to Randy, except for you that is, and one way or another, you will pay for it.”
“Don’t you want to make sure I am guilty of the crime first?”
“I am not interested in whether you did it or not. You are going to pay for it though, and that’s a promise.”
Austin was genuinely scared now but kept his emotions in check. He did not want to let this asshole see him vulnerable. He was getting mad at himself for not taking care of the whole lot at one time and not worrying about being discovered. It seems he will be paying for it whether he did it or not. A lot of good it did him to be smart.
When the deputies led him off, he went quietly, resigned to the fact that the torture would come soon enough. He didn’t care, for no pain could match the one that pounded away inside him. He thought about his family and walked out the door.
During the ride to the sheriff’s office and jail, Austin was assessing the situation. He was done; he had his chance and blew it. He could have taken care of all three boys and he let the chance escape. Now he would never be able to finish the job, not if he was in jail, or worse, dead.
When they arrived at the sheriff’s office, Detective Rice was already there.
“What are you doing with Mr. Hunter?” asked the detective.
“He is suspected of the murder of Randy Johnson.”
“You don’t say,” said the detective. “And what time was Randy killed?”
“According to the preliminary predictions by the coroner, between 11:15 and 11:45.”
“Well, I can tell you right now you are wasting your time holding Mr. Hunter here while the real killer is getting away and covering his tracks.“
“What makes you so sure Hunter did not kill my nephew?” asked the sheriff with visible annoyance at the detective.
“Because, sheriff, I was with Mr. Hunter from 9:00 till midnight at his house, and unless you want to charge me with him, I suggest you let him go before this department has a lawsuit on its hands.”
The sheriff stood speechless, stunned at this revelation. That was the last thing he ever expected to hear. He wanted so much for it to be Hunter. He didn’t care about anything else. And with a lawman on his side vouching for him, that put Hunter out of reach. He hated that son of a bitch Rice, but there was nothing he could do about him, and not for the lack of trying.
“You sure you were with him last night?” he finally said, astonished.
“I wouldn’t be saying that if I wasn’t, now would I?”
“Why didn’t Hunter tell me that in the first place?” addressing Rice but looking at Austin.
“I didn’t think it would matter,” replied Austin. “Besides, the look on your face right now is what I call a Kodak moment, priceless.”
Before the sheriff could react to the latest remark, Rice grabbed Austin by the arm and led him off. “I will take you home Mr. Hunter,” the detective said in a hurry, trying to prevent another incident.
“That last stunt was not very smart” said Rice as they got in his truck.
“Sorry” said Austin. “You gave me the chance and I took it. I agree with you, it was not very smart but I just couldn’t pass on it. I don’t understand though, detective, why did you lie for me? And what makes you sure I needed to be defended? You must think I did kill Randy.”
“I saw you go into town. I followed you to the club and when it took a while for you to come back out, I walked in and saw you enter the bathroom behind Randy. When I realized you were not coming out through the front door, I started toward the back and saw you climb out the window, but you disappeared before I could get to my truck and follow you.
“I had been parked outside your house for almost a half hour before you finally showed up. Where did you go?”
“Just for a drive to think things over. I am confused here, detective. If you saw me and think that I killed Randy Johnson - and I am not admitting that I did - aren’t you supposed to arrest me?
“I am not going to arrest anyone, especially you. That bastard deserved what he got and then some, but I want you to know that you have not heard the last of it from the sheriff. He may not be able to get you legally, but he will use other means to get you and with his brother, the judge, on his side, they will figure out a way to deal with you. No one seems to be able to stop this pair.”
“I understand what you mean, detective. The sheriff as much as told me so. Austin relayed the conversation he had with the sheriff at home. “One thing’s for sure though, you seem to be doing a good job of limiting their activities.”
“I am trying to do what I can, but they are smart enough to stay out of reach, and I really believe what I said about not getting to them.”
“Someone will, I promise,” said Austin. “But I am still confused, detective. Aren’t your loyalties in the wrong place?”
“Not really. I am going to trust you with something just to assure you that you have me on your side, but what I am about to tell you must stay between us. I need your promise on that. It is imperative that you not repeat what I am about to tell you. Not to anyone. I really want your guarantee.”
“You have it, detective,” said Austin, wondering what in hell this was all about.
“Why don’t you call me Eudean?”
“Is that your name or a just a nickname?”
“It’s my real name, jerk.”
“OK, detective, don’t get in a tizzy. I was just kidding. It is different though. I don’t think I’ve ever heard that name before. So what’s your story, Rice?”
“I am actually an undercover investigator working for Governor Briscoe. Only the governor and I are in on this - and now you. The governor was receiving a lot of complaints about Sheriff Johnson and wanted someone to investigate the allegations.”
“Why did he choose you for the job?”
“That’s a long story which I am sure you will hound me to tell, but I have already reported to the governor that all the complaints have merit, but there has not been enough evidence to incriminate the sheriff or the judge.”
“I am also certain that the sheriff tried to have me killed on two occasions that I know of. He suspects that I am up to something but can’t figure out what it is. He just knows that I keep snooping around. One day I took a cruiser responding to a call that turned out to be bogus, and my brakes failed. A little skill and the grace of God, I am still here. The car, however, was a total loss and the sheriff had the audacity to chew my ass off for wrecking the department’s car. Another time, I walked out on my back porch and when I bent down to check something out, heard a bullet whiz by. That was too close for comfort. The investigation brought in some poor schmuck scared out of his wits apologizing and swearing that it was a hunting accident. When you see my house, no bullet will reach there accidentally.”
“So why is he keeping you on if he suspects something?”
“No one else wants the job. He doesn’t have people breaking the door down, even though it was advertised for a long time.”
“And what makes you so sure he won’t hire someone else to finish the job?”
“Because even though that poor bastard was threatened to take that shot at me, I found him later and the message was sent out that I am not one to fuck with. I believe the sheriff would have a hard time finding someone else.”
“What did you do to the man?”
“You really don’t need to know the details, but I got a confession from him.”
“Are you telling me you took the law into your own hands and killed him?”
“A