Precious Bones (16 page)

I turned to ask Nolay a million questions, but I could tell by the way he held his chin to one side that I wasn’t going to get the answer to even one.

Wednesday morning arrived and plopped down on us hot and damp as a soggy cotton ball. I was sitting at the kitchen table trying to enjoy a bowl of warm grits with Nolay and Mama. It was early; Ikibob had just let out his first crow of the day. I slowly stirred my bowl of grits and mumbled, “I can’t believe school starts in little over a week. The summer went by too fast. I wish I never had to go back to school again.”

The dogs started to bark; Nolay and I went to the picture window to see who would visit this early in the morning. Sheriff LeRoy’s car pulled up in our driveway; right behind him was a black Ford with the inscription
Dade County Sheriff Dept
. on the side.

I followed Nolay outside. Halfway to the car he turned and told me, “Bones, call the dogs and keep ’em over there by the tree.”

Me and the dogs stayed at a respectable distance, but within hearing range. From where I sat, I could see two strange
men in the front of the black Ford and another hidden in the dimness of the backseat.

Sheriff LeRoy unfolded his massive body from the patrol car and ambled over to Nolay. “How do, Nolay. I know it’s early, but these two detectives from Dade County want to ask you a few questions. Sure would appreciate you takin’ a ride up to the station with me.”

“LeRoy, I don’t know what this is all about, but I got a busy morning ahead of me. If they want to ask me anything, I’m right here right now.” Without waiting for LeRoy to reply, Nolay walked over to the black Ford, leaned inside the open window, and said, “Y’all get on out if you got something to say. My little girl there has ahold of the dogs, they won’t bother you.” When Nolay turned away from the car he looked over at me and made a face like he had just taken a bite out of a lemon.

Reluctantly, the two men in the front seat got out and came around to the side of the car. The man in the backseat didn’t move. They were dressed in dark heavy suits; one of them had a little bow tie perched at the base of his neck. I could see beads of sweat glisten on their foreheads and trickle down the sides of their faces.

One of the men leaned against the car and said, “Well, sir, we would rather do this at the station, but seeing that you are willing to answer some questions now, we can accommodate you. There have been two murders in these parts, and there appears to be evidence that you had a run-in with both of the victims.”

“If you’re talking about that Yankee man and old Peckerhead, I didn’t have a run-in with either one of ’em.”

The man with the bow tie pointed toward the backseat and continued. “Well, sir, it seems Mr. Decker here is of a different opinion. He states that he and his partner, Mr. Robert Fowler, came out to this house inquiring about real estate and that you not only did physical damage to their car but threatened their lives with a gun. He also states that not long after that incident, you threatened them again, as well as one of your neighbors, a Mr. Willy Reems. It is also rumored, sir, that you are the owner of numerous guns.”

Now I recognized the man in the backseat; he was one of the Yankee men Nolay had chased down the road. He had also been with the Reems brothers when Nolay and I saw them at the back of our land.

Nolay shook his head and laughed. “You quacking at the wrong duck, mister. You are right about one thing; I do have plenty of guns. Everyone in these parts does. But I don’t use ’em to shoot people. If I had wanted to kill someone, you surely would not have found a body. I wouldn’t have been stupid enough to drag a body up to the railroad tracks, especially someone as useless as old Peckerhead.”

This conversation made Sheriff LeRoy look even more uncomfortable; he leaned against the car, pulled his huge Stetson further over his eyes, and began to dig the heel of one of his colossal boots into the soft sand.

Nolay pointed to the man in the backseat. “As far as those two Yankees are concerned, they came on my property
uninvited, and they insulted me and my family. If I had wanted to do ’em harm, both of ’em would be dead, not just one. Now, if you don’t have any more questions, I would appreciate it if you folks moved on, ’cause I got more important things to do.”

“Well, sir, you are a prime suspect for these two murders, and we will need you to come down to the station so we can further investigate this situation.” The bow-tie man turned to Sheriff LeRoy. “Sheriff LeRoy Hasket, it’s about time for you to do your duty and bring this man in.”

