by Randy Rawls
“I guess your other attempts at me were the same thing, right?”
“Yeah. That’s some animal you’ve got there. I didn’t know what I’d run into when it jumped on me—ripping, scratching, and making the craziest damn sounds. I got the hell out of there as fast as I could. I musta been two blocks away before I realized it wuz only a damn cat.”
“What about the motel, the night you searched my room?”
“Same night that miserable cat of yours got me. I went to your motel first ’cause I knowed you wuz with Terri. When you pulled into the parking space outside the room, the headlights lit up the room, and I thought sure you prob’ly saw me ducking behind the bed. Don’t know what wuz on your mind but you didn’t come bustin’ in like they do on TV. I had time to get behind the door while you did your super-cop stuff.”
He stopped talking and grinned. “Wish I’da had a video cam. I coulda won first prize on one of them TV shows.”
I blushed.
“I wuz beginning to wonder if I hadda come out after you when you come through the door. You musta heard me or somethin’, ’cause you put up a pretty good fight. Course I kicked yo' ass.”
He gave me his nasty grin again. “When I got that last lick in, and you crashed into the bedpost. Lookin' at you, I figgered you done bought the farm. I was about to make sure when a car pulled up. It spooked me, and I decided I’d better get the hell out of there.”
He looked at me. “You must be a tough sonnafabitch, but your eye looks great. Is that mine?”
I fingered my forehead. “Yeah, it’s yours. What about last night? Your mom thinks you were sound asleep at home.”
“Mom—what an angel she is. You gotta understand she believes sleep cures ever’thin’. When I wuz a kid and got sick, she’d put me to bed under three or four quilts and give me a toddy to make me sleep. Funny thing wuz, it worked. I’d wake up in a bed of sweat, cured from whatever crud I had. Yesterday, she did the same thing, but instead of a toddy, which I’d rather have, she gave me a sleeping pill. I didn’t swallow it.”
“How did you get out without her knowing?”
“Simple. Mom settled down in front of the TV and her favorite show. I went out the window as soon as I seen she wuz occupied. After I missed you in the motel parking lot, I went home and crawled back through the window. Mom never knowed I’d been out. You know, you’re a lucky sonnafabitch. I don’t usually miss what I shoot at, but I missed you twice.”
He had confessed to killing two women in cold blood, incinerating their bodies, and killing Sonny by mistake. Most insulting of all was he’d admitted making two attempts on my life. The way he acted, you’d have thought he was telling me about a Sunday School picnic. I said, “Next, I—”
“Ace, Joey. Are you here?”
TWENTY-FOUR
Terri? What was she doing here? My concentration wavered, and I looked toward the door.
Joey must have been waiting for the opportunity. He was on me like Sweeper—scratching, clawing, and punching like a wild animal. I shoved him back, but as I recaptured my balance, he proved he’d learned the same low-down dirty tricks I used. He tried to knee me in the groin. I saw it coming, and spun. His knee slammed into my thigh causing instant paralysis, then slid into my groin. I dropped, verifying you can see stars indoors.
He grabbed my Beretta and rushed out the door. All I could do was moan.
I heard, “Thanks, sis, you always come through for me.”
I was trying unsuccessfully to get to my feet when Terri arrived at my side. “Are you okay? I’m sorry. Did Joey hurt you? Can I help?”
I didn’t answer any of her questions, not even the last one, although in any other circumstance, I’d have had a double entendre response. I managed to gain my feet and hobbled to the antique chair where Joey had sat. I dropped into it, thankful that our ancestors had been good craftsmen. Through clenched teeth, I wheezed, “I’ll be fine in a couple of minutes, but I’ll pass on the orgy tonight.”
Terri made me feel much better by cupping my face in her hands and kissing me on the lips. “I love you, you stupid jerk, and I’ll make it all better later.”
The cherubs sang again, but I shushed them. She was engaged, plus there was a killer out there.
The pain had diminished to something equivalent to an impacted wisdom tooth. “It’ll have to wait. I gotta go after Joey. He confessed he killed Sheila, Sonny, and Sheila’s lawyer. I can’t let him get away.”
