Girls Like Us(32)

“Can you drop me at my truck on Main Street? I’ll meet you at the ME’s.”

“Sure thing. You want to follow me there?”

“I have one stop to make. You go ahead. I don’t want to hold you up.”

“Is it on the way? I don’t want Milkowski to start without you.”

I sigh. Lee is going to be harder to shake than I thought. And I don’t want to miss the coroner’s report, either. My solo investigation will have to wait. “Yeah,” I say. “It’s on the way. I just need to swing by impound. Sign some paperwork on my dad’s bike. Won’t take more than a few minutes.”

He checks his watch, then gives me a short nod. “Yeah, fine. No worries. Let’s do that and we’ll head to the ME’s together.”

Fifteen minutes later, we’re both pulling into the impound lot in Westhampton. I park my truck; Lee does the same.

He rolls down his window. “You want me to come with?”

“No. Hang out. I’ll be back in a few.” I lock the door behind me. Especially after talking to Elena Marques, I have the ever-growing nagging sensation that something is off about my father’s death. I picture his ashes in the breeze. It’s too late to force an autopsy, but it may not be too late to examine the bike.

Cole walks out to greet me. He looks the same as I remember: burly and red-faced, with meaty hands and a ponytail. He’s grown his beard out some, and it’s flecked with gray. At the SCPD Christmas party, he always used to dress like Santa so the kids could sit on his lap and pose for pictures.

“Hey, Cole,” I call out, trying to appear cheerful.

“Hey, Nell.” He pulls me in for a hug. When he steps back, he gives me a smile. “You look good, kid. You could maybe stand to eat a pizza or two, but you look good.”

“You look well yourself.”

He laughs. “This is the first year I don’t need to use a fake beard to play Santa. Not that I mind, though. That thing itched like hell.”

“You were always a great Santa.”

He wags his finger at me. “You were such a little smart-ass. You’d come sit on my lap and look me in the eye and go, ‘Hey, Cole.’ Just to let me know you knew what was up.”

I smile. “Listen, I don’t mean to rush you, but Lee Davis is waiting for me, so I gotta make this quick.”

Cole raises his eyebrows. “Lee Davis? He was your dad’s partner, right?”

“Yup.”

“Nice guy. He married yet?”

“No.” I pause, and then, catching Cole’s drift, I add: “Oh, no, no. I’m helping him out with a case. We’re old friends.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Seriously, Cole. Strictly business.”

“Right, of course. Come with me. I’ll show you the bike.”

We walk past rows of cars. Some are junked, waiting to be sent to the salvage yard. Others are in decent condition. Those will either be picked up by their owners or, if they are part of an ongoing investigation, sent to the crime lab.

At the far end of the row, past a rusted heap of metal that looks like it’s been outside for more than one rainstorm, lies the mangled remains of my father’s Harley-Davidson Road King.

“There ya go.” Cole shrugs. “Now, I don’t know what all your dad was doing the night he died, but damn. You can’t do that kind of damage unless you’re pushing eighty, ninety miles an hour.”

“Yeah, or maybe the brakes gave out.”

“Thought occurred to me. Listen, I’m happy to send it over to the crime lab to find out. I’m sure they’d expedite it. Anything for your family.”

“No.” I shake my head. “No crime lab.”

Cole frowns. “You sure?”

I press my lips together hard, considering what to say here. I don’t want it to go to the crime lab, but I don’t want to make Cole suspicious, either. “Listen, between you and me, I was a little worried about my dad,” I say finally. “You know, mentally. He was pretty depressed. I heard he was seeing someone, and she’d left him.”

Cole raises his eyebrows. “Really.”

“Yep. So I’m wondering if he did this to himself. From the looks of it, he might’ve. I’d like to know, one way or another. Make peace with what happened.”

“Of course. I get it. Would you want my brother to take a look? Ty’s good with repairs.”

I nod, relieved. “That’s a great idea. Dad always trusted Ty with his bikes. You think he’d mind?”

“Not at all. Ty loved your pop. And he knows his way around a bike, that’s for sure. I’ll have him pick it up today.”

“You think you could keep this between us? I really don’t want Dorsey and the guys to find out. They’d be gutted.”

“I hear ya.” Cole draws a line across his mouth, like he’s zipping it shut. “This will stay between the three of us. I promise.”

“Thanks, Cole. Really appreciate the help.”

I give Cole a final hug and make my way back to the lot. I stop in front of my dad’s truck, appraising it. I swallow hard. It’s covered in a coat of dust, but in sunlight, the body is an unmistakable deep red.

I knock on Lee’s window, letting him know I’m ready to go. He rolls it down.