Evil in Hockley (21 page)

“Dave’s not home but come in and sit a
spell. You want a coffee?”

Harry had nothing but time on his hands
and hadn’t come to a conclusion as to what he was going to do for
the rest of the day.

“Sure I’ll have a cup. Dave’s not at
the shop. I dropped by ten minutes ago.”

“He’s out on business
today.”

He smelled it when she bent setting his
coffee on the table. Morning Mist perfume.

His mind went blank for a few seconds
as he tried to decide whether to fill the void with anger, rage, or
understanding. It all fit. Jarrod was seeing a woman in Shelburne
in a secluded place. The farmhouse was not only off Highway 89 but
on a side road off a line.

Harry uttered Sandy’s favourite
word,

“Fuck.”

“What’s wrong, coffee too
hot?”

He stared at Iris.

“Jarrod was seeing you the weeks before
he died.”

She froze, breathless, standing like a
statue.

It seemed to Harry as though minutes
went by.

“He was buying cocaine for you, wasn’t
he?”

She was unmoving, silent, frozen in
time.

“Did you kill him?”

That brought her to life. She almost
collapsed but grabbed a chair and sat at the table.

Minutes went by but to Harry it seemed
like hours.

“No, Harry. I loved Jarrod. I’d never
kill him.”

“Then who did?”

“I don’t know. Joe Sharky or one of his
men maybe?”

Harry was glad his Beretta was in its
metal container under his car. A man like him should never have a
gun in his possession at the best of times much less
now.

“How did you get hooked on the stuff,
way out here with a kid to raise?”

“Boredom, loneliness, depression: take
a pick.”

“But you said you loved Jarrod? Wasn’t
that enough?”

“I got hooked before Jarrod and
I…”

Harry knew from his chart on the wall
at home he needed not only events but a timeline.

“Who gave you the cocaine before
Jarrod?”

“You have to understand Harry, that
owning a garage nowadays won’t pay the bills. Oil changes and tire
rotation doesn’t amount to much. So Dave started selling out of the
garage. He keeps his stash in the barn and I took a little
everyday.

“Well, he found out and put the stuff
in a safe. He said he didn’t want a mother raising a kid high on
the shit. I was clawing at the walls and it felt as though worms
were crawling under my skin.

“I drove to Jarrod’s place, I mean your
place and caught him at home. I told him the mess I was in and he
said he’d help. He got me a fix for the next day. I asked him why
he was helping me and he told me he’d always loved me but Dave was
a friend so he never followed up on it.

“He cut the dose a little everyday and
substituted with a sedative. I got off the stuff a week before he
was killed. So you see I could never have killed him. Turns out he
was the only friend I had.”

“Did Dave know about Jarrod and
you?”

“I don’t think so. Brenda started grade
school and I only went when she wasn’t home. Mostly Friday
afternoon. One or two days during the week as well.”

Which fit with what Barbara had told
him that Jarrod could hardly wait to get out of the office on
Fridays. Was Dave the man Shelley saw? Was Dave driving Joe’s
business west? There are many small towns west of Shelburne and
Dave’s a country boy and knows them all.

“You know Shelley?”

“Yah, Jarrod told me he was buying off
her.”

“Shelley told me Joe had it in for
Jarrod. Do you know why?”

“I know Jarrod had no love for Dave
after we got together. He didn’t confront him that I know of but
maybe… Oh, I don’t know, Harry. I hardly ever leave the
farm.”

“So what kind of relationship do you
and Dave have now?”

“I wished you hadn’t asked. He’s not
very respectful of me since he caught me using cocaine. He’s
nervous all the time probably because of the stress he’s under. He
could get caught and do serious prison time for dealing.
Personally, if I had the money I’d leave him but I have a daughter
to consider. When he wants me sexually he takes me whether I want
it or not. If I left him he’d beat the shit out of me and drag me
back. Or he’d have me killed. He told me so.”

“Turn him in for selling.”

“I thought of that but then Joe would
get involved. His western route would be compromised. I don’t want
to wind up on Joe’s hit list.”

It all boiled down to Joe Sharky every
time.

“When will Dave be home?”

“He’ll be at the shop this
afternoon.”

“You won’t tell him I’ve been
here?”

“Hell no. He’d want to know what I told
you. He’d beat the shit out of me for letting you in the front door
while he wasn’t home.”

“You know Iris that one of these nights
Dave might not come home, don’t you?”

“Yah, it’s been like that since he
started selling cocaine.”

“With me around knowing what I do the
chances just doubled. If he had anything to do with Jarrod’s death
it’s a sure thing.”

“I know Harry. If he killed Jarrod then
put in a slug for me.”

Harry hugged Iris and said good
bye.

In two hours Dave would be at his
shop.

Chapter 38

There wasn’t much sense in hanging
around Shelburne so Harry decided to race home and make sure the
women were all right. When he got there they were sipping rum and
colas, sorting through Shelley’s possessions.

“We’re going to turn them over to the
Help and Humanity people,” said Sandy.

Harry gave them a short rundown of his
visit with Iris and the reason to meet with Dave this afternoon.
Harry told them he had no idea how he could pressure Dave without
implicating Iris. If Dave knew she’d talked then possibly she’d be
next to have an accident.

Karma said,

“It’s a tough call. Just tell him you
found out about the drugs he’s dealing. See where that
leads.”

Sandy said,

“I wished we could just give the whole
shit pile to the law and be done with it.”

Harry laughed.

