The Bone Puzzle

by Clayton E. Spriggs

  “But a confession to a clergyman is protected,” insisted Eustice.

  Robert shook his head. “Look at me, Brother. Go on, take a good look. I’m the only protection you’ve got.”

  “You need to give me some guarantees.”

  Robert laughed.

  “What’s so funny?”

  The smile on Robert’s face disappeared. He leaned forward and whispered, “Nothing. Nothing’s funny. Nothing at all. You want a guarantee? I’ll guarantee you that I’m going to fry every last one of you sons-of-bitches unless you come clean.”

  Brother Eustice remained silent, conflicted in thought. Robert waited. Moments passed before, once again, the preacher pushed his chair back as if he were going to leave.

  “I’m sorry,” said Eustice. “I really am. I’m responsible for the souls of my flock.”

  “I understand,” said Robert. “I can respect that. Don’t say I didn’t warn you though. This was your one and only chance to cut a deal. Once you leave, you and yours are on your own.”

  Eustice’s face flinched. Robert knew he’d struck a nerve, so he pressed further. “Is there something wrong?”

  “No, I mean,” the preacher stammered, “I, I’m sure there’s nothin’ you can do about—”

  “Has anyone threatened you or your family?” Robert asked. “If so, there very much is something I can do about it.”

  “I’m not sure,” said Eustice.

  “Not sure?”

  “It’s just that my boy—”

  “Jeremiah Thomas? I saw him the other day,” Robert stated.

  “No, the other one. Junior.”

  “Oh, yeah. We talked to him several times,” said Robert.

  “You did?”

  “Sure we did. No offense, Mr. Winchester, but he is an odd duck of sorts. He was telling us all kinds of crazy stuff. After awhile, we didn’t know what to believe. Charles Ray said, I mean, it doesn’t matter. I’m not at liberty to discuss it with you, but it’ll all come out eventually anyway.”

  Eustice was speechless.

  “Look, don’t take it to heart,” Robert said with sympathy. “I didn’t get along with my old man, either. But I never went so far as to— Well, like I said, it doesn’t matter.”

  “What are you talkin’ about?”

  Robert shrugged. “I’ve said too much already.”

  “You ain’t said nothin’,” Eustice protested. “You either seen him, or you ain’t.”

  “Is he missing? Would you like to file a missing persons report?”’

  “You said you talked to him. That’s a lie. My boy ain’t never talked to you. You’re playin’ games.”

  “I’m playing games!” Robert exclaimed as if offended. “You come in here saying you know something about a double homicide, but won’t tell me a thing unless I give you unnamed guarantees. Only then, I find out what you’re really in here for is to get help finding your good-for-nothing piece-of-shit spawn.”

  “How dare you! The Lord—”

  “Can it with the Bible talk, Eustice. If you want my help to find your boy, you better drop the bullshit act and play ball.”

  “You got him, don’t you?”

  Robert almost laughed. The preacher was practically foaming at the mouth. What was left of his confidence had abandoned him only minutes into the interrogation. It had taken hours to wear down Jeremiah.

  “You don’t want me to find him,” Robert said, “and you know why.”

  “What?” Eustice was at a loss. “Why?”

  “You said it yourself. I find dead things.”

  “Why, you heartless bastard!” spat Eustice. “That’s my boy you’re talkin’ about. He has a wife and children who need him.”

  “He’s nothing to lose our heads over.”

  Eustice balled his hand into a fist, but caught himself and hit the table instead of the detective. He stood up to leave.

  “I see you’re not going to take me up on my offer,” Robert said. “Just as well. I wasn’t going to offer you a damn thing anyway. You see, I know it was you, Brother. Directly, indirectly, it’s all you. Every last bit of it. You’re going to fry, no matter what. I’m going to see to it personally.”

  Brother Eustice didn’t want to hear any more. He walked to the door and knocked, waiting for one of the deputies to let him out.

  “But I am curious about one thing,” Robert added.

  Eustice pretended he wasn’t listening.

