Three Sides of the Tracks (16 page)

The gun was heavy but not as heavy as the first, and, whereas the first
one seemed like it was barrel-heavy, this one felt like it was all one piece,
balanced. “ ‘Comfortable’ ” I guess would be the word,” Danny replied.

“That’s the perfect word. The way a gun should feel to a man. 357
Magnum’s what you have there. It’ll do the trick. Okay, here’s you some
binoculars. Take this camouflage jump suit and hat, and I do believe you’re
ready for war.”

The color drained from Danny’s face, and his eyes lost the glow so
apparent moments ago.

“You don’t have to do this, kid. Ain’t yore place. It’s the police’s. Or,
if not them, the girls’ families. Take it from me—you know I know what I’m
talking ‘bout—you just ain’t made of the stuff it takes to bring down the likes
of them three. You cain’t reason with them kind. Cain’t make no deals. No
nothing ‘cept kill ‘em. Scum that they are; it’s what they deserve. I knew that
sorry nephew of mine would do somethin’ one day. Something crazy bad. Never in
a million years dreamed it’d be somethin’ like this though. Young girls and
all. A church. As much devilment’s in the world, still ain’t never heard of
robbin’ no church. Beats anything I ever heard, and that’s sayin’ a hell of a
lot. I’d kill the son of a bitch myself if I was able.” Bernard was almost
screaming now.

Danny shook Bernard’s shoulders. “Killing Slink is not my plan. I’m
thinking of Caroline. I mean to get her away from him, not kill him.”

Bernard’s eyes met Danny’s, and he put a hand on Danny’s. “You damn well
better start thinking of killin’ him ‘cause that’s the only way you’ll get
her,” he said softly. “I mean it, son. Think hard ‘fore you go chasing Slink.
Won’t be time once it starts. Think whether you can take a life, even one as
sorry as Stinker’s. If you got any doubt, leave it to the others ‘cause Stinker
will gut you like a chicken without blinkin’ a eye. You hearin’ me?” He
squeezed Danny’s hand. “You hearin’ me?”

“Slink’s not keeping Caroline.”

Bernard stared into Danny’s eyes and saw a washed out expression, one
devoid of emotion.

“Okay then. When it comes time, you stay in the place you’re at right
now. And use your brain. That’s your only chance.”

Danny nodded and dropped his hands.

“You get yourself some rest today. Eat plenty of food and just lie around
and rest up. Sneak outta the house at let’s say three o’clock and come over
here. I’ll have everything ready for you. I’ll check the car, make sure the
battry’s charged and all.”

Danny looked puzzled.

“You’ve got to have a car, ain’t you? How else you goin’ after Slink?”

“Well, I thought I’d ask my mother . . .”

“Ha, your mother won’t let you out of her sight if she knows what you’re
planning. Shoot, I thought you were smarter than that. I might need to
reconsider all this if you’re that dumb.”

Danny threw up his hands. “I can’t just up and leave, Bernard. She’d
worry to death.”

“Leave her a note. You go tryin’ to make her understand why you have to
go and it’ll end in a big fuss and then I’ll be dragged into it ‘cause I’m
loaning you my car. She ain’t gonna be less worried just because you tell her
what you’re planning. You’d better listen to what I’m sayin’ cause it’s right
as rain. Son, there ain’t no
right
way of handlin’ this.”

Danny paced the floor, misery at causing his mother more worry apparent
on his face. “You’re right. She’d probably call the cops on me herself if she
knew what I’m planning. So you’ll have the address in Florida for me when I
come over at three o’clock? I’m going to leave all these guns and stuff here
till then too.” He placed his hands on Bernard’s shoulders. “Thanks, Bernard.
I’ll try not to make you sorry.”

“You do that, kid. You do that. Now git. I’ll see you in a few hours.”

21

Foraging

“Y’all get back in the car and don’t be moving around,” Slink said.
“Sweet Cheeks and me are gonna see what we can find to eat.”

“No, no, you can’t leave me,” Brandy wailed and grabbed Caroline.

“Stop your whining. Nothin’s gonna happen to you. Make sure of that,
Smurf. If I come back and that gal’s messed up, it’s gonna be me and you. You
hear me?” Slink looked first at Whitey then Smurf, who both mumbled their
replies.

“Get’r in the car, Smurf.”

Smurf pried Brandy’s arms loose and dragged her toward the car.

“Ready for a field trip, Sweet Cheeks?”

“Do I have a choice?”

“Come on.”

Slink took the tire iron from the trunk and walked east through the tall
pines. He looked back to make sure Caroline followed.

The pine straw deadened their steps, and the spaces between the huge pine
trees made for easy walking. They’d walked half a mile when Slink put up his
hand and crouched. Caroline did the same.

