“No, Ruth,” I said softly. “You deserve it.”
“Are you any good at decoratin’?” she asked as she returned to filling mugs.
“Yeah,” I said, “I like to decorate.”
“That’s what took me so long at Hobby Lobby the other day,” she said, beaming. “I was lookin’ at all their home décor stuff. There was so much of it.” Ruth was this badass woman who didn’t take shit from anyone, yet talking about her future home seemed to take years off her. It made me want to go out and buy her a succulent.
“Decorating a new house is fun,” I said, thinking about the condo I’d bought when I’d moved back to Dallas from the East Coast. “You should start a Pinterest board for decorating ideas.” I cringed. “Sorry. I keep forgetting how hard it is to get internet here.” I was never going to take internet or cell service for granted again.
“Yeah,” she said. “I’m gonna make sure my house can get internet. They have it on the Ewing side of the mountain.”
“Good idea.”
“Ruth!” an elderly man in her section shouted across the room. “I need a refill!”
“You’re gettin’ a free drink, Oscar, so keep your pants on!” she called back. “Why don’t you start handing out the beers?” She winked. “But don’t give one to Oscar yet. We’ll make him wait.”
I cast a glance at the back room, realizing that Max hadn’t come out yet. “Is Max okay?” I asked. “Should we be worried he hasn’t come out yet?”
“He almost killed a man about eight years ago,” Ruth said, “not long after he took over the bar. Some guys got too rowdy, and someone punched Max when he was tryin’ to break it up. He kind of lost it on ’im.” From the way she shuddered, I was pretty sure she’d seen it. “The Drummonds got him off, but he swore he’d keep his temper under control. Sounds like he lost a bit of control tonight and it’s freakin’ him out.”
“It’s all my fault.” Guilt surfaced inside me, although truthfully it hadn’t been very far down. Seemed like I kept letting people down lately.
“It wasn’t just you, so don’t flatter yourself,” she said with a half-hearted grin. “Max hates guys like Dwight Henderson, so while you might have been a catalyst, he was pumped and primed to go. Now go pass out those drinks.”
I carried out the first tray and started with the corner opposite Oscar. Two guys sat close to the door in the darkest corner of the bar…in Ruth’s section. Coincidence? As I approached them, I realized I’d seen them on Monday night. They had been with Bingham’s group.
Could one or both of them have been Seth’s attackers?
There was one way to find out.
“Good evening, gentlemen,” I said with a bright smile as I stopped next to their table. “I hope you both are doing well.”
“Yeah,” said the guy with the bushy beard. “Dandy.”
Not him. I wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or disappointed. I placed a mug in front of him.
“And what about you?” I asked the other guy as I handed him a beer. “How’s Wednesday treating you?”
He gave me a cold hard stare and didn’t answer.
“Well, all righty then,” I said. “Let us know if you need anything else.”
I finished passing out the drinks on my tray, and when I went back to the bar, I asked Ruth, “Do you know anything about those two guys in the corner?”
“Flint and Cecil? They’re Bingham’s guys.”
“Do you think they could have had something to do with Seth’s murder?”
Ruth’s eyes flew wide. “What?” She lowered her voice and moved her head closer to mine. “Did you see something that night, Carly?”
“What?” I asked, taking an unconscious step back. “No. I just wondered.” Shit. “They just don’t seem too friendly is all, and someone killed him.” I shivered. “I guess I’m imagining a killer around every corner now.”
She made a face. “Yeah. I know what you mean. Especially after Dwight’s meltdown.”
I spent the next ten minutes thinking about what Dwight had said. What had I ruined for him? Was it his dream to work in a mortuary? Doubtful. Whatever his reason for wanting that job, he was clearly pissed he’d lost it, and I worried he might take it out on Hank.
Max kept a phone on a shelf under the counter—his emergency phone in case he ever needed to quickly call the sheriff—and since Max was still holed up in his office and likely didn’t want to be disturbed, I figured this qualified as a semi-emergency. I dialed the number for Hank’s landline, which I’d saved in my cell phone contacts list.
