“I’m not going to keep them, dummy. But I don’t want you keeping them either. I’m going to dump them down the storm drain.”
“Great,” Auggie said. “We can do it together.” He shifted the car into park, got out, and walked to the storm drain.
Theo swore. Then, yanking on the handle, he opened the door and got out. When he got to the storm drain, Auggie displayed the two baggies and emptied them both down the drain. Then he displayed the empty bags.
“Those too.”
Auggie tossed them.
“Relieved?” Theo said. “I barely managed to resist the urge to light up a pipe and smoke them right here.”
“You can be mad at me if you want,” Auggie said. “I’m used to it by now.”
“I’m not an addict, Auggie. I made a mistake. I took a pill for my knee and thought I could handle a beer on top of it. I learned my lesson.” He blew out a breath. “And I don’t even think I thanked you for, you know, helping me.”
“You puked a ton.”
Theo winced.
“And you scared me.”
“I’m sorry. That was months ago, though. I’m fine.”
“Yeah,” Auggie said, and for some reason he looked tired. “Let’s just go.”
They drove through the rundown neighborhood, taking different streets this time, looping back toward campus by a route that took almost twice the time it should have. The Civic’s whining had taken on a new intensity, and something heavy was clunking rhythmically under the hood. The burned smell was worse than ever. Theo fought the need to say something; whatever peace they had established was tenuous, and he didn’t need Auggie biting his head off again for an innocent observation about preventative maintenance.
Instead of heading for the Sigma Sigma house, though, Auggie kept going west to the little street at the edge of the city limits. They pulled up in front of Theo’s garage—now that it was relatively empty, Theo had moved the Malibu inside. As they rolled up onto the driveway, the Civic released a shrieking hiss, and something—steam or smoke—boiled up from under the hood.
“Shit,” Auggie said, stomping on the brakes. “Shit, shit, shit.”
The car coasted to a stop and died.
“Shit,” Auggie moaned, dropping his head onto the steering wheel. “There is no way this is happening.”
Fanning the air, Theo said, “Let’s get out and take a look. I’ll call Cart; he’s good with cars.”
“No, it’s fine, I’ll get a tow truck out here.”
Theo elbowed open the door. “It’s your choice, but Cart’s great at this kind of stuff, and—”
A brown Ford sedan was pulling up at the end of the driveway, blocking them in. Behind the wheel, Theo recognized a familiar face, complete with huge glasses and bristly mustache.
Theo slapped his keys into Auggie’s hands. “Go inside. Right now.”
Auggie was staring at him.
“Run!”
But it was too late. Albert Lender, detective for the Wahredua PD, was already out of his car. He wore a cheap suit that was the exact same color as his sedan. The glasses, with their enormous plastic frames, conspired with the mustache to hide most of his face. At first glance, he probably made most people think of a dentist or a tax accountant: short and squirrelly, harmless. In reality, though, the opposite was true. He was corrupt, he was ruthless, and he was perhaps the most dangerous man Theo knew.
“Hello, Theo,” Lender said. “Is that August in there with you? Wonderful. I had a feeling I’d catch the two of you together. Let’s go inside and have a talk.”
My boss, Sadie had said. And his boss. And his boss. Theo had made a mistake. Theo had assumed she’d be too afraid to report their theft. But her fear of the men she worked for had trumped the other fear, it seemed.
“Auggie was just about to walk home,” Theo said. He was still sitting in the car, the passenger door propped open. He wouldn’t be able to put any force behind a blow. He wouldn’t be able to surprise Lender with speed. “Car trouble.”
“Walk home?” Lender clucked his tongue. “I don’t think so, young man. No sidewalks out here. Something nasty could happen. Something really nasty. Walking on the shoulder of the road like that, he could get clipped by a car.” Smiling, Lender put his hands on his hips, pushing back the jacket just enough to display his holstered gun. “You know, once, I saw this fellow run over a rabbit. Did it on purpose, out of plain meanness, I guess. He was driving a nice little sedan like mine. But he didn’t stop there. He backed up and did it again. Went back and forth over that thing until it looked like he’d painted it on the asphalt with a roller brush. What do you think about that?”
“Theo?” Auggie whispered.
“It’ll be ok,” Theo said. His hand slid across the Civic’s console, found Auggie’s, and squeezed. He kept his gaze fixed on Lender. “Maybe he should wait here, then. He can wait for a tow truck.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Lender said. “Car jackings, you know. Sometimes they walk right up to the glass. Shoot you before you even know they’re there.” He tapped on the rear window with one chewed nail. Tap. Tap. Tap. “Hell of a mess.”
Theo nodded. “Come on,” he said to Auggie.
Auggie clutched his hand fiercely for a final instant before they got out of the car. They made their way up to the porch, with Lender following a safe distance behind, and Auggie tried to unlock the door. He dropped the keys twice because his hands were shaking. On the third try, Theo put his hand at the small of Auggie’s back.
“You’re going to be ok,” Theo whispered. “You’re smart and strong and brave, and you’re going to get through this.”
After a deep breath, Auggie nodded. He slid the key into the lock, and they went inside.
Lender kicked the door shut behind him. He looked around. “Well, Theo, you’ve really done a number getting this place looking so good. I expect that’s thanks to Officer Cartwright as well. He’s really a man of many talents, isn’t he? I understand the two of you have become very close friends.”
“What do you want?” Theo said.
“Well, Theo, August, I have a problem. And the problem is, I am what you might call an investor. And for the most part, I like to be a silent partner in this little business. It’s something extra that I set aside for retirement, you understand, and I don’t have time for the day-to-day operations. But every once in a while, I get a call, and I have to handle something. That’s ok. I understand. That’s what being a partner is all about. You’ve got to do some of the unpleasant stuff.” A smile lifted his mustache. “Paperwork, for example. God, I hate paperwork.”
“Paperwork,” Auggie said, and then he laughed shrilly.
Theo found his wrist blindly and clamped down, and Auggie’s laughter cut off with a wet noise that sounded suspiciously like a sob.
“And today, boy, I’ve got a hell of a mess of paperwork to sort out. Somebody assaulted an employee. A low-level employee, but you know, we’re something of a family. And somebody stole some merchandise.”