And she knew.
She fell to her knees and cried.
She’d missed her father’s funeral by two days. Her friends had tried to delay it, until Red found her way back home. But the town’s mortician had run out of embalming fluid months before. And the morgue, with no electricity, had no way to keep the body cool. It had started to rot, and there was no way to stop it.
“It was a beautiful service,” Lilly told her. “Everyone in town was there except for Savage and his thugs. And everybody held hands and sang Shall We Gather at the River. We all knew it was his favorite hymn, because every time he sang it in church he sang louder than everybody else.”
Once again, Red had her suspicions but no proof.
Instinctively, she knew Savage was somehow responsible. But she didn’t know why.
Two weeks later Red was staying with Lilly at Lilly’s apartment off the town square. They’d known each other since grade school and were more like sisters than friends. Lilly was trying her best to bring Red back to the world of the living.
“Let’s get out of here for a while, Red. It’s a beautiful day. The birds are singing, the sun is shining, and you haven’t stepped foot outside in days. You’re turning into a shriveled up old prune.”
Red looked at her and said, “Seriously? A shriveled up old prune?”
“Well, it’s as good an insult as any other.”
“Why insult me at all?”
“Because I’ve been trying to get you out of your funk for days, and gently encouraging you hasn’t worked. Now I’m trying a different tactic.”
“By saying I’m funky?”
“I never said you were funky. I said you were in a funk. There’s a difference.”
“Uh… no there isn’t.”
“Uh… yes there is.”
“What’s the difference?”
“One implies you haven’t bathed in a while, and smell like a horse. The other implies that you’re depressed and crawling inside yourself.”
“Oh, so now I smell like a horse?”
Lilly was getting increasingly frustrated. This obviously wasn’t working. So she changed strategies again.
“Yes. As a matter of fact, you do smell like a horse. A great big stinky one. And it’s all because you haven’t showered since Wednesday and haven’t changed since Thursday.”
“Seriously? Do I really smell that bad?”
“Yes. And we need to go for a walk. To let you air out. And hopefully if we pass anybody on the street they won’t pass out from the fumes.”
“Why don’t I just go get a shower?”
“Nope.”
“Why not?”
“We tried that yesterday, remember? You said you were going to take a shower and instead you locked yourself in the bathroom and cried for two hours. And you came out just as funky as when you went in.”
“What good is walking going to do? I can’t clean my body while I’m walking.”
“No. But you can cleanse your soul. You can see that there’s still a great big beautiful world out there, and it’s time you rejoined it. We can go put some flowers on your dad’s grave, and he’ll talk to you while we’re there.”
“He’ll tell you that you smell like an old pair of gym shoes. He’ll tell you you’re stinking up your best friend’s apartment and will make it impossible for me to ever bring a date in here and get laid again. He’ll tell you it’s not fair to me that I can never have any children just because you are now relishing in your funkiness.
“And he’ll tell you to get your act together, because life is for the living. Death is reserved for the dying, and you ain’t there yet. There’s plenty of time to be dead later on, Red. You’re still alive. You need to rejoin the living and get past this.”
The tough love worked. Red crawled off the couch and threw on a pair of sneakers, then walked to the door.
“Just because I’m doing your bidding doesn’t make me your bitch.”
Lilly smiled triumphantly and said, “Yes it does.”
As Red and Lilly walked away from Main Street and onto a lonely road outside of town, they encountered a solitary man, naked as a jaybird.
“Well, Luke,” Lilly said. “What brings you to this part of town? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this far away from old Mrs. Montgomery’s boarding house before.”
The naked man smiled.
“Mrs. Montgomery is sweet on me. She pretends not to look, but I catch her sometimes. She can’t help herself.”
Red smiled for the first time in days.
“Oh hell, Luke. We all look. None of us can help ourselves. It’s human nature to be curious. Just because you catch her looking don’t mean she’s sweet on you.”
“Yeah, maybe. But none of you others have invited me up to your bedrooms late at night, after her boarders have all gone to bed, to straighten pictures for her that she’s quite capable of straightening herself.”
Red and Lilly looked at each other.
He had a point.
Red said, “Well then. Luke, maybe you do have yourself a girlfriend.”
“Don’t want one that bad. She’s pushy and temperamental. But she brings me some good cookin’ sometimes. And I don’t cook too well my own self.”
“Well, Luke, if you don’t mind me sayin’ so, I can understand why she fancies you.”
“Thank you, Red. You girls are good friends and two of the few people in this town who understand me.”
Red laughed.
“Most of the people in this town are stuck up hypocrites, Luke. They condemn you behind your back for being who you are, then go home and commit all manner of sins behind closed doors.
“You just keep on being you, and if you want to let your wares hang out for all the world to see you keep going ahead and doing that. Even naked as a jaybird you’re still one of the finest men I know, and one of the kindest men in this town. Clothes don’t make you a good person, and lack of clothes don’t make you evil.”
As she spoke, Red saw something in Luke’s eyes she couldn’t explain. She wasn’t sure what it was, exactly, but she got the sense he desperately wanted to talk to her.
Alone.
