Chapter 8

I left Sarah asleep in the big bedroom. I slept in the studio apartment room. I left her sleeping while I drove to one of the larger churches in the area. I had promised to make a pickup for the soup kitchen. since it was drizzling rain, I drove the SUV over. The church had summer day school going. Some of the teachers helped with the lifting, so the loading took only a couple of minutes.

When I got to the soup kitchen, I cornered Maxwell. I explained about Sarah’s current dilemma. I also explained that I needed to know about her thrift shop. Maxwell gave me the name an address of a guy who was plugged into the drug scene.

From the soup kitchen I drove to Tim Collins sister’s house. I for sure needed to know what I was getting myself into. One thing I had learned from almost twenty years on the street was that people in the drug trade lied like a cheap rug. I needed information from someone with no vested interest. I hoped that someone would be Tim Collins. Collins sister told me he was staying at the Reverend White’s shelter. He could be found on the deck outside the shelter most days.

I drove down there and offered to pay Tim for information. I still had to explain that I wasn’t a cop, but eventually he spilled what he knew. The store was an outlet for pot. He had never heard of them dealing anything else. He had no idea where they got the pot, but they always seemed to have it on hand.

“I use pot to take the edge off my arthritis, “ Tim explained.

“That’s okay, I just want to know about Sarah and Allen,” I said.

“I think Sarah was the strong one in that couple. She was always telling Allen what to do,” Tim said.

“I see. Is there anything else I should know about the drug business in Grenada?” I asked.

“When you get to the serious drug distributors, be careful. I’m sure they are dangerous,” Tim warned me. “I can’t help you with those guys. I just buy pot, nothing else.”

“Do you have any idea who can help me?” I asked.

“I got no idea.” he said looking away.

“Thanks Tim,” I said it while handing him a twenty dollar bill.

“When you see Sarah tell her I wish her luck. She was always good to me,” he said.

I spent the next twenty minutes looking for Jules. I figured her group might know something. Whether they would talk to me was up in the air. I called Jules and offered to take her and her husband to lunch.

“Well Michael is busy, but I’ll meet you at the downtown diner, “ she said. “Marcy told me you always chose it to meet her.”

“That is true. Shall we say at noon?” I asked.

“Sure,” she replied.

I was very glad that she hadn’t chosen anything dark and quiet. I wanted everyone to see us together. I didn’t want anyone getting the right idea. I called then stopped by Melvin’s office.

“Do you have anything, “ the large, black, kid lawyer asked.

“The best information I got so far is they sold pot at the store. So far I hear everyone liked them both. To be honest Sarah is looking better for the stabbing all the time,” I said. “I’m going to try to find more information on the business this afternoon. Melvin, what is your impression of Sarah’s mother.”

“She seems like a nice lady. Not the type to stab Sarah’s boyfriend, “ he said.

“Mother’s are very protective,” I said. “I do agree she doesn’t seem like the type.”

“Keep working on the drug dealer angle, “ Melvin suggested.

“Yeah,” I replied. “Just work on your strategy, just in case.”

“That too, “ he said.

“It’s good to see you again,” Jules said when she sat down at my table.

“You too, you’re ad pretty as you always are,” I said.

“Thanks, so what is so important that you are willing to take me to lunch?’ she asked.

“You do know the cops arrested Sarah for the murder of her boyfriend?” I asked.

“What’s your interest? Is she your new girlfriend?” Jules asked.

“Hardly, she helps me with the work now and then. I went out with her mother for a while. So I’m just trying to figure out what really happened. First of all, I need to find out what the two of them were into,” I said. “So do you know anyone who would know. They were into selling pot from the 2nd Chance store. I need to know what else they were into. It would also be nice to know who else was involved. So how about one of your group member. It would be a great way for them to make amends.”

“It would also be a good way for them to get killed, “ Jules said.

“Okay you ask them to tell you what was going in her Sarah’s store, and I’ll try to keep the information under my hat,” I promised.

