For You (The Shore Book 2) (27 page)

“Erin just called. The alarm went off at the gym this morning and the security company called her. Ty was there.”

“Okay.” Aidan didn’t seem too concerned.

“Aidan, we need to find out if he’s been staying at the home. What if he’s been crashing at the gym?”

“Have you seen any evidence?”

“No, but a couple weeks ago the alarm went off and we couldn’t see anyone on the tapes. Whatever, or whoever, set it off must have been inside the building.”

“Shit.”

“Exactly. I’m not sure how this will hurt him trying to stay at the home with his mom’s release.”

“You on the way to the gym?”

“I am, but I’m at the shore. I’m on my way to the plane now.”

“Alright. It’s still early, but let me make some calls. I should have some information by the time you land.”

“Thanks. I’ll call you when I’m back in town.”

By the time Declan pulled into the hangar, the crew had his plane pushed back and the gas line was connected.
 

The nice thing about having homes in all three locations was there was very little he had to cart back and forth. He grabbed his small bag and walked toward the plane.

“Morning. We almost ready to go?”

“Just about. Another ten minutes and you should be ready for wheels up.”

“Perfect. Thanks for getting her ready so early.”

“No problem, Mr. Healy.”

Declan set his bag down and went about completing his pre-flight checklist. By the time he was finished, the plane was fueled and ready to go.

Before turning his phone off, he sent a quick text to Erin.

Declan:
I’m about to take off. Be there in a bit.

He began his flight rituals, talking with the tower, taxiing to the runway, and getting clearance for take-off. The plane was only a two-engine prop so thankfully he didn’t have to file any flight plans. He would have liked to have gotten a bigger plane, but he liked that he could basically come and go as he wanted, and he wasn’t required to have a co-pilot with him.

Within fifteen minutes he was airborne and nearly at cruising altitude. It would take just shy of two hours to get to Charlotte, so he sat back and got comfortable.

Chapter 24

As Declan got into his Challenger he powered on his phone. A moment later it dinged with a text.

Erin:
They took Ty to the station. I couldn’t convince them to let him wait at the gym. Call me after you talk to him.

Declan sighed. It wasn’t what he wanted, but maybe it was the best thing. If Ty was sure he didn’t want to have that kind of life, maybe spending some time at the station would do some good. Scare him straight.

He shot off a response to Erin before he called Madison.

Declan:
Just got in my car. I’ll be at the station shortly.

He pulled out of the hangar and dialed his phone.

“Hey, stranger,” Madison answered.

“Hey. How’s the drive?”

“A lot longer than your flight. You’re there already?”

Declan chuckled. “Told you it was easier flying back and forth than it was driving.”

“Shit, I still have about five hours to go!”

“You do? You should be about two hours in by now.”

“I would be if I hadn’t stopped to watch the sunrise. I passed by one of the walk-overs in the dunes just as the sun was about to break the horizon and couldn’t resist.”

“Ahh. So it’s your own fault then,” he teased.

“Sometimes you’ve got to take advantage of the view. Stop and smell the roses, ya know?”

“I do know. I just wish I’d been there to watch it with you.”

“Me, too. Next time?”

“Sure, right after you wake me up like you were thinking this morning.”

“First, it better not be that long until I can wake you like that. Second, I’m not sure we’d make it out of bed.”

“Touché.”

Declan laughed.

“Do you know anything more yet?” Madison changed the subject to Ty. Five hours in a car was a lot of time to think, and spending that time envisioning Declan waking her up with his mouth would have made for a very long drive.

“No, just that they took him to the police station. I’m headed there now.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Just drive carefully and let me know when you get home, okay?”

“I will.

Declan pulled into the parking lot next to the station and turned off the engine. Ty was a minor, and he wasn’t even sure if the police would
let
him talk to him, but he had to try. He needed to understand just what the hell was going on.

He walked in and made his way to the reception desk.

“May I help you?”

“Your officers responded to an alarm going off at the gym on College Street this morning. I’m the owner, Declan Healy. Is it possible to speak to the officer in charge?”

“One moment, please.”

