to say I haven't either except I have. It's never pretty and it's never easy to take. Anybody who tells you different is lying through their teeth. And if they're not, I'm telling you right now, be very, very afraid."
He didn't have a bit of trouble agreeing with the sentiment. Still, something nagged at him and refused to accept the comfort she offered. "We should have stayed."
No matter how long they sat there, no matter how he rationalized it, he couldn't get out of his mind it was wrong for them to have left. Responsible people didn't run away. People like Paul didn't run away. Granted, he'd never been a witness at a murder scene, but it still seemed like they should have stayed until the Spokane Police arrived.
She reached out and put her hands around his. They were warm.
"In a perfect world I'd agree with you. This unfortunately is far from a perfect world and I have no intention of spending the whole night in the police station being asked questions I don't have answers to. All I can do is speculate on what happened and that's the best you'd be able to do as well. I doubt the police would believe us any time in the next, oh, say twenty-four hours. We'd sit in interrogation rooms for hours and hours repeating the same thing over and over again."
Paul pulled his hands free and leaned back in the booth. He ran his hands through his hair, stopping to massage his temples. She was right, at least in some respects. They'd stumbled on a crime scene after the fact, and wouldn't be able to provide any helpful information. Wasting a night downtown in the bowels of the Public Safety Building wouldn't help the police or get them any closer to Jamie. In reality, all it would do would be to put them further behind. Jamie already had the jump and Paul didn't want to give him any more time. If there was one thing Jamie was good at, it was running.
Paul hedged only because he wasn't ready to jump on board a hundred percent. "You might be right," he grumbled.
"Your brother…"
"He didn't do this." As angry as he was with Jamie, Paul was quick to leap to his defense, and wondered why. Maybe it was a case of old habits dying hard. He'd been defending Jamie since they were little kids. It was okay for Paul to kick the crap out of his younger brother, but it wasn't all right for anyone else to do it.
"I didn't think he did," she told him, sounding matter-of-fact.
"Jamie might be stupid about some things … plenty of things really. He's a fuck-up of major proportions. Thing is, as screwy as he is, he'd never hurt someone he loved."
"I believe you." Her words were calm.
Her gaze met his and the sincerity he saw reassured him. It wasn't all he noticed; there was something else on her mind. Short as their time together had been thus far, he could still detect a hold-back when he saw it. He'd spent most of his life learning to read faces on the ice. Reading them off the ice really wasn't all that much different.
He leaned forward, put his hands on the table and called her on it. "You know who did."
"I don't know the name, but I have a pretty good idea. It has to be the people your brother was working for. Violence is a routine part of the drug trade."
His laugh was bitter. "Leave it to Jamie to get himself involved with murderers."
She reached across the table and squeezed his hand. "Paul?"
"Yeah?" He liked the way she said his name. Liked even more the feel of her hand on his.
"We have to start thinking. If they're this quick to violence, then your brother is far from safe. Whatever he got himself mixed up in, I think it's beyond the dope the feds confiscated."
"The thought already crossed my mind." In fact, it had been on his mind since the phone call came in telling him Jamie failed to show up for his hearing. He just hadn't wanted to verbalize it. Somehow to say it out loud made it a little too real.
"Good, then we're on the same sheet of music here. We're not going to have much time. We have to find your brother and
He didn't have a bit of trouble agreeing with the sentiment. Still, something nagged at him and refused to accept the comfort she offered. "We should have stayed."
No matter how long they sat there, no matter how he rationalized it, he couldn't get out of his mind it was wrong for them to have left. Responsible people didn't run away. People like Paul didn't run away. Granted, he'd never been a witness at a murder scene, but it still seemed like they should have stayed until the Spokane Police arrived.
She reached out and put her hands around his. They were warm.
"In a perfect world I'd agree with you. This unfortunately is far from a perfect world and I have no intention of spending the whole night in the police station being asked questions I don't have answers to. All I can do is speculate on what happened and that's the best you'd be able to do as well. I doubt the police would believe us any time in the next, oh, say twenty-four hours. We'd sit in interrogation rooms for hours and hours repeating the same thing over and over again."
Paul pulled his hands free and leaned back in the booth. He ran his hands through his hair, stopping to massage his temples. She was right, at least in some respects. They'd stumbled on a crime scene after the fact, and wouldn't be able to provide any helpful information. Wasting a night downtown in the bowels of the Public Safety Building wouldn't help the police or get them any closer to Jamie. In reality, all it would do would be to put them further behind. Jamie already had the jump and Paul didn't want to give him any more time. If there was one thing Jamie was good at, it was running.
Paul hedged only because he wasn't ready to jump on board a hundred percent. "You might be right," he grumbled.
"Your brother…"
"He didn't do this." As angry as he was with Jamie, Paul was quick to leap to his defense, and wondered why. Maybe it was a case of old habits dying hard. He'd been defending Jamie since they were little kids. It was okay for Paul to kick the crap out of his younger brother, but it wasn't all right for anyone else to do it.
"I didn't think he did," she told him, sounding matter-of-fact.
"Jamie might be stupid about some things … plenty of things really. He's a fuck-up of major proportions. Thing is, as screwy as he is, he'd never hurt someone he loved."
"I believe you." Her words were calm.
Her gaze met his and the sincerity he saw reassured him. It wasn't all he noticed; there was something else on her mind. Short as their time together had been thus far, he could still detect a hold-back when he saw it. He'd spent most of his life learning to read faces on the ice. Reading them off the ice really wasn't all that much different.
He leaned forward, put his hands on the table and called her on it. "You know who did."
"I don't know the name, but I have a pretty good idea. It has to be the people your brother was working for. Violence is a routine part of the drug trade."
His laugh was bitter. "Leave it to Jamie to get himself involved with murderers."
She reached across the table and squeezed his hand. "Paul?"
"Yeah?" He liked the way she said his name. Liked even more the feel of her hand on his.
"We have to start thinking. If they're this quick to violence, then your brother is far from safe. Whatever he got himself mixed up in, I think it's beyond the dope the feds confiscated."
"The thought already crossed my mind." In fact, it had been on his mind since the phone call came in telling him Jamie failed to show up for his hearing. He just hadn't wanted to verbalize it. Somehow to say it out loud made it a little too real.
"Good, then we're on the same sheet of music here. We're not going to have much time. We have to find your brother and
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