Ravens. Part 32

"I don't know. Wal-Mart?"

"Wal-Mart? Jesus. This sucks but not that bad."

He felt stupid for having brought it up.

He produced the photo of Romeo. "You know this guy?"

She didn't say yes or no.

"Tess. Please. I know he's a nice guy. But right now he's in over his head on something. I just want to help him."

Tess kneaded her big brow with her fingertips, and Burris sipped his soda, and waited.

Finally she said, "OK. He was at Blackbeard's Motel. I was staying there."

"How long was he there?"

"Just a few hours. They didn't even stay the night."

"They?"

"Him and his friend."

"You talk to them?"

"Yeah. Mostly Romeo. I liked him."

"Did he seem dangerous to you?"

She smiled. "No."

"You see him again?"

"Once. Like Sat.u.r.day night. He came in here."

"What'd he say?"

"Nothing. A friend of his had died. Some guy lived in a trailer. Out on that road with the Bible name. Palm of something?"

"Balm-of-Gilead?"

"Yeah."

He thanked Tess for her help and left a big tip for Holly Ann, and went out into the blazing day.

Back in the cruiser, he got the call he'd been waiting for. Rose Whittle on the radio, saying, "Burris? Come on in. Chief needs to talk to you. In his office."

h.e.l.l with that, he thought. h.e.l.l h.e.l.l with that preening rooster. Come in when I'm d.a.m.n well ready to. with that preening rooster. Come in when I'm d.a.m.n well ready to.

Jase thought it was awesome when he caught his first redfish. Shaw had set him up with a quarter-ounce jighead tipped with a minnow, and he got a strike in less than ten minutes. First on the boat to score. Way sooner than Tara. It wasn't big enough to keep, but right away there came another tug, and this one was a fighter. Shaw showed him how to handle it. Jase let out some line and the fish swam off the oyster bar and out toward the ocean. He let out some more and the fish jumped. Red with silver pouring off it. thought it was awesome when he caught his first redfish. Shaw had set him up with a quarter-ounce jighead tipped with a minnow, and he got a strike in less than ten minutes. First on the boat to score. Way sooner than Tara. It wasn't big enough to keep, but right away there came another tug, and this one was a fighter. Shaw showed him how to handle it. Jase let out some line and the fish swam off the oyster bar and out toward the ocean. He let out some more and the fish jumped. Red with silver pouring off it.

Jase could feel the presence of Shaw next to him. And the whole family watching and envying him. Today he wasn't the kid who melted into the woodwork; today he was the star star.

"What do I do?" he cried. "Shaw, what do I do?"

"You're OK," said Shaw. "Reel him in a little."

"I can't!"

"Yeah you can. Come on, get his nose up. He wants you to. He wants you to show him your power."

Jase pulled as hard as could. The rod bowed and quivered. He pulled till his arms were about finished - and then he felt the line slacken a bit.

"You got him," said Shaw. "Take him."

The fish kept fighting. But it gave and then gave some more, and pretty soon Jase was cranking him in. Finally it was close enough for them to net. Mr. Lonsdale said it was one of the biggest redfish he'd ever seen. Dad clapped Jase on the back and Tara applauded. Mom took photos while he held the fish. For one shot he puckered up his lips as though about to kiss it, and everyone laughed. n.o.body told him his humor was gross, or stupid or childish; they just laughed with him. They were all with him, and he was with Shaw. Everything was awesome.

Then Shaw's phone started to buzz.

Jase knew who it was. It was Romeo.

Not now, now, he thought. Not in the middle of my perfect day! You jerk, stay out of our lives, we're sick of you! he thought. Not in the middle of my perfect day! You jerk, stay out of our lives, we're sick of you!

Shaw took the phone from his pocket.

"Wait!" Jase cried. "Don't even answer."

Shaw said, "I got to, buddy."

"No, it's that b.u.t.twipe! Just let him go! We don't need him!"

Shaw turned away and opened the phone and brought it to his ear. Jase grabbed his arm and cried, "No, don't!"

Shaw yanked free, but the phone slipped from his grasp and went sailing. It bounced against the gunwale and flew out over the river and plunged in, vanished.

One long moment of quiet when they all stared after it.

Then Shaw turned and glared at Jase. With dark menacing rage. Jase burst into tears. "I'm sorry! Shaw, I'm sorry. sorry. I didn't mean to do that." I didn't mean to do that."

All of Shaw's fury was in his eyes. Otherwise he made no sign.

He drew a slow breath, and then asked Mr. Lonsdale, "How deep is this, Henry?"

"Nine, ten feet. Mud bottom. I'm afraid you won't find it again."

Shaw said hoa.r.s.ely, "It's gone?"

"Afraid so."

More silence. Then Shaw said, "Well. No big deal, I guess. It was an old phone. I'm just concerned because my mother's supposed to be calling me from the hospital."

Said Henry Lonsdale, "Nothing serious, I hope?"

"Oh. My father had a stroke."

"My G.o.d, I'm sorry to hear that."

"So I've really got to get to a phone in a hurry."

"You can use mine."

"That's kind of you. But I don't have my mother's number. It was in that phone. I guess I better get back to sh.o.r.e."

"Sure. Of course."

"Hate to spoil the fishing."

"No problem," said Lonsdale, and he went to the wheel and cranked up the engine. "The fish'll be here tomorrow."

Shaw asked, "How long will it take to get back to your dock?"