  “How was the show? Was he really amazing and magnificent before you cut him in half?”

  The door opened and Eustice left, his blood boiling with anger. The only thing that had him more worried than his missing boy was the detective. His men had been right. Stallworth was much smarter than they’d given him credit for. No mere mortal could know so much. The man was a demon. He had to be destroyed.

  CHAPTER SEVENTY

  “Where’s your damn brother?”

  Jeremiah jumped. He hadn’t heard the old man come up, and he was shocked that he’d used that kind of language in front of Brandine.

  “I ain’t seen him.”

  “Liar!” Brother Eustice shouted. “The Lord detests lyin’ lips! Tell me where he is!”

  “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

  Brother Eustice swung his walking stick, but Jeremiah was too fast. He backed away from his irate father just in time. It was too bad the lamp and end table weren’t as lucky. The table hit the floor with a thud, and the lamp shattered into a thousand pieces.

  “How dare you quote the good book to me, boy! I know you went off with him in the woods.”

  Brandine was visibly shocked. Jeremiah had sworn to her that he’d avoid his brother, especially when it came to being in a remote location.

  “I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about,” replied Jeremiah, proclaiming his innocence.

  “You went off with him into the woods last Thursday. He told me he was takin’ you—,” Brother Eustice paused. Jeremiah pretended he hadn’t noticed. “Takin’ you out huntin’ for squirrels,” Eustice improvised. “Are you sayin’ you didn’t go?”

  “We were goin’ to, but somethin’ came up,” said Jeremiah.

  “Somethin’ came up? What came up?”

  “I don’t know,” said Jeremiah.

  Eustice swung his staff, but Jeremiah grabbed a cushion off the sofa and used it as a shield.

  “Cut it out! You’re bustin’ up my place!”

  “Quit lyin’!”

  “I ain’t lyin’,” Jeremiah insisted. “Somethin’ came up.”

  “What came up?”

  “It was all my fault,” Brandine spoke up for the first time. “I’m sorry, Papa Winchester. I was havin’, uh, female troubles. I thought it might be the baby. I asked JT to take me to the doctors. I didn’t want to cause no trouble.”

  Eustice turned to the girl. He caught his breath and put his walking stick down. “I’m sorry to hear that, little lady. Is everythin’ okay with the baby?”

  “Yes, sir, I was just bein’ silly. It’s my first child you see and—”

  “No reason to apologize, sweetie. You need to take care of that little one.” Brother Eustice turned back to Jeremiah, but his voice lost the tenderness he’d used with Brandine. “You go find your brother. I need to have a few words with him.”

  “Where am I supposed to find him?” asked Jeremiah

  Brother Eustice raised his staff but stayed his hand. He glared at his youngest son. “Figure it out, and do it quick. We got a new mission to discuss.”

  Eustice nodded to his daughter-in-law, leaving the trailer in shambles. Once he was gone, Brandine turned to her husband.

  “I thought you promised me you’d stay away from Junior.”

  “I tried, but he insisted. He forced me.”

  “What did you do?” Brandine asked, afraid of the answer she knew was coming.

  “Never you mind. I did what I had to do. You heard what my paw said, don’t you see?”

  “What do yo
u mean?”

  “Paw sent him, Brandine. Paw sent him.”

  “Sent him to do what?”

  “We weren’t goin’ to hunt squirrels. I was the squirrel. Don’t you get it? Paw sent Junior to kill me.”

  Stallworth had warned him about his older brother. He knew what was up as soon as they set out. Squirrel hunting? As if. He played along, amazed at how well Junior covered up his true intentions. It didn’t matter. He hadn’t been fooled. As soon as the opportunity came, he pulled the trigger. Junior tried to beg. It was unbecoming. He pleaded and promised all kinds of things. Jeremiah didn’t fall for it. Now, his father had confirmed his suspicions.

  “What? That’s crazy. Why would he do that?”

