Cornelia gripped Rae Lynn’s hand tighter. “No!”
Several things happened at once. To Rae Lynn’s left the blast of a shotgun rang and the hot spatter of tar, like black raindrops, fell, stinging the arm she’d put around Cornelia. Above them, Crow yelled, “Sonofabitch!” and Cornelia’s sudden cry of pain made Rae Lynn believe she’d been shot. Instead, half of Cornelia’s head and face were slathered in the hot tar, and it ran in slow motion over her beautiful dark hair, her cheeks, and her neck. A glob of it fell into Rae Lynn’s lap. Mouth open, soundless, Cornelia lurched to her feet, flapping both hands like a bird trying to take flight.
Rae Lynn shouted at Otis and Crow, “What has she ever done to you?”
Otis appeared filled with confusion, while Crow stared stupidly at his bleeding hand. Rae Lynn rushed to Cornelia’s side.
Otis, fury filling his voice, yelled at Crow, “Look at what you done, you idiot! Not my wife! Her!”
Beyond the chaos, and through a glaze of tears, Rae Lynn saw Del Reese running toward them, shotgun still raised to his shoulder. Too late, she thought. Too late, too late.
Chapter 27
Del
Del ran to the women huddled together on the ground and assessed the horrible deed done to them.
“I tried to get him before this happened.”
In the periphery of his thoughts came gorgeous when Rae Lynn raised her eyes to him, but that thought evaporated like mist under a hot sun when she spoke. Her voice had a hitch in it.
“Too late.”
It was true. If he’d been a second sooner, Crow would be the only one nursing an injury. Peewee, his hair dripping, his face covered with soap, came running, still in the process of pulling his suspenders over his shoulders. It was apparent he’d been washing up. His eyes grew big and round as he stared at the women and then at Crow.
Crow immediately yelled, “That sonofabitch shot me!” while Del offered nothing.
Peewee was flummoxed.
He said, “What in the hell’s going on. What happened to Cornelia?”
Crow pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and wrapped it around what amounted to nothing more than a nick.
He said, “I’m gonna tell you what’s going on, and any questions you might’ve had about a certain somebody’s gonna be answered.”
Otis was in a dither, trying to get ahold of Cornelia’s hand, only she kept batting him away.
Crow pointed at Rae Lynn. “Otis caught her kissing his wife.”
Otis exclaimed, “S’truth! I seen it with my own eyes.” Rae Lynn gave an imperceptible shake of her head, and Del was willing to bet cold, hard cash it hadn’t happened that way.
Bewildered, Peewee said, “And so you dumped hot tar on Cornelia?”
Crow pointed with his bandaged hand at Del. “If he hadn’t shot my hand it would’ve gone where it was intended!”
Otis circled them like a buzzard.
“He was gonna dump it on her!”
His flailed his arms wildly at Rae Lynn, who helped Cornelia to her feet. The women started for the house and Otis fell in behind them, blabbering and making a nuisance of himself. If the situation hadn’t been so tragic, Del would’ve laughed at how each time he got within a foot of his wife, she swatted him away. The women went inside with Otis trailing after them dejectedly.
Peewee said, “Sweeney. First thing, you’re fired. Second, you ain’t leaving before you pay for what you done here today. You know, since you’re always talking about what’s fair.”
Del sure did appreciate this side of Peewee.
He snapped his fingers like he’d just had a thought, but in reality, he’d been knowing all along if he had a chance, what he’d do.
“I got just the remedy.”
Peewee spread his arms wide, indicating he didn’t much care what Del decided.
He said, “Just don’t kill him ’cause I have to answer to that.”
Del gestured at Crow with the shotgun. “Git moving.”
Crow’s jaw jutted out. “I ain’t going no damn where.”
Del said, “Sure you are.”
He aimed at Crow’s boots. “Sure would be easier walking if you ain’t got your foot shot too.”
Peewee said, “Be a man about it and do as he says.”
With a furious look at them both, Crow started walking, but he taunted them as they went.
“What’re y’all gonna do? Take me out to the woods and shoot me like an old dog?”
The men said nothing, so he tried another avenue.
“Tell you what. Y’all let me take my chances in that swamp, and you won’t see hide nor hair of me again. Might be a good way to get out from under the old lady too. Heh, heh.”
Del wished he’d shut up. He cut his eyes toward Peewee, who rolled his at Del. Minutes later, they stood under the silver-coated sky, air thick as syrup and reminding them they still had a lot of summer to get through.
Del said, “Step on in.”
Crow stared down into the box and didn’t move. As Del watched him hesitate, he became thoughtful.
“I reckon you’re scared. You got good reason to be. Lots a men didn’t make it out ’cause of what you done to’em beforehand. If you’re the praying sort, I’d pray if I was you. That wood is soaked with them you left to rot. They’ll come for you, when you least expect it.”
Crow was stone-faced, and Del couldn’t resist a small dig.
“Get in, and get comfy.”
Crow’s eyes scanned the area like he might try to escape. The woods and the swamp beyond offered him no more reassurance than what sat on the ground before him. He finally did as he’d been asked; he stepped in, and he sat. He turned a little pale, and Del imagined he was catching a whiff of the special essence it held.
Del said, “Oh, come on. You told them it won’t so bad.”
Crow shot him dead with a look. Del reached for the lid, and Crow was forced to lie down. He remained uncharacteristically quiet until it was almost shut.
Then, he said, “You best keep eyes in the back of your head, the both of you. When I get outta here, first thing I’m gonna do is—”
Del slammed it shut and secured the padlock. From inside came a deathly silence, and he sensed Crow glaring in his direction. Neither man spared another glance at the wooden container as they walked back into Swallow Hill.
“Maybe that’ll learn him good,” said Peewee.
Del said, “Maybe. He might get hell-bent on retaliation.”
Peewee said, “Wished I’d known how he was. What I need is more men like you and Ballard, less like him ’cause he won’t nothing but trouble. I’m gonna put Woodall on notice too. To tell the truth, I don’t know if I want to stick around and manage this place much longer. I might want someone to run this joint and deal with all there is to deal with.”
Del thought Peewee was hinting, but he had his own plan about his future.
When Del didn’t respond, Peewee said, “How long you reckon I ought to keep him in there?”
Del said, “Good question. You got a key?”
Peewee stopped. “Ain’t nobody ever had it that I know of, but him.”
They looked at each other and at the same time said, “Uh-oh.”
Peewee waved a hand. “Ain’t a problem. I’ll get somebody to bust it open when I think he’s had enough. I reckon I best let his wife know he won’t be home for a couple days.”
Del gave Peewee a surprised look. “Whose wife?”
Peewee pointed over his shoulder to where they’d been. “His.”
Incredulous, Del said, “She’s his wife?”
“Who you think’s over at his place? His mama?”
“Well. Yeah.”
Peewee grunted. “That’s been the joke round here. She’s got land here in Georgia. Wants her a son, ’cording to him. He’d get a good chunk of acreage if that happened. His dream come true, so he said. I guess the idea turned sour on him, her pestering him about a baby. He come here so he wouldn’t have to perform his conjugal duties, if you get my meaning.”
Del thought again about what he’d seen.