Page 68 of The Smart Killer
Richy shrugged, a gesture of helplessness. “I don’t know the exact way it went down. I know Zeke caught wind that Ethan’s old man was a cop. Gavin freaked.”
Mia glanced away, then back. “The owner is in on this?” The revelation struck her like a physical blow, leaving her momentarily speechless.
He lifted a hand. “Shhhh, keep your voice down.” Richy let out a nervous chuckle, a hollow sound in the stillness of the night, as he bounced on the balls of his feet. “Everyone knows that. We just don’t say it.”
A mix of confusion and anger flickered across Mia’s face. “I thought it was just Zeke.”
“No. That asshat couldn’t crack an egg, let alone set up an enterprise like this.”
“An enterprise? So, Gavin is what… selling to teens?”
“Gavin doesn’t sell to teens; teens sell to teens. He just supplies the goods.”
“Where is he getting it from?”
The sound of a bottle smashing nearby put Richy on high alert. He glanced off to see a teen near the corner. “My bad!” the kid said, ambling away.
“Look, I’ve said too much as it is. I just wanted you to know I wasn’t involved. How is Ethan?”
Mia pressed in closer. “Fighting for his life.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why hasn’t anyone said anything?” she demanded, her voice edged with anger.
He met her gaze, his eyes haunted by a raw truth. “Why would we? You see anyone else offering free shit to us in this town?” He gestured around them, encompassing the darkness and the hidden corner of High Peaks. “Most of the people that show up here are dealing with heavy crap at home. Here, they get to forget it. No one asks them to be anything but who they are. No one places demands on them.” His voice grew bitter. He scoffed. “Don’t you get it? This place is a fucking paradise.”
Mia grabbed his crotch hard, forcing him up against the wall.
“Well, that paradise might have killed my brother. So, you are going to tell me everything.”
Mia’s anger wavered, replaced by a bitter understanding of the twisted allure that Big G’s bowling alley held for the town’s troubled youth. It was a sanctuary of escape, a temporary reprieve from the harsh realities of their lives. But now, it hadensnared her brother, leading him down a path that could end in death.
She tightened her grip on Richy’s crotch. “So?” she demanded, her voice sharp. He squirmed in agony, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. “Where are the drugs coming from?”
He shrugged, trying to evade the question. “I don’t know,” he stammered.
Mia tightened her grip even further.
“All right, all right,” he gasped, the pain evident in his eyes. “A black car pulls up once a month in the rear. Blacked-out windows. The license plate is obscured. Gavin gets in the back, and it drives off. He returns an hour later.”
She nodded, urging him to continue. “With the drugs?” she pressed, her tone unwavering.
He hesitated before responding. “I didn’t say that.”
“Then where are they coming from?” she demanded, her patience wearing thin.
Richy shook his head frantically. “I don’t know. It’s not like they tell us everything. Zeke probably knows. He’s closer to Gavin than me.”
She nodded, piecing the information together. “And Ethan. The last night he was here. What do you know?”
“I just told you. Gavin was pissed.”
“And?”
