Ryker’s Justice Read online

  “Yep,” Jude replied. “Same old place, and I bet they haven’t updated them at all. Come on, I’ll walk you over there. It’s a ways and you’re not familiar.”

  The distance didn’t concern him as much as the people. Country folks could be more than a little unvarnished and Jude wanted to shield Nicole from any rough stuff. A pretty woman strolling to the bathrooms away from the crowds might be fair game or easy prey. En route, he pointed out a few faces he remembered and exchanged greetings with a dozen people.

  “Aren’t you gonna buy the gal some popcorn?” Nick Stroud shouted as they passed the concession shack. “C’mon, Jude, at least buy her a soda pop.”

  “I will if she wants,” he replied. “We’ll be back.”

  Beyond the goalpost, the cinderblock restrooms loomed out of the darkness. Shadows from the trees behind were dark and deep. He pointed Nicole to the Ladies’ and promised to wait a few steps away from the lit door. “I’ll be right here,” he said.

  His city girl curled her lip but nodded. “I won’t take long.”

  Jude remembered the aged fixtures, the battered stall doors, and the sinks which worked at least half the time. No, he doubted she would. He just hoped a stray snake or skunk hadn’t crawled inside. A steady stream of women headed for the restrooms and on the slight breeze, he inhaled a blend of scents. Perfume, heavy tobacco smoke, and a faint hint of weed mingled with the aroma of popcorn and barbecue from concessions. Jude caught a whiff of chewing tobacco, beer, and grass, too.

  Both the Ladies’ and Mens’ Rooms were housed in the same building with separate entrances. He heard the rumble of male voices from behind the building and after noting the line had stretched through the door, Jude stepped around to see who might be doing what. His eyes were adjusted to the dark so he made out all six faces. Five were teenagers or not much past, young men. He recognized Josh, Noah’s kid, but none of the others. When Josh spotted his uncle, his wide grin narrowed and within moments, he started to mumble excuses. Then he headed back toward the illuminated area. The sixth person remained in the shadows but Jude saw enough of his profile to know he was a man. He wore a broad-brimmed Western hat rather than the popular ball caps most of the guys sported, and he nodded in Jude’s direction.

  “Long time no see, Ryker,” he said.

  Junior Wetzel hadn’t changed much over the years since he’d last seen him. In high school, Junior played football, too, but his strong point had been size, not skill. Although he’d lost bulk, he still loomed large and as Jude answered, he remembered how much he’d always loathed Junior. “True enough, but I’m back.”

  “I reckon we ought to change your nickname to ‘Penny’, like a bad one,” Wetzel said with a short laugh and no smile.

  Jude shrugged. He hadn’t had one back then, didn’t need one now. “I answer to about anything these days,” he said.

  The other man’s eyes narrowed beneath his brim. “I bet you do. How ‘bout a snort or are you still too good to take a drink with the men?”

  Until now, Jude hadn’t noticed the quart fruit jar passed between the remaining boys but when he did, he caught a whiff of the pungent odor of raw moonshine. His gut clenched hard and tight. When he least expected it, he’d walked into a clue. “Oh, I’m not so picky now,” he said with a careless toss of his head. “Hand me the jar, Junior.”

  Without any hesitation, Junior passed it and Jude raised it to his lips to drink. The clear liquid burned his lips and cut a trail of fire down to his belly. Although he gave no outward sign of discomfort, Jude hoped one shot wasn’t enough to cause any damage. Moonshine seldom had pure ingredients and it wasn’t uncommon for those who drank it to go blind or suffer other consequences. Some added lye and on occasion a little fertilizer found its way into the mix. The one taste, however, was more than enough to confirm he’d drunk illegal home-brewed hooch. And, he had a suspect.

  Junior Wetzel fit the profile and the family had a long, gnarly history with the law. Now Jude had somewhere to start his investigation. When Junior offered another drink, he shook his head. “See you around, Junior.”

  “If you want more, give me a holler,” the man called after him. “I can let you know where to get some.”

  “I just might do that, thanks,” Jude said.

