Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 83244 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83244 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
“Hi.” I remembered his name from last night. He was the one I was there to talk to. I shook his hand as I told him, “Nice to meet you.”
“Mind if I ask you a couple of questions?”
“Okay.”
“Let’s go over to the table.” Brayden and I followed him and Preacher over to one of the tables in the back. As soon as we were seated, Shep said, “Before we start, we’ve already talked to Smit. We know the position you’re in, and we appreciate you helping us out with this. We will make sure that nothing said here today comes back on you.”
“Thank you. I’d appreciate that.”
“So, you found these pictures while doing a home visit?”
“Yes. We were doing a walk-through for a minor who was in possession of a firearm.”
“And his name?”
“Jimmy. Jimmy Jones, and his father’s name is Raymond. The gun belonged to his father.”
“I would guess the firearm was removed from the home.”
“It was.”
“What do you know about this Raymond Jones?”
“He works the line at one of the factories in town… He’s married, but she left years ago.”
“Any idea why?”
“I can’t say for sure, but based on what we’ve heard, I’d say it had something to do with his drinking or the abuse.” My nerves started to settle as I told him, “I’m not sure why she didn’t take Jimmy with her. I guess it’s possible that he wouldn’t let her, but that’s all speculation.”
“Was there anything else around the pictures? Any maps or notebooks? Anything that might give you some indication of what he was planning?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think so, but I wasn’t really looking at anything except the photographs.”
“That’s okay. Is there anything else you can tell us?”
“No, I’m sorry. That’s really all I know.”
“What about any leather cuts in the home?” He pointed to his. “Like ours, but maybe with a different name?”
“No, but I wasn’t really checking closets or anything like that.”
“What about the house? What was the layout?”
“It was pretty small. The front door led into the living room, and the kitchen was on the left. There were two bedrooms down the hall, and one was a little bigger than the other but not by much. There was a small bathroom with a shower.”
“And the basement?”
“You get to it through the kitchen. The door was next to the laundry room.”
“And it was just the son and the father living there?”
“Yes. Just them.”
“What about weapons? Did you see any more around the house?”
“Not that we could see. Otherwise, we would’ve reported it.”
“Okay. That should do it.”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t have been more help.”
“You’ve helped more than you know.”
Preacher stood, and every man in the room seemed to understand that our meeting was over. He gave me a warm smile as he said, “It took a lot of guts to put your job on the line for us.”
“I almost didn’t.”
“I’m glad you did.” He looked over to Brayden and gave him a nod. “Smitty.”
Brayden gave him a slight nod, and something passed silently between them, almost like you’d expect to see between a father and a son. Brayden placed his hand on the small of my back and led me out of the bar. Neither of us said a word until we were back in the SUV and the doors were closed.
“You good?”
“Yeah, I’m okay.”
“You did good back there.”
“Glad you think so,” I scoffed. “I wasn’t so sure. Your brothers are a little intense.”
“A little?”
“Okay. They’re a lot intense.”
“I know it might’ve looked that way, but they were just trying to figure out what’s going on. Normally, they’re pretty chill.”
“I’ll have to take your word on that.”
“One day, you’ll see for yourself.” He gave me a wink. “But for today, do you want me to take you to work?”
“No. I called in… Told them I wasn’t feeling well.”
“I bet that’s a first.”
“Yeah, they’ll probably be sending flowers by the end of the day.”
He studied me for a second before asking, “So, home?”
“Yeah. I could use a nap.”
“You’ve got it.”
He backed out of the space and started toward the gate. As we eased out onto the main road, Brayden glanced back at the clubhouse. There was a look of uncertainty in his eyes that tugged at my heart, but I didn’t say anything. Neither did he. I wasn’t sure if he was giving me space or if he was lost in his own thoughts.
If I had to guess, it was a little of both. He knew today was a bit of a shock for me, but he was also concerned about his brothers and what those pictures might’ve meant for them.
By the time we made it back to the house, I was exhausted and ready to pile up on the sofa. Brayden turned off the engine and offered me the keys as he said, “I can stay… if you don’t want to be alone.”