“I’m coming with you,” Terri said. “If Joey did what you say, I have to face him, to find out why.”
I wanted to protest, but one look at Terri’s face convinced me it’d be a waste of time. I rose to my feet and hobbled to the door. “Let’s go then. We gotta get on his trail before he gets out of sight.”
Terri helped me down the stairs and out of the building. By the time we arrived at the Chrysler, I was almost walking upright. If only the pain had gone away.
I looked around and all I saw were darkness and storm clouds. The wind blew and the lightning and thunder were moving closer. “What a time for the weathermen to be right,” I mumbled. “Now we’ll never find him. Get in, I’ll put up the top.”
I opened the door for Terri, then limped around the car, got in the driver’s side, and started the motor.
“I know where he’s headed,” she said. “It’s where he hid when he was young. Head toward Scranton.”
I hit the button to raise the top and thirty seconds later, it was locked in place. I backed up and started out of the parking lot as the storm hit in full fury. It was a typical Texas thunderstorm, a real gully-whomper. Lightning flashed and the rain pounded so hard, I worried about a flash flood. The windshield wipers fought a losing battle.
I drove as fast as I dared, at least ten miles faster than I should have because visibility was near zero. My headlights reflected back into my eyes, unable to penetrate the almost solid wall of water that slammed down. Lightning blinded me, keeping me from adjusting to the darkness. The cracks of thunder were deafening. I hunched over the steering wheel, hoping I didn’t miss the road. The rain dripping through the hole in the top was my reminder as to why I had to keep going. Things could have been worse. There was no hail pounding down, and Terri’s hand on my thigh equalized everything.
“Where do you think he’s headed?” I risked a glance at Terri.
She stared ahead. “Scranton Academy.”
“Huh? There’s nothing there but the remains of the stone walls. Remember our picnic.” I looked toward Terri to see if she was serious, but had to return my full attention to the road when lightning flashed. It was a good thing I did because we were headed into a curve I hadn’t seen coming.
“When Joey was a kid, he and his buddies used to bike out there and play in the old ruins. Later, he went there to hide when he couldn’t take the harassment from the high school bullies anymore, or when he decided to run away from home. He’ll be there.”
I concentrated on my driving as my mind pictured what had been Scranton Academy. I remembered it well from our picnic, although I spent most of that afternoon looking at Terri.
“Hold on.” I twisted the wheel to counteract the slide the car had started into as I stomped the accelerator, praying the wheels would find traction. I’m a firm believer in front wheel drive, and it saved us. The wheels spun, then gripped and pulled us around the sharp curve where State Road 569 turns into 1864. We’d reached Scranton.
“Look,” Terri said.
She pointed toward a pickup truck off the road resting against the trees. From what I could see, it appeared dark with a white racing stripe along its side.
“It’s Joey’s. I’m sure it’s Joey’s. Stop, Ace. Please stop.” Terri’s voice shook.
I slowed to a stop, then backed up. The rain still pounded down, and I couldn’t see much, but it did look like his truck.
Terri jumped out.
“Where the hell are you going?”
“To see if Joey’s in there,” she
yelled over the noise of the storm.
She peered through the window, shading her eyes against the glare of the lightning. After a moment, she returned to the car. “It’s empty. He must have gone on to the academy.”
“You’re nuts, you know,” I said. “Why’d you get out in this storm? He could have been waiting for us.”
“I had to know if he was in there, if he was…” She swallowed hard, not finishing her thought. “The academy’s a ways down there. Watch for the turn-in to the left.”
I eased the car forward, looking around, hoping I’d see Joey before he saw us. He had my Beretta, and I suspected he wouldn’t hesitate to use it.
“Before we go in there,” Terri said, “there’s something I’ve got to tell you. Joey’s not going anywhere. We don’t need to rush. Pull over.”
The urgency and seriousness in her voice compelled me to do what she asked. Once stopped, I said, “Okay, but make it quick. I don’t want him going to ground where I can’t flush him out.”
“You’ve got to know this before you face Joey. I talked to Jake. I had to tell him today. I couldn’t wait any longer. That’s why I was looking for you when I found you with Joey at the hotel.”
