Chapter 9

CHAPTERNINE

It was eleven-thirty and Jody hadn’t found Ben. She was frustrated. She’d gone to his high school first and hadn’t found his car in the lot. She knew she probably looked suspicious as hell, driving around the parking lot slowly, but she didn’t care.

Next, she’d driven down the coast, stopping at all the beaches. She prayed that Ben was simply skipping school to surf, but she hadn’t been able to find his car at any of the good surf spots. Her belly had started grumbling a while ago, so she’d stopped to grab a shrimp taco from one of the many food trucks along Kamehameha Highway. She’d just finished eating and was tossing her trash when her phone rang.

Baker had texted earlier, saying he was leaving for the Naval base. Then he’d let her know that he’d arrived. His meeting must not have gone on for too long if he was calling her now.

“Hi,” Jody said as she answered. “Your meeting over?”

“No. But we’re taking a break for lunch and since I didn’t have a chance earlier to let you know what I found out about Ben, I wanted to do that now.”

“Are you going to be able to eat something if you talk to me?”

Baker chuckled. “Yeah, Tink. Already grabbed something. Feels good, you looking out for me.”

“Someone has to,” Jody retorted, feeling like a pile of mush at his praise.

“Right. So, our boy has good grades. Almost straight A’s. Hasn’t ever been in trouble, no suspensions or detentions. He’s not in a whole lot of extra-curricular activities though, which seems off to me. Most kids his age are working on building up their resumes, so to speak, so they look good for college. But it seems Ben doesn’t care so much about that.”

“Not all high schoolers want to go to college,” Jody felt obligated to point out. “They might want to go into the military or work a trade. Lord knows the world needs mechanics, linemen, and plumbers.”

“Not arguing with you, Tink, but after looking into his parents, that doesn’t seem like a road Ben would go down.”

“What’s wrong with his parents?” Jody asked in concern.

“Nothing’s wrong with them. It’s just that they’re loaded. Well, his stepdad is.”

“His stepdad?”

“Yeah. His biological father died when Ben was a baby. His mom struggled when he was young, lived in a shitty apartment down in Honolulu and struggled with her mental health. She did a stint or two in the psychiatric ward of the hospital and a neighbor watched Ben while she was in. Looks like she did the best she could by him though. Worked two jobs trying to keep a roof over their heads and food in their bellies.”

“Oh, Baker, that’s awful.”

“Not that unusual,” Baker said.

That might be true, but it still didn’t make Jody feel good.

“Anyway, her life changed when she met Al Rowden. He stopped at the gas station where Ben’s mom was working and apparently he liked what he saw. They were married less than five months after they met. Al moved Emma and Ben into his house up here, got her a job as an admin at a doctor’s office, and things changed for the better for Ben and his mom.”

“That’s good, isn’t it?”

“I think it was,” Baker agreed. “Al Rowden is a judge for the Hawaii Juvenile Justice department. He makes good money, has reasonable hours, and is well respected. He’s responsible for hearing cases against offenders under the age of eighteen and deciding the punishment for their actions.”

“Why do I get the feeling that you’re going to tell me something I’m not going to like?” Jody said.

“Because you’re smart,” Baker said. “Here’s the thing. On the surface, I can’t find anything that points to Rowden being on the take or a bad judge. He seems to be tough but fair. Many former kids he’s dealt with have nothing but good things to say about him helping them see the light and giving them a chance to get back on the straight and narrow.”

“But?” Jody asked.

“I can barely find anyone who’s spoken out against him. Which is weird. I mean, you’d think there would be plenty of people pissed they were sentenced to do time, or probation, or community service. But there’s not. It’s mostly praise.”

“That’s not normal,” Jody said unnecessarily. “I mean, even I’ve got some bad reviews out there about the work I’ve done. I don’t agree with them, but they exist.”

“Jodelle, the bad reviews about you are bullshit. Most of your clients would know that.”

“You’ve read them?”

