The twinkle dissipates, and his face hardens. “No. No way would he not tell us if he knew. He cares about her too. Why would you ask that?”
“Bobby snuck out early this morning. I caught him, Erick.”
Erick looks at the unoccupied blow up mattress in the living room floor. “Where did he say he was going?”
“He said that he couldn’t sleep and was going for a drive. Thought he could find Dustin and ‘get some answers’.” I shake my head in disbelief. “He’s been so secretive lately—leaving the room a lot and going outside to talk on the phone. I don’t know what he’s up to, but I don’t like it.”
“He’s been talking to Cash. Trying to keephim updated on everything.”
“That’s another thing. Is Cash so far away he couldn’t just come see Hazel after Phil—” I cut off that train of thought, not wanting to picture what we walked into. “Why can’t he talk to me? Why does he have to talk to Bobby? I don’t like any of this. Bobby’s keeping shit from us. He’s close with Dustin. He’s been talking to Cash. I don’t know whose side he’s on right now.”
“He’s on Hazel’s side,” Erick says, grabbing my hand. “Bobby would do anything to help keep her safe.”
“Well, he did a piss-poor job of it, wouldn’t you say?” Erick narrows his eyes at me, but I don’t care. I go on, “Just so happens the night he comes back alone is the night the cops take off, and you come to pick me up. Is it really just a coincidence that Hazel happens to disappear while with the one person who is close with Dustin? I mean, think about it, Erick. Shit is just not adding up. And what the fuck did he mean by, “I have an idea?” He hasn’t shared shit with us.”
Erick’s face gives nothing away, but I can tell my words strike a chord with him. I’m not trying to turn him against his best friend. I’m stating facts that shouldn’t be overlooked just because we are close with Bobby. Emotions can’t get in the way right now. Hazel could be hurt, or worse, already dead. I owe it to her to not discredit any information.
They always say if something happens to someone, to observe those who are closest to them. Ninety-nine percent of the time, it’s someone we know that would commit a crime against us. Look at Phil. Yeah, he’s fucking nuts, but what he did could be considered a crime of passionsince they briefly dated. I’ve learned enough watching those true crime shows on TV. Hell, anyone with enough sense could commit a crime and get away with it, as long as they didn’t open their mouths.
Erick palms his fist and leans his head against it, sighing loudly. His hand tightens its hold and lightly taps his forehead as he thinks. I hope he’s taking me seriously. We need to find Hazel, with or without Bobby’s help. I can’t sit here and do nothing. The cops are fucking worthless in this town. If they have any information, they aren’t sharing.
“What are you thinking over there?”
His voice comes out low and gruff. “I’m thinking we should get dressed.” Erick lowers his hands and looks at me with determination. “It’s time we find our own answers.”
CASH
I rolled into the rundown truck stop, running on fumes. Exhaustion kicked in hours ago, and I fought it the whole way here. I called Bobby and asked him to get there a few minutes early to order food, and lots of coffee, in the hopes it would be on the table when I arrived. It wasn’t, but the wrinkled-up waitress stinking of cigarettes delivers it a few minutes after I sit down. Bobby watches me warily as I devour my food, picking at his own. He’s not in any better shape than I am. The bags under his eyes seem to darken by the second with a slightpurplish hue. Guess he’s not been sleeping much either. At least I can say that for a few brief nights I was able to achieve a blissful sleep. Wrapped around Hazel, I found some form of peace that held the nightmares at bay. Should have known that wouldn’t last. Nothing good in my life lasts for long.
Having waited too long, Bobby pushes his plate to the side and leans toward me. “Talk.”
I glance around the empty, crusty diner and rub my face, wishing I wasn’t having this conversation. I tell Bobby what I know, every bit of it. If he is to help me find Hazel and Joseph, he has to have all the facts. He listens attentively and doesn’t interrupt me, which I appreciate because I don’t have much patience right now.
“I want to talk to Dale when he gets here,” Bobby grits out.
“Why?” My brow furrows as I wonder what he wants with him.
“I owe that bastard a black eye,” he growls. “It wasn’t supposed to go down like that. He wasn’t supposed to knock me out.”
My chest starts bouncing as I hold back my laughter, but when Bobby cracks a grin, I lose it. We only laugh for a moment, though, the reason for our meeting sobering us swiftly.
“He’s sensitive about his appearance. Be careful trying toget your revenge.” I pick up my mug and take a drink of coffee.
“Imagine that,” Bobby humphs. “Pretty boys with black eyes get more pussy. He’ll thank me later.”
I choke on my coffee and cough. Shaking my head as I chuckle, I say, “A truer statement has never been spoken. Have you heard from Dustin again?”
“No. I drove past his house on the way here just to see if he was around. No one in sight. It’s been a fucking ghost town. I’ll go by there again when I leave here.”
The waitress stops by to refill our mugs and clear the table. Bobby hands her his untouched plate, and she raises a brow studying the food. She’s probably worried it will affect her tip. We are the only ones in this dump. How this woman survives working on her wages here is a miracle.
I take a deep breath and ready myself for the answer to the question I’m about to ask. “How deeply do you care for Hazel, Bobby?”
His hard gaze meets mine. I try to shut down my emotions, but the anger and jealousy burn deep in my gut when I see that he has no problem showing me just how much she means to him. In order for us to save them, it’s going to take someone who has a lot to lose to do it. Neither one of us are willing to lose her. Looks like both of us will be risking it all in order to make sure that doesn’t happen.
“Enough to put my life on hold and be there for her when she needed it most.”
His callous words and cold stare burn straight through me. I didn’t ask him to start a pissing match, but he obviously thinks that shit needs to be hashed out right now before we can move forward. A piece of me is screaming to lunge over this table and repeatedly slam his face into it. The more rational side of me is agreeing with the fucking bastard and telling me not to react out of guilt and anger. Hazel would never forgive me if I hurt her friend.