The sergeant looked up something on his computer then dialed a number. “A Mr. Healy is here to see you.” He nodded and hung up the phone and looked back to Declan. “Lt. Carlson will be right with you.”

“Thank you.” Declan stood back from the desk and waited until he saw the same officer approach him that had walked through the gym with him just a couple weeks before.

“Mr. Healy.” The officer offered his hand.

“Lt. Carlson. Thanks for taking the time to meet with me.” Declan accepted his hand and shook it.

“Not a problem. Come with me.”

Lt. Carlson led Declan behind the reception desk to his workspace in the back of the room. Declan chuckled to himself at how much the room resembled the police bullpens he had seen on TV.

“Have a seat,” the lieutenant offered.

“Thanks. I understand you found Ty at the gym this morning.”

“We did. Just as officers arrived on scene, they saw,” he shuffled the papers on his desk looking for something, “Tyler Johnson leaving the building.”

“Erin Simons, the gym’s manager and my sister, said you brought Ty to the station. Is he still here?”

“He is. Ms. Simons mentioned you would like to speak with him. Since he is a minor and we wouldn’t allow him to stay at your business, she requested he be detained here.”

“About him being a minor … would I be able to speak with him?”

“It’s unorthodox, but yes, we’ll allow it. My understanding is you and Ms. Simons have been keeping a close eye on him while his mother has been incarcerated.”

Declan nodded. “Apparently not as close as we thought.”

“Teenagers are tough. I have two at home.” It was the first time Lt. Carlson had managed to crack the tiniest bit of a smile. The man was all business.

“May I speak with Ty?”

“Of course, but before you do, I want to lay out the situation. Unless he confesses to breaking into the gym, we have no proof and nothing to hold him on. While we caught him coming out, there is no evidence he broke in. Ms. Simons gave us copies of your surveillance tapes, but we were unable to find any footage of him, or anyone else, illegally entering the premises.”

“I’m beginning to think he didn’t break in. My hunch is he was staying there.”

“Did you or Ms. Simons give him permission to do so?”

Declan shook his head in response. “I know I didn’t, and I’m pretty sure Erin didn’t either.”

“That, too, is against the law, Mr. Healy. If we find that situation to be true, you do have measures you can take against Mr. Johnson.”

“Can I talk to him before we go through all of that? He’s really a good kid, I just think he got messed up with something. Like Erin told you, we’ve been keeping an eye on him. Hell, we even worked with the State to get him into the home where he’s been staying. We were working on a petition to allow him to stay there because his mother is being released.” Declan looked at his watch. “Shit, that’s today.”

“I see.”

“Will this have any impact on that petition?”

“Quite frankly, I’m not sure. It will likely depend on what Mr. Johnson explains to you and whether or not you press any charges.”

Declan nodded.
 

“I’ll take you to see him now.”

“Thank you.”

Declan followed Lt. Carlson to a small waiting room. The lieutenant opened the door and Declan walked in. Ty was sitting quietly on the couch, his expression somber and afraid.
 

Declan turned to the lieutenant. “Is it okay if I talk with him alone?”

He looked from Declan to Ty, then back to Declan. “Sure. I’ll be right outside.” He closed the door behind him.

Declan reached for the chair across from Ty and sat down. “Are you okay?”

Ty nodded in response, his movements small.

“You want to tell me what happened this morning?” Declan’s voice was calm with an edge of persistence.

Ty looked at Declan for a moment then lowered his eyes to the desk. “The cops saw me coming out of the gym.”

“I understand that. Why were you at the gym so early?”

Ty continued to look at the desk and wouldn’t answer the question.

“Ty?”

When he still didn’t answer, Declan started to lose his patience. “I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what happened, Ty. Why were you at the gym so early?”

This time he looked up at Declan but still didn’t say anything. It seemed as though he was trying to choose his words carefully.

“Ty -” His name came out as a growl.

“I’ve been sleeping there.”

“Shit,” Declan sighed. He really hadn’t wanted to be right. “For how long?”

“I dunno.”

“You need to start giving me information or this is going to get really ugly really fast. How long have you been sleeping at the gym?”

