Chapter 11
Like Asher said, there was nothing obvious to be seen that they hadn’t seen a thousand times before.
“This place is huge,” Nora said. “I don’t think I’ve been down here before.”
“It’s the entire footprint of the house above us. It had a hard-packed dirt floor for years, but every time we went down and came up, we tracked in dust. Mom hated it. Dad kept promising to finish it off with a pour of concrete, but then she was gone, and nothing mattered anymore,” Asher said.
“So, how did you come by all these bricks?” Nora asked.
“I remember,” Gunner said. “I was about twelve…maybe thirteen. They were tearing down an old brick building in Silverton. Anybody who wanted bricks could come to the site and load up what they wanted. Ash measured the area of the cellar, the size of the bricks, and figured out how many we’d need to cover the floor. It was a surprise for Dad’s birthday. We did it Ash’s senior year of high school during spring break.”
“That’s quite an engineering feat for a kid still in high school,” Nora said.
“I wasn’t all that. I asked my math teacher how to figure it,” Asher said.
She slipped her arm around his waist. “You are all that, and a piece of cake,” she said. “All three of you are amazing. You, Dylan, and Gunner. Jacob did good.”
“Asher helped. He stepped into Brenda’s shoes,” Gunner said.
“Right down to giving us the talk about the birds and the bees,” Dylan added.
“Okay, we’ve seen it and up we go,” Asher said, and led the way.
“Dylan, are you still with us?” Nora said.
“Still listening, lady,” he said.
“Twenty-one years buried is a long time. You all have a new theory to work with, and to solve it, you need a metal detector. If it’s okay with you two, I’m going to exit this meeting, take a pain pill, and a shower. I have one request to make of all of you. Under no circumstances mention that I helped you. You did not inform me of any of your research. I have no knowledge of FBI files, or police files, or the rap sheets. I did not know about Joe and Darren Wilson. I do not know who Everett and Freddie Brandt are. I had no part in pointing out the obvious omission of Brenda’s statement. Two of you are cops. You’re the ones who figured it out.”
“Understood,” Asher said, and the other two echoed his comment.
“Gunner, I promise not to use up all the hot water. Asher, when you come to bed, I promise not to fall asleep in the middle of it. Dylan should be able to rent a metal detector somewhere in Amarillo. All three of you became part of the fallout. You should be together when you put an end to it.”
“Nora’s right, Dylan,” Asher said. “The security detail will cover Dad’s safety, although now that we have this new theory, the fact that Dad is up there might be right where the Brandts want him. If the bar is closed, they may try to make another run at it, and it’s likely they don’t know that we’re here. We only have a short timeline to see if this plays out. Find a metal detector and come home.”
“First thing tomorrow,” Dylan said. “See you soon,” he said, and hung up.
As Nora stood up, Asher got up with her. “Nora, honey, do you want me to put a plastic bag over your hand again?”
“No thanks. The bandage has served its purpose. It’s coming off.” Then she kissed Asher on the cheek and left the room.
Gunner got up and began putting the dominoes back in their box. “Do you feel like as big a fool as I do?”
“Probably bigger,” Ash said. “We never once thought of what Mom’s part in the robbery would have been. Just that she cheated on Dad and killed herself.”
“Nora was right. We were too close to it all. We lost our objectivity,” Gunner said. “I wonder what the hell her job actually entails?”
“Best we don’t ask,” Asher said. “We don’t talk about our cases with the public. If there’s something she wants us to know, she’ll tell it.” He gave the basement door a last glance, and then opened the fridge. “I need something to wash away the bad taste of all this,” and he chose a can of Pepsi. “Want one?”
“Are there any Cokes?” he asked.
Asher handed one to him. They heard the shower come on, then went into the living room and turned on the TV, while Gunner reached for his phone and went through his emails.
Thirty minutes later, Gunner still wasn’t watching the show and was still staring at his phone. “Tomorrow is the first of November. The temps are in the mid-thirties. If it’s buried outside, it’s gonna be hard digging in frozen ground,” he said.
“Don’t borrow trouble,” Ash said. “If she’s the one who hid it, I’d bet good money it’s in the basement. I don’t think she would have chanced digging outside where anyone could have seen her.”
“Hope you’re right on all counts,” Gunner said. “I’m ready to go back to Dallas and chase down killers there. I don’t like to think that all this happened here. Crossroads always felt safe.”
