Shelby paused, unsure how much he should share with this woman. There was something about her that reinforced trust, and Shelby decided to take a gamble.
“A friend of ours is missing. We have reason to believe a box truck was used in his abduction. For exactly what purpose we aren’t sure, but I can’t imagine it’s a good thing.”
“I’m sorry to hear it,” the woman said. “I’d feel terrible if a vehicle purchased from us was used, but as I said, we haven’t sold a box truck in some time.”
Shelby nodded. “Thanks anyway. Here’s my number. If you hear of anything that could possibly be related, let me know, will you?”
“I’ll do that. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help. And sorry about the bizarre reception from my dad.”
“Think nothing of it.” Shelby turned to leave, then paused. “My name’s Shelby, by the way.”
“Katherine.”
“Nice to meet you, Katherine. We’ll get out of your way.”
“I hope you find your friend.”
As soon as they were back in the Jeep, Mack let out a disapproving cough. “Could you have been more obvious?”
“I thought she might be more willing to help us if she knew the story,” Shelby said, starting the Jeep. “It was a risk, I admit.”
“I’m not talking about that.”
“I don’t follow you.”
“You were goddamn smitten in there.”
“Oh, go to hell.”
“I’m serious! I’ve seen the look before, back when we used to troll the bars for women. Except back then, we were young enough to get away with it.”
“You’re crazy. I was trying to get information.”
“Nice plan.”
“You wouldn’t be complaining if it had worked.”
Ward sighed. “God, you two sound like a couple of old women. Can we please get on with it? We’re striking out here.”
“What’s the next plan?” Mack said.
Shelby pulled onto the road and accelerated. “I’m open to suggestions.”
“I think we ought to go back to the motel and press that enormous woman,” Mack said. “I think she knows something.”
Shelby snorted. “If you want to press Charlene, go right ahead.”
“Don’t tell me you’re scared.”
“Damn straight, I’m scared. That woman is not to be trifled with.”
“She knows something, I’m telling you.”
Ward interrupted. “Maybe we should eat something. I don’t know about you two, but I don’t think well on an empty stomach.”
“I agree,” Shelby said. “We should regroup and assess our options. All this running around is turning into a big time sink. We’re missing something. Maybe getting a few calories on board will help us figure out what that something is.”
A few minutes later, they drove into Serenity. The Jeep’s tires rumbled along the brick street as Shelby slowed and then turned into a diagonal parking spot in front of the Sunshine Diner.
Ward observed the building with undisguised skepticism. “Quaint. How’s the food?”
Shelby chuckled. “It’s basic, mostly safe to eat, and cheap.”
“Mostly safe?”
“I’ve only gotten the heaves once.”
“I don’t find that comforting.”
“Don’t be a snob.”
Shelby led the way into the diner and sat down at a table near the door. The others followed suit. A waitress came over, a big smile on her face.
“Why, Shelby Alexander. I haven’t seen you in a long while.”
Shelby returned the smile and stood up to give the woman a hug. “How are you, Sue?”
“Better now that I’ve seen your rascally face. I hear you’ve been cheating on us with The Barn Door.”
“It’s complicated.”
“Not so complicated. Word is you’ve taken up with a young thing over there.”
“Oh, you mean Carly. We’ve been together for a while now.”
“You’re a sly one, Shelby. Plenty of women your age in this town.”
“That’s what I’ve been telling him,” Mack said. “But you know Shelby. He still thinks he’s a spring chicken.”
Sue let out a hearty laugh. “And who’s this rugged specimen, Shelby?”
“That’s Mack. Also known as Damn Liar and Unreliable Friend. Don’t listen to a word he says.”
“Well, he certainly has you pegged.”
Shelby indicated Ward. “And this is Sarah Ward.”
“And what are the Three Musketeers up to today? All kinds of trouble, I hope.”
“No, we’re taking in the sights.”
“The sights?”
