Page 21 of Ranger Bravery

TWELVE

Piper hesitated on Kylie’s front step. Warm sunshine beat down on her shoulders as she pulled a business card from her pocket. “Leaving your ex was a brave thing to do.” She extended the card. “If he gives you any trouble, call me.”

Kylie hitched the baby up higher on her hip and took the card. The bruises on her arm were deep purple and looked painful. Jennifer tugged on a lock of her mom’s hair with one chubby finger. The baby was lucky to have a mother who put her first. Piper hadn’t been so fortunate. She’d do whatever was necessary to support the young woman in getting her life together.

She flipped through the stack of business cards she kept along with her own. “There are programs for housing and support groups for survivors of domestic violence. My friend, Mariana Garcia, is a social worker. She can help.” Piper found Mariana’s card and extended it to Kylie. “Here’s her number. Can I pass on your information to her? Mariana will put together a packet and even help you fill out the forms.”

This time, Kylie hesitated. “I don’t want a handout.”

“It’s a hand up. You’ve done the hard part by leaving a bad situation. There’s no shame in getting the support you need to make a better life for you and Jennifer.”

“It’s charity.”

Piper smothered her irritation. She couldn’t fault Kylie for her pride. After all, she shared it. Accepting help had never been her strong suit. But stubbornness could get the young woman—and possibly her daughter—killed. Abusers were chameleons. One moment, they were charming and loving, the next violent and terrifying. “My mom dated men like your ex. People tried to help her repeatedly. She refused, and eventually, I paid the price for it alongside her.”

She let that sink in and then continued, “You’re so much stronger than you know, and maybe you’ll get there without a helping hand, but I promise it’ll be easier if you have people in your corner rooting for you.” She extended the card farther toward Kylie. “Do it. For Jennifer, if not for yourself.”

Kylie hesitated once more and then nodded. She took the card, fingering it. “Are there programs for getting your GED?”

“I’m sure there are. Mariana would be happy to help with that. I’ll have her call you in the next day or two.”

“Okay. Thanks.”

Piper gave a wave to the baby and a smile to Kylie before turning to join Jackson in the driveway. In his cowboy hat and sunglasses, he cut an impressive figure. She kept her gaze on him to avoid looking at her mom’s house. Being back on her old street, seeing the trailer she’d grown up in, had triggered memories of the assault. Piper’s PTSD was flaring back to life. Once again, she was reminded that Elena’s murder had unearthed her own tragic past in an unsettling way.

Jackson hung up his cell phone, a frustrated expression on his face. “Well, Kylie’s ex, Wally Hutchinson, hasn’t been to work for the last three days. Deputies went to his house, but it’s closed up tight. A Dodge RAM is registered to him. No sign of it. I’ve put a BOLO out on the vehicle.”

“Let’s go talk to his younger brother. Todd lives on the same street as Elena.”

The drive took less than a minute. Piper’s nerves settled the moment they turned off her childhood street. Elena’s house sat at the end of the block. It was a cute, modular home with white shutters and a red front door. Carefully tended flower beds with bright wind spinners dotted the yard.

In contrast, Todd Hutchinson’s house, three doors down, desperately needed an overhaul. Beer cans littered the yard, alongside broken-down car parts. An ancient sedan sat on bricks. Weeds grew wild and untamed. A pit bull attached with a long chain to a dog house, languished behind a broken chain-link fence encircling the backyard. Piper carefully skirted a pile of unknown objects on her way to the front door.

Jackson kept pace alongside her. His hand rested on his holster, his gaze shifting back and forth. “I hate this.”

She knew exactly what he meant. Sunshine beamed down on them, but there was a creepy vibe to the house that instinctually made her want to run in the other direction. Like there were eyes on them. She’d checked for cameras but didn’t see any. It was possible they were hidden, but Todd didn’t seem like the kind to spend his money on security.

The front porch was a slab of broken concrete. The screen door hung by one hinge, the interior wooden door open. Somewhere inside, a television blared. Piper rapped on the doorframe. “Mr. Hutchinson? Todd Hutchinson?”

Footsteps approached. Todd materialized out of the darkness like a bat emerging from his cave. He blinked at the sudden sunlight. His clothes were rumpled and his hair mussed. In one hand, he held a can of beer. “Whatdaya want, Piper?”

“We’d like to speak to you about Elena Harris.”

The screen door creaked open, and Todd exited the house. It was hard to believe she’d gone to high school with this man. Granted, he’d been a few years ahead of her, but still… the last years hadn’t been good to him. He’d gained weight, all in his belly, and his hair was thinning. A prominent forehead swept down into a long nose and thin lips. His features had always reminded her of a rat. Or maybe it was his personality. Todd was as sneaky and as slippery as they came.

Beside her, she felt rather than heard Jackson inhale. Obviously, he hadn’t recognized Todd’s name, but he must’ve remembered his face. It was distinctive.

Todd took a long swig of his beer. “I heard she was murdered. Don’t know nothing about that.”

“Really? I’m surprised. Your brother had beef with her.”

His gaze narrowed. “Wally? What’s he got to do with this?”

Piper shrugged. “Rumors are spreading, Todd. I’m hearing things. I don’t want to believe a word of it, mind you, but it seems your brother has up and run off. Wally hasn’t been to work in days and he’s not at home. I was hoping you could tell me where he is.”

He sniffed and rubbed a dirty hand under his nose. “I ain’t my brother’s keeper, Piper.”

“Understood. Have you heard from him recently?”

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