Never Let Me Go (Welcome To Redemption) (19 page)

Hutch braced his hands on the counter and leaned forward. “So, you’re finally admitting it was you?”

“Yes sir, I am.” He handed Hutch what appeared to be a check. “I know I’m late by about fifteen years, but that should cover the cost of the window plus interest. I hope you’ll accept my sincere apology for all the trouble I caused you.”

Hutch arched a brow as he looked it over. Slapping it against his palm, he seemed to reevaluate the guy. “You dyin’ boy?”

Walker chuckled. “Nothing so dramatic. I just grew up, and life knocked some sense and humility into me.”

Good to hear
, Chase thought as he took another bite of his burger. Last thing he needed right now was something else to worry about.

Hutch continued to stare at the guy as he considered his words. Finally he said, “That case, I got a burger with your name on it.”

“I was hoping you’d say that.”

“How would you like it?” Hutch opened the cash register and slipped the check under the cash drawer.

“Medium, please. Everything but onions.” When Hutch turned to head back into the kitchen, Walker added, “Hey, Hutch? Thank you.”

The old guy shrugged. “Man willing to own up to his past mistakes deserves a second chance.”

Chase thought about his brother and decided to keep Hutch’s words in mind. Just in case Craig ever did decide to own up to
his
mistakes. Though Chase wouldn’t hold his breath on that one.

Hannah walked up and placed her hand on Hutch’s shoulder. “I think it’s about time you called it a day, don’t you?”

“Soon as I take care of this order, missy. Get Mr. Walker here something to drink, will ya?” Hutch grasped her fingers and kissed her hand, then headed back into the kitchen.

Hannah smiled at Grant. “What can I get you?”

“You still have that local brewed root beer?”

“You bet. Would you like it in a frosted mug?”

“That’d be great, thanks.”

Chase tossed the last bite of his burger in his mouth and washed it down with a gulp of coffee. Curious to learn a little more about the new and improved Grant Walker, he swiped a napkin across his mouth and turned to face him. “So, what brings you back to town?”

Grant glanced over and studied him for a moment. His eyes narrowed slightly in recognition. “Chase Lowell?”

“
Sheriff
Chase Lowell. I’m flattered you remembered.”

Grant shrugged. “Yeah, well, hard to forget that particular look of open contempt.”

“Hard to forget what a total dick you were.”

Hannah returned with his root beer, her gaze going back and forth between the two men. Chase knew she’d heard his last comment and no doubt wanted to have a chat with him about his manners. He bit back a laugh.

“Thank you, Hannah,” Grant said.

She nodded, and after a quick meaningful glance at Chase, she picked up the coffee pot and walked off to pour refills.

Grant brought the frosted mug to his lips and drank a large swallow of the ice cold root beer. He met Chase’s gaze and admitted, “I was a dick in high school. But like I told Hutch, that was a long time ago. I’ve changed since then.”

“Fair enough.” Chase took a sip of his coffee and let his guard down a bit. Gut instinct told him Walker had indeed changed. “So again, what brings you back to Redemption?”

“My uncle had a heart attack and decided it was time to retire. I’ll be taking over his management position at Wayside Apartments.”

“I know the place. Turned out nice after the renovations a few years back. I heard the owner put a small fortune into that building.”

“Yeah, it’s nice,” Grant confirmed.

“And how’s your uncle doing? I know Frank, but only in passing.”

“He’s good. I expect he’ll be on his feet in no time and raising hell wherever he goes.”

“This isn’t a permanent move, then?”

He shrugged.

“What about your parents; they thinking about moving back?”

Grant cast him a sidelong glance and smiled. “This is starting to feel like an interrogation,
Sheriff
.”

“Sorry.” A grin tugged at Chase’s lips. “Force of habit.”

“For the record, my parents and I parted ways back when I was young and stupid, so I have no clue what their future holds. As for mine, well, Redemption has revealed some redeeming qualities, so we’ll see how I feel after a few weeks.”

