Bull Mountain(73)

She wanted to scream, but she bottled it down to a single compressed syllable. “Fine.”

Clayton tipped his hat to Cricket and then turned to Holly. “I’m guessing this changes your plans.”

“I would say so, yeah.”

“Despite what my wife might say, this was bound to happen someday. I’ve always known that. I’m not looking to blame you for anything.”

“Good to hear, Sheriff. For what it’s worth, I’m sorry it happened this way.”

“Me, too. We’ll be seeing you, then.”

“I hope so.”

Clayton put an arm around Kate and the two of them turned to go.

“Sheriff,” Holly said, “I almost forgot.”

“What’s that?”

“That call I took a few minutes ago. I called in the info you gave me. I know you wanted to run it down yourself, but I thought you could use the help. One of my boys with the Georgia Bureau put eyes on your missing deputy.”

Clayton stopped, and without looking back, asked, “Where?”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Kate said, and tugged on Clayton’s arm. He turned and looked at Holly. “Where?” he said again.

“One of the GBI choppers that fly regular over the mountain spotted a blue Camaro registered in his name and another vehicle at a cabin on the Western Ridge of the mountain. You know the place?”

“Yeah, Johnson’s Gap. It’s a hunting cabin that’s been in my family for years. Choctaw goes up there sometimes for the fishing in Bear Creek.”

“Yeah, well, I bet he ain’t fishing today.”

“Don’t kill him, Simon.”

“Don’t intend to, Sheriff, but I can’t make any promises. People tend to get squirrelly around that kind of money, and if the intel is right, that’s where he’s got it stashed. I got a team headed there now.”

“You got what?” Clayton flared.

“Well, you were a little busy here, Sheriff. I had to make the call. How it turns out is going to be up to him. I’m just giving you a heads-up.”

Cricket came off the bumper of the ambulance. “Sheriff, don’t let them kill him. Whatever he’s done, I’m sure it’s a mix-up. James is a good man. Please, Sheriff, you know he is. Please don’t let them kill him.” Cricket was back in full sob, crying into Clayton’s chest. Kate stood cold as a slab of granite by his side, burning a hard stare into Holly. She was in a state of suspended animation, waiting to hear her husband say the words she knew he’d say. It made him who he was. He didn’t have a choice. It was his father’s pride. It was the reason she loved him and the one thing she was completely sure would crush her heart into dust. She pulled on Clayton’s arm. He shook her off.

“Let me go get him,” he said. There it was. Kate felt like she’d been punched in the gut.

“Clayton, you’re hurt,” Holly said, “not to mention you’re probably in shock. Go take care of yourself and yours. Let me handle this.”

“No,” Clayton said. “You’re right. Situations like this cause people to overreact. There are too many guns and too many questions. I don’t want anyone else to die today. We don’t know if Choctaw was even involved.”

“The odds aren’t good, Sheriff. What does your gut tell you?”

“It tells me if I want to see my deputy again upright and breathing, I need to be the one to bring him in. Call off your dogs and let me do this.”

“Are you sure?” Holly pointed over the sheriff’s shoulder. That’s when Clayton noticed Kate wasn’t holding on to his arm anymore. She was already crossing back under the yellow caution tape. He watched her work her way through the crowd, and a few seconds later she was gone.

Clayton scratched at his beard and spit on the asphalt. “I’ll drive.”





CHAPTER





23




CLAYTON BURROUGHS

2015

“Are you sure you’re up for this, Clayton? I can have my people here within the hour. Full tactical squad—pros. They’ll do everything possible to take this idiot kid alive. You have my word.”

Clayton responded by mashing the gas pedal down, and hammered the Bronco farther up the dirt mountain road. “You can’t promise me that, Simon. I know you got good intentions, but your people won’t see Choctaw as an idiot kid caught up in a bad situation. They’ll only see a target. I’m not going to let someone else up here die if I can help it. Not today. Give me your phone.”

“Huh?”

“Your phone. You carry one, don’t you?”

“Yeah, okay.” Holly dug into his pants pocket, pulled out a silver flip phone, and handed it to Clayton. “Here,” he said. “Hit send after you dial.”

Clayton took the phone and smirked at Holly. “The hillbilly sheriff knows how to work a cell phone.”

“All right. I’m just saying.”

Clayton didn’t flip open the phone. Instead, he rolled his window completely down and tossed it out into the blurring trees.

“What the f*ck, Clayton?”

“I don’t want you calling anyone.”

“And you couldn’t just trust me?”