The Killing King of Gratis (6 page)

“Boys, somebody better be dead or getting there,” he said when he opened the door and saw the two of them. They walked in and proceeded to Delroy’s office. It was then that Delroy noticed the pistol tucked under Kero’s belt. It was also then that he felt impending sobriety crashing down from the previous night’s stupor. He had the first hint of the headache that would last all day.

“What’s up, Kero?”

“Well, we got a visit last night from a couple of guys asking questions about Millie Knox’s murder. These guys weren’t from around here, though. They were serious. Looks like Knox is starting his own investigation of his daughter’s death.”

Delroy had been expecting some response from Knox since the funeral. He was not only rich but dangerous as well. Killing his daughter was tantamount to attacking his power, which was maybe the only thing he loved more than Millie. Someone had to pay or the fear he inspired in Gratis would be ratcheted down, if only a little. That would be an unprofitable move, and Knox was anything but a poor businessman.

“Anyway, I think Newt needs to talk to you. He might need your help.”

“Is the sheriff looking for him, too? I have to tell you, Kero, I don’t know if I could even represent anyone in this case. I might be a witness, given the fact that I brought Millie’s ear to Tommy myself.”

“Look, Delroy, we’ll deal with that when we have to. Right now, my guy is in trouble, and I need your help.”

Kero looked steadily into Delroy’s morning after, watery eyes, and Delroy knew that he couldn’t do anything but help. Kero was a valued client. Delroy did the closings on all of Kero’s properties and represented his family in everything from writing their wills to barking dog citations. Worse yet, Kero was a friend.

“Alright, but I have to talk to Newt alone. How about making some coffee?”

Newt told Delroy what he thought he needed to know. He had been messing around with Millie for the last few months. He told him about the other women in town with whom they had three-ways, and the couple of occasions when they involved more than three. Finally, he told Delroy the most damning thing of all.

“On the last day, the one before when she was found, we got together in the tunnels, in a little room I keep behind Daddy Jack’s.”

“What the hell, Newt. So you were with her where her body was later found?”

“Nope, it was a good three quarters of a mile or so from where she was found.”

“Still, down in the tunnels, man. Tell me you used a condom.”

At that Newt just hung his head. Millie took care of any birth control. Newt felt he was living on borrowed time, anyway, so he never worried about it.

Delroy just stared at him. The prosecution would be able to place Newt’s DNA inside of Millie’s body and find her DNA if they found Newt’s room. With the heat on this case, they would find the room before long.

He also had some degree of jealous admiration. Here Delroy was, with a law degree and a career, and he couldn’t keep his wife from sleeping with his boss. He tried and couldn’t keep a woman. Newt, on the other hand, barely finished high school and never held a steady job until he went to work for Kero. Yet there he was, having orgies with the hottest woman in Gratis. Law school felt like such a waste sometimes.

“Well, Newt, right now we’re going to sit on this. No talking to anyone, especially the sheriff or any deputy, and nobody else, not even your family, or Kero. If you feel like going on a trip, go, but keep in contact with me. It’s pretty clear you’re not safe around here. You pissed off those guys that came after you. They probably don’t have the luxury of being able to tell their boss they couldn’t talk with you. Right now Knox wouldn’t mind if your dead body turned up, whether you had anything to do with Millie’s death or not.”

Newt smiled at Delroy.

“I know how to lay low. You don’t have to worry about that. Wonder who else they’re going to lean on, though. Didn’t your niece find Millie’s ear in the cave?”

“That was my nephew.” Delroy didn’t like the fact that someone like Newt was aware of Meg’s existence, although he realized he would be.

“My thirteen year old, jailbait niece was with her brother when he found the ear, and that’s the end of what they know.”

“Maybe you’re right, Delroy. But those guys from last night, they’re going to have to answer a lot of questions. They can’t leave things undone. They might even want to talk to you. I imagine the sheriff, after he starts to run into some walls on this case, is going to start asking deeper questions of y’all, too. He’ll have to.” Newt knew about harassment from law enforcement. It was price of being who he was.

