The Guilty

by David Baldacci

  come in from?”

  “I can’t say.”

  “Why not?”

  “It’s a secret.”

  “You shot all them men, in the dark?”

  “I was up a tree. Gave me a nice line of sight. Like picking off tenpins all lined up in a row.”

  Taggert looked at Robie. “And you slit one guy’s throat and broke another one’s neck? And they were both armed?”

  “Well, yeah.”

  “Who the hell are you people!” exclaimed a clearly exasperated Taggert.

  “Just concerned citizens standing our ground,” said Reel. “You folks have that law down here, right?”

  “I’m going to have to call the sheriff, get some deputies down here to secure this scene then process it, and then y’all are goin’ to have to make statements ’bout all this.” She gazed at Sara. “Includin’ you.”

  “But my daddy!”

  “I don’t give a damn ’bout your daddy, okay? This here is a crime scene and things are gonna be done in a professional manner. You understand me?”

  Sara finally nodded, though she looked like she wanted to grab a gun and shoot herself.

  Taggert stared at Robie and Reel. “Now if you two have a problem with that, I’m just gonna have to arrest you and take you in.”

  Reel looked at Taggert like she might just shoot her instead. The deputy seemed to realize this, because she turned to Robie and said quickly, “It’s my job, okay?”

  Robie nodded. “I know it is. And we’ll cooperate.”

  “To the extent we can,” interjected Reel.

  Taggert started to say something but then just shook her head and pulled out her phone.

  As she walked away to talk in private, Reel said in a voice only Robie could hear, “Blue Man filled me in some, but there’s still a lot I don’t know.”

  “You’ll know it all, Jess, before the night is out.” He paused. “It sure is good to see you. I have some things I want to talk to you about.”

  “Blue Man mentioned that, too.”

  “Did he tell you everything about…that?”

  “I think he preferred that you told me, in your own way.”

  Robie looked relieved.

  “So how has it been, coming home?” asked Reel.

  “You remember how it was for you?” he replied.

  “That bad, huh?”

  “That bad,” said Robie.

  He put out a hand and gripped her rock-hard shoulder. “Thanks, Jess. You saved my butt tonight.”

  “This doesn’t come close to making us even,” she said. “Not that anything will.”

  “I just know that I’m really glad you’re here.”

  “Where else would I be, Robie?”

  “Are you two like, datin’?”

  They looked down to see Sara staring at them in mild disgust.

  “What if we are?” said Reel.

  “Well, aren’t you two kind’a old to be doin’ that?”

  Reel raised her rifle. “Keep it up, Sara, and you won’t get close to our advanced age.”

  Sara hugged herself tight and started whimpering, “Omigod, omigod.”

  Chapter

  38

  ROBIE AND REEL sat across from Sheriff Keith Monda in the latter’s office on the main thoroughfare of Cantrell, which was barely two car lengths wide. They had been up all night. It was past eleven in the morning now.

  Monda was a heavyset man in his fifties, with iron-gray hair gelled straight back. He was in uniform, and an unlit cigarillo rolled around in his mouth, while a deep scowl was set in his features.

  His office was small and cramped, with cinderblock walls and an old-fashioned calendar hanging on one wall. There wasn’t a computer on his desk or any other evidence that the man had entered the latter part of the twentieth century much less the twenty-first.

  When he settled back in his old roller chair, it squeaked and so did his gun belt.

  Taggert stood next to him. She was in uniform now and had a nervous expression on her face.

  Monda took the cigarillo out of his mouth and said, “I’ve been briefed on all of it by Taggert here. And I got a call into the FBI but I haven’t heard back yet. Now I’d like to hear things from you two, ’cause I don’t much cotton to people havin’ shootouts ’round here.”

  Robie explained everything that had happened thus far.

  Monda looked at Reel. “So where do you come in exactly?”

  “I come in exactly as Robie’s professional colleague.”

  “Which neither one’a you have elaborated on. What is it that you both do?”

  “I have a phone number that you can call,” replied Robie.