The two men turned around and walked back to their car. One of them mumbled, just loud enough for us to hear, “Dumb Florida crackers.”

Again, just hearing the way that man said
cracker
, it made me feel uncomfortable. Then I remembered Nolay’s words, took a deep breath, and made myself feel proud.

Sheriff LeRoy ambled away from his car and over to me and Nolay. He leaned his head down and very softly said, “Now, Nolay, you and me goes back a long ways. I gotta ask you to do me this one favor and just accompany me down to the station. If you don’t, I’m gonna look mighty bad in front of these here city fellas. Now, I need you to hep me out here. I’m just doing my job.”

Nolay looked up at the massive man in front of him and replied, “Blast it, LeRoy, if it was anyone else but you, I would tell ’em where to go.”

“Sorry ’bout all this, Nolay, I’m just doing my job.”

Mama walked out of the house, frowning. “What’s going on? What’s all this about?”

Nolay went over to her. “It’s just a misunderstandin’, ain’t nothing to worry about, Honey Girl. I’m going for a ride down to the station with LeRoy. He’ll bring me back home in a little while.”

Sheriff LeRoy tipped his huge Stetson in Mama’s direction. “Miss Lori, I’ll have ’im back as soon as possible.”

Nolay walked over to the car and opened the front door. He turned to the sheriff and said, “I ain’t getting in the back, I’m riding up front with you.”

After the other men got back in their car, I let the dogs go. They circled the car a couple of times, yapping and snapping their teeth.

Mama and I stood in the yard and watched as the two cars disappeared down our driveway. She still had a frown on her face. I said, “Mama, do you think Nolay is in trouble?”

“I hope not.” She turned and began walking back to the house. “Don’t worry, Bones. LeRoy won’t let anything happen to him.”

I followed behind Mama and said, “What’s a prime suspect?”

“It means they don’t have anyone else to be suspicious of.”

“Well, that don’t sound very good, does it?”

“Don’t worry, Bones. Sheriff LeRoy will get it all straightened out.”

For the rest of the day, me and Mama both tried to keep busy and not think about Nolay being up at Titusville. But I couldn’t stop from thinking about Nolay’s knife I’d found out in the swamps.

The sun had already dipped behind the flat horizon when
the dogs started to bark. The smoky beams of two headlights cut into the darkness as a car made its way up our dirt road. We heard the beep of a horn. Me and Mama went outside to see Sheriff LeRoy alone in his car.

“Where’s Nolay, LeRoy?” Mama said.

Sheriff LeRoy’s massive head rolled to one side as he said, “Miss Lori, them two fellas done had Nolay arrested.”

“Arrested for what?”

“On suspicion of the murder of that Fowler man and old Peckerhead Willie. I shore am sorry, Miss Lori. I shore am sorry.”

“Sorry? My God, LeRoy, you were just going to take him in for questioning. You were supposed to bring him back home. Where is Nolay now?”

“They done booked him into the Titusville County jail. You can go up tomorrow and see if you can bail ’im out. I tried to tell them fellas Nolay could just come back home, wadn’t no way he was gonna run away, but they wouldn’t have it. Them city slickers wanted to take him down to Dade County, but I refused to let ’em. Them crimes were committed in my jurisdiction, so he’s gonna stay right here in Brevard County. Long as I can keep ’im.”

“LeRoy, how did you let him get arrested for murder?”

“Miss Lori, them city po-lease have evidence. I cain’t discuss it with you, but they have evidence.”

Mama pressed her lips together and let out a deep sigh. She looked at the huge man in the car and said, “It’s not your fault, LeRoy. Thanks for coming by. I’ll go up and see him tomorrow and we’ll get this straightened out.”

Sheriff LeRoy hung his massive head and said, “I shore am sorry. I’m just doin’ my job, but I promise you I’ll do everything I can to hep. I don’t want to see Nolay being sent down to Dade County, not with him being … you know … not with him being part …”

“Indian, LeRoy, is that what you’re trying to say? Not with him being part Indian.”