Wyatt answered after a couple of rings.
“Wyatt, it’s Carly.”
“Is everything okay?”
I ran my hand over my head. “Um…I’m worried about Hank.”
“He’s good. I convinced him to take half a pain pill, and it knocked him right out.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” I said, casting a glance at the two guys in the corner. They were both watching me with an unnatural intensity. “But that’s not what I’m worried about. There was an incident at the funeral home today.”
“Why are you just now telling me this?”
“I don’t know,” I said defensively. “Maybe because I was too busy trying to get you out of your truck.”
“Okay,” he said, his abrasiveness gone. “Tell me now.”
I gave him an abbreviated version of the events, explaining what Dwight had said and done, although I glossed over the way he’d leered at me and how I had reacted. Then I filled him in on the confrontation at the bar.
He was silent for a moment after I finished. “Do you feel safe?”
“I’m worried about Hank.”
“I realize that, Carly, but I’m askin’ anyway,” he said, sounding exasperated. “Do you feel safe?”
“Yeah,” I said with a soft smile. “I feel safe.”
“Call me back if anything changes.”
To my surprise, I realized I would.
Chapter Twenty
Max stayed in his office for another hour and was subdued when he emerged. He and Ruth spoke quietly behind the bar for a few minutes, and then she gave him a hug and walked over to me.
“Tonight’s pretty slow, so Max wants me to go home. I told him that I’m your ride, but he offered to take you home instead.”
“Oh,” I said, realizing I hadn’t told her that Wyatt was picking me up, but now that I thought about it, I didn’t like the idea of Wyatt leaving Hank alone. “Yeah. You go.”
“Are you sure?” she asked with worry in her eyes. “Aren’t you freakin’ out about stayin’ with Hank?” I thought she was talking about the worry of Dwight or someone showing up at the house, a legitimate concern, but she cringed and then added, “You know, about taking care of his leg?”
I tried not to cringe myself. “A little. I learned how this morning, and I’m not gonna lie…it’s rough, but then I told myself it’s a million times worse for poor Hank.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Her mouth twisted to the side. “I’d tell you to call me for moral support when you’re changing his bandages, but I don’t think I could stomach it, Carly.”
I gave her a warm smile. “Don’t worry. I’m gonna make Wyatt help.”
“I still can’t believe he’s gonna do that.”
I shrugged. “He rewrapped his leg this morning. You should have seen him. I think he picked it up faster and handled it better than I did.”
“Well,” she said, taking a step toward the back door. “Call me if you need me for anything other than bandage changing.”
“Thanks, Ruth. I will.”
She’d been keeping track of her tips during the slow times, so she quickly settled up with Tiny and put the rest of the money and receipts in Max’s office.
Max was sitting behind the bar, reading his book.
“Ruth says you offered to take me home.”
He looked up and smiled. “Yeah. I hope that’s okay with you. I guess we should have inc
luded you in that conversation.”
“Please. I’m at the mercy of people offering me rides. Far be it from me to raise a fuss. But…” I lowered my voice and leaned in closer. “Wyatt offered to pick me up and take me to Hank’s.”
The smile on his face slowly fell. “Oh. So you and he…?”
I shook my head. “There’s nothing between us, if that’s what you’re thinking. He’s keeping an eye on Hank tonight, and he made the offer because he knew I didn’t have a ride.” I wasn’t about to tell Max his brother had been run off the road. Wyatt hadn’t asked me to keep it to myself, but he also hadn’t reported it to the sheriff. Although it was plenty possible it was a deputy who’d tried to kill him, I suspected there was another explanation. “And after Seth’s murder, I guess he’s concerned about me being out late by myself or with just Ruth.”
A shadow crossed his face. “Damn. He’s right. I should have thought of it sooner.”
