Page 50 of Devil's Hour
Royce laughed and returned to cleaning. The delivery guy showed up ten minutes later. He refused a tip, stating it was already covered. Royce wasn’t surprised Sawyer had thought of everything.
“Dinner, boys,” Royce said up the stairs. Whooping cheers and thundering footsteps followed his declaration.
“Not on the stairs,” he reminded them.
By the time he and the boys reached the dining room, Candi had already unpacked the bags from Georgia’s. “There’s enough food here for an army,” she said.
“You’ll have plenty of leftovers.”
Sawyer had ordered them a feast resembling the one Evangeline had made when Royce came home from the hospital. In addition to the fried chicken, there were containers of shrimp and grits, chicken and dumplings, and the softest biscuits Royce had ever put in his mouth.
“There’s a peach cobbler and blueberry pie also,” Candi said when they finished their plates.
“No way,” Royce said, tossing his napkin on the table. “I can’t eat another bite.” Even though he’d already eaten pizza and bread dicks at his house, he still managed to put away a lot of food.
Marc and Daniel copied him, making Candi laugh. It was a sound Royce hadn’t heard in so long, and it made his heart happy.
“You guys have earned playtime after all your hard work,” Royce said. “Remember this next time when you think it’s okay to trash the house and be lazy. Pick up as you go, and you won’t spend hours cleaning. Mom is going to send me pictures of your room tomorrow night, and I expect to see it clean.”
“It will be, Uncle Ro,” Marc said, then turned to Candi. “Sorry, Mommy.”
“Mommy is sorry too, boys. I know it’s been hard on everyone around here,” Candi said, cupping their faces and kissing them one at a time. “Go on out and play. Uncle Ro and Mommy have some talking to do.”
The boys dashed off before Royce could change his mind and recruit them to help. He laughed as he watched them leave. Then he stood up and helped Candi pack away the leftovers and tidy up. Afterward, he gave her a big hug.
“Get your bills so we can figure this out. You’re running on empty, and the boys lack a schedule or structure. Let me help you figure this out.”
Candi opened her mouth to argue but decided against it and pulled a basket of envelopes off the top of the refrigerator. “I knew money was tight for us, but I never knew how much. The credit card debt is staggering, and I can’t even tell you how it happened. Marcus always assured me he had everything under control. And now…” She pulled out a few envelopes off the stack. “Foreclosure and repossession, Ro. How is this possible? I really need his benefits to pull myself out of this mess. Have you learned anything about him being dirty?”
Royce shook his head. “I’ve tried since the night IA left here, but word on the street is that Marcus wasn’t dirty.” He wasn’t ready to tell her about the affair. It wouldn’t help her in any way.
“Then why are they investigating him?”
“I’m not saying he’s clean, Candi, but he wasn’t doing the typical shit cops get busted for, and I don’t know where else to look. Holly is helping me, and Sawyer has reached out to his old CIs, but we can’t find anything so far.”
“Do you think it’s a ploy to keep me from getting his benefits?” she asked. “Stall tactic?”
“No,” he said honestly. “I think they know something, but I don’t know how, what, or when it will be resolved. I can ask the chief to intercede on your behalf, or I can help you find legal representation? I can help cover the cost.”
Candi closed her eyes for a second and shook her head. “I might have to take you up on your offer because they’ve given me no choice, especially if you’ve exhausted all your avenues.”
“To be honest, I didn’t have many to pursue. Have you checked Marcus’s phone for anything unusual?”
Candi shook her head. “The police never gave it back to me.”
“What do you mean? They didn’t collect his phone for evidence, because they ruled his death a suicide. It wasn’t in the van or anywhere in the house?”
“No. I just assumed it was taken in for evidence.” She sighed. “I only recently canceled the line to save money. Now I can’t call the number and hear his voice on his outgoing message.” Tears welled in her eyes. Upstairs, Bailey started to cry, and Candi sighed heavily as if walking up the steps to get her daughter required more energy than she possessed. “The little monster is awake.”
“Precious princess,” he corrected.
She snorted. “I wish I could get her sleep habits ironed out. Other than the bills, that’s my biggest hurdle right now.” Bailey’s cries got louder and more demanding. “I’ll be right back with your princess.”
While Candi went upstairs to get Bailey, Royce looked at the outstanding bills that were causing her so much grief. Royce’s eyes widened at the amount she owed. Knowing Marcus most likely racked up their credit card debt during his time at The Alley Cat gutted him. According to the statements, the late payments on her van and the equity line of credit started before Marcus had died. Where was her salary going? He looked through the rest of the bills and saw the mortgage payment, and her student loans had also been past due, but she’d caught those up. The utilities were up to date too, but the rough tally in his head was telling him she couldn’t afford to live here even if he helped her get caught up on the equity line of credit and van payment. It meant he’d end up cutting a big chunk out of his savings for something she wouldn’t get to enjoy for much longer.
When Candi returned, her face was flushed, and he knew it was from embarrassment and not exertion. Bailey squealed in delight when she saw Royce, reaching her chubby arms for him. Candi handed over the bundle of squirming baby girl and then flopped in the chair, heaving a huge sigh. “I’m in big trouble, aren’t I?”
Royce knew she needed some tough love like the boys, so he gave her his honest opinion and made an offer he hoped she wouldn’t refuse. “I’ll help you get caught up on the van payments because you need a car for work, and I’ll also help you get caught up on one of the equity line of credit payments, which will keep the wolves away for a bit longer.”