Ryker’s Justice (16 page)

“I
would! It sounds amazing.”

“Maybe
I can take you sometime.” Even as he said it, an inner voice warned not to make
promises he might not be able to keep. “There’s another place I’d like to show
you—War Eagle Mill, down in
Arkansas
.
It’s a real old time working water grist mill. They still grind flour and it’s
a pretty place.”

“I
read about that,” she cried. Nicole placed the last dish in the drainer and
turned around, wiping her hands on a dish towel. “Mary has a few brochures and
travel pamphlets at the inn. It’s on my list.”

Her
enthusiasm infected him.
“Oh, yeah?
What else is on
it?”

Nicole
pulled out a chair and sat. “There’s the Coleman Theater over in
Miami
,
Oklahoma
,”
she said. “And I’d love to spend an entire day at the
Crystal
Bridges
Art
Gallery
in
Arkansas
,
too. Those are both at the top of my list. I’d like to see at least one of the
Civil War battlefields in the area and it may sound odd but I’d like to do a
cave tour, too. The Ozarks has many, don’t they? I was reading about some of
them…”

His
mind hit on the single word ‘cave’ with the force of a snapping turtle. Jude’s
attention wandered, following the idea.
Caves.
Lots of caves in the Ozarks.
He thought about the caves
he’d crawled into as a boy, larger ones he’d visited, and caves he had read
about. Often in remote locations, the caverns could be sizeable. Something
about a cave niggled at his consciousness and prickled his memory.
I’m missing something important. What the
hell am I dancing around?

Frame
by frame, Jude recalled caves he had known. In his childhood, one of his best
pals, Parker
Mahurin
, lived with a huge one literally
in his backyard. One of his Ryker cousins over toward
Smackout
way once owned and operated a cave as a back road tourist attraction. He had
been through it, for free, many times. If memory served, there had been a cave
on the Wetzel property too. Then he made the leap to what eluded him—Granite
Springs Caverns.

“Damn!”
he shouted. Jude came to his feet with the revelation and knocked over his
chair in the process. It hit the floor hard as Nicole gasped. “Damn it, I’ve
been fuckin’ blind.”

“Jude,
what is it? What’s the matter?”

Breathing
hard, almost panting, he shook his head. “Nothing’s wrong. I just thought of
someplace that would be perfect for a moonshine operation.”

“Where?”

“It’s
a huge series of caves, called Granite Springs Caverns. It used to be a tourist
attraction back in the old days,
then
it was used as a
leather works for a long time. They made saddles, belts, key chains, wallets,
and coin purses for about ten years or so. I applied for a job there one summer
in high school but didn’t get hired. I’ll have to ask one of my brothers but
I’m pretty sure it’s been empty for a long time.”

Nicole
opened her mouth but he never found out if she had a question or comment.

Headlights
flashed through the room, reflecting back in the glass half of the back door.
“Someone’s coming,” Jude said. His ears picked up on the sound of an
approaching motor. “Nicole, go upstairs until I see if they’re friendly.”

As
he spoke, Jude reached into a kitchen drawer and pulled out a pistol. Her
expression blanched but she turned around to head up the back steps. He flipped
on the yard light and stepped onto the back porch, peering outside. Junior
Wetzel climbed out of his truck, more beat up than ever since the accident, and
approached.

“What
the hell do you want?” Jude asked. Then he cocked the pistol, one of his
daddy’s old guns, and the sound could be heard in the quiet night.

Chapter Fifteen

Junior
halted and stared at Jude. “I come over to be neighborly,” he said. His voice
whined worse than worn brake pads. “There
ain’t
any
reason to pull a gun on me. You
Rykers
are a paranoid
bunch. That’s not very friendly.”

“Coming
to my house after dark isn’t what I’d call chummy.” Jude lowered the pistol but
he didn’t move. “What do you want, and don’t give me any bullshit about good
neighbors.”

