“Well, would you get a piece, so we can see if it’s what we are looking for?” Doc asked.
Returning from the back O’Hara held a hand full of the candy out to Cage.
“The morning of the murders did you have any of this candy made up in the back?” Cage asked.
“I had made a batch the night before and let it cool. The next morning, I cut the pieces and started wrapping it. I haven’t had my special ingredient in over a week, so this is the first batch. Want to try a piece?” Doc reached for a piece and O’Hara slapped his hand.
Cage un-wrapped a piece and asked, “So, that morning you had a fresh batch in the back? Was any of it wrapped?”
“A few pieces were wrapped but it was noon before I finished wrapping the rest,” O’Hara said.
“Mr. O’Hara, one of the murder victims had a piece of this candy in his pocket. It was smashed but the wrapper had your name on it,” Cage asked.
O’Hara’s eyes lit up when he said, “That candy would have to be from this batch. No one could have that candy for a week,” responded O’Hara.
“Why is that?” Cage asked.
“It’s just too good to keep that long! It would melt into goo that would be stuck to the inside of that pocket forever,” O’Hara said.
“This places Dave Smith in the back of your store the morning of the robbery, just before he was killed. I guess I better try that candy and see if it’s all that good,” Cage said.
“Maybe you better have several,” O’Hara said with a grin.
“We need to talk with Judge Stewart about this development,” Doc said.
“Doc, while I’m on the square, I think I’ll go by and talk to Franks at the clothing store.” A few minutes later Cage entered Franks Clothing and at the counter stood Bonnie. Piled on the counter was the clothing she had purchased. Smiling she made her purchase. She was loaded with packages so this was not her first stop, Cage observed. Smiling at Cage she felt a cold chill when she saw the badge pinned on his shirt front.
Down the street Willy sat in the diner. “The asking price for the acreage seems high to me; the house is small. I’ll give you eight thousand for the place. If you sell all the cattle you have on the property then you will come out pretty good,” Willy said.
“I’m not interested in dealing with the livestock. The buyers are putting a hurting on the ranchers these days. Tell you what, for ten you can have it all.”
“I will give you nine five; take it or leave it,” Willy said.
Ray Waters thought about the offer as he sipped his coffee. This offer was not bad. No one around Huntsville was interested in the land. It was hard to make money in cattle these days and his wife hated living in the country, especially after the murders that had happened just down the road. He could return to Austin and buy her a fine home free and clear. He was tired of the hard work anyway.
Mr. Waters said, “Okay! It’s a deal; I’ll meet you at the courthouse Tuesday morning. We will start moving today. I can have all our belongings out of the house by tomorrow.” Willy shook hands with the farmer and headed up to tell Bonnie the news.
“You bought a ranch with cattle? I was raised on a farm, but I don’t know anything about cattle,” Bonnie said.
“It’s simple, Doll Face! You just milk them every day and when you want a steak you just go out in the field and cut a steak off the nearest cow. Let’s go for a ride! It’s beautiful outside. We can go by and look the place over,” Willy said.
Bonnie didn’t know what to think. Living in Chicago was light years away from living on a farm. Her earlier life had been on a farm, but she had not missed the country life. She knew Willy knew more about ranching than he let on. She could never get a straight answer from him. Riding through the country her spirit was uplifted. She loved the rolling hills and pastureland. ‘Maybe this would be good for me,’ she thought.
C19 - Paranoia
Ed Weeks’s mechanic shop held a bird’s eye view of every car entering or leaving town from the west side. Standing in the open door of his garage he watched Thomas Taylor walking alongside the road headed for his shop. A shiny new Buick passed Thomas headed out of town. Watching the car disappearing over the next hill, Ed rubbed his chin. ‘Could it have been that someone had robbed Dave…just maybe the dope had been telling the truth. If that were the case the stranger driving that new Buick would have been the culprit. The gent and his woman were rooming over the diner as Dave and I had made our plans.’
