chapter 39
MOON PIE AND Levi took their time driving back to Columbus. They stopped in Amory, Mississippi, and ate supper at one of the ubiquitous Mexican restaurants now scattered all over the South. They ordered steak fajitas after their cheese dip. Levi commented that they were probably the only diners in the state who had nearly a million dollars in cash stashed in their automobile at that moment. Moon Pie agreed with a loud laugh.
Levi was amazed at how the excitement of future earnings combined with the margaritas made Moon Pie talk. He yammered about their shared daddy and how he had taught him to poach, fish, and live off the land. They talked about the Swamp People show on the History Channel, and while he knew Levi wanted to be on The Bachelorette, Moon Pie wanted to try alligator hunting in the bayous of Louisiana. He had already poached a few gators in Tibbee Creek, near West Point, and he had his eye on a ten-footer in the Noxubee Refuge. He liked the challenge.
Moon Pie talked to Levi more than he ever had before, and he even opened up about that night in Sumter County that made him go on the run. Levi listened intently while Moon Pie drove.
“I blame all that shit on Johnny Lee,” Moon Pie said. “He never planned anything in his life. He just jumped on whatever opportunities came his way. I read what was in the papers about that night and compared it to bits and pieces that Reese told me over the two-way phone. They should have never been out there. There was no real money. It was just something for their drunk asses to do on a Friday night. When it got ugly and Johnny Lee got shot, they weren’t near prepared to deal with how much that guy wanted to survive and protect his little girl. Remember that…when folks are fightin’ for family, it’s all different. If I put a pistol in somebody’s face and ask for their wallet, they’ll give it to me…but if I try and hurt their kid, that changes everythin’, even if you got that pistol stuck in their ear. That’s love, man, and that’s some very powerful shit.”
“So how in the hell did you not get charged with anything?” Levi asked.
“I was really lucky. Really lucky. The chick I grabbed couldn’t or wouldn’t ID me…did you know they moved to Atlanta? Yeah, sure did; I think I freaked her out. Although the sheriff knew I had been to Johnny Lee’s trailer that night, that’s all they had on me. It still pisses me off that Reese is dead. He was my partna’. I liked him a lot. Johnny Lee, on the other hand, was a real pain in the ass most times. But the good news is, I got all that river-runnin’ business. I guess things work out…sometimes.”
“So? Reese just called you up and said go grab this dude’s wife and without askin’ any questions, you just up and done it?” Levi asked in amazement.
“Yeah, man…that’s how it works…plus, I was tryin’ to make a name for myself and they were the big dogs, and their ox was in the ditch. I was gonna help push or pull. Whatever was needed.”
Levi shook his head.
“I’d expect you to do the same shit for me. You would, right?” Moon Pie asked.
“Of course…I mean, hell yeah…of course I would,” Levi answered, although he wasn’t as positive as he tried to sound.
“Yeah, well, you don’t seem real sure. I get that. Reese asked a lot of me that night. He paid a heavy price…and hell, I did too. I’m still payin’. Those freakin’ deputies are still watching me. I see ’em. I just gotta be extra careful, that’s all. But that’s the difference in me and Johnny Lee. He’d do some off-the-wall, crazy shit, man. I think things through, and I’ve always got a backup plan,” Moon Pie explained as he parked the FJ Cruiser behind the Gold Mine.
The digital dash clock glowed 9:02 when Moon Pie turned off the ignition. He and Levi looked around for anything suspicious.
Moon Pie pulled a small semiauto pistol from the glove box and stuck it into the pocket of his fleece jacket and then looked at Levi. “You let me get the back door open, and then you bring the bag in. If someone drives up, stay in the truck.”
“Gotcha.”
Moon Pie keyed open the back door, then flipped on the light switch. After a quick glance around inside, he waved at Levi.
Struggling with the weight of the bag, Levi awkwardly hurried inside. Moon Pie slammed the door behind him and immediately threw the dead bolt. He calmly punched the alarm code, and the keypad turned a soft shade of green. Only he and Levi knew the entrance code. Moon Pie then went to the safe and punched in his six-digit code. Swinging the heavy door back, he pulled out two guns to make room for the cash. He handed them to Levi.
“We may need these this weekend anyway.”
“I love deer season.”
“It does make life easier when the season’s in…I don’t mean the huntin’, I mean the not gettin’ caught.”
“I hear ya,” Levi said as he grabbed the two rifles. One was a Steyr Mannlicher .270 with expensive night-vision optics, and the other was an old Sako .264 bull barrel with a high-powered scope. Both were covered in Mossy Oak camo tape, and Moon Pie bragged that if you laid them down in the woods, they’d disappear. These were Moon Pie’s favorite guns, and he could remember exactly where he’d stolen them. Even with factory loads, they both shot dime-size groups at a hundred yards. Levi leaned each gently in the corner of the office behind the door.
“Hand me that bag,” Moon Pie demanded.
After some pushing and shuffling, the bag was in place. Moon Pie replaced one gun, leaving the other out for his opening-morning hunt. He slowly shut the safe door and locked it.
“You should tell me the code. What if you’re gone and I need something? How am I gonna get in there?”
“I’ll tell you then. That’s why we got cell phones.”
“Dude, you can trust me. I’m your brother.”
“Half brother, and there’s over a million dollars cash in there right now. I can’t trust nobody. Maybe Momma. Maybe. But she ain’t gettin’ the code either.”
“It would show how much you trust me.”
“Like I just said, I don’t trust nobody.”
“Not even me?” Levi asked as he looked down.
Moon Pie could tell Levi’s feelings were hurt. Deep down, he wanted to trust Levi. He rode Levi’s ass hard all the time, but that came with the territory. Moon Pie actually needed and wanted somebody he could trust with everything. He stared at his half brother and knew he shouldn’t tell anyone the code.
“That bag of money ain’t mine. If it doesn’t get in the right hands in a few days—you see this thing on my leg—I’m dead.”
“That’s exactly why we need to take it up a notch. Help each other. I got your back.”
“You got my back?”
“Yeah, I do, brother.”
Moon Pie wanted to change the subject. “I’ll think about it.”
“Come on.”
“I said, I’ll think about it. Don’t push it!”
Levi looked at him with a slightly cocked head.
Moon Pie smiled. “Come on. Let’s go get a beer. I’m thirsty.”