Page 30 of Break Away
Diego smiled. “I bagged the snake. That womanabout passed out when I brought it out. She kept pointing at thebag and wheezing.”
“We did a health check and once the snake wasout she recovered pretty quickly.”
“She probably won’t sleep in that house untilshe figures out how a snake got in,” Eva commented.
“You relocated the snake, right?” Zoeyasked.
“Yes, Ms. Wildlife Biologist,” Diego assuredher. “We released him well away from town so he can live out hissnake life in the wilderness.”
Brad came up behind Levi and clapped a handon his shoulder. He bent his head and spoke in a low voice. “Comeinto the house with me.”
Levi nodded and rose, figuring he had a goodidea what Brad wanted. After a quick word to Zoey, he followed hisbrother into the house. In the kitchen, Jack leaned back againstthe counter, while Logan slouched on a bar stool chewing thekernels off an ear of corn.
“I’ll be back in a second,” Brad said,continuing through the house and out the front door.
“This about whoever’s watching us from acrossthe arroyo?” Levi asked.
“You caught that, too?” Jack muttered as hepeered through the window.
“There’s someone over there with binoculars,”Logan said, tossing the corncob into the trash.
Brad returned with department-issuebinoculars he must have had in his car. He put the lenses to hiseyes and focused across the arroyo.
“There’s a dirt road that dead-ends aboutwhere I saw the reflection off glass,” Logan stated. “This is yourmom’s deal.” He pointed to Brad and Levi. “You two should stay.Jack and I will go check it out.”
Brad lowered the binoculars. “I don’t seeanyone. I think whoever it was is gone, but I still want you to gosee what you can see.”
Jack gave a nod and Logan raised his hand ina half salute as they left. Levi turned to his brother. “What thehell’s going on around here? First Zoey gets hit by a car, then herplace is trashed. And now someone is watching us having a party atMom’s house.”
“That’s what we’re going to figure out. Whothe hell knows why someone would be across the arroyo withbinoculars? Could be a bird-watcher, or a hiker, or nothing. Makesthe hair stand up on my neck, though.”
“Yeah, mine too.”
Brad eyed him. “Since I have you for aminute, you know Mom’s selling this place when she and Landon getmarried?”
Another twist to his gut. Levi looked aroundat the house where he’d grown up. “No, I didn’t. Guess it’s too bigfor two people.”
“Yeah, two people who are getting older.Landon’s place is single story and smaller.”
The considering expression on Brad’s faceannoyed him and Levi scowled. “Why are you looking at me likethat?”
“You were always attached to this place, morethan Jenny, Maddy, or me.” Brad shrugged. “I don’t want you upsetwhen Mom puts it on the market.”
“You make me sound like a wuss.”
“Not a wuss, but you feel more deeply aboutsome things than the rest of us, and I worry that you hold on tootight.”
“What the hell are you talking about? FirstMom tells me she thinks Dad’s death hit me the hardest, when I damnwell know him dropping dead from a heart attack took every one ofus out at the knees. And now you’re telling me I’m more attached tothis house than anyone else. I’m not some emotionally fragiledouche.”
Ignoring the comment, Brad asked, “Do youremember the summer after Dad died?”
Levi shrugged. “Everything was a blur, so notso much.”
“You wouldn’t get out of bed unless I draggedyou out. You must have read fifty books that summer, and that waspure escape. If you weren’t reading, you were playing video games.And you were so pissed at me we bloodied each other’s noses morethan once. Remember any of that?”
Levi thought back. He felt like he waspushing through clouds of grief to remember. “You rode my ass.That’s why you ended up with a bloody nose.”
“I wasn’t the only one with a bloody nose,pal. But yeah, I rode your ass. Got you to help with the rentals.Dad hadn’t been feeling well for a while before the heart attack,and he’d let things go. I was worried Mom was going to lose therental properties to the banks.”
