Time To Hunt

by David Archer

  “And what about what she did to Sarah?” Marco asked. “We just gonna let that slide?”

  “Hey,” Sarah interrupted. “I trust Noah’s judgment. If he thinks she can be an asset, then I’m behind him on it.” She looked at Noah. “Just don’t ever expect me to have to deal with her personally. I’m afraid my inner Noah might come out and decide to rip her head off.”

  “I doubt either of us will ever have to deal with her at all,” Noah said, “unless she makes a big mistake.”

  The two men grumbled for a moment, but Sarah shushed them. “Now,” she said, “what about this mission? Where do we stand on it?”

  “I’m ready to execute,” Noah said. “I thought about it on the way back, and there’s no reason to put it off. I’ll go see Morgan in the morning and try to get him to call a meeting of everyone we identified as a target. As soon as we can be certain they’re all together, I’ll detonate.”

  “Damn,” Neil said. “This will be the biggest one yet.”

  “Yes, but it’s necessary. Strangely enough, it was Monica who actually made me understand just how necessary it is. My only concern is to try to minimize any collateral damage. Some of these people have children, and I’d hate for them to be caught in the blast.”

  Sarah reached across the table and laid her hand on his. “I almost wish there was another way to shut him down,” she said. “Some of these were probably good people, once, but I can tell you from past experience that money can corrupt anybody. I saw what it did to my dad, and it was even getting to me by the time I got busted. I loved having the money to do anything I wanted to do, and I didn’t care what I had to do to get it, so I can sort of sympathize with some of these people.”

  Noah looked at her for a moment, then squeezed her hand. “I don’t know how to sympathize,” he said, “but I understand what you’re saying. The problem is that these people, if I let them live, might have the wherewithal to resurrect the Morgan Mafia. This organization needs to be shut down, and it needs to be shut down now.”

  “Then we do it,” Marco said. “Simple as that. What do you want me to do, boss? Hell, I didn’t even get to play my Cajun part properly, not yet.”

  “You and I will go to Morgan’s in the morning,” Noah said, “just as if nothing was going on. I’ll give him some BS about the liquor operation I was supposedly working on and then suggest that we need to get everyone together for a meeting. As soon as we know when and where, I’ll start planning for the execution.”

  “Okay. What about after?”

  “After a blast like this, it’ll be pretty obvious that something went down. Feds will be coming in to round up the dirty cops and prosecutors, and I’m sure the state investigators will get involved, as well. It probably wouldn’t be wise for me to show my face around here after it all goes off, because there will be plenty of people who were dependent on Morgan who are going to be extremely pissed that the gravy train has come to an end. Last thing I need is one of them trying to put a bullet in me out of revenge, so I think Neil and Sarah should pack up and head out before it happens.” He turned to Sarah. “How much stuff will you need to pack?”

  “Not really that much,” she said. “Most of the stuff we brought with us was actually from Supply. My own real personal stuff will fit into one big suitcase.”

  “I can’t leave the printer behind,” Neil said, “or my computer, of course. I only brought one bag of clothes, but the printer is a big item.”

  “That’s not a problem,” Sarah said. “Everything will fit in the back of the Explorer. Should we go ahead and start packing now?”

  “Not just yet,” Noah replied. “We don’t want to take the risk of tipping anyone off about what’s going on. If they see us preparing to leave town, it could blow the whole operation.”

  The four of them sat at the table and looked at one another for a moment, and then Sarah took a deep breath. “Well,” she said, looking around the kitchen. “This was kind of nice while it lasted.”

  “It’s a nice little house,” Noah said. “Once Morgan is gone, this will probably be a pretty decent little town again. Somebody will want this place.”

  “I wish we could keep it,” she said softly. “It would be a great place to retire to, someday.”

  Noah checked himself just before commenting that they would probably never live long enough to retire. To him, it was simple logic; to Sarah, the thought would be devastating.

  “It’s a nice thought, anyway.” He took out his phone and dialed Morgan’s number. The man answered after only a couple of rings.