"Well, this gal is pretty fast. Fifteen minutes?"

"Can we make it any quicker?"

"Do the best I can."

Jase sat in the bottom of the boat and curled his knees against his chest, and held his feet in his hands, and stared at his toes. He knew what he'd done. He'd unloosed Romeo into the world. He was the one who had brought Romeo into their lives in the first place, when he'd bragged to his friends about winning the jackpot. Now this. His fault again. Always his fault. Like he'd been sent here to destroy everyone's life. Like he was secretly working for the devil. He wished he were dead. He wanted to throw himself in the water and drown - although mixed with that was a deep shiver of pride that he knew he couldn't tell anybody about ever.

Burris found plenty of trailers on Balm-of-Gilead Road. No trailer parks proper, but all along were singles, or cl.u.s.ters of three or four. At each he pulled in, knocked, displayed the mugshot. found plenty of trailers on Balm-of-Gilead Road. No trailer parks proper, but all along were singles, or cl.u.s.ters of three or four. At each he pulled in, knocked, displayed the mugshot.

Some of the trailers had boxes of geraniums and stone reindeer and stained-gla.s.s caterpillars, and nice old ladies who offered tea and wanted to talk; some were less friendly. Set back in the pines, with Firebirds on blocks and chewed-up screen doors and the gaping tombs of freezers. At one stop, a brace of pit bulls charged him. The sound of galloping, the earth trembling, and there they were, leaping at his throat - but midair they hit the ends of their chains and were hurled into the dust as though stricken down by lightning.

The dogs' owner said he didn't know Romeo, but maybe his brother did. His brother was in the state pen at Reidsville.

Burris kept canva.s.sing, canva.s.sing patiently until he'd used up about three-quarters of Balm-of-Gilead, and n.o.body knew anything, and it was near three o'clock in the afternoon. Rose called again. "43? Burris? Where are are you, Burris? You better get the Sam Hill in here." you, Burris? You better get the Sam Hill in here."

He ignored her. He kept working.

He came upon a unit with a convivial jigsaw skunk out front, and a gardenful of happy tulips and sweet pea. He pulled up. Old lady standing at the door, behind her walker. When he told her his business, she laughed out loud. "Romeo? My goodness. And he's dangerous dangerous?"

She had a great growly voice. Burris got a kick out of her, and thought Nell would too.

Stop thinking of Nell. Nell is not the measure of everything. What Nell will get a kick out of, or won't get a kick out of, is not your concern.

"We're just looking for this guy, ma'am. Have you seen him?"

"Well, he looks like that fella I saw going into Claude's."

"Who's Claude?"

"Used to live right there. He died though. I think his daughter's there now."

The trailer she pointed to was away from the road, almost hidden. Burris walked up and knocked. He heard a grunt, which he took to mean Come in. Come in. He opened the door. He opened the door.

A large woman lay in bed, smoking, drinking beer and watching TV. She wore a faded pink nightie. "Sorry I don't get up," she said. "I'm in mourning."

He said, "I'm sorry about that." He didn't ask her who'd died because he didn't care. He just showed her the mugshot and said, "You know this man?"

Her face darkened. "Oh, yeah. Ro Ro-meo. What's his game this time?"

"Why do you say 'game'?"

" 'Cause he's a bulls.h.i.t artist. He tried to tell me he was like some kind of hit man. For some insurance scam or something. I never knew what the h.e.l.l he was saying. Officer, why don't you get yourself a beer out of the fridge there? Come have a chat."

"No thank you. He said he was a hit man?"

"He said he was the angel of darkness. Wait, you wanna see something? Let me show you something."

She reached into the drawer of the nightstand beside her. Fumbling around. "You'll like this. This is a hoot. Wait. Where is it?"

She reached down into the flop of tabloids on the floor beside the bed. Stirring them around. Burris took a step back, afraid she might roll off the bed.

Then she sat up and waddled in her nightgown to the TV.

On top of it she found a map. "OK, here. He left this. His little tourist map."

The map had been issued by the Brunswick Chamber of Commerce. Stars had been scrawled at various places. Near the top, someone had written, 'Points of Interest.' But Burris's eye was drawn immediately to the bottom, to the old part of town, where one of the stars had been drawn right on Egmont Street, near the corner of Albemarle.

Nell's.

Another star, encircled, was on Oriole Road: Mitch and Patsy's. There was a star on Poinsettia Circle, but Burris couldn't place it. But the Belle Point star? That would be the house of Shelby Manford, Patsy's brother.

The stars a.s.sembling themselves into a pattern as he looked at them - the way the figure of Orion will jump out from the confusion of the night sky. The pattern was: Mitch Boatwright's family.

"Ma'am," said Burris, "do you mind if I borrow this?"

She shrugged. "I sure as h.e.l.l don't want it. But wouldn't you like to join me for a beer, Officer? One PBR, come on. Don't be such an old lady." sure as h.e.l.l don't want it. But wouldn't you like to join me for a beer, Officer? One PBR, come on. Don't be such an old lady."

Mitch went to the back of the boat, where Shaw was looking out at the water. Mitch said under his breath, "You know my child meant no harm." went to the back of the boat, where Shaw was looking out at the water. Mitch said under his breath, "You know my child meant no harm."

Shaw gave him a tight-lipped smile.

Mitch asked him, "What does it mean? If he calls and you don't answer?"

Shaw shook his head.

Said Mitch, "You can stop him, can't you?"