But Not For Lust by BJ Bourg (comprehension books .txt) 📕

cars began arriving one at a time, their arrivals spaced out about fifteen minutes between visits. The customers would drive by the bench, stop briefly, Ty would approach them, and then they would leave. This continued for an hour, with a total of four cars driving through the area. After the last car had left, J-Rock waved for Ty to return to the car. Ty handed the satchel back to him. J-Rock handed Ty a small baggie, and then J-Rock drove away. Ty put the baggie in his pocket and walked away smiling.

I saved the footage so it wouldn’t be overwritten. I then began playing the video from the next day. Ty showed up at around the same time the next day and sat on the same bench. An hour later, which would’ve been around noon, J-Rock drove up and parked in the same place. Ty met him, took the satchel to the bench, and they each remained in that position for about five minutes.

“Oh, look,” Sam said. “That’s my neighbor.”

We both watched as a man walked into the camera’s view and stopped on the edge of the street. He stood there watching the car for a full minute or two, and it wasn’t long before J-Rock turned and saw him standing there. The man began yelling at J-Rock and pointing at his car. I could see the expression on J-Rock’s face and I knew he was worried. He suddenly started the car and sped off, leaving Ty sitting on the bench holding the bag.

“They got drugs in that bag?” Sam asked, seemingly confused. “Was he using Ty to sell drugs?”

“That’s exactly what happened.” I settled back in the chair. So, Rhonda had been telling the truth after all. But what did this mean? I was thoughtful as I watched Ty sitting there. After about ten minutes, he got up and walked away, heading back in the direction from which he’d come. A thought suddenly occurred to me and a chill reverberated up and down my spine.

“Don’t erase this,” I said, saving the footage from Saturday also. “I’ll be back for this later.”

I didn’t wait for Sam to respond. I rushed out of his house and hurried across the street, where the coroner’s office was recovering the second dead body in two days from our town. I scowled and hoped there wouldn’t be more.

  CHAPTER 23

After Jerome’s body had been taken away, Baylor jumped in with me. Takecia jumped in with Susan and we followed Melvin to the police department, where we all met in my office.

“Susan, do you remember the leather satchel that was in Ty’s camper?” I asked as I scanned the digital photographs on my computer. “It was buried under a pile of pizza boxes.”

“Yeah, I think so,” she said from where she stood beside me, looking over my shoulder.

Baylor and Takecia were seated across the desk from us. When I found the right photograph, I turned it so they could see.

“This is the leather satchel that J-Rock got from Neal Barlow and then gave to Ty.” I described what I had seen on Sam Beard’s surveillance system. “When the neighbor came out to see what the hell J-Rock was doing at the boat launch, it spooked him. He hauled ass and left Ty holding the bag. The bag was empty when Susan and I checked it while processing the camper, so that means Ty probably consumed the drugs that were inside…” I stopped and allowed my voice to trail off. I stared first at Susan and then at the others. “Do y’all know what this means?”

They thought about it and then Susan’s eyes widened in understanding.

“Oh, shit!” she said. “Ty basically stole the drugs in that bag, and whoever J-Rock was working for would’ve been mad as hell.”

“It was Neal Barlow,” I said with a nod. “J-Rock’s girlfriend told me he was working for Neal. If anyone had a reason to go to Ty’s house and start trouble, it would’ve been Neal.”

Without another moment’s hesitation, I called Trinity and told her what I’d discovered.

“It’s possible Neal had something to do with the death of Carol Richardson and the disappearance of her son.” As I talked, I felt a knot growing in my stomach. Ty would not have understood the ramifications of his actions. I could picture Neal screaming in his face demanding answers and Ty staring back in utter confusion. He wouldn’t understand why this stranger was attacking him. He would never recognize the link between the satchel, J-Rock, and Neal.

“I’ve got four of my agents watching him now,” Trinity said. “He’s at his house. Do you want us to grab him?”

I quickly considered her offer. Neal’s fingerprints were on file and in the AFIS system, so I knew it couldn’t have been him who touched the pipe or the shed door. I had absolutely zero evidence linking him to the crime scene, which meant I had no evidence to apply for a warrant to search his house. However, there was another way to attack this problem. Thanks to him being on parole, the state practically owned him.

“Yes,” I said as soon as the idea occurred to me. “And can you involve his parole agent? His agent would have the authority to search his house and property. At least we can see if he’s holding Ty captive.”

“I’ll get on it right away,” she said. “Do you want me to call you when he’s in custody?”

I told her I wanted to be there when they dragged him out of his house, and then ended the call.

“Who’s working the night shift tonight?” I asked, glancing from Melvin to Takecia.

“This is my shift,” Melvin said, lifting his radio to indicate he was listening for any calls. “Takecia’s free until Wednesday night.”

“Do you have plans for tonight?” I asked.

Takecia nodded. “I plan on being