Redemption (21 page)

“
Don’t know. Jimmy Lee takes care of all the tax assessments.”

Wow.
“He pays your taxes?”

“
Yep.” Michael dropped his eyes. “It’s his land, right?”

Being a landlord can sure make a man poor.
“So y’all live here rent-free, too.”

“
Yeah. So?”

Overton scratched his head. “So y’all made a deal with Senator Sellers, too.”

“
No. More like he made the deal with me. I don’t know if you’ll remember, but after I blew my knee at State and dropped out, Senator Sellers offered me all this land. Said it had gone fallow long enough.”

No one just gives away fifty acres of land because someone has a knee injury.
“When was this?”

“
Think it was eighty-seven.”

“
And he paid for the house, too?”

“
Yeah. Surprised the hell out of me. He asked me what I wanted, I told him, and he built it. Sharese calls it my forty acres and a mule.”

Sharese might be right about that.
“Anything written down?”

“
Not at first. Just a handshake. Then it all got wrote down in the will.”

Which I hope Autumn can locate.
“You’ve seen it?”

He hopped up onto the counter. “I was there when they read it ten years ago.”

Overton took out a notepad. “Mind if I write some of this down?”

“
No.”

“
Who all was there?”

“
Jimmy Lee’s lawyer.”

“
Curtis Daniels?”

“
Yeah. Real fancy. Talked in circles.”

Creed and Jimmy Lee have the same lawyer. Of course they do.
“Who else?”

“
Me and Sharese. Jimmy Lee and Margaret. Callie Poindexter. Annie and Darcy. And Lester.”

Overton’s hand shook as he wrote down Callie’s name.
She has never mentioned this to me.
“Callie was there?”

Michael smiled. “She never told you?”

“
Now why would she—”

“
Come on, Sheriff. It ain’t no secret. Kinda makes me respect you more. Callie has had her place free and clear for a long time now. She owns it one hundred percent. The rest of us are just tenants.”

Overton looked at his list.
Four of the nine at the reading of the will are dead, which means that Callie is in danger, too!
“You could be next, Michael. Why are you really running to Florida?”

Michael shook his head. “I ain’t runnin’. Just takin’ a trip.” He slipped off the counter. “Ramsey’s got to be done by now, and I got some packin’ to do, so …”

Time for some shock treatment.
“Michael, where were you the night J died?”

Michael’s eyes widened. “What’s that got to do with—”

“
Where were you?” Overton interrupted. “You and J were best friends, right?”

“
Well, yeah, but—”

“
So where were you?”

Michael blinked. “You don’t think that I had anythin’ to do with him dyin’.”

“
I didn’t say that.”
Though you did bring it up.
“Just want to know where you were.”

Michael looked away. “It was so long ago.”

“
Did you see him that night?”

“
No.”

Then why are you looking away from me? Honest men tell the truth eye-to-eye.
“You sure?”

Michael turned his head, his eyes fierce. “Of course I’m sure.”

“
Well, if you’re so sure that you didn’t see him, where were you? I mean, you know you weren’t with him, so ...”

“
I probably had a date.”

“
With who?”

“
Probably some girl in Calhoun. I had quite a few back then.”

“
Names?”

Michael closed his eyes, slowly reopening them. “If I can’t remember what I did, what makes you think I’ll remember their names?”

“
You were at the statue the next day, right? Just back up your memory a little.”

He slapped the counter. “I don’t want to remember! And I don’t want—” He stopped and looked out the window. “Sharese is home, and I want you to leave her out of all this.”

“
Out of what, Michael?”

“
The girl had nightmares about J for
two
years. I had to deal with that shit for two
long
years, and I don’t want you bringin’ all that back.”

Too late. J’s back.
“I have to. I have four dead bodies, Michael. All four were at the reading of the Senator’s will, and all four were connected to J way back when as well.”

“
You’re reopenin’ J’s case?”

“
Yes, but not officially. And I’ll
have
to talk to Sharese.”

Michael took two steps toward Overton. “No you won’t. She don’t know nothin’, and you’re gonna leave her be.”

He’s giving me orders, threatening me even. Makes me want to talk to Sharese a whole lot more now.
“Don’t you want to know who killed your best friend?”

Michael looked away. “Yes, but …”

“
And if talking to Sharese will help me do that … ”

“
How she gonna help? She was waitin’ at home for J to pick her up. She never left her house.”

He’s so sure where Sharese was but unsure where he was that night.
“Sharese said J was planning a surprise for her. Was he going to pop the question that night?”

“
I don’t know!” Michael stepped even closer. “Look, you gotta leave.” He stormed through the mud room to the door and opened it. “Sharese, bring the boys and get in here!” He turned to Overton, his eyes fierce. “Once she comes through that door, I’m shuttin’ it, and it’ll take a search warrant to open it.”