“They’ve never seen trees before.”
Sue laughed again. “You’re slipping, hon. Your lies used to be a lot more convincing.”
“Maybe you’ve gotten better at detecting them.”
“Flattery will get you everywhere. Including dessert on the house for you all.” Sue produced a pad of paper from her apron pocket and plucked a pencil from behind her ear. “Now what can I get for you fine folks?”
“You still serving breakfast all day?”
“We sure are. And the Canadian bacon platter is the special today.”
Shelby nodded. “I’ll take it.”
“And to drink?”
“I heard you got a liquor license.”
“Oh, Shelby. Beer for breakfast?”
“I have a reputation to maintain. Besides, if you haven’t tried a meal of beer and bacon, you haven’t lived.”
Sue heaved a maternal sigh. “And you won’t live long if you keep at it. But I suppose the customer is always right, even if the customer is determined to kill himself. One beer.”
“Don’t limit me, now.”
“Guinness?”
Shelby nodded.
Sue turned to Ward. “And what about you, hon? Something more sensible for you?”
Ward gave the menu a quick scan. “The western omelet with the fruit salad side and a glass of water.”
Sue nodded approvingly. “Very nice. And for you, handsome?”
Mack looked up from his menu, which he’d been studying intently. “Who, me?”
“You see any other handsome men at this table?”
Mack’s grin could have been seen from Texas. “Now that you mention it, I most certainly do not.” He closed the menu. “And now that I know I can trust your instincts, why don’t you bring me what you think is best.”
Sue beamed and glanced at Shelby. “You could learn a thing or two from your friend.” She slid the notepad back in her pocket and tucked the pencil behind her ear. “I’ll get those orders right in.”
As she walked away, Shelby felt his cellphone vibrate. He pulled it out and looked at the number but didn’t recognize it. Although he normally resisted answering his phone in restaurants, he made an exception.
“Shelby here.”
“Hi, Shelby. It’s Katherine. From the auto lot.”
“Oh, yes.”
“I have a bit of a confession to make. Not a confession, really, because I didn’t purposely mislead you. After you left, I was walking to the back lot to continue working when I noticed we were missing a truck.”
“I’m listening.”
“It was a box truck like the one you described. A sixteen-footer. It had been sitting on our lot for quite a while. Dad priced it too high for the condition and no one wanted the thing.”
“You’re saying you did sell a truck lately?”
“Our records don’t show it, but it had to go somewhere. I decided to check with my dad to see if he knew anything about it.”
“And did he?”
“It took some threatening, but he finally admitted he’d sold it under the table. Just took cash for it and didn’t fill out any paperwork. He said the men who bought it paid more for the secrecy. I’m sorry about this. I hope we didn’t put your friend in any more danger. I would have told you immediately if I’d known.”
Shel
by felt a twinge of anger, even though he believed Katherine’s story. “Maybe it’s time your dad retired.”
“He mostly is. We gave him an office and a fake job. He works on accounts, but they’re not the real thing. His mind isn’t sharp enough to notice and, up until now, it’s been a harmless way to keep him feeling useful.”
Shelby relented. “Thanks for letting me know. Did your dad have a description of the men who bought the truck?”
“I asked him, but he claims he can’t remember.”
“Do you believe him?”
“I have no idea. With his condition, it’s hard to know. And he goes into a rage if anyone suggests he might have forgotten anything.”
“Let me know if he mentions anything that might help.”
“I will. And I’m sorry.”
Shelby disconnected and shoved his phone back into his pocket as Sue arrived with their beverages. She set them down with only a slight frown at Shelby as she gave him the beer. After she’d walked away, Shelby looked at his table mates. “That was Katherine from the auto lot. Looks like they sold the truck after all.”
Mack took a drink from his glass and made a face. “Unsweetened tea. Perhaps I don’t trust Sue after all. Did the auto lot people have a description of the buyers?”
