The Beginning (Whispering Pines Book 1)
Page 47
Chapter 22
Max Pary and Walt Brooks, seated across the desk from one another, waited in the Veal’s timber mill office. Pary’s face was bright red with rage as he shouted at the hapless Brooks. “You couldn’t even finish a simple thing like this? Have you got your people out looking for them?”
Brooks shrugged, “They cut the tires on the patrol cars, even cut most of the ones on our personal cars too. I sent everybody out driving whatever they could find or borrow. They have portable radios or cell phones with them.”
“Well, Brooks? I can have the judge here in town issue a warrant for their arrest.”
Brooks shook his head. “Not yet. I’d have too much explaining to do and there’s too much evidence to destroy. I can’t risk one of them talking to the GBI. What if they’ve figured out too much?”
A truck pulled into the yard outside and a few seconds later Thompson burst through the door. His pinkish face was a livid red. “Max? Did you know that guy they picked up near the creek is FBI?”
Pary sat bolt upright and whimpered “What?”
“Barton, that old trapper, is an undercover agent, a fed.”
Brooks laughed, “You’re crazy. Ed Barton is a bum. We wanted to get rid of him because he’s a witness about the car. I was afraid he might have seen Anderson dumping it in the creek.”
Thompson pointed a finger at Brooks, “Well I was just talking to one of my boys who knew that Barton looked familiar. Tonight he remembered him from a few years ago when he was busted for selling stolen goods. His name isn’t Barton...its Meadows and he’s FBI, and he’s sharp, real sharp.”
Max almost screamed, “If the Feds are already in the area that means they could know about our whole operation by now. Just think, Walt. You had him in jail and our problems were about to be solved.”
Thompson sat down on a nearby chair. “They got away?”
Pary waved an angry hand at the Sheriff. “This idiot here let them get away.”
Thompson jumped back to his feet and paced the floor. “You reckon’ we should high tail it out of town? You know that Brooks is going to call for backup now and we could be up to our ears in cops any time now.”
Brooks stood, shook his head. “If the Feds are here then quit right now and get out of here.”
Max jumped to his feet and shrieked “It would all be over if you hadn’t bungled all this at the jail, you idiot.”
Pary was livid. “You stay put Brooks and don’t do anything except what I tell you. I’m in charge here and I’ll figure a way out of this mess. Do you understand? We can’t just turn tails and run. There’s another shipment due in this week and we have to be here. The whole deal is worth half a million dollars.”
Thompson looked at Max and said, “There’s something else, Max. Your sister is with Chuck Veal right now. She helped bust him out of the hospital earlier tonight.”
Pary angrily threw a handful of papers from the desk and screeched, “Do what? Edie is with Veal?”
Thompson nodded and Pary slammed his fist on the desk. “What is she doing mixed up in this? Thompson shipped her boyfriend out of here on that last flight to keep her out of this mess.”
Brooks took a deep sigh. “Well, don’t count me in. I’m gone and that’s all there is to it. I’m just a small town Sheriff and I can’t run interference for you with the FBI. They’ll take this county apart, piece by piece.”
Pary pointed an angry finger, “What did I just say? You’ll do what I tell you and nothing less.”
“She’s your sister, Max. Are you going to kill her too?”
Pary said bitterly, “I have means of keeping her quiet. I promise you.”
A car engine sounded in the distance. Thompson glanced out the window and said, “It’s a sheriff’s car.”
Brooks stood. “They got mine going. Now Pary, I’ll try to find Veal and that bunch, but once I do, I’m gone. The lid could come off this operation and I’m not going to wait around and see.”
Max said, “Go find them Walt, bring them back to me here, alive.”
Brooks nodded, turned and walked out of the office. Pary said quietly to Thompson. “If the lid comes off, you kill that stupid jerk and kill him quick. He would sing four verses of Amazing Grace to the FBI just to save his own hide.”
Thompson nodded. Max continued, “I got an idea that might work. Here’s what I need for you to do.”