  “Rex? That you?”

  “It’s me, Jimmy,” Noah said. “I just got back in, and I’m pretty beat. Mind if I just get with you in the morning?”

  “Normally, I’d say that’s fine,” Morgan said, “but something’s come up. Can you get on out here now? I won’t keep you very long, but we need to talk.”

  “Yes, sir,” Noah said. “I’ll be there in just a few minutes.” He disconnected and looked at Sarah and the guys. “Morgan says there’s something happening and that we need to talk.”

  “Oh, God,” Sarah said. “What if he’s found out you’re not who you’re supposed to be?”

  Noah thought about it for a couple of seconds, then shook his head. “I think he wouldn’t have waited till I got back,” he said. “The way he operates, he probably would have sent someone out here to try to grab you, put me at a disadvantage. I’ll go see what he wants, but I don’t think it’s anything that’s going to blow up in my face at the moment.”

  He got up and walked out the door, then opened the driver’s door on the Charger and got in. He fired up the engine and backed around into the driveway, then headed out to the road.

  When he pulled up at Morgan’s house, he was surprised at the number of cars parked close to it. There were six men standing outside in the front, and he could see a few more on the south side. He got out of the car and walked toward the house, paying careful attention to the men who were obviously on guard duty.

  One of them was Shawn, and he gave Noah a mock salute. “Sure glad you’re here,” he said softly. “I don’t know if you’re going to be able to fix what’s going on, but the boss is having fits in there. Scott says he needs you to come straighten it all out.”

  Noah gave him a nod and walked up the steps. When he knocked on the door, it was Scott Forney who opened it, rather than Marlene.

  “Thank goodness you’re here,” Forney said. “We got a big problem, and Jimmy says he needs you to figure a way to sort it out.”

  “What’s the problem?” Noah asked.

  Forney looked nervous. “It’s Ralphie,” he said. “You know, there’s some things you just don’t do, even when your daddy is the most powerful man in the whole state, you know?”

  Noah let out an exasperated sigh. “What now?” he asked.

  Forney shook his head, a scowl on his face. “You know he was dating the mayor’s daughter, right? Well, I guess some high school jock decided he wanted to get into her pants, and Ralphie found out about it. He gave us the slip this afternoon and went after him, and now I guess the kid’s turned up dead. He was the star of the football team, and the whole damn town is in an uproar. Sheriff called Jimmy a couple hours ago and said he’s got no choice but to arrest the kid.”

  Noah stared at him for a couple of seconds, then turned and headed toward the dining room, where he could hear a number of voices speaking loudly. Ralph was sitting at the table, his head down and his hands clenched between his knees, while Jimmy was standing over him.

  “Everything I built, everything I’ve done to try to make life better for you than it was for me, you may have done thrown it all away,” he shouted. “And for what? Some little tramp who let you get her pants down? How many times have I told you, boy, women ain’t nothing but trouble. You find one, you keep her till she’s used up, and then you kick her ass to the curb and get another one. If she goes out and plays around on you, just count yourself lucky that you
found out and move on to the next one.”

  “But, Pa,” Ralph said, but he didn’t get a chance to say any more. Jimmy backhanded him across his left cheek.

  “Don’t you ever say ‘but’ to me, you little son of a bitch! I am the one who tells you how it’s going to be—you don’t get a say in anything until I tell you so. You got that?” Jimmy looked up and saw Noah, and the rage in his eyes toned down slightly. “Thank God you’re here,” he said. “Rex, I screwed up when I took you off Ralphie. This stupid little bastard has done gone and messed up everything.”

  “I heard a little bit,” Noah said. “Somebody’s dead, I heard. Who is it?”

  “Dave Pritchett,” Morgan said. “Just the freaking star quarterback of the football team, that’s all.”

  Noah glanced down at Ralph, but the boy was keeping his eyes on the tabletop. He looked back up at Morgan. “Jimmy, did Ralph kill the boy?”

  Instead of answering, Jimmy turned and backhanded Ralph again. “Open your mouth and speak, boy,” he yelled. “Answer the man.”

