My Brother's Keeper (4 page)

Talbert gave him the information.

“I appreciate this,” Jon said.

“Only one you need to appreciate is yourself.”

“Yeah, well you put up with me.”

“You’re my friend. I’m supposed to.”

They said their goodbyes and Jon went back into the dining room. He was about to sit down when there was a knock at the door.

Rudy pushed back from the table. “I’ll get it.”

Ellis caught his arm. “No, you’ll sit and finish your oatmeal. I’ll answer the door.”

“But I like to answer the door.” He looked at Jon. “Sometimes the mailman brings packages. Ellis lets me open them. There’s never any baseball cards, but once I got a new pair of shoes.”

Ellis led Sheriff Marsh into the dining room. He extended his hand and Jon shook it.

“You healed up pretty good.”

“Thanks.” Jon gestured at the table. “You want to sit down?”

Rudy said, “We’re eating oatmeal.”

George laughed. “I can see that.” He tossed a look back and forth between Jon and Ellis. It was the kind of expression Jon had seen many times from fellow officers. It meant bad things were about to be said. George jabbed a thumb over his shoulder. “You think we could take this in there?” He glanced at Rudy.

“Yeah, sure.” Ellis put a hand on Rudy’s shoulder. “Finish your oatmeal. Put the bowl in the sink. Then go upstairs and watch TV.”

“Can I look at baseball cards instead?”

“That’s fine.”

“What if I have to go to the bathroom?”

“Then go.” He petted Rudy on the head. “But when you’re done I want you to go straight to your room. Got it?”

Rudy nodded and returned to eating his oatmeal.

Jon and Ellis followed George into the living room. “You two may want to sit down for this.” He looked at the chair behind him. “In fact, I think I want to sit down.”

They sat on the sofa across from George. Tension cut valleys around his eyes. He ran a hand over his head. With the way his gray hair stuck up in every direction, Jon bet he’d been doing that a lot today. “I’ve got some bad news.”

Ellis leaned closer. “What?”

“Now, when I tell you this, I don’t want you to panic.”

“I’m already panicking.”

“This isn’t going to get any easier the longer you wait,” Jon said. “Just tell us.”

George nodded. “Lenny’s lawyer has requested a new bail hearing.”

The tremor that ran down Ellis’s body vibrated against Jon’s thigh where they touched. “He’s getting out?”

“No.” George held up a hand. “That doesn’t mean he’s getting out.”

Ellis jumped to his feet. “That son of a bitch is going to get out of jail.”

Jon put a hand on Ellis’s wrist. “George is right.”

The whites of Ellis’s eyes showed and the color was gone from his cheeks. “What else could it mean then?”

“Anyone can request a new hearing if they think they haven’t been given a reasonable bail.”

Ellis laughed. It was a high wicked sound that was so unlike him. “Unreasonable? Denying him bail isn’t unreasonable considering he tried to kill you.”

“It doesn’t mean he’ll get it,” Jon said. “The judge who remanded him will, more than likely, deny the request.”

“That’s not saying he won’t let him out.”

“Ellis,” George said, “I can guarantee you that Judge Hammond will not let Lenny out. He’s never gone back on a decision.”

Ellis pulled out of Jon’s grasp and folded his arms. “What about Louis and Russell, are they going to get a new bail hearing too?”

“No. They pled out earlier in the week. They’ll go to prison for a good long time.”

Jon stood and took Ellis by the shoulders. He kissed him on the side of the head, then spoke close to his ear. “It will be all right.” Ellis shook his head. “Yes, it will. Lenny will stay in prison because Hammond will hold up his original judgment.”

“Am I in trouble?” Rudy stood in the doorway with his empty bowl in his hands.

Ellis slumped. “No, Rudy, you’re not in trouble. Now go to your room.”

“But you’re yelling.”

“It’s okay.”

“Not if you’re yelling.”

“Rudy, please. Put your bowl in the sink and go to your room.”

Rudy’s gaze met Jon’s and he was struck by how much worry it held. Then Rudy’s smile returned and the expression was gone. “Don’t worry, Ellis. Jon will make sure your clothes aren’t wrinkled.” He went back into the dining room. There was the clank of porcelain against metal. “I’m going to my room now.” Rudy’s heavy steps faded away.

