Jason Deas - Cameron Caldwell 01 - Private Eye (21 page)

Rowdy picked up Dell before sunrise. They stopped at a local diner for a quick breakfast.

“I haven’t been on a road trip in a long time, Rowdy.”

“Are you sure you want to come? I really think you ought to stay here.”

“If you make me stay here I’m gonna call Kyle back.”

“Why would you call Kyle?”

“He wants to talk to me about Cam. I might not be able to keep my mouth shut about where he is and where you are.”

“Fine,” Rowdy said. “I don’t need your blabbering mouth staying here.”

Dr. Wilson walked into the diner and Dell spotted him. He raised his hand to say hello as Rowdy saw him. Rowdy grabbed Dell’s hand and shoved it back into his body.

“I was just trying to be friendly. If you didn’t want him to see you eating sausage and hash browns you just shouldn’t have ordered them.”

“I’m a grown man, Dell. I’ll eat what I want.”

Dr. Wilson spotted them. As he walked over, Rowdy whispered, “Don’t tell him where we’re going.”

“Hey fellas,” Dr. Wilson said, as he approached the table.

“Good morning,” Rowdy said.

“Hey Doc,” Dell chirped. “I can’t tell you where we’re going, but me and Rowdy are going on a road trip today.”

Rowdy kicked him under the table.

“Ouch!” Dell leaned over to rub his ankle.

Not wanting to let on that he knew where they were going or that he had picked up on it, Dr. Wilson said, “I have a busy morning ahead of me. Good to see you two.” He nodded his head to the both of them and headed to the counter where he picked up a bag, paid, and left the diner.

“I told you not to tell him where we we’re going.”

“I didn’t,” Dell said. “I just told him we’re going on a road trip. I didn’t tell him where we’re going.”

Rowdy rubbed his forehead and held his tongue.

The waitress delivered their food and as the boys tucked into their plates Dell asked, “How long is it going to take us to get to Miner’s Bluff?”

“I figure with stops and all it will take a good six or seven hours.”

“Is that why you told me to pack a change of clothes and my toothbrush?”

“We’re spending the night just outside of town and we’ll surprise him early in the morning when he’ll be drunk or hung over.”

“We’re having a spend the night party?” Dell grabbed his face with glee.

“If that’s how you want to look at it. Sure.”

“Oh boy, oh boy. You’re the best big brother I’ve ever had.”

“I’m the only big brother you’ve ever had.”

“Don’t sell yourself short, Rowdy.” Changing the subject, Dell asked, “Does our hotel have a pool?”

“It’s a motel and I don’t think so.” Rowdy filled his mouth with a forkful of sausage and eggs.

“That’s okay. As long as they have a vending machine with honey buns, I’ll be happy.”

“It doesn’t take much, does it?”

“Nope,” Dell said, smiling with eggs in his teeth. “Honey buns are good.”

After breakfast the brothers hit the road. Ten miles out of town, Dell started squirming in his seat.

“What is it Dell?”

“I’m afraid to tell you, Rowdy. I don’t want you to get mad.”

“Just tell me.”

“I gotta pee.”

Rowdy’s face reddened as he squeezed the steering wheel with white knuckles. “We just left the freaking restaurant where they had a perfectly good bathroom.”

“I knew you’d get mad. I guess I am a pie sick.”

“It’s psychic, dummy,” he said, through clenched teeth. He pulled the car to the side of the road. “Pee,” he said pointing to the woods.

“Here?”

“I didn’t stop to pick flowers.”

“What if somebody sees me?”

“Maybe it’ll teach you to use your head and use the bathroom when you have the chance.”

Dell reluctantly got out of the car and walked toward the woods. As cars sped behind him he snapped his head over his shoulder to see if they were watching him. Finally deciding they weren’t, he disappeared into the trees. A few minutes later he reemerged; in his hand he carried an item.

He plopped himself down into the car.

“Look what I found,” he said holding the item up for his brother to see.

Beginning a premeditated sneer, Rowdy glanced at Dell. His eyes lit up when he saw the antique Dr. Pepper bottle.

“I only peed on it a little,” Dell said.

Rowdy grabbed it anyway. He passed it back and forth between his eyes. He held the bottle to his chest as his eyes glimmered.

“This is the kind Mom used to buy me.”

