Merle’s assessment of “pretty” was accurate enough, and although the sisters would never win a beauty pageant, they were cute, and stood only five-foot-two.
The strawberry-blond was holding a revolver on Earl, but Earl was gazing at her as if she were offering him flowers.
“Who are you ladies?” Merle said.
“You’re in our house, that’s who we are,” said the woman holding the revolver.
“Un-uh,” Merle said. “This is our house. We’re Merle and Earl Carter. I’m Merle and that there is Earl.”
The sisters looked at each other, and then the one with the shotgun spoke to Merle.
“You used to live here, didn’t you?”
“We grew up here.”
“I know that; there’s markings on the pantry door in the kitchen showing how tall you were at different ages. We always figured you two for midgets since the markings stopped at about four-feet.”
Merle’s expression saddened.
“Our mama did that, and that’s how tall we were when she died.”
The woman with the revolver lowered it.
“Oh, that’s so sad.”
“Sad or not,” said her sister, “It don’t give them the right to just walk in here.”
“What’s your name?” Merle said.
“I’m Hanna and she’s Savannah; we’re the Cole sisters.”
“Well, Miss Hanna, this here is Earl and me’s home, and you two are the ones trespassin’.”
Hanna squinted her eyes.
“Savannah, call the cops.”
CHAPTER 19 – Yippee-ki-yay
Tanner parked at a rest stop on I-40 West.
After tucking an envelope full of cash under the passenger seat, he left his rented car unlocked, and before walking away from the car with the keys in hand, he tied a yellow bandana around the side view mirror.
He went inside to use the bathroom, and then strolled about the interior of the rest stop, casually observing the other people, before heading back out to the car fifteen minutes later.
The bandana was gone along with the envelope full of cash, while the car was locked, and on the floor in front of the passenger seat was a plain cardboard box.
Tanner pulled back onto the highway, took the first exit, and drove randomly. When he was certain he wasn’t being followed, he parked in the back corner of a Walmart parking lot.
After getting out of the car, he got down on the ground to check the vehicle’s undercarriage for a tracking device. He found none, then checked the trunk, as well as the car’s interior, and then finally opened the box.
Inside, were two Glock 19’s, and as he had asked, they had been modified with laser enhanced guide rods. The guns had spare magazines, cleaning kits, and there were two flip-top 100 round ammo boxes of 9mm bullets.
Besides the guns and ammo, there were two knives with sheaths, and Tanner slid one down into his boot. Feeling better now that he was armed, he started the car and headed back to the highway.
***
Rainberry, Tennessee wasn’t the quiet little town that Tanner thought it would be.
By the time he reached the town’s center, he saw a drug deal go down on a street corner and two men engaged in a fistfight.
Other than that, the place did look quiet, even picturesque, and maybe the two scenes he witnessed were anomalies.
Tanner was in a bad mood, as his mind had been preoccupied by thoughts of Laurel and Sophia, and he didn’t like it.
He might not be the one pulling the trigger, but he was still on a hit, still out to fulfill a contract, and he needed to keep his mind on the task.
Laurel was better off with Joe, and if Sophia wanted Sammy, then, she could have him. There was no shortage of women in the world, and his lifestyle was hardly conducive to wedded life.
He stepped out of the car in front of the Rainberry Hotel, but then spotted the pub across the way.
Checking into the hotel could wait. He was hungry and a beer would hit the spot as well.
The pub was called, The Roundup, and the theme was western, with the walls decorated with movie posters of films about the old west.
There was a bar on the right past a few scattered tables; while on the left side was a line of booths.
Tanner took the stool farthest from the door and gazed up at the menu above the bar.
The bartender, a tall pleasant man with a red face, poured his beer and took his order, but when the food came, it was delivered by a woman who caught Tanner’s eye.
The woman looked to be in her mid-thirties, with straight hair that hung past her shoulders. She was beautiful, black, and her huge brown eyes flowed over Tanner, as his own eyes devoured her as well.
When she smiled, she displayed straight white teeth, and when she spoke, it was in a lyrical southern accent.
“You’re not from around here, because I would remember you.”
“And I’ll never forget you,” Tanner said, and saw her smile widen.
“I’m Susan Holmes, and welcome to my place.”
“I’m Tom Myers,” Tanner said, and then he pointed at the posters adorning the walls. “Are those yours?”
“They sure are, and I’ll give you a free meal if you can name the years they were released.”
Tanner not only told her what year each film came out, but he also gave a brief synopsis of all the movies. When he was done, he saw Susan grinning at him.
“You’re too young to know that.”
“So are you.”
“My granddaddy was a western movie stuntman in Hollywood before he met my grandma and moved here. He was in about half of those pictures, and before you ask, yes, he was white.”
“I wasn’t going to ask.”
“Okay, but how do you know so much about old westerns?”
Tanner looked lost in thought for a moment before answering.
“My father loved those movies. I used to watch them with him on Saturday afternoons when I was a kid.”
Susan took the stool beside him.
“You say that wistfully, is your daddy dead?”
