The Homecoming (Thunder Point #6)(55)

“I’m real busy today. I like to get a lot of work done when the sun’s shining. Why don’t you just lay it on me. He in some kind of trouble?”

Seth didn’t answer. “You break for lunch?”

Robbie was quiet. “I’ll meet you at the casino. I’ll be the guy in the truck in the parking lot with the line painter. I can’t take a lot of time, Seth. But if that’s the only way you’re going to tell me about my boy, we can meet there.”

Seth went to the sandwich shop and got a couple of subs and a couple of drinks and pulled slowly into the casino lot. It was easy to see where Robbie was working—a big area was sectioned off with orange road cones and tape. The line painter was a handheld piece of machinery about the size of a large lawn mower and Robbie had his head down, watching his work, the painter chugging along.

Seth parked outside the tape and carefully made his way over to Robbie, watching the wet white lines. Robbie finally looked up, raised his visor and turned off his machine. Seth was struck by how much Robbie looked like his dad—he was large and a little overweight. Then he gave a half smile and pulled off his cap, wiping a hand over his balding head.

“I brought lunch,” Seth said. “I know you’re on a tight schedule.”

“I’m painting lines,” Robbie said.

“In the sunshine.” Seth handed him a bag. “I bet it’s a good business.”

“It’s not like I carry a gun or anything,” he said.

“You could, if you wanted to. It’s not as if you’re likely to use it. I haven’t used mine and I’m hoping I never do. Let’s go sit under that tree. Might as well enjoy the weather. It’s not going to stay warm and dry much longer.”

Seth was barely settled when Robbie spoke. “Hard to believe Bobby did anything bad.” He opened the bag and pulled out a thick sub. “He’s a really good kid. He helps me on weekends and he’s easy to be around, easier than I was at that age. He’s nice, you know? Good-natured.”

“Might not have been as much bad as a stupid prank,” Seth said as he pulled out his sandwich. “But it might be something you want to talk to him about, just to be sure. It was Halloween night and I was sitting in the dark on a street just keeping an eye on things when I saw a kid dressed all in black charge a couple of smaller kids and grab their candy bags. He wasn’t alone, he was with another boy, also dressed in black. I caught Bobby while the other kid got away. I made him give back the candy and took him home.” He took a bite of his sandwich, chewed and swallowed. “I suggested to Sassy that she tell you, get you involved in talking to Bobby, make sure he’s not headed down a bad trail.”

“Sue Marie didn’t say anything,” Robbie said, reminding Seth that Sassy had a name preference. Robbie ate a little more. “But then, we don’t communicate very well.”

“You’re divorced?” Seth asked.

“Might as well be, but it isn’t official. She left a couple of years ago. She works here,” he said, pointing to the casino. “She’s a cocktail waitress. Hard work.”

“I didn’t know that,” Seth said. “I knew she lived with her sister, is that right?”

Robbie nodded. “Look, I’ll talk to Bobby. I see the kids all the time. Not Rachel so much anymore—she’s sixteen, got a boyfriend, does a lot of babysitting, cheerleader, all that. But the boys are with me almost every weekend and they’re good kids. The little guy, Sam, he’s only nine and a real kick in the pants, but what a sweetheart. I’m no hotshot cop or anything, but I do the best I can and those kids are good kids.”

Seth laughed. “Like I’m a hotshot cop? I’m a deputy in a little bitty town, Robbie. It’s not a big job, it took me about four years to convince the Sheriff’s Department to hire me. But it’s my little town and every once in a while I feel like I do something that could matter. Like taking Bobby home before he got in more trouble.”

“Hmm,” Robbie said. “What did Sue Marie say when you brought him home?”

“She sent him to his room. I hoped she meant to talk to him later, get the drop on him if he was up to no good. But I think she was getting ready to go out or something and was a little... She was distracted. You know?”

“Drinking? Was she drinking?”

Seth measured his answer. She hadn’t seemed drunk and as far as he knew, hadn’t done anything wrong. “Well...”

“It was a problem for us sometimes,” Robbie said. “We got married so young. Sue Marie is still young and pretty. She likes to party. Sometimes she can hit that wine kinda hard.” He took another bite. “Was she planning to go out with you?”

“Me?” he asked. “No. Why would she be going out with me?”

Robbie shrugged. “She mentioned you were back in town about ten times and said you’d gotten together and she thought... I guess she thought you’d be dating any second and she had to make sure I knew that.”

“I don’t know where she got that idea. I ran into her one night at Cliff’s when she was picking up takeout, but no, there was no getting together. That night I ran into her, I was meeting someone. I’m seeing someone.”

“You are?” he asked, suddenly a little more interested and slightly more friendly. “Who?”