s
David,” Jude said, his throat as tight as if he’d swallowed a fishbone.

“I’m
sure he’ll be all right.” Her soft voice meant to soothe but he heard the
uncertainty in it.

“I
hope so.”

After
the darkness, walking into the bright ER waiting area grated harsh on Jude’s
eyes. A headache had already begun within his skull and the fluorescent
illumination increased his discomfort. His mind whirled with so many major
developments in such a short time—his feelings for Nicole, their growing
relationship, his breakthrough on the investigation, and his nephew’s accident.
He’d flown solo for so long that being part of the family circle seemed strange,
and for the first time, he realized they’d done this many times without him. Jude
hadn’t been around for any of the children’s births, his father’s last days, or
the assorted other mishaps. Someone had always contacted him, eventually, and
he’d gotten in touch. He’d kept up with the situations each time: when Adam
suffered appendicitis, when Noah got injured on the job, and when Abigail
suffered serious injuries in a tractor accident. He’d sent well wishes, offered
a few prayers, ordered flowers or get well balloons, but he hadn’t been here,
not in any meaningful way.

The
small hospital boasted an equally tiny waiting area and the rows of chairs fit
tightly into the space. The
Rykers
claimed most of
the seats, although a few other people already in
queue,
sat among them. Elijah sat beside his weeping wife, with one arm around Tania. His
other brothers kept close. Jude saw Abigail, but not Esther. Neither Nora nor
Cody was present either so he guessed she must’ve taken the kids home. He saw
two empty chairs across from Elijah and sat down, Nicole at his side.

“I
guess it’s too soon to have heard anything,” he said to his brother.

Tania
sobbed harder, with her face buried in her hands. Elijah shook his head. “I talked
to one of the
EMTs
who used to be one of my students.
He said David’s stable for now but his injuries are probably serious. I guess
you know Sierra died at the scene and that
Junior
walked away without a scratch, the son-of-a-fucking-bitch.”