  He rounded the corner in time to see Nicole leave the bathroom. She glanced around, her expression almost frantic, until she spotted him. He crossed the grass to her with three big strides. “Hi, honey. Do you want some popcorn or a soda?”

  “A soda would be nice,” she said. “I’m thirsty. Where’d you go?”

  “Aw, I saw somebody I went to school with over there,” Jude told her. “I walked over to say howdy.”

  Although Jude often drank quality whiskey or other alcohol in reasonable amounts without any ill effects, the burning in his gut reminded him why moonshine was often called ‘rotgut whiskey’. He needed a soft drink, too, to dilute the stuff before it ate a hole through his stomach. He ordered two large drinks and they carried them back to the stands in time to watch the last half of the game.

  Preoccupied with the first break he’d made in finding the moonshiners, Jude almost missed David’s dramatic touchdown. After his idle months, he wanted to get enough evidence to make the bust and send anyone involved to prison and his mind schemed how to start. Forty-eight hours ago, he would have been celebrating, eager to wrap-up and head back to the world, but now he had Nicole. If he told her, he might compromise the operation. He wasn’t at liberty to share it with his family either, and he hated to damage their reunion by holding back. If Nicole hadn’t tugged his arm and pointed, he wouldn’t have seen David’s play.

  As the crowd cheered and the home team won, she put her lips close to his ear. “Jude, are you okay?”

  God, she’d noticed. “I’m fine,” he said.

  “You look like you’re a million miles away,” she said. “You didn’t say three words after half time. Are you tired?”

  Her lips pursed with concern so he pushed his thoughts about moonshine away for now. “No, honey, I’m up for anything you want.”

  “Well, you promised me ice cream.”

  “You’re right,” he said. A smile lifted his lips for the first time in over thirty minutes. “I think everyone’s heading over to the Dairy Den—if you don’t mind, we can join them.”

  She glanced down at his jacket. “I don’t think I’d mind, Jude, after wearing this with your name across the back like a tattoo. Let’s go.”

  At the ice cream parlor, high school students, football fans, and families crowded into the tables and left standing-room only. Jude’s brother, Noah, commandeered one of the large corner tables and held it. Rykers of all ages gathered around it and made room for Nicole. Jude watched as she spooned hot fudge sundae between her lips, and sighed when his cock tightened within his jeans. If she noticed, she gave no indication as she talked with Tania and the other wives.

  Josh sat a table with other teenagers nearby but refused to make eye contact when Jude glanced in his direction. I’ll talk to him later and find out what, if anything, he knows about the booze, whether he likes it or not, Jude vowed. Have a little uncle-to-nephew chat.

  Elijah tapped his shoulder and broke his concentration. “Have you seen David?” he asked Jude.

  “Not since he left the field, no.”

  “He said he’d be here with Sierra but it’s been quite awhile. I wonder what’s keeping him.”

  A discreet glance at his watch revealed more than an hour and a half had passed since the game ended. Traffic had been slow to exit the parking area and the lines at the ice cream counter had been lengthy. Allowing for a quick shower and change in the field house, David and his date should have arrived by now. Anxiety knifed through Jude’s chest but he schooled his face calm. “Aw, he probably stopped to do a little necking,” he said.

  His brother laughed. “From what I remember, you did your share back in the old days.”

  Tania didn’t share her hu
sband’s amusement. “David’s never late,” she said. “I’m getting worried.”

  So was Jude. Nicole finished her ice cream and took his hand beneath the table so she must be aware. The exuberant conversation faded at the Ryker table. A few minutes later, the distant wail of sirens screamed into the night. A county sheriff’s car followed by an ambulance and fire truck roared past the Dairy Den at top speed and everyone became silent. Around them, other people laughed and talked, their voices a babble in the night. When Elijah’s cell phone rang, then Tania’s, Jude knew, and a frigid ball of ice took up residence where his heart should be.

  No one said a word and everyone listened. By the time the calls ended, everyone at the table and most of those in the restaurant knew there’d been an accident. David’s car had been struck head-on by a drunk driver, then careened to the bottom of a deep ravine. Emergency personnel were on-site but the situation appeared grim. So far, they hadn’t recovered either passenger.