“Get up here,” he said.

Caroline crawled the 10 yards on her hands and knees until she was next
to Slink. “There’s a house over there. We’re gonna see what kind of groceries
they keep.”

“In broad daylight?”

“Of course. Everybody’ll be at work. Or most likely be anyways. We’ll
have to see. Watch the house and see who comes and goes in the next little
while.”

“You have it all figured out, huh?”

“Don’t get smart. Forgot the last time so quick?”

Caroline lowered her eyes.

The air in the woods was almost motionless, only a brief waft rippling
over their skin without moving a leaf or flower.

Caroline felt herself flush when a tendril of air carried Slink’s masculinity.
For a moment, she forgot who he was. Then she remembered and was ashamed at the
impulses flashing through her mind. The discovery was new. A man’s smell had
never affected her until now. 

“When I run, you run. Got that?”

Caroline nodded.

 Slink’s lithe body streamed through the undergrowth and across the yard,
flattened against the house as he snuck peeks through two of the windows.

“I don’t see nobody. No TV going. Don’t hear anything either. Let’s try
the door.” He grabbed Caroline’s hand and jerked her along until he reached a
door leading into the carport. The door opened at his touch. A tarp covered one
car and the other space was empty. The doorknob from the carport to the kitchen
didn’t turn, so he jammed the tire iron between the door and doorframe and
levered it until the bolt popped out. “After you, my lady,” he said, sweeping
his arm across the threshold in a grand manner.

Caroline shivered when she walked into the kitchen, feeling the invasion
of another’s life.

“Look in that closet for plastic bags. Big ones.”

Caroline looked in the pantry and stripped three 50-gallon bags off the
roll. She thrust them toward Slink.

“Hell, don’t hand ‘em to me. Start filling them up. I’m gonna see what
else is in here.”

“Please . . .” Caroline blurted out.

Slink turned. “What?”

“Don’t take anything from these people. Nothing personal. Please. You
don’t need it. You have enough money from the church. It must be horrible to
know someone’s come into your home. Can’t we just take enough, just enough so
they won’t know we were here?”

“Well, ain’t you the sensitive one? What would you know about that? You
been robbed . . . raped maybe?”

Caroline flushed again. This time from anger. “No, I haven’t been raped,
thank you very much. It’s called empathy, which means—”

“I know what it means, Sweet Cheeks.” Slink shook his head as if he
thought she was crazy. He opened the refrigerator. A pack of hotdogs, bottle of
mustard and ketchup, mayonnaise. “Put some of those bananas in the bag.”

Caroline broke three bananas off a bunch of eight or ten bananas, not
enough to be missed, she hoped. She opened the pantry door again and took a jar
of peanut butter she’d seen, then several cans of peaches and fruit salad with
syrup. She opened drawers until she found a can opener.

Slink rifled through the refrigerator.

Caroline edged closer and held the bag open. “I think we’ve got enough.”

“What makes you think that? You don’t know my plans.”

“Well, I just thought we’d be moving soon.”

“Stop thinking, Sweet Cheeks. Take it as it comes and you’ll be a lot
better off. But you happen to be right. Grab that loaf of bread. Did you see
any Cokes in there?”

“No, but I didn’t think to look.” Caroline checked the pantry again and
saw several twelve packs of canned soft drinks. She grabbed a twelve-pack of
Coca-Cola and one of Dr. Pepper.

“Okay, I’ve got two 12 packs. Can we
please
go now? I hate being
here. I’d rather be in the car.”

Slink looked at her with an odd expression. “You’re a tough one, Sweet
Cheeks. Yes, sir, a tough one,” he said and banged the refrigerator door shut.

Caroline started out the door, but Slink jerked her back inside, forced
her against the wall, and kissed her hard on the lips.

Caroline twisted her head but Slink gripped her face with one hand while his
other pressed heavily on her chest.

He let her go as suddenly as he had jerked her inside.

“You’ll have to excuse me, Sweet Cheeks, but your butt looked so fine
walking through that door I just don’t know what came over me.” He grinned
devilishly and winked.

Her head spinning, Caroline picked up the plastic bag and kept her back
to the wall as she slid toward the doorway.

Slink laughed.

Caroline was almost at the outer door when Slink yanked her back.

“Hold it. Let’s see what’s under that tarp.”

He grabbed one end and pulled up the tarp to expose a gleaming black 2000
Buick Lacrosse. “Damn.”

Slink stared at the car for what seemed an eternity then tried the
passenger door. It was locked. He walked around to the driver’s side, and it
opened. He looked in the glove box, the console, and under both sun visors for
keys then smacked the dash with his fist. He stopped when he heard metal clink
against metal. Two keys on a simple metal ring swung gently while another fit
snugly in the ignition switch. “I’ll just be damned,” he said and cranked the
car, noticing that the gas gauge read full. “Change of plans, Sweet Cheeks.
Throw that stuff in the trunk.”

