Surest Poison, The (26 page)

The murder of young Larry Irwin was one
troubling aspect. Could it have been related to Auto Parts Rehabbers? The
shooting took place Wednesday night a week ago. That was the day Arnie
Bailey gave him the case, the day he started his investigation. But how
could it tie in? Had Larry known something he shouldn’t?

Another major concern was the uncertainty
over what provoked the explosion on Jaz’s property. Was it really aimed at
Bobby? If one of Pete Rackard’s men set it up, that also pointed toward a
link to Auto Parts Rehabbers. After Jaz’s visit to Rack’s Auto Repair,
Rackard had called Bronson Fradkin and another number in Lewisville. Was it
to Hank Keglar? Blowing up the little house could have been meant as a
warning to Jaz.

He searched his desk for the text of the
note they found behind Jaz’s fence. He began doodling with the “D 637” and
the number “12o.” Was the latter a scrawled version of 120 or 12 “o”? Could
it mean twelve o’clock? Maybe they were to have everything ready by
midnight. The explosion took place sometime after 2 AM. The other letter and
numbers remained meaningless.

The main missing piece was Tony Decker.
Sid still believed twin brother Trent held the key. Trent had lied from the
start. Rackard’s phone call Friday night that showed Dixie Seals’ number
must have been about Tony. One part Trent may not have lied about was the
idea of bringing his brother into the business. He thought it possible that
Tony worked for the company under an assumed name.

He picked up the phone, called Dixie
Seals, and asked for Trent Decker.

“Mr. Decker is in conference and left
instructions not to be disturbed,” he was told.

When I get him, he’ll be disturbed, Sid
thought. “Ask him to call Sidney Chance as soon as he’s available. Tell him
it’s very important.”

He left both office and cell numbers.

41

When Sid
parked
his pickup at the mansion
around seven, Jaz brought out maps and aerial photos from MapQuest, marked
to show the approximate location of the farm where Bobby might be hiding.
Marie had found another of Bobby’s friends who was familiar with the area
and provided some landmarks.

“I hope you don’t object to taking my
truck,” he said as he opened the door for her.

She didn’t hesitate. “In this case, I
think it’s quite appropriate. We should look like we belong on a farm.”

They headed west out of Nashville on U.S.
70, also known as State Route 1. This was the original Memphis-to-Bristol
highway hewed out of the wilderness a century ago. It spanned the state from
southwest to northeast, a distance of well over 500 miles.

The road ran through one of the more
rural sections of Metropolitan Nashville, along the Harpeth River, before
crossing into Cheatham County. Jaz kept watch on the traffic to make sure no
one followed. There was no moon, leaving the area dark except for the
occasional sprinkling of light from an isolated house. They passed through a
few communities not large enough for a post office. Just past one called
Shacklett, they turned onto Butterworth Road. Jaz confirmed there were no
vehicles in sight when they made the turn. Butterworth meandered northward
through farmland and forests toward the scenic area known as The Narrows of
the Harpeth River. Sid recalled the photo in the reception area at HarrCo
Shipping. After a few miles, they rounded a sharp curve and encountered a
narrow lane that matched the aerial view Jaz held.

“Turn here,” she said. “Now we watch for
a silvery metal gate and a dirt trail going back into the woods.”

Sid eased along until they spotted the
gate on the left.

“Want me to get it?” Jaz asked.

“Keep your seat.” Despite years of
working with women as equals, he couldn’t get away from the gentlemanly ways
his mother had taught him.

He pulled up, got out, and opened the
gate. After moving through, he closed it and followed the pair of tire
tracks into the dark mass of trees. About fifty yards in, they saw a
clearing with a two-story farmhouse in the middle. From what they could make
out in the headlights, the house appeared old but well kept.

“There’s Bobby’s car,” Jaz said, pointing
to a dark-colored Ford parked beside a large white diesel pickup.

