Page 19 of The Sinner’s Son (Sawyer and Royce: Felonies and Fatherhood #2)

S awyer raised his arms over his head to stretch his lower back.

The team had worked companionably since they’d returned from dropping off the donuts.

Marina went over her production timeline, which Sawyer had to admit was impressive and maybe even intimidating.

Afterward, Sawyer and Alec reviewed every piece of information in Monica Horton’s file.

They had embarrassingly little to work with, but Alec still spotted something that made him sit ramrod straight in his chair.

“I need to show you something before we get on the Zoom call with Talia Atwood,” Alec blurted out.

Sawyer checked his watch and noted that it was already eleven. “Do we have time?”

Alec leaned forward and waved his hand to get Ricky’s attention. He’d been wearing noise-canceling headphones for most of the morning while he edited audio and video on his laptop. Ricky looked up with a raised brow, and Alec gestured for him to remove his headphones.

“What’s up, boss?”

Before Alec could reply, the audio of whatever Ricky was working on came through the laptop speakers.

Rushing wind, lively birdsong, and the musical trill of tree frogs filled the conference room.

At first, Sawyer thought Ricky had been listening to an ASMR recording while working, but then Alec’s voice joined the symphony of sounds coming from the speakers.

“This is the first time I’ve been back here in nearly thirty years,” he said wistfully. “So much has changed, and I hardly recognized the place.” After a pause, he added, “But I say the same thing when I look back at photographs of the little boy who used to run wild on this land.”

Ricky tapped the keyboard, and the audio stopped playing. “Sorry about that. Did you need something from me?”

Sawyer raised his hand to interrupt. “Was that for the podcast?”

Alec worried his bottom lip between his teeth before answering. “Yeah. It’s my attempt to record an intriguing background segment. I wanted it to come across as genuine, and I thought the nature sounds would make it a little artsy.”

“Mission accomplished,” Sawyer said. “This felt like it came directly from the heart instead of a script.”

“Because our trip to the old homestead was a spur-of-the-moment thing,” Marina said dryly, though a smile softened the edge in her voice.

“I guess sometimes going off script is a good thing, but I could’ve done without the bugs and humidity.

Maybe the next detour can take us to a nail salon for pedicures. ”

“Noted,” Alec told her with a wink before returning his attention to Sawyer. “Do you really think I’m onto something?” His surprise and humility rang true, and it thawed Sawyer’s resistance even more.

“The portion I just heard needs to be in the trailer.” Sawyer looked hopefully at Alec. “Can I hear a little more?”

“Yeah, but that isn’t the important thing I needed to show you before our interview with Talia.”

“Just five minutes.” Sawyer’s whiny plea made him sound like a toddler who didn’t want to go to bed.

Alec nodded at Ricky, who wore a cocky grin as he tapped a key on the laptop.

“The property is overgrown now with tall grass and weeds,” Alec said in the recording. “It was heavily wooded when I lived here, but it looks like nature has mostly reclaimed this space from humans. There are no visible paths through the grass or dense trees beyond the clearing.”

“And yet I have a feeling we’re still going to wade into the weeds,” Marina said.

“It’s the only way.” Alec’s voice sounded distant, not so much his physical proximity, but like his thoughts had wandered off.

Rustling feet through tall grass joined the birds, wind, and tree frogs.

“Our trailer was over here to the right. We used to have a small shed too. The only thing still standing is the clothesline my dad built for my mother. If I closed my eyes right now, I could still feel the rasp of sun-stiffened denim against my legs.” Alec’s voice fell silent for several seconds, and Sawyer pictured him tilting his head back and closing his eyes.

“You could’ve grated cheese with our bath towels,” he said with a laugh.

“Fabric softener cost money we didn’t have because every spare cent went into building my dad’s trucking business. ”

More rustling came through the speakers as the trio moved on from their spot.

“Oh, wow,” Alec said. “That dilapidated barn on the opposite side of the property is still standing. It looks remarkably the same nearly thirty years later. There might be a few more holes in the roof and more wood siding missing.”

“That’s a murder barn if ever I saw one,” Marina said. “The entire property is a killer’s paradise. You could hide an endless number of bodies out here.” The shiver in her voice came through loud and clear.

“How is that old barn still standing?” Ricky asked in awe.

“Too ornery to give in to nature, I suspect,” Alec replied.

“My dad used to park his old red Camaro in there. He kept it covered with a tarp to protect it from the elements. I used to fold it back so I could sit inside the car and pretend to drive it. One time, I forgot to recover it, and his punishment made it hard for me to sit for a few days.”