Delroy knew that Newt was right. Something had to be done to take care of Meg and Peck. Maybe they were okay, but Delroy couldn’t be sure. He was supposed to pick Peck up for baseball practice around 3:00
P.M.
He was going to be considerably earlier than that today, and there would be no practice.

Poor Peck
,
that kid just has no luck
.

Kero came back in with three mugs of coffee, and Delroy took a sip of his. It was black and a little bitter, and did nothing to ebb the throbbing in his head.
Bad coffee is no way to start a day,
he thought
, and neither is company with bad news so early in the damn morning.

C
ozette’s House of Bargains had served downtown Gratis for over fifteen years. The proprietor, Cozette Dillard, opened the store when she was only nineteen. At its entrance she placed a wooden abomination of a toad, perched on its hindlegs, smiling a barky grin to all who entered.

If a person wanted an oil painting of Sam Cooke or Jesus, he would go to Cozette’s. If kids needed wall-pops or candy, Cozette’s had them. Whatever the need, Cozette always met it at a bargain. She could undersell even the largest superstore because she had no compunction regarding expiration dates. Her aisles were a good dumping ground for old products. Children knew their chocolate bar may be a little harder and cracked if they got it at Cozette’s, but they also knew they could afford a coke and a pack of gum, too. Homemakers stretched their household dollars at Cozette’s as well. Old Rinso was just as good as new Ajax.

The aisles were swept but had the grimy dust on the edges that old stores were made of. Although the shelves were loosely organized with like goods piled together, one might find lawn darts while looking for week old Krispy Kreme donuts. These attributes, however, were not the main draw for Gratisians to keep coming back year after year.

Cozette’s people were hoodoo folk, and her mother, Odette, was the most prominent root doctor in the county. When she was growing up, they lived in the Neck in a single wide trailer, hidden by brambles and live oaks from the dirt road that wound in front. In that trailer she learned that even the most sophisticated people would spend good money on supernatural assistance. Everyone wanted an advantage. Many Monday mornings folks would find chicken bones and feathers at their front door, evidence of the hex put on them by Odette the night before.

Cozette didn’t believe in hoodoo, but she knew a product that could market itself. When she first opened the store she found a supplier of small bottles of elixirs out of south Alabama. They purported to assist users in various endeavors.

Card players would get Lucky Gambler elixirs, adulterers would get Forgiveness elixirs, and so on depending on the need. Cozette, being a natural entrepreneur, cut out the middle man and started making the elixirs herself. She contracted with a plant in Albany and bottled her own line of mystical, hoodoo-based liquids. She called them “The Root Doctor’s Own.”

She was able to secure large batches of off-quality men’s colognes which, along with distilled water, made up the ingredients for her potions. With their high alcohol content they would last. People lost faith in potions that smelled sour after a few weeks. Her personal favorite was Aqua Velva, as it was the easiest to acquire. She also used English Leather when it was available, and got favorable comments on a batch made from an eleven year old stock of Hai Karate.

The people who used these potions wanted some ritual to accompany them. Cozette made one up and printed it on the back of each bottle. It read, “Pour into tub of bathwater, get into the tub and anoint top of head. Pour tub water into bucket and mop hearth of home while reciting the 23rd Psalm. Open third eye and concentrate on object of desire. Be with God. Love the spirits.” After a couple of years she modified the instructions to include showering in regular water after bathing. Too many women were casting spells before a date and getting rejected for smelling like their dad’s cologne.

A few hours after his meeting with Kero and Newt, Delroy walked into Cozette’s. He loved the place. It felt like authentic Gratis to him, like a little of the town that existed before the new developments changed it. He bought every type of elixir Cozette sold, although he didn’t believe in hoodoo. They were Gratis’ folk art and their labels spoke more about the town’s people than any history book could.

He also came here to talk to Cozette when he needed information. He liked her and trusted her. They knew each other for years and both recognized a real native when they saw one. She also knew more about what was happening in town than just about anyone. People talked to Cozette and she was smart enough to listen.

Today, Delroy came seeking the biggest favor he had ever asked of anyone.