“What?”

“You heard me.” Slink opened the glove box and popped the trunk lid up.
“Shit,” he muttered at the expression on Caroline’s face.

He snatched the plastic bag from her hand. “Don’t pretend you don’t
understand. You’re just thinkin’ how much harder it’ll be to catch us now,
huh?”

Caroline blushed.

“Uh huh. Get in.”

Slink had barely cleared the driveway when he threw the car in reverse
and backed up. “Pop that trunk lid,” he said then hopped out of the car, folded
the cloth tarp and put it in the trunk.

He slammed the trunk and slid behind the wheel, looked up the road to see
whether there was anyone to observe them leaving, then sped from the carport.
They passed only one house before reaching the dirt road leading to their
hideout.

“Old lady must be sentimental. Kept her husband’s car after he died.”

That brought Caroline from her stupor. “How do you know that?”

“Old lady smell in the house. Reminds me of my mother’s. By the way this
car drives and the way it looks, I’ll bet she drives it ’bout twice a year.
Takes it to the dealer to be serviced, and they rip her off for doing nothin’
cause it don’t need nothin’, and she’s just happy as a lark, thinking she’s
doing something for her dearly departed. Ha, what a bunch’a crap.”

Caroline turned her head to keep Slink from seeing her eyes roll, but she
had to admit that the house did smell of perfumed powder and staleness.

Slink drove around the barn and up the trail into the woods. He stopped
and put the car in park then turned his eyes on her. “Don’t pretend you’re not
attracted to me,” he said with a smirk.

Caroline’s stomach knotted and she lowered her eyes, afraid of what he might
see.

His scent filled her mind.

Then he was next to her. He cupped her chin in one hand and lifted her
face then kissed her tenderly.

Caroline trembled. These were her lips touching someone . . . something
so evil. Her belly fluttered and every fiber quivered. Thrill and shame fought
for control. And the thrill was overtaking her. She despised him yet was
powerless to do anything. The urge was too strong and she didn’t understand. She
felt like she was in a dream in which strong hands held her down while she was
tortured. She wrenched her face away before she lost whatever restraint she
still possessed. Guilt and shame overtook her, and the evil she felt helpless
against twisted into a fear that threatened her very self. Her stomach rolled.
Caroline flung open the door and retched. She half stepped, half fell out of
the car, and, on her hands and knees, retched until there was nothing but bile.

Slink slid across the seat and leaned toward her. “I can wait, Sweet
Cheeks. Whenever you’re ready, and I spect that won’t be long now. I know you.
Know how your mind works. You can’t help yourself, can you? You hate me, but
you want me. Don’t make sense, does it, but there you are. We can’t choose who
we’re attracted to. We just are.” Slink chuckled as he walked off. “Crazy
world, I’ll say.”

Caroline knelt on the forest floor. She had never felt so helpless, so
confused, and so overwhelmed with shame. The dead pine straw turned dark with
tears. Then a guttural scream for help and hope came from deep in her chest. “Dannnnny,
Dannnnny,” she screamed between sobs, having no more idea why than she did for
letting Slink’s lips linger on hers for so long.

22

Backup

  Jessie closed the door in Iggy and Deadhead’s face then went back to
his
room. He dropped a couple of small ice cubes into his glass and filled the rest
with Crown Royal. The tiny spoon overflowed with the three-quarter cocaine,
one-quarter speed concoction. He dumped it on the mirror and began cutting it
finer with the razor blade. He pressed a finger against one nostril then sucked
the entire line of white powder deep into his other nostril.

The line made him dizzy, so he leaned back until it passed and the
euphoria took over. His eyes fell on the open address book with all his
telephone numbers. Iggy and Deadhead,
idiots
.

Feet propped on the desk, he slid the book over with the toe of his shoe
so he could pick it up with a minimum of effort. Didn’t want to disturb his
“high.” The number he wanted was under the “D’s” for “deliveries.” Just a
number, no name, and the number he looked at was itself a code for the real
number.

Jessie dialed. The phone rang then stopped. No one spoke but he heard
breathing. “Same place. Same time,” Jessie said and waited. Two seconds later
the line went dead. 

Jessie smiled, hung up the phone, reached for his little spoon again and
poured another glass of whiskey but held off drinking it to enjoy the taste of
the white powder as its remnants ran down his throat. He caught his reflection
in the glass panels of the gun case, brushed back his hair, lifted his chin,
and rubbed his jaw line. “I look damn good for 50 years old. Ain’t no son of a
bitch in Georgia gonna outdo me.”