  Brandine felt sick. She’d known the truth ever since the detective showed up, but swore to herself it wasn’t true. When JT came home smelling like a whore, she ranted and raved and accused him of seeing another woman. She threw him out of the house, only to let him back in the next day. She knew in her heart that he hadn’t messed around on her, but she preferred that lie to the truth.

  “I didn’t want to do it,” Jeremiah started to cry.

  “It’s okay, baby. I’m so sorry.” Brandine took her husband in her arms. She hated Junior, but couldn’t fathom how horrible it must have been for a man to have to kill his own brother—self-defense or not. “I know how much you loved him.”

  “No, not Junior, not Junior!” cried Jeremiah. “I didn’t want to kill that girl.”

  Brandine held her husband and closed her eyes. They wept together for all that was lost and all that would be lost still. There was no more pretending.

  “What are we goin’ to do?” Jeremiah asked. “What are we goin’ to do now?”

  “That detective.” The words left Brandine’s mouth as if spoken by someone else. “You got to get rid of him.”

  Jeremiah froze. He looked at the young woman he’d fallen in love with as if he’d never seen her before. “What do you mean?”

  Brandine looked into Jeremiah’s eyes. Tears no longer fell down her cheeks. Sadness no longer gripped her voice. It had been replaced with a tone as cold as steel as she relayed her cruel instructions. “Get rid of him.”

  PART FIVE:

  RETRIBUTION

  One crime has to be concealed by another.

  Seneca the Younger

  CHAPTER SEVENTY-ONE

  Robert was ushered into Sheriff Fuller’s office as soon as he entered the building. He suspected that something was up when he saw that the parking lot was full. His suspicions were confirmed by the electricity that hung in the air.

  An elderly gentleman with graying hair and a scowl permanently attached to his face was seated in the sheriff’s chair. The sheriff was standing behind the man’s left shoulder, and a young fellow who appeared to be in his early thirties, wearing an impeccable custom made suit, was behind the right shoulder. Dr. Hall and Billy Watts stood in the corner behind them. Robert was left standing alone as if he were facing a firing squad.

  “So this is the detective I’ve been hearing so much about?” the old man seated behind the desk asked.

  “Detective Robert Stallworth,” Sheriff Fuller said, “I’d like you to meet Judge Mason Parker.”

  Robert nodded, but stayed silent. He knew Parker by reputation only, and it wasn’t good.

  “We’ve been getting a lot of complaints about you,” said Parker.

  When the detective offered no comment, the judge continued, “It seems you’ve been harassing the good people of this county with little to show for it. I’m here to tell you, it’s going to stop, and it’s going to stop now.”

  Robert gave no indication that he’d heard a word of what the judge had said.

  “Are you listening to me?”

  “I’m can hear you,” Robert replied after a momentary delay.

  “But you’re not listening,” replied the judge. “I can make one phone call and you’ll be handing out parking tickets by the end of the day.”

  “I doubt that.”

  “What! How dare you? I know the governor personally. Don’t test me, young man.”

  “Who complained?”

  “That’s none of your concern.”

  Robert laughed.

  “Is there something you find amusing? You’re in deep shit, Detective. I’m warning you not to test me.”

  “With all due respect, your honor, you have your job to do, and I have mine.”

  “If you want to keep that job, you’ll listen to what I’m telling you. I’m not someone you want to get on the bad side of.”

  “Neither am I. I’m doing my job, and I’m going to continue to do my job no matter whose toes I have to step on. We have two bodies we’ve fished out of the swamp, and until I lock up the people responsible, I’m not changing a thing.”

  “Three,” the man wearing the suit said.

  “Pardon?” asked Robert.

  “We have three bodies now,” the man replied.

  “This is District Attorney Vaughan,” said the sheriff. “We got an anonymous tip at the crack of dawn. Ricky responded right away and found Eustice Winchester Junior’s remains. He’d been shot.”

  “Multiple times,” Dr. Hall added. “I’ll do the full assessment later, but my first impression is that whoever killed him had a score to settle.”

  Robert glanced at Billy, who nodded in return. It had begun.

