A Family of Her Own (Dundee, Idaho #3)(29)
Author: Brenda Novak

A glimpse of Orton’s normally pallid face turning bright red siphoned off some of Booker’s anger. Orton was simply too small-minded to bother with.

Heading deeper into town, Booker stopped at the new Gas N Go. Delbert liked to buy candy and play the video game near the entrance. But when Booker didn’t see Bruiser sitting dutifully outside, he knew Delbert wasn’t here, either.

The bell sounded over the door as he went inside. Shirley Erman, the night clerk, glanced up from cleaning out the ice-cream dispenser. “Hi, Booker. What are you up to these days?” she asked.

“Right now I’m looking for Delbert. Have you seen him?”

“Not since I started my shift. He bought a pack of gum—I swear that guy’s gonna rot his teeth. Then I think he went over to the Honky Tonk.”

“Thanks.”

Booker drove up and down Main Street two more times without any luck, then started winding through the darker side streets. Delbert had lived in the trailer park behind the baseball diamond when his father was alive. Maybe he’d gone back for some reason. Or maybe he’d gone to the cemetery. He didn’t seem to miss his father much. Bernie Dibbs didn’t deserve to be missed. But some relationships were more complicated than others. No one understood that better than Booker.

He decided to go to the trailer park by way of the cemetery, but a dog, barking wildly, caught his attention before he reached either place. He was just passing Center Park and could see movement on the far side, several shadows among the trees.

Slowing, he bent his head, trying to figure out what was going on—and that was when he realized he’d found Delbert.

CHAPTER NINE

WHERE WERE BOOKER AND DELBERT?

Katie was tempted to pace, but she knew better than to be on her feet. Her back ached already, just from the walking they’d done in the mall earlier. And her stomach felt tight and hard. She wasn’t sure how much of her discomfort stemmed from her pregnancy and how much from her frayed nerves, but she hadn’t been so miserable since she’d first returned to Dundee.

She forced herself to remain seated in front of the television but glanced nervously at the clock every few minutes. Travis had gone to bed and was asleep, as far as she knew. He should be asleep. It was nearly 4:00 a.m. But she hadn’t so much as dozed off. Booker had been gone for three hours, and she felt as though she’d been counting every second. He could’ve driven to Boise and halfway back in that length of time!

Setting the telephone in her lap, she called to see if anyone was still at the Honky Tonk. She needed to find out what was going on. It was cold out, and the roads were slick. She kept picturing Booker crashed in a ditch, slumped over the steering wheel, slowly freezing to death….

Surely there hadn’t been an accident. Booker was an exceptional driver. He loved cars, motorcycles, anything with an engine, and he handled almost any kind of vehicle expertly.

But he was tired, and accidents did happen.

God, please don’t let him be hurt….

No one answered at the Honky Tonk. Evidently Bear, the bartender who generally closed up on weekends, had finished cleaning and gone home for the night. Katie didn’t have many other options. Who else could she call?

She tried Rebecca. When the answering machine came on, she didn’t leave a message. Rebecca was probably asleep, which meant Booker wasn’t there, either.

The wind rose, howling under the eaves, promising more snow. Another fifteen minutes dragged by, then Katie decided she couldn’t wait any longer. She was calling the police.

“Dundee Police Department. Officer Orton speaking.”

Katie gripped the phone tighter. She knew Officer Orton. He and his family attended the same church as her own family. But she was too worried to bother with any kind of greeting. “Could you…could you please tell me if there’ve been any accidents involving a black 4X4 this evening?”

“None that I know of.”

“Could there be one you don’t know of?”

“I suppose that’s possible, if it happened out on one of the back roads, but—”

“Officer Orton, this is Katie Rogers.”

“Oh, yes. My wife mentioned you were back in town.”

His voice wasn’t particularly friendly, so Katie released herself from any obligation she might have felt from their past acquaintance. “Then I’m sure you’ve also heard I’m staying out at Booker’s.”

“That’s exactly what I’ve heard.”

She hadn’t imagined his chilly tone. “Well, the reason I’m calling is that Booker went out a few hours ago to find Delbert, and neither one of them has returned—”

“They’ll be home in a few minutes.”

Katie would’ve been relieved, except she still didn’t like the sound of Orton’s voice. “You’ve seen them, then?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“What happened?”

“I’ll let Booker tell you when he gets home. But you should have an ice pack handy. And you might want to call him a good lawyer.”

He laughed, there was a click in her ear, and he was gone.

KATIE’S HEART POUNDED when she heard Booker’s truck pull up outside. She was grateful to have him and Delbert home, but apprehensive at the same time. Orton had mentioned an ice pack…. What could possibly have happened?

Anxious to find out, she opened the front door, and Bruiser shot over to her as soon as Booker cut the engine. He wagged his tail, but when she stepped aside to let him in, he circled back to Delbert and licked his fingers as he approached.

When the porch light fell on Delbert’s face, Katie saw why Bruiser was so hesitant to leave his master. Delbert had a black eye and was holding a bloody napkin to his nose. He moved gingerly, protecting his right side with his free hand.

“Delbert, you’re hurt!”

“Hi, Katie,” he said sadly.

She held out a hand to stop him so she could get a closer look. “What happened?”

“I don’t know.”

“You have to know! Tell me where you’ve been.”

“We were at the police station. The police—Officer Orton—he put Booker in jail.” Tears gathered in Delbert’s eyes, and Katie realized that, despite whatever had caused his injuries, seeing Booker in jail was the most traumatic part. “They wouldn’t believe me. I tried to tell them, Katie. I tried to tell them it wasn’t Booker’s fault. But they wouldn’t listen.”