  “I’m going to the site,” Elijah said. His voice emerged gruff as an old man’s. “Tania, take Nora and Cody home.”

  The little girl began to cry. Tania hugged her close, rocking her body in an effort to ease her tears. “I want to go, too,” she said. “I need to be there.”

  Elijah’s phone shrilled again and he answered. He listened and said, “Okay, we’ll be there.”

  “David’s on his way to the hospital,” he said. “But Sierra’s gone.”

  Jude stood first. “Then let’s go,” he said. In unison, the Ryker bunch rose and went.

  Chapter Seven

  Jude had no need to ask what hospital or where. He headed for the county seat and the nearest hospital at top speed. He remembered this tragic small town ritual, the gathering of near and dear to wait for news of their loved one. Specters from the past assailed his brain with memories of other times. Among his nieces and nephews, he’d grown closest to David since his return. He’d taken the kid fishing and hunting several times. Jude had also helped David tinker with his vintage Trans Am at Elijah’s house and they’d bonded. His need to be there to hear the news, good or ill, carried the power of blood ties. Although she rode beside him, he’d all but ignored Nicole until she spoke, “Where are we headed?”

  He’d forgotten she wouldn’t know, not the beautiful outlander from another place. “Town,” he said. “We’re going to the hospital, in the county seat. It’s about eighteen miles but it’s where they’ll take David for treatment. If you want, I can drop you off at the inn, honey.”

  Nicole put her hand on his right leg, close beside him. “I want to go with you, Jude,” she said. “Besides, isn’t the inn in the other direction?”

  “Yeah, it is. Are you sure?”

  “Yes, Jude.”

  With a sigh, he patted her hand. “Okay. To tell the truth, I’d like to have you there for support and comfort. Thanks, honey.”

  In response, she leaned against his shoulder, her presence a balm to his worry as they rolled over miles of pavement. In town, Jude navigated the narrow streets to reach the medical facility in the heart of the city. The old hospital loomed to one side of the newer construction. An ambulance, rear doors open wide, stood at the Emergency Room entrance, and as they walked across the parking lot, the EMTs rolled a gurney into the building. “That’s David,” Jude said, his throat as tight as if he’d swallowed a fishbone.

  “I’m sure he’ll be all right.” Her soft voice meant to soothe but he heard the uncertainty in it.

  “I hope so.”

  After the darkness, walking into the bright ER waiting area grated harsh on Jude’s eyes. A headache had already begun within his skull and the fluorescent illumination increased his discomfort. His mind whirled with so many major developments in such a short time—his feelings for Nicole, their growing relationship, his breakthrough on the investigation, and his nephew’s accident. He’d flown solo for so long that being part of the family circle seemed strange, and for the first time, he realized they’d done this many times without him. Jude hadn’t been around for any of the children’s births, his father’s last days, or the assorted other mishaps. Someone had always contacted him, eventually, and he’d gotten in touch. He’d kept up with the situations each time: when Adam suffered appendicitis, when Noah got injured on the job, and when Abigail suffered serious injuries in a tractor accident. He’d sent well wishes, offered a few prayers, ordered flowers or get well balloons, but he hadn’t been here, not in any meaningful way.

  The small hospital boasted an equally tiny waiting area and the rows of chairs fit tightly into the space. The Rykers claimed most of the seats, although a few other people already in queue, sat among them. Elijah sat beside his weeping wife, with one arm around Tania. His other brothers kept close. Jude saw Abigail, but not Esther. Neither Nora nor Cody was present either so he guessed she must’ve taken the kids home. He saw two empty chairs across from Elijah and sat down, Nicole at his side.

  “I guess it’s too soon to have heard anything,” he said to his brother.

  Tania sobbed harder, with her face buried in her hands. Elijah shook his head. “I talked to one of the EMTs who used to be one of my students. He said David’s stable for now but his injuries are probably serious. I guess you know Sierra died at the scene and that Junior walked away without a scratch, the son-of-a-fucking-bitch.”

  “Junior?” Jude parroted. “Junior Wetzel?”

