It felt good to be doing something. Of course, that instinct toward action instead of reflection had gotten Jericho in trouble plenty of times in the past, but he was reasonably confident he was doing the right thing this time.
He pulled his car into a parking spot on Main Street. His own car, not the department cruiser; it seemed important to draw as many lines between himself and his job as he could on this one. He thought about ditching at least a few pieces of his uniform, but considering who he was meeting, it was probably best to remain fully clothed.
He knew that had been a good decision as soon as he saw Wade’s lazy sprawl in the diner’s back booth and felt the stirring in his own gut, and a little lower. More clothes were definitely a good thing in this case.
“Under-sheriff,” Wade said with an oily smile as Jericho approached. “Imagine my surprise when you called me.Pleasantsurprise, naturally, but I was under the impression that your boss wanted communications to go through her? You’re being defiant so soon?”
“Stop it.” Jericho turned his cup over so the server could pour him coffee he didn’t want, then waved off her question about food. After she’d gone back to the kitchen he said, “You made a hell of a mess today. You need to help me clean it up.”
“I don’t thinkImade that mess. Was I the one selling out his daughter for a few bucks? Was that me?”
“You’re the one who told her about it. Hockley and I were trying to handle it quietly, but you screwed that up.”
“You and Hockley. How sweet. I wasn’t aware the two of you were friends.”
“Jesus, Wade, you sound jealous.”
“Don’t be silly. I have it on good authority that you’re not his type, even though he does seem to like the uniform.”
“Where the hell did you getthatfrom?” Jericho wasn’t sure whether to be amazed or appalled at Wade’s information gathering. “Not from Kay’s dad, I hope.” And, yeah,thatwas what they were supposed to be talking about. “Does he know you told Kay about him? Does he know the feds are after him?”
“I can’t really say what someone else knows, can I?”
“Did you tell him anything about it?”
“That’s generally not the direction information flows between he and I.”
“Have you ever in your life just said yes or no to a single goddamn question without being forced into it?”
“No,” Wade said, and then he grinned. Goddamn it, Jericho had been doing okay until the grin. But that one little gesture, the tiny twitch of lips Jericho knew so well and wanted to know so much better—
“I need you to tell him about the feds,” Jericho said. He had to control himself and stay on topic. “You’ve obviously got some way of communicating with him that the feds don’t know about. I need you to talk to him.”
Wade cocked his head. “You’re asking me to commit a crime. You’re suggesting that I should interfere with a federal investigation.”
“Yeah. I am.”
“Because you’d rather I get caught than precious Kayla get caught for doing the same damn thing?”
“Because youwon’tget caught. You’re good at this stuff; Kay’s good at the other side of things. And you don’t have a motive, but she does. If Donald Morgan suddenly changes his behavior, the feds are going to look at Kay, not at you.”
“The feds look at what I have for breakfast. They’re looking at us having this meeting at this moment. They can’t hear anything, as far as I know, but that doesn’t mean they don’t know it’s happening.” He shook his head. “You’re asking me to take a risk, and there’s no reason for me to do it. Telling Morgan about the feds does me no good. So why should I do it?”
“Why’d you tell Kay about it this morning? She thinks you were pissy and trying to hurt her, but I don’t believe that. So you had some other motive for doing it, and all these arguments you’re making are just your way of covering up your real reasons. But if Kay’s right, and youweresimply trying to get back at her? Then you should help clean up the mess, because that’s not the kind of person you are; you don’t go out of your way to hurt other people just because you’re in a bad mood.”
Wade was quiet for a few moments, then said, “You truly think that? You think I’m not that kind of person? What exactly are you basing that opinion on?”
Jericho frowned. “I’m basing it on . . . I don’t know, onyou. On knowing you. You’re not cruel, Wade. You never have been. If I’m wrong about that?” Jesus, what did it mean if he was wrong about that? “If I’m wrong about that, I’m wrong about pretty much everything else I believe too. If I don’t know that about you, then I guess I don’t know much of anything.”
“You must be aware that the vast majority of people we know would disagree with you entirely.”
“You must be aware that I don’t give a shit about the opinions of the vast majority of people we know.”
“You’re reverting, Jay.” Wade leaned back in the booth and laced his fingers behind his head. “You got a bit tight when you were away, got all caught up in the rules and the proper way to do things. But you’re loosening up. Your Crewe blood is coming out, in a good way.”
“I wasn’t aware therewasa good way for Crewe blood to come out.”
“Hell yeah, there is.” Wade sounded like he really meant it. “Your old man had a mean streak, and you probably got hit with the worst of it from him. I know that. But he had some strengths too. He was tough, loyal, smart, independent—your family’s been living up here in the woods since before this was even a state, and they didn’t survive because they wereweak. Not at all.”