Ed cursed himself. Life had been good working for Harlan Williams. Now of all things, he had been reduced to robbing a candy store with an idiot. Rubbing his normally clean-shaven face, he went over the activities of that cold night. ‘It was in the early hours of the morning…what if the stranger and his wife had been awake and heard the conversation?’
The lines on his face tightened and the coffee cup in his hand shook spilling coffee over his hand. ‘That had to be it; this guy must have overheard the conversation. We had talked in low tones, but voices carried in the still night air and I had been drunk.’ Now Ed was visibly shaken.
‘There was a witness, maybe two, that could tie me directly to the killings that morning.’ The old paranoia came back, and he headed for the flowerpot that sat behind his desk.
Thomas walked up and Ed asked, “Thomas, what are you up to?”
“I’m headed for the river. I thought you might give me a ride down to the bridge,” Thomas said.
“Old man Bates will be by to pick up his truck in a minute, you can get a ride with him. I think I will close up shop this evening and take the rest of the weekend off. How about I get us a case of beer and I meet you at your camp and we can do some fishing?” Ed suggested.
The old farmer showed up and Thomas left Ed’s garage for the local feed store. He loved the river and the solitude camping it gave him. He wished he had never gone by Ed’s garage. He preferred to be by himself. He couldn’t tolerate Ed for too long at a time. It was easier when they were building shine cars. Ed was always focused. Oh well, frying catfish and a few beers would make him relax. He had a restless spirit, and nothing seemed to help.
Sitting in the bed of the old truck, Thomas watched the scenery passing as the miles ticked away. Suddenly he shuddered as a mental picture crossed his mind. It was always accompanied by voices in his head screaming in pain and anger. Quickly he closed his eyes and leaned back against the pickup cab.
The miles went by until the farmer stopped by the bridge over the Trinity. Slipping from the truck; Thomas waved goodbye and walked down along the riverbank. It was a mile walk, but he enjoyed walking in the cool afternoon. Birds sang, and trees were turning green again. The cold months had kept him confined. Today his heart was light. He imagined how it must have been when the Indians roamed the riverbanks carefree and wild as they rode their canoes down this old river teeming with beaver.
There was a special place on the river where large oaks adorned a hillside overlooking the river. Under the big oaks he had built a small cabin from driftwood and tin. Actually, his carpentry was quite nice. It had taken him two years to build the place. He had stored materials for the project in an old barn on his great uncle’s place. His only regret was ever letting Ed know where his special place was. Before he reached the camp, he saw Ed’s old car sitting by the camp. Muttering to himself he had hoped for a little time alone to enjoy before having to deal with Ed.
“Thomas, this place is really looking great. That potbelly stove must keep the cabin snug in the winter. Let’s have a beer,” Ed said. Opening two beers he handed one to Thomas. “Chugalug, chugalug,” he said and they both turned the beer up and emptied the bottles before they put them down. Pulling a pint of whisky from his back pocket he took a drink and handed it to Thomas. “Thomas, you and I have been friends a long time. We’ve done things with cars that we didn’t realize was possible, but they worked. Most of our creative ingenuities are in junk yards being crushed like so much scrap. I guess our efforts will never be known.
As a team we were the best. You are the best shine driver there ever was. You and I made Judd and Harlan a pile of money. I sure wish Harlan was still alive and we were building a shine car right now,” Ed said.
“Not anymore, Ed! Not for me!” Thomas said determinedly.
“What are you saying, Thomas? You are a legend! You are the Shine Ghost. You could spend time in jail. It’s a real shame you can’t tell anyone. One of these days they may make a movie about the Shine Ghost,” Ed deduced.
“I was wrong to drive shine. Even worse…I saw things that I cannot live with,” Thomas said despondently.
“What sort of things? What’s bothering you boy? The night watchman never died. You still can’t be upset about building an armored car that was used to rob banks! Are you?” Ed questioned.
“People are dead!” Thomas blurted out.
“What? What did you say?” Ed asked.