Her words struck deep in my psyche, and I reacted without thinking. “Wonderful. You pulled me off a chase for a killer to tell me you talked to your boyfriend? What the hell—”
“Calm down and listen.” The urgency in her voice shut me up, told me she was not to be interrupted.
“I told him I couldn’t marry him. It wouldn’t be fair because I’m in love with another man. That’s why I talked to him—to tell him I’m in love with you.”
Ever heard the expression, You could have knocked me over with a feather. I’m glad she didn’t have one or she could have given me a serious thrashing. I pulled her to me, squishing her rain-soaked clothing against me.
“If this is a trick to get me to back off on Joey, it won’t work. I’m still going to bring him in.” Doubt and hope swirled inside me.
“No trick, Ace. I love you, and we’re going to talk Joey into giving up.”
I quieted her with my lips. A long kiss later, I released her and pulled the car back onto the road.
Love is a miraculous state of being. It can make grouches agreeable—the selfish, unselfish—and the ugly, beautiful. It can make the worst day a beautiful spring morning with flowers blooming and robins circling overhead. That night, it stopped the storm.
With Terri’s declaration, there was a last flash of lightning, followed by its roll of thunder, and the rain stopped. The moon didn’t exactly leap out, but I was satisfied. I inched the car along with the headlights off, expecting to catch up with Joey at any moment. He couldn’t be too far in front of us.
I concentrated on the road and the vegetation alongside. “When this is over,” I said, “we’ll go on a long trip, maybe to the Caribbean where we can explore one another.”
Her reply wasn’t what I hoped for but it would do. “Once Joey’s been judged in a court of law, we’ll take that trip. Until then, you’ll have to accept my love. Joey comes first.”
As I considered a way to convince her otherwise, she pointed. “There’s the turn-in.”
I swung the car in and stopped. The ruins of the academy loomed about fifty yards in front of us, silhouetted against the brightening western sky. All stone, ragged at the top—nothing but broken walls.
“Stay here. Don’t get out until I’ve captured him. I know he’s your brother, but right now he’s a fugitive running from justice. Neither of us knows what he’ll do.”
I climbed out, cursing the courtesy lights as they flashed on, lighting up the area. I dropped to the ground, and rolled, simultaneously slamming the door. I could see the tree we picnicked under silhouetted against the sky so I crawled toward it. I made the tree without incident and squinted at the ruins. Nothing. I couldn’t see anything except the walls. I suddenly had a revelation or whatever they call it. I knew he had my Beretta, but did he keep a rifle in his pickup? I tried to picture his truck as I had followed it into Cisco, but the image I conjured was the flash of his pistol as he fired at me. I should have asked Terri before I’d bailed out of the Chrysler. He was a Texan. I had to assume he had a rifle.
I lay there soaking up rain water from the grass, trying to think of a way to get Joey to reveal himself, or better yet, to convince him to give up. The last thing I wanted was to kill the brother of the woman I loved, the woman who I now knew returned my love and waited in my car for me to do something to save him.
I knew I couldn’t sneak up on Joey if he watched for me, and I was sure he did. I stood and leaned against the tree while trying to think of an approach. I did the only thing I could think of. I yelled. “Joey. Come out, Joey. We need to talk.”
Silence.
“Joey, your best hope is to give yourself up. Even if you get away tonight, somebody else’ll run you down. Talk to me, Joey.”
There was a flash of light and another voice called out. “Joey. Please come out. We want to help you.”
Terri. She was out of the car, there in the darkness somewhere. I cursed under my breath. “Hard headed woman. Why doesn’t she ever listen?”
I heard a noise to my right and dropped to the ground, rolling in that direction. It was Terri scooting across the ground toward me.
“You sure are noisy,” I said. “I’ll quiet you down after this is over.”
“Let me call him again.” Terri called to Joey a second time, but there was still no response. “Poor Joey, he must be terrified.”