  The man’s scowl deepened. “I’m not interested in callin’ anybody. I want to hear it from you. Right now.”

  Reel said imperturbably, “The number is in Washington. It’s a federal government phone number. They can tell you certain things at their discretion.”

  “And you can’t?”

  “We’re not allowed to,” said Reel. “You can lock us up if you want, but that won’t change things.”

  Monda placed the cigarillo back into his mouth and eyed her. “Taggert here said you shot down four armed men with a rifle in the dark.”

  “Well, they were shooting at me. And I don’t much cotton to that.”

  “I don’t doubt that. What are you two, like special forces or somethin’?”

  “Or something,” said Robie. “The phone call will explain things.”

  “To a degree,” amended Reel.

  Monda nodded and asked for the phone number. He wrote it down as Robie recited it for him.

  Monda said, “Okay, just so we’re straight on all this, we are not releasin’ any information about what happened. I don’t want any panic. I’ve told Sara Chisum to keep her mouth shut or she’ll get in trouble. And you two keep this to yourselves.”

  “You know Cantrell,” said Robie. “Small town where everybody knows everybody’s business. Hard to keep something like this quiet.”

  “Well, we’re sure gonna try.”

  “You might want to put Chisum in protective custody.”

  “Well, if I did that it would let the cat out of the bag.”

  “But if those guys come back?” pointed out Robie. “How about giving her protection at home?”

  “I don’t have the manpower for that. But I will have my deputies check on her periodically. And discreetly.”

  Robie wasn’t satisfied by this answer, but it wasn’t like he had much leverage.

  Monda leaned farther back in his chair and said, “You’re Judge Robie’s son, I understand. You left before I came to Cantrell. I was up in Hattiesburg till about ten years ago.”

  “I’ve been gone over twenty years now.”

  “And back here because of your daddy?”

  “Yes.”

  “He was a good judge. Hard on us cops, but he was fair. If he didn’t kill Sherm Clancy I hope things turn out all right for him.”

  “Me too.”

  “So these dead men were interested in Pete Clancy?”

  “They were. As I told Deputy Taggert, his father had dealings with these people. Pete was apparently trying to replace his father in that relationship, I’m assuming, with the Rebel Yell people. They didn’t particularly care for that. They wanted Pete to give them whatever his father had in the way of information, I guess, on those dealings. Then they were going to kill him.”

  “So you think they might have killed Sherman Clancy?”

  “It’s possible, certainly. Seems like they might have had a strong motive.”

  “None of ’em were carryin’ ID. We’re runnin’ prints and such, but they haven’t come back yet. Point is, we don’t know who they are. May never know. And if we don’t we can’t connect ’em to the Rebel Yell.”

  “What exactly do you know about the Rebel Yell?” asked Robie. “I’ve just heard local gossip.”

  Monda’s expression became guarded as he
tapped his fingers on the desk. “They’re a big company. They got some locals on their board and runnin’ some of their operations. But the real ownership is sort of a mystery. Could be Chinese or Saudis runnin’ the place for all I know.”

  “And they seem to be incredibly profitable. Able to build all this stuff out of their cash flow,” said Robie.

  “That’s the word hereabouts, yes. But they’re a big employer. Pay a lot in taxes. They got politicians in Jackson lined up to support ’em. You’re talkin’ tens of millions of dollars and thousands of jobs and for a place like Mississippi, it’s hard to mess with that.”

  “But if they’re doing something illegal?” said Robie.

  “Well, we got to prove that. And I don’t see anythin’ here that would do that.”

  “It’ll involve some digging,” said Robie.

  “I don’t have the manpower or resources to dig unless I got some probable cause to do so,” countered Monda.

  “Do you mind if we do some digging?” asked Robie.

  “I don’t want nobody gettin’ hurt, includin’ you two.”

  “If the Rebel Yell had an incentive to kill Sherm Clancy, then that’s a defense for my father in his murder trial.”