Hannah delivered Grant’s order at that moment. “Can I get you anything else?”

“I’m good, thanks.”

She set a bottle of ketchup on the counter and smiled. “Enjoy.”

Once she walked off, Chase said, “I’ll let you eat in peace, but we’ll see you around. For the next couple weeks at least.” With that, he stood up and polished off his coffee.

After a quick sweep of the diner, he found Hannah delivering pie and coffee to Mr. Collier. He caught her attention as she was heading back to the kitchen and waved her over. If he read her expression correctly, Hannah was a bit peeved at him. Again.

She returned the coffee pot to its burner before finally giving him her undivided attention. “Yeah?”

He managed to hold back a sigh. Last thing Chase wanted was for Hannah to be upset with him. They needed to work together if they had any hope of clearing her name and putting Jimmy behind bars.

Permanently.

“You about ready to get out of here?”

“I’d like to wait until Caleb gets here. Make sure Hutch gets home all right. Plus Kelly’s going to be about a half hour late, and it’s too busy for Miles to handle things on his own.”

Chase smiled. She had such a big heart—one of the many reasons he loved her. “That’s fine. Could I get a refill on my coffee then?”

Reluctantly returning his smile, Hannah poured him a fresh cup, then walked off to do the same for her other customers.

The door opened with a jingle and in walked Mike, dressed in street clothes. He must have seen Chase through the window because he strode his way without hesitation. Since Chase knew his partner so well, he easily read the concern etching his brow.

Hannah must have as well for she hurried over and stood beside him, gazing up at Mike with barely concealed impatience.

Mike smiled at her, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes, then looked back at Chase. “Hey, Sheriff, I need to run something past you.”

“Sure thing. What’s up?”

“Would you mind if we stepped outside?”

Chase quirked a brow. He cast a quick look at Hannah, whose face had paled. He grasped her hand and gave it a squeeze. “Would you mind boxing up a thick slice of that chocolate cake for me? I’ll just be a minute.”

She visibly swallowed, no doubt fearing the worst. Chase gave her another reassuring squeeze before following Mike outside.

Several people were milling about, so Mike gestured for Chase to follow him to his truck.

“So, what’s going on?” Chase asked once they were seated inside

“Word is Zelinsky wasn’t too happy about Jimmy walking out of the courthouse a free man. Seems the two of them had words while in lockup, and Zelinsky threatened to drop dime on Jimmy if he didn’t find a way to get him out of there. Jimmy told him to rot in hell.”

“What, no honor among thieves?”

Mike shrugged. “Guess not.”

Chase considered it for a moment. “Okay, so we’ll offer Zelinsky a plea deal if he admits Jimmy was his accomplice to both the robbery and Lindy’s attack. And if he knows anything about Lindy’s bracelet, we’ll throw in a steak dinner.”

Mike leaned back and exhaled a hard breath. “Except right after you left the station, Jimmy returned with his lawyer and, get this, Gunther Simmons.”

“Gunther Simmons of Simmons Carpet & Upholstery?”

“One and the same.”

Chase’s temples started to throb. He knew he wasn’t going to like what was coming next. “And?”

“Simmons claims Jimmy was at his house for his son’s bachelor party last Friday night, and therefore couldn’t have been Dillon’s accomplice in the robbery.”

“He’s a lying sonofabitch.”

“I agree. Problem is, there’s no obvious reason Simmons would lie for Jimmy. They’re not related, as far as we know, and Simmons’ son was a classmate of Jimmy’s back in high school. Doesn’t make sense Simmons would put his neck on the line for someone who was merely a classmate of his son’s. With the stack of evidence we have against Dillon versus a few hunches we have against Jimmy means his lawyer won’t even have to break a sweat to prove Dillon is lying.” Mike paused, then asked, “Want me to put a tail on him? It’s Friday night, maybe we’ll get lucky.”

“Do it. Put Coop and Walt on him.”

