Thirty-One and a Half Regrets by Denise Grover Swank Page B

took off for something stupid? He’s on parole! They’ll toss him in prison. I just need a day or two to see if I can figure out where he went and why he’s gone. I’d go out to Weston’s Garage—”
    Jonah released a heavy sigh. “You and I both know that’s a terrible idea. Especially in light of Crocker’s prison break.”
    “Well…if it makes you feel any better, the sheriff’s office and the state police think Crocker has left for Louisiana.”
    “That doesn’t mean it’s safe for you to go out there.”
    “I know…” My voice trailed off as I looked up at him.
    He rolled his eyes and groaned. “Rose.”
    I sat on the edge of my seat. “Jonah, Bruce Wayne is in trouble. I know it and those guys out there like you.”
    He shook his head with a grimace. “I’m not sure I’d call it like . They come to my group for the community service hours. They only do it to stay on the right side of the law and their parole officers. Honestly, some days I question how effective it is. I’ve probably only turned around one boy since starting the group a few months ago.”
    I stood and put a hand on his arm. “Maybe it’s only happening one boy at a time, but at least you made a difference to that one boy. I suspect you’re making more of an impact than you realize. And those guys from Weston’s Garage don’t have to come here. They could do something else.”
    He released a wry laugh. “You were the one who suggested—quite rightly, I might add—that those guys from Weston’s Garage were probably using my group to recruit boys like your neighbor Thomas.”
    I turned and leaned my butt against the desk. “I’m desperate, Jonah. I really care about Bruce Wayne and I know in my gut that something’s wrong. I can’t just sit around and do nothing. I’m open to suggestions.”
    He was silent for several seconds. “One of Crocker’s former guys really seems to be trying to turn his life around—Scooter Malcolm.”
    My eyebrows lifted. “The brother of Skeeter Malcolm, the bookie at the pool hall ? Their momma must have trouble coming up with names.”
    “Yep, that’s him. And we both know that no one wants to get on Skeeter’s bad side.”
    I knew that from personal experience with Skeeter when I was looking for evidence to clear Bruce Wayne’s name. I shivered. I hated to think what might have happened if Mason hadn’t shown up. “I didn’t know the Malcolms had ties to Crocker.”
    “Rose, everyone in this town had ties to Crocker one way or the other.”
    “Oh.” But it wasn’t surprising I didn’t know. Before Momma’s murder, I had lived a completely sheltered life. I went to work at the DMV each morning, went home and took care of Momma, then got up the next day to do it all over again. With Violet’s backing, I’d convinced myself that I was the town outcast, but I’d recently begun to question how much of that was caused by my own isolation, which had perpetuated the idea that I really was strange and different.
    “Scooter’s been trying to turn his life around, just like Bruce Wayne, but he has a harder road ahead of him because his brother keeps trying to pull him back in.” He shifted his weight. “In any case, I’ll find Scooter and ask him if he’s heard anything. But don’t get your hopes up. If Bruce Wayne’s disappearance really does have something to do with Daniel Crocker, I’m not sure Scooter will help us.”
    “Okay,” I said, trying to keep the disappointment out of my voice. Jonah was trying to help, which was more than I should have been asking. “We’ll just hope that he knows something.”
    “But if I don’t find anything, you need to tell Mason.”
    I sucked in my lower lip.
    “Rose.”
    I stood and moved to the window, looking down at the church grounds. I had hired Bruce Wayne and David out of desperation when Jonah commissioned us to landscape the entire church grounds in less than five days. But it turned out that Bruce Wayne loved it.