“Sadly, no. But I’m hoping that will come.” Shelby opened his beer. “I’m going to leave you two here.”
Mack hazarded another drink of tea. “And where the hell are you going?”
“Back to the motel. The more I think about it, the more I think you’re right about Charlene.”
Mack began pushing his chair back. “Hold up. I’ll go along.”
Shelby waved him off. “If I go alone, she might be more willing to talk. You two stay here and eat. If we get a real lead, we’ll have to move fast and will need our strength.”
“What about you?” Ward said. “You’ll need your strength too.”
Shelby picked up his beer and chugged it down. “That should hold me.”
18
Fritz groaned and tried to roll his head. For one pain-sodden, delirious moment, he thought he was paralyzed. And then it all came back. The hammer…the nails…
“Looks like he’s awake, Trainwreck,” a voice said.
Fritz opened his eyes and saw the man called Simon leaning against the side of the truck, just beyond the slick of blood that had been steadily advancing across the floor.
Trainwreck looked up from his cellphone and grunted. Despite the pain, Fritz felt a stab of amusement at the sight of the giant using a cellphone. It seemed so unlikely and incongruous. Trainwreck would have looked much more at home carving on the plywood interior with a sharpened animal bone than having anything to do with modern technology. But there he was, tapping away with his enormous fingers. Fritz wondered what really went on behind those yellow eyes.
“And it looks like we have company.” Simon pushed away from the wall and walked to the open rollup.
A car door slammed and Fritz heard boots crunching on gravel.
“What’s going on in there?” a voice called out.
Fritz’s heart jumped. The voice sounded familiar and when the voice’s owner came into view, Fritz saw he’d not been mistaken. Sheriff Wilkes stepped up and into the truck.
Wilkes stood with his hands on his hips, surveying the scene. “You bunch of shits. Didn’t I tell you I wanted this done neatly? With the shape this guy’s in, no one’s going to believe it was a justified killing.”
“Your plan sucked ass,” Simon said. “If we hadn’t nabbed him, he’d be long gone by now.”
Wilkes moved forward slowly to take a better look at Fritz. “Is that true, Fritz? Would you have made a run for it?”
“I’m disappointed in you, Wilkes,” Fritz said, the words barely scraping past his raw and angry throat.
Wilkes laughed. “Spare us the outrage. It’s a waste of time, not to mention your ebbing strength. Frankly, I’m shocked you didn’t see this coming a long time ago. You must not have done your research. Perhaps you simply got lazy and comfortable up here away from it all.”
“I don’t know what…you’re talking about.”
“Of course, you do. Think a little harder. Perhaps take a good look at me and add thirty years. Don’t I remind you of someone? I’ve been told by others the resemblance is uncanny.”
Fritz tried to focus his blurring vision. He looked at Wilkes, then shook his head. “I only see the same arrogant asshole I’ve always seen.”
“Perhaps imagine me in a business suit. With an American flag lapel pin. Standing next to a campaign sign with a suitably non-committal slogan printed on it.”
A charge of electricity exploded in Fritz’s mind. No—it couldn’t be.
“The senator’s son.”
“His other one, yes.”
“Your brother—”
“Was the man you killed.”
Fritz sat in silence, shocked. He would have been unable to move even if he hadn’t been nailed in place.
“And so,” Wilkes said, advancing closer and stepping into the blood staining the wooden floor of the truck bed. “I need to know two things. First, where is my brother’s body and two, where is the money you stole?”
Fritz closed his eyes. He knew they would kill him as soon as he told them what they wanted to know. And still, even through the pain he’d endured, he wasn’t quite ready to sign his own death warrant. How much longer he’d be able to withstand the pain, he didn’t know, being keenly aware he could break at any moment.
Wilkes stepped back, his face tight with anger. “All right! We’ve played games long enough. Children’s games. But no more. I wanted this done with a minimum of dirty work, but you’ve forced our hand. And now that these others have started it, I’m willing to do what must be done to make you talk, even if they are too squeamish.”