“Us,” Dell said. “I was there too, Rowdy. Mom used to buy it for both of us. When I was peeing on it I decided you would like it.”

“You are one thoughtful dumbass.”

“I’m glad you like it.” Dell ignored the dig.

Back on the road they drove in silence for nearly ten miles as Dell fidgeted. He took quick glances at his brother as the miles passed. Knowing his brother as well as he did he knew he didn’t want to talk and held his tongue as long as he could.

When he couldn’t hold it in for another second he said, “I see you’re biting your lip.” Rowdy gave him a look and stopped chewing on the inside of his mouth. “That means you’re thinking hard. What are you thinking about? I’ll tell you what I’m thinking about if you tell me what you’re going over in your head.”

“This ought to be good. You go first.”

“Most of the time I don’t think about nothing. It’s like I have a fluffy little white cloud that floats around inside my head without a single raindrop in it. It drifts over to one side and bounces back to the other. There’s a long way in between sides, too. Sometimes when I’m really happy a rainbow shoots into one side of the cloud and comes out the other side. Just a minute ago I saw the rainbow.” A smile wrinkled his cheeks.

“Usually the things you say are really stupid, but I kind of liked that one. I wish I had fluffy white clouds and rainbows in my head.”

“If you didn’t do bad things you would. I bet if you hadn’t killed Clarence you would at least have a little fluffy cloud in your head.”

“And why wouldn’t I have a big fluffy cloud?” Rowdy asked, pushing the accelerator down a little harder than he meant to.

“You got a mean place in your heart. I don’t know for positive where it came from but it’s there. Sometimes when the white cloud isn’t there I think about it and I think I might know where your mean place comes from.”

Letting off the accelerator a little, Rowdy asked, “Where?”

“Mom. You loved her more than anything in this world, and when she died a part of you turned black and got stuck in your heart. I loved her too, Rowdy. I might have even loved her more than you because she’s the only person in this world who ever loved me for everything I am. Instead of me getting my own dark place when her and Daddy were gone I turned my love onto something else.”

“And what would that be?”

“It’s not a what. It’s a who. And it’s you.”

Dell looked away as a tear trickled down his brother’s face.

Chapter Thirty-three

Cam looked into his own eyes in the mirror above Darren’s bed. Usually when he looked into someone’s eyes to see their darkness his head twitched or jerked from side to side. This time his whole body convulsed. His torso shook so violently he became airborne. His arms and legs slashed across his body. And then he became still as the vision entered his mind.

Like watching a movie, he saw himself in bed with Daphne—the night of their intimacy. After the deed was done she asked him if when he looked into her eyes and saw the worst thing she had ever done if he also saw the worst thing somebody else had done to her. He said no and asked her to tell him. Knowing he wouldn’t remember and needing to get it off her chest she did.

Daphne told him about a time in the not to distant past when Billy Prescott had come into the diner after closing time. The front door was unlocked and he let himself inside. Billy was drunk and had a head full of misconceptions about Daphne and how she felt about him.

“Hey darling,” he said, as he came inside and locked the door behind him. Daphne was in the back wiping down the stainless steel tables for the last time of the day. “I got something I want to tell you,” he called, stumbling into the restaurant. “I think I’ve figured out a way we can settle our differences.”

Daphne emerged from the back when she heard him trip over the mop bucket. “What the hell is going on in here?” she asked, as she appeared from the back.

Billy pulled himself off the ground as his dazed eyes found her. He smiled with nearly closed eyes. “There you are.”

“Here I am. And I’m closed.”

“I don’t think you are. I think you’re open.”

“You’re not making any sense and I think you’re drunk.”

“I don’t call it that. I call it happy.”

“Well, I want you to take your happy right back outside and get out.”

“Don’t you want to hear my plan? I’ve come up with a plan to make us all happy and rich.”

“I’m already happy and I don’t give a damn about rich.”

Billy walked toward Daphne as she backed into the kitchen area. “I know how to solve all our family and land problems. I’m going to marry you. We’ll put all of our land together and be one big happy family.”

“I don’t think so,” Daphne said, looking around the room for something to hit him with.

Before she could find anything he was on her. Billy pushed her against the cooler door and grabbed her throat with one hand. His other went to her crotch.

 “We’re meant for each other,” he said, as he fumbled with the button on her pants. “Think about it. A ski slope on our land! We’ll all be swimming in riches.”

“Get off me,” Daphne tried as she pushed against him.