“Yeah,”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to stir up bad memories.”
“Actually, you did the opposite; I haven’t thought about those Saturday afternoons for years.”
“Are you staying in town, Tom, or passing through?”
“I’m staying for a day or two.”
“At the Rainberry across the street?”
“Yeah, but I haven’t checked in yet.”
“Don’t, I also own a Bed & Breakfast, it’s empty right now because it’s the off-season, but I’m the best cook in town.”
“Sounds good to me,”
“Don’t you want to know how much I charge?”
“No, I just want to spend more time with you.”
Susan laughed and stood up.
“I’ll go get you another beer.”
Tanner watched her go, liking the view, and his bad mood vanished like smoke in a breeze.
CHAPTER 20 – Welcome to Rainberry
Sammy had been having so much fun on his rented Harley that he hadn’t realized he’d been speeding, that is, until he spotted the flashing lights in the mirror, which were soon joined by a siren.
He pulled over while cursing his stupidity.
He was in Tennessee under a phony name for the purpose of committing murder, and before he even reached his destination he was coming to the attention of the police.
After removing his helmet, he took out his fake license and cursed Tanner once again for choosing the name, Jack Koff.
To his shock, the cop opened her door and leveled her weapon at him.
“Get down on the ground, now!”
A dozen different thoughts passed through Sammy’s mind, including a scenario that involved Tanner setting him up. However, he pushed his paranoia aside and did as the cop said, to lay flat on the roadway with his arms held out in front of him.
When a tractor-trailer passed by co
ming the other way, it blew up a storm of grit that blinded Sammy.
The cop was on him while he was still blinking his eyes free of the debris, and before he realized it, she had cuffed his hands behind his back.
“What’s going on? All I did was speed a little.”
“Be quiet,” the cop said, and then she went through his saddlebags and backpack.
Sammy studied her while she did so, and saw that she was a young blond woman with a no-nonsense expression. The seriousness of her demeanor didn’t take away from her beauty however, nor did her mannish uniform hide her curves.
Sammy had dropped the driver’s license, and when the woman read it, she seemed to relax a bit.
“Mr. ...Koff? What is the purpose for your visit to Rainberry?”
“I’m here to meet a friend, why?”
“Are you a member of The Calabrese Motorcycle Club?”
“No, and the bike is rented.”
The cop studied the bike, and when she spotted the sticker denoting the name of the rental company in Nashville, she looked abashed.
The cuffs came off even quicker than they went on, and when she handed Sammy back his license, he saw that her cheeks were red.
“I apologize for the treatment, sir, but we’ve a group of bikers raising a ruckus around here lately.”
“What kind of ruckus?”
“We suspect them of being involved with drug running, but never mind that, you just get on your way, and I apologize again for the cuffs.”
Sammy blinked.
“Wow, you’re a lot nicer than most cops. Where I come from, you’d never hear a cop apologize for anything.”
The cop shrugged.
“I was wrong.”
Sammy saw that her nametag read Sawyer, but asked her first name.
“It’s Amy... and are you hitting on me?”
“I was just curious, and I have a girlfriend.”
“Lucky girl, and now you slow down too, you hear?”
“I hear, and be careful with those bikers.”
Sammy watched Amy climb into her patrol car and then rode along behind her on his bike.
One of the things Joe had told him before he left was that Bobby Volks always rode a motorcycle, even during the winter.
Maybe Volks was part of The Calabrese Motorcycle Club, if so; they would soon be short one member.
CHAPTER 21 – Dumb and dumber meet blonde and blonder
“Phony? What do you mean that it’s phony?” Hanna Cole said.
Chief of Police Wilbur Meadows looked as if he swallowed something bad, and after burping, the lanky, gray-haired gentleman settled behind his desk.
He then asked Hanna and Savannah to take seats in front of it, as Merle and Earl stood to their right.
“The state records department shows that these two here are the rightful owners of that property. They may not have been living there, but they kept up the taxes, and so it’s theirs.”
“We paid taxes too.” Hanna said. “We pre-paid ahead for two years. Our real estate lady handled it.”
Chief Meadows leaned forward.
“Who sold you that property and when?”
“She was a nice woman. Her name was Mrs. Loyola Smith. We ran into her when we were lookin’ for a place to buy and she pointed us at that land.”
“Oh Lordy, I was afraid of that. Mrs. Loyola Smith was a con woman named Lois Simmons. She’s dead now, killed by one of her partners. She used that real estate woman act to identify houses for her partners to rob. You two are the first I’ve heard of that bought a house from her.”
Savannah wiped at her eyes.
“Our deed is really a fake?”
“Yes ma’am, I’m afraid so.”
Hanna sniffled, and wiped at her own tears.
“But we paid for it and then we put a lot of money into that place too. I’ve got a little garden in the back, the crops are doin’ nicely—do we at least get to keep the crops?”
“I’m no lawyer, but my guess is that it would be up to the two Mr. Carters here.”
Hanna gazed over at Merle and Earl with eyes full of sorrow.
