The Devil To Pay (Hennessey.) (133 page)

She spoke in clipped tones and her expression was almost haughty but he knew she was deeply wounded by his apparent dismissal of her. He wanted to tell her he hadn’t meant it but had to keep up the pretence that she was nothing but trouble to him to throw off the two detectives.

He said offhandedly, ‘I think I can cope. But if ever I need my place invaded by bad guys or set alight, I’ll let you know.’

She flinched as though he had slapped her. Before she could reply Leyton stepped forward and after giving Lando a m
alevolent look took her arm saying gently, ‘come on, let’s get you cleaned up before we head back to Mississippi.’

She kept her gaze locked with Lando’s for a few seconds longer then nodded to Leyton and let him lead her away.

Lando did not turn to watch her go but Sullivan did a smug smile on his face. ‘That’s women for you, Lando, not one you can trust and they all bring trouble eventually.’

Lando looked him up and down as though he were something distasteful. Sullivan’s face darkened then he turned to Lomax and said, ‘fax or email me a copy of his statement when you have it and if there’s anything I think needs clarifying, or something that doesn’t quite ring true, which will be just about all of it, I’ll be in touch,’ he looked at Lando, ‘you can count on that.’

Lando ignored him and Sullivan after casting him a look of dislike said to Lomax, ‘sheriff.’

Lomax said, ‘D
etective.’ Sullivan tuned and followed his partner and Adela through the woods towards the town.

Lomax turned to Lando, ‘well, Jonas.’

‘Well, sheriff.’

‘You’ll need someone to take care of your menagerie whilst you’re gone.’

Lando’s face was a picture of confusion and suspicion. The sheriff held out the rifle to him, ‘you’ll need this.’

Lando looked at his own weapon as though Lomax was handing him an explosive device then slowly reached out to take it as if Lomax might snatch it back and say “got ya.”

But he didn’t and Lando said simply ‘why?’

Lomax shrugged, ‘I can’t expect my townsfolk to have faith in me if I don’t have faith in them.’ Lomax then handed him his car keys saying.'

Lando’s throat constricted at this gesture, a gesture of trust and friendship. The lump in his throat prevented him from speaking but his expression said everything he needed to say.

Lomax s
aid, 'you need any help, Jonas?’

Lando was all business again as he checked his rifle. He shook his head, ‘no, sheriff, no need for us both to do time in the state Penn, I been there and believe me, you wouldn’t like it.’ He gave a half smile to take any seriousness out of his words.

Lomax laughed, ‘no, I reckon not. Well, you better get going.’

Lando nodded and moved to go but turned back and held out his hand to Lomax, the othe
r man gripped it firmly, ‘good luck, Jonas.’ Lando nodded then was gone.

Lomax watched Lando disappear amongst the trees then sighed and said under his breath, ‘take care, son.’ He then turned to the others and yelled, ‘how we doing people?’

He was met with a chorus of questions, answers and advice. He smiled, well pleased with his townsfolk and friends.

                                                            ********

Meanwhile Lando was headed for town not quite believing what had just happened. Not only that Lomax had handed him his own weapon and given him permission to follow the woman, but everything. That he had lost his home, that everything he possessed had been destroyed, things that had once belonged to his grandparents, things they had owned and used. But no, he had not lost everything; he still had the most important things, Dante, Josie and her foal as well as his other animals.
They
were really all that mattered.

Dante he still had because the woman had gone back for him. He better than anyone should know that a house did not make a home, not without someone, or something, to share it with, to care for, to protect, to love. Thanks to the townspeople, people he had rejected and despised and ignored, and the woman, he had something to come home too.

He thought of all of this to prevent himself from thinking about the woman and the way she had looked when he had said what he had. He had seen her look of guilt at his words; it probably matched his own at uttering them, she had enough guilt to deal with as it was without him adding to it. But it was the look of hurt in her eyes which now haunted him.

He cursed, impatient with himself, why should he care what she thought or felt? She had brought him nothing but trouble, had almost gotten him killed, so why should he care whether she was hurt or not? He told himself he was doing this because deep down he was still a cop and because he felt responsible for her whether he wanted to be or not.

He was so deep in thought that he jumped when the sound of a shot came to him. He froze on the spot trying to work out from which direction the shot had come. This is what you get he thought, when you let your mind wander, when you let your mind dwell on unimportant things, like women. 

Just then he heard two more shots in quick succession from his left, he moved quickly but stealthily in that direction. When he heard nothing more he stopped dead and listened but there was only silence, an eerie silence in a place usually so full of noise. He was used to these woods; he knew every path and swamp, every pitfall, every sight and sound, almost every tree, he was as attuned to the dangers here as he had been as a cop in the city.