“Once you have it you’ll like it,” Billy said, snapping the button on her pants. With one hand still on her throat he reached the other into her pants. As his fingers crossed the line under her panties Daphne reared her head back and smashed her forehead into his nose. Both of Billy’s hands grabbed his nose as he spurted blood and screamed.

Cam’s head jerked again as he peered into the mirror. After Daphne had released her great secret she kissed him one more time, rolled over with her burden released, and began snoring.

In the vision, Cam popped out of bed with a head full of fury and booze. Pulling on a pair of pants he found the map Claude had drawn. Pulling it out he somehow knew Billy would not be able to wait and would go looking for the still as soon as darkness hit. Taking another drink of the shine he found his keys and headed for his car. He somehow backed out of the driveway without taking a tree with him and headed toward the spot marked on the drawing.

After a few errant turns, Cam found the location on the map and parked the car off to the side of the road. He stumbled into the woods toward the area he decided was supposed to be the still. Sitting on soft leaves his head nodded in a steady rhythm to his chest and back up.

His daze broke as bright lights flashed into his eyes and the sound of a motorized vehicle rumbled in his ears. Pulling himself from the bed of leaves he disappeared behind a tree. The four-wheeler neared and Cam tensed. The driver of the four-wheeler turned the engine off, flipped on a flashlight, and swung one leg over the side of the machine to exit. When both of his feet hit the ground Cam was upon him.

“You dirty bastard,” Cam screamed as he rushed him, pushing him back toward the water behind him. The two men found the edge of the earth and fell off the bank into the water below. Knowing how to fight dirty, Cam reared back with all his might and punched Billy in the groin. To drive home his point he repeated the action twice. Knowing Billy’s head was reeling with confusion and pain Cam grabbed him by the neck and shoved his face into the cold water. As he struggled, Cam dropped his knee into his back. Two minutes later Billy stopped fighting and his body went limp.

Cam grabbed his boots and pulled him back to where he’d parked the four-wheeler. He turned the key and the headlights blasted ahead. The light reflected off the trees and Cam studied the back of the four-wheeler. Billy had packed the machine to destroy a still. Among the items he’d packed was a shovel, sledgehammer, and ax. Cam grabbed the shovel and began digging.

The ground was soft, wet and easy to move. Less than an hour later, Cam had Billy in a hole. Taking the knife off Billy’s belt, he tossed it to an area where he’d be able to find it later. Before he covered him Cam remembered the way Billy dishonored Daphne. Something inside him flickered as he grabbed the ax off the back of the four-wheeler. With one monstrous swipe he cut off the hand Billy used to defile his friend. Cam put the severed hand on the ground as he pushed the four-wheeler into the creek. He tossed a few handfuls of mud on it and the confusion of drunkenness began to cloud his mind.

Grabbing Billy’s hand and the knife he ran to his car, fighting an invisible clock that promised to shut his mind down in the very near future. Driving down the main drag in town he tossed the hand and knife out the window and headed for home as the clock’s tick grew louder.  

Lying on Darren’s bed, out of the vision, Cam closed his eyes and searched for a memory. He couldn’t find one—only confusion and blackness from the night he’d spent with Daphne. Opening his eyes, studying his hands he wondered if he was capable of murder in such a state. Knowing his gift had never failed him he swallowed the fact that the person he’d been helping Blanca find was himself.

Not knowing what to do, he knew he’d be missed shortly and exited the house to find Blanca.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” she said, as he approached her.

“All of a sudden I’m not feeling so well.”

“I think I’m going to be here for a while. Why don’t you take my car and head on back home and get some rest.”

“OK,” Cam said, holding his hand out for her keys.

“You sure you’re going to be all right?”

“Yeah. I think I’m just having some detox issues,” he lied.

“Don’t drink and drive,” Blanca said, as he turned to go.

Cam looked at her over his shoulder, tried to formulate words, but decided not to make any promises he wasn’t sure he could keep.

Away from sight and on the road home his hands began to shake on the wheel. He pulled into the first gas station he saw and parked. Cam opened the door and shut it. He did this three times before his anger overtook him. With his fist clenched, he reared back, his arm all the way in the back seat, and launched his fist into the steering wheel. The horn blared. Not caring, he did it again, and again, and again. He opened the car door the next time without shutting it and walked directly in the door and to the counter.