“Anyone want a coffee?”
Mitch was first to the bars. “We missed the funeral, you bastard!”
Cubby opened the cell door and stepped inside with the tray, which he lowered to the bed. Now sober, they thought twice about confronting him, instead reaching for the coffee.
“Now we’re going to have a talk and you’re going to listen, or I lock this door for a while longer and add resisting arrest and assault of an officer to the list of things I can charge you for.”
“We missed the funeral,” Josh said. “I missed saying good-bye to Jilly.”
“Because there was no way in hell I was having any of you upsetting the Lee family or anyone else in this town.”
“We wouldn’t have!” Mitch said. “We never meant anyone any harm.”
“That’s bullshit, Mitch. You attacked Katie because you’d been drinking, and last night you abused Bonnie and her family.”
Mitch lowered his eyes. Cubby knew that their behavior escalated when they drank, and lately that was becoming a regular occurrence.
“This town has had enough of you boys. They asked me to do something and other than shooting you all dead, I can’t come up with much.”
“I’m sure there’s a law against you speaking to us like that, but right now my head hurts too much to remember what it is,” Mitch said.
“Is this all you want out of life?” Cubby said, looking at each of the brothers. “To be known as the town drunks, the assholes no one respects?”
“It’s what we know.” Brodie shrugged. “We ain’t no good for anything else.”
“It’s none of your business how we live our lives!” Pete snarled.
“It’s my business if you disrupt this town.”
“Let’s go, he ain’t got nothing to say I want to hear,” Pete added, getting to his feet.
“I’m sick of it,” Josh said.
Cubby knew the youngest Finlay had been hanging around Jake’s barn, working with him on cars, but he didn’t know if the older brothers were aware of that.
“What?” Pete looked at Josh. “Sick of what?”
“Our life; I’m done with it.” The youngest Finlay stood. “Jilly and I, we were friends, and she told me I was more than this.” He waved his hand about. “I have a brain and I should use it, and I want to.”
Pete grabbed Josh by the throat. “You’re not going soft on us, boy, and if you think there’s something else out there for you in this world, think again. There ain’t nothing for people like us.”
“Let him go, Pete,” Cubby said. “Now.” He did, and Josh slumped to the floor, where he rubbed his throat.
“What do you want to do?” Mitch spoke next, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Josh.
“I want to fix cars,” Josh said. “Jilly talked to Jake McBride about it, and he saw me in town one day, and said if I wanted to, he’d spend a bit of time showing me stuff in between his medical stuff, and if I liked it, then he’d help me get into a course. So I have, and I do like it.”
Cubby looked at the three elder Finlays, saw the surprise on their faces at Josh’s words.
“You never told us,” Mitch said.
“Because you wouldn’t have listened.”
“You didn’t give us a chance.” Mitch looked devastated.
Cubby decided to step in before an argument broke out, because Pete and Brodie weren’t looking happy.
“Okay, Josh, I’m going to talk to Jake about that course, and I’ll let you know what we come up with. Now, you go on up to Jilly’s grave and say good-bye,” Cubby said. “Then head to the Hoot.”
