Chapter 64

“Josey, what’s up this time? Don’t tell me you’ve run upon another drug deal out here.”

Mona’s Desk Sergeant was with her, who I only knew by Shirl, until now when I saw her last name - Stiller - on her uniform shirt. I tried to keep it official sounding, as I answered...

“Sheriff Glass, this one has strong connections to the other one. You probably know by now, I’ve already bought that island hunting club from Judge Skelley, the one Jason had owned.”

“He told me about that one. I’m looking forward to getting an invite to deer hunt over there.”

“Consider yourself invited right here and now ... But I never knew you hunted.”

“I haven’t in years, but I used to love it...

“Now, tell me what you and Rondo have uncovered. I see he’s towing a ski boat, so I’m sure we’re crossing the river – Right?”

“Yes, we found two more boats up here by the levee. We’ll show you how and where they were hidden. Then we’ll use those two plus the one Rondo is pulling, and cross over the main channel. There are three more boats over on the island, rigged about like this one. Then there’s the one that was used by the men we delivered to your deputies the other day.”

“Come ride with Shirl and me. You can tell us all about it on the way.”

I got in the back seat and told Shirl to go south when she comes to the levee.

“Shirl, I didn’t know you were allowed to leave your desk.”

“I’ve been covering for our girl who works the desk, and dispatch. She’s back, and I’m back in the saddle again.”

Mona said “Josey, tell us about those two young women back there.”

“We stopped at Kendall’s to get a Coke a few minutes ago and Mr. Kendall told us they came to his store late yesterday, asking about the house the Burns sisters moved out of. He told them it belongs to me now and they asked if they could park in the driveway and sleep. He told them to go ahead.

“When we stopped just now, they were in that old car, and they got out when we did. I knew you had to be right behind us, and I gave them the key to the house so they could go inside. Rondo made them take sixty dollars to buy some groceries with. They refused at first, saying they didn’t need charity, they only needed a job...

“Rondo made me laugh when he told them - ‘You’ve just been hired and we’ll be back later to tell you what your job is’

“Rondo is getting more like you all the time. BUT, I suppose he could do worse.” She turned her head to look back at me.

...”Now, tell me why we’re going over to the island? I suppose you’ve heard by now, one of the men you and Rondo arrested over there, was a fireman in Ashton?”

“I didn’t know that, but I did see a fireman’s axe and pick-axe hanging on the outside wall, above the rear deck...

“I may be wrong about this, but I truly believe, you’ll find more members of that hunting club who are even higher-up than a fireman.”

“Is the place that big? I’ve seen it from the levee, when the leaves are off the trees like they are now, but I never knew it was big enough to have very many members.”

“It’s built on stilts, about fifteen foot off the ground. There are three levels and the middle level is a movie theater.”

“A movie theater?”

“Yes, the whole second floor is nothing but theater seats - in curved rows just like the theater in town.”

“You mean, a big movie screen - projector - and all?”

“Yes and Rondo figured out how to turn the projector on ... There on that screen, as big as the wall where you took my photo, were two women on a bed, naked.”

“Damn! I suppose you and Rondo watched it?”

“For a few minutes. But, there are at least fifty more film cans under the projector table.”

Shirl spoke up, “I suppose we’ll have to look at all of them to be sure what they contain?”

“Shirl, you’ll get in trouble, making statements like that with Josey listening.”

“Mona, I’m not that bad - and you know it.”

Shirl told her, “Mona, you make it sound like I’m hard up for a man, just because my divorce was final yesterday.”

“I know you’re not. I was only kidding, BUT - I’m going to tell you about that handsome young deputy sitting behind you. Not only is he handsome, with a smile that gets him in trouble every time he turns around - he’s the best friend I have ever had in my entire life. Not only that, he’s bigger, badder, and better than any man you’ll ever meet, if you live to be a hundred - on top of that, he never talks about who he sees, where they go, or what they do.”

Shirl looked at me in the mirror and grinned.

Looking into the mirror at her, I told Shirl, “Go straight through the cattle-guard up here about another two miles and you’ll see the chain-link fence on your right. This part of the levee is under the Montague Farm, levee lease. My lease now - which joins Granny’s levee lease - which we just left at the cattle-guard - and you should know by now, I have ten miles of levee lease on the Donavan Farm I bought.”

Shirl was still looking at me through the rearview mirror when she asked, “Are you planning to run cattle on this thirty miles of levee lease?”

“Rondo and I have talked about it and I want to load this place up with cows and calves. I saw the Chicago markets the other day and beef on the hoof is low, with long range markets looking really good.”

“Do you have horses too?”

Mona looked back at me and I cut my eyes at her, before answering Shirl, “We have eighteen Registered Saddlebred - on the Montague Farm. Do you ride? I know Mona does, she and Gregg had that ranch outside of town.”

“I did have horses, but I lost custody of them in the divorce - after eight years. But, the house and land belonged to Bill’s family, anyway.”

Mona told me, “I’ll give you a good deal on my ranch, if you want it, Josey. I’ve been trying to sell, but no one wants a horse farm, though there is over two hundred acres of fenced pasture on it. You may have just heard from a volunteer who would love to live there and take care of the horses ... during her off-duty time.”

