Fat Tuesday(109)

When he reached the screened door, he swallowed dryly."Burke, this is no good, man. Let me come inside and talk to you. Okay?"

Keeping his hands in sight, he pulled open the screened door. The wooden door behind it was unlocked. Mac pushed it open, hesitated a moment, then stepped inside.

Eyes darting about, he gave the single room a quick survey.

"Son of a bitch!"

He felt like a fool, and was exceedingly frustrated, because the shack was deserted, and it was immediately obvious that it hadn't been occupied for a long time. Not by humans anyway. A varmint had chewed up part of the seat cushion in one of the armchairs. Roaches headed for cover. A spider ignored him as he continued to weave his web around the lantern hanging on a peg. Water dripped ponderously from the faucet over the stained kitchen sink.

Joe Basile had been wrong. Either that, or he was as wily as his older brother and, sensing danger for Burke, had deliberately sent his gullible colleague on a wild goose chase.

Now what? Now what was he f*cking going to do? He couldn't go back without Basile. Without Basile ... He didn't even want to think about it, but suffice it to say that the stinking, scary swamp was nothing compared to the hell awaiting him back in New Orleans if he didn't produce Basile.

Disgusted, Mac turned. He drew up short and sucked in a quick breath when he saw the silhouette outlined in the screened door.

Dredd was baiting a trotline when a car appeared in the gravel lane leading from the main road. He watched it approach, brake to a crawl, then come to a stop. The driver alighted. Seeing Dredd, he waved.

"Hi, Dredd." Gregory James came along the pier cautiously, smiling sickly."How's it going?"

"You peckerwood," Dredd snarled."Where's my boat? I ought to open you up and use your guts as bait." He brandished the knife he'd been using to cut up his bait.

Gregory held up his hands in surrender."I'm sorry about your boat.

I'll pay for it. My daddy's rich."

"What are you doing here? Too bad you weren't here earlier. You just missed your friend Burke Basile."

"Where is he?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Can we go inside and talk?"

Dredd turned away."I got better things to do."

"Dredd, please. Look at me."

Dredd stopped what he was doing and looked more closely at the younger man's face. Parts of it were still swollen and rearranged. It was badly bruised. But between the bruises, his skin was pale, and his features were pinched and tense.

Mumbling self-deprecations to his softheartedness, Dredd motioned for Gregory to follow him into the store. As soon as they got inside, Gregory began babbling."I only have ten minutes."

"Till what?"

"Till they come here after you. They're going to hold you at gunpoint if they have to, torture you, I don't know. But they're not going home without Remy Duvall and Burke Basile, and you're going to take them to their hiding place."

"The hell I am."

"Then they'll kill you."

"Who's they?"

"Men who work for Duvall."

"Bardo?"

He shook his head."Bardo stayed in the city. These are two other guys, guys who were waiting for me at my house when I got home."

"I'm still listening."

"I made a deal with Duvall last night. I could either go to jail with the assurance of being locked up with bull queers who'd have their way with me until my bowels ruptured and I bled to death, or I could lead these hit men to the last place where I last saw Basile and Duvall's wife."

Dredd snorted with contempt."Sounds like you made yourself a sweet deal, you chickenshit faggot."

"If I had really accepted the deal, would I be warning you?" Gregory said, his voice squeaky with desperation."Besides, after I've expended my usefulness, they'll exterminate me, too."

"So that's why you're warning me? So I'll protect you?"

"Probably. But, I don't know ..." He tugged on his lower lip, drawing blood from a cut still there."I felt bad about screwing up Basiles plan. It's on account of me that Mrs. Duvall got shot. Or l l l maybe it's because I've always taken the coward's way out and this is a way to redeem myself."

"Save it for confession," Dredd said scornfully. Ash Wednesday's still two days away. You can make atonement then."

"Okay, I don't blame you for mistrusting my motives. But we're down to seven minutes. They're waiting at the main road. If I'm not back to report that there are no other customers in the store, they're going to come in, pretending to be fishermen, and take you off guard."

Dredd thoughtfully scratched his chin through his beard."If you're being straight with me, why'd you lead them here?"

"So I would at least have a fighting chance of getting out of this alive."

"How do I know you're not setting me up? How do I know that you're not betraying me by pretending to betray Duvall?"

"Do you think I'm that clever?"

Dredd gave him a long, calculating look."Good point."

"So you believe me?"

"Call me a damn fool," Dredd muttered, "but I think I do."