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D ALI
“I think today will go down as the wildest adventure we’ve ever had together.”
“Considering almost all of the others consisted of us lying to our parents about where we were and then getting drunk somewhere dangerous, only to wake up the next morning and wonder who let us chew on cat litter and where we lost our left shoe, I’d say that you’re right.
Today was a grand adventure that I’d rather not ever try to top,” I admitted.
“You’re much calmer about this than I ever thought you would be.”
“You imagined a scenario where we got carjacked by a madman with a gun?” I asked.
Jodie shrugged before she admitted, “I always imagine worst-case scenarios.”
“I think this definitely falls into that genre.”
“See? You’re way too calm.”
“What should I be doing? Screaming, fainting, throwing up?”
“You already threw up twice.” When I glared at her, she winced before she said, “Sorry. I forgot I wasn’t supposed to ever mention that.”
“What do you think they’re doing to those men?” I asked.
“That’s probably also something we shouldn’t ever talk about.”
“No one can hear us up here,” I reminded her.
“Even so, the less chatter about it and the less assumptions we make, the better. It’s not good if we get the facts muddled with what ifs and end up having to lie on the stand.
” I couldn’t do more than stare at her speechlessly when I realized she was right.
If things didn’t go well today, we could end up having to testify in court to God only knows what, and then what would I do?
As if she could read my mind, Jodie said, “I hope it never comes to that, because if Anthony finds out what a good liar you are, he may never trust you again.”
“I’m not that good at it!”
“You lied to the priest’s face at least a dozen times that I know of.”
“I didn’t really lie ; he just didn’t ask the right questions.”
“And what about that time you lied to those cops?”
“Again, it was the way they worded the questions.”
“That’s just semantics. It doesn’t excuse the fact that you’re so damn good at lying.”
“You’re just jealous.”
“Really?As if.”
“Maybe if you’d been better at lying, you would have gotten away with murder.”
“I didn’t even try!”
“I never understood your reasoning behind that.”
“Why would I pretend I didn’t do something that he deserved? He hit my little girl, Dalisay!”
“Don’t ‘Dalisay’ me, Jodie !” I threw my hands up in exasperation before I asked, “How did we even get started on this topic?”
“We were trying to take our mind off the fact that your new boyfriend and his friends are probably dissolving a body in a tub of acid right now.”
I looked at her in horror and asked, “What is wrong with you?”
“I think that makes more sense than burying someone. With acid, when it’s gone, it’s gone, but with burial, some weirdo looking for dinosaur bones in ten years might dig up the remains that the cops can use to get DNA evidence.
” When I just stared at her, she shrugged and said, “Either option is better than water because everyone knows that shit doesn’t work. ”
“You’ve given a lot of thought to those options, haven’t you?”
“An industrial wood chipper to make the problem into mulch is the most ecologically-friendly solution, but the smell would give you away.”
“That’s it. You’re grounded from anything having to do with true crime.”
“I’m too old for you to ground me.”
“Maybe, but if you ever start gardening, I’m going to have some serious questions.”
When I heard a motorcycle approaching, I got up and rushed over to the edge of the roof. When it turned out to be someone else just riding by, I sighed and turned around to go back to my seat. When I looked over at Jodie, she wasn’t even trying to hide her amusement.
“What?”
“Girl, you’ve got it bad.”
“Shut up.”
“And it’s not just because you’re worried about what he’s doing, it's because you’ve been away from him for a couple of hours and you’re not sure how much longer you can make it.”
“I’m not that bad.”
“I’m not knocking it, Dali. In fact, I may be a little jealous.”
“You’ll find a good guy. I know it,” I assured her. As I reached for my wine glass, I teased, “I saw you getting friendly with his friend from . . . Where is that guy from anyway?”
“Lurk? He lives in the mountains.” Jodie frowned before she said, “Although, I’m not sure which mountains. He’s kind of mysterious, isn’t he?”
“That is one way to describe him, I suppose.”
“He’s cute too.”
“Should I be worried about how easy it was for Navy to gather up a bunch of like-minded friends to do . . . whatever it is they’re doing right now?”
“I wouldn’t say you should be worried as much as cautious.”
“He said that there might be some times when he’s gone for a while and can’t tell me anything about it.”
“That doesn’t sound illegal at all!”
