Chapter 52

“Wonder why they’re parking the truck out away from the porch?” I asked.

“I have no idea, but the guy who got out on the driver’s side, looked up at that window. Maybe they have the attic rigged somehow to load their suitcases out the windows.”

“ ... Now’s your chance. They’ve all gone inside.”

“Cover me, I’m going to stick that right-front tire first, since it’s away from the house and won’t be seen right away when they come out.”

I watched as he ran across the open barnyard, then I lost him in the shadows when he reached the truck. I kept glancing up at the window above the truck and never did see anything move.

I saw Rondo stoop and run back toward the barn, then I heard him climbing the ladder to the loft. He was out of breath when he fell on the floor beside me.

“Did you get both tanks?”

“I did, and gas was running underneath the front of the truck, and out into the open barnyard. There won’t be enough left to start the truck, the way it’s running out.”

“Here come two guys out the front door!”

“Here comes three more out. They couldn’t get their own door open!”

“They’re in the truck now ... would you look at that? He’s trying to drive on a flat, and the front wheel is digging into the mud and snow.”

“Shoot the rear tires!“ I yelled, raising my rifle to where I thought the right-side duals would be.

“OH HELL!” Rondo shouted, and slapped my arm before I could shoot.

“What?”

“The guy in the cab, just flipped a cigarette out on the ground.”

The truck was maybe sixty to seventy feet from the house, when it exploded.

The two men standing in the back never stood a chance as they were blown straight up, with their clothes on fire. We never saw them come down. We never saw the three in the cab get out either.

The kitchen door was still open when we went in to use the phone. Before I called Mona at Granny’s, we went through the house with guns ready. We went into the storage room off the back porch to find the steel door still in place.

On our way back to the kitchen, we checked each room, each bathroom, and each closet before I called Mona, at Granny’s.

“Hey, Mirra. How’s my girl?”

“Josey! What’s up? Are you coming over?”

“No, not tonight anyway. Is Sheriff Glass still there?”

“She sure is, I’ll get her. Come see us soon, Josey.”

She was gone just that fast.

“Josey?“

“Mona ... We’re at the Montague Farm House, and we’ve had a little trouble over here. Just as we suspected, there were five men who came here in a truck. They went inside the house and stayed maybe five or six minutes. When they came out, they took off like something was after them, and then the truck blew all to pieces out here in the barnyard.”

“Are there any survivors?”

“None that we saw.”

“Sit tight - I’ll be right over - I’ll call Sheriff Jones now, and have him send deputies, since the house itself, is in Stewart County.”

“We’ll be here.”

“I sure hope we’ve got our asses covered ... What about that steel door?

“What about it? We have no idea what’s up there. We don’t even have the keys.”

“Someone has a key, and he wasn’t here with them... I’d bet a suitcase full of money on that.”

“You’re probably right, but we may never know who, unless he tries again or trips himself up.

“Let’s make some fresh coffee, I’m cold.”

We had just poured our first cup when I saw headlights through the kitchen window. I stepped to the door to see Mona get out of her car.

“Come on in, we just made a pot of coffee.”

“Josey, that’s a mess out there. I couldn’t even tell what it was...

“Hi, Rondo. I see Josey has you involved in his shenanigans too.”

“Hi Sheriff. I was just along for the ride - I swear.”

“Yeah right. Pour me a cup while you’re standing there. Did either of you get a look at the vehicle before it went up in smoke?”

Rondo told her, “Near as I could tell, it’s a white Ford ... or was one. Maybe a ton and a half, stake-bed.”

“I hear the Stewart County Deputies coming. They do love those sirens.”

I went to the door again and saw the flashing lights had stopped southwest of here. “Looks like one of them may have slid off the road, between here and the County Line.”

Mona and Rondo walked out on the porch with me, and we watched as the Sheriff vehicles started this way again.

Mona said, “They’re not playing their music now. Wonder what that was all about?”

“We’ll find out soon, here they come.”

We were standing on the porch when Stewart County Sheriff, Brent Jones stepped out on the passenger side of the first vehicle. He was standing next to the rear door when a deputy opened it. I saw him reach in to help a man out.

“Honas Wainwright,” Mona said.

I looked at Rondo - he was smiling - and nodding his head.

Mona introduced us to Sheriff Jones, as soon as we walked back into the kitchen. She explained that we were here when the men drove up and ran inside the house.”

He asked me, “Mr. Ruiz, why were you and Mr. Parker here at night?”

“I’m buying this farm - and the Horse Farm too - from Judge Skelley. We were late getting over here to feed the horses.”

“Oh, I see. Were you able to see how many men were in the truck before it exploded?”

“We were in the barn throwing down hay, when they drove up. We looked out to see five men run into the house. They stayed maybe five to six minutes, not long anyway - because we hurried down the ladder, and started over to see who they were and what they doing here. When they came out, they were running toward their truck, and never saw us, or they never stopped anyway - as we ran out to try and stop them.”

The deputies led Mr. Wainwright up the porch steps and into the kitchen as I watched them through the kitchen door.

I saw Mona look at Sheriff Jones, then nod her head toward Honas Wainwright. He nodded his head slightly and turned to ask him, “Honas, what were you doing out here on this messy gravel road so late?”

