Shine (Kentucky Outlaw Book 1) (21 page)

They talked more as they lay in the darkness, but not for long.
 
The day had finally caught up with them and they drifted off to sleep in each other’s arms.
 
Just before sleep overcame them completely Julie said, “Ethan?”

“Hm?”

“I don’t want you to move, but what if you father catches us?”

“So what if he does?”

“He was nice enough to me today, but that doesn’t mean he should catch us in bed together.”

“I’m an adult and I have been for a little while.
 
If he doesn’t like it, then I’ll leave.”

In his ear, he heard her whisper, “But you’re not leaving me?”

The last thing he said before falling into a deep, dreamless sleep was, “Never.”

***

Julie woke up the next morning to Ethan gently nudging her.
 
She opened her eyes and saw him fully dressed, standing over her.
 
He put the cup of coffee he was holding onto the nightstand and said, “I have to get ready for the run today.
 
Take your time getting up.
 
There’s bagels on the table downstairs.”

He kissed her and she became suddenly concerned with the state of her hair and breath, but he just smiled at her and kissed her again.
 
After he left, Julie lay in bed, drinking coffee and feeling giddy.
 
She knew things wouldn’t be easy for them, not with the entire town watching them – not to mention their families – but she didn’t care.
 
Walter, Zeke, and the whole fucking town would either get on board or stay the hell away.
 
She belonged to Ethan Dalton and he belonged to her and anyone who didn’t like it could keep it to themselves.

Getting up, she slipped on the same jeans as yesterday, but kept Ethan’s t-shirt on.
 
It was reasonably clean, but it also was proof to her of their night together, and she wasn’t ready to let that go.
 
There were indeed bagels on the table, as promised, and the blanket and pillow Ethan hadn’t used on the couch had been put away.
 
She wondered if Ethan had tidied up before anyone saw that they hadn’t been used.

She grabbed a bagel and a cup of coffee and went outside.
 
The day was cold and the sky still gray.
 
The ground was wet from dew and she watched Ethan and his brothers load up a large a large, covered trailer attached to a old pickup truck.
 
Zeke sat on the porch swing, drinking coffee and watching his boys work.

“Have a sit,” he said and she did.
 
“You know one of the advantages of getting old?
 
You get to watch everyone else work.”
 
She gave a small laugh at his joke and he went on.
 
“Today is the day.
 
The last day the Dalton family will ever run illegal moonshine.
 
I’d take a picture, but I’m not the sentimental type.
 
I never thought I’d follow Walter and go legitimate.”

“He might be legal, but I’m not sure he’s legitimate,” she said.
 
“There’s a lot that’s allowed by law, but that’s still downright dirty.”
 
She watched Ethan load the trailer and felt a warmth spread through her as she looked at him, like the sun breaking through clouds.
 
He saw her watching him and smiled at her, making her want to jump up and down.

“You’re in love with that boy.”
 
She felt herself turn red, but Zeke didn’t give any indication of noticing.
 
“I got no problems with it, but Walter is going to throw a damn fit.”

“I can handle him,” she said.

“I figured as much,” said Zeke.

“Why are you loading up now?
 
I thought you ran at night?”

“Got to load the containers then fill them at the still.”

“How far away is Ohio County?”

“A hundred seventy miles, about three hours.
 
It’s a dry county and we can sell everything we got in one stop.
 
After tonight we’ll have enough.”
 

Zeke started yelling at Jackie about something so Julie went off to find Ethan in the back garage.
 
He was pulling out every container they had and setting them out to be loaded.
 
When he saw her walking up, he stopped and slid his arms around her.
 
She thrilled from his touch and kissed him.

“Please be careful tonight,” she said.

“It’s a run like every other one.
 
You’re just worried because things are starting to go right.”

“In my experience, that’s when bad things happen.”

Once the trailer was fully packed they stood around, listening to Zeke.

“This is the way it’s going to run tonight.
 
I’ll drive ahead in my car, set up the buy.
 
Then Ged and Ethan will come along in the truck with Jackie driving the runner car.”

“I’ll drive runner,” said Ethan.

“No.
 
After last time Jackie should be the one to do it.”

“I said, I’ll do it.
 
It’s the last run and it’s a long one but easy.
 
I want to do this.”

Jackie said, “It’s OK with me, pop.”

“This isn’t your decision,” said Zeke.

“Let’s put it to a vote then,” said Ethan.
 
“You said if we buy into the family company we’d have a vote.”

“You ain’t bought in yet.”

“Let him drive,” said Ged.
 
Zeke raised an eyebrow to his oldest son.
 
“Let him take the wheel.
 
It’s the last time, and Jackie’s OK with it.”

Zeke turned back to Ethan and said, “You’re behind the wheel, then.
 
Don’t fuck it up.”

Ethan said to Julie as the rest of the Daltons went off to make the final preparations, “Just hang back, relax, and I’ll be back around midnight.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Not really.
 
We have this down so well that it’s just easier for us to take care of it.
 
There’s food in the fridge, TV, and plenty of books inside the house.
 
You’ll be safe holed up here, and tomorrow we’re going after Traxler.”

As she watched Ethan drive off to the still with his family she felt a cold knot form in the pit of her stomach.
 
She tried telling herself it was just nerves but she couldn’t shake it.
 
She busied herself, first trying to read, then watching TV.
 
It was starting to get dark when her phone rang.
 
It had rung throughout the day, her parents looking for her, but this time it was her brother, Austin calling from his desk phone at the police station.
 
She decided to answer it this time.

“Hello, Austin. I know you’re pissed and you want to know where I am.”