Thomas Taylor’s burden welled over. His emotions were controlled by the liquor that had fogged up his brain. Had he been sober, he would have realized he was talking to the devil himself. “The ranger got in behind us and Bart couldn’t handle the curves and almost lost it several times. I could have left him in a cloud of dust if I had only been driving. The ranger would have never caught us.” Thomas’ voice was slurred, and tears were in his eyes, but he had to let it out.
“What are you talking about Thomas…the ranger…are you telling me you know what happened to the ranger that was killed up around Georgetown?…I wondered about that the night you made the run for Judd. I dismissed it because I thought you wouldn’t be that far west. That was the night, wasn’t it?” Ed asked.
Thomas was crying now. Sobbing he said, “When the ranger caught us, we had to stop. The first thing he wanted was for Bart to open the trunk. I heard the voices outside the car but lay still in the back seat pretending I was passed out.”
“What happened then?” Ed inquired.
“The ranger turned to walk to the back of the car. I was laying on the backseat. The mobster reached over the seat right by my face and picked up the rifle. He shot the ranger right over my head through the back window. It all seems like a blur. Then I must have passed back out. I had drunk most of the half-pint and it became like a dream in my mind. Even now, I sometimes wonder if I didn’t just imagine it. Bart was upset but the mobster told him to shut up and get the job done. There was more shooting and loud talking. I was pretending to be passed out and decided that was the way it needed to stay,” Thomas explained.
“Wow, Boy…I never would have guessed! Man, you really have been carrying a heavy load,” Ed said to Thomas.
“One night two mobsters tried to ambush me for a load of shine. Judd was riding shotgun and he killed them both. I would have been killed for the shine car had he not been along. Before Judd left, he let me know a Chicago crime family has a contract out on the Shine Ghost. He suggested I disappear. They think I killed the mobsters,” Thomas explained.
Ed was without words for a long time. “No wonder you stay on the river. Listen, boy! We will let this lie. I know you are between a rock and a hard place but by not telling the cops you became an accessory to the murder of the ranger and the mob guys. Now I’m implicated. If Bart ever finds out you and I had this conversation he will kill you and me both,” Ed said.
“Don’t worry, Ed! I’m not crazy. Bart thinks I was passed out and I don’t intend to let him know different. Sometimes when he looks at me, I feel like he is thinking maybe I know. Bart is bad to do what he did. Judd knows about the ranger. I thought he was going to kill Bart, but I guess it would have drawn too much attention. Every ranger in Texas was looking for clues,” Thomas continued.
“I need to run back to town for a few minutes. I’ll be back to help you run the lines. Thomas, maybe we both need to leave Huntsville and don’t leave a trail when we go. I just need some traveling money,” Ed said.
Thomas watched Ed drive away and sighed; he was finally alone.
Later that night Ed’s car circled the town square before stopping in front of the diner. Getting out of his car he walked around back to the guest parking. It was late and every available spot for parking was taken. The stranger’s car had a Texas license plate. No one was around so Ed took a quick look through the car. There was nothing there that would shed light on this gent except a ticket for gas in Chicago. Walking back around to the front of the diner Ed saw Willy through the front window sitting alone reading a paper. Passing the glass Ed caught his eye and made a motion indicating he wanted to meet. It wasn’t long until Willy stepped out of the diner. As he passed Ed’s car he said, “I will meet you at your shop.”
Ed let him cross the street before he backed away from the curb and drove to the back of his shop. Leaving the back door unlocked, he went to his office and turned on a small lamp in the corner, keeping the room dim. A few minutes later Willy entered and stood against the wall beside the door.
“Okay, Mister, this is your game! You got something to say and I’m listening; but no funny business. First thing I want to know is what is your name and where are you from?” Ed demanded.
“My name is Baker and where I’m from is not important. I need some men for a quick job. No questions asked. The money will be big. It’s a one-time job; then we go our separate ways. What I have planned will not be known by the law and the other party wouldn’t involve the law if they could,” Willy stated.
“This sounds fishy, but if I don’t like your plan, we say goodbye and that’s it. If you agree, I’ll listen,” Ed replied.
