Page 69 of Played

“You know I was looking through some old photo albums from back in the day.” Keith’s expression changed as he heard her.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, and I came across some photos of you. Man were you young.” River wanted him to stick around just long enough for him to know exactly how he had gotten caught. After all, he bragged all the time years ago that he could forge any document, and no one would ever catch him. Well, she had caught his ass.

“We were all younger back then.”

“Yes, we were.” She tracked him as he started to move away from her.

“What happened to you, did you get in a fight?”

Recognizing Keith was trying to change the subject, she went with it. She touched her forehead. “Oh this? No, I got in an accident. A delivery truck hit me and totaled my truck.” River remained leaning against the doorway as she began talking about needing a new truck. “I love yours. I was looking for that make and model, but I couldn’t find it in that color. Something about it not being a manufacturer color.”

“The color of my truck?” Keith started to look nervous as she continued talking about his truck. “Yes, that metal flecked candy apple red with the iridescent overlay. Makes it look like fire when the sun hits it. It’s very expensive from what I read.”

“I can’t remember.”

Keith waved as he went to walk away from her and her questions. Mal and Dan stopped him as River turned toward the interior of the garage. “Seems you came into a lot of money about seven years ago, Keith.”

“Don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Let me jog your memory.” Better to keep the distance between them. River shoved a metal chair across the open space with her foot. “Have a seat, Keith. Remember those photo albums I told you about? Well, they got me thinking. Thinking about why you and Laurel Canyon have been so chummy. We didn’t run in the Indy scene. So how was it you knew her?” She saw him fidget. “I did some digging on Laurel and do you know what I found?”

“No.”

“Guess.”

“I don’t want to.”

“I found out there is no such person as Laurel Canyon. There is, however, an area of the Hollywood hills named that.”

“Okay, what does this have to do with me or my truck?”

“Patience.” River didn’t move as she continued speaking. “There is a public record listing me as the recipient of my brother’s insurance policy for a million dollars. Remember how Laurel told everyone Cypress had left her that same amount? I never got that money, but—are you ready for this… according to the public record, I did. So, I went down with my lawyer in tow to see that insurance agent. Guess whose picture was on file from collecting the payout? Laurel’s. With my name on it.”

“Still don’t know what this has to do with me.”

“I didn’t say it did. Yet. I kept digging with the help of Mal and Dan. Seemed you and the insurance agent are cousins. And that agent had been looked into for a lot of sketchy payouts. When we were digging into you and your cousin, we found you had another relative.”

“I don’t have any other relatives.” Keith went to get up, but Dan put his hand on the guy’s shoulder, forcing him to stay sitting.

“I’m sure your sister Vicky will be so hurt by your dismissal.”That’s right, asshole, I found all the dirt I could. “Seems Laurel Canyon is actually Vicky Brown.” There it was—the look she wanted to see. River unfolded herself from the wall she had leaned against. “Your cousin and sister are currently being picked up by the cops. And you are going down for forgery with them. You should have not played with me and mine.” River watched the police officers come in and take Keith away.

There would probably never be any insurance money paid to her, which ultimately she didn’t care about. She wanted Laurel, aka Vicky, out of her life, and now she was. She would be answering a lot of questions, and that made River smile. Stepping out into the sun, she looked down pit row towards the curve and nodded her head. It was time to head home. Fontana was not where she wanted to be over the next four days. She wanted the ranch, where she could fall apart unseen from news reporters and magazine reporters. As she walked away from Fontana Speedway, she remembered a time she couldn’t wait to be interviewed.Be careful what you wish for, was all she could think.

Mal hugged her. They had somehow made things right for River. Laurel would be too busy trying to stay out of jail to mess with them. She worried what Riot would have to say about everything when it hit the news. They had kept all this from him and D&T the past week while they got everything together. They thought it would take a lot longer, but to everyone’s surprise the detectives jumped on the case. Mal was glad River had had something to occupy her mind for a little while.

With Riot busy down in Santa Maria, River had been a wreck with nightmares. Mal threatened more than once to call him to let him know how rough the week was going, but eventually she had promised not to interfere. With Riot not wanting to talk about anything concerning the past, it left Mal in a tough spot. She didn’t know how River ever did it with her and Dan.

Sometimes when she watched River a light would come on in River’s eyes, one that Mal hadn’t seen since long ago. It always went out just as fast as it came on—until Riot. Then the light started staying on longer. This week there were no lights on in her best friend’s eyes, only flat, grey pools looked out at her when they talked.

Things had changed in the blink of an eye. Maybe she should just check in with Riot or even one of the other guys.Stop over-analyzing everything, Mal chastised herself. Fuck, now I’m arguing with myself over these two fools.Slapping a hand to her thigh, she marched off to call Riot.

‘Mamma Mal’ is what they all called her from time to time because she worried about all the little things. This was one of those moments. She stopped in her tracks as that little voice in her head told her to listen to River.

She told Mal more than once he was acting different towards her and she worried he was changing his mind about them. River wouldn’t hold it against him if he had. They worked well together professionally; she would have to find a way to put her personal feelings aside.

Recently Mal had driven over to the ranch to talk to River, only to find her not around. When she stepped into the garage, she expected to find her working on bikes. For the first time in a long while, Mal found herself alone at the ranch. When she turned to face outside, she took a long look over the landscape of what was her part-time home and took a seat. Mal reminded herself the ranch had become her best friend’s sanctuary, but she wondered what was it about the place that River truly loved. The house and property anyone would love to have, but what set it apart from any other place she could have picked?

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