“Why should you have?” I said in dismay. “I’m only telling you because I still want you to bring me home, if you don’t mind. After Dwight showed up tonight, well, I’m worried he might take out his frustrations on Hank.”
“I agree,” he said. “That’s a possibility, but I’m far more worried about you. Dwight moved to Greeneville for a spell because he beat his girlfriend, and her daddy ran him out of town. He’s far more likely to take his frustrations out on you. I’d feel better driving you, which is one of the reasons I sent Ruth home.”
“So I don’t put her in danger.”
His eyes hardened. “You’re not puttin’ her in danger, Carly. The asshole who killed Seth is. And Dwight.” He lowered his voice. “It occurred to me that Dwight could have killed Seth. What if he thinks you saw something and part of the reason he’s on the warpath against you is to keep you quiet?”
“Maybe…” But I didn’t think so. For one thing, I’d heard the voices of all three of Seth’s attackers. Dwight wasn’t a match, although he could be the driver.
“You know you don’t have to stay at Hank’s,” he said carefully. “I have a spare bed upstairs. You could stay with me tonight. Dwight wouldn’t dare try anything with me here.”
I considered it. I didn’t think this was a thinly veiled attempt to put the moves on me, and Max wouldn’t have to make a thirty-minute round trip if I stayed. But I needed to relieve Wyatt from his watch duty, and I didn’t have any of my things with me. Not to mention I would need to get back to Hank’s early in the morning to change his dressing. “Max, I really appreciate the offer, and if it weren’t for Hank I’d do it, especially since I hate putting you out … Does Tiny live out that way? I can see if I can get a ride with him.”
“Carly, don’t you worry about the drive,” he said with a good-natured smile. “I’ll just take you out to Hank’s. It’s no big deal.”
“Thanks, Max. I’m going to call Wyatt and let him know.”
“Sounds good. You can use the phone in the office, if you like.”
Wyatt answered on the first ring.
“Everything okay?” he asked when he answered the phone.
“How’d you know it was me?” I asked. I’d seen the rotary phone. Hank didn’t have caller ID.
“Who else would be callin’ Hank at eleven o’clock at night?”
Good point. “Max has offered to drive me out to Hank’s so you don’t have to leave him alone.”
He hesitated, then asked, “Are you okay with that?”
“Yeah. I mean, I feel just as guilty about him doing it as you, but until I have a working vehicle, I’m stuck.”
“If you change your mind, I can get Junior or someone to stay with Hank while I come get you.”
“Thanks, but I think I’ll be okay. I’d hate to inconvenience anyone else.”
“If you feel unsafe, let me know. I’ll come get you.”
His insinuations were making me nervous. “Should I be worried about letting Max drive me home?”
“No,” he said.
I waited for him to elaborate, but he remained silent.
“Okay, then,” I said. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
The next hour dragged. We only had three patrons in the bar and none of them were drinking much, so I worked on tallying up my tips. I gave Tiny his portion, telling him I’d settle up the rest after my remaining customers left.
“No worries, Carly,” he said in his deep timbre. “You can settle up with me tomorrow.”
Tiny left, and Max ended up kicking the three stragglers out ten minutes early, telling them their last, unfinished, drinks were on the house.
“I’ll pay for their drinks, Max,” I said.
“The hell you will,” he said, locking the front door behind them. “They’ll be back, so there’s no harm in the rest of us gettin’ out ten minutes early. You got your things?”
“Not yet. I need to finish settling up the money.”
“I’ll meet you at the back door.”
I put my tickets and cash on Max’s desk, then headed to the storage room to get my jacket and purse. Max wasn’t at the back door when I got there, but the door opened a few seconds later, and he beckoned me outside.
“My truck’s warming up,” he said as he locked the back door, then led me to the blue and white pickup that was usually parked in the corner of the lot. The engine was running, and white smoke streamed from the exhaust.
I headed to the passenger side while Max got into the driver’s side.
“Do you know where Hank lives?” I asked.
