Mississippi Blues

by D'Ann Lindun

  Trey leaned over and took hold of Jimmy Ray’s wifebeater tank and twisted it until their noses nearly touched. “I can handle you if you prefer me instead of the Chief. I’ll be gentle since it looks like you’ll fall over if I breathe hard. From the looks of things, someone else didn’t like your act either. Can you take another pounding? Cause I’m fixing to hand one out if you don’t start talking.”

  “I’d suggest you listen to him. We can do it here, or we can go down to the station and you can look Chief Bouché in the face and tell him why his little girl didn’t come home after she left here with you,” Jody shrugged. “Your choice.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” Jerking away so hard his stained tank ripped, Jimmy Ray glared at him. “She was all over me like white on rice so I offered to give her a ride on the old one-legged pony. We went to the lake to fu … ”

  “Watch your mouth,” Trey warned. “My sister is eighteen years old. You’re what? Thirty?”

  “So? You always shag girls the same age as you?” Jimmy Ray smirked.

  “Who Trey dates isn’t the issue,” Jody said, “but who you were with last night is.”

  Jimmy Ray reached for the half-empty bottle of tequila. Jody got to it first and moved the booze out of reach. “Quit stalling.”

  Jimmy Ray sat back and glared at him. “The little bitch has been in here every weekend for the last three-four months letting me see every way she can she wants to get to know me real well. Understand what I mean?”

  Trey made a noise in his throat and Jody shot him a warning glance. “And?”

  “I know underage when I see it, but last night I lost my mind and thought a little tangle with the kitten would be a sweet way to spend the night. We get out to the lake, we’re halfway to the point of no return and the bitch changes her mind and runs off like she’s never seen a dick before. She stranded me out in the woods. I had to walk all the way home with my balls achin’ so bad I could hardly manage.”

  Trey dug his fingers into his palms until they hurt. Hearing his sister called a dirty name by this pond sucker was nearly more than he could stand. If he did it again, Trey figured he might have to teach him some manners. “Lindy did that to your face?”

  Jimmy Ray touched the knot on his head and grimaced. “I guess it wasn’t enough that she left me with blue balls, but she had to try and brain me too.”

  “I’ll not ask you to watch your mouth again,” Trey warned softly. Before Jimmy Ray could react, Trey moved and took him by the back of the neck and squeezed. “Please.”

  “I’m right sorry. The chick left me with aching nuts.” Jimmy Ray grabbed his crotch and grinned at him. “Bet you know how that feels, don’t you?”

  “What’d you do to her to make her hit you?” Trey tightened his hold. This guy was pushing every button he had. “Maybe talk to her the way you’re talking to me?”

  Jody stood near the door and kept watch. “I was wondering that myself.”

  Trey shoved Jimmy Ray’s forehead between his knees and held him there.

  “Nothin’. I’ve told you everything.” Jimmy Ray flailed around, but couldn’t break free. “That chick’s nutty in the head if you ask me. She don’t know her own mind. For all I know, she’s in Jackson or Memphis by now.”

  “Lindy is perfectly sane.” Trey pushed a little harder. “I’ll ask one more time. What did you do to her to make her scared enough to hit you? Did you harm my sister in any way? If you tried to force her you’ll live to regret it.” Trey’s hands shook with effort not to throttle him.

  “No, man.” He struggled like a bass on a line. “I never touched her. I’m the one who’s hurt. Just look at my face.”

  “You’re claiming a tiny little girl gave you those shiners?” Jody asked in disbelief.

  “That’s right. Only because she used a stick.” He put on an innocent tone. “I didn’t do nothin’. When she ran off I followed her. Just wanted to go home and forget the whole thing ever happened, you know? But she hid behind a bush and waylaid me. When I came to I was alone, stranded.”

  Jody raised one eyebrow. “Where exactly did Lindy ditch you?”

  “I don’t know. I wasn’t looking at the trees. The scenery inside the car appealed a lot more. You know what I mean? But, I guess it was out by the old blowout road. I got back on the highway at mile marker twenty-nine.” He twisted in Trey’s grasp.

