what was i made for, walker

007. reopening

The family are sitting at the dining table and Cordell walks up. 

"Cordell?" Bonham calls.

"Yeah." Cordell clears his throat. "There's no easy way to say this. Um... Carlos Mendoza, um... is innocent." He informs. Janie looks at her siblings. "He's being released today. Um, Captain James and your Uncle Liam did some digging, and we believe Northside Nation, who you met in Laredo, at that soccer game, Oswald and company. We-- we have reason to believe that they... are involved."

"So, mom's killer is still out there?" August asks.

"And you're... you're what? You're gonna go out there and try to find him?" Stella asks.

"It j-just feels like this person is-- is trying to hurt our family." August says. "Dad, are we even safe here?"

"Boy, anyone step foot on this ranch to do you harm, they better bring their rosary." Bonham states. "Do you understand what I'm saying?" August nods.

"It feels like you're going hunting." Stella says. "And we're just... we're gonna let you?"

"Stella... I'm not gonna stand idle while he walks free. I can't." Cordell says.

"And if you die doing this? We're just supposed to live with that, too, right?" Janie questions, glaring at him.

"Nothing will happen to me." Cordell says.

"Yeah, well, nothing was supposed to happen to mom either." She snaps back.

"Kids, I'm gonna be here with you all day." Liam promises. "So will Mawline and Gramps." They hear a horn honk.

"I am trying to bring peace to us, bring peace to our family, bring peace... to your mother. It's okay if you don't support that, but... can you understand it?"

Janie's chair makes a loud noise as she quickly stands up and storms out, the door slamming shut.

Stella gets up and follows her sister out, August close behind.

+++

Janie is in the living room when August starts playing the piano.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" She groans.

"August!" Stella yells.

+++

August is playing the piano when Stella goes for his phone after seeing a text from Trevor.

"Hey!" August grabs his phone.

"Give it to me! Come on." Stella says. "Stop!" They end up on the floor, Stella on top of her brother. "Give me the phone, dude! Give it to me!" They wrestle for the phone.

August knocks her off of him and sits on top of her.

"Stop being such a jerk!" Stella groans.

"What are you gonna do about it?" August holds the phone just out of her reach. "You can't--" Stella grabs his neck and pulls him down before getting his arm between her legs and knocking him down, trying to grab the phone.

"Ha!" Janie laughs.

"Okay, okay, okay, I'm tapping. Stella, I'm tapping." August says.

"Hey." Micki calls, walking inside. "What is going on here?" Stella grabs the phone and waves it in August's face, letting him go, the two sitting up.

"Wait, you're not here with bad news, right?" August asks.

"No. Hey, your dad's fine." Micki assures. "But, uh, question still stands. What's going on with you guys?"