“Well, Uh, I wasn’t sure if Mr. Ruiz was going to feed the horses, and I wanted to make sure they were fed.”

“Have you ever met Mr. Ruiz?”

“Well, no. But I have talked to him on the phone, and I heard someone call his name just now.”

“No one called his name just now.”

“Oh! Well, I thought I heard his name called ... Anyway I recognized his voice from the phone call he made to my office.”

“Is Mr. Ruiz a client of yours?”

“No.”

“Mr. Ruiz, why were you calling Mr. Wainwright? ... I’m trying to make the connection here.”

“I called on behalf of the Montague sisters, Kellie and Stella. We met them here the first time Rondo and I came over to look the place over. I told them I was going to buy the place from Judge Skelley and they told me they have never gotten the money from when their daddy sold the farm to Jason Skelley. They told me their attorney had informed them that their money was being held up because of another claim of ownership on the farm...

“I made a call back to Judge Skelley’s office and his secretary told me she had all the papers in order, with a clear deed to this farmland and the Horse Farm.

“Is that when you called Mr. Wainwright?”

“No Sir. I called the Stewart County Assessor, and she told me there was no liens on this land. That was when I called Mr. Wainwright’s office, and talked to his niece.”

“Did you speak to Mr. Wainwright at that time?”

“I did, and I asked him why the Montague sisters haven’t gotten their money in over three years. He made some excuses about it being delayed and then he asked me if I was here with them at this farm. I told him I was, but we were on our way to his office, and if he didn’t pay them in full, I was going to have him arrested.”

“Mr. Wainwright, is this true?”

“For the most part, yes. But you see...”

Sheriff Jones turned back to me and asked, “Did the Montague sisters get their money - in full - when you took them to his office?”

“Yes, Sir – Plus three years interest, at five percent, compounded.”

Sheriff Jones told him, “Honas - I cannot believe even you, would stoop so low as to try and cheat those girls.”

“Sheriff, that payment just slipped through the cracks and went unnoticed until I caught my niece’s mistake. I had already counted the money out, ready to bring out here, the very day Mr. Ruiz called me about it.”

“Well, we may have to bring the Montague sisters in to ask them a few questions before this is settled.”

About that time, one of his deputies came in and handed Sheriff Jones a bundle of scorched papers.

“Sheriff, here’s the papers on the truck. You’ll never guess who it’s registered to.”

He looked at the papers, then looked at Honas. “Honas Wainwright, you may need an attorney!”

“Sheriff, I was trailing that truck after it was stolen. That’s when I ran off the road back there.”

“Where was your truck stolen from? And why didn’t you call my office to report it stolen?”

“Well, you see Sheriff...

“Put him in the vehicle and keep him warm. He won’t try to escape with all these guns around here.”

He turned to me, “Mr. Ruiz, you and Mr. Parker may leave when you’re through tending your horses. I’m leaving three of my men here until morning. The coroner will be here soon. If we need you for anything, I’ll call Mona.”

He turned to Mona, “Mona, I appreciate you calling us when Mr. Ruiz called you.”

“Brent, please call him – Josey ... NO ONE - calls Josey - Mr. Ruiz, and you’re embarrassing him.”

“Josey! I never put your name with Ruiz. I recognize you now. Congratulations on your big drug bust and uncovering the drug ring around here. If you ever need us again, just call and we’ll be right out.”

“Thanks Sheriff.

...”Thanks to you too, Mona. I wasn’t about to tell him to call me, Josey.”

She rolled her eyes at me, then smiled as she turned to leave.

Rondo and I got our guns from inside the barn and put them in the pickup. When he backed out, I turned to see the coroner’s vehicle parked near the burned truck.

“Josey, you need to become a lawyer. I have never in my life, seen anyone who can lie under pressure as well as you can. Hell Man - you never even stuttered when that sheriff started asking you questions ... Shit you were way the hell better than Wainwright when he started lying...

“Now, tell me how we’re going to get the rest of the money out of that attic?”

“This will blow over in a day or so, then we’ll come back and get it.”

“Count me in. I’m here for the long haul and I got my Main Man’s back, even if the Sheriff pulls a gun on him.”

The next morning, we were eating breakfast when Mona called.

I went to my office when Lougenia told me who was on the phone.

“Mona?”

“Josey, I have some bad news for the Burns sisters and Bethany. Two of the men who were killed in that explosion last night - were Curtis and Carlos Burns.”

“DAMN! I hate that for Bethany. But, I know Ava and Anna will be relieved now, knowing that part of their lives is over.”

“I’m sure you’re right. I could tell when we talked, they’ve been abused and mistreated. Tell them I’ll come by in a day or so, and bring their husbands’ bags that were found at Wainwright’s Ranch.”

“I’ll tell them ... Mona, I have to wonder - do you think they were involved with Jason too? I mean, since they were living in his house? Has anyone checked to see if maybe they were bringing drugs up the river on the towboats?”

“Josey, I’m getting you a badge A-S-A-P. You may have just rung the big bell again.”

“Well, I was just wondering, is all.”

“I’ll have that checked out and let you know. I have a hunch myself, that you nailed it.”

“I know something else I need to nail.”

“You sure do. You looked damn good last night. Hurry and call me.”

“Do you ever visit your little sister and her roommate?”