“Yes. And again, they’re bullshit. I looked at the website you designed for that one woman about her fuckin’ chickens, and it was beautiful. Easy to navigate and not one of the links was broken. Her complaints were ridiculous.”

“Thanks,” Jody said. “That job took four extra months because she kept changing her mind about what she wanted and sending me different pictures. She was definitely difficult to work with and even harder to please.”

“Right. You should’ve dumped her ass halfway through and made her find someone else to put up with her shit.”

“Then she really would’ve had something to complain about,” Jody argued. “When I take a job, I want to finish it.”

“Because you’re you,” Baker said. “Anyway, you’re right, the fact that there aren’t more than a tiny handful of complaints about Judge Rowden is fuckin’ suspicious in and of itself.”

“What about Ben’s mom? Is she still working?”

“No. She quit about a year and a half ago. And in the last year, she’s been hospitalized twice. She went almost a decade without having any issues, and suddenly now she’s relapsing? It doesn’t make sense,” Baker said.

“Hospitalized for mental issues?” Jody asked.

“Yeah. Involuntary too. Her husband brought her in both times, said she was suicidal and seeing little green men. Claimed she was a danger to herself and her son. She stayed the maximum seventy-two hours the second time, then she requested a longer stay and ended up in the hospital thirty days.”

Jody wasn’t sure what to make of that. So she settled for asking, “What does that have to do with Ben?”

“I don’t know,” Baker said. “But the hair on the back of my neck is standing up.”

Jody knew that wasn’t a good thing. Baker continued speaking.

“Ben’s grades have been slipping in the last few months. He was a straight-A student, but lately he’s been skipping school and not turning in assignments. The last grading period, he had four C’s, a D, and a B. I’m thinking everything is not okay at home and it’s showing in his grades.”

“I’m thinking you’re right. I didn’t see his car in the parking lot at the high school this morning,” Jody said.

“You were at the high school?” Baker asked.

Jody bit her lip. She hadn’t told him of her plan to look for Ben, not because she was trying to hide it, but because she hadn’t wanted him to worry about her while he had other things to do. “Yeah. I need to find him, Baker.”

“You still out looking?”

“Yes.”

“Wish you’d told me, Tink.”

“I didn’t want to bother you.”

“You are never a bother,” Baker said sternly. “You feel even the slightest bit nauseous, I want to know. You feel like taking a drive around the island, I want to know. You want to picket the beaches with ‘end the use of plastic’ and ‘save the turtles’ signs, I want to know. Doesn’t mean I’ll try to stop you, I just fuckin’ want to know where you are so I can do what I need to do if shit goes sideways.”

“Baker—”

“No,” he interrupted before she could continue. “I’m a paranoid son of a bitch. Can’t be anything else after all the shit I’ve seen and done. I know the evil that’s out there, Jodelle, and I can’t stand the thought of it touching you. I’ve seen my friends’ women kidnapped, beaten, left for dead in the middle of the ocean, and too much other shit. I will do everything possible to keep that from happening to you, and, God forbid it does, I’ll rain hell down on anyone who dares to put their fuckin’ hands on you. But I can’t get to you, can’t keep you safe, if you don’t talk to me and tell me what your plans are.”

That was a lot, and Jody couldn’t say that it didn’t make happy tingles shoot through her, but it also gave her cause for concern. “I’ve been on my own a long time, Baker. I can take care of myself.”

“That’s what Carly said before she was stuffed into the trunk of a car and taken out to the middle of the ocean,” Baker said.

Jody closed her eyes. He had a point. “I wasn’t trying to deceive you,” she said again.

“I know, Tink. I just…shit, I can’t handle if it something happens to you.”

“Nothing’s going to happen to me,” she told him. “I’m just driving around trying to find Ben. He has to be here somewhere. His car was a mess. I’m more and more sure he’s been living in it.”

“Yeah, if things are bad at home, that’s not a bad assumption,” Baker said.

Jody sighed in relief that Baker wasn’t going to continue to harangue her.

