Page 12 of Justice for JoElla

“You should probably get your ass in my truck, that’s what you should probably do. Right now. Let’s go.” Landon pointed toward the door and Brandon wandered that direction. He didn’t really want to go to a bar. What he wanted to do was what he’d been doing every night?go back to Landon and Jerrica’s, be something that would pass for friendly for an hour or so, then go to his room, close the door, lock it, and lay face-down across the bed to spend the next eight hours wishing he was dead. That was his new normal, and he wasn’t the least bit embarrassed about it. Of course, no one knew what he was doing in there, and that was fine. They didn’t ask, so he didn’t have to lie.

The Blue Moon was quiet, and there were at least nine of the guys who took a couple of booths and sat down. Most of them had a beer. Brandon had a boilermaker. If he was drinking on Landon’s dime at Landon’s insistence, he had every intention of numbing himself up with something pretty damn strong. The bartender looked at him like he was crazy when he asked for the drink, but came right back with it and set it down with a flourish. “There ya go. Kill yourself with this one.”

“I have every intention of doing just that. Thanks.” Brandon picked up the glass and stared at it.

“Whatcha got there?” Landon asked as he eyed the glass of beer and the shot glass full of whiskey.

“Um, an Irish red and a Redbreast. I would’ve preferred Writers Tears, but they don’t have it.”

Rodeo leaned across and laughed. “Don’t be asking for no fancy whiskey in here. This is The Blue Moon, where beer is king and whiskey is the emperor!”

They all watched as Brandon picked up the shot glass, and he took a deep breath before he dropped the smaller glass into the larger one. It hit the bottom with a soft thud, and he watched the contents disperse into the beer. As he lifted it, he twirled it ever so slightly, then took a big drink. Actually, he drank half the glass. In one breath.

“Whoa. Your brother drinks like a sailor!” Stingray declared loudly.

“Nah. He drinks like a damn cop,” Juice countered.

“You know who drinks like a damn cop? A damn cop,” a voice called out, and the guys turned to look.

“Mick! Hey, man, what’s goin’ on?” Rodeo called out, and handshakes went all around.

“Not much. Working a case. Hey, you guys met Tompkins?” He pointed to a woman standing a couple of feet behind him.

“No. I don’t think we’ve had the pleasure.” Rodeo stuck out a hand. “I’m Pete. And this is Lucas,” he said, pointing at Stingray, “and Hayes,” he added with a point at Juice. “And this is Landon and his brother, Brandon.” Each man extended a hand in turn, and JoElla shook them. “Y’all have a seat. Whaddya want?” Rodeo asked as Mick and JoElla sat down at a table by the booths.

“I just want a PBR. Tompkins?”

“I’ll have the same.” Something about the woman gave Brandon the impression that she was uncomfortable there in the bar with them.

“So, Tompkins. Do you have a first name?” Rodeo asked.

“Yeah. JoElla.”

Stingray perked up. “JoElla Tompkins? Did you go to Spencer County High School?”

“Yeah.”

“I thought so. I graduated with SheriffBillings’ daughter, Laura.”

JoElla nodded. “Yeah. You guys were a couple of years ahead of me. I don’t recognize the two of you,” she said toward Landon and Brandon.

“I think we’re a little younger than you. We’re about five or six years younger than Laura. Maybe more,” Landon answered.

“Ah. That’s probably why.” Then she fell silent.

Brandon watched her and said nothing. Something about her made him curious. It was as though she was trying very hard to be invisible which, truth be told, was exactly the same thing he was doing. He didn’t really want to be seen or heard, just allowed to sit quietly, and she seemed to be doing the exact same thing. But there was something else about her, something that made her look beaten down and tired, and he wondered what that was about.

All around them, the guys joked and talked, but Brandon didn’t join in. The boilermaker was doing its job, and he was feeling no pain. It was almost time for another one when the pager on Landon’s belt went off. In seconds, Stingray, Rodeo, and Juice’s pagers went off too. “Oh, hell. This is bad. This is really, really bad,” Landon mumbled.

“Think we’ve had too much?” Stingray asked.

“No. I’m your lieutenant, and no?you’ve only had one beer apiece, so there’s no reason not to answer. Let’s go. Sorry, folks. Duty calls.” Landon stood and headed for the door, the other guys following.

The door had barely closed behind them when Brandon’s pager went off too, and he heard voices outside. “What the hell is going on?” he muttered as he rose and made his way to the door. When he looked through the glass, he growled out, “Holy shit.”

The sky was on fire. He wasn’t sure what was burning, but whatever it was, it was huge. “Gotta go.”

“What’s going on?” he heard JoElla ask.

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