Boss was surprised to see Randle in the police station. He smirked in his direction and shook his head, but he didn’t voice his dismay. If the deputy wanted to die with his people, so be it.
Friar kept an unsteady hold on his shotgun as he pointed it at the sloper.
“I’m unarmed,” Boss said with his hands raised above his shoulders.
Otis approached. “Don’t mean to be rude, but we ain’t gonna take your word on that.” He patted Boss down. Finding nothing, he stepped away and ordered Friar to lower his weapon.
Boss took in his surroundings. “Ain’t much to this place, is there? Seen bigger port-a-potties.”
“A piece of shit like you should know,” Dani said.
Boss smiled placidly. “That’s kind of you, Deputy.”
“You wanna get to your business?” Otis demanded.
Boss turned his smile on the sheriff. “I think you know my business. You’re holding a friend of mine.”
“You don’t strike me as the type to have friends.”
“Friends, associates, fuckups, call them what you want. I’m just here to get my man.”
“Where’s Sarah Campbell?” Dani asked, barely able to contain her utter disgust for the thug.
“Ain’t got a clue.”
“That ain’t what Billy says.”
Boss stared at her with his meek smile in place.
“Where is she?”
Boss didn’t answer. Instead he said, “Where’s Billy?”
“In our custody,” Otis said, “and he’s gonna stay that way.”
Boss sneered. “I ain’t particularly interested in taking him by force. Things will get messy and loud. That kind of thing draws attention that I don’t want.”
“He ain’t leaving here,” Dani said.
“He is,” Boss said, tapping the pocket of his jacket. “Got something I wanna show you, Sheriff.”
Otis nodded his approval.
Boss slowly dipped his hand inside his pocket, pulled out a baggy, and held it out for Otis to take.
The sheriff hesitated and then snatched the baggy out of Boss’s hand. His gut tied in knots when he saw the contents: a ring with a small solitaire diamond. “How’d you get this?”
Boss held his smile.
“What is it?” Dani asked.
“I asked you a question.” Otis said.
Boss still didn’t reply.
“What is it?”
Otis pulled his gun and aimed it at Boss. “Don’t make me ask a third time.”
“Goddamn it!” Dani shouted. “What is it, Uncle Otis?”
The sheriff swallowed and said, “Your aunt’s diamond ring.”
Boss chuckled. “You can hardly call that a diamond. Diamond dust is more like it. She must love you, or you’ve got a huge pecker because she sure didn’t marry you for your money.”
Randle quickly stepped forward and placed the barrel of his gun against the base of Boss’s skull. “You son-bitch! You goddamn motherfuckin’ son-bitch!”
Boss, sounding impossibly cool said, “No need to get all undone. She ain’t dead or harmed in any way. She’s sitting in her kitchen drinking a cup of coffee with one of my boys.”
“Back off,” Otis said to Randle, trying to sound as cool as Boss.
“And no harm will come to her. That ain’t my desire. My desire is to get Billy Campbell back where he belongs.”
Otis struggled to keep his composure. Finally he said, “Campbell ain’t here.”
Dani gave him a confused and pleading look.
“I thought you might have him hidden.” Boss’s face soured. “This feels like a negotiating tactic. I don’t respond well to that sort of thing.”
“It ain’t no negotiating tactic. He just plain ain’t here.”
“Where is he?
“Gone. Released. We had nothing to hold him on.”
Boss examined the sheriff’s face for signs of deception. “I need confirmation.”
“Follow me,” Otis said as he turned and headed for the holding cell area.
Boss watched the sheriff waiting until he reached the door to the back room before he took his first step. The thought occurred to him that the hick might be stupid enough to think the answer to his problems was taking Boss out, but it was a fleeting thought. The fat little flatlander loved his wife. He’d keep his hands clean.
Kenny was standing with his fingers wrapped around the bars when the two men entered. When Dani stood just inside the doorway, he stepped back and placed his hand on the pistol shoved down the back of his pants.
“What the shit?” Boss said, red-faced.
“Kenny here has quite the gift of gab,” Otis said.
Boss chewed on his cheek to keep himself from yelling out a string of profanities.
“He’s already had a chat with Corporal Maggie Armstrong of the state police,” Dani added.
Boss’s nostrils flared as he stared down the chubby closeout king.
Kenny shrugged. “They pinned me down, Boss. Didn’t have no wiggle room ’cept the truth.”
Boss tightened his fists to crack the tension out of his knuckles. “You are by far the dumbest son of a bitch that’s ever worked for me, Kenny.”
“That might be true,” Otis said, “but he’s got shit on you that will guarantee you receive an unmarked grave in a Tennessee state cemetery. Hand Jeannie over, and he disappears. You ain’t got nothing to worry about.”
Boss absorbed the sheriff’s offer and then laughed. “I think you misunderstood my intentions, police man. I didn’t come to trade out your wife for Billy or Kenny or whoever else you got in this shithole station. That was part of the deal, but there’s more to it. I also come to trade her out for you and your deputies.”
