Savage Reckoning

by C. Hoyt Caldwell

  He contemplated her advice as he stared into her cluttered trunk. Before she could start removing items, he gently nudged her out of the way. “Let me clear that up for you.”

  She crossed her arms and smiled. “I’m not sleeping with you, Kenny.”

  Kenny pulled back from the open trunk. “You ain’t?” He tried to hide his disappointment with an exaggerated shrug. “I don’t care about that. I just figured you’re probably tired from carrying Billy. You go on and get a rest, I’ll take care of this for you.”

  Dani smiled and stepped away.

  Chapter 48

  Step pounded on the door for two minutes before the lights inside the house came on. He continued to pound as he peered through the narrow window to his right. A thin middle-aged man in a bathrobe slowly descended the staircase.

  “Who is it?”

  “Open up,” Step growled.

  “Who’s there?”

  “Open the goddamned door!”

  The man now stood just on the other side of the sturdy door. “It’s late.”

  “You’re the doctor? The one from the clinic?”

  The man groaned. “How did you get this address?”

  “Open the fucking door before I break a window and come in there and beat your ass!”

  A pause. “I’m calling the police.”

  “And you’ll be dead before they get here.”

  Another pause. “Look, I’m sorry, but I can’t treat you outside of the clinic. I could lose my insurance.”

  “I swear to Christ, Doc. Ima work my nerves down to a manageable state, and if this door ain’t open by the time that’s done, you’re a dead man.”

  Step heard the dead bolt click and the door eased open. The doctor stood anxiously in the narrow opening with his hand on the doorknob. “Who are you?”

  Step stared at him for a brief moment before descending the stoop and bending down. When he stood back up, he was holding Bones in his arms. “Lay some sheets on your nearest couch,” he said, approaching the door.

  “You can’t bring her here. This is my home.”

  “If you’d done your job right the first time, I wouldn’t have to bring her here. Now I suggest you get some sheets on the couch, otherwise she’s gonna bloody it up.”

  The doctor let out an exasperated sigh and did as the skinny closeout king instructed. With a nearly unconscious Bones stretched on the sheet-covered couch, the doctor leaned over and examined her stitches. “I didn’t do this.”

  “It was done at your clinic,” Step said as he took a seat in a nearby recliner.

  “One of my PA’s did this. I’ve never even seen this girl.”

  Step pulled out his pack of Porter 100s. “That your regular practice, Doc? Letting some flunky do your medical work?”

  The doctor turned to him. “Don’t smoke in my house.”

  Step lit up the cigarette. “I’ll put it out when you fix her up right.”

  “All I can do is fix her up the best I can.” He exited the living room.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  Returning with a first-aid kit, the doctor bent down next to Bones. “It means I can dress her external wounds, but she’s got internal issues that require fairly extensive medical attention.”

  “You know that by looking at her?”

  “I do,” he said, removing a pair of scissors from his kit. Before cutting away the stitches, he held her left eye open wide. “You see that yellow coloring in her eyes?”

  Step leaned in closer. “Yeah.”

  “That’s a symptom of renal failure. Her kidneys are shutting down, which probably means her other organs are shutting down, too. Given her obvious state of malnutrition and those tracks on her arm, if she flatlines in the next couple of weeks, I wouldn’t be surprised.”

  A grimace spread across Step’s face. He balled his hands into fists to fight the urge to scream. It wasn’t rational, but he wanted to kill the doctor for saying such a thing about Bones. “Don’t say it like that.”

  The doctor looked at him, confused. “Like what?”

  “Like she don’t matter.”

  Removing the stitches, the doctor asked, “I guess I could have put it a little nicer, but this girl’s clock is ticking down to the final seconds. Taking the time to be diplomatic about it doesn’t seem prudent. Besides, she’s put herself in a position where she doesn’t matter.”

  Step yanked the doctor up by the collar of his bathrobe. “What kind of thing is that to say?”

  The doctor held up his hands. “I only meant that she clearly doesn’t think she matters. Look at what she’s done to herself. I can stitch her up, and we can put her in a hospital for medical treatment, but that won’t save her.”

  Step let the doctor go. “What will?”

  “Getting her off these mountains.”

  Chapter 49

  Dani appealed to their guilty consciences. They had looked the other way for too long. A young girl was missing, and they had a chance to do something about it. There was a brief heated discussion between the married couple, but it was a weak argument that nearly faded before it started. They knew they didn’t have a choice. Rafe and Ruby even helped Dani and Kenny move the body into their walk-in freezer.

  Sending Kenny on his way required a little more effort on Dani’s part. She’d assured him at the meat-cutter’s shop that she didn’t need his help in Baptist Flats, but he wouldn’t hear of it. He was gonna help her unload Billy and keep watch over her until the very last second. He followed her in Billy’s truck to Baptist Flats, and finally headed back toward the slopes just as the sun started pulling up the dawn.

  That left an exhausted and beleaguered Dani scrambling to inform her uncle about the day ahead, and to prepare him for the steps that would need to be taken to fool Randle into thinking Billy Campbell was in the interrogation room being questioned about his daughter’s disappearance.

