Chapter 29
29
“Got any bright ideas for a game plan?” I asked as I drove my supposedly shitty truck through town.
“Take the next left up ahead,” Beau said.
“For someone who hasn’t been here in fourteen years, you sure know your way around.”
“Had a friend who lived here for a while. His name was Nolan O’Rourke. Best kid you could imagine. He had it really rough.”
I nodded. Old friends weren’t anything to sneeze at.
“Okay, we’re coming up on it.” Beau laughed. “I see the sign has finally given up the ghost. Not surprised nobody’s fixed it.”
A blue sign hung crookedly from one metal post. It read Welcome To Blue and that was all. The rest of the sign had broken off.
“Okay, Via’s in Lot 41. If we go knocking on her door, the bastard isn’t going to come out easy,” Beau said.
I pulled over to the side of the road, right before the entrance to the mobile home park. “That’s why we call her. We tell her we’re the gas company and there’s a problem with her meter. She needs to come outside so we can show her what’s wrong.”
Beau looked over at me. “I’m supposed to be the oldest, and therefore the smartest.”
“I’ve spent damn near a year plotting on my computer. Makes a mind agile.”
“I guess so.”
“Plus, I was Delta. We have it going on. You Raiders are nothing but brawn.”
Beau flipped me the bird, and I smiled.
I took out my phone and held out my hand for the piece of paper that Lettie had given Beau. I made the call and prayed that she would answer.
“Hello?” It was a man’s voice.
“Hello, this is Marcus Roberts from the gas company. I need to speak with Via Ames. Is she available?”
“I’m her nephew. Talk to me.”
“She’s the person on the bill. I need to speak with her.”
“She’s not available.” Willie sounded belligerent as hell.
“I’m sorry, but I need to speak with her.”
“I told you. She’s not available.” Willie was past the point of belligerent. Now he was pissed.
“Do you live at Lot 41?” I asked in a reasonable tone of voice.
“Yeah.”
“Then maybe you can help me.”
“That’s what I told you. Talk to me.”
“I’ll be there in five minutes. I need you to check the reading with me at the meter. There have been some anomalies. We need to get this worked out, otherwise Ms. Ames’ bill will be over a thousand dollars next month.”
“Are you fucking kidding me? You guys are nothing but cheats!”
“We’re trying to be pro-active. Meet me at the meter in five minutes.”
“Damn right I will.” He hung up the phone.
I looked over at Beau.
“I’m worried about his aunt,” Beau said.
“Me, too.”
“How do we get dad out of the house? If he’s there?” Beau asked.
“We’ll play it by ear.”
Before we drove into the trailer park, I unlocked the tool chest in the bed of my truck, gave Beau the Colt, and I made sure my Glock was handy. I stopped the truck four trailers before Number 41 and let Beau out, then continued to Via’s. A guy with long, greasy hair stood by the side of a single-wide trailer that had seen better days. He was shaking the gas meter. His clothes looked like they hadn’t been washed in the past month. When he heard my truck, he turned around and scowled, then stomped over to me.
“Who in the hell are you?”
“I told you. Marcus Roberts. I’m with the gas company.”
“Why aren’t you wearing a uniform? Why aren’t you in a gas company truck?”
“They laid off damn near everybody last year. Now they hired back a bunch of us scabs. Those higher-ups are nothing but assholes if you ask me.”
“So, why are you working for them?” Willie asked.
“It’s a job. Need to put food on the table for my kids.”
Willie shrugged. “Guess so.” He turned around and went back to the meter. “So how is the damn company trying to steal from me?”
“Let me show you. And it’s a damn good thing I caught it. I’m telling you. They are trying to screw everybody.”
“I hate all of them big companies.” Willie spit out a big stream of tobacco juice that nearly hit my boot.
And he stank to high heaven.
“Look here.” I pointed at the meter. I had no idea what I was pointing at. “Do you see how this is over here?”
Willie nodded.
“Well, this needle should really be way over here.”
“Yeah, it should.” He nodded. Great, we were bullshitting one another.
