by David Archer
“That’ll work. And speaking of that, since your brother just arrived, going out for dinner tonight would probably be in order. Any decent restaurants around here?”
“Not many, at least not here in Berryville. A lot of fast food, a Chinese place, and several Mexican joints. I’ve gotten pretty tired of tacos, to be honest. If you want anything decent, we need to either go to Eureka Springs or down to Harrison. Harrison is Boone County, and it’s not really part of Morgan’s territory. The sheriff there has played it smart and managed to keep most of Morgan’s people out.”
“Really? How did he manage that?”
Kate laughed for a moment, then got herself under control. “Nobody really knows for sure,” she said, “but the suspicion is that he uses some of Morgan’s own tactics against him. Jimmy tried several years ago to move into Boone, sent some people down there to muscle in. Funny thing, though, several of them never came back. A few were found floating in the river, a couple others turned up as piles of burnt bones. There is no proof the sheriff had anything to do with it, but it’s no secret that he and the local militia get along really, really well, if you get my drift.”
“You have militia groups around here?” Noah asked.
“Hey, this is the Ozarks,” Kate said. “This is the land of rednecks, and Harrison is just about the capital of the Ku Klux Klan nowadays. There are probably a half-dozen different militia groups within thirty miles of us right now. Most of them just sit around and complain about the government, don’t really do anything, but there are a lot of rumors about the two in Boone County. They seem to be pretty adamant about keeping the drug dealers and any kind of organized crime out, no matter what it takes.”
Noah nodded. “Sounds like the sheriff over there is smarter than the average bear. A properly managed militia group could probably do a lot to keep an area free from crime, provided the local law enforcement doesn’t try to lock them up for doing it.”
Kate winked. “And there you have the theory behind Boone County.” She took a sip from her coffee and gave a deep sigh. “Good thing you drink coffee,” she said after a moment, “or nobody would believe you’re my brother.”
Noah picked up his cup and guzzled it, then got up and poured another. “Tell me about yourself,” he said as he sat back down. “Who is Kate Madison, here in Berryville?”
“Well, when I first came here I went to work at the chicken plant, like just about everybody else. If you’re working undercover, the chicken plant is a good place to get to know a lot of people in a hurry. My cover is that I came here to get over a bad breakup, so if you hear me mention my ex-husband, just shake your head and pretend you’re sick of hearing about it. I told everybody that he used to beat me, so I finally got up the nerve to file for divorce and get away from him. Took back my maiden name and moved halfway across the country, and now I’m happily single and determined to stay that way.” She sighed again. “It’s about half-true. I really did have an abusive ex-husband, but I wouldn’t mind being married again someday, if I can find a decent guy. There are even a few of them around here, but I can’t risk getting involved with anyone, not anything serious. Sooner or later, they’d have to know what I’m really doing here, and I don’t trust anybody that far.” She looked up at Noah and shrugged. “So I deal with the occasional hookup and pretend that’s all I want. Maybe after you get done, I can finally get out of this place and stop living a lie.”
“So, where do you work now?” Noah asked.
“Oh, sorry, got sidetracked. I’m actually a radio personality. I’m the morning show on the local radio station. I do the news and weather, and run the Swap Shop program, where people call in and talk about stuff they want to sell or want to buy. I play some music now and then and pretend to be a DJ, but mostly I’m just the welcome voice of Berryville. I go in early, about 4:30 in the morning, and I’m usually home by one. It lets me stay on top of what’s happening around the area, and I’ve got half my day free for doing other things.” She winked at him again. “The radio station is online, now, so I even have a code I use to report some of the things I hear. Somebody back at Quantico has to listen to me every morning, just to see if I slip in something the home office needs to know about. Isn’t that cool?”
“It’s brilliant,” Noah said. “Your idea?”
