Damascus. You know the one I mean? The town is a mile long, but it drops from 65 to 30 in the space of about two hundred feet. And the cops there will give you a ticket for doing 35. Bunch of assholes. I got pulled over, and I guess I acted shifty because the cop got me out of the car and searched it and found the coke. It all happened so fast. Before I could even get my phone call to call Evan, a news camera was there."
"What happened when you finally talked to Evan and Kluge?"
"I never talked to Mr. Kluge. Just Evan. He told me to keep my mouth shut and they'd take care of me. So I did. I kept my mouth shut, and all the sudden the charges were reduced. Not dropped, though. I ended up doing a little time on a lesser charge."
"But then you got out of Eastgate and what? If you did what they told you to do, why is there a problem?"
She stopped rubbing the cat. She looked up at me, her eyes searching my face. She glanced at Jack.
She tried to smile at both of us. "It's all a big misunderstanding," she said. "I went down to Texas when my mom died. I came back, and I got involved in the church."
"In the church."
"Well, not church, but that Christian recovery program, Free At Last. I got involved with it to stay off drugs and try to get closer to … God."
"That's where you met Charles Hamill."
"Yeah."
"What about Jerry Kingston? You meet him, too?"
"Yeah."
I looked back at Jack. She didn't look at me; she just kept staring at Alexis.
Alexis said, "They got me clean, but then I got … I just wanted to get away from them."
"Why?"
"I don't know. I just did. It's hard for me. It's hard for me to stay anywhere a long time. I just wanted to get away."
"What about getting close to God?" Jack asked.
"I didn't run away from God," Alexis said.
I said, "But that still doesn't explain why these people are looking for you."
She shook her head and her face flushed. I thought she might start crying. "I think Junius thinks I was giving information to … Brother Jerry, to help him with the election against the governor."
"So why did Charles Hamill pay me to find you?"
"I guess it's like he told you. Brother Jerry is just worried about me. He asked Brother Charles to find me."
That didn't seem like the whole story, but she didn't say any more.
"Why don't you just talk to Kluge?" I said.
Alexis looked at me like I was the stupid one. "He's paying you five grand," she said. "You think he's going to drop five grand just to have a conversation with me?"
"She right," Jack said.
I turned around, and she'd come off the door and was standing with her fists at her sides. "It's too late for talking this thing through. Junius thinks she gonna rat out the governor's coke connection and the whole drug operation up in Stock's Settlement. That ain't the kind of shit gets settled with a conversation."
I asked Alexis, "But you never told Kingston or any of his people about the drugs, about why you'd gone to jail, none of that?"
She'd turned her attention back to the cat. "It's like Jack said," she whispered. "It's too late, either way."
* * *
"Well?" Jack asked.
"Well what?"
We were standing in front of Darnell's barn. We'd waded through the Arkansas heat just enough to stand in the pointed shadow of the roof.
"You believe this story that it's all a big misunderstanding?"
"Who knows?"
"Whatchoo thinking about doing?"
I took a deep breath of humidity.
"You really think they'd kill her?"
Jack kicked a small rock about six inches. "Dunno. Maybe just rough her up."
I shook my head. "Would you want to be in a dark room alone with Vin Colfax?"
"Nope."
"No, me neither."
"This some serious shit, Ellie. Junius Kluge paid you. You just going to hand him back his money and tell him it didn't work out?"
"I need that money."
"So you want to give her to them?"
"I can't just hand her over, Jack. There's no telling what they'll do to her."
"Yeah. That's what I thought. So what you talking about is scamming the baddest motherfucker in
"What happened when you finally talked to Evan and Kluge?"
"I never talked to Mr. Kluge. Just Evan. He told me to keep my mouth shut and they'd take care of me. So I did. I kept my mouth shut, and all the sudden the charges were reduced. Not dropped, though. I ended up doing a little time on a lesser charge."
"But then you got out of Eastgate and what? If you did what they told you to do, why is there a problem?"
She stopped rubbing the cat. She looked up at me, her eyes searching my face. She glanced at Jack.
She tried to smile at both of us. "It's all a big misunderstanding," she said. "I went down to Texas when my mom died. I came back, and I got involved in the church."
"In the church."
"Well, not church, but that Christian recovery program, Free At Last. I got involved with it to stay off drugs and try to get closer to … God."
"That's where you met Charles Hamill."
"Yeah."
"What about Jerry Kingston? You meet him, too?"
"Yeah."
I looked back at Jack. She didn't look at me; she just kept staring at Alexis.
Alexis said, "They got me clean, but then I got … I just wanted to get away from them."
"Why?"
"I don't know. I just did. It's hard for me. It's hard for me to stay anywhere a long time. I just wanted to get away."
"What about getting close to God?" Jack asked.
"I didn't run away from God," Alexis said.
I said, "But that still doesn't explain why these people are looking for you."
She shook her head and her face flushed. I thought she might start crying. "I think Junius thinks I was giving information to … Brother Jerry, to help him with the election against the governor."
"So why did Charles Hamill pay me to find you?"
"I guess it's like he told you. Brother Jerry is just worried about me. He asked Brother Charles to find me."
That didn't seem like the whole story, but she didn't say any more.
"Why don't you just talk to Kluge?" I said.
Alexis looked at me like I was the stupid one. "He's paying you five grand," she said. "You think he's going to drop five grand just to have a conversation with me?"
"She right," Jack said.
I turned around, and she'd come off the door and was standing with her fists at her sides. "It's too late for talking this thing through. Junius thinks she gonna rat out the governor's coke connection and the whole drug operation up in Stock's Settlement. That ain't the kind of shit gets settled with a conversation."
I asked Alexis, "But you never told Kingston or any of his people about the drugs, about why you'd gone to jail, none of that?"
She'd turned her attention back to the cat. "It's like Jack said," she whispered. "It's too late, either way."
* * *
"Well?" Jack asked.
"Well what?"
We were standing in front of Darnell's barn. We'd waded through the Arkansas heat just enough to stand in the pointed shadow of the roof.
"You believe this story that it's all a big misunderstanding?"
"Who knows?"
"Whatchoo thinking about doing?"
I took a deep breath of humidity.
"You really think they'd kill her?"
Jack kicked a small rock about six inches. "Dunno. Maybe just rough her up."
I shook my head. "Would you want to be in a dark room alone with Vin Colfax?"
"Nope."
"No, me neither."
"This some serious shit, Ellie. Junius Kluge paid you. You just going to hand him back his money and tell him it didn't work out?"
"I need that money."
"So you want to give her to them?"
"I can't just hand her over, Jack. There's no telling what they'll do to her."
"Yeah. That's what I thought. So what you talking about is scamming the baddest motherfucker in
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