Darryl yanked open the truck door, startling Wayland who had dozed off.
“Go, go, go!” Darryl shouted. “Floor it.”
Wayland pulled himself together, and for once obedient, peeled the truck out of the parking lot, not slowing down until they were out of the town and well on their way back to Nevis.
“What happened?” he finally got the time to ask.
“One less asshole in the world–make that two,” Darryl said with satisfaction, removing his gloves.
“Jesus Christ, you killed him? How the fuck do we get any money now?”
“Fuck the money, he was never going to ante up. It was a business decision.”
“I thought we was getting rid of that bassard at the inn. How the hell does this help?” Wayland grumbled.
“Left the gun.”
“Left the gun. You mean that’s the gun that he…”
“Sure is. We’ll see how that ass of his likes jail. It’s for sure there’ll be plenty there wanting it. Drop me off at Mama’s. I think I’ll take a vacation up to the cabin.”
“And what about me? What if they got a tag number?”
“That’s your concern,” Darryl said. “Stay or go, ain’t nothing to me.”
“Goddamn.”
* * * *
For the rest of the trip, Wayland brooded over his options. None of them seemed very optimistic. If they hadn’t got his tag number… He’d wait and see, he was good at waiting. For the first time he began to wish his so called friend hadn’t dragged him into this mess.
The truck turned off the main road onto a secondary road that was barely there. The highway settled back into its normal nighttime silence, until a cricket chirped nervously. Another answered, but when that conversation was over, silence reigned again.
Chapter 22
Reese was glad to see Cas, almost pathetically so. As he put it, when a damn messed up ankle forced him to stay put in one place and he was surrounded with fucking morons, even a questionable idiot like Cas was welcome. However, he had a bone to pick.
“I thought you was so damn big on finishing what you started,” he growled. “And then you and Sunny go running off leaving the cleanup. Didn’t even give me a heads up. Father Yuri come by to tell me.”
Cas merely raised an eyebrow.
“Heard you done some singing.” Reese came at it from another angle. “Martha said you were pretty damn good.” Actually, Martha had said Cas sounded like an angel from heaven and she could have listened to him forever. No need to give the boy an inflated ego, though.
“And then Sadie Morrow come by looking for you. She’s lusting after you boy. You’d best watch out.”
Cas looked uncomfortable. “I’m sure you’re wrong. I don’t even know the lady.”
Reese laughed. “Hell, you don’t have to know her. She ain’t lusting after your scrawny body. She’s lusting after your voice. She’s the choir director and she’s wanting you for her choir. And then you and Sunny just flat disappeared. Thought it sorta strange.”
“Why don’t you come right out and ask? You got a right, you’re about the only relative Sunny has.”
“Thought maybe you’d be telling me of your own accord,” Reese said.
“All right then, I’m in love with your niece. I plan to marry her one day when I can afford to. And yes, we disappeared. We were together. I don’t think either of us need your permission for that, Reese, and I hope it won’t come between our friendship. Because I won’t give her up.”
“Shit, I don’t tell Sunny what to do,” Reese exclaimed, completely forgetting all the times he had tried.
“There’s just one thing, Reese. It’s why I came to talk with you. And Sunny can’t know.”
“Keeping secrets from the little woman already, uh?” Reese quipped. But he sobered when Cas didn’t smile. “What is it, Cas?”
They sat at Reese’s kitchen table, while Cas told Reese about his father’s visit. Then he had to backtrack to try to explain the unexplainable–why a father would treat his only son so. Reese listened without interruption, only getting up several times to replenish their beers.
By the time Cas finished, he’d downed two beers without fully realizing it. He had a little buzz going, but Reese was unaffected.
“That slimy son of a bitch,” Reese exploded. “There ain’t no excuse for such goings on. Bastard needs his balls cut off, that’s what. Son…” He laid a hand on Cas’s shoulder. “Did he rape you?”
Cas looked uncomfortable. “No, he didn’t, and looking at it from where I am now, I don’t know why. Except I think it might have had more to do with my mother than me.”