“We’re sorry; we didn’t know the property was really yours.”
“You two hungry?” Merle asked.
“What?” Hanna said.
“Food, Earl and me are starvin’ and there’s a McDonalds right down the road. Why don’t we go there and talk things over.”
“You ain’t mad at us?” Hanna asked.
Merle let out a sigh.
“Me and Earl been tricked a time or two, so we know how it feels. Hell, we’ll think of somethin’, but let’s go eat.”
Hanna looked at her sister and saw that Savannah was smiling at Earl.
“Alright, we’ll go eat, but we pay,” Hanna said.
They told the chief goodbye and headed for the door. As they were walking out, a female deputy entered the chief’s office. Once the foursome had departed, the deputy asked a question.
“Were those two sets of twins that just left here?”
The chief laughed.
“No, but they’re darn close aren’t they?”
“I’ll say.”
***
After calling Laurel and getting her opinion, Merle and Earl offered the Cole sisters a deal while they ate.
“Our sister, Laurel Lee, she agreed with us that it wouldn’t be right to kick you out of the house, so why don’t you two stay there while me and Earl live in that old motorhome I saw?”
“That’s fine for now, Merle, but what about the future and all the money we put in that house?” Hanna said.
“You could rent it from us cheap.”
“I don’t wanna rent, it’s why I bought a house,” Hanna said.
Savannah smiled at Earl.
“You don’t talk much, do you?”
“Sometimes,” Earl said, and then he smiled back at her.
After swallowing the last of her French fries, Hanna asked Merle a question.
“Could we buy the house from you, you know, real cheap? After all, we put all the work and money into it.”
“I don’t wanna sell. Me and Earl were born there, and so was our daddy.”
“I don’t know what to do,” Hanna said.
“I do,” said Savannah. “I wanna go to the movies.”
“How’s that going to help?” her sister asked.
“It’ll take our minds off of things. Do you wanna go, Earl?”
Earl nodded as he grinned stupidly at Savannah.
“Alright, then let’s go, the picture should be starting soon.”
“We’ll follow you,” Merle said.
Once they were in their car, Savannah grabbed her sister’s arm.
“Earl is mine, do you hear me?”
“You can have him; Merle’s cuter.”
“Un-uh,”
“Um-hmm,”
“Un-uh,”
“Um-hmm,”
“Un-uh,”
“Um-hmm,”
***
Inside the boys’ rented car, a similar exchange was taking place.
“Savannah is cute,” Earl said.
“You can keep her; I like the blond one.”
“They’s both blond, Merle.”
“Yeah, but Hanna’s hotter.”
“Un-uh,”
“Um-hmm,”
“Un-uh,”
“Um-hmm,”
“Un-uh,”
“Um-hmm,”
And so it went.
CHAPTER 22 – Dirty boy
Susan Holmes Bed & Breakfast was quaint and sat near a small stream.
There was a clearing behind the house, and way off in the distance, Tanner could see a section of the Great Smoky Mountains.
When she took him inside to see his room, he found the space clean, homey looking, and the bathroom was equipped with an old-fashioned clawfoot bathtub. There was also a fireplace, although the weather was temperate.
“What do you think?” Susan said.
Susan smiled.
“I was talking about the room.”
“It’s very nice, and much better than a hotel room.”
“I hope you like lasagna, because that’s what I’m serving tonight.”
“That sounds good.”
“And oh yes, there’s one other guest, but she’s long-term. I’ll introduce you two over dinner.”
“What time is dinner?”
“Six-thirty, and you don’t have to watch that small TV; there’s a wide flat screen in the living room.”
“Thanks, but I’m more of a reader than a watcher.”
“Me too, and I’ll see you around.”
“Thank you.”
After Susan left, Tanner took off his jacket and tie, and then sat on the side of the bed to call Sammy.
***
“Where are you, Tanner?”
“There’s been a change of plans. I’m staying at a Bed & Breakfast on Hooper Avenue.”
“Why?”
“Better food,” Tanner said, although he was hoping to appease other appetites with Susan Holmes.
“Should I come there?”
“You haven’t checked in yet?”
“No, I ah, got delayed.”
“Fine, then come here, and just say that someone recommended the place to you,” Tanner told Sammy, and then Sammy relayed the news about the biker club.
“I can see Bobby Volks as a drug dealer, so yeah, I’ll check it out.”
“Maybe I should go; I am the one with the motorcycle.”
“Show up on a rented bike? You might as well ride a tricycle.”
“Alright, but remember why we’re here. Volks is mine.”
“I hear you, Sammy, and I’ll see you soon.”
Tanner put away the phone and headed for the shower. On the way there, he spotted the door that connected his room to the one on the left. He opened it and found another door, which was locked.
He wondered if the room beyond the door belonged to Susan, and if so, would she make use of it to pay him a visit.
After leaving the door on his side unlocked, Tanner headed into the bathroom to get clean, while thinking dirty thoughts.
The TANNER Series - Books 7-9 (Tanner Box Set Book 3) Page 19