“Why aren’t you helping?”
“I am helping,” he grinned. “First, you should send Annabelle, Ember, Blaze, and Raven to talk to Elsie. See what they can get out of her. Then you need to appoint someone to handle updates on Ink.Done. That’ll be me. Next, make sure everyone knows what to say to the cops, especially Tripp and Chloe. Then get Elsie and the cops out of here. Last, handle that body across the road. I have thoughts on that when you’re ready.”
“Fuck,” I groaned.
“You’ve been saying that a lot here lately. They say repetitiveness is a sign of dementia.”
“I don’t think you need to send anyone to talk to Elsie,” Byte said, staring at his screen. “These dumbasses texted everything. It’s all right here. Might want to grab a seat.”
We pulled up chairs and huddled around Byte’s laptop, reading page after page of texts as he scrolled.
“Well,” Ranger said, leaning back in his seat. “That made shit a lot easier.”
“How?” I asked, surprised by his words.
“If you hand over that phone when you turn in Elsie, there’ll be no need to worry about what anyone says to the cops. If you keep it for, say, leverage, you only need to have Tripp and Chloe say they brought Elsie here after they discovered what she did.”
“Thatiswhat they did,” Byte said flatly.
“Exactly!” Ranger said, then looked at me expectantly. “Well?”
“We’re keeping the fucking phone.”
“Great. I’ll check on Ink. Unless you want me to place a call to Chuck first?” Ranger asked.
“What is happening?” I asked, though I didn’t want an answer.
“I’m showing you how it’s done, son.”
“He’s been microdosing for improved cognitive function,” Byte whispered, followed by a shrug. “Seems to be working.”
“Does Gabby know about that?” I asked, genuinely concerned.
Ranger chuckled. “Who do you think helped me get it?”
“I’m going to talk to Tripp and Chloe,” I said.
“Have you found the third guy yet?” I heard Ranger ask as I was closing the door behind me.I might have to talk to Gabby about whatever the fuck Ranger was doing.
“Thanks, Chuck,”I said, shaking his hand. “I appreciate your help with this one.”
Chuck nodded. “I appreciate yours. Take care.”
I took a moment to exhale with relief before I went back to church. As far as I was concerned, the hard part was over.No Nuts’s dead body, the sixteen-year-old root of all evil, and the cops were all out of my clubhouse, and none of them were coming back.
“All good?” Badger asked.
“All good,” I confirmed and dropped into a chair. “What’s the latest on Ink and Ariel?”
“No changes,” Ranger said.
I nodded in acknowledgment. “Let me see No Nuts’s phone.”
“That’s Ricky,” Byte said and passed the phone to me. “Tap the screen when you’re ready.”
I looked down and tapped the screen.
Calling IckyDickyRicky