“Could be you’re right,” Reese agreed, “and the bassard’s probably right about nailing him for murder. Well then,” he continued briskly. “What we need to do is get together some samples of your writing. Don’t suppose you signed a contract with Sunny?”
“No, everything was sort of under the table. I didn’t want any record of me being here, not at that time anyway.”
“So we’ll sign us some sort of contracts now and I’ll witness ’em. That oughta put a knot in their yarn. Can you work that damn computer?”
It turned out neither one of them had very good computer skills, and since Cas had just finished up his third beer, he was feeling no pain. Somehow they put together a couple of documents that could have stood as good examples of bad English and even worse spelling. One locked him into putting in a vegetable garden for Reese’s kitchen, the other spelled out his other duties at the inn. They had a heated argument over what constituted “eminent domain,” a phrase Reese remembered from his army days.
“What’s it mean?” Cas asked, squinting ferociously.
“Damned if I know. I seen it on some papers somewhere and it sounds all legal and such. We leave it in.”
“You can’t put in words you don’t understand,” Cas argued. “Damn, Reese, what’d you put in those beers? I’m seeing two of everything.”
“How the hell can you be drunk? You only had a few.”
“I got better use for my money, like food and a good pair of boots. Don’t drink ’cause I can’t afford it.”
“You can now. Man up, Martin. This’ll blow their socks off, plus it’ll be a good example of your writing. You do write, don’t you?”
“Of course I write,” Cas said indignantly. “But that word…how can I sign something I don’t understand? Gotta be careful, you know. Maybe it means I’ll have to plant onions for you the rest of my life.”
“You’re full of shit. Just sign the damn thing. It’s the signature that’s important.”
“I trust you, Reese. I do.” Cas staggered as he rose from his chair, and almost fell on his ass. “Reese, I seem to have a problem here. Would you very kindly get the paper from the printer?”
“Don’t know what the younger generation’s coming to,” Reese muttered, reaching over and grabbing the printout. “Can’t hold their damn liquor. Here, put your John Hancock to this.” He thrust the paper under Cas’s nose.
Cas had managed to crawl back into his chair. He signed with a flourish and Reese witnessed with an even bigger flourish.
“There, it’s done,” Reese said. He eyed Cas critically. “That’s it for you, moo-chacho. Time for bed.”
The only response was a blank stare. Reese sighed. Grunting with effort, he managed to maneuver Cas out of the chair and over to the couch.
“Gotta get a blanket,” he said. “Got one somewhere around here.”
Cas bounced once as Reese dropped him, but he seemed grateful to be in a prone position, even if it was only his top half. He was almost asleep when Reese returned.
“Damn, is this what it’s like to have kids?” Puffing a bit, he got Cas’s legs up on the couch and proceeded to remove his boots then set them neatly on the floor. He stood a minute, studying his unexpected guest. Cas looked so damn young, so innocent, something he could never be after all he’d been through. That asshole father of his needn’t
think he could pull his dirty tricks while Reese Graham was on duty. He had Cas’s back, by God, and that meant something.
He shook out the blanket and spread it over the inert body. Cas was starting to make snoring noises. Reese bit back a smile.
“Kids are so much trouble,” he sighed, patting the top of Cas’s head. He reached over to turn off the lamp. His arm was caught in a tight grip. “Don’ tell Sunny,” Cas murmured, still half asleep. “He’ll use it. He’ll hurt her. Don’ tell Sunny.”
“Quit worrying, son,” Reese soothed. “I ain’t telling Sunny a damn thing. It’s between you and me. We’ll see ’er through, you can bet on it.”
Cas smiled and closed his eyes again.
“Try not to fall off the damn couch,” Reese said gruffly. There was no response. “Damn, boy, you’re gonna hate yourself come morning. I well remember what it’s like. Gotta toughen up.” He gently drew the blanket over Cas’s shoulders. “You’re too damn nice, that’s the problem. Attracts assholes like ants to sugar. Gotta get you full of piss and vinegar, get that bullseye off your back. You sleep while you can. Tomorrow’s gonna be a hell of a day, one of those ‘wish I were dead’ kind of days.”
