“What kind of work?”
“What kind you think? You know what Jasper do. Shit. Motherfucker runs half the county.”
“Did Latrell ever say anything to you about Jeff Spearman or anyone associated with Jeff Spearman?”
“He ain’t say shit about Mr. Spearman, but I ain’t surprised he was killing them kids. Latrell was crazy, man. He could be the chilliest motherfucker you know one minute, then the next minute he got a broken piece of glass to his throat saying he gonna end it all,” Darnell said.
“Did he ever say why he wanted to kill himself?” Titus asked. He thought he might know the answer, but Darnell was like a faucet that had been broken. Everything was pouring out now.
“I don’t know. I mean, last time I saw him he was acting weird. Like he was scared. Somebody had popped him upside the head.… Look, he said something, but if I tell you, you gotta cut me loose on this box thing. I swear on a stack of Bibles on my mama’s back I didn’t know what was in that motherfucker,” Darnell said.
Titus leaned forward. “That depends on what you have to say.”
Darnell bounced his leg up and down, fidgeting violently in his chair. “Look, last time I talked to Latrell was about a week ago. He said he was at the Watering Hole picking up a package for Jasper to take it to somebody in Gloucester. He said he went to the bathroom and heard Jasper talking. Said he could hear the echo or some shit from his office. Said he heard Jasper say he had a deputy in his pocket. That every time y’all try and bust him that deputy gives him a call and he gives that deputy an envelope. He said Jasper was laughing cuz he knew the deputy was putting that cash in the bank like a dumbass. Then when he come out the bathroom he say something to Jasper and Cotton about the deputy they got and he says Cotton smacked him upside the head. Then he says he wasn’t worried about Cotton and Jasper. He says he had bigger problems than them two. I don’t know what the fuck could be a problem worse than Jasper and Cotton. That’s all I know, I swear.”
Titus didn’t let any emotion show on his face, but he felt his insides roil like a hurricane was swirling in his chest. If he hadn’t had that conversation with Marquis, he would have probably dismissed Darnell’s statement as the ramblings of a drug addict desperate to get out of a hole of his own making. But he’d had that conversation. And now he was getting a second source saying one of his deputies was dirty. He didn’t believe in coincidence, but he did believe in a preponderance of evidence.
He thought back to the bruise he’d seen on Latrell’s face on the steps of the high school.
“You making this up, Darnell? You lying to me?” Titus asked.
“Shit, man, you asked and I’m telling you. What I got to lie for? Latrell ain’t the first person I heard say it. Lot of people think Jasper got one of your boys in his pocket.”
Titus ignored that comment but filed it away for later. “Did Latrell ever say anything about Mr. Spearman in connection with Jasper? Did he ever say anything about them hanging out together?” Titus asked.
Darnell shook his head. “Nah, he never mentioned Mr. Spearman at all. But Mr. Spearman was a freak.”
Titus sat forward. “Why you say that?”
Darnell gazed up at the ceiling as he spoke. “When I was in school, I was trying to stay on the basketball team, but all we had was a piece-of-shit car. I was missing practices and shit. One day I smacked the shit out of Chris Mason in geography class cuz he was teasing me about it, right? So, Spearman has me stay after class instead of sending me to the office. He asked me what was going on, so I told him. He was like, ‘I’ll give you a ride home from practice.’ I was like, for real? Bet.” Darnell lowered his head and locked eyes with Titus.
“First time he gives me a ride, we shook hands. Second time, he wanted a hug. Third time, it was a long-ass hug. Fourth time … well, there wasn’t no fifth time. I got kicked off the team, and since I was only going to school to ball, I dropped out. All because that freak wanted me to jerk him off,” Darnell said.
Titus felt his gorge rise, but he forced it back down into his guts. “You never told anyone?” Titus asked.
Darnell barked. “Who would you believe? Teacher of the year or a Black dropout?”
“If I’d been here, I would have believed you,” Titus said.
“Yeah, well, you wasn’t,” Darnell said.
Titus stood. “Stay here. I’ll be back in a few.”
