There it was. A mother’s love.
Even knowing this, Sully didn’t understand, Colt knew that, but Sully didn’t let on and said firmly, “Absolutely.”
She nodded, sucked in more breath, lifted her head then asked, “Can I use your phone? I want to call my sister to come to pick me up.”
“Thank God for that,” Sean whispered, “the old man’s itchin’ to lay into her.”
“What’s this now?” Norm asked, not about to be denied the chance to pull her back down where he wanted her, right under his thumb.
Evelyn looked at him and stated, “I think I need some alone time.”
“Hopefully, the next twenty years,” Merry put in.
“You stay in here, Mrs. Lowe, then we’ll get you to a phone,” Sully said quickly then turned to Norm. “Mr. Lowe, I’ll show you out.”
“But –” Norm began.
“This way,” Sully pushed.
“My wife –”
“Needs some alone time,” Sully’s voice was back to steel and he used it and his body to guide Norm to the door.
Unwilling to lose face, Norm scowled at Evelyn but followed Sully. Evelyn lifted her hand and smoothed it across her hair which was neatly pulled back into a bun. Her hand was shaking. Looking toward the floor, she sat down with her back to the door and to her husband.
Sully opened the door and Norm walked out.
The show over, people in the room were shifting, quietly moving out.
Mike moved toward Colt.
“More news in, Colt,” he said, “not just the bodies but the hatchet is also the same brand as what Skipp sold Denny and he ditched Cheryl Sheckle’s car. They don’t know what he’s drivin’ but they found her car about three blocks away from this mornin’s body.”
Well at least they knew where he was headed even if they didn’t know anymore what he was driving to get there.
“What news on the bodies?” Colt asked.
“This mornin’, pure rage. Reports say the remains of the victim looked like Marie. They even had trouble figurin’ out if it was a man or a woman.”
“Christ,” Colt muttered.
“The other body, done on the way from Idaho Springs to Taos. He was hacked like Angie, Pete and Butch, ‘cept he got him by cavin’ in the back of his head while he was runnin’ on some path. Likely a surprise attack. They found the body off the path, it’d been there awhile and the animals had gotten to it. Still, enough of him left to match a photo. We suspect somethin’ to come through soon.”
“Six,” Colt said, counting victims, or at least the dead, human ones.
“That we know of,” Mike replied, looking less than happy to say these words.
“What I wanna know is,” Sean turned to them, jerking his head to the window, “don’t these people pay attention? Cop shows? Movies? News? Fuck, their son is killin’ dogs and drawin’ unhealthy pictures and what? Nothin’? It’s f**kin’ textbook.”
“Denial can be crippling,” Merry, who’d also joined them, told Sean.
“Nope,” Sean replied, tipping his head to the interrogation room. “She knew. Just think that guy’s an assclown. Get my prescriptions there,” Sean said, “at his place. Got allergies. Definitely feelin’ a change comin’ on.”
“‘Spect Norm Lowe’ll lose a bit of business,” Mike noted and Colt’s eyes went to the interrogation room.
Norm and Sully were gone. Evelyn was still sitting down but now staring at the box. Even unmoving, she looked like she was lost in a way she’d never be found. Then again, Evelyn Lowe had likely been lost a long time.
“Think it might be a good idea, Norm Lowe retires,” Colt muttered.
“And moves,” Mike added.
“You’re up next,” Merry noted carefully, his eyes on Colt, “you takin’ precautions?”
Colt looked at him. “Yeah.”
“Creepy shit, Colt,” Mike remarked and Colt looked at Mike.
“Yeah,” he repeated.
Mike grinned. “Still, even creepy, I could see it would make it easier for a man to handle, he goes home to the knowledge he can play a game of pool with February.”
Sean grinned too. “Yeah, Feb playin’ pool in your own den, wearin’ that choker, a pair of her jeans. Fuck. That’d seriously make it easier.”
Garrett Merrick didn’t comment, he just smiled at Colt.
“Hear you only let her have a game,” Mike noted and Colt was slightly annoyed, slightly impressed, that the gossip was so accurate. “Was me, I’d let her take ‘em all.”
“It isn’t you,” Colt reminded him and was extremely glad he was in the position to do it.
Mike’s grin got bigger before he muttered, “Damn shame.”
One good thing about the conversation was that it was different to the conversations he’d overheard since Feb came back to town. Feb being in his bed meant he wouldn’t have to listen to the men discussing jacking off to her anymore and he had to admit that was a relief.
Of the many plusses of having her back in his life, that was one of them. A small one but in the current circumstances he was hanging on to all the positives he could get.
With a low wave to Sean, Merry and Mike, Colt exited the interrogation room and he managed to do it without again looking at the broken Evelyn Lowe.
And he did this because Sully was right. The job they had, the things they heard and saw, you had to find a way to shut it down.
* * * * *
Colt was closing down his computer, preparing to leave the Station and get to his J&J’s family night, a night where he suspected Feb would be in the mood for music, when Sully came up to his desk.
“Got a sec?” Sully asked.
Colt watched his screen go blank then he looked at Sully. “This gonna creep me out, piss me off or both?”
“Just fillin’ you in.”
Colt sat back and Sully took that as his cue to sit down at his desk opposite Colt.
“Colorado body identified. Man’s name’s Jayden Whelan. Wife reported him missin’ four days ago. Got two kids and owned a roofin’ business. On Sundays, he’d run trails. Left, didn’t come back.”
Colt twisted his head as he closed his eyes, trying not to think of two kids without a Dad and a woman without her man living for days wondering where he was and now having to live a lifetime knowing he was never coming back. Colt tried not to think of this, to shut it down, and he failed.
