Red Dog Saloon (12 page)

“Hey
baby,” came the flirty voice of Tia Wray, the on-again, off-again girlfriend of
Rhody Turner. “How’re they treating you in there?”

Rhody
rolled his eyes as he stood at the jail phone bank in the common area of the
institution. It was jail. How did she think he was doing?

Their
tumultuous relationship had stretched over the past couple of years. The couple
spent more time broken up than together. Actually, Tia generally just came
around when Rhody was cooking - meth that is. Her taste for the drug drew
her to him like a moth to the flame. Being he was nearly twice her age, Rhody
enjoyed the benefits of dating a much younger woman. Under normal
circumstances, a girl like Tia would have been way out of his league. If it
took giving her the first cut of his meth cook, then that was a price he was
willing to pay. Besides, it wasn’t like Rhody was a one-woman man anyway.

He
had found long ago there was no shortage of women who were looking for a “bad
boy” like him. They were drawn to the danger the professional criminal brought
to the table. Rhody never had a problem luring a woman. Keeping one, on the
other hand, was a problem explaining why, other than a marriage that lasted
just two months many years ago, he had remained a single man. It was also hard
maintaining a long-term relationship when he was constantly in and out of jail.

But
then it wasn’t like Tia was a catch either. Her loyalties went to where
the party was happening. If it wasn’t Rhody then she was in the company of some
other low-life. She had always been attracted to losers and drug dealers.
Whether it was low self-esteem or a deep-seated need for self-destruction, she
had stepped on the wrong path as a teenager and never looked back despite many
interventions by her family.

While
bouncing from place to place, always staying within arm’s length of bad
influence, there was something about Rhody that made him her favorite forbidden
fruit. Whether it was the tattoos that covered his body, his long scraggly hair
or his total disregard for the establishment, she was fascinated. For whatever
reason, Tia broke with her tradition of throwing them aside when they were in lock-up,
choosing to continue her relationship with Rhody even after his arrest and
incarceration. However, her newfound loyalty would not extend to waiting for
her man while he rotted away in prison for a decade or more. She wasn’t the
type to wait by the sea until her man came home.

“How
do you think they’re treating me?” Rhody responded in an irritated tone. “It’s
jail. Everything sucks here - the food, the people, and the guards. You name it
and it sucks.”

“Oh
I’m sorry baby. I sure wish they allowed conjugal visits in there. I would so
take your mind off it,” Tia replied. “I sure miss being with you. I can’t
hardly stand being apart like this.”

He
rolled his eyes realizing there wasn’t much he could do about his situation.
Rhody was annoyed she would even go down that road. It was almost like she was
teasing him, leaving him with no outlet while stuck behind bars. He was
surprised she even knew the word conjugal, let alone used it in a sentence.

“I
miss you too,” Rhody replied. “Maybe we’ll be able to see each other soon. I’m
working on something on this end that might get me a lot less time.”

“Why
wait baby?” Tia asked. “I’ve worked it out.”

He
looked around to make sure no one was nearby who could overhear, cupping his
hand over the receiver.

“The
walls have ears,” Rhody cautioned.

He
realized all calls to and from the county jail were recorded. A sign
hanging right above the phone bank where he stood even bore the warning.
There were ears everywhere in jail.

“Don’t
worry, I know the drill,” Tia replied.

She
had spent a few nights in the county jail herself. She knew the realities when
it came to life behind bars.

“It’s
all been arranged," she chirped. "All you have to do is go with the
plan.”

The
plan, as she put it, dated back to before Rhody was arrested weeks ago. The
grapevine had it there was something going down, something big, and Rhody’s
name was being thrown about as one of those likely in the middle of it. Given
his record and the likelihood he may be going away for a long time, he decided
to formulate a plan. He wasn’t about to waste the rest of his life in a jail
cell.

It
had started as a thumbnail sketch, a rough draft if you will. Since then the
plot had been honed and perfected to the point he was convinced it would work.
He had spent a considerable amount of time in the county jail and knew its
strengths and its weaknesses. Rhody began making preparations in earnest after
he was arrested and learned he would soon be delivered into the hands of
federal authorities. He realized once federal marshals came for him it would be
too late. If he were to make his move, it would have to be while he was in
Castle County Jail.

However,
since he had a lifetime of experience with the system, Rhody realized simply
springing himself from the cage was only half the trick. He knew he would need
help from the outside to put as much distance between himself and Castle County
as possible. Too many times inmates would risk life and limb to escape
confinement only to be found a couple of blocks away, hiding in the basement of
their girlfriend’s home. Then escape charges would be added to their tab for
their brief taste of liberty. They would also be permanently listed as a flight
risk, meaning they would always be placed in maximum security making escape
even less likely.

Rhody
wasn’t about to make that mistake. If he were going to make a run for it, he
was never going to look back. Castle County would forever be a memory. That was
where Tia came in. Well, actually, Tia was merely the necessary evil. It was
her uncle in Costa Rica that interested him the most. Her uncle, much like
Rhody, had long been involved in activities contrary to the law. That was what
brought him to the Central American country over a decade ago. Nowadays he was
making a comfortable living for himself and was in need of someone of Rhody’s
talents.

Rhody
was a realist despite being a career criminal. He knew his sins would catch up
to him eventually. Now, as things stood, it wasn’t just his recent illegal
activities that were catching up to him, it was also his sins of more than
twenty years ago. Rhody figured it was time for a change of scenery, a reset of
the game of life. He had worn out his welcome in Castle County long ago.