Sheriff LeRoy managed to mumble, “I shore am sorry.”

Next morning, right after Ikibob crowed, I padded into the kitchen to find Mama at the kitchen table, her coffee cup and a pack of Lucky Strikes in front of her. “Bones, hurry up and get ready, we’re going to visit your daddy.”

“Do I have to wear a dress?”

“No, you can wear your dungarees.”

Mama had the top up on the Champion. I opened the door and slid inside, onto the cold seat. Nothing about the Champion felt like it had on the days we’d gone for rides with Nolay. On the ride up, Mama told me over and over, “Now, don’t you worry, everything will be just fine. We’ll get this straightened out.”

I had always looked forward to a ride up to the Titusville Courthouse; we had retrieved Nolay from there on numerous occasions. But those times, it wasn’t anything as serious as this. Nolay had a knack for breaking what he called “stupid white law.” He had been known to pick up other people’s possessions when they were just laying around idle. He had also been known to drive off at a gas station without paying for
gas. Of course that never happened at the Last Chance, because we had a running tab there and Mr. Ball knew Nolay would come in and pay when he got the money.

The Titusville Courthouse was the only building in the county that had an elevator; it was like a free carnival ride. Usually Nolay’s fines weren’t more that twenty dollars. We would pay at the front desk, get on that marvelous elevator, ride up to the second floor, retrieve Nolay, and ride back down.

Mama parked the Champion in front of a two-story gray building with bars across the top windows. “Bones, I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to wear your cap pistols into the courthouse. Just leave them here in the car until we come back.”

She signed in at the front desk and told the officer who she was there to see. He looked over at me and said, “Sorry, but children aren’t allowed on the top floor.”

Now, that was news to me, because I had ridden that elevator up to the top floor on numerous other occasions. Must have been news to Mama, too, because she stepped back, looked directly at the officer, and said, in a voice with a little more Southern charm than usual, “Sir, we have just endured a long ride, and my little girl needs to go up and see her daddy. Now, if you will be so kind as to show us the way …”

The police officer blinked his eyes like a stunned rooster, then nodded and replied, “Being that you drove all the way up here, I reckon it will be all right for her to go see her daddy.” He escorted us to the elevator and pushed a button, and two doors slid open. We stepped inside the small room, he pushed
another button, and the doors slid shut. We magically floated up to the second floor.

The visiting room wasn’t much bigger than a closet with a table in the middle. We sat down, and after a few minutes Nolay strolled in. He walked around the table and hugged me and Mama.

He sat down and flashed one of his smiles, but his eyes were dull and haunted. “Lori, did you bring me some fresh clothes? I been sleeping in these, and they’re pretty durn ripe.”

“No, I didn’t. I was in such a hurry to get up here. Anyway, you’ll be coming back home tomorrow, won’t you?”

“I don’t know, Honey Girl. The judge set my bail at three hundred dollars.”

“Three hundred dollars! My goodness, you live here, you’re not going to run away. Besides, you don’t have anything to run away from.”

“If I don’t come up with three hundred dollars, those big-city police are gonna take me down to Dade County. I don’t stand a chance for a fair trial there.”

“Trial? There’s going to be a trial?”

“Lori, I don’t know what all is gonna happen. Everything is just crazy mixed-up right now. All I know is I gotta get out of here, but I need three hundred dollars to do it.”

“Nolay, where are we going to get three hundred dollars? Maybe I could mortgage the land.”

“No, you don’t even think about that. We’ll get the money, but you don’t think about doing nothing with the land. That’s my family’s land. It ain’t for sale or mortgage.”

Before we left, Nolay reached across the table and held one of my hands and one of Mama’s. “Now, I don’t want y’all to worry about this. You hear me, we’ll work this out.”

Mama looked at Nolay. “I
am
worried. How am I going to get three hundred dollars? I don’t do what you do. I don’t go fishing. I don’t … I don’t do a lot of things that you do. How am I going to get this money?”