This Is How It Ends

“Why do you think?” he said. “For drugs. They got me with some last year, around the time Jessica . . .” He trailed off, shrugging.

“But what were you so worried about? If you didn’t shoot him and didn’t have anything—”

“Look, I stole something from the trailer while Cleary was taking a leak, okay? It wasn’t drugs, and I needed money and figured he owed me, you know?”

I stopped, suddenly getting it. “The vase,” I said. What did that mean? Had he pawned it? Given it to Galen? Or had Galen been with him?

“How the f**k do you know all this stuff?” Moose asked, incredulous.

“Was Galen Riddock with you?”

Moose smirked. “Hell, no. I just put it under his name ’cause he’s an ass**le.”

“Uh-huh.” I was starting to understand why the police always seemed like they didn’t know what they were doing. It was mind-boggling trying to put all the pieces of this stuff together. “So the Miloseviches live near the Clearys, right?”

Moose looked over his shoulder, turning away again. “Yeah.” He hefted his bucket onto table one.

I leaned against the next booth and took a shot in the dark, “I’ve heard they were really pissed at Mr. Cleary.”

“Wouldn’t you be?” Moose said, not looking up.

“But you still went there. To him. After.”

He turned to face me then, taking a step closer. His jaw was clenched. “Listen. I don’t know where you get off playing Mr. Righteous or the Hardy Boys here, but what I do or don’t do is none of your business. If you’re dancing around whether I had anything to do with your friend’s shithead dad getting killed, the answer is no. Neither did Jessica’s parents. The Miloseviches,” he added, glaring at me. “So Fuck. Off.”

Moose whirled back to his silverware, knocking the rolls he’d already done onto the floor. He cursed and kicked the leg of the table.

I decided to take his suggestion, making myself scarce for the rest of the shift. But it wasn’t Jessica Milosevich’s parents I was thinking about. It was Richie.

***

After work I swung by the track to get Tannis so we could meet everyone over at Trip’s to talk about Nat’s dad. Our Saturday night command performance. She was still racing laps, so I stood by the chain-link fence, watching the blue Thunderbird fly around the loop.

“Well, well,” a deep voice said from behind me. “Riley Larkin.”

I turned to see Tannis’s brother striding across the gravel lot. “Hey, Jed.” I shook the hand he offered, forcing myself not to wince. “I never got to tell you how much we enjoyed kicking your butt at the Dash.” He squeezed harder, smiling when I yelped. I rubbed my hand gingerly when he finally let go. “What are you still doing here? I didn’t know the marines gave so much vacation.”

Jed nodded, the blond hair he’d always worn shaggy when he lived here now buzz-cut, military style. “They usually don’t,” he said shortly.

I nodded toward Tannis, who’d pulled over by the pole and was out of the car, talking to her dad. “She ready for the race tomorrow?”

“I guess.” He shrugged. “My dad says her times have been off. And she’s been acting weird. Weirder than usual, I mean.”

“How so?”

“I dunno.” Jed leaned over and spit something onto the dirt. “Crying and shit. Freaking out if I move her bag from one place to another. Just . . . weird.”

“Well, it’s been a weird few weeks here.”

“You can say that again. Crazy shit about Randall Cleary, huh?”

Tannis’s dad climbed behind the wheel and drove slowly toward the garages. Tannis pulled off her helmet, shaking her blonde hair and seeing me and Jed for the first time. She waved. “Be there in a few, Ri,” she yelled. “I’m just gonna change up quick.”

“’Kay!” I yelled back.

As she disappeared down the grandstand tunnel, I could feel Jed eyeing me.

“What?”

“Dude. Are you dating my sister?”

“No!” I squawked. “I mean, not that there’s anything wrong with her or whatever. I’m just giving her a ride.”

I cringed, but Jed ignored the obvious joke. “Okay, man.” He smirked. “But if you’re the reason she’s acting like a freak, I’m gonna kick your ass, ’cause it’s making life hell.”

“Seriously, Jed.”

“Hey.” He held up his hands, grinning. “None of my business, you know?” He smirked again. “Gonna go help out the old man.”

Jed hoisted himself over the fence easily, tall and athletic, like Tannis and the rest of their family.

He’d reached the track’s infield when Tannis reappeared, looking . . . well, shinier than usual. Jed saw her and turned back to me, still close enough that I could see his self-satisfied expression. “Yep,” he called. “Have fun tonight, friend.”

Tannis paused when she reached him, talked for a few seconds, then gave him a playful shove before continuing my way. She was wearing her usual ripped and faded Levi’s, but some kind of silky shirt instead of the sweatshirts and fleeces I was used to seeing her in. And makeup.

“You finally do the wash?” I asked when she got to the dirt lot where I was waiting by my car.

“What?” She looked down at herself, plucking the shirt. “You mean this?”

“It’s rather, uh, feminine for you,” I said.

“I am a girl, Riley.” She thrust out her chest, adding archly, “In case you haven’t noticed.”

“Thanks for the reminder,” I said, feeling heat on my cheeks. I opened my door so I wouldn’t have to look at her.

Tannis grinned at my embarrassment, yanking open the passenger side and sliding in. “Anyway, you don’t wash silk, dumbass.”

“Wow. And a domestic goddess, too. What a wife you’ll make someday,” I said as I started driving, and then realized immediately that if Jed were right and Tannis liked me, that’d be a really uncomfortable thing to say. I changed the subject. “You ready for tomorrow?”

Tannis frowned. “I guess.” She seemed like she was going to say more, but rolled down the window instead.

“D’you mind?” I said, glancing over. “It’s, like, twenty degrees out.”

“Sorry,” she said, not rolling it up. “I’m feeling a little queasy.”