Ollie could tell that Mr. Tillman was beginning to choke up. “That’s not a bad idea, sir. Let me call in some deputies and get one to bring you out here. Mr. and Mrs. Beasley, it might be best for you to go home and sit by the phone. She might try to call or actually come home. Call the sheriff’s office if you hear anything.”
Olivia Beasley insisted on going to the hospital in case Tanner said something that might help. She needed to be there. Ollie understood all these emotions, and he agreed, but he asked that Zach return to their house.
“Y’all give Miz Martha all the info-anything you can think of. She knows what to ask, and she’ll pass it on to me. The whole sheriff’s department is focused on this right now.”
They all agreed. Tillman hugged Mrs. Beasley. They felt each other’s pain. They didn’t really know what to say to each other. They didn’t have to say anything.
Ollie started back down the Dummy Line.
The cracking sound of the gunshot piercing the silence of the night made Reese jump. It was obviously very close. The screaming escalated after the shot. He took off running in the direction of the screams as fast as he could through the dark brush. Reese knew how to cover serious ground. He desperately wanted to be a part of whatever was going down. As he dodged limbs and jumped logs, he wondered who had answered Tiny’s phone. That bothered him. It was a mystery, and he hated mysteries.
As Reese approached the scene of all the commotion, he stopped to listen. He thought he heard a girl’s muffled screams; he definitely could hear a familiar man’s voice, sobbing and mumbling. Reese was very confused and extremely careful as he began to slip forward. About a hundred yards ahead, Reese could see a faint flashlight beam. He crept closer, careful not to make a sound. Reese eased the Browning rifle off his shoulder and carried it in front of him with the safety off.
“I told you…I warned you…why didn’t you listen to me?”
Hearing Tiny’s ramblings added to Reese’s confusion. Reese silently worked his way closer. From the edge of the clearing, he could see a body lying in the field. Tiny was standing next to it holding a pistol. A small flashlight was lying next to the body, shining ominously through the grass. Reese couldn’t see anyone else.
“Tiny. It’s Reese. What’s wrong? What the hell’s goin’ on?”
Tiny, startled, jumped back a few feet and pointed the big stainless steel revolver at Reese.
“Shit, Tiny! It’s me, Reese!” he exclaimed. “Put that damn cannon down!”
Tiny dropped the pistol to his side and fell forward on his knees. The gun fell out of his hand into the grass.
Reese approached cautiously. He was horrified to realize that it was Sweat who was dead. Apparently, Johnny Lee’s killer had also shot Sweat. Reese didn’t liked Sweat very much, but he hadn’t wanted him killed.
“Tiny, what the hell happened?” Reese asked. He bent over to check Sweat. He could see a huge hole in the back of his head. “What the hell happened!”
Tiny began to sob louder. His head hanging, he mumbled, “I told him not to…I told him I couldn’t let him hurt-”
“Hurt who? The kid? Where’s the guy who killed Johnny Lee? What the hell’s goin’ on?” Reese asked, jumping to conclusions. He stared at Sweat’s body. It looked like a cold-blooded execution.
“Tiny, what happened? Did he shoot Sweat? I don’t…where is he? Tiny! Tiny! Listen to me. Pull yourself together, man. Tell me what the hell happened!”
Reese quickly looked up at the sound of someone running through the woods. He held up his hand for Tiny to be silent. Then he turned toward Tiny. “Tiny, where’s your phone?” Tiny was in another world, gazing at Sweat’s body. Reese knew he wasn’t going to get any answers.
Reese was beyond pissed off. He really didn’t know what had just happened, but his best friend was dead, and now so was a member of their gang. He assumed the same guy was responsible for both. Revenge was all he could think about.
“Tiny, where’s Johnny Lee’s killer? He didn’t get by you, did he?”
“The Dummy Line’s blocked. He can’t get out,” Tiny mumbled finally.
“So he’s still in here…that makes sense. I heard him driving east-twenty or thirty minutes ago,” Reese thought aloud. “How’d ya get down here?”
“Four-wheeler.”
Reese needed stealth to stalk his prey. But the four-wheeler would be helpful to get out later if he didn’t find the killer’s truck. What do I do with Tiny? He’s worthless now. What do I do with Sweat’s body? Shit. I got too much going on.
“OK, get yourself together. I’m goin’ after the killer. Where’s your phone? Your radiophone that Johnny Lee bought you. Where is it?” Reese demanded, exasperated.
“I think…it’s at home.” Tiny was finally coming around, and he began to realize that Reese didn’t know that he had killed Sweat. He knew he had done the right thing. He had a sister who had been raped, and had seen the trauma she endured. He revered women. Hearing Sweat joke about abusing women made him sick, but he had to keep Reese from knowing the truth about Sweat’s death.
It made sense to Reese that Tiny’s phone was at his house. Some drunken idiot had probably answered his call. But why didn’t Tiny have the phone with him? Reese let the question slide for now.
“Who was doin’ all that screamin’?”
“It was a girl, maybe seventeen or eighteen,” Tiny weakly replied.
“Really?” Reese said and thought, Could it have been the killer’s girlfriend? Wife? His daughter? What about the toys, the smallsleeping bag. Nothin’s makin’ any sense. Reese’s head was beginning to ache. He wanted to avenge Johnny Lee’s death and, to a lesser degree, Sweat’s.
“What was going on?” he calmly asked, hoping Tiny would open up and talk.
“Sweat was tryin’ to…you know…have his way.”
“That’s our boy. Sweat went out doin’ what he loved, huh? Was there a little kid?” Reese asked coldly, thinking about the books and toys.
“I didn’t see one.” The less Reese knew right now, the better.
“OK, Tiny…that’s OK. Which way did they go?”
Tiny, with his head still down, simply pointed.
Reese could do this by himself. In fact, it might be better if he did. Tiny couldn’t move silently through the woods, and based on his current mental state, he wasn’t going to be much help.
“I’m goin’ after ‘em. There’s no way you can pick up Sweat’s body and get him in the back of your truck by yourself. Go get your four-wheeler and wait for me right here. Keep your eyes open. OK?” Reese said, bending down to look in Tiny’s eyes.
“Hey, Tiny? Look at me,” Reese said and added when Tiny raised his eyes to him, “If I’m not back by daylight, get the hell outta here…and meet me at the trailer. Got it?” Reese snapped authoritatively.
Tiny nodded. Reese slung his rifle over his shoulder and took off in the direction Tiny had pointed.
Jake sprinted through the woods to catch the panicked girl. Getting close wasn’t easy. He was trying to be as quiet as possible. He didn’t want to shout and knew that the moment he touched her she would freak out. She was struggling to keep her balance and fell twice before Jake got to her. She was getting up from her last fall when Jake grabbed her arm. Elizabeth screamed and starting slapping at him, trying to get away.
“Calm down, calm down, please! I’m not gonna hurt you. I’m here to help you,” he said in a hushed whisper. “I heard you screaming, and I came to help,” he said looking her straight in the eyes, while holding a hand over her mouth. He saw only raw fear.