“Then it’s Giselle,” Layne declared, heard his voice was gruff and he knew Rocky heard it too because her fingers gave his arm a squeeze. Layne cleared his throat and went on. “Youth Group meets tomorrow night, Tripp, seven thirty. You start then.”

Tripp nodded at Layne again.

“I’ll take him and go with him the first night,” Jasper offered.

“That works but no Keira,” Layne replied.

“No Keira,” Jasper agreed.

“How do you know he likes girls?” Rocky put in and Jasper looked at her when she continued. “Have you seen this man?”

“Yeah, he’s everywhere, at the games, at Reggie’s after games, at the Senior Follies last year around about the time he first got to town. He’s a good-lookin’ guy and there’s always a bunch of girls around him. He acts all holy and sometimes even carries a Bible but I think that’s so parents won’t freak. There’s boys in that Youth Group but there’s only about ten of them. They go to be around the girls but they stay because they say this guy is the shit. They say he’s funny as all get out, makes religion cool.”

“You got friends who go there?” Layne asked.

“Not friends but I know some of the kids,” Jasper answered.

“Then that’s your job, you get them talkin’ in school. Learn what you can and let me know,” Layne ordered and Jasper nodded.

“Does Keira know this guy?” Rocky suddenly asked and Layne’s arms tightened around her.

“Don’t know but I reckon,” Jasper answered. “Everyone does.”

“Do you think you could get Keira to point him out to me at Friday’s game?”

“It’s away, he won’t be there,” Jasper answered.

“Any game then, without her knowing why she’s pointing him out,” Rocky pushed.

“Roc, what the fuck?” Layne asked.

She let him go, turned in his arms and looked up at him. “I want to talk to him.”

“Why?”

“And I want to get his picture and give it to Merry.”

“That I can see, and that I’ll do, sweetcheeks, but you aren’t talkin’ to this guy.”

“I want to feel him out,” she returned.

“Rocky –”

“I work around kids every day and around adults who work around kids. I’ll know just by seeing him around the kids if he’s right or not,” she explained.

“You can use your gut for a lotta things, baby, but, far’s I know, havin’ a bad feelin’ about someone isn’t cause for police to instigate a full blown investigation, even if one of ‘em is your brother. They gotta justify their use of limited resources, Rocky, and if Drew could pull that off, he’d be doin’ this job himself,” Layne told her.

Her face changed, the fire ignited in her eyes, Layne braced when he saw it and she didn’t disappoint. “Okay, then I want to walk up to him, friendly-like, and, just as friendly-like, give him the indication that I’m not liking what I’m hearing at school, I’m paying attention and I’m watching and, oh, by the way, my boyfriend happens to be the town’s badass private investigator. I’ll do it just enough to make him be careful and maybe cool off what he’s doing so Tripp can do his work and in the meantime no one will get hurt, or, more hurt but not enough to make him run.”

Yes, Rocky was a nut.

“Did you catch the part I said to Tripp about not wanting anyone to make him stop?” Layne asked.

“Yes, Layne, I caught that part but I still want to make him stop, at least until we catch him,” she shot back.

“Sweetcheeks, you’re not getting involved.”

“I’m already involved.”

“Okay, then you’re not getting more involved.”

“Layne –”

“We’re not gonna discuss this.”

“Layne!”

Layne lifted his hands to rest on her jaws and he tipped her head back further as his face got into hers. “Jasper was right when he used the word ‘predator’. Anytime kids are involved, it’s about predators. And predators are dangerous. Best case scenario, this is about drugs. Worst case scenario, baby, you do not wanna know. Either way, you are not gettin’ near this guy, no lip, no discussion.”

“These are my kids,” Rocky snapped, pulling her jaw from his hands and stepping back.

“I get that,” Layne replied, putting his hands on her neck and pulling her right back.

“Someone has to keep them safe.”

“That’d be Tripp, but like I said today, Rocky, it’s gonna take time. Give him time.”

“And until then?”

“Until then, you keep your eyes and ears open, Jas does the same, Tripp does the same, you trust me and we fuckin’ hope.”

“That isn’t good enough, Layne.”

“It sucks, baby, and I know that but that’s all you got.” Layne watched her eyes flash and he pulled her even closer, put his thumbs under her jaws to tilt her head back and put his forehead to hers. “I know this is frustrating and it’s killin’, you, baby, but stick with me on this and do not make it worse by puttin’ yourself out there for this guy.”

