When he paused, Shay wished a thousand miseries on Garrett Snell. “No,” he said, and she knew he was lying.
So did Luke, but he didn’t press further. Instead, he opened the evidence bag and let the knife slide out, unfolding the handle and examining the blade. He must have been satisfied with what he saw, because he stood and unlocked the cuffs at Dylan’s wrists. “I have to take that vandalism call,” he said, excusing himself.
“What the hell happened?” Dylan asked after Luke was out of earshot.
“Somebody scalped Bull Ryan.”
His face went white beneath the layers of grime, making the dried blood on his chin stand out in harsh relief. “Is he dead?”
“Yes.”
“Holy shit.”
If she’d had any doubts about her brother’s innocence, they were erased by the stunned expression he wore. Dylan often hid his feelings from her, and he wasn’t always honest, but there was no artifice in his reaction to Bull’s death.
She rose to her feet, grabbing a tiny plastic cup from the receptacle and filling it from the water cooler. “Here,” she said, and he downed it in one gulp.
“More?”
“Yeah.”
Shay was relieved that he hadn’t been involved in whatever had gone down on the construction site, and thankful that he seemed relatively unharmed, but she was still furious with him for making pipe bombs. And slashing Chad’s tires.
How could he pull such a lame-brained stunt? And why now, when he was so close to graduation?
Too angry to speak, she crossed her arms over her chest and waited for Luke to get off the phone. “The Pinters aren’t sure they want to press charges,” he said. “They’d like to meet us at the cafe to discuss the situation. I said I would mediate.”
Shay almost wilted with relief. She sent Luke a silent thank you, because she knew how lucky Dylan was to get a chance to make amends. “Are you going to confiscate that?” she asked, looking down at the knife on the table.
Luke hesitated. “I wouldn’t recommend he bring it to school again. If Chad’s car had been in the school parking lot, instead of across the street, your brother would be on his way to juvenile hall right now.”
Shay pocketed the knife. “What do you have to say for yourself?”
Dylan ran a hand along the line of his jaw, feeling for tenderness. “Good thing I wasn’t on school property?”
24
Shay fumed all the way to the Bighorn. Chad Pinter was a major pain in the ass, and she hated his parents, but she would make nice with them for Dylan’s sake.
The Pinters were already inside the cafe, chowing down on Betty’s after-school special: burger, shake, and fries. At least, Chad and his father were. They had their plates piled high with greasy goodies, while the missus picked at a leafy green salad.
Chuck Pinter was the full-time football coach and part-time Driver’s Ed teacher at Palomar High School. He had a take-charge attitude, ham-sized fists, and a burly physique. Marianne Pinter was pretty, petite, and very well preserved. Her slim jeans and tight T-shirt showed off her surgically enhanced chest and skinny legs to perfection.
They hadn’t met Luke before, so Chuck did the introductions. When Marianne placed her dainty hand in his, she gave him a thorough once-over and fluttered her lashes.
Shay gritted her teeth and smiled.
After everyone was seated, Luke glanced at Shay, letting the mediation begin.
“I’d like to start by apologizing,” Shay said. “I’m horrified by Dylan’s behavior.”
Marianne pursed her lips as if she’d just sucked on a lemon. Chad stared back at Shay with his usual half-lidded gaze, imagining God only knew what kind of disgusting sexual scenarios. Chuck merely grunted and took another bite of his burger.
“Dylan also has something to say,” Shay added.
Dylan placed a hand over his heart. “I am truly, deeply, madly sorry.”
Keeping her smile firm, Shay kicked him under the table. “I’ll pay for any damages. New tires, towing fees, the works.”
Marianne’s face puckered again. “I’m afraid that won’t be good enough,” she said, giving Luke a simpering glance. “Dylan won’t learn his lesson if you keep bailing him out, Shay. Surely you know that.”
Shay arched a brow. If Marianne Pinter wanted to play hardball with her, she was more than willing to engage. “What do you propose?”
Marianne lifted her snooty little nose in her husband’s direction. “He can work off what he owes us in our backyard. Chuck has plenty of digging and hauling to keep Dylan busy.”
Shay’s temper flared. She’d rather give what little cash she had to the Pinters than have her brother doing their dirty work. “Will Chad be doing yard work also?”
Marianne bristled. “Of course not. What’s he done?”
With his loud car, expensive clothes, and entitled attitude, Chad Pinter was the most spoiled kid in Tenaja Falls. “That’s what I’d like to know,” she said, turning toward her brother. “I don’t think Dylan slashed his tires on a whim.”
Dylan slouched down in his chair and looked away, refusing to offer an explanation for his actions.
“Perhaps he’s jealous,” Marianne said. “Chad
“Dylan is a starting forward,” Shay shot back.
Marianne’s mouth curled up at the corner. “My son also has a loving family and a stable home life. Have you given Dylan that?”
Shay’s jaw dropped. She drew in a breath to tell Marianne where to go, but Dylan beat her to the punch.
“I’ll tell you what else Chad has that I don’t,” he said in a cool voice. “An extensive collection of adult movies, downloaded on that fancy new computer you bought him. He brings printouts of his favorite images to school.”
“Shut up,” Chad grated, gripping the edge of the table.
“Today he was circulating a picture of a porn star with my sister’s face superimposed over her head.” After brief consideration, he dug a wadded up piece of paper out of his pocket. “Check it out.”
Shay looked down at the image and gasped. “Why, you filthy little-”
When Luke put his hand on her shoulder, she bit off the word she was about to say. After a brief glance at the printout, he passed the page on to Chad’s father. “I’m fairly certain that bringing this kind of material to school is against the rules. It may even be illegal.”
“You have no proof that my son did this,” Marianne sputtered.
“Sure I do,” Dylan said. “I know the combination to his locker and the password for his laptop. I’m also familiar with the websites he frequents and the content he prefers.”
The Pinters were speechless, and Chad was seething, but Dylan wasn’t done. “It’s kind of obvious the lady in the picture isn’t Shay. You see, in addition to his bond age fetish, Chad collects photos of busty older women. Ladies who are built like you, Mrs. P.” He smiled at Marianne’s appalled expression. “It’s terribly Oedipal, don’t you think?”
Luke made a choking sound and reached for his glass of water.
While Chad stuttered excuses and Marianne turned red with humiliation, Chuck dug a few bills out of his wallet and threw them down on the table. “Just keep your brother away from my kid,” he said, pointing his finger at Shay. Clamping his hand around Marianne’s arm, he led her away, continuing to grumble as they went out the door. “Should have known the sheriff would side with her. She’ll probably thank him on her knees.”
Over his shoulder, Chad couldn’t resist making a crude gesture, thrusting his tongue against the side of his