He switched off the light, this time with no interruptions, and limped back to the kitchen for another beer
* * * *
Pounding on the door early the next morning jerked Cas out of a deep sleep. He lay flat on his stomach with one arm and leg hanging to the floor and the blanket bunched up under his neck and chest. His head was killing him and he wanted to punch whatever was making that God awful noise. It was difficult to get himself coordinated enough to do anything about it, so he groaned instead.
“Goddamn it, hold your horses, I’m coming.” Reese sounded pissed, and who could blame him if his head felt like Cas’s? Scrabbling sounds at the door, a murmur of voices and then Reese led Ennis into the living room. Cas had finally managed to sit up and was sincerely regretting it.
He sat hunched over with his head in his hands and wished he were unconscious again. His mouth tasted like a cess pool, his head was pounding to an unknown beat and his shirt, already into its second day, was wrinkled and sweaty. He could smell himself and he wasn’t happy. He wasn’t happy at all.
“Sorry to barge in on you when you’re feeling poorly,” Ennis began, shifting his weight uncomfortably from foot to foot. “Official business. Come to see if Reese knew where you was, and damned if it wasn’t here.”
“What the fuck you want, Ennis?” Reese growled. “We got us a situation here.”
“I got a situation too, and I hate it, but I got to be doing my job.”
“What is it, Sheriff?” Cas asked, feeling tired to his bones. “I promise I haven’t stolen anything, not recently.”
“Can I sit?” Ennis asked. Without waiting for an answer he lowered himself into Reese’s big recliner. “I bin keeping an eye on you,” he said to the lamp to Cas’s left. He paused, muttered “damn,” and moved his gaze to Cas’s face. “I bin keeping an eye on you,” he repeated.
“You said you would.” Cas nodded, not really caring. “Oh shit,” he groaned. Reese got quietly to his feet and disappeared into the kitchen.
“I bin keeping an eye on you and I got to say, right up front, that I was wrong ’bout you. You ain’t no hustler, you work hard and I ain’t had no complaints. Now then, I said that to be saying this. I ain’t after you, but I got to take you in, son.”
“You’re arresting me?” Cas lifted his head in surprise, headache forgotten. “He didn’t waste any time, did he?”
“Don’t know about that and don’t know who ‘he’ is, but it’s my sad duty to be telling you your daddy’s dead and the Eufala po-lice, in their bounteous wisdom, says I got to detain you for questioning. The sumbitches seem to think you’re a flight risk.”
Cas stared at him unbelievingly. “He’s dead? He was just here…how can he be dead?”
Reese limped out of the kitchen, a glass of water in one hand and a bottle of aspirin in the other. “What the fuck you saying, Ennis?”
“I thought I said it clear enough. This boy’s daddy’s been murdered and I got orders to be holding him. Jefferson county jail’s overcrowded, that’s where he should be since the incident happened in Eufala, so I talked Sherriff Barnes into letting me keep him here. I know you don’t think so much of me, Reese, but I want this boy to know I’ll be doing everything in my power to be finding out who’s framing him. I don’t even need to be asking. I know he was framed.”
“When’d all this go down?” Reese asked.
“Last night, round about two in the a-m.”
“Cas was here with me,” Reese declared, his jaw thrust out belligerently.
“I believe you. I seen him on the couch my own self, didn’t I? But what they’ll be asking is, was he here all night? Could he of snuck out on you? What time you all call it quits for the night?”
“Damned if I know.” Reese sounded confused. “But it don’t matter anyway, he’s got no wheels.”
“He’s got access to wheels, your jeep and Sunny’s truck. And they got probable cause. Way I hear it, some flunky belonging to the deceased been singing his head off about our boy here. Nighttime meetings and hating his daddy and words said and such. Him being a wandering man–you can understand their concern.
“Quit fighting it, Reese. We got to go through the motions. Until they see their mistake. They do say they got a gun with prints. We’ll know more when they run ’em. First thing we got to do,” he said to Cas, “is take your prints. I’m asking you to come quietly, I don’t want to cuff you and I won’t if you give me your word there’ll be no trouble.”
Cas rose to his feet.
“I need to change. I need to get clean. God, I need to see Sunny.”