She stared into his eyes a beat until hers closed. Then she pulled in breath through her nose and let it out the same way.

Then she opened her eyes and whispered, “All right.”

“I like her,” Devin declared and Layne and Rocky’s heads turned his way. “Bet even with those fancy-ass duds, she don’t live in no development with an HOA.”

Layne turned to Devin, positioning Rocky in front of him at the counter and pinning her in again as he replied, “She lives in a luxury apartment complex.”

“Okay then, I bet she don’t care what her luxury apartment complex rules tell her what she can and can’t do with her car,” Devin returned.

“You’re right, I don’t care, but with the rent I’m paying, Devin, I should be able to park my car right next to the swimming pool if I’ve a mind to do it,” Rocky put in.

“You got a swimmin’ pool?” Devin asked.

“Yes,” Rocky answered.

“Any lovelies who sunbathe there?” Devin went on.

“I just moved in a couple of weeks ago, Dev, it’s October in Indiana so I haven’t scoped it out yet and won’t get that chance until next summer,” Rocky told him.

“Well, I’ll be back next summer, I’ll help you scope it out,” Devin offered and Layne heard Rocky’s soft giggle.

His eyes went to his sons and both of them were looking at Rocky and smiling.

Then he looked at his watch and back to Jasper. “Too late to get started on pasta bake, Bud, it’s Keira time.”

Jasper’s body jolted, he looked to the clock over the microwave and hissed, “Fuck!” Then he held his hand out and wiggled his fingers. “Devin, keys.”

“Don’t care about no HOA,” Dev grunted.

“You care about it or you go back to my office and sleep on my couch,” Layne stated and Devin gave him a stubborn look.

“Devin! Keys!” Jasper fairly shouted, desperate not to be late for Keira.

“Just go, Jasper, I’ll move Devin’s car and start the pasta,” Rocky said, slipping out from in front of Layne and heading to the stove.

“Thanks, Rocky, you’re the shit,” Jasper muttered then bolted to and out the door.

“You’re not movin’ my car either, girlie,” Devin declared. “No woman drives the Calais, don’t care how pretty she is.”

Rocky turned her head and aimed the dimple at him, saying, “We’ll see.” Then she moved a pot to the faucet and started to fill it with water.

Layne reclaimed his forgotten beer and took a slug, his eyes on Devin.

When he dropped his beer to the counter he muttered, “My money’s on Roc.”

Devin grunted.

Ten minutes later, the pasta was on, the hamburger was browning and the Calais was in the drive in the spot behind Rocky’s Mercedes.

Layne found this hilariously funny for two reasons. One, Devin wasn’t lying when he said he didn’t let women drive his car and he’d let Rocky drive his car, it was just the turn into the drive, but he’d let her do it. And two, Rocky had pinned her own vehicle in for the night.

* * *

Layne sat at a chair at his outside table, a burning smoke between two fingers, the other three wrapped around a beer, his eyes on the dark, small wood behind his house.

That wood was one of the reasons he picked this place, his front faced houses, he had to drive through a sea of them to get home, but he walked out on his back patio and saw nature. It wasn’t a lot of it but it was something.

Devin sat across from him with a stoagie between his lips.

“I know who she is, boy,” Devin said quietly around his cigar.

“I know you know,” Layne replied quietly back, lifted his beer and took a pull.

They’d spent a lot of time together and they didn’t talk a lot but both of them had talked and Devin knew all about Raquel.

Devin fell silent for a long while. Then he pulled his cigar out of his mouth, blew out smoke and whispered, “Look at that.”

Layne looked at Devin to see Devin looking over his shoulder into the house so Layne twisted and looked into the house too.

The kids and Rocky were playing a game, girls against boys. Keira was up on her feet, jumping up and down, her long, dark hair flying everywhere, her hands straight up in the air. Jasper was sitting back in an armchair, his arms crossed on his chest, pretending to scowl but his eyes were glued to Keira and far more than a scowl could be read from his expression and none of it was bad. Layne couldn’t see Tripp because he was sitting on the floor. Rocky was on the couch, her head was to the back of it, her hands were up in front of her clapping and he could hear her laughter mingled with Keira’s shouts of triumph.

Blondie, being a female but mostly being a canine, was jumping around Keira and sharing in what appeared to be a feminine victory by barking repeatedly.