“Damn, man,” Ricky said, followed by a soft pat probably on Alec’s shoulder or back. “I’m sorry. You didn’t deserve that.”

“No kid does. And the women my dad killed sure as hell didn’t deserve their fate either.

It’s why I can’t let this go.” Alec took a deep breath.

“Let me show you my favorite spot as a kid, and then we’ll get out of here,” Alec told them.

A few minutes of rustling introduced the buzz of insects to the sound mix as they thrashed their way through the tall grass.

“Here?” Marina asked with thinly veiled disgust. “I assume there’s a body of water beneath the slimy green scum and floating flowers.”

“They’re lily pads,” Alec replied. “And yes. My dad and I used to fish here. It’s one of the few happy memories I have of him.

He was so patient while waiting for fish to bite, but the slightest delay from me anywhere else had Andrew reaching for his belt.

” Alec’s voice veered off again to wherever his thoughts had taken him, but the man standing next to Sawyer stiffened as if the confession made him uncomfortable.

“Thanks so much for giving me a preview,” Sawyer cut in.

He checked his watch and grinned at Alec.

“See, plenty of time for you to show me that important detail you uncovered.” But before Alec could respond, Sawyer’s phone rang.

He removed the device from his pocket and saw Royce’s name and handsome face on the screen.

“I need to take this. Maybe Ricky can cue up the big reveal while I retreat to my office for a few minutes?”

“Of course,” Alec said. There wasn’t a flicker of annoyance or impatience on his face, so maybe anxiety had fueled his shitty behavior the previous week.

“Hey, Ro. What’s up?” Sawyer asked as he briskly exited the conference room.

“Hey, sexy. Um, there’s no need to panic.”

Cue the racing pulse and thoughts. “Nothing good comes from conversations that start out this way,” Sawyer said.

“This story has a good ending.”

“I’ll be the judge of that,” Sawyer quipped. “And I’ll have to settle for a synopsis because I need to hop on a Zoom call soon, and there’s something Alec needs to show me first.”

“I just bet he does.”

The growl in Royce’s voice made Sawyer’s blood hum in his veins, but he didn’t have time for that either. “Ro, I need you to be as serious as a heart attack right now.”

“Funny you should say that,” Royce said. “Eddie had a health scare at the hardware store this morning. It happened when I stopped by to get parts for the Suttons’ dishwasher.”

“Fuck! Is he okay? Are you at the hospital? I can be there in—”

“I’m fine.” Eddie’s gruff voice calmed Sawyer’s rising panic. “I had a horrible case of acid reflux after drinking that rocket fuel Sal called coffee.”

“Eddie,” Royce said. “There’s a little more to the story.”

“Fine. Maybe I haven’t taken care of myself the way I should have all these years.”

“And…” Royce prodded.

“I might have an ulcer, a bum gallbladder, and a shoddy liver,” Eddie said.

“Damn,” Sawyer said. “That’s a lot to deal with at one time. I’m so glad it wasn’t worse though.”

“You and me both, kid.” The older man heaved an enormous sigh. “I need your help.”

“Anything,” Sawyer said without hesitation. He knew how much it had cost the proud man to utter those words.

“I have all these different diet restrictions now.” The hint of whine in his voice was so much like Royce’s that Sawyer couldn’t resist a smile.

“I’m overwhelmed and don’t know where to start.

Royce said you would have suggestions to help.

He even said you’d make a healthy dinner for Jo and me that would mostly taste good. ”

“Mostly taste good,” Sawyer repeated, his voice hitching higher with every word.

“Eddie,” Royce warned, “the acid reflux might not have killed you, but you’re not out of danger yet.”

Sawyer snorted. “Like I don’t know how much you sneer at some of my healthy food choices. He does it right to my face, Eddie.”

“I wish I could say I raised him better than that,” Eddie teased. “But you’re seeing proof of the shitty example I set.”

Sawyer bit his lip to keep from laughing.

“And speaking of kids, I hear congratulations are in order,” Eddie said.

“Damn it,” Royce growled. “You promised not to repeat what I told you.”

“Your husband knows you’re having a baby,” Eddie argued. “You told me he held the cup while—”

Sawyer nearly dropped the phone. “Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!”

“Oops,” Eddie said. “Sorry.”

“Christ,” Royce snarled. “We gotta go. Eddie needs to find something to do with his mouth besides talking. Text me a grocery list when you have a free minute, and I’ll swing by the store to pick everything up after I finish the dishwasher repair.”