As they drove into the clearing, two
large German shepherds raced out of the darkness, barking like hounds after
a fox. Outside lights flashed on at the corners of the house. Pretty
effective burglar alarm, Sid thought as he pulled onto the graveled parking
area and switched off the engine. The dogs continued to bark and pace around
the truck.

A large man in overalls, built like an
NFL lineman, came out the front door, yelling at the dogs. Sid lowered his
window.

“These fellas don’t sound like they’re
playing,” he said.

“If they don’t know you, they can be
downright nasty.” The man spoke in a deep baritone. He walked to the truck
in his bare feet. He appeared to be about the same age as Bobby, with short
bristly hair and an uncertain look on his face. The dogs calmed down but
continued to pace like sentries on guard duty, uttering an occasional growl.

“You must be Ned,” Sid said. That was the
name Marie had given them.

“That’s me. Something I can do for you?”

“My name is Sidney Chance, and my partner
here is Miss Jasmine LeMieux. We need to talk to Bobby urgently.”

“I sort of figured that.”

“Is it safe to get out and mingle with
your friends there?” Sid smiled at the dogs.

“Not till I give ‘em strict orders to
behave. The problem I got is, Bobby, he
don’t
want to talk to you.”

“He needs to, for his own good as well as
Connie and Little Bob. I’m sure you know Bobby’s grandparents live with Jaz.
They asked her to help him, and I’m backing her up.”

“How you gonna help him?”

“Did Bobby tell you about his problem?”

“Sort of.
He didn’t tell me who it was or what all’s involved. He’s afraid it could
hurt his family.”

Sid stuck his head out the window. “Look,
Ned, if we can track him down here, so can somebody else. And they won’t
hesitate to shoot those dogs. Did Bobby tell you about the explosion at
Jaz’s place?”

“Yeah, sounded like a real bad scene.”

Sid related the evidence that pointed to
Bobby as being the target of the explosion. “If he’ll tell us what’s going
on, I guarantee we’ll find the people responsible and see that they’re
prosecuted.”

“Mr. Chance, I’ve been close to that boy
since we played football in high school. I’ve never known him to be as
uptight as he is right now. When he called me about coming out here, I swore
I wouldn’t let anybody get close to him.”

Jaz leaned across Sid. “Both of us are
former police officers, Ned. We’ve been in a lot of tough situations. I can
assure you the people Bobby’s up against aren’t the kind to give up until
they get what they want, or get caught. If you’re his friend, the best thing
you can do for him is convince him to tell us what he knows. That way he can
get back to leading a normal life. He can’t go on hiding much longer.”

The young man rubbed his broad forehead
and shook his head. “Gimmie your phone number and I’ll see what I can do.
Maybe he’ll let me bring him back in the morning.”

Jaz handed him her card. “If he’s
concerned about coming to my house, we’ll meet him back here.”

“See what I can do,” he repeated. He
turned to the dogs and gave a stern command. “Stay!”

Sid backed the truck around and headed
down the trail toward the road.

He glanced at Jaz. “What do you think?”

“If anybody can convince Bobby to change
his mind, I’d say Mr. Ned is the man.”

As they drove back to Jaz’s place, Sid
told her about his speculations on the evidence relating to Auto Parts
Rehabbers. He reminded her of Pete Rackard’s call to Dixie Seals.

“Do you plan to confront Trent Decker
tomorrow?”

“Yes. I don’t expect him to return my
calls. As soon as I pick up those papers from Percy Pickslay, I’ll head out
to Dixie Seals.”

Back at the LeMieux mansion, Jaz invited
him in for a nightcap. Marie met them in the foyer.

“Did you find Bobby?” she asked, her face
pinched from worry.

“They were with his friend Ned.” Jaz told
her what happened.

“I hope that boy will come to his
senses,” his grandmother said. She looked at Sid. “Can I get you anything?”

“I’m fine,” Sid said.