“So, because it’s not, we’re talking a thousand-and-nineteen-dollar bill.”
“Are you fucking with me?”
“No sir, I am not.”
“How are you going to fix it?” Willie demanded.
“I’m going to turn this in to my supervisor. There is no way that a trailer as small as yours could be using this much gas. Unless, of course…”
This might work.
“Of course, what?”
“How is everybody feeling inside?” I asked.
“We’re doing okay. I guess.”
“How about your aunt? She couldn’t come to the phone.”
Willie got a squirrelly look on his face. “You’re right. She’s been feeling a mite poorly. But I’ve been giving her cough medicine and making sure that she drinks water and stuff. That’s what the old bat next door said to do. Bitch can’t mind her own business. God, she doesn’t see my aunt for five days, and she’s up in my grill.”
“Willie. Can I call you Willie?”
“Sure can, Marcus.”
“Is there anybody else besides you and your aunt in the trailer?”
He looked at me, then his eyes shifted to the left. “Nope, just me and Aunt Via. Why?”
“Well, you’re looking a bit peeked. And your aunt isn’t feeling well. If there was someone else, I would just wonder about her or his state of health. It might be the reason for all the gas. You could have a gas leak under the trailer. It would spew just a little amount inside, so that it would make you sick.” I paused as I saw his eyes get wide. “You don’t smoke, do you?”
“Nah, just chew. And Via makes Arth?—”
“Who?”
“Never mind.”
“Well okay. I’m kind of worried. I think I should send out a real technician who can check under the trailer. In the meantime, I’m going to shut off the gas and suggest you get your aunt out of the trailer immediately. This is serious business.”
I went over to the valve and shut it off.
Willie hot-footed back into the trailer. Almost as soon as he went in, dear old dad came rushing out. Beau was on him in an instant. Hell, I hadn’t even seen him nearby.
“Kai, get the hell off me,” Dad whined.
Beau picked Dad up by the back of his neck, cocked back with his right hand, and let loose. Dad was on the ground. Out cold.
“Well, fuck,” Beau said disgustedly. He looked over at me. “Go in there and get some water. I’m not done with him.”
I shrugged and looked over at the entrance. Willie was standing there, his head turning between Beau and me and back again.
“Get a pan of water,” Beau yelled. He just stood there.
“Willie. Get a pan of water. Right fucking now ,” Beau yelled louder.
Willie darted back into the trailer. I went over to stand over Dad. I prodded him with the toe of my boot. Nope, he wasn’t playing possum. Beau and I waited.
“Here.”
Beau took the pan and poured it slowly over Dad’s face. Dad started to moan.
“Get up, old man. I’m not done with you.”
Dad got up on one elbow and squinted up. “Kai?”
“No, it’s Grady. Now get your worthless ass up.”
Dad slumped back onto the ground. Beau hauled him up onto his feet and punched him in the ribs. I remembered what Doc Evans had said about Arthur having broken Beau’s ribs. I watched Beau whale on Arthur. Punch after punch, Dad groaned and begged him to stop.
“You want in on this?” Beau asked me.
I thought about it, and realized Beau had a lot more grievance. “He’s all yours.”
Dad’s head lolled around like a broken doll, one eye shut. The only reason he was partially standing was Beau was holding him with one hand.
“You piece of shit. I don’t know if what you’ve done will get you in a jail cell, so let’s do this, shall we?”
I watched as Beau kicked out at the side of Dad’s knee. I heard the bone break and cringed.
“Jesus,” I heard Willie whisper.
Beau dropped Dad onto the ground. He turned to look at Willie. “Did you see anything?”
“God no,” he whispered.
“I want to check on his aunt. I think something fishy is going on,” I said.
I pushed Willie out of the way and made my way into the trailer. I found the old woman in the back bedroom.
“Via?” I whispered.
She was in a house robe, shivering. She was barely conscious.
“Call an ambulance, Beau. I think there might be a prison sentence in these two assholes' future after all.”