  “I’m aware of that,” replied Monda. “But what I’m tellin’ you is that you go stickin’ your nose in places like the Rebel Yell, don’t think that the Cantrell Police Department can protect you if things go sideways.”

  “We would never think that,” said Reel in mild disgust. She rose. “Can we go now? I could use some shut-eye. It’s been a long night.”

  Monda stared up at her. “Didn’t think they let women in special forces stuff. More of a man’s world, right?”

  “Well, you know the old saying: ‘If you want it done, send a man. If you want it done right, send a woman.’”

  Reel turned and walked out.

  Taggert had to look away so Monda would not see the smile on her face.

  Monda eyed Robie. “She always that—?”

  “—decisive? Yeah.”

  Robie stood. “If you need us for anything else, Taggert can get hold of us.”

  “Robie, I meant what I said. My job is to uphold the law. But takin’ on the folks at the Rebel Yell? Well, let’s just say we’re not equipped for that.”

  “I hear you,” said Robie. “But it’s my father’s life on the line. So whatever road will get him off, I’m going down it. Rebel Yell included.”

  After he left, Monda eyed Taggert.

  “So what do you think ’bout all this, Sheila?”

  She considered this for a moment.

  “Well, sir, if I were the folks they’re goin’ after, I think I’d be shittin’ my pants.”

  Chapter

  39

  I DON’T HAVE to stay here,” said Reel.

  She and Robie were standing in front of the Willows.

  “And this looks a little too fancy for my tastes,” she added. “I’m more into bunk beds and potbellied stoves. Antebellum structures and mint juleps on the verandah just aren’t my thing.”

  “Victoria is nice. And there’s really no other place to stay around here.”

  “Are you sure she’ll be okay with it?”

  “Okay with what?”

  Victoria had come around the side of the house with Tyler in tow. He had on shorts and a T-shirt. She had on white Capri pants and a sleeveless, pale blue blouse against the heat.

  “With my friend Jessica staying here at the Willows.”

  Victoria walked over to them and each woman ran her gaze up and down the other, completing a quick but in-depth appraisal.

  Victoria said, “So you’re Will’s friend?”

  “Yes.”

  “Just got into town?”

  “Just.”

  “How long will you be staying?”

  “Long as Robie needs me.”

  Victoria eyed Robie. “Need her for what?”

  “For what’s going on with my father.”

  “But what can she do? Is she a lawyer?”

  “No, just someone I’ve worked with in the past.”

  She slowly nodded. “You weren’t here when I came down this morning. Did you go out early again, Will?”

  “Something like that.”

  “You know if you’re staying in my house I do expect some common courtesy. You’re a grown man and you don’t have to account for your whereabouts, but I was worried about you. What with all that’s going on. I don’t want to have to go tell your daddy that something has happened to you.”

  “I’m sorry, Victoria. I should have called.”

  Reel looked down at Tyler, who was staring up at her with his finger in his mouth.

  “And who’s this little guy?” she asked.

  “This is Tyler, Will’s stepbrother.”

  Reel shot Robie a glance. “Meaning that you’re his—?”

  “—stepmother? Yes, I am. But I’m not wicked. At least to my friends.”

  Robie avoided Reel’s piercing look. “So it’s okay that she stays here? She can actually help with what we talked about.”

  “You mean security?” said Victoria, looking skeptically at the slender Reel. “How about I just hire some big, burly guys?”

  “If you want the JV team, go ahead,” said Reel matter-of-factly.

  “Jessica can help us,” said Robie. “I mean really help us.”

  “If you say so,” replied Victoria, shrugging. She picked up Tyler. “I need to get this boy some lunch. You two want to settle in and then join us? We’re eating in the pavilion. Get some breezes down there that will feel really good on a day like today.”

  She walked off.

  Reel looked at Robie. “Stepmother? Did you know before you came?”

  “No.”

  “Must’ve been a shock.”

  “It was.”

  “Cute kid.”

  “He doesn’t talk. Has some issue.”

  Reel stared after Victoria and Tyler as they reached the house and went inside. “That’s too bad.”