Chapter 11
“Hey Lilly, honey… can I have just a few minutes alone with Luke?”
“Sure. I’m heading back toward town. I’ll walk slow so you can catch up when you’re done.”
Luke watched Lilly walk away, and as soon as she was out of earshot turned his attention back to Red.
“I’ve got something to tell you, Red. But I held off because I was afraid.”
“Afraid? Of who? Of what?”
“Red, there are a couple of very bad men staying at Mrs. Montgomery’s boarding house.
“You know me. I’m an excellent judge of character. I can look at a man and instantly know whether he’s a good and decent man, or whether he’s working very hard to cover up an evil side. And I get the sense these two men are bad news.”
“Luke, I appreciate your telling me this. But I’m sure there are several men around Blanco with black hearts and shady pasts. Why tell me about these two in particular? And what do they have to do with me specifically?”
“Okay, honey, maybe I didn’t frame this properly. Let me back up and start from the beginning.”
“Okay…”
“The first man’s name is Jesse Luna. He’s been around for a while now, but I didn’t lay eyes on him until a month or so ago. He’s supposedly in town to scope out real estate or something. Mrs. Montgomery says he’s very evasive with his answers, and nobody has ever seen him looking at any property. But a couple of people have seen him sneaking in and out of Savage’s bank late at night.”
That got Red’s attention. She raised an eyebrow and said, “Go on…”
“The second guy’s name is Sloan. Don’t know his first name. Mrs. Montgomery says that’s how he signed the guest register: just ‘Sloan.’
“I actually met Sloan before she did. I met him the day he came to to
wn, and pointed him toward her boarding house. I could tell from the look in his eyes he carries a devil’s heart.”
“Luke, you have a bad habit of going from point A to point B by way of detouring to point Z.”
“Sorry. Okay, here’s the short version. Right after I told Sloan where he could get a room, he asked me where he could find Savage. He didn’t ask where he could find a bank. He asked for Savage by name.”
“Interesting. Did he say why?”
“Yes. He said somebody in Austin paid him a silver coin to give Savage a message.”
“Well, that’s certainly plausible.”
“Wait. A few nights later I was waiting in the bushes after dark for Mrs. Montgomery. She told me to come by and she’d bring out a couple of meatball sandwiches and we could sit under the stars and talk for a while.”
“So she is sweet on you.”
“I told you she was. But anyway, to the point… While I was waiting in the bushes on the edge of the property, Sloan and Luna came walking by, close enough for me to hear what they were saying.”
“And…”
“And I’m pretty sure they had something to do with Russell and Rusty’s murder. And maybe your dad’s too.”
Red tried her best to control her rage.
A pained look overtook Luke’s face. He knew this wasn’t going to be easy going in. But it was proving to be a lot harder than he expected. Red was a friend. A good friend, who was one of the few people in town who considered him a good man and a fellow human being, instead of a kook or a pervert.
And he certainly didn’t want to hurt her or cause her any more distress. She’d suffered enough lately already.
“Come on, Luke. You can’t get tongue-tied now. You can’t just tell me something like that and then clam up on me.”
He went on.
“I heard Sloan tell Luna that Savage wanted to see him. That he had another job for him. And that this time he didn’t want any damn kids killed.”
Red was stunned.
For a moment she didn’t say anything.
Then she looked Luke in the eyes and said simply, “Thank you, my friend.”
“Red, don’t haul off and do anything half-cocked. There’s three of them and only one of you.”
“Then they’re way outnumbered.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to Mrs. Montgomery’s boarding house. Mr. Luna and I are gonna have us a little talk.”
Chapter 12
Mrs. Montgomery was sitting on her front porch swing when Red and Lilly walked up.
“Well, my goodness. Look who’s here! You girls have a seat right there and let me get you some coffee. Or would you prefer tea?”
Red shook her head. Lilly said, “Some iced tea would be wonderful, if you have any ice.”
“Oh yes, dear. The generator I purchased from Eddie Simms cost pretty near all the jewelry I had, but it runs beautifully. It doesn’t provide enough power for everything, I’m afraid. But it runs the refrigerator and the stove during the daytime hours and all the lights after dark. So we get by.”
She paused long enough to hug Red.
“How are you holding up, honey?”
“Oh, you know. Taking a day at a time…”
“Are you sure you wouldn’t like anything to drink?”
“No thank you, ma’am. I’m fine.”
“Okay. You girls get comfortable. I’ll be right back.”
She returned a few minutes later with two glasses of iced tea and a tray of freshly baked sugar cookies. She handed Lilly her glass, then gave the extra one to Red.
“I know, I know. You said you didn’t want anything to drink. But I’d take it as a personal insult if you girls didn’t taste my cookies. And cookies, as you know, make you thirsty. So if you don’t want it now, you soon will.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Montgomery.”
“It’s my pleasure, honey. Now then. You didn’t walk all the way out here just to count the wrinkles on my face. What can I help you with today?”
“I’ve been told you have a boarder. A Mr. Luna. And I’ve also been told that Mr. Luna might have something to do with the murders of my husband and my son. And quite possibly the murder of my father as well.”