“I’ll agree to that. Here is the deal. I need three truck drivers. The trucks will be loaded with stolen goods. All you three have to do is drive trucks. I will not put you at risk. You drive the trucks; I take all the risk. I pay each of you $4000,” Willy explained.
“We get $4,000 each? How much you get?” Ed inquired.
“I get whatever I can get from the load,” Willy stated.
“Then you get a lot more money?” Ed asked.
“I’m taking all the risk and I provide the fence. This is mob business and the only person that knows where it is coming into the country is me. It won’t be hard for them to figure out who took it. We will drive the trucks north to a location and you will walk away with a pocket full of money. If you are interested get two more experienced drivers lined up. But hear this! If anyone talks, ever, we all die. You can’t run far enough or long enough to escape the mob,” Willy said.
“Where will we take the trucks?” Ed asked.
“I bought a place out west of here with a barn big enough to hold the three trucks. The trucks will stay there until I make arrangements. In a month or so we will drive them at night to the buyer,” Willy explained.
Ed stood thinking about the deal and said, “I will get back to you on this. I know two men that I can trust, and I need to see if they are okay with this deal. One is the local sheriff and the other is a kid that can drive anything.”
“What are their names?” Willy asked.
“One is the sheriff, Bart Wells. The other is Thomas Taylor,” Ed said.
“Wells…was he associated with Harlan Williams' shine business?” Willy asked.
Ed was shocked at the question and responded, “The sheriff was one of Harlan’s drivers. You knew Harlan?”
“You three don’t have much time to think this over. You better be on your way,” Willy said.
“I asked you a question!” Ed snapped.
“You ask too many questions. The shipment will be coming in on the twenty-sixth. I will work out the details and let you know when and where. Don’t contact me and don’t associate with each other in town. I will contact you when I need you. I will need your best driver to be available to do some driving ahead of time. Think you can set that up?” Willy asked.
“Like I said, I will have to clear this with the other two,” Ed said.
Willy left through the back door of Ed’s garage and headed back to the boarding house. Ed stood in the dark r
oom and watched him go.
C20 - For Love of Money
By the time Ed returned to the river Thomas had fish frying and sat peeling potatoes and a big red onion. There is nothing better with fried fish than fries and hushpuppies. Bart had arrived and was sitting by the river with a cane pole. Over a plate of fried fish and fries Ed relayed the proposition the man Baker had just made to him.
“You expect us to take the word of a fellow you just met and don’t even know? I doubt that Baker is his real name! What does he take us for?” Bart asked.
“The deal is this: we have to drive three trucks and bring them to his barn. When he makes the arrangements, we will deliver the trucks and walk away with $4,000 dollars each,” Ed related.
“That sounds too good to be true but…for four thousand I am interested,” Bart said.
“For your information, when I mentioned your name he wanted to know if you were associated with Harlan Williams’ shine business. He evidently knew Harlan,” Ed said.
“He knew you built shine cars. I bet this guy has mob connections!” Bart said.
“That’s right! He is running a double cross and if we mess up or talk, it could get us all killed. Knowing that, four thousand is not so attractive,” Ed admitted.
“Bart, we don’t know anyone in this line of business anymore. If all we do is drive the trucks, then we can walk away anytime,” Ed said.
“That’s a lot of if’s and it all seems mighty suspicious to me.” Bart got up and dusted the sand off his uniform. “Ed, tell this gent that knowing the situation, we won’t drive for less than five grand apiece and we take no risk. If he says no, then walk away,” Bart said. Both men looked at Thomas with an inquisitive look.
Thomas had been sitting quietly thinking of what the money could do for him. No more waiting for the new rig. He would have money enough and then some to get the rig now. He suddenly realized all this was greed driven and could backfire and land him in prison or dead. ‘Thomas had a problem deep in the recesses of his mind. The situation he found himself in had become more than he could handle. He had been thinking about ending it all here lately. In fact, he seldom went a day that he didn’t think of ending his misery. Then there was Granny. How could he possibly cause her anymore grief? Yet there it was day after day.’ He had said nothing and the other two were staring at him.
Doing Time In Texas, Book 2 Page 8
