Where You Once Belonged(3)

Ralph Bird was astonished almost into peace by this. He was not used to being talked to in this way; it made him quiet. He sat down in a chair in the corner and folded his hands like a child. But his eyes were still wild.

Willard stood watching him. Finally he pulled the telephone toward himself across the desk. He dialed the number. While he listened to the phone ring he pushed the wastebasket with his foot until it was beneath the edge of the desk; then with his free hand he swept the neat pile of fingernail clippings into the trash.

When Sealy answered, Willard said. “Bud?”

“Yes.”

“Bud. Listen. Ralph Bird is in here and he …” Willard went on to tell him what Bird had said.

At his home Sealy listened to Willard talking. When Willard finished telling what he knew, Sealy asked how long ago that was and Willard told him and Sealy said had he checked any of it and Willard said no, he hadn’t checked any of it, he wanted to call first, and Sealy said he doubted it but after he’d finished eating he’d drive over to see for himself.

“In the meantime what do you want me to do with Bird?” Willard said.

“What’s wrong with him?”

“He’s still a little excited.”

“Hell,” Sealy said. “You figure it out. Take him home to his wife if you can’t contain him. At least she can feed him his supper.”

“I imagine I can contain him,” Willard said.

*

So it was full dark now. The streetlamps shone clearly at the corners of town, making pale circles of light on the pavement under the trees. It was that brief anticipatory moment between six and seven o’clock on a November evening when the shops on Main Street have all been closed for the weekend, when the high-school kids haven’t yet begun to race up and down Main Street, when even the Holt Tavern is quiet before the Saturday night rush and out along the highway there are only three or four men sitting quietly, drinking at the bar in the American Legion.

At home, after he’d talked to Deputy Willard, Bud Sealy finished his supper. Then he rose and walked outside into the dark in front of his house. The stars had come out and, looking at them, he belched once and felt better. Then he lit a cigarette and got into the sheriff’s car parked in front of his house and drove north two blocks onto Highway 34, then north again onto Main Street.

Driving up Main Street he passed the water tower and the bank and the post office and the theater, just as Burdette had done two or three hours earlier, and soon, a block ahead of him, he could see the red Cadillac parked at the curb in front of the tavern. He slowed. When he reached the Cadillac he parked the sheriff’s car behind it so that whoever was driving the Cadillac wouldn’t escape. He released the strap over his gun and got out.

But Burdette didn’t appear to have escape or anything else on his mind. He was still sitting in the front seat. He was slumped down massively in the seat and his head was thrown back against the headrest. The light from the corner lamp shone palely onto his big face and jaw.

Sealy examined him for a moment. Finally he tapped with his fingers on the roof of the car. Inside the car Burdette opened his eyes and rolled his head, looking up at Sealy as if the sheriff were of no interest to him whatsoever.

“Well,” Sealy said. “So you come back, did you?”

“That’s right,” Burdette said. “I come back.”

“Hell of a deal.”

“That’s what I think. I’ve been sitting here trying to remember what for.”

“That so?” Sealy said. “I thought you was smarter than that. I thought you had it all figured out.”

“I did once. But I seem to of forgot what a little piss ant place this is. I can’t seem to recall now what I wanted here.”

“No? Well I imagine we haven’t changed so much. Not so you’d notice it anyway. We still get a little upset when somebody does something wrong to us. And afterward decides to disappear.”

“That was a long time ago,” Burdette said.

“Sure it was. But not long enough, don’t you see? And that surprises me. Because I can’t imagine what in hell you was thinking of. But I know one thing: you made a mistake coming back here. You never should of did that. Now get out of the car.”

Burdette didn’t move. “You can’t do anything to me,” he said. “It’s been eight years. The statute’s already run out.”

“You been talking to lawyers?”

“I talked to a couple of them.”

“You wasted your time. That don’t mean anything. That don’t mean diddly-shit.”

“Sure it does. It’s the same everywhere.”

“No,” Sealy said. “It don’t mean a thing.” He opened the car door. “Now listen to me. I’m through talking. I already been nice.”

Burdette refused to move. He sat slumped against the steering wheel of the Cadillac, his head lolled back against the headrest.

“Okay, then,” Sealy said. “I told you once. I did do that much.” He withdrew the gun from its holster on his belt and suddenly he jammed the short barrel into Burdette’s ear.

Burdette sat up. He tried to move his head away. But Sealy followed his head with the gun.

“Jesus Christ,” Burdette said. “What in hell you think you’re doing?”