Lawson continued his drum beat on the console. “We might need to consider a reward for information.”
Nash groaned. “Everyone and their brother will come out of the woodwork then. The last time we did a reward, I had to listen to a woman talk for almost an hour about how aliens had landed in Cedar Ridge and were body snatching people.”
My lips twitched. “The truth is out there.”
Nash glared at me. “Just keep the damn probes away from my butthole.”
I choked on a laugh.
Lawson just shook his head. “I’ll make sure you have phone duty when the reward goes up.”
“Rude,” Nash shot back.
I glanced at my watch. “Crap. I gotta go.”
“Where?” Nash asked.
“Gotta take Cady to dance and stare down some tiny bitches.”
The SUV went silent around me.
Nash blinked at me a few times. “What did you say?”
“Some girls are being mean to Cady. She’s a good kid and doesn’t deserve to be picked on.”
Lawson groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Please don’t do anything that means I get called to the ballet studio.”
I shrugged. “I’m just going to let it be known that I’m watching. That’s all.”
“What you mean is that you’re gonna give them that serial-killer smile, right?” Nash asked.
“Maybe.”
Lawson groaned again. “At least take Charlie with you. Maybe he can keep you in line.”
It actually wasn’t a bad idea. Not that my nephew would stop me from doing what I needed to do, but I could have a conversation with him about looking out for Cady, too. “Sure.”
I opened the door and slid out.
“Roan,” Lawson called.
I grunted.
“Don’t give the girls nightmares for the rest of their lives, okay?”
“Only if they deserve it.”
I grabbed Charlie’s booster seat and headed for my truck. It didn’t take me long to get from the trailhead to the elementary school. When I pulled to a stop and hopped out, Cady flew at me.
“Mr. Grizz!”
I hauled her up and onto my hip. “How was your day?”
“Pretty good.”
A throat cleared, and an older teacher gave me a wary look. “Can I see your identification, please?”
“This is Mr. Grizz. He’s me and Mama’s bestie, and he’s taking me to dance today,” Cady informed her.
The woman’s mouth thinned as she waited for me.
I set Cady on the ground and pulled out my badge, handing it to her.
She took her sweet time examining it as if it might be a fake. Finally, she handed it back. “All right.”
“I’m picking up my nephew, as well. Charlie Hartley.”
Charlie bounded up. “You are?”
I clapped him on the shoulder. “You’re coming to ballet with Tiny Dancer and me.”
His face scrunched. “I don’t gotta wear a tutu, do I?”
“Only if you want to, bud,” I said.
The teacher huffed. “We got a call about that.” She acted as if she was annoyed she couldn’t have me arrested.
“Thanks for all your help,” I said with a mock smile, and she scurried off.
“She doesn’t check when Miss Maddie comes to get me,” Cady said thoughtfully.
I bet she didn’t. Because Maddie was all sunshine and rainbows. I was…not.
“Where’s your booster seat, Tiny Dancer?” I asked.
She pointed to a stone wall. I grabbed it and got it installed in my truck. Helping the kids up, I checked that they were securely fastened in their seats. “Ready to hit the road?”
Cady nibbled on her lip. “We don’t have to go to dance. Maybe we could get ice cream instead.”
Anger burned brightly in my gut. Those mean girls had made Cady not want to do her favorite thing. That stopped today.
“How about this? We go to dance and then get ice cream.”
She still looked unsure.
I squeezed her shoulder. “We can’t let the meanies win. Because if we do, they’ll just keep doing it. Not only to you but to other people, too.”
Cady nodded slowly. “I don’t want them to be mean to other kids.”
Such a pure heart.
I held up my hand. “Let’s do this.”
Cady slapped me a high-five. “Let’s do this.”
I shut the door and rounded my truck, grabbing a bag from the back. In a matter of seconds, we were heading for the dance studio on the edge of town. I pulled into an empty spot and helped Cady and Charlie out.