Jonas stared at him a second then he nodded.
“I’ll get my bag,” I whispered and gave Shambles a squeeze. “Be right back.”
I let him go and dashed into the diner. I went straight to the table and Stella and Pop watched me from the minute I entered the diner to making it to the table.
“They found her. Stabbed. She’s alive, at the hospital. Not like Tonia. We’re going there now,” I looked at Pop. “Tate needs you to look after Jonas.”
“Sure thing, sweetheart,” he muttered, his eyes going beyond me.
I grabbed my bag and turned to see Tate and Jonas walking in, Tate’s arm around Jonas, hand on his shoulder.
“Laurie tell you?” Tate asked Pop when they hit the table.
“Yeah,” Pop answered.
“We’ll pick him up in the morning,” Tate finished.
“Right,” Pop said.
Tate turned his son into him, removed his arm but curled his fingers around Jonas’s shoulder.
“We’ll get you first thing,” Tate stated. “Bring you home then Laurie’ll make you French toast.”
Jonas nodded then he swallowed then he did a face plant in his father’s midriff and wrapped his arms around Tate’s waist. Tate’s arms circled his son and he gave him a squeeze.
He bent at the waist and I heard him whisper, “Who’s my big man?”
“Me,” Jonas whispered back.
“That’s right,” Tate replied, gave him another squeeze and let go.
Jonas took a step back and his head tipped to look up at his father. He swallowed again and turned to me. I lifted a hand and cupped the side of his face.
“See you tomorrow, honey.”
He nodded, hesitated and then did a face plant in me. My arms went around him and held him tight. I bent to press my cheek against his hair then I kissed the top of his head and he let go.
“Tomorrow, baby,” I whispered.
“Tomorrow, Laurie,” Jonas whispered back.
I touched his cheek again, dropped my hand and looked at Tate. He lifted an arm toward the door. I nodded and moved toward it, looking back over my shoulder at Jonas, Pop and Stella at the table. Stella had risen and was giving Jonas a sideways hug. I gave them a small smile. I turned forward, Tate opened the door for me and we walked into the falling night.
* * * * *
It was dark, we were driving through Carnal on our way home, Tate at the wheel at my side.
Sunny was stable. I spent my hours at the hospital with Shambles, Tate spent his with the police and FBI. Wood took Shambles home in Shambles’s van, Frank following in his cruiser to drop Wood back at the garage to get his bike.
Shambles got to see Sunny after she got out of surgery but she was sleeping and, after he visited with her, I urged him to go home, telling him I’d see him the next day. It took awhile to urge him to do this, explaining he needed his sleep, to rest and be strong for Sunny because she needed him. I finally broke through and he agreed, taking off with Wood and Frank.
I watched the hotel slide by, the pool lit, the parking lot lit, the hotel below average but the whole place kept neat and tidy, a riot of flowers blooming everywhere, the pool clean and bright, the waters tranquil, beckoning. It might not be the greatest hotel ever but just one look at it and you knew you’d be welcome there.
Staring at the pool as we passed, suddenly in my head I saw Neeta wrench Jonas’s arm and the memory of his wounded cry rang in my ears.
“Maybe we should stop by Pop’s, get Jonas,” I said softly.
“Hopefully he’s sleepin’,” Tate replied.
“But –”
“He’s had a tough day. Needs his sleep, Laurie,” Tate interrupted me. “We’ll get him first thing.”
I pressed my lips together then I sighed.
Then I agreed, “Okay.”
Tate flipped on his blinker and turned right into the hills.
“Tell me about Sunny,” I whispered.
“Ace –”
“Tell me.”
It was Tate’s turn to sigh, which he did, heavily, then he said, “Wood found her bike about ten minutes after you two left, before the cops got there. It was tossed into the trees. I found her clothes thrown not too far from the bike. He moved around a lot in those woods but trail wasn’t hard to follow, footprints, depressed grass, broken twigs. They sent two officers and we followed the trail. Found her, called the ambulance. Left her with the paramedics, I followed more trail. He took a different route to get back, came out at the clearing. Lost the trail at the road, he had a car.”
This wasn’t enough information. It was, on one hand. It wasn’t on the other.
“I don’t get it,” I said. “It doesn’t make sense.”
“I don’t either,” Tate replied.
“It’s not the same. Is this someone else?” I asked.
“Don’t know. Could be two things,” Tate answered and said no more.
“Those are?” I prompted.
Tate hesitated for long moments before going on. “Copycat who got started then figured out he doesn’t have a taste for it or doesn’t know the full MO or our boy is…” he trailed off.
“Tate,” I whispered.
“You wanna hear this shit?” he asked.
“No,” I answered. “But I have to.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know.”
“And I’m thinkin’ it’s better you keep not knowin’, Ace.”
I looked at him. “I don’t know why I have to know but I have to know.”
“Babe –”
“Tate, he’s hurting women, two of them I know. Please, honey, I have to know.”
Tate was silent for several beats then he asked, “Do you know what drawin’ down the sun means?”
“No,” I answered.
“Sunbathing nude. Shambles and Sunny are naturists.”
“Oh,” I mumbled. “So?”
“I think our boy is local. I think this was an incident of opportunity. He’s got a problem with women who show skin, don’t follow convention. He sees Sunny in the nude, whatever f**ked up shit in his head that drives him kicks in but he knows Sunny ain’t like all the rest. He can’t follow through. He follows his impulses but he can’t take it to cl**ax.”
“He stabbed her five times,” I reminded Tate.
“Stabbed Tonia sixteen times and raped her with that knife,” Tate told me.
I sucked in breath then on the exhale breathed, “Sixteen? Really?”