Adrift: The Complete Novel (6 page)

+++

Hollie was quiet as I finished the story, turning his folded whittling knife absentmindedly in his hand.

“I’ll pack my things and go,” I said, turning to leave.

Hollie snapped out of his trance.

“Now why in the hell would you do that?”

“I’m sorry?”

“Why are you running away? Seems to me that you’ve been doing a lot of that recently.”

My fist clenched involuntarily. “What’s that supposed to mean?” My temper rising.

“All I’m saying, is that if you’re just another dumb grunt, pack your things and leave.” He stared at me, hard. “But I don’t think that’s you. I think you’re smart. I think you were trying to protect that girl.”

The tension went out of me. All of a sudden I felt so tired, helpless. “What does that matter now? I got her killed.”

Hollie’s voice rose. “Wait just one goddamn minute. Who on earth said that it was your fault, because I sure as hell didn’t?”

His words surprised me. The kind man who’d allowed me, a stranger, to stay on faith alone, was suddenly replaced by a person who reminded me of my lead drill instructor at Parris Island.

“What can I do? Who’s going to take my word over the Laneys’?”

Hollie slammed his hand on the table. “I’ll tell you what you won’t be doing. You won’t be feeling sorry for yourself in my house. Now are you a Marine or aren’t you?”

I looked up at him, a smile forming, and said, “Always.”

+++

“Take a shower and put some decent clothes on,” Max Laney commanded his grandson after barging in and waking him from a dead sleep. Johnny knew better than to refuse.

“Where are we going?” Johnny dared to ask.

“I’ll tell you in the car. Now hurry up, we’ve got some things to talk about.”

+++

Wally was sweeping off the concrete slab by the front door when an SUV pulled into the lot. It was still early for customers. Wally shaded his eyes from the sun to see who it was. His stomach went to his throat.

Max Laney and his grandson stepped out of the vehicle and walked his way.

“Afternoon, Wally. You got a minute to talk?” asked the elder Laney.

“Y…yes, sir.”

Chapter 12

Hollie paced the room as I took in his new persona. He was all business. “Now, I’d put my money on Johnny, but I doubt there’s a soul who would testify against him.”

“Is their family that connected?”

Hollie laughed. “Max Laney not only owns half the land in this town, he also owns most of the officials.”

“How is that possible?”

“It’s started years ago. He’s bankrolled political campaigns and pressured officials to get
his
people in office.”

“What about the police? Can he really manipulate an investigation?”

“He won’t do it overtly, but I’m sure he’ll throw his weight around in subtle ways. Without evidence or witnesses there’s not much the law can do to convict someone.”

I shook my head in disbelief. “We’ve got to do something.”

“If the law doesn’t, we will. I say we do a little digging and then wait and see what the police come up with.”

It was too passive for my taste, but I deferred to Hollie’s judgement. He knew the personalities in town.

We laid out of plan, playing out scenarios which all turned out to be wrong.

+++

“Mr. Laney, thank you for coming,” Police Chief Darryl Knox shook his guest’s hand reverently.

“Like I said over the phone, I thought we could sit down and get to the bottom of this mess. Johnny’s agreed to tell you everything he knows.”

Johnny stood a respectful distance behind his grandfather, his head bowed. “Yes, sir. I want to help in any way I can. I still can’t believe…” Johnny sniffled, wiping his nose with the back of his hand. “I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”

Chief Knox nodded sadly and led the way to the conference room.

+++

I scanned the road while Hollie manned the wheel. It was a short drive, and familiar. We pulled into Pappy’s parking lot and Hollie drove to the opposite side of the building.

“Just in case,” he said as he put the truck in park.

We headed toward the back door. It swung open before we got there.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Hollie,” the owner said in surprise. He had a bag of trash in one hand. His eyes widened when he noticed me. “You!”

“Now, Wally. We just want to have a word,” soothed Hollie.

Wally dropped the bag and stepped back. That was when I noticed the blood running from his scalp.

“Are you okay?” I asked, pointing to his head.

He reached his hand up and came away with a finger covered in blood. “I’m fine. Just a little bump.”

“It doesn’t look fine. How about we come inside and I’ll take a look at that.”

Wally hesitated, his eyes never leaving mine, as if I were some kind of monster. “I don’t want
him
coming anywhere near me,” he said, pointing at me.

“Is that any way to treat a customer? Come on, fellas. Why don’t we head inside out of this heat? I don’t know about you but I sure could use a glass of iced tea.”

Hollie ignored the proprietor’s look and walked past him into the bar. I followed and a moment later, so did the portly owner.

The place was a wreck. Half the tables were either broken or overturned. Most of the liquor bottles lie broken beneath the far wall like someone had used them for target practice.

“What happened in here?” Hollie asked.

“Nothing I can’t fix. I don’t mean to be rude, but I’ve got some cleaning up to do. What was it you wanted to talk about?”

“Why don’t you go fetch a wet towel and some ice so I can take a look at your head. We’ll talk then.”

Wally nodded and scooted around the corner of the bar, searching for a clean towel.

“What do you think happened?” I asked, in a voice only Hollie could hear.

“I think we’re not the only ones who paid Wally a visit. By the looks of his head, it was pretty recent. We may have gotten lucky with our timing.”

Nothing about the situation felt lucky. In fact, a nagging feeling told me that we were ten steps behind. Whoever had wrecked the place was after something.

Wally returned with a bag of crushed ice and a stained towel.