“I know he lives out in White Rabbit Holler, near Ruth, but you’ll have to point out which house is his.”
“No problem.”
He backed out of the parking space and headed toward the road. Once he was on the highway, he cast a glance at me. “Other than tonight with Dwight Henderson, how do you like workin’ at the tavern?”
“I like it.” I was surprised it was partially true. While I’d loved taking care of Violet, I was an extrovert. I needed to be with people, and it had been just me and Violet at Rose’s house most of the time, and Vi had done a lot of sleeping at the end. If he’d asked me the night before, my answer wouldn’t have been as enthusiastic, but people seemed to be coming around tonight. “You have no idea how much I appreciate you giving me a job.”
“We’re thrilled to have you. In fact, Ruth and I were talkin’… I know you’re only stickin’ around until your car gets fixed, but you’ve got a job as long as you want it. And if you decide to stick around longer, we’d love it even more.”
“What about Lula?”
“Well…we have no idea when she’ll come back, if she comes back, but if she does, Ruth wants to do some reevaluatin’.” It looked like it pained him to admit it.
“I have no intention of takin’ Lula’s job,” I insisted. “This job works for both of us because it fills a mutual need.”
“If you’re still workin’ for us when she comes back, we’ll figure it out then.”
I wasn’t sure what there was to figure out. There weren’t enough customers to cover three full-time waitresses, but they could probably use a part-time waitress. Maybe they could move me to that, although I suspected it would entail working the slower and lower-paying lunch shift. But if I had any luck at all, I’d be gone long before it became an issue.
He was quiet for a moment. Then he said, “I can’t help feeling responsible for what happened.”
“You mean with Seth?”
“That too.” He paused, looking uncomfortable. “I can’t help but think…” His voice trailed off. “I almost put you in one of the units that got busted into because I know the phone doesn’t work in twenty. But I figured it would be safer and quieter at the end, and anyway, who were you likely to call?” His hand tightened around the wheel.
The thought that he’d almost put me in one of those units freaked me out, and it took a second for my brain to sort through all the what-ifs.
“Did you try to call 911?” he asked.
His question shook me out of my thoughts. “What?”
“Did you try to use the phone?”
I pressed my palm to the side of my face. “Uh…” I turned to see him intently watching me. “Yeah, but it didn’t work.”
“Did you call when you woke up? Or when you saw him?” His hands were shaking on the steering wheel.
“Max,” I said. “It’s okay. I’m fine.”
“But Seth isn’t. If you’d been able to call 911 when you realized something was wrong, he might still be alive.”
“No,” I said, “because by then it would have been too late.”
“You’re sure?” he asked, turning to face me with tears in his eyes. “You’re sure there wasn’t a gap in between when you woke up and when you went outside?”
“Are you asking me if I lied to the sheriff?” I asked in a near-whisper.
“No! Fuck!” he protested, turning back to face the road. His face looked anguished, anxious, and he’d starting wringing his hands over the steering wheel. “I’m asking if you need to be protected.”
“Protected from who?”
He gave a slow shake of his head, rolling his top teeth over his bottom lip. “Carly, if someone thinks you saw something, you might be in trouble. The official report says you didn’t see anything. I’m just making sure you’re sticking to that story.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Bingham’s men were in the bar tonight, and their eyes were firmly on you.” He turned to face me. “I don’t care what you saw or didn’t see. I just need to know if you told anyone.”
My chest tightened at the mention of Bingham.
“No,” I lied, certain that Hank would keep my secret.
He pushed out a sigh of relief.
“That’s why you wanted me to stay with you tonight,” I said.
“I was already nervous when they showed up, but Dwight Henderson gave me the perfect excuse.”
“Thank you.”
He nodded. “We’re a close-knit group at Max’s Tavern, and you’ve helped us out of a bind. We take care of our own, Carly.” He shot me a quick glance before facing the road. “You understand?”
A Cry in the Dark Page 22