Chase closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. He thought about the plan Hannah hatched earlier, and though it killed him to admit, getting a taped confession might be their only chance of putting Jimmy behind bars—and making sure he never got the chance to hurt anyone else. Since it was doubtful Lindy would press charges, the chances of Hannah serving prison time was slim. But Chase knew Hannah would never settle for anything less than clearing her name of the theft charge.

“Listen, I think we may have another option, though I’m not crazy about the idea. You planning to go to Carrie and Matt’s cookout tomorrow?”

“Of course. Maddie and my mom are bringing brownies.”

Chase smiled. “Good, we can talk about it tomorrow then. Right now, I just want to head home and crawl into bed.”

“You mean head to Hannah’s house and crawl into her bed, don’tcha?”

“Get a life.”

Mike’s laughter followed Chase as he hopped out of the truck and headed back into the diner.

Chapter 15

“Wow, you guys really went all out.” Hannah gazed around in awe at the heavily laden tables full of every kind of food imaginable at a backyard barbecue. Pasta salad, potato salad, ham and cheese macaroni salad, cole slaw, taco dip, chips and dip, pickles, olives, relishes, fresh bread and buns, pies, cakes, cookies and all sorts of dessert bars. The aroma of grilled hotdogs, hamburgers, and brats wafted around the spacious yard, and Hannah’s stomach grumbled as she set her crock pot on the table. The sweet and smoky baked beans she’d made would fit in perfectly; she just hoped everyone liked them.

She gazed around, surprised by the number of people who had already arrived considering the early noon hour. Though, if there was one thing the people of Redemption loved, it was a good weekend barbecue. And Carrie and Matt were quickly becoming famous for theirs. They grilled year round thanks to the not one, but two fancy-shmancy gas grills Matt had installed at the end of last summer.

Carrie rushed over and gave Hannah a quick hug, then pulled back and studied, eyes sparkling with secret delight. “I’m so glad my brother finally got his head out of his ass and made a move. Drew must be thrilled, too.”

Hannah was a little tongue-tied, not exactly sure what to say. She and Chase hadn’t made an announcement yet about their relationship, and they hadn’t planned to until her family returned from L.A. But to those who knew them best, no announcement was necessary. “He doesn’t know yet. He and dad are still in California. And it wouldn’t feel right for anyone else to know before them, so we’ve kept things low key. Plus, this is still so new to us as well,”

As if on cue, Chase came up behind her and grasped her shoulders. “My sister giving you a hard time?”

Carrie propped her hands on her hips and fixed her brother with a mock scowl. “I never give anyone a hard time—”

“I have a feeling Matt would disagree with that.”

“—unless they deserve it.”

Chase chuckled and gave Hannah’s shoulders a playful squeeze. “She means me.”

“Uh, yeah, I got that.” She stepped forward, plucked a black olive from a bowl and popped it in her mouth. She took another, then turned and held it up to Chase’s lips, teasing him slowly before tapping it into his mouth.

Carrie playfully rolled her eyes. “Keeping it low-key, hey?”

With an unabashed smile, Hannah fed her man another olive followed by a ham and cream cheese bite. “What can I say? Your brother is irresistible.”

“Okay, really, I’m happy for you guys, but I’m starting to get a toothache. I think it’s time to go mingle. You kids have fun.” With a wink, Carrie headed off in the direction of Charlie and Dana, who were chatting with Charlie’s parents.

“Hell, as if I haven’t developed a cavity or two watching her and Matt moon over each other.” Chase smiled down at her. “I think I’m ready for a brat and some of those baked beans you made. Care to join me?”

“You bet, I’m starving.”

They filled their plates with plenty of sides and each grabbed a fresh bun before heading over to the patio where Caleb and Matt were manning the grills. Matt wore a ‘Licensed To Grill’ apron, while Caleb sported one that read ‘BBQ Naked – Show Off Your Buns’.

“Cute aprons,” Chase teased. “Did the little women coordinate those for you?”

Caleb held up a hotdog with his tongs. “Bite the weenie, Sheriff.”

Matt and Hannah both laughed.