“Sit down right here and I’ll take a look.”

The bloodied owner flopped down, suddenly looking in pain. He winced at Hollie’s probing. “Damn that hurts.”

“It got you good. You might need stitches. Want us to give you a ride to the hospital?”

Wally shook his head vehemently. “I’ll be fine.”

Hollie looked at him for a moment and continued to clean the wound, finally wrapping the plastic bag in the bloodied towel. “Make sure you keep pressure on it.”

The bar owner nodded. “What did you want to talk to me about?” he asked, ready to have us leave.

“I wanted to ask about Kelly Waters.”

Wally’s shoulders slumped. “Poor girl. Best waitress I ever had.”

“What happened after I left last night?” I asked, not wanting to stick around any longer than needed.

“Why do you care? Isn’t it the cops’ job to ask questions?” he replied indignantly.

“Was it the cops that did this?” I pointed to the mess all around us. “Doesn’t seem like something they’d do.”

His bravado disappeared as quickly as it had come. “It’s gonna cost a lot to get this place back together.” He was lost in his own misery.

“When was the last time you saw Kelly? Did she leave with somebody?” asked Hollie.

“I…I can’t say. I mean…” Tears flowed as Wally struggled to maintain his composure.

Hollie put a comforting hand on the man’s shoulder. “We’re not here to make trouble. We just want to get to the bottom of what happened.”

“But I can’t. They told me…”

“Who is they?”

“I can’t tell. They’ll kill me.”

Hollie looked at me. Dread filled my gut. It felt like the night before when Kelly had stood up for me. I didn’t want this man to do the same. He’d pretty much confirmed what I’d thought.

“It’s okay. You don’t need to tell us. Believe me when I say that the last thing I want is for you to get hurt.” I started for the door.

“But…” Hollie started.

“It’s okay, Hollie. We’ll figure it out some other way. Sorry about your place.” I reached into my pocket and pulled out three crisp hundred dollars bills, setting them on the bar. “This isn’t much, but I hope it’ll help.”

Hollie followed my lead, and we headed to the door. As I opened it, hot summer air blanketing me in an instant. I turned suddenly. “Did Johnny stay after the cops left last night?”

I could see the inner struggle as Wally deciding how much to say. In the end he didn’t say a thing, instead he nodded.

I did the same, and walked out the door.

+++

“Well that sure is some story.” Sweat beaded on Chief’s Knox’s forehead as he made some final notes. “Anything else you’d like to add?”

Johnny sat across the conference table, never making eye contact. Max Laney sat stoically next to the police chief, his gaze never leaving his grandson.

“No, sir. That’s all I remember.”

Knox nodded and closed the folder. “I hope you know how serious this is, son.”

“Yes, sir. I do.”

Knox turned to Max Laney. “Mr. Laney, if you wouldn’t mind staying with your grandson, I’m gonna go put in a call to the DA. I wanna make sure we take care of this properly.”

He left the room and Laney looked to his grandson. “You just make sure you keep your story straight.”

Chapter 13

We didn’t say much on the way back to Hollie’s farm. I ran through my options, part of me wanting to stay and avenge Kelly’s murder, another part of me wanting to run. The trees rolled by as my thoughts churned. Hollie did the same, never taking his eyes off the road.

As we pulled down the side road leading to the house, I spotted a late model Bronco parked just inside the tree line. I pointed to the trees. “Who lives on that land?”

Hollie glanced that way. “The Baxters. Nice enough. Pretty much stay to themselves.”

“Do they own an old Bronco?”

“Not that I remember.”

+++

“Thank you for your testimony, Mr. Laney. Now, if you’ll excuse us, I have to see the judge.”

The District Attorney shook Max Laney’s hand and nodded to Chief Knox.

Once he’d left, Johnny turned to Knox. “What happens now, Chief?”

“Well, I’ve gotta wait for the warrant first. Should have that soon. Then we’ll see. I appreciate you fessing up, son.”

“It’s how my granddad raised me. I’m just so sorry.” Johnny put his face in his hands, prompting an awkward silence.

Knox rose to go. “Mr. Laney, if y’all wouldn’t mind hanging tight, I can have one of the girls run out and get some food.”

“That’s very nice of you, Darryl, but I think I’ll pass. Don’t want to overstay my welcome. A coffee would be wonderful though. Black, no sugar.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll be right back.”

The door closed and Laney smiled at his grandson. “Hang in just a bit longer.”

+++

I told Hollie I wanted to go for a walk to clear my head and come up with a plan. He said he’d do the same while he started on dinner.

It wasn’t dark yet, but that didn’t matter. I’d been trained to do things in broad daylight without a soul knowing. Leaving from the rear of the house, out of sight of the main road, I jogged a long curving path, finally ending up in the stretch of pine.

Taking a hard left, I moved through the woods, back in my element, thoughts of Camp Lejeune’s training grounds in the front of my mind.
Snake Eyes
.

+++

I was covered in sweat by the time the Bronco came into view. I’d snuck in behind the vehicle, senses tingling. Maybe it was nothing, but I wanted to know. A hundred yards away, the driver’s side door opened and a man stepped out, walked five feet, unzipped his fly and relieved himself.

There was something familiar about the man, but it wasn’t until he turned to step back into the truck that I recognized the sling on his arm. It was one of Johnny’s goons.

I weighed my options. Take him down, interrogate him, or let him be. I was torn. This man hadn’t done a thing to incur my wrath.