Patience County War (Madeleine Toche Series) (13 page)

Squad in the shop, Samson?” old Doctor Parsons said, looking up. “No accidents lately?”

Nathan jumped right in, pretending to steer a car with his hands over his eyes and smiling, to the immediate joy of the girls behind the counter.

“All in the pursuit of justice, placing myself bodily on the line to keep the world safe for democracy,” Sam said, spreading his arms.

“What’s up there, Samson?” the older man said.

“Just Sam, Doc, please.”

“I delivered you Samson Trunce and I will call you by your Christian name if I please. And as for you Nathan, I believe I put in an order some time ago. Are you a lazy bootlegger or what?”

“Doc, I didn’t hear that,” Sam said.

“I am eighty years old, and was shot at more times than you’ve had hot dinners as a medic saving reckless young men like you during the war. I can and will prescribe whatever medication for myself that I see fit!” Doctor Parsons was at that point in his life where he didn’t care if the Commander in Chief told him he couldn’t have some homemade whiskey.

Sam raised his hands in mock supplication. “I need a blood draw from those two girls that were just brought in.”

“I already drew the driver for a tox scan. Accident case you know there Sheriff. What am I going to find?”

“Methamphetamine, I think.”

“In a child I delivered? That will not stand!” Dr. Parsons said raising his voice and tossing the file he was reading down in contempt.

“I plan to nail this one right away. Wherever the supply is coming from, I’m going to burn the bastards down.”

Doctor Parsons just nodded and laid his hand on Sam’s shoulder. “Any help I can give, Sam.”

“How long for a lab result?”

“Week or so,” Doctor Parsons said.

“Too long. It’s time for the direct approach,” Sam said.

“Are you going to call their parents first?” Doc Parsons asked.

“No, I know both of their parents and they’re better off telling me first. We’ll all tell their parents together. I am not going to wait. Besides, I’m not going to prosecute these girls if they cooperate. They got hurt, Mike and Charlie are alright.”

“You know what’s best, Sam. Call me if you need me.”

“Let’s go there, Gentle Ben,” Sam said moving back towards the hospital examination rooms.

“I feel all jittery and my arm hurts like hell. When do you think they’ll tell us we can go?” Janice whined. “It feels like the walls are closing in on us,” Janice said, adjusting her cast in the sling holding her arm immobile.

“I know what you mean. I want to get out of here, like now. You should ask them for some pain meds and save one for me. That stuff really kicks ass.”

Just as she spoke the door opened and Sam and Nathan walked in. The room was small enough so that Nathan pretty much took up the available space. He leaned on the examination table and stared at the girls as he picked his teeth with a tooth pick. His teeth looked like an entire accordion keyboard.

“Girls,” Sam sighed. “I thought you were smarter than that.”

“What, sheriff? It was just an accident,” Patty said.

“Meth pipes, your blood positive for meth, an injured passenger. One, two, three, prison,” Sam continued sitting down onto the examination table.

“One two three,” Nathan nodded in affirmation. “The old one, two, three: a prison guarantee!”

“I wasn’t driving,” Janice blurted out.

“Shut up, Janice.”

“Show ‘em how to make a shiv out of a spoon, Sam,” Nathan said and made stabbing motions in the air over the girls’ heads. “Can’t send ‘em in with the big bitch without a shiv.”

“The big bitch?” Patty questioned.

“Almost as big as Nathan. She loves the tender teenage meat. She runs the women’s prison over at Charity,” Sam said as if he was reading a brochure.

“She the warden?” Patty asked her voice shaking.

“Warden! The warden doesn’t actually go to the prison, too dangerous. She more like calls it in and makes sure the food and supplies are pushed through the gate. The big bitch is the main bull, you know, guard. Anyway, you’ll learn all the lingo.” Sam locked eyes with Patty.

“You’re just trying to scare us. Kids don’t go to prison.”

“What are you, seventeen now? You’re almost an adult anyway. I’m sure they’d try you as an adult. Yah, I’d dress like a kid if I were you when I went in front of the judge, he hates druggies.”

“Sam, you forgot the finger prints,” Nathan said, wagging a sausage-like finger at Sam.

Both girls were pale and too terrified to cry. Sam knew he’d pushed enough, so he let a little light into their world of misery.

“Now, I might be able to keep the judge from going, you know, side two when he hears, but I’m going to need a little help.”

“What do we have to do?” Janice said.

“I need to know where you got the meth.”

“You mean narc?” Patty answered.

“Everyone is the big bitch’s narc, everyone,” Nathan said rolling his eyes around.

“Henry!” both girls said in unison.

“Henry the head, old hemp boy?” Sam growled.

“Don’t tell him we said so,” Patty added.

Sam looked at the girls and said, “Let me point something out to you. You are seventeen years old and think all adults don’t know anything. All adults were once your age. Do you think people just magically get stupid once they’re over thirty? Are you going to jump off a damn cliff when you’re thirty Patty?”

“No,” Patty said sliding down in her chair.

Why not? You’ll just be a stupid, useless old bag.”