Rhody knew
the decision he was about to make would forever affect his life. Should he go
with his plan and make a break for it or should he stay and work a deal with
the sheriff? There were risks either way. If he went with his plan to bust
out of the county jail, there was always a chance he could get caught. Of
course, so what if he did? He was already looking at spending most of the rest
of his life in prison. What’s another year or two?

On
the other hand, if he stayed and worked a deal, he would still be looking at a
few years in jail. While he wasn’t on a road crew breaking boulders, it was
still jail. The upside was if he were to work a deal he could stay in Castle
County after being released. But then what was left for him there? He would
still be one misdeed, one dirty drug test, one blunder from violating his
probation and going back to jail. Plus, in his hometown he was known to law
enforcement. Down there he would be just another American import. Rhody
considered the immediate future. Did he want to spend the next three years in
the county jail or sunning on a beach in Costa Rica?

“What
time?” Rhody asked.

He
was going to roll the dice and go for it. He was going to escape from Castle
County Jail. It was Costa Rica or bust.

“Tonight
at midnight,” Tia answered.

“Do
we have what we needed?” Rhody asked.

“Yes.
I worked it out with a mutual friend,” Tia responded. “All you have to do
is be where you’re supposed to be at that time.”

The
meeting place had been prearranged as both knew their call may be monitored.

“So
we’re a go then,” Rhody said. "They'll be something waiting there for
me?"

“Yes.
It's been taken care of,” Tia confirmed. "All you have to do is take care
of your part."

“I’ll
owe you a big one for this,” Rhody promised.

“You
can thank me when you see me baby,” Tia retorted.

“Soon,
baby, soon,” Rhody pledged as they said their goodbyes.

  “I
want around the clock surveillance on Bart Foster,” Sam directed after calling
his staff together immediately after getting back to Easton. “He’s the one
person, outside our own Rhody Turner, who we know is connected with all this.
And, since Rhody is safe as a baby in his momma’s arms inside our jail, there’s
a good chance Mr. Foster could be our killer’s next target.”

“In
other words sheriff, we’re using Bart for bait,” Bo pointed out.

“I
guess you could say that,” Sam admitted. “But then he wouldn’t accept police
protection even if we offered so we’re going to give it to him anyway. We're just
going to have to do it at a distance and without him knowing about it.”

“Then,
if the killer kills him we’ve got our culprit,” Bo interjected.

 The
detective's comment drew a cold look from the sheriff and snickers
from his fellow officers.

“No
Bo, we try to get the killer before he kills him,” Sam corrected. “I know that
might not be a popular order but we’re sworn to protect even jerks like Bart
Foster.”

“If
you say so,” Bo responded.

“We
need a man on him wherever he goes and I also want someone conducting
surveillance on his home. We’re going to need a couple of teams so we'll pull a
couple of men off the night shift this evening,” Sam ordered. “This goes into
operation immediately and continues until further notice.”

Even
as Sheriff Sam Delaney was laying plans involving him, Bart Foster was
finalizing his own plans - his with the mayor of Easton.

“Could
you burn a candle or something?” Bart asked as he entered the mayor's office.

He
was immediately struck by the scent of their old friend's rotting
flesh which was starting to escape from the closet. The decay had
accelerated during the course of the day despite the fact the mayor’s office
felt like a walk-in cooler.

“I
can’t smell anything,” Glenn replied as he took a couple of deep breaths.

He
was already acclimated to the smell. It was
the same overpowering scent that offended Bart's nostrils the
moment he walked into the office just before the end of regular business
hours at Easton City Hall.

Bart
rolled his eyes and got right to business, his day full of planning about to
come to a head.

“In
a few hours it won’t matter,” Bart began. “All you have to do is stick to the
plan and everything will be fine.”

Glenn
questioned Bart’s optimism. His view of the world was influenced by
spending an entire day closed up in the same room with their dead friend.

“Will
it Bart?” Glenn asked. “Say we get Stevie out of here without a hitch and say
we convince Rhody not to spill his guts, what then? There’s still something out
there and that something is after us. What do we do? What can we do? What’s to
stop this thing before it gets all of us?”

Bart
shot him a steely glare, snapping at his old friend.

“It?
Really Glenn? It? Are you really going there?” Bart asked incredulously.
“Surely the high mayor of Easton isn’t suggesting there are ghosts and goblins
at play here. Tell me you aren’t saying that.”

Slow
to return Bart’s gaze, the mayor looked at the floor before timidly lifting his
eyes.

“He
said he’d get all of us, even if he had to chase us to Hell,” Glenn responded.
“What if it is him? Who else could know what we did? What if the dark man is
him?”

Bart
was surprised by his friend’s willingness to believe a supernatural force was
to blame for the killings. He had to nip the mayor's imagination in the bud.

“What
we’re dealing with here is flesh and blood, a human being just like you and
me,” Bart declared confidently. “There are no such things as ghosts or evil
spirits that come back to seek revenge. We have someone who knows what happened.
That’s it, nothing more.”

“But
who?” Glenn interrupted. “Who would know except the people who were there? And,
in case you haven’t noticed, that number is shrinking pretty fast.”

“Somebody
ran their mouth,” Bart surmised. “Someone talked to the wrong person.”

Glenn
shook his head. He didn't agree with Bart’s simplistic explanation.