Otis furrowed his brow.
“This ain’t gonna turn out well for you. Ima drive all y’all out to the woods and introduce your brains to a couple of rounds from my favorite Amigo.” He grinned. “I know what you’re thinking. A .45 caliber is a little overkill for point-blank range, but I just love the way it kicks.” He put his arm around Otis and whispered, “I’m gonna be completely honest with you. That little fucking sparkplug deputy bitch, Ima take her for a spin before I kill her. You understand, right? She’s just way too juicy not to.”
Otis stiffened, and every thought in his head froze in an instant. He didn’t know what to do.
“You took the man’s wife, Boss?” Kenny asked.
“Shut up, brick brain.”
“She ain’t in this.”
“Grown-ups are talking, Kenny!”
Kenny slowly pulled the gun out of his pants, but kept it hidden. “I know you don’t think a whole lot of me. You got it in your mind that I’m medically stupid and such, but I know more than you think.”
Boss rolled his eyes. “Jesus Christ, you just can’t keep your mouth shut, can you?”
“I know how you run your business, Boss. I know that much.”
“Enlighten me,” Boss said, throwing up his hands.
“You ain’t got the sheriff’s wife.” Kenny looked to Otis. “He ain’t got her, Sheriff.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Otis asked. He held up the baggy with the ring. “He brought her ring as proof.”
Kenny’s expression turned gloomy. “I’m sorry to say she’s most likely dead. Boss ain’t the type to leave things unbroken.”
Otis felt his heart flutter and then slow and then flutter again as he stared at the baggy in his hand.
“Boy, you’re right about one thing,” Boss said. “You are medically stupid.” He turned to Otis. “Don’t put no stock into what he’s saying. Your wife is alive. Whether she stays that way is up to you.”
“Call her,” Kenny said.
“Shut the fuck up, Kenny! Goddamn, you are getting on my last nerve!”
Otis nodded. “I’ll agree to your terms once I talk to my wife.”
Boss huffed and grimaced. “Fine.” He looked over his shoulder. “I need to talk to my men first.”
“No need.” Otis pulled out his cellphone.
Laughing, Boss said, “What is this, amateur hour? Radio silence.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Dani asked.
“It means we don’t use phones at this point in the operations. We’re at face-to-face communication mode only.”
“Meaning?” Otis asked.
“Meaning, I walk out to my boys, instruct one of them to drive to your house and bring your wife here. You say your goodbyes, and we all drive off to a little secluded place in the woods and seal the deal.”
“That leaves you holding all the cards,” Dani said.
“That’s the point, little lady,” Boss said with a shit-eating grin.
“It’s bullshit,” Kenny said.
Boss scowled his way.
“You let him walk out your front door, he’ll unleash his boys.”
“Shut up!” Otis barked. “Do you know my wife is dead?”
Kenny was taken aback by the volume of the sheriff’s voice. “I know Boss…”
“Do you know she’s dead? Are you a hundred percent sure?”
Kenny considered his question and then shook his head. “I ain’t a hundred percent on it, no.”
Otis nodded to Boss. “Get on with it then.”
When the sheriff saw their guest step through the front door of the station, he quickly moved to the exit on the other side of the holding cell. He slowly pulled the door open just a crack. Satisfied the coast was clear, he whistled for Dani. She approached quickly.
“My cruiser is yonder, on the other side of the equipment shed.” He stepped back so she could map out the terrain between the station and the car.
“What about it?”
“You and the fat fella are to get to it, and get on after the Campbell girl.”
Dani stared at her uncle.
“Don’t give me no lip on this.”
“But I can’t leave. What about Aunt—”
Otis choked on the words as they came out. “She’s dead, sweetie.”
“You don’t know that,” Dani said, holding back the urge to slap him.
“I do. There ain’t no way they got that ring off her while she still had an ounce of life left in her. I thought it right off, but let myself believe otherwise until Kenny over there spoke up.”
The chubby closeout king looked away.
She gritted her teeth. “Ima kill that son of a bitch.”
Otis gently placed his hands on her arms. “I’ll take care of that. You gotta get after that girl.”
“But—”
He tightened his grasp and unintentionally shook her. “Ain’t no other law looking for her. You’ve gotta go.”
She considered protesting again, but realized he was right. She wrapped him in a bear hug instead.
Otis absorbed her embrace and then released her. Turning to Kenny he said, “Ima have to trust you with my best deputy. I find out you turned bad on us, and Ima hunt you down and shove my favorite rifle up your ass and blow your brains out. You understand me?”
Kenny nodded. “I ain’t gonna let nothing happen to her, sir. I still ain’t had the chance to show her my two-step.” He exited the cell and joined Dani at the back door.
Otis handed Dani the keys to the cruiser. “Blast ass out the front. Don’t slow down for nothing. Get up the mountain and find that girl. Me and your fellow deputies will keep Boss occupied.”
Dani grabbed his hand, squeezed, and smiled.
He returned the squeeze and forced his own smile. “You’re the best goddamn deputy I’ve ever had.”