What could I say to that? I couldn’t tell her I hoped he was more terrified than I was. I took Joey’s pistol out of my jacket pocket where I’d put it when we were in the museum. “Guess I’m going to have to go get him.” I stood, trying to blend myself into the shadow of the tree trunk. There was still no movement, or none I saw.
I crouched and stepped from behind the tree, taking small steps. I hoped we didn’t get a residual lightning flash. I’d stand out like a nun in the Down Home. I moved toward the ruins.
A shot rang out. I dived and the ground rose and smacked me in the chest and face, leaving me gasping for air. I lay catching my breath and spitting grass. It was a rifle, no doubt about it. I’d been right about his pickup.
While I digested this development, Terri screamed, “No, Joey. No, don’t hurt him. I love Ace. We’re going to get married.”
Her words were music to my ears, and I hoped Joey heard, and wanted me as a brother-in-law. I tried to remember when I’d proposed to her or vice-versa, but gave up. Hey, who cared?
My mouth fumbled at making words, but nothing came out. All I could do was gasp for breath and spit grass. I struggled to my feet and started back to Terri, thinking it would be smart for us to get behind the tree. Joey with a rifle was a whole new game I wasn’t keen on playing. That rifle meant he could make whatever rules he chose.
My breathing returned to normal, and I moved more quickly. As I got to the tree, Terri stood and wrapped her arms around me.
Although our clothing was wet, I felt her warmth flowing into me. I wanted so badly to forget about Joey, to stand there and hold Terri all night—to hold her for the rest of my life.
“Ace, I was so worried. Please don’t—”
Another shot sounded and Terri grunted, then went slack in my arms. I lowered her to the ground, knowing she’d been hit and hoping the opposite. Leaning over her, I whispered, “Terri, where’d you get it? Where’re you hit?”
“Don’t blame Joey.” Terri’s voice was filled with pain. “He didn’t mean it. I love you, and I love him. You’re the two men I hold dearest…” Her voice trailed away.
“What Terri, what? Please talk to me. Don’t quit on me now. Please talk to me.”
Silence. I felt her neck, looking for the carotid artery. There was no motion there, no movement other than my trembling fingers. I realized I’d never told her how much I loved her. “Terri, please hear me. I love you. Pl
ease don’t leave me.”
Knowledge far beyond anything I learned in school told me I wasted my time. Death had claimed Terri.
I lay her on the wet ground and stood, facing the ruins as tears flowed freely. “You son-of-a-bitch,” I screamed. “You hit Terri. She’s dead, Joey. You killed your sister. You killed the woman I love. You’re a dead man, Joey. I'm going to stomp the life out of you.” I was out of control, yelling at the top of my lungs, yelling so loud it hurt my throat. I ran toward the ruins, squinting, hoping he’d fire again so I could spot his position. Somewhere in my psyche, I knew it was stupid, but I didn’t care.
Joey obliged me. The shot whizzed by my ear as I stepped in a hole and stumbled. I fired three quick shots at the muzzle flash, got up and ran. Another shot rang out, but it was far enough off target I didn’t hear the bullet. I fired again, remembering the old adage, You don’t hear the bullet that has your name on it, or something like that.
I neared the base of the ruins as another shot broke the silence. Dirt kicked up at my feet, and I tried to return fire toward the flash. I heard the click of the hammer against a spent shell. What a time to run out of ammunition. The son-of-a-bitch hadn’t reloaded his pistol. One more thing to take up with him when I got my hands around his throat. Hands, yes that would be much better. Guns were too impersonal. I wanted to kill him with my bare hands. I wanted to feel his life slip away under my fingertips.
I heard a long scream, a thud, then silence. I reached the wall and leaned against it, breathing hard, trying to meld myself into it. In front of me I heard a whimpering, a moaning. I suspended my breathing to hear better.
“Ace, I’m hurt, hurt bad.” It was Joey’s voice, filled with fear and pain, coming from down the wall.
I remembered the thud. “Joey, where are you?” I whispered.
“Over here. The stone is slippery. I fell. I think my back’s broke. I can’t feel my legs.”
“Serves you right, you son-of-a-bitch. You killed Terri. She’s dead, Joey, and I’m going to rip your guts out.”
