Chapter 44

“Judge Skelley, I’m fully aware this may not be the proper time to discuss business with you, while you’re grieving over the loss of your son. But I feel an urgency in asking you for a few minutes of your time to discuss the matter of that quarter-section of land Jason owned out past Kendall’s Grocery, across the county road from my farm I just bought from Mr. Bill Donavan.”

“Josey, I’ve been going over all of Jason’s holdings these past few days, and I’ve discovered another four hundred and eighty acres next to the levee, that Jason owned. That parcel of land is across from your farm too. I have no idea how he managed to acquire all this land, without me even being aware of it. But - the biggest shock of all to me was - he bought all those parcels, all those properties, and all those possessions - with me as his co-owner, when I had no idea how or why he did that. I’m frustrated as hell with all of this ... Here’s what I’m going to do - I’ll let you have both pieces of land for what you paid Bill Donavan per acre for his farm. I have no need for farmland, now that I have no heir to leave it to.

...”If you’re interested, I personally own two sections of tillable farmland on the other side of the levee, that I’ll be putting up for sale in the near future. I’ll make you the same deal on that land - less fifty dollars per acre - since it’s inside the flood zone of the Mississippi.”

“Judge, have your secretary write all the parcels up like we agreed, and tell her to give me a call. I’ll talk to Granny about it, and she’ll probably want me to pay for all your land up front.”

“Josey, would you be interested in owning another apartment building, over on the south side of town? That boy of mine owned the one out on the bypass, with another five acres just inside the city limits. I swear, I never knew he had so much property, and to think, my name is on all of it as co-owner!”

“Have Lois write that one up too, and include the five acres, if you’ll let it go.”

“I’ll do it and I’ll make you a better than fair price on all of it. I’m still searching the records for his name on any other property in the county and if I find anything worth having, I’ll have Lois make note of it and she can tell you about it when you come in and sign the papers.

“Josey - I know you have many-many young girls and more than a few women chasing after your ass, but you should consider courting Lois. I know you’re not going to get married anytime soon, and I need to keep that girl. She’s a whiz at this legal stuff and I’d hate to lose her to some hairy-legged, no-good - who’ll make her quit her job to stay home to have babies.”

“Thanks, Judge. She and I did have a good conversation the other day when I came to see you. I haven’t talked to her since. I’d sure like to get to know her better.”

“Make a run at her, Josey. I saw you in action down in Jackson, and if you put your best effort into it, that girl will be an asset to you, with all the goings on here in the county - and here at the Courthouse.”

“And besides all that. She looks good too, doesn’t she Judge?”

“Too good for an old man like me to even think about. You lock her up tight, and I’ll know better than to even look over her shoulder, since she’s your girl.”

“Thanks, Judge. I’ll be going now, and if you come across anything of Jason’s that you don’t need, or just want to get rid of, tell Lois. I’ll be seeing her soon and I hope to see more of her - if you know what I mean.”

“You Devil You - Get out of my office - I have work to do.”

“When I go out, I’ll tell Lois to give me her phone number.”

“Josey, I want you to know, if Jason had been more like you, he would never have gotten mixed up in all this mess, or taken his own life. You’re such a friend to Wendy and me - and a true, young treasure for this county. I’m going to help you get even more of a position in Collins County, now that you’re becoming such a fine young businessman.”

“Thanks again, Judge. I need all the help I can get.”

“Lois, I’ll be coming back to town in a day or two, and I’d like to see you away from the Courthouse, when I do. Judge Skelley and I have just made a deal on some land and he’s going to have you write it up for us. Here’s my home number, just give me a call and I’ll come in and sign the papers.”

“Josey, I told Lou Ann about meeting you and she wants us to have you over one night ... I mean, you know, to maybe watch TV and ... talk.”

“I’ll see you in a day or so, when you have those deeds and contracts written up. Maybe I’ll have time to spend with you and Lou Ann that day.”

“I sure hope so. I don’t know many people here in Collinsville, but Lou Ann told me that I need to be best friends with you, like she is. She didn’t say it exactly like that, but you know what I mean.”

“I think I do, and you tell Lou Ann for me, she better not be telling you all my secrets, or I’ll take her name off my list of fucking buddies.”

“JOSEY - that’s exactly what Lou Ann told me I needed to be.”

“I’ll leave that up to you. You sure are pretty and you have a really nice body, if you don’t mind me saying that.”

“Lou Ann was in the bathroom with me last night and she told me I look good naked. She told me that my bra-size is even larger than hers.”

“I’m sure she told you that I love big titties, didn’t she?”

“Yes, and we need to stop talking like this. I’ve never been with a boy and I’m getting too excited, with you standing so close, I feel the heat from you’re body.”

“What if Lou Ann and I get excited when I come over to see you and her?”

“I told her I’d love to watch, if she lets you ... you know, I mean...”

“I hope you’ll be there with us, if we - you know.”

“GOD JOSEY, please leave. I’m too excited to talk about this. My panties are wet now.”

“I hate panties, don’t you?”

“I’m starting to hate them ... Uh Lou Ann told me you hate hair on a girl too.”

“I love your hair.”

“You know what I mean. Uh, would you believe - Lou Ann talked me into letting her shave me ... my ... you know.”

“She shaved your pussy? I love smooth pussies. I hate getting pussy hair in my mouth when I kiss a girl’s pussy.”

“She told me that too.”

“Lou Ann and I have lots of fun, when we get naked together.”

“She told me about you and her in the same bed as her sister and you fucking her. I can’t believe I was brave enough to say fuck in front of you.”