“Don’t even get me started.
 
You have mom and dad worried sick.
 
You never came home last night.”

“I’ll explain everything, but it has to wait.”

“You have to come down to the police station.”

“I can’t right now.
 
I told you, I’ll tell you everything later.”

“God damn it, Julie, listen for the first time in your life.
 
We made an arrest a couple of hours ago.
 
We caught the man who killed Nick.”

Julie almost dropped the phone.
 
“You did?
 
How?
 
Who was it?”

“Just come to the station now.
 
OK, I don’t want to do this over the phone.”

“Too bad.
 
Tell me who it was.”

There was a heavy sigh on the other end before Austin gave in.
 
“Fine.
 
I don’t have time to play games with you.
 
A couple hours ago we made an arrest.
 
We found a gun on him and the ballistics matched the bullets we took out of Nick and a low level thug by the name of Kenny Salo.”

“Great,” said Julie, “but why do you need me?”

“Because he refuses to talk to us.
 
He won’t even talk to a lawyer.
 
He says he’ll only talk to you and you alone.”

“Why?”
 

“No idea.”

“Then tell me who it is.”

“Avon Traxler.”

Julie made good time to the police station considering she was driving Ethan’s Mustang and it’d been a while since she drove stick.
 
Her father had insisted she learn how and at the time she’d complained, saying it didn’t matter because she was never going to drive one anyway.
 
She pulled the car into the visitor’s lot and hurried into the station.
 
Austin met her in front and led her into the staff only area.
 

“I better warn you, Dad is here.”

“Jesus, you called him?”

Austin opened a door for her and said, “I had to, Julie.
 
He was screaming bloody murder at me all day to find you.
 
When I got a hold of him I had to tell him you were OK.
 
They found your car down by the goddamn factories with the back window shot out.
 
He thought you were dead.”

He led her into a conference room.
 
Inside was her father sitting at a table with a cup of coffee in front of him and Warren Brady, the chief of police, sitting on the other side of the table.
 
Walter had been laughing, but when she walked in his face darkened.
 

“Where the hell have you been?” he yelled.
 
“Your mother was worried half to death.
 
What gives you the right to stay out all night, and not let anyone know where you been?”

“The right?
 
I’m an adult, I have the right to do anything I want,” Julie fired back.

“The hell you do.”

Brady jumped in, “Now hang on, Walt.
 
The girl is well over eighteen.”

“Hush up, Warren.
 
I’ll handle my daughter.”

“I ain’t going to be handled by anyone,” Julie said.

“Enough,” yelled Austin and smacked his palm flat on the table.
 
“We got bigger shit going down here that Julie staying out all night.
 
Dad, you’re here as a favor, but this is police business.”
 
Walter looked like he wanted to rip his son’s head off, but said nothing.
 
“Chief, tell them what’s going on.”

Brady took a minute to straighten his uniform before saying anything, his way of reestablishing authority.
 
“Three hours ago we received an anonymous tip saying we’d find the gun that killed Nick Butler and Kenny Salo at the bar belonging to Avon Traxler.
 
Normally we wouldn’t put a lot of stock into a call like that, but the caller gave details that only the killer, or someone close to the killer, would know.”

“What kind of details?” asked Julie.

Brady said, “Before I reveal anything, I need your assurance you’re here as a private citizen and not a member of the press.
 
I don’t want to read this on the front page tomorrow.”

“You have your assurances,” said Walter waiving his hand.

“Bullshit,” said Julie.
 
“I’ll use whatever I can to report this story.”

“You will not,” said Walter, raising his voice again.
 
“Because tomorrow you are quitting that nonsense.”

She stared her father down, making sure he knew she was serious.
 
“I’m not quitting the newspaper, nor am I doing anything just because you tell me to.”
 
She turned to Brady, “And you have to deal with it, because Traxler will only talk to me, so your options are pretty limited.”

“I don’t have time for this shit,” said Brady rubbing his eyes.
 
“The only reason you are here is because I don’t have a choice.
 
I would normally never allow a civilian, especially a reporter, in there with someone like Traxler, but he won’t talk unless Julie is there.”

“What details?” she asked again.

Brady flipped open a notebook.
 
“The caller knew the caliber of the weapon, nine millimeter.
 
He knew that money was taken from Butler’s wallet, but not the wallet itself.
 
He knew that inside Butler’s wallet was a picture of you.”
 
He pointed at Julie.
 
“These things alone wouldn’t be enough, but when added in to one more piece of evidence it turned very real.”

“And that last bit of information?” asked Julie, her heartbeat rising.

Brady cleared his throat and looked around the room.
 
Julie wanted to smack the man. Instead of telling her what she wanted to know, he was deliberately drawing it out because he had everyone’s undivided attention.
 
“The caller knew that Butler’s body had been moved and he told us where the killing had actually taken place.
 
We checked it out.
 
It was an empty warehouse not far from where the body was found in Pin Alley.
 
There was blood on the floor and preliminary reports suggest it match’s Butler’s.
 
It was cleaned up, but not very well.
 
It’s hard to get blood out of carpet.

“You said it was in a warehouse,” said Julie.

“One of the offices, actually.”
 
Brady stood up.
 
“Now let’s get this over with.”

Julie followed Brady down the hall to a locked door with a small window in it.
 
Walter and Austin were right behind her.
 
Brady turned to her and said, “He’s cuffed, but don’t get too close.
 
Try to get him to talk about the crime.
 
We’ll be recording everything with audio and video.
 
There’s a two-way mirror in there so we’ll be watching.
 
If anything goes wrong, we’ll be in there in two seconds.