If it was, he’d have taken her with him, not Shandra, or at least have left her some cash to cover the medical bills.
So Johnny figured he was doing what Stu did.
Fucked-up shit that was just about Stu.
He gave her his number and then said, “Obliged, Sharlane.”
“It goes down, it’ll be my pleasure, Johnny.”
Johnny gave Charlie a look and they headed out.
“He was seeing a single mother who worked at the bank in Bellevue,” Johnny told him when they were in the truck. He didn’t tell him the part about Stu seeing her to get intel on how to rob her bank. “Let’s head there.”
“Jesus, how many stupid bitches did this jackass bang?” Charlie asked, pulling out of the parking lot.
“We’ll just say it could be long night,” Johnny said as answer.
“We got a problem,” Charlie stated.
Johnny looked his way. “A bigger problem than Brooks missing?”
“No, but see, we actually find that jackass before the cops do, ain’t no way I’ll keep my hands off him and ain’t no way you’ll keep your hands off him. I think this same situation is happening in Dave’s truck. Dave’s an old guy but I figure he can haul out a can of some whoop ass, anyone harms anyone that you boys got in your hearts. Plus, he’s a dad. He cares about Brooks and Addie and he feels her pain. So we gotta make a pact and hope to Christ they’re making one in Dave’s truck too. But the way Toby is with that boy, I’m thinking there’s no prayer of that happening. But we can’t think on that. We gotta have a plan. So if I get there first, you gotta stop me from murdering him. If you do, I’ll stop you.”
“Don’t wade in too soon,” Johnny replied.
“Oh, I won’t,” Charlie promised.
They drove.
Johnny’s phone rang.
He pulled it out and his mouth got tight at the name on the screen.
He took the call and put the phone to his ear.
“Norma,” he began, “not sure what this is but—”
“I know,” she cut him off, “everyone knows, word about what’s happening spread through Home like a wildfire, ’spect it’s doing the same all through Matlock. So I’ll make this quick, son.”
“Obliged,” he muttered.
“I’m in my car. Sally’s in hers. We’re on the way to your woman’s place.”
Johnny did not like that at all.
“Norma—”
She spoke over him. “Folks are thinkin’ best way to help is get on the roads lookin’ for Stu. I can’t stop that. Others think best way to help is go see to your women. Sally and me disagree so just to say, we’re heading out to Eliza’s acres and we’re gonna park across her lane and send people on their way. Make sure they got privacy while you’re handlin’ this situation.”
Johnny hadn’t thought about word getting out or what that would mean.
But now confronted with it, he decided Sally was going to get much bigger tips from now until the last drink he drank at Home, and he didn’t know what he’d do for Norma, but it would be something.
“That’d be appreciated, Norma,” he replied. “But you hear anyone talking, they find Stu, they call me first. Don’t know what’s in his head, never did, but think he’ll react better he sees me or I can call Shandra in and he’ll listen to her.”
“Gotcha,” Norma replied. “I’ll spread that word. Find him, Johnny. Now letting you go.”
And then she did just that, disconnecting.
When Johnny took his phone from his ear, Charlie asked, “What was that?”
“Townsfolk of Matlock are getting in the hunt, which I can’t think about right now. But some are also thinking of heading out to make sure Adeline and Eliza are okay. Norma, woman who owns Home, is heading out with her bartender to barricade Izzy’s lane and shut that down.”
“Good,” Charlie murmured.
He drove.
Johnny sat next to him, trying to keep his shit together.
His phone rang.
Johnny lifted it and his heart squeezed at the name on the screen.
He took the call and put the phone to his ear.
“This better be what I want to hear.”
Mercifully, Shandra told him what he wanted to hear.
“Meet me at the shack. I have the baby. I’m so sorry, Jo—”
He cut her off. “My shack?”
“Yes,” she said softly.
“Stu took him to my shack?”
“I’m so, so sorry, Jo—”
“He there?”
“No.”
This was probably good.
“We’ll be there in twenty,” he told her.
“Okay.”
He hung up. “Swing a left at the first light in Bellevue. Shandra’s got Brooks. I’ll make the call to Dave and Toby but I’m not calling Izzy or the cops until we’ve got Brooks.”
“Jesus. Holy Christ. Lord, Lord, Lord,” Charlie whispered.
Johnny closed his eyes and focused on settling his heart.
This failed so he opened his eyes and said, “Can you go faster?”
Charlie was bigger than him and driving, so even though they both ran flat out, Johnny had his door open and was out of the truck before Charlie had come to a full stop, which meant he beat him to the porch.
He vaguely noticed the glass in the window of the door of the shack was busted.
He just ran in.
Shandra was standing five feet in, holding a fretting Brooks.
Johnny went right to her and pulled him out of her arms.
Brooks looked at him, hooked an arm around one side of his neck and buried his face in the other side.
He might be eight months old but he wasn’t dumb.
Johnny wrapped both arms around him and held him close.
“You’re home, son. It’s good,” he murmured.
Brooks nuzzled his face in Johnny’s neck like Izzy did to his chest.
And only then did Johnny’s heart settle.
Charlie was standing behind him and Johnny turned to him.
“Call them. Tell them he’s safe and we’re bringing him home.”
Charlie nodded, shot a dark look at Shandra and walked out.
“Johnny,” she said.
He turned to her.
“This isn’t on you,” he said.
“I still feel—”
“But swear to Christ, Shandra, if you don’t impress on him that me, Izzy, Addie, Toby, Margot, Dave, anyone who has dick to do with me as well as the entire town of Matlock is off limits to him, I will hunt him down myself and I’ll make sure that message is received and then I’ll deliver his ass to the goddamned police.”
“He’s in a spot.”
Was she fucking serious?
“I don’t give a fuck.”
“I’m not defending him,” she returned. “I told you we were done. This wasn’t the last straw. That already happened. I’ve already called the police and told them what happened and where I suspect he’ll go. He handed over the baby and took off. If I thought I could get the baby safe and keep him here, I would have done it so they could arrest him here. But I had to look after the baby and he knows you. He didn’t hang around.”
“Your brother kidnapped a baby to hold him for ransom.”
Her eyes filled with tears.
“Get out of Matlock, Shandra. Not for me. Not so you won’t have to watch what’s gonna happen next with me and Eliza. For you. Scrape your brother off, your folks off and find something for you. You don’t, they’ll find ways to keep dragging you down while tearing pieces from you and you’ll be buried in shit with nothing left.”
“I should never have gone with him,” she whispered, tears wetting her cheeks.