Corporal Maggie Armstrong sat in the passenger side of the car and said “Hello?” for the fourth and final time. Dropping the phone to her lap, she turned to the woman sitting behind the steering wheel.
“Didn’t get all of that,” Armstrong said, “but it sounds like things have come unhinged at the station.”
Bonnie white-knuckled the wheel with one hand and extracted a cigarette from her mouth with the other. “That’s that then. I was done in by Step’s blue eyes. My heart’s just broke in two, is what it is.”
“You wanna call your brother in on this?”
“What for?”
“This is a high-level defect,” Armstrong said. “Ain’t he gonna wanna know?”
“He’s off grid for a time. No way to pull him in on this. While this ain’t my normal vocation, I reckon I know how he’d want it to play out. He’d most likely want you to earn your pay on this, and take care of the BFSD once and for all.”
Armstrong nodded as she opened the door. “On one condition.”
Bonnie stared at her steely-eyed. “And what condition is that?”
“I finally get that meet-up with Harley you promised me. My neck is far out there. I’d like to think that’d be enough to get me a sit-down with the man calling the shots.”
“My fat ass ain’t enough for you?”
“Your ass is just fine, but you don’t walk into the Oval Office hoping to get to meet the vice president. No offense.”
Bonnie snickered. “Honey, that’s the nicest I’ve ever been shit on. I get it. You wanna talk to the man directing things. Makes sense. And I’ll arrange it once you get done what needs to get done.”
Before the state police officer could get out of the car, Bonnie said, “Once you straighten things up in Baptist Flats, you and that idiot Boss get to that little airstrip off of Corn Silk Road. I’ll have transportation for y’all and a couple of extra hired guns to go along for the ride.”
“Ride where?”
“To where that deputy gal is headed. You’ll most likely get there before any real trouble kicks up.”
“And where is that, exactly?”
“You’ll find out when you get there. This’ll bring you deep in, Miss Maggie. I’m trusting you because you come to me with this information. Don’t make me regret it or else that meeting with Harley ain’t gonna be a pleasant one, understood?”
“Understood,” Armstrong said.
“I don’t expect Step and Kenny will pose too much of a problem.” Bonnie slapped the steering wheel. “Damn it! I wanted a piece of ol’ Step someday. Don’t do nothing to injure his eyes.”
“You could be jumping the gun on that. You don’t know he’s working with the deputy.”
“I ain’t stupid. You said it yourself, two fellas confessed to the killings in Baptist Flats. Ain’t nobody in jail for it, and on top of all that, Step’s been asking folks about Laura Farrow. The police in Rock Hollow caught him talking to her. He’s figured out what’s going on, and if he knows all of it, he’s working with that deputy of yours to fuck me up my round ass.”
“I don’t know what you think he’s figured out, but if it’s set him off like you think, I expect he’s got his sights aimed a rung higher than your ass. He knows what’s what when it comes to directing Pike business. That’s more reason to get word to Harley on developments.”
Bonnie attempted a weak smile. “I appreciate your counsel, Corporal, but Step’s a special case. He’s my mess to clean up. Neither Harley nor Boss was in favor of bringing him aboard, but I made a stink about it. I let my loins get the best of me. He’s too goddamned handsome, is what he is. Otherwise I would’ve just let him wreck his life into nothing.”
Armstrong had no idea what the woman was talking about. “You know, Dani Savage might be useful.”
Bonnie chuckled. “You’re kidding, right?”
Armstrong stepped out of the car and leaned back in for one last word. “I could talk to her, give her a sales pitch. Someone like her could bring a lot to the table.”
“Got no use for her.” Bonnie started the car. “Just kill her and be done with it.”