Page 73 of No Rules
“What’s next for us?” Alex asked as they walked back to the car.
“We keep digging. We’ve got a hell of a lot riding on this, and we can’t just sit back and twiddle our thumbs while the cops do their thing. We can talk to Marilyn again, ask her if she has any information on Jeffries and Thornfield, and hit up the contacts we already talked to and see what they can add. There’s bound to be something that can help us connect the dots even more.”
“Works for me.”
They got into the car and turned to each other. “But remember, we’ve gotta tread carefully. We don’t want to tip them off that we’re onto them,” Ryan said.
“We’ll be smart about it.”
Ryan shifted the car into Drive and pulled out of the parking lot. “Damn right, we will.”
23
Alex was antsy. Restless.
It had been three days since they’d talked to Baxter, and while they’d been busy tracking down anything they could find on Jeffries and Thornfield, the case wasn’t consuming Alex the way it had before. They knew who’d killed Sam’s Promise, and it was torture to have to wait for the cops to catch up.
They’d talked to Marilyn again, and she’d confirmed knowing both Jeffries and Thornfield and had been shocked when they had told her they suspected them of being the culprits. Luckily, Sam had been with her, so she’d had someone to lean on. They’d promised to let her know as soon as they heard something. But how long that would take was anyone’s guess.
“You getting bored, baby boy?”
Alex looked up and found Ryan studying him with a grin. “Yeah, sorry.”
“I feel ya. I hate being in limbo as well. Wanna get out of here?”
“Hell, yes. Where?”
Ryan looked away, clearing his throat. “Jesse mentioned a state park nearby called Lake Moreau that’s supposed to be nice. It’s about a half-hour drive. I guess it would’ve been prettier in the early fall with all the colors changing, but supposedly, you can do a nice walk around the lake. And from atop one of the mountains, you can see all the way to Vermont on a clear day. Anyway, I was thinking we could maybe head there. I dunno. Go for a walk? We could even climb that mountain if you want.”
Alex blinked. Ryan never rambled. Ever. “You want to go for a walk?”
“Yeah.” Ryan got up from his chair, shoving his hands into his pockets. “If you want to. Or we could go for a drive or something. Whatever you want.”
“Whatever I want,” Alex repeated slowly. Who was this stranger, and where had the grumpy Ryan he knew gone?
“Yeah.”
Alex had no clue what was happening, but he wasn’t about to turn down an offer like this. “That park sounds good.”
A smile spread across Ryan’s face. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. Just need to change.”
“Me too. I’ll meet you at the car in five.”
“You guys heading out?” Wander asked when Alex ran into him as he was storming down the stairs again after having changed.
“We’re going to Lake Moreau.”
“Lake Moreau? To do what?”
“Enjoy the scenery.”
“Wait, hold up. Ryan is taking you to Lake Moreau?”
“Yeah.”
Wander shook his head. “I’ll be goddamned.”