“A few weeks, okay?” Ty’s voice was a mixture of anger and fear.

“No, it’s not okay. Why haven’t you been staying at the home?”

Again Ty was quiet.

“Damn it, Ty.”

“I got in a fight, okay?”

“A fight with who?”

“One of the kids at the home.”

“Not that I think you should be fighting, but you’ve been training at the gym for over a year now. Why not just handle it?”

“He … he pulled a knife on me. Threatened that if I told anyone, he’d cut me while I slept.”

“Shit, Ty. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“You haven’t exactly been around.”

“And your phone is broken?”

“No,” he muttered.

“What about a couple weeks ago? Was that you when the alarm went off?”

Ty looked at Declan and nodded his head ever-so-slightly.

“Damn it,” Declan sighed. His mind was scrambling to figure out what they could do to rectify the problem. Ty staying at the gym wasn’t an option. And he sure as hell didn’t want him staying in a place where he was being threatened. He knew the State would need to investigate the situation before removing the other kid. From what Aidan had told him, though, they could be buried in paperwork for days, or weeks, before the change happened.

“Are you going to send me to jail?” Ty’s words were quiet as he interrupted Declan’s thought.

“I should. Maybe it would teach you a lesson.” Declan’s voice was hard as he said the words, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to do it. There was no way he could make Ty spend time in a jail cell.

He sighed before changing his answer and softening his voice. “No, I’m not going to send you to jail. I definitely don’t like what you did, and you better not fucking do it again, but I don’t think putting you in jail is the right answer.”

For the first time since Declan sat down, there was a look of hope in Ty’s eyes.

“Let me go talk to Lt. Carlson and make a call, okay? I’ll be back in a minute.”

Ty nodded as Declan rose from his seat and put his hand on the kid’s shoulder.

Outside the interrogation room, Declan spoke with Lt. Carlson. “I definitely don’t want to press charges, but is it okay if I make a phone call real quick?”

“That’s fine. I’ll be at my desk when you’re ready.”

“Thanks.”

Declan walked to a quiet corner and called Aidan.

“Hey. Any news?”

“Yeh, I just talked to him. He’s been staying at the gym because some kid at the home pulled a knife on him.”

“Great.”

“Exactly.”

“So now what -”

“What do I need to do so he can stay with me?” Declan interrupted.

“Are you sure about this?”

“No, but I can’t see putting him back in the home with that other kid and he can’t continue sleeping at the gym. I have the spare room in the condo. He can sleep there.”

“For how long, Declan? Aren’t you moving back to the shore once Erin goes back to work?”

“I don’t know. Things with Madison and me are really good right now. I might want to stay here and see where things go.”

“Is this something Ty even wants?”

“I didn’t ask him, but I’ve got to believe it’s better than him being scared where he’s living. He’s no wallflower, so whoever did this must have scared the piss out of him.”

Aidan sighed.

“I want this kid to have a future, Aidan. If we can keep him out of trouble, I think he’ll be okay. He’s a good kid. And smart. And after the things I’ve learned about Madison, I just … This is something I want to do. Help me figure this out.”

“Sounds like we need to go for a beer.”

“Probably,” Declan chuckled. “But first, let’s figure out how to get Ty out of here and back to my condo, okay?”

“Alright. Let me see what I can do.”

Chapter 25

Madison had about an hour left in her drive when her phone rang. Her butt hurt, and she was more than ready for the drive to be over, so she was happy for the distraction. Expecting it to be Declan, she was surprised when she heard Jessa’s voice.

“Hey, chickadee! What up?”

Madison laughed. “Hey, Jess”

“How’s it hanging?”

“A little to the left. You?”

“Straight to the sky.”

Madison laughed again. “Leave it to you to talk about hard-ons while saying hello.”

“Hey, I wouldn’t want to disappoint.”

“You certainly did not. So what’s going on?”

“I figured it’s been a bit since I talked to you. Thought I’d call and see what’s up.”

Madison crinkled her nose. Jessa never called just for the hell of it. “I call bullshit. You’re up to something.”