Even knowing this, Sully didn’t understand, Colt knew that, but Sully didn’t let on and said firmly, “Absolutely.”
She nodded, sucked in more breath, lifted her head then asked, “Can I use your phone? I want to call my sister to come to pick me up.”
“Thank God for that,” Sean whispered, “the old man’s itchin’ to lay into her.”
“What’s this now?” Norm asked, not about to be denied the chance to pull her back down where he wanted her, right under his thumb.
Evelyn looked at him and stated, “I think I need some alone time.”
“Hopefully, the next twenty years,” Merry put in.
“You stay in here, Mrs. Lowe, then we’ll get you to a phone,” Sully said quickly then turned to Norm. “Mr. Lowe, I’ll show you out.”
“But –” Norm began.
“This way,” Sully pushed.
“My wife –”
“Needs some alone time,” Sully’s voice was back to steel and he used it and his body to guide Norm to the door.
Unwilling to lose face, Norm scowled at Evelyn but followed Sully. Evelyn lifted her hand and smoothed it across her hair which was neatly pulled back into a bun. Her hand was shaking. Looking toward the floor, she sat down with her back to the door and to her husband.
Sully opened the door and Norm walked out.
The show over, people in the room were shifting, quietly moving out.
Mike moved toward Colt.
“More news in, Colt,” he said, “not just the bodies but the hatchet is also the same brand as what Skipp sold Denny and he ditched Cheryl Sheckle’s car. They don’t know what he’s drivin’ but they found her car about three blocks away from this mornin’s body.”
Well at least they knew where he was headed even if they didn’t know anymore what he was driving to get there.
“What news on the bodies?” Colt asked.
“This mornin’, pure rage. Reports say the remains of the victim looked like Marie. They even had trouble figurin’ out if it was a man or a woman.”
“Christ,” Colt muttered.
“The other body, done on the way from Idaho Springs to Taos. He was hacked like Angie, Pete and Butch, ‘cept he got him by cavin’ in the back of his head while he was runnin’ on some path. Likely a surprise attack. They found the body off the path, it’d been there awhile and the animals had gotten to it. Still, enough of him left to match a photo. We suspect somethin’ to come through soon.”
“Six,” Colt said, counting victims, or at least the dead, human ones.
“That we know of,” Mike replied, looking less than happy to say these words.
“What I wanna know is,” Sean turned to them, jerking his head to the window, “don’t these people pay attention? Cop shows? Movies? News? Fuck, their son is killin’ dogs and drawin’ unhealthy pictures and what? Nothin’? It’s f**kin’ textbook.”
“Denial can be crippling,” Merry, who’d also joined them, told Sean.
“Nope,” Sean replied, tipping his head to the interrogation room. “She knew. Just think that guy’s an assclown. Get my prescriptions there,” Sean said, “at his place. Got allergies. Definitely feelin’ a change comin’ on.”
“‘Spect Norm Lowe’ll lose a bit of business,” Mike noted and Colt’s eyes went to the interrogation room.
Norm and Sully were gone. Evelyn was still sitting down but now staring at the box. Even unmoving, she looked like she was lost in a way she’d never be found. Then again, Evelyn Lowe had likely been lost a long time.
“Think it might be a good idea, Norm Lowe retires,” Colt muttered.
“And moves,” Mike added.
“You’re up next,” Merry noted carefully, his eyes on Colt, “you takin’ precautions?”
Colt looked at him. “Yeah.”
“Creepy shit, Colt,” Mike remarked and Colt looked at Mike.
“Yeah,” he repeated.
Mike grinned. “Still, even creepy, I could see it would make it easier for a man to handle, he goes home to the knowledge he can play a game of pool with February.”
Sean grinned too. “Yeah, Feb playin’ pool in your own den, wearin’ that choker, a pair of her jeans. Fuck. That’d seriously make it easier.”
Garrett Merrick didn’t comment, he just smiled at Colt.
“Hear you only let her have a game,” Mike noted and Colt was slightly annoyed, slightly impressed, that the gossip was so accurate. “Was me, I’d let her take ‘em all.”
“It isn’t you,” Colt reminded him and was extremely glad he was in the position to do it.
Mike’s grin got bigger before he muttered, “Damn shame.”
One good thing about the conversation was that it was different to the conversations he’d overheard since Feb came back to town. Feb being in his bed meant he wouldn’t have to listen to the men discussing jacking off to her anymore and he had to admit that was a relief.
Of the many plusses of having her back in his life, that was one of them. A small one but in the current circumstances he was hanging on to all the positives he could get.
With a low wave to Sean, Merry and Mike, Colt exited the interrogation room and he managed to do it without again looking at the broken Evelyn Lowe.
And he did this because Sully was right. The job they had, the things they heard and saw, you had to find a way to shut it down.
* * * * *
Colt was closing down his computer, preparing to leave the Station and get to his J&J’s family night, a night where he suspected Feb would be in the mood for music, when Sully came up to his desk.
“Got a sec?” Sully asked.
Colt watched his screen go blank then he looked at Sully. “This gonna creep me out, piss me off or both?”
“Just fillin’ you in.”
Colt sat back and Sully took that as his cue to sit down at his desk opposite Colt.
“Colorado body identified. Man’s name’s Jayden Whelan. Wife reported him missin’ four days ago. Got two kids and owned a roofin’ business. On Sundays, he’d run trails. Left, didn’t come back.”
Colt twisted his head as he closed his eyes, trying not to think of two kids without a Dad and a woman without her man living for days wondering where he was and now having to live a lifetime knowing he was never coming back. Colt tried not to think of this, to shut it down, and he failed.