Ellis glanced around like he didn’t know what to do or where to go. George caught Jon’s gaze. The look on his face clearly said there was more. George slid a look to Ellis and back.

“I’m going to walk George to his car,” Jon said. “Will you be okay?”

Ellis nodded then shook his head. “I will not be okay until that maniac is behind six feet of concrete.” He pulled away from Jon. “I’ve got to go do laundry.”

George inclined his head toward the door. Jon followed him out.

Jon said, “What is it you didn’t want him to hear?”

George didn’t speak until they were beside his car. “Louis’s lawyer offered up some information for a reduced sentence.”

“How much of a reduced sentence?”

“Five to ten instead of a firm twenty.”

“I hope it was worth it.” Jon didn’t know how it could be.

“I think it was. He said before Lenny was arrested, he’d been saying some disturbing things about Ellis.”

“Like what?”

“You sure you want to know?”

Jon knew he didn’t, but he loved Ellis and he wanted to keep him safe. “Yeah.”

George took off his hat and smoothed out invisible imperfections along the rim. “He said they were drinking with Lenny one night at the bar when he started talking about killing Ellis. No reason. No explanation. Louis said Lenny told them that he had plans to break in, shoot Ellis and Rudy, and burn down the house.”

Bile crawled up Jon’s throat. He leaned against George’s car. “What the hell is this guy’s fascination with Ellis?”

“No clue. But nothing about that family’s ever made no sense.”

“There has to be some reason.”

George shook his head. “Some people are just bad, Jon. You’ve been on this side of the badge. You’ve seen it. And then some people are bad and crazy.”

“I won’t argue about the crazy part.”

“No. No I didn’t think you would.” George’s eyes darkened. “But what scares me more is, sometimes, I think that crazy is spreading.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Over the last five years the crime has gone through the roof in this town. Domestic violence, theft, breaking and entering. Good people are doing terrible things. People I know, Jon. Like Louis and Russell. I knew their fathers. I knew them when they were in diapers. They were good cops, not perfect, but decent.”

“What do you think happened?”

“I don’t know. All I can say is they were good men until they started hanging around Lenny.”

“Did you try and talk to them?”

George huffed a laugh. “They’re grown men, Jon. You don’t tell grown men who they can and can’t associate with. And what they do on their time off is their business.”

“Is that what they told you?”

“Pretty much.” He put his hat back on.

The white farmhouse, with its dark red shutters, stood silently behind them. It was Ellis’s sanctuary, and had become Jon’s in a very short time. Now Ellis was in there, scared. Not for himself, but for his brother and Jon. And no man should ever be afraid in his own home.

“What are you thinking, son?”

“Huh?”

“That look on your face. You look like you just ran over someone’s dog.”

Jon rubbed his chin. “Do you think any of this is my fault?”

“What do you mean?”

“I stirred the hornet’s nest.”

“Jon, this town is full of folks who would have loved to get their hands around Lenny’s neck. They were just too afraid of him.” He patted Jon on the shoulder. “If anything you probably saved Ellis’s life by taking Lenny’s focus off him and putting it on yourself. Lenny’s not used to people standing up to him. You kicked his feet out from under him and he got sloppy. Now he’s in jail and with any luck he’ll stay there.”

“You say that like he might not be.”

George dropped his gaze.

“You don’t seriously think the judge will give him bail, do you?”

“Like I said, Judge Hammond has never turned over a remand.”

“Try a little harder to convince me you believe that.”

The smile George gave Jon wasn’t a happy one. “He won’t let Lenny out.”

“Should we worry about any of his family coming after Ellis for revenge?”

“Nah, there was only the sons and the father when they moved here a few years back. Now it’s only Lenny and his old man.”

“What happened to the brothers?”

“One of them was killed in a car crash about three months after they got here. He must have fallen asleep at the wheel. He hit a tanker truck head on.”

“What about the other one?”

“He was arrested one night, in the next town over, when he got into a fight at a bar and beat one of the waitresses so bad, she had to have reconstructive surgery or eat through a straw the rest of her life.”

“So he’s in jail.”

“Never made it. Found him dead in his cell the next morning.”

“Suicide?”

George shrugged. “They said there was no sign.”

“Did they do an autopsy?”

“Waste of tax payers’ dollars.”

“What if someone killed him?”

“Then they did society a favor.”