“Mostly we’d get nailed for withholding
evidence, murder, kidnapping, and a host of other charges. They
might give us time off for turning ourselves in. We’d be doing at
least ten in Kingston Pen. The only one who’d get off is Joe
Sharky. He’s got the lawyers plus he didn’t do anything himself.
Hell if they charged him and I was on the jury I’d have to let him
off for lack of evidence.”

“Maybe we should take Lenea up on her
offer,” said Sandy.

“It will probably come down to
that.”

Harry fired up the Cuda and ripped up
pavement on the way to Shelburne. He arrived at Dave’s shop well
after noon and saw his best buddy’s car in the lot. He parked
around the rear and retrieved his Beretta. He walked into the shop:
Dave had a rusty old truck on the hoist and was doing an oil
change.

“Hello Harry, how’s tricks?”

“Hello Dave.”

“What’s up Harry?”

“You never told me you changed your
line of business. You’re dealing cocaine for Sharky.”

“You dreaming old bro?”

“Don’t bother to deny it pal. I got the
lowdown from two different sources. Not all of Joe’s employees have
a dying devotion to the man. Somebody always pisses themselves when
they’re looking at the hole in the wrong end of a gun.”

Dave didn’t stop working and
said,

“You ever try running a business in
today’s world? You need a hundred thou in equipment just to do a
tune up. And they change the software every year. It’s all
computers and sensors in cars nowadays. This truck I’m doing now:
shit. I might never get paid for the work I’m doing.

“Don’t look down your nose at me. You
work for the government and get a guaranteed income at my expense.
Yah, I pay taxes on the bit I make.”

“So you sell cocaine to
kids?”

“I sell a product to a buyer, buddy, to
stay alive and feed my family. You going to turn me in?”

“Probably not. After all you’re my best
friend.”

“Okay, Harry. Rub it in.”

“Who killed Jarrod?”

Dave dropped his wrench. He stood
frozen halfway between picking it up, staring at the
floor.

“I don’t know?”

“You’re in mighty tight with Joe and
this thing seems to be all about drugs.”

“Like I said, I don’t know.”

Harry wanted to tell him he knew about
Iris and Jarrod but that might get her killed. If Dave didn’t know
then he might snap and if he did he’d never admit he was aware.
This was going nowhere in a hurry. He’d confronted Dave with the
drug issue and got zip in return. This whole affair was turning
into a one step forward, three steps backward scenario. It was pure
chance that he found Iris and to her credit, high morals and
ethics, that she admitted to the affair. Best to leave everything
the way it was and think about it for a while.

One thing he’d gained was Lenea’s
friendship… If one could ever consider her a friend. Partnership
might be a better way to view it. She was a resourceful and
valuable ally as long as there was something in it for her. He
couldn’t fault her for that.

Silence hung between Harry and Dave as
his best buddy in the whole world waited to see what he was going
to do next. Dave would know he was armed. Harry ended the
tension.

“See you later old buddy.”

He left, one eye on the back door, in
case Dave had a gun inside and tried to collect the bounty on his
head. He’d have to do a lot of oil changes and sell a mountain full
of cocaine to make four hundred thousand. Hell, Harry thought about
turning himself in for the cash.

That was it.

He had an idea.

Lenea was dead on the first
time.

Harry raced home and told Sandy and
Karma what had transpired between himself and Dave. Nothing of any
value.

He answered more questions about his
visit with Iris. Women need more detail: How she looked, acted,
whether she cried, fussed with her dress, and an explanation of her
general demeanour. They both came to the conclusion she was telling
the truth, the same conclusion Harry came to as soon as she
admitted having an affair with his brother.

Then they started on Dave: same as
Iris. They came to the conclusion he was a lying bastard. Same
conclusion as Harry. To Harry it wasn’t that Dave lied as much as
he never extended the conversation. Friends usually add something
but Dave stayed on track never leaving the issue of selling drugs.
He must have known Harry was on Joe’s hit list, but it never came
up. He must have known about Shelley, everyone else did, but it
never came up. It was what Dave didn’t say, not what he said that
told Harry he was lying and holding back.

Harry explained that to Sandy and Karma
but he could feel they didn’t really get it. It was a guy thing.
Amongst themselves guys talk about everything: getting an erection
over the neighbours wife, a Doberman screwing a poodle in the park,
anything private or otherwise that might get a laugh or add flavour
to a conversation. Women on the other hand have more selective
conversations avoiding issues that might be considered lewd or
vulgar. Every woman wants to appear a to be a lady. It seemed to
Harry that was part of their competitive nature: trying to outclass
each other.

Harry dialled Lenea’s number and asked
her to drop over for a while.

Sandy heard that and said,

“Let’s go Karma, we have some shopping
to do.”

Harry objected.

“You’d better stay here. You’ll want to
here this. Do you really want to leave me and Lenea alone in an
empty house?”

“Good point,” said Sandy.

Chapter 39

Lenea arrived alone without her
mechanical friend. She was jovial as ever as though life was her
personal playground. Sandy and Karma both wore frowns the minute
she stepped into the house.

“What’s up Harry. You didn’t invite me
here for dinner.”

“No, I invited you here to give myself
up.”

“Uh Huh, and the cow jumped over the
moon,” said Lenea.

“It’s actually a variation of your
first plan but when you turn me over I’m alive. I act as though I’m
under a spell and you take me to Joe. We get in under the radar
then disarm his guards and deal with Joe. You get your cash and I
get Joe.”

“What if he shoots you on
sight?”

“That’s the only flaw the way I see it.
But I think Joe is too sadistic a bastard to end it without a
little foreplay.”