“Can’t do it, son, I’m sorry. You’re to talk to no one until Eufala has its turn at you.”
“Jesus Christ, is that legal?” Reese demanded, furious.
“I expect so or they wouldn’t be doing it. They won’t jeopardize their case. Course, you know how my memory is, Reese. Could be I’ll forget to pass that on to my deputies. You tell Sunny she can see him at the jail.”
Cas looked at Reese. “Break it to Sunny gently. We’ve come to…an understanding.”
“Hell, the whole damn town knows you two been heading for an ‘understanding,’” Ennis said. “Glad to see it finally happened. Maybe Ida’ll leave me be now. You go get yourself clean, I can be letting you do that before we go. I can’t let you go back to your cottage. They’ll be wanting to search it. Don’t know why. Crime took place in Eufala, but that’s Eufala for you. Waste of manpower.”
“Bathroom’s this way, Cas. Clean towels in the cupboard and you can use one of my shirts ’til we can get yours. Oh, and there’s a new toothbrush in the drawer, still in its box.”
Cas gave him a questioning look and Reese became defensive. “Well hell, certain people with sisters need some privacy. Thought it might be here.”
Cas nodded. “Good luck with that.”
He stepped past Reese, who thrust the water and aspirin at him. Once in the bathroom, he slowly unbuttoned his shirt, staring at his reflection in the mirror. His emotions seemed numbed; he wasn’t quite sure how he should feel. One thing was for sure, though.
Even dead, his father still wrapped his tentacles around him and was determined to bring him down.
Chapter 23
Sunny slept late that day, something she hadn’t done since Jim’s death. Half awake, she reached over to the other side of the bed, to find it cold and empty. The feeling of desolation that rose up was all out of proportion. Cas was not gone, not like Jim, not permanently. She would see him shortly, if she could manage to shift her lazy self out of the bed.
The sheets smelled of him and their loving, as she imagined she did too. She felt a thrill of expectation at the thought, at the knowledge that it would happen again. She wanted him here with her. She wanted to wake up with him beside her, to
touch and cuddle into, to kiss good morning, and maybe more. She’d never minded morning sex. She thought it a great way to start the day, and Cas was depriving her of it with his stubbornness. She must have been crazy to agree to live apart. There was so much more to being a couple than just the coupling.
She’d have another ‘discussion’ with him, she decided, as she forced herself out of the bed. Grabbing a clean set of underwear, she padded down the hall to the bathroom. A shower was necessary. It would wash his scent from her body, which saddened her, but it would be fun getting it reapplied. Sunny felt almost giddy, like a young girl again, in love and with a bright future ahead of her.
She caught a glimpse of herself in the full length mirror on the back of the bathroom door as she closed it. Slowly she turned around and studied her body, trying to see it through Cas’s eyes.
Her hair was down, not too disheveled from sleep, softening her angular face. She considered her hair one of her better features. It was thick and healthy, a dark blond with natural streaks of sun kissed flaxen. Maybe she’d start wearing it down, get it cut a bit, get some style into it. Lila would love to get hold of her hair. She’d been going on about it forever.
Her eyes were too pale, in her opinion. She was afraid they just faded away into her face. She’d always wanted deep blue eyes like Jim’s. Her long lashes were too light to bring them out. Maybe she’d try a bit of makeup, just a bit, some mascara perhaps. She’d seen no use for it, stuck back in her office as she was most days. Now she had someone to care about, someone she wanted to look her best for. She’d ask Brenda. She knew all there was to know about makeup and she was their local Avon lady in her spare time. Brenda would do right by her.
Her gaze lowered to her shoulders and breasts. Well, it could be worse, she supposed. Her shoulders were straight and softly rounded with delicate hollows delineating her clavicles. Her breasts were average, neither too large nor too small, and tipped with small, light brown nipples. She turned sideways and was pleased to see very little droop. They looked natural. They weren’t great globes of perkiness high on her chest like in magazines, but then, they were all hers. She ran her hands over them and watched the areola tighten. Yes, she could see why Cas liked her breasts.
Song of Life Page 17
