Chương 7
"They also found signs the rear service door was forced."
Evelyn's gaze moved to Daniel.
Daniel didn't look away.
"Anything else?"
The officer hesitated.
"Your facilities guy told the responding deputy something you probably need to hear."
"What?"
"He says the records room was already burning when he arrived."
"When did he arrive?"
"Seven-ten."
Evelyn frowned.
"The alarm triggered at seven-fourteen."
"That's what he told us."
Gideon looked at her phone in her hand.
The dead camera feeds.
7:11.
Daniel's expression had become unreadable.
The officer added, "And one more thing."
Evelyn waited.
"Mr. Kent says he saw a pickup leaving the service road."
"What kind?"
"Dark truck."
Briggs.
The name appeared in the silence without anyone saying it.
Then the officer shook his head.
"But he couldn't see the driver."
Daniel rubbed both hands over his face.
"This is getting out of control."
Evelyn looked at him.
"No."
Her voice was quiet now.
"It's been out of control for a while."
She turned to Gideon.
"You said you had to get home."
"I do."
"Then go."
This time it sounded different.
Not dismissal.
A boundary.
Gideon nodded.
He started toward his truck.
Behind him, Daniel said something low to Evelyn that he couldn't make out.
Gideon kept walking.
He had taken perhaps ten steps when Evelyn called his name.
He turned.
She stood under the restaurant's yellow parking lot light, looking unexpectedly uncertain.
"Thank you."
Gideon nodded once.
"For the keys?"
"For not pretending this was simple."
He looked toward the highway where another siren moved east.
"It usually isn't."
Then he got into his truck and drove toward June's house, unaware that before he reached the first traffic light, a grainy video of him putting Briggs Harland on the floor had already been posted online.
By the time Gideon pulled into June Calder's driveway, his phone had vibrated six times in the cup holder.
He ignored all six.
June's porch light was on, and Maisie was waiting behind the screen door with her backpack still on one shoulder and a plastic spoon in her mouth.
The second Gideon stepped out of the truck, she pushed through the door.
"You are twenty-eight minutes late."
"I know."
"And I had to eat pistachio."
June appeared behind her holding a bowl.
"You did not have to eat pistachio."
"It was emotionally necessary."
Gideon crouched enough for Maisie to wrap both arms around his neck.
She squeezed hard.
That part was not for show.
He held her for a second longer than usual.
When she pulled back, she inspected his face.
"You said nobody was bleeding."
"Nobody was."
"Your eyebrow looks weird."
"My eyebrow always looks weird."
"True."
June leaned against the doorframe.
She was sixty-two, wore gardening clogs regardless of weather, and had the unnerving ability to know when Gideon was withholding information before he had finished deciding to withhold it.
"What happened?"
"Guy at the restaurant got aggressive."
"With you?"
"With someone else."
"And you inserted yourself."
Gideon looked at Maisie.
June followed the look.
"Maisie, go get your music book."
"It's in my backpack."
"Then go confirm that."
Maisie stared at both adults.
"That is suspicious."
"Go."
Maisie went inside at the pace of someone documenting injustice for future proceedings.
June lowered her voice.
"You okay?"
"Yeah."
"The other guy?"
"Also okay."
"You arrested?"
"No."
"Then why does your phone keep vibrating?"
Gideon glanced toward the truck.
"Probably work."
June made a face.
"At eight o'clock?"
"My customers make bad decisions at all hours."
Maisie reappeared carrying the exact backpack she had already been wearing.
"Confirmed."
June sighed.
"Your father rescued somebody."
Gideon looked at her.
"June."
Maisie's eyes widened.
"You rescued somebody?"
"No."
"June said you did."
"June exaggerates."
"Only for entertainment."
Gideon took Maisie's backpack.
"Let's go home."
Maisie followed him toward the truck.
"Was there fire?"
Gideon stopped.
"What?"
"Fire."
"No."
June was looking at her phone.
Her expression had changed.
She turned the screen toward him.
The video filled most of it.
The angle came from behind the teenager's table at Carver's.
Briggs shoved Gideon.
Gideon barely moved.
Briggs swung.
Gideon redirected him into the table.
The clip cut there.
It restarted automatically.
The caption above it read LOCAL DAD DROPS HUGE GUY AFTER HE HARASSES WOMAN AT CARVER'S.
Gideon stared at the number below the video.
Fourteen thousand views.
"When was this posted?"
June scrolled.
"Twenty-two minutes ago."
"That's impossible."
"Apparently not."
Maisie leaned around Gideon's arm.
"Is that you?"
"No."
She looked at him.
"Dad."
"Yes."
"That is definitely you."
"Unfortunately."
Her face lit up with a combination of alarm and pride.
"You fought a giant."
"I did not fight a giant."
"He's enormous."
"He's a contractor."
"That doesn't make him smaller."
June tapped the screen.
"Comments are worse."
"Don't read them."
"I already did."
"Then don't tell me."
"Half of them think you're some retired special forces guy."
Gideon went still.
June noticed.
Maisie did not.
She was trying to enlarge the video.
Gideon took the phone gently from her hands.
"Truck."
"But—"
"Now."
Maisie recognized the tone and obeyed.
She climbed into the passenger side and shut the door.
June held out her hand for the phone.
Gideon returned it.
"People don't know anything."
"People never require knowledge before having opinions."
"Don't send me the link."
"I wasn't going to."
"Good."
June studied him.
"You haven't told Maisie."
"No."
"About the Navy."
"She knows I served."
"That's not what I meant."
"I know."
June crossed her arms.
"You think the internet is going to respect your timetable?"
Gideon looked toward the truck.
Maisie was making faces at herself in the side mirror.
"She's nine."
"She's not going to stay nine."
"That's the general pattern."
"Don't do that."
"Do what?"
"Turn everything into a joke when you don't want to talk."
Gideon looked away.
Across the street, a sprinkler clicked rhythmically over somebody's lawn.
May you like
The night smelled faintly of wet dirt even though the rain still had not started.
June's expression said she had heard that sentence from him before.