Jon crossed his arms.

“Don’t look at me like that, son. I know damn well there have been times you wished you could just put a bullet between the eyes of some monster, because no amount of jail time would suffice.”

“At least in jail they suffer a while.”

“I can’t argue. But dead means they don’t ever hurt anyone again.”

Jon wanted to argue. He wanted to say no such thing had ever crossed his mind. But it had. Far more often than he ever wanted to admit. “So it’s just Lenny and his dad now?”

“Aside from the turn style of women he keeps on the side. Yeah.”

“Well,” Jon exhaled a sigh. “I guess it could be worse.”

“How so?”

“He could have a twin.”

Neither one of them laughed.

“He doesn’t, does he?” Jon said.

“No, thank God.”

“So what do we do now?”

“We wait. New bail hearing is next Thursday.”

A week. They had a week to wait and find out if their world would be torn apart again. “And what happens if he does get out?” Jon held up a hand. “I know you said Judge Hammond hasn’t ever turned over a remand, but let’s say he does. Then what?”

“Then Ellis needs to take Rudy and get out of town. Lenny won’t stop. He’s crazy, Jon, and crazy is bulletproof.”

Bulletproof? Jon was more than willing to test that claim.

Jon shook George’s hand. “Thanks for coming out.”

He nodded. “Take care of Ellis.”

“I will.”

George got in his car and headed down the driveway, and Jon went back into the house. Ellis wasn’t in the living room or the dining room. He checked the kitchen—empty.

Jon walked to the rear of the house to the laundry room. He found Ellis sitting on the floor beside the washing machine. He had his arms crossed over his knees pillowing his forehead.

Jon shut the door. “You okay?”

“No.”

“We’ll get through this.”

“What did you and George talk about?” Ellis brought his gaze up. “Don’t look surprised. I saw the look he gave you. He wanted you alone because he thinks I can’t handle what he had to say.”

“Honestly, I think he’s just trying to protect you.”

“I don’t care. I want to know.”

Jon eased himself to floor. A sharp pain shot through his knee.

“I could have stood up, you know.”

“Nah. I kind of like it down here.”

Ellis laughed. “Good, cause you may be staying here for the night if you can’t stand back up.”

“You’ll find a way to get me off the floor. You need me as an elbow prop when you sleep.”

“I do not prop my elbows on you.”

“And your legs.”

“You’re making that up.”

Jon held up his fingers. “Scout’s honor.”

Ellis narrowed his eyes. “I bet you weren’t even a boy scout.”

“No, but I dressed as one for Halloween once.” That earned Jon another laugh. Ellis slipped his hand into Jon’s. They sat there for a while, just staring at the wall.

“I need you to tell me what George said to you.”

Ellis didn’t need more to worry about. But he was right. He did need to know. For his own safety, and Rudy’s. Just in case the worst did happen. Jon let his head rest against the washer. He stared at the ceiling because he couldn’t look Ellis in the eye while he repeated everything George said.

When Jon couldn’t stand the silence any more, he looked at Ellis. His eyes were closed and he rested his chin on his chest.

“I need you to promise me something, Jon.”

“Anything.”

“If something happens to me, I need you to look after Rudy.”

“Nothing’s going to happen to you.”

“I know it’s a lot to ask. I know it’s a terrible burden. But I need to know he’ll be safe.”

“Ellis…”

“Yes or no. That’s all I want to hear. Yes or no.”

“Yeah, I’ll take care of him.”

Ellis sighed so deep it was as if the weight of the world had been taken off his shoulders.

Just as Ellis stepped out of the laundry room there was a crash from the kitchen. Jon followed him around the corner. Rudy stood in a puddle of milk. The burst jug and a broken glass lay on the floor. A dark stain rode up Rudy’s ankles to his knees. He even had milk droplets in his hair.

“Damn it, Rudy.”

“I didn’t touch it.”

“No, you never touch it. It just magically falls and breaks all on its own.” Ellis looked around like he didn’t know where to start.

“Go get some towels. I’ll take care of him.” Jon expected Ellis to protest but he left without a word.

Jon kicked the glass out of the way. “Give me your hand.”

“Ellis is mad at me.”

“He’s just stressed right now. He didn’t mean to yell.”

Rudy took Jon’s hand. “I always mess up.”