Blue Ridge Repose by Joe Palkovic

Author:Joe Palkovic
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Joe Palkovic
Published: 2022-09-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 21

Kelly stood at the bathroom vanity and stared at herself in the mirror. She couldn’t settle herself for bed, despite the late hour. So late it was early. She looked for her Timex watch; the one she wore for long runs because it was durable and took thirty splits on the stop watch function, though it looked like garbage. She found it on the floor next to the bed stand. Must have been knocked off last night. It was the only clock in her childhood bedroom, which remained mostly empty besides the bed, dresser, and nightstand. Mr. Shaw would fire the Outlaws if she went to him. Why wouldn’t he?

First, she had to decide what to tell him. Not the truth, of course. Saving herself embarrassment was a small motivator, but Troy and Felipe each bore enough responsibility to have trouble in their jobs. Yet inaction was no option at all. They came to her home. Mom’s home. She threw on some sweats and went downstairs to find her shoes and coat.

Approaching Mr. Shaw in the middle of the night presented its own set of problems. He lived in a secluded area off Lynndale Road, a few miles south of Oakland. Winding dark country roads stretched in every direction with large swaths of empty space between them. Were she followed, at this time of night, no relief was available on the way to or from Bob’s place. Bob had a proximity alarm, though, which was sure to wake him when she hit the long driveway.

She considered all this as she slipped on her running shoes and opened the closet to find her coat, then remembered she’d left it draped over a chair in the kitchen. She got out her phone and texted Kate, trying to slow her mind down.

Are you awake?

Kate called almost immediately.

“Hey Kel, you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m alright. I’m sorry. I don’t usually do this.”

“Do what, honey?”

Kelly hesitated. “I don’t usually... ask for help.”

“I can be there in ten minutes.”

“No, no, I don’t need you to do that. I just want someone to calm me down, and Troy went back to the office to work on Mike’s murder case. Hey, what are you doing up at this hour?”

Kate cursed and giggled. “Aw, come on, don’t make me tell you! We’ll just say I was up waiting for you to call me, how’s that?”

Kelly smiled. She remembered why her best friend kept her sane after everything she’d been through. Kate was a mess, but she was always honest, and always ready to drop everything to help a friend. Kelly thought of Mike Eubank, too. He’d been the same way, though even more of a clown. He never worried about himself.

“Seriously, what’s going on?” Kate asked.

“The men your father hired. The bikers. They were at my house tonight.”

“Yeah, Dad said he was going to give them a list of projects for your place,” Kate said, stifling a yawn.

“No, not like that. They were here late at night. Like when Troy dropped me off.

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