Bull Mountain(44)

Clayton pulled the door-mounted mirror inward toward him and examined the bruised flesh puffing up under his eye. “Damn,” he said. “Take a left at this fork up here.”

Darby squeezed his eyebrows together and gave Clayton a concerned look. “Is that the way we came in? Because that don’t look like the way we came in.”

“We got another stop to make.”

“Are you being serious right now? We need to get our butts off this mountain. That’s what the man said. That’s what I told the man I’d do. We’re getting off this mountain, Sheriff.”

“We’re taking a left up here. The man can kiss my ass.”

“I ain’t got a gun, boss. You know he kept my gun, right?”

“You don’t need it.”

“Well, I strongly object.”

“Noted. Now go left.”

Darby felt his guts tighten back up as he turned the wheel in the opposite direction of the way his brain was screaming at him to go, and pointed the truck toward the Western Ridge.

“Why didn’t he keep yours?” Darby asked.

“My what?”

“Your gun. He kept mine, but he gave yours back. Why?”

Clayton picked the silver Colt up from the seat between them and ran a finger over his father’s initials engraved on the handle. “I don’t know, Darby.”





CHAPTER





14




GARETH BURROUGHS

1973

1.

Gareth cracked the seal on a jar of North Georgia’s finest and sat down on the steps. He’d been back from Florida for only two days with the solution to one problem before everything else fell apart. With Annette gone, the nursemaidin’ of these youngsters fell on him alone. He’d known he’d be coming home to a house without her, but the knowing didn’t make it sting any less when he crossed through the door. He could hear the baby crying in the house, so he picked up the jar and walked toward the tree line. It didn’t matter how far he walked, that sound would follow him to the end of the earth and he knew it. He drained a quarter of the jar and stared up at the stars. The night was clear, but nothing else seemed to be. He knew he’d have to go in and tell those boys their mama wasn’t comin’ back. They’d be all right. He’d be all right. He had to be. There was too much to lose if he wasn’t. He watched his oldest son, Halford, step out on the porch and look around for his father. “Deddy?”

“Over here,” Gareth said.

Halford looked out into the darkness toward Gareth. “I can’t get Clayton to stop crying.”

“I’ll be in in a minute. You and your brother get cleaned up for supper.”

“Is Mama coming home tonight? She can get Clayton to stop.”

Gareth lit a cigarette and noticed the glow of headlights coming up the drive. Halford saw it, too. “Is that her, Deddy? Is that Mama?”

“Git in the house and do what I told you, boy.”

Halford opened the screen door and reluctantly faded back into the house.

2.

Jimbo pulled the truck up next to Gareth’s and got out. “Gareth, we got a problem.”

“With the guns?” Gareth said, and took a drag on his smoke.

“No, man, Val took care of that. Everyone is on point with the guns.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

Jimbo took out his own cigarettes and lit one up. He was rubbing his knuckles. It was a nervous tic. It meant he had bad news and wasn’t looking forward to telling it to the man whose wife had just run out on him and left him with two little boys and a new baby. They smoked in silence for nearly a full minute, and Gareth thought Jimbo might rub the skin on his knuckles clean off. He dropped his cigarette and put it out with his boot. “Just spit it out, Jimbo.”

“Cooper done run off again.”

“So? He’ll show back up. He always does.”

“I don’t know, man. It’s different this time. He’s getting worse and worse. Ernest was keeping watch on him while we was gone and he said the old man was spouting off all kinds of crazy shit.”

“That ain’t nothing new.”

“No, but since we been back he’s been acting worse than normal. Ernest said yesterday he locked his self in his room for damn near twenty-four hours, banging shit around, not letting anybody in. This morning he come out all bruised up on his arms and face like he whupped his own ass.”

“Why didn’t anybody call me?”

Jimbo looked back at the house. The baby was still crying. “Hell, man, we know what you’re dealing with here, we didn’t want to put anything else on your plate.”

Gareth took a swig from the jar and passed it to Jimbo. He took it and drank deep. “Goddamn, that’s good.”

“How long’s he been gone?”

“I don’t know, boss. Ernest called me an hour ago saying he left the house talking about going to make things right with Rye. Ernest said he took a rifle with him.”

“You didn’t think to ask him how long ago he left?”

“Sorry, boss, I just rushed out here.”

Gareth sighed and capped the jar of shine. He handed it to Jimbo. “I know where he is.”