Shine (Kentucky Outlaw Book 1) (11 page)

She searched the club without finding any sign of Kenny.
 
He had entered through the servants’ entrance and it was possible he wouldn’t be in the members’ area.
 
She couldn’t imagine he had a membership, and he’d be thrown out almost immediately if anyone found him, but she did, in fact, find him in the member area.
 
Julie turned the corner and saw him enter one of the small meeting rooms the members could use.
 
Walking by the door, Julie tried not to be obvious about sneaking a peek inside.
 
She saw Kenny take a seat at a small table across from another man with his back to the door.
 
As she walked by a third man, tall and in a sharp suit was closing the door and frowning at her.
 

Julie kept going down the hall, making a few turns and ending up in the kitchen area.
 
She had spent enough time in the place to know everything about it, including where the wait staff entered each room.
 
She made her way through the kitchen, past the prep area, and into the servants’ hallway.

Along the hall were three doors, each one leading into a room like the one Kenny had entered.
 
These were the back doors, the ones the waiters came through silently with drinks and fresh cigars.
 
Julie opened the first door and snuck a quick peak.
 
On the other side of the door there were a man and a woman arguing.
 
Julie didn’t listen long, but it was clear the husband had been caught, yet again, with a member of the household staff.
 
She quietly closed that door and opened the second one, where she found the meeting with Kenny.
 
She quietly opened the door a crack and listened.
 

“I got the bag just like you asked, but I got to talk to you.
 
You just don’t know how much it dogs me, sir,” said Kenny through his drunken hillbilly accent.
 
“I think I’m going crazy.
 
I swear I’m being followed.”

“Kenny, everything is going to be just fine, OK?” said another voice.
 
This one was deep and smooth.
 
It sounded familiar but Julie couldn’t place it.
 
She was certain the voice belonged to the man sitting in the chair across from Kenny.
 
It continued, “Mr. Essing and I are going to take care of you.
 
Make sure no one bothers you.
 
Is the money we gave you enough?”

“Yes sir.”

“Good.
 
Now tell me, who do you think is following you?”

“I don’t know, sir.
 
He keeps changing cars.
 
Yesterday it was some crappy Honda and today it’s a big ole SUV.
 
I think the cops are after me.”

“I’m sure everything is fine, Kenny.
 
The cops don’t use Hondas.
 
The cops in this town all use Crown Victorias.
 
You’re probably just confused.
 
How much have you had to drink today?”

“Don’t know.
 
A lot, I guess.”
 

“Tell you what, I’m going to have Mr. Essing here get you home.
 
Just do me a favor and head out into the hallway.”

Julie couldn’t hear what Kenny said after that, but she was very confused trying to figure out what they two men were talking about, in addition to trying to figure out who the other man was.
 
She was so lost in thought that she didn’t hear the footsteps come up behind her until someone grabbed her and a hand covered her mouth.

The police came for Ethan early in the morning. Ged answered their knock on the front door, still in the t-shirt and shorts he slept in.
 
Ethan heard them talking downstairs.
 
They had sent two cops, one of them was Austin Prescott, the other Ethan didn’t recognize.

“Morning Ged,” said Austin.
 
“Ethan around?”

“He’s upstairs.
 
Asleep.”

It was just after eight in the morning and Ethan had been asleep less than five hours.
 
He knew they did that to throw him off, get him foggy headed, hoping he’d say something incriminating.
 
He also knew there was he couldn’t go back to sleep so he hauled himself out of bed and walked downstairs.

“I’m up,” he said loudly.
 

“How you doing, Ethan?”

“Fucking tired is how I’m doing.” said Ethan.
 
He was in a white v-neck and his boxers.
 
Either they were going to give him a chance to dress before taking him to jail or he’d go back to bed after they left, but he wasn’t putting on pants before he had to.
 
Not only was he tired, but his head hurt from drinking too much the night before.

“Big night?” said the officer Ethan didn’t recognize.

“I know you?”

Austin said, “Ethan, this here’s Officer Todd Willbrook.
 
He’s new to the force.”

“Congratu-fucking-lations,” said Ethan walking into the kitchen and pouring himself a cup of coffee.
 
They didn’t follow him, so he walked back to the entry way and stood next to Ged.

Willbrook said, “Now that we all know each other, I’ll ask again.
 
Where were you last night?”

“I was with you all night, dancing at the gay bar over in Lexington, remember?
 
You got up on the stage in a metal g-string singing ‘It’s Raining Men.’”

Willbrook took a step towards Ethan looking like he was going to draw his baton and start cracking skulls, but Austin put a hand out.
 
“Ethan this is dead serious shit we’re talking about here.
 
We need to know where you were last night.”

Ethan took a drink of coffee and said, “I was at Jess Bowman’s house.”

“All night?”

“Until about three.
 
What the hell is this all about?”

Austin dropped the congenial act he’d been playing and his face grew grim.
 
“Last night around eight-thirty an officer tried to pull over a black sports car for speeding and driving without a license plate.
 
The car then took off and the officer gave pursuit.
 
The driver of the car drove so fast and dangerous he put his own life on the line, as well as others, including the life of the officer following him.”

“Which was me, shit for brains,” said Willbrook, and again Austin put out his hand.

Ethan took another drink of coffee and said, “You know, I heard something about that when I was at the bar last night, only the way I heard it was the officer opened fire on that driver without any sort of cause.”