  Ralph raised his face, and Noah saw the tears streaming down his cheeks. “I—I—I didn’t mean to,” he said. “I just told him to stay away from Darlene, and he started yelling about who did I think I was, and then he threw a punch at me, and then I went to hit him back—and the next thing I knew he was down and there was blood, like, everywhere. I tried to make sure he was okay, but he didn’t answer, he didn’t even look like he was breathing, so I just got out of there and ran. I got to a gas station, and then I called Scott and he came and got me…”

  “Do we know for sure that the boy is dead?” Noah asked.

  “Oh, he’s dead all right,” Morgan said. “Sheriff called a couple hours ago. This all happened out behind the high school, and a half-dozen kids found him as they were trying to cut class. Cops went to check it out, and it seems like half the school claims they saw Ralph and this kid go out behind the football stadium.” He shook his head. “And if that wasn’t enough, the kid apparently tore the pocket on Ralph’s jacket, where he kept his wallet. They found it right beside the body.”

  “Okay,” Noah said, “then we’ve got to figure out how to handle the situation. What did the sheriff say?”

  “He says the whole town is screaming for blood, and it’s Ralph’s blood they want. He said he’s got to come and arrest my boy, but there’s no way in hell I’m gonna let that happen.”

  Noah looked at the man for a moment, then turned back to Ralph. “Was anyone else with you when this happened?”

  Ralph shook his head. “Was just me and him,” he said. “All I wanted to do was tell him to back off. I didn’t mean none of this to happen.”

  Noah stared at the boy for a couple of minutes and was surprised that no one else bothered to speak the entire time. When he felt he had pushed the limits of Morgan’s patience, he looked the man in the eye. “The way I see it,” he began slowly, “we’ve only got two options. One—and hear me out, you’re not going to like this—we let the sheriff take him in and put him in a cell for tonight, then we find someone else to pin the killing on. Number two…”

  “Hell, no,” Morgan yelled. “They get my boy in the jail, with the whole town out to hang him, we’ll be finished around here. I’ve had the sheriff in my pocket for years, but if enough of these people want me shut down so Ralph can go up for murder, he’s gonna be looking out for himself. Next thing we know, feds will be all over this place and we’ll all go down.”

  “Not if we can convince everyone that someone else did it,” Noah said. “Maybe even make it look like a deliberate frame-up. If you can give me a name of someone that’s expendable, I guarantee I can make it look like that’s what happened.”

  Morgan stared at him, his face still red with anger. “What’s the other option?”

  “Your only other option is to stand your ground,” Noah said. “Call in everybody you’ve got and get ready for war. It won’t save Ralph, though, and it’ll probably bring down the very feds you’re worried about now. I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but you pay me to be blunt with you, right?”

  Morgan stood there, one hand on the back of Ralph’s chair and the other clenched into a fist. He kept silent for several seconds, then suddenly slapped Ralph up the back side of his head. “Damn you, boy,” he said. He looked up at Noah again. “You absolutely sure you can find somebody else to pin this on?”

  “Just tell me who,” Noah said. “I’ll go get him and make sure there’s evidence pointing his direction.”

  “And how you gonna do that? Cops are all over the place where it happened.”

  Noah gave him an evil grin. “Just trust me,” he said. “I can handle this.”

  Morgan watched him for a couple more seconds, then narrowed his eyes. “You done something like this before?”

  Noah shrugged. “Remember I told you they never could figure out who killed that DEA agent?”

  Morgan sat down at the table and put his elbows on it, resting his face in his hands. “Rex, this boy is all I got. If you can’t pull this off, he’ll go down for murder and we’re probably all headed for prison, somewhere. If the sheriff turns against me, every other cop in the region is gonna follow him.”

  “Which is exactly why we’ve got to help the sheriff save face. If we don’t, it’s all going to fall apart. If we do, then he’s going to be so deep into you that he can’t possibly let anything go wrong.”