I frowned at my cousin before I said, “Your sarcasm doesn’t help the situation.”
“Sorry,” Jodie said, although she was still smiling and didn’t look at all apologetic. “I guess since I’ve been in trouble before, I look at things in a different light. He’s going out, probably late at night, and doing something nefarious. Am I right?”
“The first night I spent at his place, he left me sleeping in bed and was gone for probably four or five hours.”
“Were you awake when he came back?”
“That’s when I met the first group of his friends.”
Jodie giggled before she said, “When you hog-tied the grumpy one.”
“Exactly.”
“When he came back, was he sober?”
“Yep. His eyes were clear, there was no smell of alcohol, nothing.”
“But you checked?”
I sighed before I admitted, “Not on purpose, but yes.”
“Okay, I can’t fault you for that. If anything, you should be commended for not going in with blinders on. So, he came home sober after a few hours.”
“Right.”
“And you have no idea what he was doing?”
“None at all.”
“I overheard him mention that the fucker who tried to kidnap us was on some sort of list.”
“I did too.”
Jodie leaned her head back and looked at the darkening sky for a bit before she asked, “What does Navy do for a living?”
“Computer stuff. Websites, um . . . things like that.”
“He found Corrie by going online and tracking down the pervert she was talking to, didn’t he?”
“Yes.”
“So, we know he’s got a grudge against anyone who messes with kids online.”
“Who wouldn’t?”
“Maybe he’s doing some vigilante shit or something. Or maybe he’s working at a fucking soup kitchen! At this point, I’m not sure why it makes a difference.”
“I’m worried that because it’s so easy for him to break the law that he might end up back in prison.”
“Dali, I’m a felon. I always will be. When I get pulled over for speeding and they run my tags and find out that the owner of that vehicle is a violent offender, they will approach my car as if I’m armed and dangerous.
And you know what? I don’t blame the cops for feeling like that.
When I was locked up, I met women who terrified me, and they considered me their friend.
If I get pulled over by a cautious cop, he’s gonna check every box to make sure I’m not breaking the law. ”
“Okay,” I said hesitantly, not sure where she was going with her story.
“We stopped at the liquor store, and on the ride over here, the stuff we bought was on the floor between my feet. You stopped at a dispensary where you used your medical card and then came out to the truck carrying a baggie full of shit I’m not supposed to be around and then tossed it on the floor with the liquor .
. . which I’m also not supposed to be around. ”
“What do you mean?”
“If you had been pulled over, the cops would have asked for my ID since I’m a passenger. They would have figured out who I am and that I’m on parole, and they could have taken me in on at least two violations.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
“I’m not telling you this to give you shit, Dali. I’m just saying that we were having a normal reaction to a really fucked-up situation, and I didn’t even think about it until that cop pulled up next to us at the red light.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m not explaining myself very well. Navy knows what will keep him out of prison, but he also knows that it’s a slippery slope. If he’s doing something that could risk his freedom, it must be something that he believes in with all his heart that makes him more than willing to take that chance.”
“You’re probably right.”
“If that’s the case, I bet you’ll be the supportive girlfriend who is waiting at the door for him when he gets home, and if asked, you’ll use that superior ability to lie with a straight face to make sure he’s protected if he ever gets caught.”
“What do you think he’s doing?”
“I think he’s punishing people in a way that fits their crime rather than relying on the courts to take years to give them a slap on the wrist.”
“For doing what?”
Jodie shook her head as she said, “Nope. If I’m right, I’m not ratting him out. You’ll either figure it out yourself, ask him directly, or get the fuck over it. I have a feeling that all three things are going to happen - and probably in that order.”
◆◆◆
When I sent Navy a text asking him if he had any idea when he and his friends might be home, I was happy to hear that it would be much sooner than I’d imagined. And I was also glad there was something that I could do while I waited other than sit and drink wine.
Since Jodie and I had Navy’s truck, we went to the store and estimated what we’d need to feed a crowd of men - and then doubled it because we had no idea if we were right.
As soon as we got back to Navy’s, we got to work, peeling and chopping vegetables, marinating meat, and all the other things that cooking for a large group required.
As requested, Navy sent me a text when they were about thirty minutes out, so I hurried to put the main course on the stove while Jodie assembled the sides and put dessert in the oven. By the time Navy and his friends arrived, we were a sweaty mess, but then again, so were they.