Page 29 of Buck (Diver Downeast #2)

“Why don’t we have a seat,” the chief suggested, and once they all found chairs, he urged that they get started.

“First, I have news. We located the puppy mill where your dogs came from, and the perpetrators have been taken into custody and shut down. All their remaining dogs have been safely brought to no-kill shelters, so hopefully they’ll all be rehomed, successfully. ”

Buck was extremely happy about that, and he could tell Bobbie was, too.

The chief continued. “And on another note, the one most concerning us today, Mason has found that your brothers do not have a license to distribute alcohol.”

Bobbie groaned, but the kindly man reassured her.

“Not your fault, Bobbie. And don’t worry.

I’ll take care of the legalities. Now,” he said, folding his hands over his slight, middle-aged belly.

“I’ll tell my side of things from fifteen years ago, then Buck will give his version of what happened that night.

We’ll wrap up with Bobbie’s recollection of events, which should give us a pretty good, all-around picture. ”

“Do you mind if I record this?” Tex asked. To clarify, he explained. “Buck has asked for my help in doing a detailed search on the two brothers. I’m kind of known for my expertise in digging up dirt that might otherwise remain buried.”

“I don’t mind at all,” the chief agreed. “Anything that will help Bobbie and see those two out of her life, will be welcomed.”

Tex pulled out his phone and tapped on it a few times before laying it on the desk in front of him and nodding.

The chief sat back behind his desk to begin his story.

“For me, it started when I got an early morning call from Ed Jerlins. He said someone had broken into his hardware store and ransacked the place the night before. He hadn’t left any money in the register, so no cash had been stolen, but the place was a mess, and he wasn’t sure if anything was missing.

“I went down with a couple of my officers, and we did a thorough investigation. What we found under overturned shelves was a baseball cap with the Vo Tech logo on it. The name Sothard was written on the tag inside.”

He sighed. “I’ve been friends with the Sothards for years, so I knew the only one of their clan attending the Vo Tech at the time was Buck.

That he’d do something like that, didn’t make any sense to me, and I immediately suspected that someone had it out for him and wanted to frame him with a crime.

But before I could dig deeper into that theory, Bobbie called the station.

Someone had scuttled her racing sailboat. ”

Buck remembered all this so well, but it wasn’t his turn to speak yet. It was difficult not jumping in and defend himself, even these many years later, but he managed to stay quiet.

The chief continued. “What we found, once we had her boat raised, was deliberately executed damage. Two brand new crowbars had been used to stove in the hull and the deck of her vessel. It didn’t take much digging to find out they were the brand that the hardware store sold, and therefore had a high likelihood of having been stolen in the break-in.

” The chief sighed. “Once Ed did an inventory, that suspicion was confirmed.

“We had Buck brought in, because…protocol and all. He was not only distraught, but he denied having any part in either crime. I believed him. The circumstantial evidence however…” Chief Ildavorg shook his head.

“Between his father and me, and with Ed Jerlins agreement, we were able to give Buck a choice. Get locked up, then bailed out to await trial where hopefully the truth would come out, or enlist in a branch of the military—his choice—to satisfy his time owed by serving his country.”

The chief regarded Buck with fondness, and not a small bit or regret.

“You agreed, but then you did us one better.” He turned back to Bobbie and Tex.

“He not only decided to enlist, he offered up all the money he’d squirreled away for years; the funds that were supposed to take him to college, to pay for the damages to Ed and Bobbie’s properties.

“Ed’s bill was small. It was mostly a matter of setting things straight in his shop, but in the end, Buck cut Bobbie a check for just over fifty thousand dollars.”

Tex whistled. Even for an adult, that amount was nothing to sneeze at.

“Money which never made it into my hands,” Bobbie interjected bitterly.

The chief looked unsettled. “Which we all just found out, which galls me, no end. Understand, it wasn’t my say as to who got the funds.

I had no choice but to give it to your brothers,” he said.

“You were a minor for a few more months, and they approached me with papers that gave them full custody of you, as per your parents’ wishes before they disappeared.

The pair promised they’d make the money available to you to do as you pleased, as soon as you turned eighteen, and that’s where I failed you.

I should have looked into why you didn’t immediately buy a new boat later that year, or head off to college as you’d made clear was your wish.

I dropped the ball and assumed you’d simply made other plans.

I’m so sorry.” The chief’s age momentarily showed on his lined face.

Bobbie leaned forward and regarded the man solemnly. “You were not at fault. This was all on my brothers. There’s no way you could have known what they’d do. And don’t worry. Between us all, we’ll find a way to make them pay.” She turned her gaze to Tex, who looked infuriated. He nodded tersely.

Yeah. If anyone could uncover anything, it would be Tex.

“My turn to speak?” Buck asked.