I looked in the mirror to see Shirl grinning at me. I was still looking at Shirl, when I told Mona, “If I remember right, your pasture-land backs up to the levee - north of here - Right?”

“Yes, and that ten mile levee lease is available too - Plus - it butts up against your Donavan lease.”

“We need to talk - that is if they really do let Rondo and me have the rest of that reward money you were talking about.”

Shirl and Mona twisted their heads around when I said that.

“What?”

“That’s a done deal, Josey! I should have told you earlier. We got word late yesterday ... They will send it addressed to you - at my office. You’ll have to come by and sign for it next time you’re in town...

“Tell him the rest, Shirl...”

“Josey, hang onto your hat back there, and start counting out Mona’s money for the horse ranch ... This one - is exactly twice what the first one was.”

“DAMN! Uh, Shirl do you need a free place to live? All you have to do is take care of my horses. I’ll hire someone to mend fences and do repairs.”

“Hell Yes - I’ll take it - and I can mend fences and do repairs too.”

Mona told us, “See how good things can work out when I get involved?”

“Josey, is this it?” Shirl asked, frowning at Mona’s remark - as she stopped and pointed down the levee.

“This is it. You’ll have to stop at the gate and let me fumble through all the keys Judge Skelley gave me - so I can find one that fits the lock.”

“Josey, we may need to lock this place again, when we leave, if you know what I mean?”

“Sure. Once I find the key, I can look for the number on the other keys. If I have two, you can have one. If there’s only one, you can have it, and have one made for me. We’ll come in from upriver by boat, if we have to...

“Shirl, if you will, swing out to you’re left on that grass and park, so Rondo can pull in on the gravel and back the boat in.”

As soon as I was out and closed the door, I started fishing for the keys in my left front pocket. I pulled my chain of key-rings out and walked over to the gate. I was bent over, looking for a number on the bottom of the lock when I heard Mona whisper - See what I told you?”

I turned around with the key held up, and saw them looking at my ass. I didn’t say anything, but I knew I would get my chance and it wouldn’t be where any of the other deputies could hear.

I pulled one key off the ring, when I unlocked the gate. I reached out to hand it to Mona and she told me, “Give it to Shirl, she’ll be back before I will.”

I dropped the key in her palm and she stretched her body up to slip her fingers down in her front tight pant’s pocket. She looked me in the eye, when she saw me looking at her titties.

DAMN! Eight years of marriage didn’t do any damage to this deputy’s body.

When Rondo backed up to the launch ramp, one of the other deputies hopped over into the ski boat.

I took my keys out again and looked at the numbers on the bottoms of the two Master Locks where the boats were chained to the concrete posts. They were keyed alike and I started looking for the key. I found three and gave one to Shirl. I put one on my key-ring and shoved the chain of key-rings back inside my pocket.

“Let me push this boat back out into the water and y’all can get in. I’ll start the motors before we push off, just to make sure they’ll start and run.”

The first thing I did, was check the fuel gauge on top of both gas tanks. I had to shake it to see the red line was floating on full.

I pulled the choke on both motors and hit the starter on the left one. It fired off with smoke and gas fumes covering us. I hit the starter on the second motor and it started just as quick, with less smoke and fumes.

With Mona and Shirl sitting on either side of me - in the middle of the boat, I backed out into the flow of the river and held the boat in place, pointed north, until they had the other two boats backed out and ready.

This wide, flat bottom boat with two, V-Twin Johnson 50s on the back is even smoother going across the current than the ski boat.

We were about fifty yards away from the mouth of the canal when I pointed it out. Once in the canal, I idled along until the lodge came into view.

“Damn, that place is a lot bigger than it looks from the levee. I’m sure the trees block some of it,” Mona said.

“If one of you will take the wheel and keep it straight, I’ll step out here and pull this boat over to the side so the others can get in here too, before you shut the motors off.”

Shirl grabbed the wheel and I grabbed the tie rope, off the front deck and stepped over onto the bank. When I tied the boat off, I held it still as they stepped out.

“The steps up to the back deck are over here ... If you’ll look back under there, you’ll see the bottom side of an elevator lift they used to carry their loot up through the floor, into what Rondo and I have decided was the sorting, counting, and packaging room. We’ll show you all this as we go through the lodge, but I’ll let you see for yourself what we saw. This place is a hunter’s dream castle, with everything you can imagine.”

Mona, Shirl, and the other four deputies watched as we showed them the flour we dusted on the floor and doorknob.

“As you can see, no one has entered through this door. We’ll need to check the other two doors and check the lift underneath the building.”

I unlocked, then swiped the three switches upward. They heard the generator start and then the lights came on.

“Diesel generator - and it’s not a small one either,” Clancy said.

Mona stopped and looked at everyone, “Don’t touch anything. We’ll get the FBI to come in and check for fingerprints.”

I told her, “Rondo and I have already been all over this place. Our fingerprints have to be everywhere.”

“You don’t have to worry about that. Only the fingerprints they have in their database will show up as a match. Unless you and Rondo have been fingerprinted, they will never have prints identifiable to you, in their database...

“If we have a person in custody, such as those two you turned over to us the other day, they will take their fingerprints and match them to anything the men may have touched inside this place or even in the boats.”