  Her first order of business was confessing to stealing evidence from a crime scene.

  Otis did not respond right away upon hearing what his niece had done. He tapped his fingers on his desk for several seconds as he soaked in her story of secret dealings and misconduct. Finally he said, “If you were anyone else…” But that’s all he allowed himself to say because he knew there were bigger things at stake. “Where’s Randle?”

  “Not sure. We parted in the parking lot of the dance club last night.”

  “That means he’ll be rolling in here twenty minutes after his shift starts this morning like usual.” Otis stood. “Lock yourself in the interrogation room. I’ll lead him to the spider hole and then send him out on patrol. I’m guessing these slopers of yours will have him in front of this Boss fella by noon.”

  Before standing she said, “I know I went about this the wrong way—”

  He held up his hand to cut her off. “What you did is stumble into a possible solution to a goddamned sorry situation. I don’t know if you got good police instincts or just flat-out good luck, but if it’ll get this missing girl back and lead us to information on the others that have gone missing, then you just might come out of this thing better off for it. But, if things go south…well, even I can’t save your neck, little deputy. The state police are gonna find out about the evidence you took, and it’s liable to get you into some real trouble.”

  “Understood,” she said, lifting herself out of her chair.

  “We won’t be telling your aunt about this closeout business.”

  She nodded and headed for the door.

  “How much you trust these boys? The slopers?”

  She gave his question careful thought. “They confessed to murder and gave me a heads-up on hits aimed at you and me. I don’t know what else they’ve got to lie about.”

  He nodded. “I guess we ain’t got much of a choice anyway.” Pointing to the gun on her hip, he said, “Just to be safe, you keep that thing unsnapped and ready to fire at all times.”

  Chapter 50

  Bones was in his
bed, settled into a chemical-induced sleep when he got the call from Randle. After Step pretended to be surprised by his cousin’s information, he disconnected the call and sat frozen in his ratty old chair, terrified to stand. There were no assurances that Bones would be alive when he got back, and he hated himself for caring. Giving a shit about people had brought nothing but misery into his life.

  He stood, moved to her side, and avoided looking at her for as long as he could. Eventually, he tilted his head down. The doc had done a much better job on the stitching, and he had done his best to tend to all her other wounds, old and new. She looked younger than she had in months. For the first time that Step could remember, she almost looked girlish.

  He considered a thousand ways to tell her goodbye, but decided there was no point. He couldn’t wake her and, even if he could, her mind would be too scrambled to understand where or even who she was.

  He shuffled across the floor and counted in his head the steps he left behind, as if he were marking a buried treasure.

  Chapter 51

  Dani counted to three before she knocked on the door. An immediate sense of regret flooded her brain as soon as her knuckles left the red metal surface. As it creaked open, the deputy considered sprinting to the stairs and quickly hiding under the motel walkway, but before she knew it she was staring into the smiling face of Corporal Maggie Armstrong.

  “Well, if it’s not my favorite local lawman,” Armstrong said.

  Dani hesitated before saying, “You have to tell me I can trust you.”

  Armstrong furrowed her brow. “I’m sorry?”

  “It’s just that I kind of got this idea…You’re a good cop, right? I mean an honest cop?”

  The corporal didn’t reply. She backed away from the door and motioned for Dani to come inside.

  Dani stepped into the room and surveyed it. “Where’s your partner?”

  “Still in Knoxville. He found a promising lead. I was just packing up my things to join him.”

  “He’s chasing his tail,” Dani said.

  “What’s going on, Deputy Savage?”

  Dani stood upright and set her jaw. “You didn’t answer my question.”

  “What question?”

  “Are you an honest cop?”

  Armstrong rolled her eyes. “How the hell do you expect me to answer that question?”

  “Honestly.”

  “Okay, fine. I’m an honest cop.”

  Dani hooked her thumb under her gun belt and sighed deeply. “I ain’t got much of a choice. We’re in way over our heads.”

  The corporal sat on the edge of the bed. “Start talking, Deputy.”

  “I know who killed those two fellas outside Son’s place.”

  Armstrong sat silently.

  “A couple of slopers. They confessed to it. I’ll give ’em up, but not now.”

  “You’re withholding information in an active murder investigation, Deputy Savage, which means you are obstructing justice, and you’ll see the inside of a jail cell, I can promise you that.”

  Dani nodded. “I know.”

  The state police officer stood. “You’re playing pretty fast and loose with your career, Dani.”

  The deputy reached in her jacket pocket and pulled out her card. “This is my cell number. I wrote my uncle’s on the back.”

  Armstrong stared at the card.

  “The GPS on both phones has been turned on.”

  There was a long pause. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re asking us to follow you and your uncle.”

  “From a distance. Can’t nobody know you’re around. Not even my uncle.”

  “What’s going on, Dani?”

  “It’s big.”

  “How big?”

  “Big enough that I don’t know who to trust.”

  Armstrong smirked. “But we’re the cops, Dani.”

  “That’s the problem.” She held out her hand. “You got a card?”

  The corporal quickly rummaged through her bag and found a small stack of business cards. Handing one to Dani, she said, “I oughta hold you for questioning.”