Mrs. Montgomery was confused.
“But Dr. Munoz said your dad died of a heart attack.”
“I believe he lied to shift blame away from the man who murdered Dad.”
“But shouldn’t you go to the police? I understand we have a new police chief now. It’s only Mr. Savage, but he still counts, I guess.”
“That’s the other problem. He is also involved, I believe. I’m pretty sure he’s the one who hired Mr. Luna.”
“Oh, my…”
“Exactly.”
“Well, if you can’t go to the police, what do you plan to do?”
“I want to meet with Luna first. Face to face. So I can ask him directly if what I heard is true. If he lies, I’ll be able to tell. And if he was involved, I will give him the option. He can come with me peacefully, and let me take him to the Texas Rangers in Austin so he can turn himself in. Or I will kill him.”
Mrs. Montgomery said nothing. But a look of mild shock took over her face.
Red continued.
“That’s why I came to you first. I don’t want to confront him inside your boarding house. If he were to draw a weapon and shots were exchanged, one of your guests could get hurt. It’s important that I meet him outside. I’d very much like for you to tell him that I’m out here and need to talk to him. And then to clear all your guests away from the front rooms, toward the rear of the house.”
Mrs. Montgomery stumbled over her words.
“Oh, dear. That’s not possible. I mean, not any more, I’m afraid. I didn’t like Mr. Luna from the beginning. He was a bad man, I could just sense it. The only reason I took him in was because there was no place else for him to go. And because… well honestly I was afraid to turn him away. But he’s no longer here.”
“What do you mean?”
“Just that, honey. He’s no longer a guest here. He checked out yesterday afternoon.”
“Where did he go? Is he still here in town?”
“I don’t know, honey. He didn’t say where he was going, and I was just glad to see him gone. I did hear him ask one of the other guests for directions to Eddie Simms’s house. You might check to see if Mr. Simms has seen him.”
Chapter 13
Few people knew Eddie Simms’s last name. Red hadn’t heard it in several years, and didn’t remember it until Mrs. Montgomery mentioned it.
Nearly everybody referred to Mr. Simms merely as “Crazy Eddie.”
For many years he’d been one of the town’s eccentrics. Like Luke the naked guy, he was an outsider. The butt of jokes, and one who was seldom seen on the streets of Blanco.
But everybody heard the stories about him.
Word was that Crazy Eddie was a prepper, dating back to the times when there wasn’t even a name for people like him. He stockpiled all manner of things, from ammunition to toilet paper, for a time when a great disaster would plunge the world into a dark and ruthless place.
When asked what type of disaster he expected to strike the earth, Eddie would shrug and say, “I don’t know. But it’s gonna be big. And when I’m the only one in this God-forsaken town who prepared for it, you’ll all be coming to me for help. And I’ll tell every damn one of you to kiss my big pink ass.”
Nobody really took Eddie seriously. They thought he was a kook, and took great delight in telling him so.
But the last laugh was on the townspeople.
Not long after the blackout, Eddie took tremendous glee in riding into town on a still-operational quad runner he’d protected in a hand-built Faraday cage.
“All you assholes called me a clown,” he cackled. “Well, who’s the clown now? Now it’s my turn to laugh at you. And when you start running out of food and water and electronics, you come to me. I’ll
sell you what you need at a good price. Of course, good is defined in many different ways. The way I define it, good means you’ll pay a pretty penny for what you get from me. Part of it will be the price of my merchandise. And part of it will be a tax, to compensate me for all the things you said against me for all those years.
“We’ll call it an asshole tax. And it ain’t gonna be cheap. And oh, yeah… gold and silver only, folks. Come and see me when you’re desperate.”
Red could still hear Eddie’s cackle as he spun his quad runner around and headed off back to his farm.
His farm consisted of a cabin, a large shed that had been converted to a Faraday cage, and a tiny barn. The three were clustered together in the center of seventeen acres of cleared land. It was surrounded on three sides by heavy woods, and was just large enough to grow a few subsistence crops and maintain a few head of livestock. It was outside the city limits on the opposite end of town from Mrs. Montgomery’s boarding house. It was much too far to walk, so Lilly and Red walked back into town.
Red saddled up Bonnie, her horse and trusted friend, and headed out.
“You’re sure you don’t want me to come with you?” Lilly asked.
“No, sweetie. You’ve got stuff to do. I can handle old Eddie. He and I have never had any beefs. I’ll be back before sundown.”
Crazy Eddie was considered an eccentric by some, and a clown by others. But to Red he was a friend. One whose elevator didn’t go all the way to the top perhaps, but Red was not one to judge.
There were many times in her own life when Red felt like an outsider too. She was shunned by many of the girls she went to school with because she was tougher and got into more fights than most of the boys.
She wasn’t included in birthday parties or slumber parties because her mother had died when she was young. And mothers coordinate such events with other mothers. Never with fathers.
She felt out of place for mother/daughter events in high school, even though Butch volunteered to be the only male “mother” in attendance.
So Red had always had a soft spot for Crazy Eddie, and was one of the few people in town he would even talk to.
Too Tough To Tame: Red: Book 2 Page 4