“What’s wrong with you, Delroy?” Cozette saw the worry hanging on him like a cheap jacket.

“Cozette, I need your help. Can we go to your back room?”

There, Delroy recounted his early morning visit with Kero and Newt. Cozette already knew about everything else.

“Cozette, this thing is going to get hot. Knox won’t care who gets hurt. I can’t say that I blame him, but I’m worried about my nephew and niece. I wonder if you’d be willing to take them for a while, just until I figure out whether anyone is going to want to do anything to them. I know it’s a lot, but I’m worried as hell.”

Cozette considered his request, looking at the worn man in front of her.
I ought to say no
, she thought.

“Delroy, I’ll take those kids. You’re going to owe me, though.”

“Cozette, anything you need, you’ve got. There’s nothing more important to me than those two, and I can’t tell you what your help means to me. When can I bring them?”

“Bring them by river over to my place later this afternoon. I’ll have my brother drive you back home and we’ll keep the boat. The roads might not be such good place for the kids right now, and you might want to leave through the back door. I don’t want to start lying to Tommy until I have to. Don’t worry about any others sniffing around. I know how to take care of them.” She kept a shotgun under the counter for overly curious types.

Delroy left and went to get the children ready. He knew Meg and Peck would be safe at Cozette’s but dreaded taking them from their mother. Delroy loved them but Anna lived for them. He was in for a day of tears but, if it meant their safety, Anna would finally let them go.

He got to Anna’s and told to her what he wanted to do. She asked him to explain why over and over, not wanting the answers he gave. In the end, though, she trusted him, and gathered the children’s things. Since they were going in the johnboat she only packed one suitcase.

After alternately hugging them, and asking again why they needed to leave, Anna finally let the children go. She smiled and waved to her babies as they left, watching them float away through a thin veil of tears. Finally, as they rounded the first bend in the river, they lost sight of her.

The children were quiet as they drifted away from home. The bird cries and fishtail slaps around them were brought into tempo by the constant croaking of frogs. The boat’s small motor hummed underneath. Delroy looked at his niece and nephew and wondered how the world had brought them here. One night he’s having a drink and debating about which kid to play at shortstop on Peck’s team. Now, this mess.

Life
. He hated how random it kept proving itself. One couldn’t do enough planning to keep it all from falling apart.
Loving is just heartache, nothing more
, he thought.
How do I keep these two from breaking
?

They entered the section of the Bird where it ran a bit faster and the south bank became a bramble opening into the Neck. There the swamp sapped the river. It never regained its full strength before joining another river nearer the coast. Here the Bird reminded him of his clients, those with demons too strong to beat. It reminded him of himself.

Off this broken river Delroy steered the johnboat forward. He pointed it down one of the small branches that broke away and led to Cozette’s. The water, stained dark with tannins, reflected a black sun, and his neck and ears turned red. Delroy kept looking ahead, keeping one eye on the channel and one on his charges.

They drifted down several smaller channels until Delroy caught sight of Cozette’s dock.
Thank God
, he thought, and steered his sad group until the water met the land. Cozette was there to meet him with a pack of at least ten dogs.

“Shut up boys. Leave these folks alone!” She yelled at the pack.

Delroy and the children got out of the boat. “Cozette, these are your newest houseguests. Kids, what do we say to Miss Cozette?”

“Hello Miss Cozette,” they both mumbled. Peck stared at the ground while Meg managed a weak smile.

“Well, hello to y’all. We are going to have so much fun. My brother stays with me, and we’re both glad to have you. Now go on inside and put your things away.”

The two walked up to the house, Peck dragging the suitcase. Delroy started to say thanks but Cozette cut him short.

“Keep your words to yourself. Just hope this thing doesn’t go through the summer. Like you said, you’re gonna owe me. The longer they stay the more it’ll be. You better keep an eye on that, Delroy, because I ain’t cheap.”

With that Cozette turned and walked toward the house. Delroy followed, wondering how much this summer would cost him in the end. He would pay it, that he was sure of, whatever it cost.