The
man paused to dig out a cigarette from a crumpled package in his pocket and
then lit it. “I know you’re pissed off about the wreck and all so I come to
tell you I’m sorry. I never meant to run the kids off the road. I just lost
control for a moment. Truth is, your nephew was going a little too fast, too.”

“I
heard you’d been drinking.” Jude tossed the accusation between them after he
gained control of his temper. His first instinct was to deck Junior hard enough
to render him unconscious.

“You
know damn well I was,” Junior said. “Hell, you took a swig out of the jar I was
passing around at the game. I wasn’t drunk, though.”

Jude
snorted.
“Yeah?
Well, I’m not in a mood to argue. You’ve
said your piece, so go on home.”

“I
thought we might share a snort, just to show we’ve made our peace,” Junior
replied.

Until
now, Jude hadn’t noticed the man had been drinking, if not drunk. This was the
last person he cared to see tonight, on the heels of his revelation, but he now
realized he might be able to use the event to his advantage. “I don’t know,
man,” he said. “Depends on what you’re drinking.”

“Moonshine,”
Wetzel proclaimed. “It’s one of the best batches ever, Jude, I’m
tellin
’ you. This is prime stuff, even better than what I
had at the football game. Let me grab a jar from outta the truck and I’ll come
in.”

No
way would he sully his home with Junior’s loathsome presence. “I’ll come out
there,” Jude said. “I’ll have one drink and call it good, though.”

He
hated to pour the potent liquor on top of Nicole’s fine meal but he had little
choice. A confrontation wouldn’t help his investigation and if he did it,
Junior would go on his way. He put the pistol on the porch rail and walked
across the grass. Evening mists swirled around him as he walked, making the
scene more surreal than it already seemed. Junior met him in front of the
pickup and unscrewed the lid from a quart Mason jar. “Go ahead, you go first,”
he said as he handed it over.

After
a brief silent prayer, Jude thought
look
out stomach!
Then he put the jar against his lips and drank. The strong
brew seared his tongue and made his mouth explode in fire. It burned down his
throat and into his stomach where it erupted in a momentary fireball. Jude
willed his gut not to reject it and handed it over to Junior who downed a
sizeable portion. “Good stuff,” he grunted.

Jude
snorted. “Yeah, so if I develop a taste for this shit, where can I get some?”

Since
he’d risked his stomach, he might as well ask. Junior brayed and drank again.

“Damn,
I knew you’d get a taste for it, Jude. You always were the fuckin’ black sheep of
the family. I can get you all you want. Want to buy a jar now? I’ve got more in
the truck.”

He
didn’t but if he had some, it could be used as evidence. Or if the pain in his
gut didn’t recede soon, they could test it at the Emergency Room to find an
antidote. “Yeah, I’ll take a jar. How much do I owe you?”

Junior
waved one hand. “Shit, this one’s free. Just let me know when you need more and
I’ll bring it over.”

When pigs fly with butterfly
wings and the Devil’s ice skating in hell.
“What if I can’t track you down? Is there somebody
else who has it, too?”

A
wary look crept over Wetzel’s face and his eyes narrowed to snakelike slits. “You
know where to find me, Ryker.”

“With
shit this good, I don’t want to take any chances,” he said. Maybe an appeal to
Junior’s vanity would help. “I suppose you made this yourself, right?”

“I
wish,” the man said. “Mine never turned out half as good. Well, if you can’t
track me down, Elliot over at the feed store east of town can hook you up with
some. So can Billy at the garage on the old highway.”

“Awesome,”
Jude said. He made a mental note of both names. “I hate to ask but when I was
out in the wide world, I got a little taste for some meth once in a while. You
wouldn’t happen to know where I could find some if I get the craving?”

Pride
lit Junior’s face with an unholy delight. “I can get that too, yes sir, I can. I
don’t make it either, you understand, but I got connections. Want some?”

“I’ll
let you know if I do,” Jude said. He held up the jar. “This is enough for now.”

“All
right, then, I’ll get out of here. I’m glad we’re friendly. I think you could
be a right good customer, Ryker, although it’s a surprise.”