  “If Lindy was driving, she should’ve been home in less than half an hour. What time did you last see her?” Trey tightened his grip on Jimmy Ray, wanting to strangle him until the guy begged for mercy. He’d seen men broken like that and he longed to demonstrate the technique here.

  Jimmy Ray panted. “I locked this place at two A.M. The drive took about twenty minutes, so I guess the last time I saw the chick was about three.”

  Jody kneeled close to Jimmy Ray’s face. “One question remains, Hunt. Where is Lindy now? What’s your explanation as to why she didn’t come home last night?”

  “How the hell should I know? I told you everything.” For the first time Jimmy Ray sounded a little less sure of himself.

  “How’d you get home again?” Jody prodded.

  “I already told you. I walked, man. The whole way. I climbed in bed about five-thirty this morning.” He pointed to his shoes. “Want to see my blisters?”

  “That’s okay.” Jody made a few notes before he asked, “Anyone see you along the road or come into your place that can corroborate your story?”

  “No. I’m dying here. Let me up.”

  “What happened to Lindy’s Jeep?” Jody asked.

  Jimmy Ray squirmed. “How would I know? She hit me, circled around and took off. She drove it home and parked, I guess.”

  “For the last time … she never got home,” Trey said shortly. This guy was hiding something. He could feel it in his churning gut.

  Jimmy Ray moaned. “I don’t know nothin’ else.”

  “Did you kill her?” Jody asked abruptly.

  “What?” Jimmy Ray thrashed about. “Hell no!”

  Jody went on as if he hadn’t spoken. “You got a little trashed, took a girl too young for you out in the woods to have sex. She changed her mind, you got mad, tried to force her. She fought; you got rough and killed her. That’s how you got that scratch across your cheek, right? You hid the Jeep and walked home. Sound about right?”

  Shaking his head, Jimmy Ray touched his face and said, “No, man. Nothing like that. I didn’t kill nobody. I didn’t even drink last night.”

  “I hope you’re telling me the truth,” Jody said. “It’ll go easier on you if you are, than if you’re lying to me.”

  Trey felt sick at the images Jody’s words conjured up. He knew all too well what dead bodies looked like. His little sister might be lying out in a swamp somewhere and this trash was responsible. He resisted choking him to death. “If you know what’s good for you, you better tell me now if you know where Lindy’s at.”

  “I don’t, man. I swear. I’m choking. Let me up.”

  “I don’t believe you,” Jody said bluntly. “I’m going to do a little checking and see if your story adds up. If not, count on seeing the inside of Angola for a good long time. Chief Bouché is pretty popular in these parts and that was his little girl you messed with. Nobody’s going to go easy on you.”

  Trey let go. “You better pray Lindy comes home safely.”

  Jimmy Ray sat up and rubbed his neck.

  Without another word, they left him sitting there to think about it.

  In the parking lot, Jody stopped. “I’ll talk to the Chief, then run Hunt’s background.”

  “What do you think about his story?” Trey asked.

  Jody met his eyes. “I think he’s as guilty as an ant in a sugar bowl.”

  “Yeah.” Trey exhaled a long breath. “Me, too.”
/>   • • •

  Lindy and Jace stashed the Jeep in a cove of pine trees about a mile from the bar and walked up near the back door. They hid behind a row of bushes and checked out the half full parking lot. Loud music blasted from inside.

  Lindy pointed to a classic pickup. “That’s Jimmy Ray’s truck. He’s here.”

  Jace glanced around. “Do you think we can get in unseen?”

  “Yeah,” Lindy said. “If there are any girls here, they’ll be busy up front. Jimmy Ray’ll be in his office. He counts money at midnight. It must be close to that now. Look, the back door is propped open. We can slip in that way.”

  He took a deep breath. “Let’s go.”

  Together, they scurried across the open lot and in through the open door. Inside, they paused to catch their breath. They stood at the end of a long, dimly lit hallway. Loud music poured down the hall from the front.

  Lindy motioned toward a door. “In there.” She led the way, stopping short in the middle of the room. “Oh my God.”

