chapter 62
MOON PIE SAT in the dark, chain-smoking cigarettes, waiting for Levi. By 2:10 a.m., he had been through every scenario he could imagine, trying to determine a way to at least keep the cash and possibly even Tam’s drugs. Each scenario, however, involved him eventually losing his life in a manner that would make a sadomasochist flinch. Moon Pie finally settled on making the drop as planned, demonstrating to Tam that he was more than capable of handling the business in Tam’s absence.
When Levi finally dragged in, Moon Pie snuffed out his cigarette and cussed him for not responding to his calls or texts. The only way Levi finally got him to settle down was by telling him the story about seeing Jake Crosby at the concert. Moon Pie loved the message that he had passed to Jake and laughed hard about it.
“You know, truth be told, Crosby did me a favor.” Moon Pie lit another cigarette.
Levi’s eyes were closed. All he wanted to do was to go to sleep. “How so?”
“I’ve told ya, I wouldn’t be the main runner in the area if Johnny Lee was alive and kickin’.”
“Yeah, but he was your friend.”
“He was an a*shole. Always wantin’ to fight. He had a plate put in his head after he fell off a four-wheeler and was just plain mean after that.”
“What about Reese?” Levi asked without much interest.
“He shoulda never even called me that night. They shoulda handled it themselves insteada draggin’ my sorry ass into it and then makin’ me promise I’d avenge Johnny Lee’s murder.”
Levi hovered somewhere between sleep and boredom while he listened to Moon Pie rant. In between nodding his agreement, Levi kept thinking about trees and out-of-state colleges. He knew that he needed to get away from his half brother’s bad influence and make his own life—one that didn’t include looking over his shoulder for the police or a rival runner. All he needed was the ability to pay the bills while he focused on school. About fifty grand is all I need.
“Okay, in the morning I’ll get them to meet us at the Barton Ferry boat ramp,” Moon Pie said as he stood to go to bed.
“Bad idea; there may be duck hunters scoutin’ the river. The first three-day season comes in next week,” Levi explained.
“You gotta better idea?” Moon Pie said as he turned off the television.
“What about the abandoned bomb-makin’ plant in Prairie? It’s a huge place, and nobody’s ever there. It’s easy to hide and defend. Plus, it ain’t that far.”
“The reason nobody’s ever there is cuz it’s haunted, dumb ass. Don’t you remember that TV show filming up there and that good-lookin’ reporter gettin’ attacked?”
“I didn’t see it,” Levi said as he tried to close his eyes again.
Moon Pie tossed his iPad onto Levi’s lap, making him jump, and then sat back down in his recliner. “Google Prairie, Mississippi, bomb plant and you’ll find it. I don’t do ghosts.”
“Hell, Moon, half these big-ass old houses ’round here are haunted. And I thought you said you want to live in an antebellum mansion.”
“They’re cool, but I don’t want a haunted one.”
“Good luck with that. Even that fancy old Waverley mansion has that little-girl ghost in it.”
“I might could handle a little-girl ghost. But unh-uh, this thing at Prairie…that grabbed that reporter. I don’t wanna get grabbed,” Moon Pie said as he sucked the bottom out of his beer.
“Come on, we won’t even go in the building. We’ll just meet around back. It’s a safe place.”
“You got a point there,” Moon Pie said in a rare agreement.
“It’s a great place to do the exchange. You know it.”
“All right, but you gotta watch that video first.”
“Man, you’re such a badass and you spend all night out in the woods by yourself poachin’…and you’re scared of ghosts?” Levi asked, astonished.
“I don’t want no dead Confederate touchin’ me. That place is built on a mass grave of Confederate soldiers. That shit creeps me out, man.”
“Have you ever seen a ghost?”
“Once,” Moon Pie said as he leaned forward.
“Where?”
“In Clay County about four years ago. I got dropped off after dark at those rich folks’ huntin’ club on the west side of the Chuquatonchee Creek. I was watching a whole pile a deer in the moonlight in this bare bean field when an old man in a Confederate uniform and a top hat came out the woods across the field like he was going to a meetin’. I ain’t never been back…and that was one helluva good place to deer hunt too.”
“I think you musta been smokin’ that night.”
“Nope. I wasn’t stoned; I was in serious stealth mode. That old dude just about freaked me out. I’ve heard ’bout others seein’ him too. I ain’t the only one. He looked just like the pictures of Robert E. Lee. It was some crazy shit, man.”
“You seen Robert E. Lee walkin’ in the woods?”
“No, dipshit. I said he looked like Robert E. Lee. You know, that old-guy-with-a-beard look.”
“It was dark. How the hell could you see details?” Levi asked.
“The moon was real bright. I could see fine through that big scope I got. And you know I got cat eyes.”
“Okay. Fine. Whatever—just call them boys and tell ’em we’ll meet up tomorrow.”
“You found that video clip yet?” Moon Pie asked as he stood and started toward his bedroom.
“Almost,” Levi responded as he Googled the words arboriculture degree.
“Just watch it and you’ll see that the place is haunted,” Moon Pie said as he shut his bedroom door.