Willbrook stepped forward and knocked Ethan upside the head.
 
The coffee cup broke against the wall and Ethan knee buckled from the blow.
 
Ged grabbed Willbrook, but Austin pulled him off.

“Goddamn it, Ged.
 
If you strike an officer I’ll make damn sure you spend the next thirty days on the goddamn chain gang.”

“I’m going to show that sucker punching piece of shit what happens when someone hits my brother, especially in my own goddamn house,” Ged roared.

Ethan was back up and said, “Ged, knock it off.
 
I’m fine.
 
Officer Pussyhands there can’t hit for shit anyway,” said Ethan hoping he looked a lot stronger than he felt.
 
“Let’s cut the shit.
 
You arresting me?”

They all took a second to breath and calm down.
 
Austin said, “For now, no, but we are taking you to the station for questioning.”

“Then I guess I’ll get my clothes on.”

Ethan headed up the stairs and Willbrook started to follow, but Austin said, “It’s fine.
 
Ethan’s going to come along quietly, isn’t that right, Ethan?”

“Bet your ass, Austin.”

As he was getting dressed he heard Ged say, “Why the hell do you think Ethan had anything to do with this?”

“Jesus Christ, Ged,” said Austin.
 
“When you’re in public you can pretend all you want that every person in this county don’t know all about the bootlegging the Daltons been in since the dawn of time, but don’t look me in the eye and act like I’m a total idiot.”

“Fine.
 
Hypothetically, if you’re right how do you know Ethan had anything to do with anything.”

“Because we know where Jackie was all night.”

Ethan came back down in the clothes he was wearing the night before.
 
He figured the police station didn’t really warrant clean clothes, and smelling like a bar might help his story.
 

He sat on the steps and pulled his boots on as Austin kept going.
 
“Here’s the deal, we are going to search this property.
 
Ethan can sit on the porch and have himself another cup of coffee or he can sit in the back of my cruiser.”

“You ain’t searching shit, pissant.”
 

Everyone looked up and saw Zeke at the top of the steps.
 
“You going to take my boy in for questioning then get to it.
 
But until I see a goddamn warrant in your hand, you ain’t searching one inch of this property.”

“Then we’ll come back with a warrant and turn this piece of shit house upside down,” said Willbrook.

Zeke hit the landing at the bottom of the steps and got right in Willbrook’s face.
 
“Todd Willbrook?
 
Your uncle’s Darrel?”

“That’s right?”

“He still a rat for the feds?
 
Or did he finally blow his own brains out like he should’ve a long time ago?”

Willbrook took out his baton and was gearing up to knock Zeke in the head as well, but Austin yelled, “Enough of this. Willbrook, take Ethan and put him in the goddamn car.
 
And he better not have any “accidents” on the way there.
 
Zeke, you know the law well enough to know we can’t search without a warrant, but as soon as Ethan gives us the slightest indication you had anything to do with last night, the entire Remington Police Force is coming here to turn you on your head.”

The officers grabbed Ethan by the arms and half dragged him to their car.
 
Austin opened the back door and Willbrook threw him in and slammed the door behind him.
 
Once inside they started the car and sped down the driveway.
 
Neither Austin nor Willbrook spoke to him in the car.
 
In fact no one spoke to him until he was sitting in an interview room.
 

In the interrogation room Ethan sat quiet.
 
He had been arrested more than once and he knew no matter what the cops said the recorders were always on, and he wouldn’t say anything that to incriminate himself.

An hour later Austin Prescott and Officer Willbrook came into see him.

“Hey Ethan, sorry about the hold-up,” said Austin.
 
“I just got my ass chewed off by my sergeant, and it took longer than I thought.”

Ethan rolled his eyes at Austin’s attempt to play the Good Cop Bad Cop routine.

“Anyway,” continued Austin, “We just need a little help here.
 
Last night a car was spotted going over a hundred miles an hour in a forty-five zone.
 
Officer Willbrook here attempted to pull the driver over to issue a citation, but the driver of the other car—,” he checked his notes, “Let’s see, a Mazda RX-8, gave chase.
 
Not only is he wanted for reckless endangerment, but he also caused several thousand dollars’ worth of damage to city and private property.”

Ethan said nothing.

“You say you were at the bar last night.
 
Did you happen to overhear anything?”

Willbrook cocked an eyebrow and said, “He smells like he was in the bar all night.”

The officers waited for Ethan to say something, but he just smiled at them.

“Come on Ethan, you have to give us something.
 
We’re trying to help you out here.”

Ethan still remained silent.

Austin started to lose his cool.
 
“Jesus, Ethan.
 
You have to say something.”

Ethan finally spoke.
 
“I was with Jess Bowman but I wish I had just gone home.
 
I don’t usually go in for locker room talk, but thing is I wanted that girl worse than anything in high school.
 
We dated for a year, and we fooled around some, but she’d never have sex with me.
 
Last night I finally got my wish and now I’m regretting the whole thing.
 
Did you ever get a chance with her, Austin?”

“You’re a fucking asshole,” said Willbrook, pointing a thick finger at Ethan.
 
For the first time Ethan was getting a good look at Willbrook.
 
He’d been too groggy to care earlier, but under the harsh fluorescent lights Ethan could see Todd Willbrook wasn’t aging well.
 
His mustache was tinged with grey, and his muscular physique was slipping into flab.
 
He reeked of cigarettes and whatever greasy breakfast he’d eaten that morning.