Lyle held up a hand indicating silence while Ace walked Kit into the bar. Then he spun on the two women. “Thirty and counting. Talk to me.”
“Okay, okay, we’ll work it out. There’s a motel in town, right?” the redhead said.
Lyle nodded. “The Motor Inn.”
“I know what you’re pulling here,” Jane said. She shut up when Lyle held up a beefy palm.
Practical now, and more than a little demure and deferential to Lyle, the redhead ignored Jane. “You’re right, officer. We need a time-out. A couple hours. Then we talk, call Minnesota, maybe arrange something.”
“There you go. Clear the air,” Lyle said.
“He’s right, Jane. Couple hours, then tonight we have dinner. Figure out how to put Kit with her dad and you and me start fresh. What do you say?”
“Do I have a choice?” Jane said.
“Sure. Take the wheels. Leave,” the redhead said, taking a small step forward, showing some edge.
They stared each other down. Jane dropped her eyes first. “Okay, a couple hours.”
The redhead folded her arms across her chest. “You take Kit and get a room. Settle down.”
“What about you?” Jane said.
“C’mon, Jane, it’s what? A quarter-mile into town. I’ll take a walk. Breathe some fresh air.”
“Okay, good,” Lyle said. He removed a card and a pen from his chest pocket, wrote on the back of the card, and then gave it to Jane. “My cell’s on the back. Things don’t work out, you call me and we go to plan B.” He turned to the redhead. “You follow me?”
“I understand,” she said.
“Okay, now go in and get the little girl,” Lyle said.
Kit was up on a chair hunched over the pinball machine, letting her third ball bearing fly into the clattering bumpers and buzzers and flashers.
“So, what do you think?” Ace asked.
Kit wrinkled her nose. “It’s okay but I like Age of Empires more.”
“Age of Empires, huh?” Gordy said, moving up to the machine.
“It’s a computer game, ancient civilizations at war,” the redhead said, walking up to them.
Kit nodded her head. “Assyrians have the best ballistas.”
“What happened to dolls and dress-up?” Gordy said.
“She was playing it on Jane’s laptop in the car,” the redhead said.
“Uh-huh, and while she’s playing on Jane’s laptop Jane’s playing on your lap…,” Gordy said softly.
“Don’t even try to get your mind around it, farm boy; we’ll have to wrap you in duct tape to keep your head from exploding,” the redhead said slowly.
Ace was impressed the way she thrust her hip and let her hands dangle loose in this great bring-it-on stance. And now that things had calmed down a little he noticed her left ear peeking from her askew layered hair. The lobe was missing, just a lump of scar tissue. Like it had been cut off.
Sonofabitch! I bet she’s got some stories.
A lazy morning, lying in bed, smoking, looking at the water-marks on the ceiling…
“Watch it,” he said. His words were quiet but aimed right at Gordy.
Gordy was undeterred. He leaned over closer to Kit. “So what’s your daddy do?”
“He’s got these cabins on the lake. We rent them to tourists.”
“Uh-huh.”
Kit straightened up, looked around, and thrust her hand toward the window. “He drives one of those sometimes.”
Across the highway, a rusted white Bobcat was frozen in front of a large pole barn. Chest-high weeds fringed the building and poked up in the trap-rock parking lot. A rusted windmill revolved in the soft breeze.
“C’mon, honey,” the redhead said, helping her daughter off the chair.
Gordy moved next to her. “So your husband drives a Bobcat. What is it you do?”
“Hey.” It was the older guy, who was still hanging around, following the action. He’d come back inside to finish his beer. “Can I get some of that beef jerky?”
Ace nodded at the customer. He puffed up some. He ordered, “Go wait on the man like you’re paid to do.”
Wheels revolved in Gordy’s eyes, like he was thinking of challenging Ace. But he decided to wait and returned to his post behind the bar. After squirting a little wolf pee in Gordy’s direction, Ace put a hint of strut in his walk as he escorted the redhead and her daughter out onto the porch.
When they got outside, the redhead leaned down and kissed Kit on the forehead. “You go with Jane into town and get a motel room. I’ll be along in a little while.”
There was more cynicism than innocense in the kid’s frown. “Promise?”
“Go on, scat,” the redhead said. Obediently, the kid went down the steps. They stood on the porch and watched her and Jane get into the Volvo.
“Now what?” Ace said.
“According to Officer Friendly’s intervention plan they go in town and get a room. I’ll walk in, see the sights, hook up in an hour or so when everybody’s cooled down.”
“Well, good luck cooling down in July in North Dakota,” Ace said.
“You got a point. A girl walking down a hot highway probably could use a lift,” she said.
“That’s true.”
She rolled her eyes slowly over the bleached brick facade of the Missile Park Bar. “This is fine and all, but is there anyplace around here to get a drink?”
“Like, what did you have in mind?”
Bang. She hit him dead on with a full frontal look. “Surprise me.”
They were standing absolutely still but Ace could feel them rolling side by side like dice.
The red Volvo had pulled on the shoulder, Jane leaning out the driver’s side, looking back. She pounded the horn.
Lyle walked up to the porch and said, “You want to walk or I could drive you around a while and drop you off?”
“I’ll walk, thank you,” she said.
“Well, then,” Lyle said.
“In a minute. Unless I’m breaking any laws standing here,” the redhead asked politely.
“No, ma’am, but funny you should say that, considering where it is you’re standing,” Lyle said.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” she said.
“Long story,” Ace said.
“Right,” Lyle said.
Across the highway a heavy-set guy in a long-sleeved black shirt came out of the equipment shed, walked to the road, and yelled.
“Hey, Ace! What’s the problem?”
Lyle waved him off. “Nothing. Just talk.”
“You all right?” the guy yelled.
“I’m fine,” Ace yelled back
The guy nodded, peered at the redhead for several seconds, and then retreated back into the shed.
Ace held out his hand to the redhead. “Ace Shuster.”
She raked his face with her conflicted eyes and almost smiled. Then she closed up her face, took his hand in hers, and said, “Nina Pryce. Pleased to meet you.”
She turned and started walking toward the town.
Ace heard Gordy come up behind him.
“We gotta talk before you go do anything,” Gordy said. Ace didn’t respond at first, he was very involved in watching Nina stride away along the gravel shoulder. Gordy tapped him on the shoulder.
“What, her?” Ace shrugged. “She’s just looking for a party.”
Gordy shook his head. “C’mon, Ace, look at her. She’s way too put together to be some lush.”
Ace grinned. “You check out that ear? Like it got cut off or something. That’s different. Little skull-and-crossbones action on her shoulder…”
“I ain’t joking here. Take a look around. Where are we?”
Ace exhaled. “You’re ruining my morning, Gordy.”
“Nobody comes here except for weddings, funerals, or to deliver something…” Gordy paused and plucked at his sideburns.
“Deliver something,” Ace repeated, mulling it. But still staring down the road.
“Yeah, like say a subpoena, or a warrant, or a wire.”
“You think she’s a cop,” Ace said flatly. He turned and faced Gordy.
“Just saying keep an open mind, like she could be some kind of snitch thrown in the mix, kinda off the wall,” Gordy said.
“How sure are you? Hundred percent?”