Alex Kava Bundle - Alex Kava [555]
“Sure, it’s up the road, past the Millers’ old sawmill. Mrs. Shelby died just a few years ago, but I think her son still lives out there.”
“Can you show me on the map?”
He stared at the lines and blue spots and nothing looked familiar.
“We’re right here.” She pointed to an area, but it didn’t look like anything to him except some red intersecting lines. She was looking up at him with a frown. Or was it worry? He didn’t know her well enough to know if she was upset with him or feeling sorry for him. He’d rather have her upset with him.
“Luc, can you show me?”
“I can show you, but I can’t show you on the map.” He went to the door and grabbed his black beret and a jacket.
“No, you can’t come with me, Luc.”
“That’s the only way I know how to show you.”
“Can’t you just give me directions? How far up the road? Is it on Whippoorwill Drive?”
“I’m really not being stubborn,” he said, and tried not to get embarrassed again. “But I can’t tell you. I can’t put it into words.” His hands were already flying, trying to help him explain. “I have to show you by…well, by showing you.”
She hesitated, standing with arms crossed, looking like she was trying to decide. “Okay, but you promise you’ll stay in the car.”
“Sure, I can do that. Why are you interested in the old Shelby place?”
“I need to check something out. Remember you told me that when the butcher shop closed someone bought all the equipment?”
“Oh, yeah. But I don’t remember who it was. Seems like I should know.”
“I found out. It was Ralph Shelby’s son. He bought everything, every last piece.”
“Really? Hmm…I wonder what he wanted with all that old stuff.”
“That’s what I want to find out.”
CHAPTER 60
Henry knew he had the rock quarry killer. The entire trip back to the station Wally Hobbs kept complaining about his stomach hurting. In that tinny voice he begged Henry to stop the car so he could throw up. Well, at least the bastard waited until they got to the County Sheriff’s Office. He thought about making Hobbs clean up the mess, but he knew he shouldn’t push his good fortune.
Now he had Hobbs handcuffed to a metal folding chair in their interrogation room. Actually, it wasn’t really an interrogation room but a break room with a coffeemaker and an empty plate of crumbs.
He had already read him his rights, or his version of them. Sometimes he knew he left out a word or two.
“What do you think you were doing, Walter?” He wondered if he could bully the little man into confessing. Then he remembered that Hobbs’s partner was the biggest bully in town. He had probably built up some kind of immunity. “You want me to call your sister?”
“No. Don’t call Lillian.”
“What’s wrong? You don’t want your sister knowing you dig up bodies and slice them up?”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’ve seen your handiwork, Hobbs. What is it with you? You kill some and when you get bored you dig some up?”
“I haven’t killed anyone.”
“How could you dig up someone like Steve Earlman? Don’t you have any respect for the dead?”
“I didn’t dig him up.”
Wally Hobbs’s eyes were the size of quarters and sweat poured down his forehead. Henry could smell him.
“How many have you killed and how many have you dug up?”
“Wait. You’ve got to listen to me. I didn’t kill anyone.”
“Right.”
“Marley and Calvin and me, we just wanted to make some extra money.”
“Marley? Jake Marley?” Henry sat down on the edge of the table. “Marley’s in this with you?”
“We didn’t think it would hurt anybody. Life insurance policies usually pay for everything, so it’s not like we were taking it out of the families’ pockets.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“I was just trying to fix it so that if anyone checked they wouldn’t know.”
“Check what?” Suddenly it was hot in the room and Henry needed to open a window.
“If anyone checked…you know, Steve Earlman’s grave. Marley sells them the vault, but we don’t actually use a vault. We divide the money three ways.” Hobbs looked scared. “It was Marley’s