“You
just never know,” he replied.

Wetzel
cackled as he climbed into his truck and drove away. Watching, Jude shook his
head.
“Stupid bastard.”

When
he picked up his gun and came into the kitchen, he almost collided with Nicole
as she careened down the back stairs. “Whoa, honey, take it easy,” he said. He
put the pistol and the jar on the counter.

“What
happened?” she cried. Her gaze fell on the liquor. “What’s that?”

“Evidence,
I hope. It’s moonshine. I’ve got it and a couple more names. Plus, I asked
Junior about meth and he assured me he can get me all I want. Which, of course,
I don’t but I got some needed information. Things are looking up.”

His
adrenalin shot high during the encounter but now it faded fast, leaving fatigue
behind. He had been tired earlier but his energy drained away. If he kept
notes, he would jot down what names he had learned but he didn’t operate that
way. Jude committed them to memory and with one arm around his woman, headed
for his recliner to unwind.

Once
planted, his bones all but melted as he relaxed. Nicole settled into the
matching chair beside him and although he didn’t speak, he appreciated her
presence. After a long time, on the verge of dozing, he roused to hear what she
said.

“Jude,
sweetheart, are you all right? You’re awfully quiet.”

He
opened his eyes and managed a smile. “I’m fine, honey, just tired. The rotgut
whiskey I took a sip of riled my guts, but it’s over now.”

When
she frowned, a line appeared between her eyebrows. “I didn’t know you drank
any, Jude, but I can make you a cup of tea if you’d like. I brought some
chamomile today. It’ll help you sleep and soothe your stomach, too.”

His
earlier contentment surged back. “Sounds good, Nicole, if you don’t mind.”

“I
don’t or I wouldn’t offer.”

The
tea tasted pleasant and he savored it. Afterward, he squinted at the clock on the
mantle. “I ought to bank the fire and go to bed,” he told her. “I meant to make
love with you but I’m almost too sleepy.”

Nicole
bent over to kiss his mouth lightly. “I already took care of the fire and we’ve
got forever for that. Let’s go upstairs and get some sleep. I hear we’re going
to church in the morning.”

Most
women he had known would fuss at his sleepiness or bitch about his
preoccupation with the case.
She’s a rare
one,
he thought,
a keeper.
His
last memory before sleep claimed his consciousness had been Nicole’s hand
resting against his back.

Grace
Chapel hadn’t changed since the last time Jude walked through the doors five
years ago for his daddy’s funeral. The large frame building dated back to 1905,
according to the cornerstone, and hadn’t changed in all the years Jude could
remember. He parked on one side of the grassy parking area and they walked hand
in hand to the steps.

“Hey!”
He turned at the sound of Adam’s voice and grinned. Adam’s family approached
and joined them. They entered the small vestibule together,
then
moved down the aisle between the two sets of pews to take a place midway toward
the front. Noah’s bunch filed in on their heels and filled the pew behind. Elijah
and Tania sat near the front, Nora and Cody between them.

His
weariness had been gone when he woke beside Nicole so when the first hymn
began, Jude stood with the rest of the congregation and belted out the familiar
words with gusto.

“There
is power, power, wonder working power,”
he sang.

“In the blood of the Lamb.”

Nicole
joined him, her voice as rich and true as he recalled.

The
music uplifted him, the praise songs bridging past and present but the sermon
disappointed. It reminded Jude of why he seldom warmed a pew these days, and he
allowed his thoughts to roam rather than pay close attention. He knew the
basics of salvation and didn’t need to hear dire predictions of hellfire for
anyone who failed to walk a narrow path. Instead of listening, he watched
faces, Josh’s most of all. The teen wore an uneasy expression and each time he
noted Jude’s gaze, he flushed. After the service ended, no one hurried to leave
the pews but began greeting one another with zeal. Knots of twos and threes
gathered, tongues moving with speed as stories were told, gossip passed onward,
and nosy questions asked.