Overton put on his hat. “I can always make a call.”

“
And I’ll answer it. Get out.”

Overton stepped through the doorway and paused. “You attended Mount Zion, didn’t you?”

Michael growled. “Get out.”

I’ll take that as a yes.
He tipped his hat to Sharese as the boys weaved around him into the house. “Afternoon, Sharese.”

“
Hey Sheriff,” she said with a smile, wielding several K-Mart bags. No more than five feet tall and two years older than Autumn, Sharese could have passed for a teenager. She didn’t have a line on her face, her caramel-colored skin glowing in the sunlight. “What brings you out here?”

A question your husband
didn’t
ask because he knew why I had come.
“Just out visiting.” He caught Michael’s eyes smoldering beside him. “And I was just leaving. Nice to see you. Thanks for the lemonade, Michael.”

“
Nice to see you, too,” Sharese said, and she went into the house.

“
Good talking to you, Michael. Y’all take care now.”

Michael didn’t respond.

“
Have a safe trip.”

“
Yeah,” Michael said softly. “We will.”

And I bet you’ll be leaving tonight. So since Callie’s not back yet, I’m going to stake out this place until you’re safely
gone
from Snow.

24

Sharese dumped the bags on the kitchen table. “What was all that about, Michael?”

“
You don’t want to know.”
And I don’t ever want you to know.
“How long will it take for y’all to be packed and ready to go?”

Sharese frowned. “Why?”

Because it’s time, girl.
“We’re leavin’ as soon as you’re ready.”

“
But you said
Sunday
,
Michael. I got a lot to do before then. You said there wasn’t any rush.”

W
e’re in danger, girl, and Sunday may be too late.
“I know what I said. I changed my mind.”

Sharese shook her head and began pulling clothes out of the bags. “At least let us leave after dinner. That’ll save us a meal out.”

Dang. The girl’s always tryin’ to save money when we don’t have to.
“Well, make some sandwiches. We can eat on the road.”

“
What’s the hurry?”

Got demons chasin’ me, girl.
He approached her, extending a hand to her cheek. “I just want to go, girl. Wanna see something new, want the boys to be able to brag some. And we haven’t had a vacation in years.”

She removed his hand. “Your hand is rough, and years is right. We haven’t been anywhere since our weekend honeymoon.” She bounced her head off his chest. “When we gonna have a real honeymoon?”

“
Soon.” He kissed her forehead. “I promise.”

“
But aren’t our reservations for Monday night?”

He picked her up with ease, holding her close to him. “So we’ll be a little early. And it won’t be like they won’t want our money. Not many folks go to Florida in July, you know.”
And maybe we’ll come back in September, after all this shit has blown over.
“
Come on, girl. Get to steppin’!”

“
I will, if you put me down.”

He kissed her passionately on the lips. “What if I don’t want to?”

She pushed back from him. “Then we ain’t leavin’.”

He sighed and set her on the floor. “I’ll start unpluggin’ stuff.”

While Sharese and the boys packed suitcases, Michael went through the house disconnecting phones first.
No phone call is going spoil this escape.
Then he unplugged appliances and checked locks and windows. “Y’all ready?” he called up the stairs.

“
I only just started, Michael!” Sharese called back. “It ain’t like magic, you know. Is the camper ready?”

“
Yeah.”

“
It got gas?”

Shit! All this rushin’ around, and I forgot!
“Enough to get us to Calhoun.”

“
Why don’t you go out and get it filled up now?”

“
But I’ll have to go all the way to Pine since Lester’s permanently out of business.”

Sharese came to the top of the stairs modeling her new bikini. “Like it?”

Damn, I got a fine woman, and she’s lookin’ as fine as she did before havin’ the boys.
“Uh-huh.”

“
Dag, Michael, put your tongue back in your mouth. Just take the camper to Pine, and by the time you return, we’ll be as ready as we’ll ever be. And whatever I forget to bring, we’ll just have to buy it when we get down there, okay?”

“
Okay.”

She turned and shook her ass. “You like this, too, right?”

He smiled. “You know I do.”

“
Good. You want any piece of this anytime soon you will not rush me any more than you already have. You know I hate to be rushed. Now get out of here.”

“
Okay, okay. We need anything from Kroger?”

She curled her bottom lip. “Just get gone, man!”

“
I’m goin’, I’m goin’.”

25

Overton parked beside a broken-down barn off 109 a quarter mile from the Lavenders’ farm and adjusted the vent to blow on his face. He handed a pair of binoculars to Ramsey. “Just keep your eyes on that Winnebago, Ramsey.”

“
What for?”

How much do I tell him?
“Just want to make sure they get out of town okay. Hot day like this that Winnebago might overheat. That’d sure spoil a vacation.”