“You owe me big time. I’ll make some calls. But you forget where you heard it,” she said.

“I will forget,” I said.

“Promise?” she asked. I nodded my head.

Later that afternoon the call came from Jules. “His name is Nate Hollis, “ she said. “He tells me that the two of them only sold pot. They weren’t having trouble with the competition, according to Nate.”

“Why did you give me his name? I would have trusted the information, if you believed it, “ I said. “Anyway thanks.”

I went to Melvin Arnold office. “Melvin what you got from Sarah?” I asked.

“Why,” he asked me.

“Because the drug trade seems to be a bust. We are likely going to need some other motive for his murder.” I suggested.

“You need to take a look at everything. “Maybe they weren’t paying their supplier on time,” Melvin suggested,

“I don’t think that happens often, because the suppliers don’t trust anyone to buy now and pay later,” I said. I didn’t say anything to Melvin, but I had a memory of a case from Camden. A father had killed his son’s bully.

They had reported the bully to the school, but it continued. He even reported it to the cops. Who had a word with the bully. He stopped for a few days. Then he beat the bloody for informing. The next morning the cops found the bully with his throat cut. It wasn’t any anger issue, it was a premeditated murder pure and simple.

With that in mind I drove to Ester’s office. “I need to speak to you outside, “ I said.

We were standing under a Magnolia tree when I asked, “What did you do with your bloody clothes?”

“What are you talking about?” Ester asked.

“The clothes you wore when you killed Allen?” I asked. “I spent a couple of days looking into Sarah’s story. There is no one else with a reason to kill Allen. I think Allen argued with Sarah often. Maybe he started to get violent, and you did it because she wouldn’t leave him.”

“It wasn’t like that. Sarah stormed out of the apartment. Allen did struggle with her before she left the apartment. But I wasn’t there, “ Ester said.

“How do you know they struggled?” I asked.

“Sarah told me,” she said.

“And you believed her?” I asked.

“Yes of course,” Ester exclaimed.

“Where is she? I need to talk to her,” I explained.

“She went to the store,” Ester answered.

“I told her to dump the pot and be careful. I hope she didn’t try to sell it,” I said.

“I don’t know about that. I didn’t even know they were selling pot from the store,” Ester said. “That’s why they stopped asking me to babysit the store.”

“Probably, “ I said. “Ester are you sure you didn’t stab Allen even accidentally. If you did, I will find out.”

“I was at home that night. I can’t prove it but I was, “ she said.

“Okay, but I’m still considering you a viable suspect as of now,” I said.

“Suit yourself you prick,” she said turning to return to her office.

It looks like I am going to need a new bookkeeper, I thought. I drove to my house where I hooked the battery of the bike up to charge. I had several hours till dark, so I fired up the Cub Cadet to cut my three acre plantation. I rode the Cubby around in circles while I tried to think. I had exactly zero revelations. So the grass work was a waste of time.

Sarah showed up around seven. She didn’t tell me what she did during that day and I didn’t ask. She had agreed to stay away from pot and the store since there was no telling who might walk in to make a fuss. Also some of her supplier might be concerned that she would talk. She understood why she needed to lay low. I could only hope she took my advice.

“So what you going to do for dinner tonight,” she asked.

“I thought I would run into town the find the dog house food truck,” I replied.

“That sounds fine would you mind getting me a couple as well?” she asked.

“You need to ride with me. I wouldn’t be happy if anything happened to you while I was gone,” I replied.

“Okay but I’m staying out of sight,” she said.

“Works for me. Check their website and find out where they are,” I suggested.

“I’ll check but most likely this time of night they will be in the Walmart parking lot,” she said. She was right of course, so I drove there. I drove there and found them parked at the back edge of the parking lot. I ordered four hot dogs southern style and one order of curly fries.