“Sure was—I even made up the code we use. If there’s a murder that’s definitely attributable to Morgan and his people, for instance, I say my feet are killing me. Then I subject my listeners to my own terrible poetry for a minute or two, and the first letter of each line spells out the name of the victim, or gives some other tidbit of information about it. I've got a code for just about everything Morgan does, and nobody’s twigged to it yet.”
“Obviously,” Noah said. “You’re still alive. If Morgan ever figures it out, you won’t be.”
Kate grinned and saluted him with her coffee cup. “Which is why I really hope you manage to pull off your mission. Something tells me I’ll live longer if you do.”
“I understand Morgan has hooks into the local phone company, manages to monitor phone calls when he wants to. Is that true?”
“Oh, yeah,” Kate replied. “You absolutely do not want to discuss anything about your mission on the phone, not with anybody. In fact, if you need to get hold of me by phone to tell me to meet you somewhere, just call me up and say something about aches and pains. If you say your back is hurting, for instance, that’ll mean we need to meet at my place. If it’s your feet, that means I should drop by wherever you’re living at the time. We’ll come up with more ideas like that as time goes by.”
“Good idea. And if I call you up and say I’ve got a migraine, that will mean get your ass out of town as fast as you can because I’m about to light things up. Okay?”
Kate’s eyebrows were trying to call over the top of her head. “Boy, I can’t wait for that call. Be a shame to miss out on the fireworks, though.”
“I’d rather you miss out on the fireworks than get caught in the crossfire. Anybody who can stay in deep cover for three years is an agent we don’t want to lose. If I get a migraine, you get out of town, deal?”
“Okay, okay, no problem. Should I grab your wife on my way?”
“She wouldn’t go. Besides, she’s also part of my team. When the balloon goes out, she’ll probably be right in the middle of it with me.”
Kate nodded her understanding. “You know what I’d give to have a team? I’ve been out here all alone all this time. Kinda nice to have someone I can actually talk to. Even if it is my annoying kid brother.” She chuckled.
Noah glanced at his phone and checked the time. “Speaking of your annoying kid brother,” Noah said, “it’s almost six o’clock. Ready to go get some dinner?”
“Sure,” Kate said. “Just let me go change into something more presentable, first.”
She got up and left the kitchen, and Noah called Sarah. Just like the night before, she answered on the very first ring.
“Rex? Baby, is that you?” Sarah asked, already in character.
“Hey, Angie,” Noah said. “Just wanted let you know I made it to Berryville. Me and sis have been catching up for the last hour or so, and we’re about to go grab a bite to eat. Just wanted to hear your voice. Everything okay back there?”
“Hell, no, it’s not okay. I miss you, baby, and the geek is driving me crazy. You know how he gets, sometimes. Can’t get him off the computer long enough for a decent conversation, and it gets boring just sitting around talking to myself.”
Noah chuckled. “Well, just hang in there. I’ll start looking for a house tomorrow morning. I looked on the newspaper website and there are quite a few available for rent, even more for sale. I might just buy one, not have to deal with all the landlord problems.”
“Mmm, house of our own? Baby, that would be great. Think we could find one out in the country somewhere? I’d love to put in a garden next spring.”
“I’ll bear that in mind, honey. Maybe I can find somet
hing. After my time in Beaumont, I don’t really like the idea of having neighbors all up in my business, anyway.”
“Neil says hi,” Sarah said. “At least, I think that’s what he said. He’s talking with food in his mouth again.”
“He’s always shoving food in his mouth. Tell him hi for me, and tell him I said to get off the computer and spend some time with his sister.”
“I will. I miss you, babe. I love you, love you.”
“I love you, love you more,” Noah said, putting a smile into his voice. “Katie’s just about ready to go, so I’ll call you back tonight before I go to bed. Love you, sweetheart.”
“Love you more,” Sarah said. “Ha, I got you that time.”
“Yeah, you win that one. I’ll talk to you later, honey.”
“Okay, bye-bye, baby.”