  “You oughta, but you won’t. I’ll call you if I need you, and if I do, come heavy.” The deputy stuffed the card in her pocket.

  “I don’t get it. Why come to me at all if you’re not gonna tell me what’s going on?”

  Dani shrugged. “Because I ain’t sure if my gut instincts on you are right. This gives me a little bit of control. When I’m up against it, I’d like to think you’ll be there for another cop…a woman cop.”

  Armstrong nodded. “You’re calling the shots. I just hope you know what you’re doing.”

  “I don’t,” Dani said as she headed for the door.

  Chapter 52

  Randle sat across from Boss who was ensconced behind his metal desk, chomping away on spearmint gum. The Baptist Flats deputy tried to look confident and unaffected by the man who was listening to his story. But the occasional screech in his voice gave away his highly nervous state. When he was done, he wrestled with whether he should settle his face into a smile or not. He wound up looking constipated.

  Boss sat back, staring holes into Randle. “I’m confused. How the fuck did Billy Campbell become Baptist Flats’s concern? He must live an hour and a half up the mountains. Far out of your jurisdiction.”

  Randle shrugged. “I’m just passing along what’s been done. Don’t know the whys or the hows.”

  Boss curled his lips inward and let a small portion of his gum stick out from his mouth as he studied the situation. “You have what, three cops in Baptist Flats?”

  “Three besides me.”

  “So four.”

  “That’d be the full count, yes.”

  Boss leaned forward and laced his fingers together on his desk. “If things were to go bad for your town, would we have to include you in that count?”

  Puzzled, Randle said, “I don’t understand.”

  Boss looked to Step. “Explain it to your cousin.”

  “Boss wants to know if you’re on our side or the SD’s side.”

  Randle became even more nervous. “I ain’t on no sides. I’m just here to get paid for information.”

  Boss blew a small bubble and quickly chomped it to oblivion. “You’ll get paid. I’ll arrange it with Step, but you have a real opportunity here, Deputy Randle. I’d like to help you with that.”

  “Opportunity?”

  “To be in charge. To be sheriff of your little flatland shit town.”

  Randle shifted in his chair. “I ain’t the type to be in charge, Mr. Boss…Perry.”

  Boss smiled broadly. “That’s the beauty of this opportunity, Terry. You wouldn’t really be in charge, you’d be what they call a figurehead. You’ll hire friends, family, fucking local drunks, and lowlifes to be your deputies, and they’ll give the appearance of keeping law and order. My boys, fellas like your cousin here, they’ll be the ones really running things. You’ll collect pay from the city and county for doing little to nothing, and I’ll throw in bonus pay for doing the same thing.”

  Randle shifted again. “But it ain’t like I’m just gonna be made sheriff. I’ve gotta run an election and such—”

  Boss held up his hand to cut him off. “You’re making it more complicated in your head than it will actually be. We’ll take care of the election.”

  Randle turned to Step. The skinny closeout king gave him a subtle but stern nod.

  Clearing his throat, the deputy said, “I suppose I’d find that kind of arrangement favorable.”

  Boss slapped the surface of his metal desk and let out a high-pitched hoot. “That is some welcome news, Deputy Randle…Or should I say Sheriff Randle?” He stood and moved around the desk.

  Randle slowly stood, keeping his eyes on the concrete floor.

  Slapping the deputy on the back, Boss announced, “Your life is about to change, my friend. As long as we have your loyalty, you’ll be a wealthy and happy man.” He motioned with his head for Step
to approach. “Walk your cousin to his car.”

  Step and Randle moved toward the door, but Boss stopped them.

  “You best stay away from Baptist Flats for a day or two. Head over to Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge and put your feet up.”

  Randle’s heart sank at the suggestion as he continued out the door with his cousin. By the time they reached his cruiser he was in tears.

  “Stop that,” Step said.

  “I don’t want no part of this, Step. I just thought I’d get a little spending money for my troubles. I don’t want to be sheriff.”

  “Shut up. Boss sees you got doubts, and it ain’t good for nobody.”

  “Otis is my friend, Step. That’s how I got the job in the first place. He plucked me out of trouble and slapped a badge on me.”

  “Goddamn it, Terry,” Step whispered. “Shut the fuck up and stop that crying.”

  Randle dropped his chin to his chest and did his best to compose himself.

  “This ain’t going down like Boss thinks it is,” Step said after looking over his shoulder.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You don’t need to know the particulars. Just get in your car and drive to Dark Valley Gap. Kenny will be there, he’ll fill you in on what’s to come.”

  “You’re going against Boss?”

  Step grimaced and slapped his cousin on the back of the head. “Shut up.” He looked over his shoulder again and then leaned in closer to Randle. “We’re family, right?”

  Randle nodded.

  “Tell me that means something to you.”

  The deputy nodded again. “It does. I swear.”

  “Then get to Dark Valley Gap quick as you can. That sheriff of yours is gonna need all the guns he can get.”

  Chapter 53

  Dani placed the phone on her uncle’s desk after she ended the call with Kenny. “It’s done.”