From there we stopped at a zingo gas station for two of their largest colas. I understood the cups would hold a half gallon of coke. I could never get over the cop habit of looking for a deal. I spent more money in gas than I saved in the cost of a diet coke. I told myself I just liked having the extra coke available without going looking for it. Truth is I’m just a creature of habit. If Sarah had requested something else, I would gladly have gone somewhere else. I just didn’t think about it.

We sat by the lake and watched the fishing boats come in. We also ate hot dogs and curly fried of course. In spite of the cheap Coke, the hot dogs were designer priced. Over the last two years, I had come to grips with paying extra for some things. A southern style hot dog was one of those things. Hell I could get a wiener in a bun, with access to mustard and ketchup for under a buck. I just found a fatty hot dog on a stale bun masquerading as a hot dog criminal. A southern style hot dog had a grade A hotdog, inside a higher quality bun, with mustard chilli, slaw and some hot spices. I found that worth a few dimes more.

We sat by the lake having a decent hot dog washed down with diet coke. The conversation naturally moved to Allen. “So Sarah did you stab Allen?” I asked.

“Of course not. I cared for him bullshit and all,” she answered.

“So who do you think did it?” I asked.

“Honest Deacon I have no idea. Allen never did anything to anyone. At least nothing that would cause them to want him dead,” she informed me.

“You gave me the name of your connection, but I don’t think he was your only connection in the drug world. Who is trying to take over his operation?” I asked.

“I don’t know of anyone,” she said. “Honest.”

“Bullshit, “ I said. Don’t hold off till it is too late to help yourself.

“I don’t know who it was. Allen was just acting strange. I thought it was business. I didn’t want to know what it was about. I had no idea it was going to get him killed,” she said.

“So if it wasn’t the pot, what was it?” I asked.

“I don’t know. The fight was about me not leaving when he asked me to go. He wanted an hour to talk to someone. He was scared of him,” she said.

“Why,” I asked.

“Allen said he was dangerous. I figured he was someone deep in the closet. I left to give them room. I was glad to leave I didn’t want to take part in their game,” Sarah said.

“Why didn’t you tell the cops this?” I asked.

“Because I got nothing to tie Allen to anyone. He turned a few tricks now and then, so he was very, very discrete,” she informed me. “After the cops arrested me, you told me to talk to my lawyer not the police. So decided to let you investigate it. So I didn’t even tell Melvin. Maybe if there is nothing to it, I can keep the man’s name out of it.”

“If that were the only reason why didn’t you tell me last night?” I asked.

“I was trying to decide,” she said. “I didn’t think it was anything. You know just one of Allen’s men friends. I’m not sure what to tell the cops now.”

“What did Melvin say?” I asked.

“I didn’t tell him. I thought, if I didn’t have to tell any of them to get clear of this, I might could use it to my advantage,” she said.

“Blackmail?” I asked.

“An inducement to keep a secret,” she paraphrased it.

“Was Allen thinking the same way. Is that what the conversation was going to be about?” I asked.

“They wanted to screw,” Sarah said.

I called Melvin at home. “Melvin be sure they run a rape kit on Allen, “ I said. Then I hung up before he could ask anything else.

“Alright where do I go Sarah to find the name of the this boyfriend,” I asked.

“He for sure doesn’t live in Grenada,” Sarah said.

“So where,” I asked.

“Allen mentioned a small club outside Coffeeville. It’a a hunt club or something like that. They have theme parties every couple of months. This guy carried Allen to the parties,” Sarah said.

“Okay, who else would know about those parties?” I asked.

“I guess I would. I actually went to one of them. I pretended to be Allen’s date. We kind of did a threesome,” Sarah said. “It ended up being the entertainment.”

“I need his name and contact information, “ I said.

“Allen said he was a big deal in Jackson, but that his family lives near Coffeeville. He is some kind of gentleman farmer with a wife and a couple of kids our age. According to Allen he also owns a huge used car sales center,” Sarah informed me.