Noah ended the call and slipped the phone into his pocket. A moment later, Kate came out of her bedroom. She had changed into a skirt and blouse and had even put on some makeup.
They walked out the front door, and Noah used the remote to unlock his car, then walked around and opened the driver’s door. Kate glared at him for a moment, then opened the passenger door for herself and climbed in. “Haven’t you ever heard about being a gentleman?” she grumbled as she got in. “You could’ve at least opened the door for me.”
“You’re a big girl, you can open your own door,” Noah shot back. Kate was stifling a laugh as he started the car. He used her driveway to turn around and then headed back toward Eureka Springs.
Kate pointed out different buildings as they rolled through town. Noah saw the ancient hotel that still stood on the square, and a few of the buildings that had actually survived the Civil War. Berryville had the distinction of being the only town to be sacked and burned by both the Union and the Confederacy during that conflict. It had actually been occupied by Quantrill’s Raiders at one point, and several local citizens had been murdered during the occupation.
She had him take a slight detour and showed him the big chicken plant. A large segment of the population worked there, she said, along with quite a large number of illegal aliens from Mexico and South America. ICE raided the place about once a year, rounding up the illegals and deporting them, and then prosecuting someone in the personnel office for hiring them in the first place. That person always got probation and then got a fat severance check from the company. A few months later, they would be working at a different branch of the company, and most of the illegals would be right back at the same jobs they had been taken from.
“There was an incident once that was pretty funny,” Kate said. “A whole group of Mexicans, probably ten or twelve of them, got their paychecks and went to Walmart to cash them. Well, it turned out only one of them had any ID, and that said his name was James Baker. None of them spoke any English, so the cashier called one of her associates who could speak Spanish, and he told her to accept that one ID to cash all of their paychecks, which is obviously illegal. She was going to do it, but then some guy standing in line said that if she did, he would post the whole story on the internet the next morning. Well, the guy who interpreted started to say something back to this other guy, but then all the Mexicans took off running out the door because right behind the guy who was threatening to put it on the internet was a crowd of about thirty local rednecks, all of them dressed in camo. I guess they thought it was about to be open season on illegal aliens, and the looks on their faces made the whole bunch decide they wanted to cash their paychecks somewhere else.”
Noah nodded. “I can see how that might be funny,” he said. “Did anything come of it?”
“No, of course not. It just kind of illustrates how these companies don’t even bother to check whether the people they hire even have identification.”
Kate directed him to a restaurant called Grandma’s in Eureka Springs, and Noah parked the car as close to the building as he could. They got out, and he followed Kate inside.
“Hey, Kate,” several different people called out. “New boyfriend?” one woman asked.
“Bite your tongue, Marge,” Kate said. “This is my brother, Rex. He’s staying with me for a while to look for work, so I made him buy me dinner. Don’t let his good looks fool you—he’s an ass.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“Gee, thanks, sis,” Noah said, sarcastically. He followed her to a table off to one side, and they sat down. A waitress approached immediately and set glasses of water in front of them. Kate picked up a menu that was tucked in behind the napkin dispenser and began looking it over. Noah picked up a second one and glanced through the options, then put it back. “I’ll have the porterhouse,” he said. “Medium rare, with corn and mashed potatoes on the side.”
The waitress scribbled his order on her pad. “Gravy on the taters?”
“Yeah,” Noah said. “And give me a Coke with that, okay?”
The waitress nodded and then took Kate’s order before she hurried back toward the kitchen. Kate leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest.
“So, anyway,” she said as if continuing the conversation, “your best shot would be the chicken plant. They’re always hiring, and the pay isn’t too bad. At least you could say you were doing honest work for once in your life.”
Noah looked around the restaurant and noticed that several of the patrons seemed to be trying to listen. “Oh, I don’t know,” he said. “Maybe I’ll come work at a restaurant over here. I’ve always been a pretty good cook; I’m sure I could get a job slinging hash in one of these joints.”