  “According to our reports, the deceased father asked for your help in finding his son,” the judge said. “He said that the boy was in danger and begged you to address the situation, yet you laughed at him and refused to help. Is that true?”

  “Something like that,” said Robert.

  “You seem to find this amusing. Care to let us in on the joke?”

  “It’s not amusing, but it’s also not surprising.”

  “And it’s not going to stop there,” said District Attorney Vaughan.

  “Not by a long shot,” Robert replied.

  “Well, let me let you in on a little joke you might not find so funny,” Judge Parker said. “There are rumors that someone put a hit out on you.”

  Robert laughed again.

  “You find that funny?” asked Vaughan.

  “I hate to break it to you, but that’s not the first time,” said Robert. “Billy,” he turned to Watts, “tell them what’s right about it.”

  The men looked at the retired detective.

  “It’s right on schedule,” said Billy.

  “I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing, but it’s not something I want conducted in my county,” Judge Parker said. “I heard about the crap with the pretend Klan rally and arrests, and I have no idea how you got everyone to go along with that.”

  “Yes, you do,” said Robert. Billy winced.

  “Why, I—” the judge protested.

  Robert dared to interrupt the man in mid-sentence, “Tell me, Sheriff. Ricky didn’t happen to find anything else with Junior’s body, did he?”

  “Like what?” asked Fuller.

  “Like two heads,” said Robert.

  Billy looked at Dr. Hall, and they both did their best to suppress a grin.

  “I don’t know what you’re going on about, and I don’t care,” the judge said. “I didn’t come here to nitpick. I came here because we have serious allegations of a dereliction of duty. Someone filed a complaint.”

  “Do you know who killed those girls?” the district attorney asked Robert.

  Judge Parker stewed in anger. He was used to being in control, and this was twice he’d been interrupted. What was worse was that he’d lost the room. No one seemed to care who he was or why he was there. Somehow, that damned detective had shifted the whole conversation.

  “Ask Judge Parker,” said Robert.

  “What?” the judge stammered. The mention of his name snapped him back to attention. “How would I know?”

  Vaughan smiled. Dr. Hall and Watts smiled. Sheriff Fuller smiled. Robert looked at the judge and
raised an eyebrow. Judge Mason Parker hesitated, locked in an internal battle. Moments later, he sighed and the scowl left his face. He sat back in defeat and offered up one name.

  “Brother Eustice Elijah Winchester.”

  CHAPTER SEVENTY-TWO

  “I only wish you’d consulted with me before.”

  Robert and Billy went to the courthouse in Carrollton after their run-in with Judge Parker. The district attorney had insisted on it.

  “We didn’t have enough evidence,” said Robert.

  “You don’t have any from what I can see,” said Vaughan. “Have you gotten anywhere with the interrogations?”

  “It depends on what you mean by anywhere. We’ve gotten somewhere, or else Junior wouldn’t have been murdered.”

  “That’s not going to help us. What’s also not going to help us is if you end up next.”

  “That’s not my intention,” said Robert.

  The lawyer sat back in his leather chair and took a few breaths, deep in thought. After a moment, he continued, “You said something about the heads. Do you think you can find them?”

  “I doubt it,” said Robert. “I suspect that it was Junior who saved them, and he’s no longer able to tell us anything.”

  “Why do you think he had them?”

  “Just a hunch,” said Robert. “They are a strange bunch of miscreants indeed.”

  “Why all the theatrics with the fake Klan arrests? That’s only going to make it more difficult for me when we get to court.”

  “Maybe, maybe not. I’m not finished with that yet.”

  Vaughan leaned forward, intrigued. “Do tell.”

  “And ruin the surprise?”

  The lawyer laughed. “You are a clever one, aren’t you? Judge Parker was outraged. He completely underestimated you. I’m not going to make that mistake, but if I may make a suggestion?”

  “Please do.”

  “Don’t underestimate me. I’m not one of those hillbilly ambulance chasers. I went to Yale.”

  “I could tell by the suit,” said Robert.