Page 38 of Shelter for Martina

“Yeah. Me again. I’m looking for your son. You seen him around?” Bud asked.

“Nope. Ain’t seen him. What’s he done?”

“Just wanted to talk to him. Know where he might be?”

“Nope. Have no idea.”

“You two aren’t close?”

The door opened a little farther and both eyes blazed toward him. “You’re a smartass, you know that, cop?”

“I’m not being a smartass, sir. I’d just like to talk to your son. If you see him, would you please tell him I’m looking for him?”

“Oh, sure. Yeah. I’ll be sure to tell him to look you up. No problem. Anything else before I slam this door shut?”

“No. I think that about covers it. Have a nice—” The glass in the door rattled as it slammed closed and Bud almost laughed. Seed planted and mission accomplished. Now Adams would think they were looking for Marty and he’d gone to ground. That was exactly what he was hoping would happen anyway. It was a promise he’d made to Marty the night before, to throw Adams off his trail, and he thought he’d succeeded pretty spectacularly.

He spent the rest of the morning down in the bottoms, walking in the area where the four-wheeler had been stuck. After walking here and there, he didn’t find anything, and he wasn’t sure what he was looking for, but he figured he’d know it when he found it. At noon, he knocked off and headed back to the post, stopping at the grocery on the way to pick up something to eat.

And once again, there was talk going on all around him. He was thankful to be wearing street attire, because no one seemed to know who he was. Two older gentlemen were talking in the back of the store as they stood in front of the milk cooler, and Bud heard one say, “He’s the biggest liar on the planet.”

“Yeah. Liar is about right. And that boy of his is a liar too. The apple don’t fall too far from the tree, does it?”

“It sure don’t!” the first man answered and they both laughed.

As he walked through the store, he heard another young woman talking about Marty and how good-looking he was. He wanted to say,You need to stay away from that, but he couldn’t. At that moment, it seemed to him that Burgess was the only one who was trying to do the right thing. Bud couldn’t fault him for that.

He only had a short while before he had to head to the post, so he took the sandwich they’d made for him at the deli, his chips, and his drink, and drove the four miles to the little cemetery. It was a pretty day, sunny and fairly warm for early fall, and Bud walked across the grass to the spot he knew so well. There was a marker for the Tillotsons, Fred and Irma, his in-laws. And right beside theirs was a bigger one.

RebeccaMarie Tillotson Griffin – beloved wife and mother. May you rest in the arms of the angels.

Bud sat down on the ground in front of the stone and leaned back against it, feeling the sun’s warmth that had soaked into the stone against his back through his shirt. He ate his sandwich and chips and drank his soft drink as he sat there, thinking about the years they’d spent together. From the moment they met, there’d never been any question about whether or not they belonged together. The first round of cancer had been a blow, but the second had been the final straw. He’d watched those lively green eyes grow dull with pain and weariness, and managing to smile at her every day had been a challenge, but she’d depended on him to be hopeful. During the last two months of her life, he’d taken off work to be with her non-stop, and when she was gone and hospice had emptied all the equipment out of the house, it had been so silent that he couldn’t bear it. Work had become his refuge, and he was rarely home except to take care of her horses.

He stuffed the sandwich wrapper down into the empty chip bag and sat there, the sun on his face, until he could work up the courage to say what he needed to say. “Becky,” he said quietly, even though there was no one else around. “I miss you every day, even those messes you made with cinnamon toast. I miss your laugh, and your smile, and that way you had of making me feel like the most important person in the world. In case you wonder, I’ll love you ‘til the day I die. That won’t ever end. But I’ve met somebody. She’s exactly like you and nothing like you. I don’t know how to explain it, but I feel whole when she’s around. Yeah, I know you told me to find somebody and be happy, but sometimes I feel like I’m being unfaithful to you. But I wanted you to know. No sneaking around. And if you don’t approve, I’m sure you’ll let me know. I love you, and I love her too. Her name is Martina and you’d like her. I know you would. Hell, she lives in Hartford. You might’ve even known her, for all I know. But anyway, I’ll be back later. Love you, baby.”

Bud stood and brushed off the seat of his slacks, then headed down the hill to his car. It had been a while since he’d been there, but he’d felt the need to do that, to talk to her and explain. Why, he wasn’t sure. Every time he’d been there, he’d felt closer to her, but that particular time, it just wasn’t the same. It was as though some kind of connection had been lost, and he wondered if it was because of Martina. Oh, well, there was nothing he could do about that. Sitting around waiting for Becky to come back had grown old.

On the way to the post, he called his regular vet and asked if he could bring the dog, leave it overnight for shots and an exam, and have it cleaned up. If he got finished with the meeting in time, he’d have a chance to take it over and leave it.

There were a couple of unfamiliar state cars there when he arrived, and he wondered if the KDCI guys had gotten there a little early. Sure enough, when he stepped through the back door, he heard a voice say, “DetectiveGriffin! Good to see you!”

AgentAmos Fletcher’s hand was already out, and Bud grasped it. “Good to see you too, Fletcher! I specifically asked for you on this case. Glad you could make it.”

“When I found out you were working it, there was no way I was going to say no. Happy to be down here in this end of the state. It’s beautiful.”

“You been briefed yet?”

“Not yet, but I know a little. I’m looking forward to finding out more about what’s going on.”

“Oh, just you wait. You’ll love this one. It’s a doozie.”

“And let me introduce the two of you. Bud, this is AgentAlex Ross. He’s been with us in Frankfort now for about three years.”

“Pleasure to meet you. Amos has said some very nice things about you,” AlexRoss told Bud as he grasped the detective’s hand.

“Good to meet you. If you’re good enough to come with Amos, you must be good at what you do!”

Ross grinned. “I try!”

---