“I hope you’ll be even more brave when I come over.”

“I can tell you already, I want to be really brave and I want to watch you and Lou Ann and I want to be with you too.”

“I love being with two women at once.”

“Josey, I’m getting too excited to talk like this.”

“Are you brave enough to give me your panties?”

“Really? I’ll go in the restroom and take them off for you, if you’re serious.”

“Take them off here and hand them to me. You wanted to be brave.”

“Will you turn around?”

“No, I want to watch you. I hope I get to see your bald pussy.”

“Here goes, I hope no one walks in while I’m pulling my panties down my legs.”

“Here, let me hold your dress up.”

“JOSEY, YOU’RE, EXPOSING MY PUSSY.”

“You have a pretty pussy, Lois. If you let me have your pussy, I don’t want you to ever let another boy even see your pussy - ever.”

“OH DAMN JOSEY. No one else will ever get any of my pussy. I’m so excited about giving you my panties and telling you that my pussy belongs to you ... Here, take my panties and put them in your pocket.”

“Show me your pussy again.”

“See ... I hope you like my pussy.”

“I love your pussy, now put your dress down before someone comes in a sees your naked pussy. I want your pussy to be mine and mine alone.”

“Touch my pussy and I’ll give it to you.”

“Forever?”

“YES – Please, touch my pussy. I feel like I’m about to faint, I’m so excited.”

I cupped her pussy and she squeezed her legs together, trapping my fingers as her cum filled my hand.

“Was it good, Lois?”

“OH YES. I want more.”

“Tell Lou Ann what we did today. Tell her how it felt to come in my hand ... I’ll see you soon, and I hope to see you like this too.”

“Bye, Josey. You have just made me the happiest young woman in this town.”

I drove on past our house, to see if Rondo and Hank’s sons were through moving the rest of Anna’s and Ava’s stuff. I didn’t see the truck Joe drives.

I walked around the house and just happened to look back north, across the field. Rondo’s truck was parked back there. I could see the camper-top on it from here.

I drove down the narrow gravel road, hoping I wouldn’t get stuck in the mudholes on the road. When I stopped beside his truck, I saw Rondo stick his head out of a hole in the concrete foundation. As I walked toward him, he was smiling. I had to wonder why anyone would have a concrete foundation, and not build a house on blocks, like all the other farm houses in this area.

“Josey, I stumbled upon this hole when I stepped on those loose boards over there. See how new the boards are, compared to the others lying around?”

“I see that. What does that mean?”

“Look down inside this hole. There’s some concrete steps down to the bottom, but I didn’t see anything that would need covering up with these boards.”

“Let’s go back down and have another look. This is not a storm shelter. There’s no room at the bottom for more than two or three people, and they would have to stand up.”

“I took that two-by-four and tapped on this wall, but it sounds solid to me.”

“Hand me that board, I see some mortar on these two blocks, that doesn’t match, where the rest of the blocks were cemented in place.”

I took the two-by-four from Rondo and using it like a battering ram, I pounded those two concrete blocks hard, with the end of the board.

“JOSEY - I see some of that mortar chipping away. Hit right in the middle where the two blocks join. Looks like they may be loose.”

The third time I drove the end of the two-by into the blocks, both of them gave way and fell into a dark hole inside the wall. When I turned to look at Rondo, he was grinning.

“I have a flashlight in my car, I’ll get it and we’ll see how big that dark hole is and what’s inside.”

“I’ll get the light, see if you can make that hole bigger. I’ve got a feeling we just hit another drug, cash-stash.”

When he came back, I had three more concrete blocks knocked out, and a hole big enough to crawl through.

“Shine that light in there, Rondo. I have a feeling you may be right about what’s behind this block wall.

“JOSEY - Would you just look inside this place? It’s half as big as the bedroom Emmylou and I sleep in. That looks like wooden apple crates stacked in there. Hold the light for me and I’ll crawl through to have a look.”

“See if you can lift one of the crates out here to me. I’ll try to pry the top off while you look around. See if you can get a count on the crates too.”

I handed him the light - picked up the two-by, and slammed it into the top of the crate from the side. It popped open a few inches and I hit it again. The lid fell to the side and a few bundles wrapped in heavy waxed paper spilled out. Before I even picked one up, I knew this was another big cash-stash we’ve stumbled upon.

Sure enough, when I pulled the wax paper off, there were twenty bundles of hundred dollar bills, nice and neat and dry. I slipped the wide paper strip off one bundle and counted the bills. They weren’t new, but they weren’t real old either. There were two hundred bills in this bundle and I counted roughly twenty bundles, as near as I could tell without dumping the crate.

FUCK – that’s four hundred thousand in a crate...

“Rondo, how many crates do you count?”

“Josey - just counting across, then counting up - and counting deep - I figure there are at least fifty crates in this hole. Looks like some of those canvas money bags stacked in back too.”

“Can you tell how many?”

“Just looking and guessing, I’d say there’s at least fifty of them.”

“Can you pull one out so we can look inside?”

“I’ll have to crawl over these crates, but I can reach one on top of the stack. DAMN - there’s more than I thought. Maybe even twice as many back here.”

Rondo was still standing inside the block wall when he looked down at the crate I had opened.

“Josey, how much money is in that crate? That looks like a ton of money from here and there has to be at least fifty crates in here.”

“Near as I can count, there’s four hundred thousand - in this crate.”

“GOOD GOLLY DAMN!”

“Hand that bag out to me and I’ll get a count on it.”

I counted twice and came up with the same amount we counted in the bags we brought from Jackson in the bread trucks.