“Where have you looked so far?” he asked.

She told him about the beaches and some of the popular hangout spots she’d heard the other high schoolers talking about.

“Try looking at grocery stores and other more populated spots. He might think he’ll stand out too much at the beaches. If he goes to a lot where people are constantly coming and going, no one will think twice about seeing his car there for hours on end, because they won’t be there that long.”

“Good point,” Jody said.

“He’s probably smart enough not to go to the usual places. While it’s likely he might be somewhere crowded, it’s equally possible that he’d want some space to think where there aren’t a lot of people around. Maybe he’s hiking, hiding out during the day so someone doesn’t ask what a teenager is doing out and about and not in school.”

“Okay.”

“Call me if you find him,” Baker ordered.

“I will.”

“Don’t care what I’m doing, I’ll take your call,” he continued. “His stepdad has a lot of power on this island, and if Ben feels as if his back is against the wall and there’s nothing anyone can do to help him, he’s not going to want to be found.”

“I know,” Jody whispered.

“From what I can tell, he’s close with his mom. Not so much with his stepdad. Never took his name, kept his mom’s maiden name. You find him, that’s your way in. Ask about his mom.”

Jody didn’t like the feeling she got when she thought about needing to find a way in with Ben, but Baker was right. And he obviously knew a lot more about trying to get someone to talk than she did. She didn’t want to speculate about how he’d gained that knowledge. “Right.”

“Jodelle?”

“Yeah?”

“You’ll find him. And he’ll trust you because you’re you. Just be careful.”

His faith in her felt good. “I will.”

“I should be home around three or so.”

“Is that including the time it’ll take to get malasadas? Because Leonard’s is always busy,” Jody asked.

“It’s including the time it’ll take to get malasadas, because there won’t be a wait for me. When I tell you I have connections, Tink, I mean I have connections—and they aren’t all nefarious mobsters either. Some of them are with owners of kick-ass restaurants who always have a seat for me if I want it…or piping-hot, fresh-from-the-fryer malasadas when I stop by.”

“Do I want to know what you did in order to be able to jump the line at freaking Leonard’s?” Jody asked.

“Yes, you want to know, but no, I’m not telling you. My work and you day-to-day don’t exist together, told you that.”

“I don’t want to sit down and have a chat with a terrorist you’re letting live because he’s feeding you info on another terrorist who’s even worse, but I think a local owner of a restaurant is a different story,” Jody retorted.

“And that’s why you’re the way you are, and I’m the way I am. No one is immune to shit that happens in the world. No one.”

“Fine. But is it wrong that I’m not upset that you being the way you are means I get hot and fresh malasadas without having to wait an extra hour to get them?”

“No.”

“Okay. Then I’ll look forward to seeing you later with my treats then.”

Baker laughed, and Jody relaxed. She didn’t like upsetting him, and she knew she’d done just that by not telling him she was heading out to look for Ben. She should’ve. It wasn’t as if he’d reprimanded her for her actions, just for not telling him what she was doing. And his reasons were more than solid. He wasn’t being controlling. He wasn’t trying to be an asshole. He was just worried about her. She could live with that. Especially when she hadn’t had anyone give her safety a second thought since Mana had died.

“I hope I find him,” Jody said quietly.

“You will,” Baker said. “Keep me updated.”

“Okay. Have a good rest of your meeting.”

Baker chuckled. “Not the kind of meeting that’s good, Tink.”

“So it’s bad?”

“No. It’s just a meeting about intel I’ve gathered to help keep the men and women who protect our country safe.”

“Right. Then go and impart all the knowledge so that can happen.”

After a beat, he replied, “I waited too long.”

“Pardon?” Jody asked.

“Should’ve gotten my head out of my ass way before now. Missed out on the awesomeness that is you for too long, Tink.”

“I could’ve gotten up the nerve to ask you out,” she told him.