“I don’t think adults are stupid,” Patty murmured.

“Of course you do. Didn’t any adult ever tell you meth was bad?”

“In school.”

“Do you think they told you not to use it so that there would be more for themselves?”

Both girls shook their heads.

“You see, believe it or not, you do learn some things as you get older. Adult life is hard work, so don’t spend the last few years of real freedom you have putting Drano into your bodies,” Sam said.

“Drano?”

“Drano, Lye, Muriatic acid, matchstick heads, and industrial solvents all that crap are used to make meth. What, you think meth is produced in a high tech lab somewhere? Most meth labs are in places you wouldn’t drive by if you had the choice. Most of the people that sell the shit don’t use it. You know why? Because they’re crooked adults and they’re smarter than you. They’ll take your dumb ass money though.”

“Are we going to jail now?” Janice said in a small voice.

“We are going to your house and we are going to talk to your parents. I will be there to make sure you get your story straight. You mess up at all and I hear about it, you will end up in Charity. Never was a place so improperly named.”

“Are you going to tell anyone else?” Patty said.

“No, and neither are you. This is between you and me.” Sam stood up and abruptly left the room. Nathan waited a minute and moved towards the door.

“You have no idea how close you came. By the way, you piss off Sam, you better just go and stay gone. I watched him deck the big bitch once with one punch and then spit on her,” Nathan added.

“What for?” Janice asked, her eyes darting back and forth.

“Stepped on his foot. He doesn’t like her much,” Nathan said as he slid through the open door sideways and left.

“Henry the head. You’ve been too lenient Sam,” Nathan said from the back seat of the squad as they drove out of the hospital parking lot.

“That’s nice coming from you, Jack Daniels. I swear to god you’re like the Good Humor ice cream man tinkling down the street with your customers following along: “where’s my jug, where’s my jug?”

“I distill only the best for my customers.”

“The best lethal, caustic rocket fuel known to man, you mean. After a nuclear war, there’ll be nothing but cockroaches and jugs of that chrome cleaner laying around. Thanks for your help. Despite your obvious faults, I appreciate your helping me grab these idiots from time to time.”

“Glad to help the man who’s taking me to dinner. By the way, swing by my house. I need to pick something up for the proprietress.” Both men just sniggered and laughed. They had grown up, but remembered when they were full of piss and vinegar and the whole of their lives seemed to lay ahead, catching fish, chasing girls and lions. They’d known it all once, too.

C
arlos stood quietly, waiting for Jose to acknowledge his presence and permit him to speak. This was a new rule and destined to result in pushing Carlos even closer to the edge. He fantasized about Jose’s death frequently now, and the wonderful, almost innumerable ways he could carry it out.

“Patron, Doc has prepared a quantity of the product,” Carlos said.

“It is time to move some of it,” Jose answered. “We’ll start small and then build the operation into several labs.”

Jose was in the middle of piecing together a beautiful Italian Berretta shotgun that he had just taken apart to clean, and was doing just about everything backwards, trying not to appear too frustrated.

“I would be pleased to do that for you, Patron,” Carlos offered.

“My uncle always says that a man should handle his own firearms so that he knows them like fine wine or a beautiful woman,” Jose said airily as he idly reached down and stroked his dog’s ears. Lion was in the middle of a snap fest trying to catch a fly as it buzzed around his head. A damn avalanche could fall on that mutt’s head and he’d never know it, Carlos thought.

“When we are fully operational, then we will distribute our product. Most of it will go to St. Louis, the rest locally. We must build our market and establish our territory.”

“It might be best not to attract attention in the rural areas where we manufacture, Patron.”

“I have already begun a modest local distribution. We must build our centers of influence.”

“I really think…” Carlos interrupted.

“That is why you are not in charge. You lack the business skill and high intellect for such matters,” Jose snapped dismissively.

I can snap a simple shotgun together, as well as keep a low profile Carlos thought. I really need reassignment he told himself, not for the first time that day.

“We will create an epidemic and feed the sickness. I will build an empire and go back to Mexico to take over when my uncle is ready.” Jose had risen and that’s when Carlos noticed the piece of toilet paper stuck to his shoe, trailing behind him, so had the dog. Carlos could see the tension building in the animal. It obviously thought some vicious white creature had attached itself to his master. It would soon be gun time, Carlos decided.

“I will attend to it immediately,” Carlos said, as he almost ran from the room. Just as he closed the door he heard a wild howl, and in his mind’s eye could picture the dog leaping across the room at the creature attacking his master’s shoe. He cringed as he awaited the gunshot, but none came. When he peeked into the room Jose was holding the gun and looking down into the barrel. He quickly closed the door again and made a silent prayer, which had nothing to do with God preventing an accident.

“T
ime to find Henry the Head,” Sam said to three of his deputies sitting around in what Sam liked to call the ready room back at the Sheriff’s station. There was a large map of Patience County on one wall, a conference table and a couple of old couches where most of the discussions took place. A sliding glass window separated the room from the day room.