  “Yeah, and he caused the whole thing. Another bunch of kids were behind David’s car and said Junior swerved into the other lane. He hit David’s Trans Am and then both vehicles went through the guardrail all the way down.”

  Jude’s headache intensified as rage shot through him. Heat washed over him and he shut his eyes to avoid bursting into flame. He wanted to shout or beat the hell out of Junior but he held tight to control. “I hope they arrested him.”

  “They did but I imagine they’ll let him walk after spending the night in the drunk tank. He’ll post bail, as he has before.”

  “I’ll make damn sure justice is served,” Jude said, without thinking. The words shot from his mouth with more bitter force than he intended. Elijah’s eyes widened and beside him, Nicole took his arm as if he needed restraint. Hell, maybe he did.

  Adam leaned over from three chairs down. “Jude, take it easy, son. We all want to see Junior pay but you don’t have a damn bit more authority than anyone else.”

  He did, though, and parted his lips to tell them. Then he remembered where they were and why, so he shut his mouth. “All right, all right, but remind me to tell y’all something later.”

  Noah came to his feet and stalked the room with restless energy. “We’re all on edge so cool it. Let’s just wait and see what happens. David’s most important right now, then we’ll figure the rest out as we go.”

  Tension reigned as none of them talked for a while. The second hand swept around the face of the large clock on one wall. Twice, a nurse emerged from the Emergency Room and called a patient back, but time crawled and no one came to talk to Elijah about his son. Jude’s tall frame didn’t fit into the cheap chairs with any comfort and he shifted position often. His head pounded relentlessly. Fresh air might help but he was loath to leave in case a doctor updated the family on David’s condition. Almost an hour after the ambulance delivered the teen, a doctor stepped out. “Ryker? Who’s with David Ryker?”

  Twenty people raised their heads, and two of them stood. Elijah and Tania linked hands. “We’re his parents. How is he?”

  “He’s in critical condition. We’re taking him upstairs for emergency surgery to stop some internal bleeding. He also has a concussion, broken ribs, and a broken leg. If you want to step in to see him before we move him, please come through this door.”

  Half a dozen family members stood as Elijah led his wife into the Emergency Room. Jude joined them and stretched. Adam tapped him. “I think we’ll head upstairs to wait. Are you coming?”

  “Yeah, I am. I want to see if the kid’s all right,” Jud
e said. “But I’m going to stick my head outside for some fresh air first and grab a soda from one of the machines.”

  His oldest brother nodded. “I’ll see you up there then.”

  Nicole linked her arm through Jude’s. “I’ll go outside with you.”

  The moon filled the night sky with silver light and any other time Jude could have appreciated the beauty. With no destination in mind, he ambled out to his truck with Nicole. Once there, he leaned his head against the driver’s side window. The cool glass against his throbbing headache eased it a little and he groaned.

  “Does your head hurt?” Nicole asked. She put her hand on his back and rubbed. “I’ve got some aspirin in my purse if you’d like some.”

  “Yeah, and sure, I would.”

  She shivered and he noticed how chilly it’d become. “Are you cold, honey?”

  “Yes. So are you. Your arm’s like ice.”

  Jude hadn’t realized. “Let’s go inside, grab a pop, then we’ll go upstairs.”

  After downing four tablets and washing them down with soda, he made a pit stop. The empty halls at the late hour had an eerie feeling, he thought. Although he hadn’t set foot in the facility for years, not since his football injuries were treated, little had changed. Jude rode the elevator up to the tiny waiting room and joined his family. Less furniture remained than he remembered and the collected Rykers overflowed the space. Noah and Adam sat on the floor outside and within the waiting area the others shared the few chairs and single sofa. Jude paused in the hallway. “Anything?”

  Both brothers shook their heads. “It’s too soon.”

  “I’ll wait,” Jude replied. But he didn’t want to face the crowd in the small, close room, or sit in the hallway. “Is there still an old waiting room down the hall?”

  Noah snorted. “As far as I know, in the original part, yeah, I think there is. You going down there?”

  Jude nodded. “We are for a while. I’ve got a bitchin’ headache and it’s too hot in there. But I’ll be close and I won’t be gone very long.”