  Morgan leaned back in his chair and dropped his hands to his lap, then looked at his son. “You understand what’s going on here, boy?”

  Ralph nodded his head but said nothing.

  “Ralph,” Noah said, taking a seat beside the boy, “here’s the way it would go down. Your dad calls the sheriff and tells him it’s okay to come pick you up, because we’re certain that we can prove your innocence. When they get here, you go with them peacefully and you keep your mouth shut. No matter what they say, no matter what they do, you don’t say a single word. Understand me?”

  Once again, Ralph nodded.

  “What about a lawyer?” Morgan asked. “Should I get one now for him?”

  “No, not yet. If you do, that makes everyone around here think Ralph must be guilty, so we want everyone to see that you’re not the least bit worried about that. Once the sheriff picks him up, you should go out to dinner, go have a few drinks. Let people see you laughing about this and talking about how stupid the sheriff is going to feel when the truth comes out tomorrow. A lot of this is about perception, and the story going around right now is that Ralph is a monster of some sort. You need to get out there and start changing the story. If people see you acting unconcerned, most of them are going to think you know something they don’t. That’s exactly what we want them to think, because that will cause rumors to spread, rumors that maybe Ralph didn’t do it, after all.”

  Morgan clenched his jaw a couple of times but then finally nodded his head. “Okay, we’ll play it your way. But, Rex, if this goes sour…”

  “It won’t. Trust me, Jimmy, I know what I’m doing here. Now, you got a name for me?”

  Morgan looked around the room, as if searching for an answer. “I don’t know,” he said. “Scott? Any ideas?”

  Forney was leaning against the wall, but now he stood up straight. “What about Pete Wesley? He’s a punk and a drunk, and he’s always getting into some kind of trouble.”

  “Yeah, but what would he be doing behind the high school?” Morgan asked. “We need somebody who wouldn’t be considered out of place, there.”

  “He hangs out there, sometimes,” Forney said. “He’s been known to supply booze and pot in exchange for a little bit of sweet young thing.”

  “That’s perfect,” Noah said. “This guy ever been known to be violent? Especially with his hands?”

  “He’s beat up a few people,” Morgan said. “But don’t you think somebody would have noticed if he was hanging around the high school, today? He’s about thirty years old, and he’s been around here
his whole life.”

  “That’s not a problem,” Noah said. “Where does he work? What kind of stuff is he into?”

  Forney looked at Morgan, then turned to Noah. “He doesn’t have a regular job,” he said. “Just mows lawns and does odd jobs. He’s on disability or something and gets food stamps. Drinks, and I mean a lot. Now and then he decides to get stoned, especially if there’s any girls around, and he’s been known to use meth.”

  “He’ll do,” Noah said. “Scott, take a couple of your boys and go find him. Load him up and head for my place, and then give me a call. I need to have a chat with him as soon as possible.” He turned to Morgan as Forney turned and walked out the door. “You need to make that call to the sheriff, Jimmy. Tell him that you found out what’s really going on, and you’ll make arrangements for him to know tomorrow. Tell him it’s okay to come and get Ralph, because you’ll be able to prove he didn’t do it.”

  “And you want me to act like I’m cheerful about this, right?”

  “No, you can be as mad as you want,” Noah answered. “Your position is that you are putting up with this only because you want to see the truth come out and justice done. It doesn’t matter how many people around here know the truth about you, everybody wants to believe that the people with the power have their best interests at heart. If you are cooperating, that makes it look like you are out to protect everybody else, not just your son.”

  Morgan shook his head again, but then he nodded. “Okay,” he said. “I’m trusting you on this, Rex.” He took his phone out of his pocket and called the sheriff, and Noah was amazed at how skillfully he pulled off his act.

  Noah turned to Ralph. “Tomorrow, as early as I can arrange it, the sheriff is going to be handed a new suspect. He’s probably going to ask you a few questions, like how this guy got hold of your wallet. The only thing you say when he asks that question is that you ran into him yesterday, but that’s all you know. You didn’t know your wallet was missing until you heard they found it near the body. You got that?”