Mason answered him with a grimace. “I wish you had spoken out back when this had all happened, Buck,” he put in unhappily.

“We all would have stood behind you and made sure the real culprits were found.” He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees as he cradled his head.

“But go ahead. Tell us what happened from your perspective.”

Buck sucked in a breath. “I knew that Bobbie’s brothers were out to get me.

Ever since I started picking her up for school.

The first time I saw her get dropped off by Drew, and witnessed the abuse she suffered at his hands, I decided then and there that she wouldn’t be getting a ride with him anymore.

Shortly thereafter, I started receiving threats.

But I was young, and cocky. I wasn’t built like I am now, but I was no slouch, either, and I figured I could take the pair if it came down to it, so I ignored them.

My mistake. I should have reported it to somebody.

But by then, it was too late. It didn’t take them long to have me blamed for those two crimes, and my only way out was to enlist. I never regretted that.

The hardest part was knowing I was leaving Bobbie alone and vulnerable, which is why I gave the chief all my money.

That way Bobbie could at least go off to college and get away from her brothers. ”

Buck’s face fell even more as he looked at Bobbie.

“When I found out, a bunch of years later, that you hadn’t left town, I couldn’t find out why, but I contacted Mason, who said he’d watch out for you.”

“Which he did,” Bobbie interjected for a second time.

“About eight years ago, when he was a beat cop, he caught Drew smacking me outside the diner where I worked. Par for the course at that point. Both Drew and Jeff had gotten more and more cocky over time, after you left. Mason read Drew the riot act, and told my brother that if he so much as saw another bruise on me, he’d make sure Drew never saw the light of day. ”

“Not sure what I meant by that, but it worked.” Mason gave a rueful glance toward her arm. “I’m thinking it still applies if you want me to take care of things, now.”

“Your brother did that?” Now the chief’s eyes were on the fingermarks.

“Yeah. He did. Yesterday. And Tex suggests I get a restraining order. But let’s not talk about that right now. You still haven’t heard my side of the story.”

“Okay. You’re up, Bobbie,” the chief complied.

Buck could see her mind reaching back.

“You can imagine that I had the biggest crush on Buck in high school. He was everything I wasn’t.

Good looking. Popular. Came from a solid family.

I thought I’d won some kind of lottery that he’d taken an interest in me.

Of course, my brothers, once they found out, bad-mouthed him, just like they’d done with any guy I’d shown an interest in.

But this time I refused to back down and stop seeing Buck.

“Everything was so good for a while, and that’s why it hurt so much when I was told he was the one who’d destroyed my boat.

I had to admit to Drew and Jeff that they’d been right, and go slinking back to them for everything once Buck was gone.

It was…awful. I never saw a penny of the money Buck gave them.

I worked, and slaved, not only at the diner, but at home for them; doing their laundry, their dishes, the cleaning, and the cooking of their meals. I had no life at all.

“Eventually, after about three years, I told them I was tired of my life; tired of everything. I said I was going to join the Army.

“They hated that idea, and immediately dangled a carrot. To this day, I don’t know why.

They hated me, so why not let me go? Slave labor aside, they had to be better off without my sullen ass around.

But no. They told me they’d lend me some money and co-sign a loan with the bank so I could buy another boat.

But only if I stuck around. It was a hard decision, but my heart wasn’t really in enlisting, so I agreed.

” She laughed bitterly. “How was I to know they were loaning me my own money?

“Things got a little better after that because I could lose myself while sailing, but about five years ago I was pretty fed up again, and decided I wanted more. I went to my brothers with the idea of opening my own catering business, and to my surprise, they offered to help me monetarily again, with the caveat that I give them a healthy and continued share of the company profits. I agreed, and other than incurring their wrath when I moved out of their house six months ago, that’s where things stand, today.

I work, I pay them, I sail.” She shrugged.

“Oh. And one other thing.” She turned to Tex.

“With the money I paid them and what they’d stolen from me, they went all in on the brewing venture they’d been playing around with.

That might be worth looking into, since I have no idea exactly what that entails.

Although true to form, we now know they’re doing it illegally.

Also, they procured me a client in New Brunswick.

” She gave Tex the man’s name. “I haven’t a clue how they know him, or from where, but I get a lucrative paycheck from the guy, sailing up once a week to cook for him and his guests.

Drew and Jeff make out well, too, because they send up two crates of their homebrew with each trip. ”

Tex sat up, suddenly alert. “They send their beer to Canada on your sailboat?”

“Yeah, which we now know is under-the-table since they don’t have a license.”

Tex’s face grew speculative. “Do you go through customs each time you travel?”

“No.”

She quickly explained about NEXUS, and how it let her circumvent having to be boarded each time she crossed into Canada.

Tex smiled for the first time since entering the room.

“Okay then. I think I’ve found a few things we can work with.”