Page 43 of Rest In Pink

And there was a motorcycle parked behind Margot’s house, with a helmet with an Indian Chief painted on both sides resting on the seat.

Faye and Pete.

Who’d have thought?

I took out my cell phone and punched in one of my favorites. It was answered after five rings.

“Talk,” Rain said, obviously a bit distracted.

“I’ll call back.”

“Hold on,” Rain said. “I need to take a break anyway. We’ve been at it for hours. Double homicide. A mess.”

I waited and when she got back on the line, she was more focused. “What’s up, dour detective Vince Cooper?”

“You’re reading that crap?”

“Of course, since it stars my dour friend.”

“How many times are you going to say dour?”

“There are worse things to be called,” Rain said. She knew that as a Black woman who’d deployed with my Ranger unit multiple times. Actually, she knew that as a Black woman. A couple of guys in the company had been crude, but she’d proven her competency as a medic and soldier and then she was one of us. “What can I do you for?” she asked.

“Just had a visit from the Iron Wolves. Three came down main street with ARs on their backs in broad daylight.”

“Fucking open carry,” Rain said. “What happened?”

I gave her a quick summary.

“Were they there because of the ones you booted out several months ago? Payback?”

“No.”

“Sounds like a probe,” she said when I was done, proving great minds, or at least Ranger minds, think alike. Rain had served before women got to go to Ranger school but she’d ended up with a Ranger scroll on her right shoulder, a combat patch, and that meant she was one of us forever.

“Roger that. But then I just saw that the leader—his name tag said Pete and he had a Marine Raider patch on his jacket—is at the house of Faye Blue. I think they were ten toes up, ten toes down.”

“Mother of Lavender and Navy?” Rain said.

“Yep. Widow of Cleve.”

“That’s weird.”

“No shit.”

“What the hell have you stirred up there in Burney, Vince? And you got this Thacker guy posting. You are a shit magnet.”

“I haven’t done anything,” I protested. “I’d appreciate any deeper intel you can get me on the Iron Wolves. And if you have a packet on this Pete guy, I’d appreciate that, too. If he’s involved with Faye, I’ll see him again. I’m hoping that’s the only reason he’s in town.”

“Why would he draw attention to himself then?” Rain asked.

I hated when she threw logic on hope. “I don’t know.”

“First Thacker and now the Iron Wolves,” Rain said. “I’m not a big believer in coincidence because Murphy is always waiting to fuck you.”

She was referring to Murphy’s Law: what can go wrong, will.

Someone raised their voice in the background. “I gotta go,” Rain said. “I’ll check on that for you but no promises on when I can deliver. Keep your powder dry.”

---