Rock Chick
Page 48

“Now that we have a second, let’s go back over the kidnapping and dead body thing,” Duke said to me, his fingers scratching his forehead under his trademark rolled, red bandana.
My cell phone rang.
Saved by the cell.
I flipped it open.
“Hello?”
Silence, then a quiet voice said, “I need a Rock Chick rescue.”
“Sorry?”
“A scary guy was at the door. He’s gone but I know he’s gonna come back, I know it. He knows I’ve got them and he’s gonna get me like he got Tim.”
It was The Kevster. Who was at the door, only God knew, but it didn’t sound good. And The Kevster had something, something I hoped was glittery and worth a million dollars.
“Kevin?” I asked.
“You gotta help me.”
The phone went dead.
I looked to Ally.
“The Kevster’s in trouble.” I swung my eyes to Hank. “We gotta roll.”
I took off from behind the counter but was halted on a skid when Hank grabbed a handful of my tee.
“What’s goin’ on?”
I gave him the lowdown, trying to pull him along with me but he stood stock-still and shook his head.
“I’ll call it in,” Hank said.
“No! No cops. He’s a little… sensitive.”
Hank stared at me and his mouth got tight.
“I’m a cop,” he reminded me.
“Not today,” I tried.
I failed.
“Everyday,” he returned.
“Hank, seriously, for some reason he trusts me and Ally. We gotta go and you gotta be cool.”
“Indy, seriously, you aren’t going anywhere and I don’t gotta be anything.”
Ally walked up to us. “I’ll go.”
“You aren’t going either.” Hank looked at the both of us. “Jesus. I’ll go.”
Hank started walking to the door asking where Kevin lived.
I followed close behind.
He turned and I slammed into him.
“Stay,” he said.
“I’m not a dog!”
“You aren’t going.”
“I’m not staying.”
Hank glanced at Duke and I was pretty sure they were going to gang up on me so I burst out, “They kidnapped me at the front door of my childhood home! They won’t think twice about coming here. I’m not leaving you and you have to go save The Kevster so I’m going with you.”
“I’m going too,” Ally said.
Turning the tables, Ally and I ganged up on Hank. He looked about ready to commit murder but he relented. He’d known Ally and me long enough to know we’d get our way come hell or high water.
“You have to do what I tell you,” he said.
That was not gonna happen.
“Sure,” I lied.
He stared at me. He knew I was lying. He blew out a sigh and we left.
Hank had barely rolled his 4Runner to a stop outside The Kevster’s house when I was out the door.
“Indy, for f**k’s sake!” Hank shouted.
I ran to Kevin’s front door and pounded on it.
“Kevin, it’s me. Indy Savage, Rock Chick,” I called, sounding stupid but I was also thinking that maybe Kevin had the diamonds and I wanted them. I wanted this all to be over. I didn’t want to be tied to a chair ever again. I wanted that enough to sound stupid.
I felt Hank come up behind me just as the door was thrown open.
Kevin reached out and grabbed my arm and tugged me inside. Every sore, aching muscle in my body screamed out and Kevin swung the door shut behind me.
Not fast enough, Hank had time to twist his torso, slammed his shoulder into the door and it flew open, sending Kevin careening against the opposite wall.
In two strides, Hank was on him, his hand at The Kevster’s throat holding him against the wall.
“Hank, it’s okay, that’s Kevin,” I said.
Hank turned to me, then looked beyond me and said, “Jesus f**king Christ.”
Ally was also in and she was staring behind me and then she tipped back her head and laughed.
I turned and saw that The Kevster’s living room was filled with pot plants. Every surface was covered with plants, and that included the floor. There was a narrow path forged through the plants but other than that, it was wall-to-wall marijuana. It was a pot jungle.
“Holy crap,” I said.
“Gulk,” The Kevster said.
“Hank, let him go,” Ally said.
Hank’s hand loosened at Kevin’s throat and his other hand went to the small of his back. He was wearing jeans, boots and a gray t-shirt that fit snug on the shoulders and chest but sat loose at his waist. He pulled up the back of his tee and exposed a gun tucked into his waistband next to a pair of cuffs. He pulled out the cuffs and slapped a bracelet on Kevin, then he yanked him toward a door and slapped the other bracelet on the doorknob.
Kevin was coughing and explaining at the same time.
“Dude! I had to save the plants! They were dyin’. They didn’t do anything wrong, they’re innocent. Rosie left them to die. Someone had to save the plants.”
Hank ignored Rosie and turned to me.
“I want to talk to you,” he said.
He stalked through the pot path and I followed him into Kevin’s kitchen, which was also filled with pot plants.
Hank glanced around and then turned on me.
“What in the f**k?” he asked.
“How’m I supposed to know what the f**k? I thought he was calling about Pepper Rick, the guy who kidnapped me. I didn’t know anything about this.”
Hank stared at me for a beat and then looked to the ceiling.
“What’re you gonna do?” I asked.
“I’m callin’ it in,” he answered in a no-nonsense cop tone.
Uh-oh.
“Can we take the plants back to Rosie’s first and call it in from there?”
Hank stared at me incredulously, as if I’d just asked for permission to run the world and make every Tuesday International Pink Champagne Day.
I guessed that was not going to happen.
“Okay then, can the police take the plants and leave Kevin? They aren’t his plants, he’s just looking after them as a concerned environmentalist.”
Hank put his hands to his hips.
I sucked some air into my nostrils and then let it out. “How much trouble is he in?”
“Indy, do you have any idea how much this shit is worth?”
I looked around. I’d seen pot, I’d been around people smoking pot, I’d even shared a few joints myself in my wild past, but I had no idea.