  Jace bumped into her back. “Oh, man.”

  Jimmy Ray, a bullet hole in the middle of his chest, lay sprawled across the couch with his arms and legs flung away from his body as if the force of the bullet had thrown him back. Blood had sprayed, coating every surface for several feet, including a pile of money on the table in front of him.

  “Shit. I wonder who did this?” Jace asked.

  Before Lindy could answer, they heard a woman’s voice. “Jimmy Ray? We need you out front for a minute.” Lindy recognized the voice of Stephanie, one of the barmaids.

  “We have to get out of here,” Jace whispered urgently. “Right now.”

  The door wasn’t an option. Whoever was coming would walk through it in about a minute.

  “In here.” Lindy dashed through a door leading out of the office into a storage room filled with haphazardly stacked boxes of liquor. She squeezed herself into the farthest corner behind a leaning tower of empty cardboard boxes, dragging Jace with her. In the tiny space, crushed together, they tried not to breathe in dust particles dancing in the dry air, making it difficult not to sneeze or cough.

  They both listened as the woman was called back to the front. Lindy, pressed against Jace, tried not to let his proximity affect her. Their bodies touched in every intimate place making her nervous in a way that had nothing to do with a dead body within a few feet of their hiding place.

  Lindy whispered, “Whew. That was close.”

  “We’re not out of the woods yet. There’ll be cops all over the place before too long. Someone is bound to look back here and find us.” Jace tightened his hold on her for a second.

  “We’ve got to get out of here,” Lindy urged.

  “Yeah, I think we’d better make a run for it,” Jace agreed. “Let’s make a break while we can.”

  Freeing herself from his embrace, she took a deep breath then darted out of the storage room, Jace hot on her heels. Without looking at Jimmy Ray’s body, they raced into the hall. No one was there and they bolted like a pair of racehorses on the straightaway for the back door. Slipping through it, they hurtled toward the Jeep.

  Reaching it, they jumped in, and tore out of the parking lot.

  Jace looked in the rearview mirror. “Slow down. We don’t want to draw attention to ourselves.”

  “Oh my God! That was so close. I can’t believe we didn’t get caught,” Lindy babbled. “Who killed Jimmy Ray?”

  “We got lucky.” He continued to watch the mirror. “I don’t know.”

  Lindy shot Jace a wild glance. “Who the hell did that to him?”

  He shrugged. “Somebody wanted to get even, or shut him up.”

  “This is crazy. We decide to go talk to the one person who might be able to help you and he’s dead on arrival. Our arrival, that is. Weird.” Her nerves were jumping like kangaroos, and she figured she wasn’t making any sense.

  “Yeah.” He sounded resigned.

  Lindy risked another glance at his profile. “What are you thinking?”

  His gaze was bleak. “Nothing.”

  “Yes, you are. I can tell. What is it?” Was he giving up hope?

  “Just what you said. As far as anyone knows, I skipped the country. They probably think I headed the opposite direction of Juliet. But what if whoever really killed Soloman that night suspects I’m back in town? What if they whacked Jimmy Ray to make sure he didn’t let the cat out of the bag? Or we might be way off. Someone might’ve killed him just because he pissed them off in a bad drug deal.”

  “Who would go to those lengths if your first theory is right?”

  “Someone even more desperate than me.” Jace’s features were grim.

  “We’re back to square one,” Lindy wailed.

  “We never even got out of the box,” he corrected.

  “Was there someone else who testified to Soloman’s whereabouts before he was killed?” She swerved to miss a pothole.

  Grabbing the roll bar, Jace shook his head. “I can’t remember. It was five years ago.”

  “Try. This is important.” She wanted to scream with frustration.

  “You think I don’t know that?” he snapped. “I think I do.”

  “Of course you do. We just have to think who else might’ve been at the bar. I don’t think the waitresses are the same now as they were back then.”

  He pounded the dashboard. “That’s it!”

  “What?” Lindy swerved again as she looked to see what excited him so much.

  “Watch the road.”

  “I am. What’s ‘it’?”

