Poverty Hill
Copyright© 2026 by Asa Strong
Chapter 9
Dave and Lisa managed to muscle me out of the buildin’ and across the street to the café. I was steamed and wanted to know what the hell was a going on. When they finally got me seated, I wanted some answers.
“OK Dave, you’re gonna tell me what’s goin’ on or I’m out of here. You understand?”
By the look on his face I could tell he was worry’n what I’d do. He finally shrugged his shoulders and said, “Amos, did you read the appointment letter the Judge signed?”
“You mean that paper that says I can carry a gun cause I’m workin’ with you?”
“Yes,” he said, and then paused, “you might want to read it a little closer.”
Well, the letter he was a talkin’ about was sittin’ on my dresser in my bedroom.
“I ain’t got it with me, so why don’t yah just enlighten me.”
Dave sat there with a pensive look on his face for a moment, and then said, “I got a better idea. Since this was all Judge McCarthy’s idea I think he should be the one to explain it to you.”
With that he got up and went over to the pay phone and placed a call. I’m guessing it were to the Judge.
While the sheriff was on the phone I looked over at Lisa. She shrugged her shoulders in response. I took that to mean that she didn’t know anymore that I did.
Dave hung up the phone and came back and sat down at the table.
“The Judge will be here shortly. Let’s get something to eat.”
We had just had our orders delivered when the Judge showed up and took a seat at the table.
I looked at him as he sat down, “Judge, just what the hell is goin’ on here. What’s this shit about me bein’ some kind of investigator?”
Now, I’ve knowed Judge McCarthy for a long time. He and my dad were good friends. I never could understand why though. My old man was a hell raiser who wasn’t opposed to drinkin’ more ‘en he should at times. The Judge was about as straight a shooter as one could find. He was one of those church goin’ men that never took a drink. How he and my father stayed friends was a mystery to me.
The Judge settled in his seat, and then looked around.
“Amos, what I’m about to tell you is not for general discussion. Do you understand?”
Well, this here took me a’back a bit. I weren’t expectin’ nothin’ like that.
“Just what the hell you talkin’ about, I want to know what this investigator business is all about.”
Now the Judge’s got this stern voice when he needs to make a point. I grew up calling it his lawyer mode. He seemed to use it when he was dead serious about somethin’. He used it now.
“Amos, there’s a real problem here in the county. We’re pretty sure that someone is distributing cocaine out of the northern part of the county, up in your area. The CBI people have been working the case for the past year and can’t come up with anything.”
Now, I don’t like drugs, I’ve seen too many peoples life ruined by them. But, I also don’t care to be shot at either. I thought for a moment about what the Judge said.
“Judge, what has all that got to do with me. Besides, you still ain’t explained why all of a sudden I’m some kind of investigator.”
The Judge nodded, “Amos, when the deputy sheriff reported that guy killed up your way we were pretty sure it was drug related. If the CBI had sent an investigating team up there they would have missed more than they found. They don’t know the country and they sure don’t know how to work in the woods.”
That made sense, so I nodded.
The Judge continued, “When Dave came to me and said he wanted to use you to see if there were any clues, he also said you wouldn’t do it unless you were armed. Is that correct?”
“Yes sir,” I answered.
Well, the only way I could do that is to appoint you as a Special Investigator for the court. Technically, you work for me and not the sheriff. The appointment lasts for a year.”
I thought for a moment, and then said, “OK, I’ll buy that, but why tell them reporters that I’m an investigator. I bet’ch that I’m gonna be hounded no end by them assholes.”
Dave broke in, “Amos, this is serious. For some reason, someone don’t like you being involved in this.”
I answered back, “So I’m supposed to run around actin’ like a target?”
I was startin’ to get steamed again when Lisa spoke.
“Amos, the only thing that makes sense is that there is something out there. Something that whoever is involved in this doesn’t want found.”
This piqued my interest, “What do you mean? We didn’t find anything out there.”
“We didn’t get much of a chance to look either, now did we?”
She did have a point.
The Judge broke in, “Amos, I want you to stay on this. I think that you can find out more about this than anyone.”
To me this was crazy, me a lawman! I started laughing. The other three looked at me like I’d lost my mind. When I finally got myself under control I told them.
“Yah know, I never though I’d see the day where I was gonna be a lawman. Hell, do I get me one of them fancy RV’s with a fancy blue light on top?”
The Judge laughed, Dave lowered his head into his hands, and Lisa sat there with a look of astonishment on her face.
When the Judge finally finished laughing, he said, “Amos, I take it that you’ll stay with this?”
“Yeah,” I answered, “I don’t rightly know why, other than I don’ care for people shootin’ at me. You gonna pay me anythin’ for this?”
“Two hundred dollars a day, plus expenses,” the Judge answered.
“How ‘bout my truck being shot all up and my kilt horse?”
“They’ll be covered as well,” was his answer.
Now that I’d made up my mind to be a part of this, weren’t no sense in not havin’ a little fun.
“Do I get me one of them fancy badge’s to carry around?”
Dave groaned in reply, but the Judge answered my question.
He turned to Dave and said, “Make up a sheriff’s department identification for Amos. Under the classification where you normally put ‘Deputy Sheriff’ I want you to use ‘Special Investigator of the Court’”.
Dave looked like he swallerd a fish, but somehow managed to nod his head in answer.
We talked for the next half hour or so, mostly figurin’ out how I was to work with Dave. I found it rather interestin’ that the Judge reminded him several times that I was under the court’s jurisdiction. Knowin’ the Judge, there was a reason for his bein’ insistent. I’d have to get with him in private and find out just what the hell was really goin’ on.