“I enjoyed it.” Placing his work-worn hands on the arms of the recliner, he pushed himself to his feet. “I guess I’d better be going. It’s getting pretty late.”
Mark bounced to Bud’s side. “We’re going fishing again, aren’t we, Uncle Bud? The next nice Saturday?”
“If it’s okay with your mom,” Bud amended with a glance at Teresa.
“Of course it’s okay.”
Riley wondered what she’d been thinking during that split-second hesitation. He knew she trusted Bud with her children’s safety; she never would have left them with him tonight if she didn’t. Was she worried about the boy becoming too attached to Bud? A bit jealous, perhaps, that someone else had become important to her son?
Considering those possibilities, he stood to accompany his uncle out. Sending Mark upstairs to get ready for bed, Teresa followed Riley and Bud to the door. Bud stepped out first, glancing over his shoulder to tell Teresa good-night. Moving over the threshold at his uncle’s heels, Riley noticed a dark van parked at the curb across the street, a shadowy figure sitting behind the steering wheel. Odd. He knew every vehicle that belonged on this cul-de-sac, and that wasn’t one of them.
“Bud? Does that van look familiar to you?”
Bud glanced across the street and froze. After a moment he said, “I don’t think so. Why?”
“Teresa? Have you ever seen the van before?”
She stepped into the open doorway. “No, not that I recall.”
Whoever was sitting behind the wheel must have realized the van had attracted attention. He took off with a slight squeal of tires, disappearing into the darkness in excess of the neighborhood speed limit. Riley noticed that there were no license plates on the vehicle, which only increased the bad feeling he had about it.
Bud seemed to have been affected much the same way. The jovial mood of earlier was gone, replaced by the grim expression that had become too familiar to Riley during the past weeks. “You better go back in the house, Teresa,” Bud said. “Lock your door and don’t worry about anything. You’ve got Riley right next door if you need anything, so there’s nothing for you to worry about.”
Teresa looked from Bud to Riley. “What was he doing there? Why did he speed away when he saw us watching him?”
“Probably just some teenagers drinking beer and cruising around,” Riley answered lightly. “They park on quiet side streets sometimes, hoping no one will notice them.”
It was a possible explanation—but he didn’t believe it. He could tell that Teresa didn’t, either. He gave her his most reassuring smile. “Go tuck your son in. Everything’s fine out here. If it makes you feel any
better, I’ll give Dan’s office a call, maybe have a squad car drive through the neighborhood, just to be safe.”
“The van is probably long gone by now,” she said, seeming to relax a little in response to his calm tone. “I just don’t like the thought of people who don’t live here hanging around at this hour.”
“Neither do I,” he assured her. “I’ll keep an eye out. And you know you can call on me if you need anything.”
Teresa nodded and moved back in the doorway. “I’ll see you both later. Good night.”
“Good night, Teresa,” Riley replied.
Obviously lost in his thoughts, Bud murmured something Riley didn’t catch.
Waiting only until Teresa had closed her door and he’d heard the dead-bolt lock snap into place, he turned to his uncle. “Why don’t you come in for a few minutes?” he suggested, waving a hand toward his door. “We need to talk.”
Bud shook his head. “I’m getting kind of tired. I think I’ll head on home.”
“Damn it, Bud, there’s something going on with you. I want to know what it is. I saw your face when we spotted that van. You looked scared. Why?”
His uncle wouldn’t meet his eyes. “I’ll admit it made me nervous to think someone could have been lurking out here for some reason.”
“Bud, I know there’s something you aren’t telling me. Something that’s been on your mind since someone shot at R.L., if not before.”
Bud looked at him, his expression grim. “There’s nothing I want to talk about right now. Just know that I won’t do anything to put you or anyone else I care about in danger. And that includes those kids in there. I probably won’t be spending much time with them for a while. You make an excuse for me if they suggest anything, make sure their feelings don’t get hurt.”
“Bud, I want you to come in my house now,” Riley said, speaking more firmly than he ever had to his uncle. “There’s obviously something I need to know.”
“We’ll talk later. I need to go home now. Got a few calls to make.”
Riley could tell by the older man’s mulish expression that he would be wasting his breath to argue any further. Once Bud set his mind on something, there was little chance of changing it. “At least let me follow you home.”