“You? A cook? Rex, come on. You never even learned how to make macaroni and cheese, and that came in a box with directions. Somehow I don’t think you’d work out very well in a kitchen around here.”
“Are you always going to be such a bitch?” Noah asked her.
“As long as you’re a jerk,” she replied, “I’m gonna be a bitch. Deal with it.”
“Wow,” said a woman a few tables over. “Can you feel the love?”
“Oh, I love him,” Kate said. “I just don’t like him.”
The two of them continued their act through dinner, and Kate actually did introduce Noah to several people. As a local celebrity, she was quite well-known around the entire area, and it seemed almost everyone in the restaurant knew her. Noah met a doctor, a police officer, and several women, all of whom glanced at his left hand and then got sour faces.
“Why are the good ones always taken?” lamented one woman who was probably old enough to be his mother.
“I don’t know,” Kate said, “but this isn’t one of them. Rex, this is Judy Henson. She owns that little clothing store on the square in Berryville.”
Noah smiled up at the woman standing beside the table. “Nice to meet you,” he said. “I’ll have to come check out your store.”
“Not unless you’re into cross-dressing, now,” Kate said. “It’s a dress shop. Your wife might like it, though.”
“Isn’t she with you?” Judy asked.
“No, ma’am,” Noah said. “I came on ahead to find a house, but she’ll be here in a week or so.”
Judy’s eyes lit up. “You’re looking for a house? Are you looking to rent or buy?”
“Well, that depends on what I find. Do you know of something?”
“Oh, yes,” the woman said. “My husband is a real estate broker.” She fished in her purse and came out with a business card. Noah accepted it and glanced at it quickly.
“Henson Realty,” he read aloud. “Thanks, I’ll give him a call tomorrow.”
There were several more introductions, and they spent almost an hour in the restaurant. When they finally finished eating, Noah made a point of saying goodbye to each of the people he had met who were still there, and then he and Kate got back into the car and headed back to her house.
“Watch out for Judy,” Kate said. “She may be married, but that won’t stop her from trying to get you alone. If you decide to go look at a house they got listed, make sure her husband
, Bob, is there. Judy has something of a reputation around here. They call her the Cougar, because she likes her boyfriends young.”
“Well, she’d find me to be a disappointment. One thing I’ll never do is cheat on my wife.”
Kate looked at him. “Well, you were doing good until now. It’s a good thing nobody around here ever knew my brother, because he was never known for being faithful to anyone.”
They got back to the house a few minutes later, and Kate announced that she was tired and going to bed. She had to get up early for her job, of course, and wanted to get plenty of sleep. She said good night to Noah and went into her bedroom, closing the door behind her.
Noah wasn’t terribly tired, but he decided to retire anyway. He went into his bedroom and shut the door, kicked off his shoes, and stretched out on the bed, then took out his phone and called Sarah. This time, the two of them stayed on the phone for almost half an hour, and Noah made a point of telling her again that he loved her before they finally hung up. He plugged his phone in and set it on the dresser beside the bed, then stripped down to his underwear and got under the covers.
Noah awoke when the sun came through the window and went into the bathroom to get a shower. Kate was gone, he knew, but he wanted to start looking for somewhere to live immediately. He took care of the morning necessities, then got dressed and headed out the door.
Kate hadn’t given him a key, but he remembered what she said about people leaving their doors open, so he didn’t bother to lock it behind him. He got into his car and drove out to the other end of town, stopping at McDonald’s to get something to curb the hunger. He ordered their scrambled egg breakfast and sat down to eat.
When he finished, he took out the business card Judy had given him the night before and dialed the number. It was just after eight o’clock, but Bob Henson answered the phone on the second ring.
“Henson Realty,” he said. “How may I help you today?”
“Mr. Henson, my name is Rex Madison,” Noah said. “I ran into your wife while I was out with my sister for dinner last night, and she gave me your card. I wondered if you might have some time this morning to talk with me.”