  “I can’t think of her name, but she was one of the women who lives down by the river. She was partying with Soloman at the bar.” He hit the dashboard. “I can’t remember her name.” He hit the dash again. “Damn.”

  “I can find out.” She looked away and the Jeep went toward the ditch.

  “Watch out!” He held onto the roll bar with both hands. “How?”

  “I’m best friends with Candy Carter. Her mom is one of those women.” When he didn’t immediately answer, she glanced at him and saw the amazed look he gave her. “What?”

  “Someone like you hangs out with a hooker’s kid?”

  “I’m hanging out with you, aren’t I? Some people might be amazed by that. Including me.” Instantly, she regretted her words. “I’m sorry. Candy’s okay. What her mom does isn’t who Candy is.”

  He didn’t react for a moment. “So, you’re one of those rich chicks who gets off by running with trash? Think you can maybe reform one or two us lowlifes and feel all warm and fuzzy inside?”

  “That’s not true.” Lindy blinked back the tears that threatened to overflow. How could he be so mean? Hadn’t she proved to him that she was in his corner?

  “Isn’t it?” he taunted.

  Suddenly furious, tears forgotten, she pulled to the shoulder of the road. “Get out.”

  “What?” His mouth gaped open.

  “You heard me.” She pointed. “I said get out. Now.”

  “You’re not serious.”

  “Oh, yes I am. I don’t have to be insulted by you.” If she didn’t make him start acting decent, he’d continue being a jerk. She’d had enough. She’d put her whole life on the line and he didn’t even appreciate it.

  A sudden smile crossed his face. “Okay. Hey, I didn’t mean to get your dander up.”

  “Well you did big time,” she said. “I don’t judge people by what they do or who they are. I treat people the way they treat me.”

  To her utter amazement, he reached over and brushed her cheek. Butterflies went crazy in her stomach. “No harm meant.”

  She started the Jeep and drove back onto the road. “Just don’t do it again.”

  After a mile or so, Ja
ce spoke. “So, you think this Candy could find out which woman was all over Soloman the night he died?”

  “Yeah. Candy’ll find out if I ask her. The trick will be getting her alone. We don’t want to tip anyone off that you’re here.” She frowned.

  “We’ll come up with a plan. Don’t they say two heads are better than one?”

  • • •

  Trey and Jody stood in the Chief’s office early Monday morning.

  They brought him up to date.

  “I’m going to bring Hunt in for further questioning,” Jody said, “but I wanted the go ahead first.”

  “Go,” the Chief ordered. “If that boy was the last one to see Lindy, I want to know about it.”

  They turned to go as Ida stuck her head in the door. “Chief, a 911 call just came in you might want to know about. A man’s been killed out at Mugs-n-Jugs.”

  He stood. “Who is it?”

  “Jimmy Ray Hunt, according to the caller,” Ida said.

  The Chief looked at Jody. “Looks like you stirred something up. Get out there and find out what. Fill me in as soon as you know what’s going on. Another thing, officer … I want Jace Hill found. Yesterday.”

  “You still think he has Lindy?” Trey asked.

  Chief Bouché nodded. “I figured that boy would come straight home to his mama and his sister. If he’s taken a turn for the worse and done something to Lindy on some misguided revenge plot, he’ll live to regret it. Angola will be welcoming him back with open arms.”

  Trey knew without a shadow of a doubt that his father meant what he said. If Jace had somehow taken Lindy hostage, he’d made a terrible mistake. Chief Bouché ran a hard line on any criminal, but when his family was involved, he would be even tougher. He hadn’t allowed his feelings of friendship for the Hill family to come between him and his job before and he wouldn’t now.

  Trey wanted to talk to Summer, to tell her if her brother showed up she needed to warn him not to harm Lindy. But the logical side of him knew Summer didn’t know where Jace was, and even if he showed himself to her he wouldn’t admit to taking Lindy. Besides, this was all conjecture. There was no evidence that Jace had anything to do with Lindy being gone. It was more likely Jimmy Ray Hunt was the culprit. Still, the feeling nagged him.