Fritz looked at Trainwreck and saw the man’s face darken at the charge. Fritz groaned inwardly. The last thing he needed was to be the target of two sadistic psychopaths trying to out-torture each other.
Wilkes stalked over to the suitcase of torture implements and picked up a mallet and another instrument Fritz couldn’t make out. Then he turned back and approached Fritz with even, deliberate steps.
“You’re going to tell us what we want to know. And then you’re going to die.”
Wilkes reached the chair. He hefted the mallet, testing its balance, and then produced the other item.
It was a chisel.
Fritz stiffened and his bleary eyes widened.
Wilkes smiled. “I see you’ve already guessed my intentions. And I understand your reluctance, but do you really need all ten fingers?”
Without waiting for an answer, Wilkes placed the chisel tip at the large knuckle of the left index finger, pressed it hard against the skin to hold it firm, and then raised the mallet. He leaned his face in close to Fritz and grated out,
“Where’s the money? Where’s my brother?!”
Fritz gritted his teeth and returned the sheriff’s burning gaze. Then he said, slowly and deliberately so as not to be misunderstood,
“Damn. You. To. Hell.”
The mallet fell—the crack of bone, the crunch of tendon. Fritz heard someone scream but wasn’t sure if it was one of pain or rage, or who had produced it. He vaguely noticed his finger roll from the arm of the chair but didn’t quite believe it was his own.
Then the pain set in. Fritz wanted to tell them, wanted the pain to end, but he felt the tendrils of life still clinging to him. He could withstand a little more. What was he waiting for? The odds of rescue were remote at best. No one knew where he was or who had him. Where would they even begin to look? He wondered what it would be like to see Shelby leaping into the back of the truck, his face black with righteous anger, those powerful shoulders rolling as he meted out justice to everyone involved. But he knew that wasn’t going to happen. It would better to let go and spare himself more of this senseless agony.
“How�
�s that, big man?” Wilkes shrieked. His face was twisted and evil, rendered almost unrecognizable. “Was your pride worth it? There are nine more of those. And then, what? Toes? Maybe slit you open and unwind your guts like fishing line?”
“Wilkes!” It was Simon.
The sheriff whirled. “What!”
“You’re getting a call on your radio.”
“It’s probably a general call.”
“No, it was directly to you. The person said it was important.”
Wilkes growled and threw the mallet and chisel to the floor. “Shit! And I was just getting started.” He looked at Fritz and grinned horribly. “Don’t go anywhere, okay?” Then he walked away and climbed from the back of the truck.
19
Shelby pulled up in front of the Serenity Motel and parked. He walked into the office to find Charlene engrossed in her cellphone. She barely looked when he rapped his knuckles on the desk.
“We’re booked up,” she said, continuing to work on the device.
“I don’t want a room. I want to know why you lied to me.”
Charlene stopped and raised her gaze. “Oh, it’s you.”
“Don’t sound so delighted.”
“It ain’t you. It’s been a rough day.”
“Matter of finance?”
“Hell, no. The motel’s doin fine.”
“Matter of the heart, then.”
“How’d you know?”
“If someone’s down in the mouth, it usually has something to do with either money or romance.”
“Didn’t realize you were such a wise old owl.”
“Who?”
Charlene snorted. “Your jokes are still the worst.”
“Yeah, you’re right. I stockpiled a lot of bad jokes when my kid was little and never learned new ones. A few bawdy ones, maybe. But I never tell those in the presence of a lady.”
“So what’s stopping you now?”
Shelby grinned. “Maybe later. Listen, I know you’re withholding information about the truck we asked about. You’ve seen it, haven’t you?”
Charlene grimaced. “A lot of trucks fit that general description.”
“I could tell earlier you wanted to speak up.”
“You’re wrong about that. I don’t want to. But I’m thinkin maybe I should.”
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