“Where’m I going?” Darnell asked.
* * *
“What’s he saying?” Pip asked.
They were sitting in the office. Titus had put the box in the evidence locker. He’d put the ziplock bag in a red biohazard bag. He’d have to get it up to the ME tomorrow.
“He said Latrell did some work for Jasper. He told me Spearman tried to molest him once. He didn’t seem to know anything about him and Latrell, though. But I’m pretty sure whoever was working with those two is who sent him up here,” Titus said.
“Now, what makes you think that? No offense, but I’ve personally arrested Darnell five times for possession. How he stays on at the fish house is gotta be a miracle. Hell, he probably high right now,” Pip said.
“It ain’t about him. It’s about who sent him. Think about it. We go by the fish house and interview folks about Latrell. One of the people we talk to is Darnell Posey. And then he just happens to show up here with a box with Cole Marshall’s face in it? Nah, somebody saw us talking to Darnell and they decided to use him to make a point,” Titus said.
“What kind of point?” Pip said.
“They know we’re after them. And they are daring us to catch them,” Titus said. He yawned for a good while and stretched his arms skyward until his back cracked. “Tomorrow I’m going to have to talk to Elias again. And Jasper.”
“Hey, why don’t you let Douglas take Jasper? I mean, with Marquis fucking up Austin and you making Cotton sound like Candyman, he might get a better reaction,” Pip said.
Titus considered it. “Yeah, that’s a good idea. I want to know where Jasper was last night,” Titus said.
“You think he’s the third man, do you?” Pip asked.
“Darnell said he was using Latrell as a mule. He had Cotton smack him around. Sounds like a person of interest to me,” Titus said. He didn’t tell Pip about Darnell’s bribery accusation.
“So, tell me, why didn’t you ever run for sheriff, Pip?” Titus asked.
Pip chuckled. “Every time the thought crossed my mind I would come in here and look at Ward and see the way his shoulders were slumped from carrying that weight. No, sir; no, thank you, I don’t need those kinds of problems.”
“Smart man,” Titus said.
* * *
Darlene was asleep when he got back to the house. She was spread out across his bed like an invitation. Her body was positioned perfectly for him to slip up behind and wrap his arms around her midsection. When he did, she put her hands on top of his and pushed herself against him.
“You, okay?” she whispered.
“Yeah,” he lied.
SIXTEEN
Later that next morning Titus hit the ground running. He got to the office by seven. By seven thirty he was rooting through the evidence locker for Marquis’s belt. His had snapped on him when he bent over to tie his shoe. He hoped that wasn’t an omen for the rest of the day.
When Carla came in, he sent her to Richmond with the box that had been delivered to the sheriff’s station and all the contents therein. He gathered the rest of the crew to give them their marching orders.
“Steve, go back to the fish house. Push ’em hard. Latrell and Darnell and Cole worked there, and now Darnell brings us Cole Marshall’s face. I want to know if Spearman had any connection to anyone at the fish house. Don’t leave until you get some answers,” Titus said.
“Sure thing,” Steve said.
“We haven’t gotten the official word, but I’m ninety-nine percent sure that’s Cole Marshall at the ME’s office. Steve, bring his girlfriend up here. I want to talk to her by the end of the day. I told Carla to check his cell phone while she’s up there. See who he last talked to or communicated with. Someone got him to go out to Ten Devil’s Hop Road,” Titus said.
“I wonder if he got set up. That service road is a well-known hookup spot,” Davy said.
“How do you know that?” Douglas asked.
“I … I mean, I’ve run some kids off from there before,” Davy stuttered.
“I’m just messing with you, Davy,” Douglas said.
“Douglas, you go talk to Jasper and Cotton. I want to know where they were last night and when was the last time they talked to Latrell,” Titus said.
“Um … I have a question,” Davy said.
“Go ahead,” Titus said.
“So, you said Spearman did … things to them kids and the third man did things too. But you said on the videos Latrell was kinda just there,” Davy said.
“Yeah, what’s your question, Davy?”