chapter 96
LEVI PARKED IN front of Woody’s parents’ house. Woody still lived with his folks and bullied both. Levi had heard Bailey talk about how Woody’s mother cooked whatever he wanted to eat, made his bed every morning, did his laundry, and ironed his dark-blue pants and work shirts, with his name embroidered above the left chest pocket. Woody treated his mother like crap, and that was reason enough for Levi to despise him. Levi loved his momma.
Twenty seconds after Levi knocked on the door, the porch light came on and a woman’s soft voice asked, “Who is it?”
“My name’s Levi. I’m a friend of Woody’s.”
“Who?”
Levi smiled and then said, “My name’s Levi. I’m a friend of Woody’s. Is he home?”
“No. He’s not here.”
Levi expected that the couple were probably scared to open the door because of Woody’s lowlife friends.
“Ma’am, do you know where he is?”
“He’s at work.”
Levi could confirm that easily with a drive-by of the steel mill’s parking lot. If Woody’s car was there, it would greatly reduce the likelihood that Woody had stolen the money. Levi knew that if Woody had come into a large sum of money, he would never weld again.
“Thank you. I’m sorry to have bothered you. Have a good night,” Levi said and then walked off the porch to his car.
When he got behind the wheel, he could see Woody’s parents looking through a window at him. As he backed out of the driveway, the porch light darkened. He thought about the old couple and was glad they had each other. That made him think of Bailey, and he wondered why she hadn’t called. He tried to think of reasons he hadn’t heard from her. She had had fun at the concert, he could tell. His thoughts quickly went to the far edge, and he wondered if the Tennessee Mexicans somehow knew about her and had kidnapped her for leverage.
Levi grabbed his prepaid cell and dialed Moon Pie’s number. Moon Pie, out of breath, answered on the third ring.
“Man, I’m glad you called,” Moon Pie said before Levi could say anything.
Levi smiled knowingly. Moon Pie needed something. That’s why he answered the phone this time but not the fifteen other times Levi had called today.
“I was just checkin’ on you to see if you made it.”
“Nah, not yet. I got delayed. I’ll tell you about it later. Get me some big bandages and some hydrogen peroxide, and meet me at the Chevron station on 45, where you turn to go to Caledonia, in about an hour or so,” Moon Pie demanded.
Levi could hear a different pitch and cadence in his half brother’s voice. He sensed excitement and stress. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I just gotta bad wound that won’t stop bleeding.”
“You get cut?”
“I got shot.”
“Shot! What the hell happened?”
“I ain’t got time to tell ya. I’m okay. Just meet me there,” Moon Pie said and then abruptly hung up.
Levi couldn’t believe it. Moon Pie was deep into something bad, something that had gotten him shot. Levi was fairly sure that it wasn’t a jealous husband, since Moon Pie had mentioned on their return trip from picking up the Mexicans’ cash that he hadn’t been with a woman in several weeks. That’s it! It’s them damn Mexicans, he thought as he drove Military Road back into town.
As Levi passed the Columbus Country Club, his phone rang. When he looked down and saw the number calling, he immediately hit the send button to answer, forgetting everything else. “Hey, babe, I’m glad you called.”
“You are?”
“Of course. Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m…I’m…I’m just kinda bummed out. I’ve got a lot on my mind.”
“Wanna talk?” Levi asked, turning onto the entrance ramp for Highway 82. He was going to check on Woody at work. He added, “I’m a great listener.”
“I need to. I wanna ask you a question.”
“Where are you? I’ll come to you.”
“No. First, I need to ask you a few questions, and I’m scared I’ll run you off.”
“Run me off?”
“It’s possible.”
“Not really, so ask away,” he said.
Bailey took a deep breath. “Okay, the last few weeks have been really fun, and I feel like we’ve got somethin’ special goin’. I need to know if you feel it too.”
Levi smiled, thinking of her struggling to ask this question. “Yes, of course I feel it too, and I don’t like bein’ away from you or not knowin’ where you’re at.”
Bailey beamed. “That’s good. I’m not sayin’ it’s goin’ anywhere serious, but I just know it feels different and that maybe it could.”
“I agree. We’ve got potential.”
“Exactly…and, well…I need to know if you’ll still be my friend and feel that way if you find out I did something really, really stupid.”
“Stupid? Like dyed your hair orange or stupid like made a sex tape?”
Bailey sighed deeply. “You’re gonna hate me.”
“Bailey, try me.”
“I helped steal something.”
“Well, can you give it back?”
“It’s not that simple. Others are involved, and I’m sure they’re pissed at me.”
“Bailey, everybody makes mistakes.”
“Yeah, I keep tellin’ myself that, but it’s not helpin’.”
“Who are the others?”
“My grandmomma and her friends.”
Levi thought about the group at the table and how anxious the men were to find Bailey.
“What did y’all do? Rob a bank?” he asked with a chuckle.
“Kinda.”
Levi was stunned and suddenly had an inkling of what may have occurred and why she might be feeling so remorseful. “Bailey, where are you?”
“Are you mad? I’m not a bad person,” she said, starting to cry. “At least I didn’t use to be.”
“No, I’m not mad. I wanna help. I don’t want you gettin’ hurt. Where are you? I need to see you.”
“I’m at the Golden Moon Casino hotel in Philadelphia.”
“Don’t leave, and don’t let anyone into your room. I’m comin’ down there right now, and I promise we’ll work all this out. Okay?”
“Okay,” she said and felt some relief.
“I’ll be there in an hour. Promise me you’ll be there.”
“I will.”
“And Bailey, I still feel the same way. Nothing’s changed.”
Levi stomped on the gas pedal, and the old truck’s engine roared.