“Probably good you didn’t because I likely would’ve said no, hurt your feelings, and then you wouldn’t be giving me the time of day now. I need to head out. Be smart out there, Tink. You even think for one second that something is wrong, or you aren’t safe, you back off. Okay?”

“He’s a kid, Baker.”

“He’s almost a foot taller than you and a hundred pounds heavier. He might be a kid but that doesn’t mean he’s not dealing with some serious shit and probably has some anger inside about it all. I’m not asking you not to help him, just to back off if necessary, until I can help you figure out how to do that.”

“Got it. I promise,” Jody said.

“I appreciate it. I was serious when I said I’d rain hell down on anyone who hurts you. That includes seventeen-year-old boys.”

Jody frowned. “You’d hurt Ben?”

Baker paused, then said, “I know I should say no, because that’s what you want to hear, but I can’t. I will assess the situation carefully though. If it warrants me putting my hands on someone to keep you safe, I’ll do it. But there are other ways I can rain hell on someone that don’t include getting physical.”

Jody wasn’t sure what Baker was telling her, but she did appreciate his honesty. “Because of your connections?” she asked.

“Because of my connections,” he agreed. “I don’t go around beating the hell out of people, Jodelle.”

“I didn’t think you did,” she told him honestly.

“Shit, we should be having this conversation face-to-face,” Baker muttered. “I’m not an asshole. I don’t like violence and prefer to make my point in more subtle and lasting ways. By hitting people where it hurts the most—their bank account. Money talks, Tink, and I’m very good at making the stuff that people value disappear. With that said, I’m okay with violence when it’s warranted.”

“Like with Monica and the lava thing?”

He sighed. “She told you about that?”

“Yeah.”

“Then yes, like that. All I’m saying is that I don’t like the thought of anyone putting their hands on you. No matter how old they are or what gender. And I’ll do what I need to in order to make it clear that shit won’t be tolerated.”

“Okay, Baker.”

“Are you agreeing with me because you’re shocked and just want to get me off the phone to rethink our relationship, or are you agreeing with me because you know it’s what a man does when he cares about his woman?”

“The latter.”

“Good. Because I care about you, Jodelle. And I’ll do what’s necessary to make you happy and keep you safe.”

“Can I do the same for you?”

“Yes. As long as it doesn’t include getting physical with anyone or putting yourself in danger.”

“That doesn’t seem fair,” Jody cajoled.

“Nope,” Baker agreed.

She sighed. “You really are kind of a pain in the ass.”

“Yup. But I’m a pain in the ass who gives a shit about you and wants you to stay exactly how you are. And someone hurting you would change you and piss me off. So yeah, that’s not gonna happen.”

Jody couldn’t help but chuckle. “You’re a caveman too.”

“I’ve been called worse,” Baker said. “And now I really have to go. You get something for lunch?”

“Just had a shrimp taco from a food truck.”

“Good. Be careful, Tink. Let me know if you find Ben.”

“I will.”

“Later.”

“Bye, Baker.”

Jody hung up the phone and sat in her car in the small pull-off on the side of the road for a long minute. That conversation had been both good and somewhat worrisome. She wasn’t scared of Baker, more concerned about the fate of someone who dared do something to her that Baker didn’t like. People were jerks all the time, she’d gotten very good at ignoring ignorant and asshole-ish behavior, refusing to let others bring her down. But she was thinking she wasn’t going to have to worry about anyone being mean to her more than once when Baker was around.

Deciding she’d deal with his overprotective tendencies when they actually reared their head, Jody looked down at her phone and the map of the north side of the island. Baker’s suggestions were good ones. If she was a teenager who was trying to stay hidden, she’d try to blend in as well. She’d been wrong in looking for him at all the normal places she thought kids went to hang out. She needed to look in out-of-the-way places, or crowded parking lots where he thought he could blend in.

Jody had no idea what was wrong in Ben’s home life, but she was determined to find out. She wanted him to know he had a friend and that he could count on her to help.

More determined than ever, she pulled out onto the highway. Ben was out there somewhere, and she was going to find him.