“Let me see if I can talk him into a
little glass of wine,” Jaz said. “Then you can bring us some of that
delicious-looking chocolate cake you made this afternoon. We’ll be in the
rec room. It’s about time to get the news on the Fox channel.”

Jaques LeMieux had furnished the room
with several casino card tables, a reading corner with plush chairs, a TV
set and a wet bar. Photographs from his hunting trips decorated the walls.
Jaz had rearranged things a bit, keeping one card table, the wet bar, and a
few chairs. She added a large flat screen TV and exercise equipment. Paneled
in walnut, the room had soft recessed lighting.

Sid looked around. “Nice layout,” he
said.

“Not quite as fancy as Dad had it.” She
moved to the bar and poured two glasses of cabernet and offered one to him.

He took it reluctantly. He knew too many
alcoholic ex-cops. Since his flirtation with booze after the Lewisville
fiasco, he normally avoided nightcaps.

“We should have Miss Demeanor and Five
Felons Poker Club meetings here,” he said. “That’s a cool table.”

She looked around. “I’m afraid they’d
think me ostentatious. Anyway, the guys are too steeped in tradition. Wick
would swear only bad luck could come from such a change.”

Grabbing a remote, she switched on the
local Fox channel. She sat on a cushioned love seat and set her glass on the
low coffee table. “Care to join me, Mr. Chance?”

He sat beside her as the picture of a
smashed car on the side of the road filled the screen. Savoring the aroma
and taste of the wine, Sid paid little attention to the news anchor until he
heard Percy Pickslay’s name.

“Pickslay?” he said, leaning forward.

“He’s dead.”

The car had swerved off I-40 on the west
side of Nashville, crashing into a bridge abutment. The accident occurred
within the past hour. A newsman at the scene reported an eyewitness
traveling some distance back saw someone turn into Pickslay’s path, forcing
him onto the shoulder of the highway. The car had just passed the witness at
a high rate of speed.

“He identified it as a late model black
Chrysler,” said the newsman. “According to the witness, the driver didn’t
stop to see what had happened. He reported seeing a Nashville Predators
sticker on the back bumper.”

Sid and Jaz looked at each other.

“Sounds like the car that passed us on
Ashland City Highway Friday night,” she said.

42

As the anchor
moved to a story about dozens of cats and dogs crowded into a small house
that smelled like a barnyard, Marie came in with two slices of chocolate
cake on a tray and a cup of coffee for Sid. She frowned at the looks on
their faces.

“Is something wrong?”

“Our case just flew out the window,” Sid
said.

Jaz told her how Percy Pickslay’s death
complicated the outcome of Sid’s investigation. The gray-haired housekeeper
shook her head. “I am so sorry. What will you do now?”

“Pickslay is from Centerville,” Jaz said.
She looked around at Sid. “That’s Hickman County. Do you know anybody in the
sheriff’s office down there? With my experience the other night, I wouldn’t
put it past these people to torch his house, or wherever he keeps his
records.”

“Good point,” Sid said. “The sheriff used
to be a tough old boy named Alex Emmons. I don’t know if he’s still the man
in charge. I need a phone number.”

“Let’s go to my office.” She turned to
Marie. “Just leave things in here. We’ll be back.”

Sid finished his wine as Jaz tapped a few
commands on her computer keyboard. She wrote a number on a pad.

“Try this.” She handed him the phone and
held out the slip of paper.

Sid punched in the number. After a couple
of rings, the Hickman County Sheriff’s Office answered.

“This is Sidney Chance in Nashville,” he
said. “I need to get in touch with Sheriff Emmons right away.” He hoped to
God Emmons was still the man.

“Chief Chance?”

That caught him off guard. “Former Chief
Chance. Who’s this?”

“Deputy Ross. You helped us out with a
drug investigation a few years back. You gave me some advice I’ll never
forget. Don’t overlook the obvious.
Sounds funny, but oh
so true.
Is this an emergency situation?”