Page 144 of Highball Rush
He’d let Darren the lab tech return to his home in New York. Now that the FBI had taken over, Darren’s fate was in their hands. It’d be up to them to determine the price he’d pay for taking that bribe. With the way he’d cooperated, I had a feeling they’d go easy on him. Seemed fair enough to me.
The lab he worked for had determined the real identity of the remains. A young woman who’d gone missing about a hundred miles from where her body was found, a year and a half before Callie. It wasn’t the news that her family had been hoping for, but at least they had closure.
Scarlett and Cassidy were across from us, picking at the food on their plates, chatting about Scarlett and Devlin’s house. Jenny walked by with Jimmy Bob. Caught my eye and gave me a warm smile, which I returned.
Bowie sat down next to Cassidy, leaning in to give her a kiss on the cheek. She proceeded to grab a brownie off his plate.
“Hey.” He picked up a second one. “That’s why I grabbed two.”
“Where’s Jameson? And Jonah?” Scarlett asked.
Bowie looked around. “Jonah’s over there with his happy-hour class members. They’re trying to get him to take his shirt off and do push-ups. And Jameson’s up there.” He pointed.
My brother was lounging on a thick tree branch, just above Leah Mae and Shelby’s circle. He has his hat pulled down over his eyes and one leg dangled.
My family was all here. And none of us were alone anymore. The Bodines—and the Tucker girls, for that matter—were settling down. Who would have thought? Wasn’t too long ago, it seemed like none of us knew how.
“This is amazing,” Callie said, taking a bite of the baked mac and cheese. She shifted her position and groaned a little. “I also need to join one of Jonah’s workout classes or I’m going to gain a million pounds. Everything around here involves food.”
“She’s not wrong,” George said. He had a plate piled high and a half-eaten piece of cornbread in his hand.
Bowie gave George’s stack of food the side-eye.
“What?” George asked, his mouth full of cornbread. “It’s my cheat day.”
June looked up from her book. “There is data that suggests temporary increases in caloric intake can be beneficial.”
“See?” George grinned at June. “Thanks, June Bug.”
“I love fall,” Scarlett said, taking a deep breath. “It always feels like a fresh start. Seems especially appropriate now, doesn’t it?”
“It does,” Callie said. “The air gets cooler, the leaves change. The world gets ready to go to sleep for a little while. Feels like a time of renewal.”
“Mom always liked fall,” I said.
Scarlett smiled at me. “She sure did.”
“What’s going on over there?” Callie asked.
On the outskirts of the park, Misty Lynn’s two bleached-out clones stood next to her car, both sobbing hysterically. Misty Lynn hugged one, then the other, making a dramatic show of wiping the mascara that ran down her cheeks. She’d caked thick makeup over the black and blue bruising Callie had given her. The makeup made it look worse, like she’d contracted a disease that made her skin flake off.
“Oh, Misty Lynn’s making noise about moving out of Bootleg,” Scarlett said. “Said she’s gonna follow her mama and become an actress. Jimmy Bob tried to talk sense into her. Even Jenny had a go. I’m sure you can guess how that went.”
“Good riddance,” I said. “This place’ll be a hell of a lot nicer without her around.”
“I couldn’t agree with you more,” Scarlett said. “But I doubt she’ll stay gone. She’ll realize her mama’s a waitress, not an actress, and following that hot mess of a woman ain’t gonna get her anywhere.”
Cassidy shook her head. “She’s just trying to save face after Callie delivered some Bootleg Justice.”
“Not nearly enough, if you ask me,” Scarlett said.
I grunted my agreement.
“I don’t know.” Callie tilted her head, watching Misty Lynn attempting—and failing, since no one was paying much attention to her—to make a scene. “Even if she moves away, she’ll be back sometimes to see her dad. I think her having to see Gibson live a happy life with another woman is the best Bootleg Justice of all.”
Scarlett grinned. “Does this mean you’re staying?”
Slipping my arm around her, I pulled her closer. “Damn straight she’s staying.”