He moved forward and had walked maybe fifty feet when he froze again at the sight of two bodies, one lying face down in the dirt, the other staring sightless at the sky.

He looked around but could hear or see no one around. He bent down next to the first body but already knew who it was before he turned him over. Sullivan. He had been shot in the heart, his gun was half out of its holster, he hadn’t even had time to draw his weapon.

Lando closed his eyes for a moment.  As a cop he had seen his fair share of sudden violent death, but no matter how many dead bodies he saw he had never gotten used to it, he had never wanted too. He owed it to the victim to be professional yet never losing sight of the fact that this person had once been a living breathing being, suffering all of life’s pains and ills and sorrows, and enjoying that same life’s pleasures and joys. 

In his view to get used to horrible, violent death was to become uncaring and complacent.

Most cops didn’t want to know about the victim, what they liked, disliked, loved or hated, what made them angry or happy. They preferred to put anything personal aside and concentrate on finding justice for them and considered that enough. But he didn’t feel like that, to him they were people still, dead or not, and deserved more than a cold, impersonal detachment. He had the idea that to feel anything less would put him on a par with the perpetrator who had taken that life so callously, that to become detached would make him lose his humanity. As the woman had said, to become dead inside. Like Hennessey.

He felt a special sadness towards Sullivan’s death, although he had not liked the man he had been a fellow cop, and even after almost eight years he still felt a certain affinity with law enforcement people.

He looked up and saw several holes in the trees caused by bullets he knew.

He turned to the other body. He had a single gunshot dead centre in his forehead, and part of the back of his head was missing. He had also been shot in the shoulder and both legs.

He had never seen this man before. He searched his pockets and found a cell phone and a driver's licence in the name of Terence Manning.

He ran through the names and numbers on the phonebook and saw “Wood” followed by a number. Obviously Wood was Woodson the guy Lando had killed in the barn.

So this confirmed that Manning was one of Glissando’s men, but did that mean that Sullivan was one as well, if so who had killed them both and where were Leyton and the woman? Was Leyton on Glissando’s payroll and had killed his partner and taken the woman? Suddenly he tensed as he heard a movement in the bushes behind him; he turned quickly his rifle in his hands but froze as he found himself looking down the barrel of a Glock fitted with a suppressor. His eyes moved slowly upwards until they met the other man’s and Lando’s face showed no surprise to see who held the gun.

Hennessey was smiling as usual and Lando prayed that one day he could wipe that irritating smile from his face, hopefully permanently.

Hennessey was the first to break the silence, ‘I hoped you might be happy to see me, Mr. Lando, I thought you might be worried about me, but your expression says otherwise.’

Lando stood up and nodded down at Manning saying, ‘you did this one, but not him,’ he pointed down at Sullivan.

Hennessey smiled, ‘well deduced, Mr. Lando, we’ll make a detective of you yet.’

Lando shook his head impatiently, ‘quit the crap, Hennessey and tell me what happened here and where the woman is.’

Hennessey quickly became serious, ‘okay, okay. But we’ll talk as we drive.’

Hennessey turned his back on Lando, again supremely confident that he would not shoot him in the back but would comply and follow him. Lando was sorely tempted, but he had to know what had happened here so he followed Hennessey through the woods to the town.

They walked in silence keeping to the outer edge of the town not wanting to run into anyone, although there were very few people about, most obviously busy at Lando's place. They reached the town and Hennessey’s car which was parked behind a deserted store out of sight of curious eyes. They pulled onto the main road and within ten minutes were on the highway heading west.

Once on the highway Lando said, ‘so come on, let’s hear it, where’s the woman, Hennessey?’

Hennessey took a deep breath, ‘after I dealt with the trespassers on your property and the fire had started, I knew I couldn’t get you out so I called your sheriff and told him, anonymously of course, that your cabin was ablaze and you were trapped inside and that they’d  better get there ASAP.’ He turned to Lando and grinned, ‘although I never expected the whole town to turn out. I must say, Lando you have more friends than I realised, or even than
you
realised.’

Lando said nothing but his expression spoke volumes. Hennessey turned away and said, ‘okay, I get the message, quit the crap. Anyway, I saw the two Mississippi cops with Miss. Faraday walking through the woods towards town.’ He paused and when he continued his tone was no longer bantering, ‘she didn’t look too well, dreadful in fact, she could barely walk and she was coughing. The Leyton guy was almost carrying her and Sullivan looked impatient. They had gotten to the spot where you found the bodies when they were ambushed by three of Glissando’s men.

Sullivan went for his weapon but he was cut down before he could get it out of its holster. Leyton pushed Miss. Faraday and told her to run towards town but she was caught by another guy, she struggled quite valiantly but she was too weak and the guy too strong.’ He paused again recalling the scene in her cabin the night he had abducted her.

Lando was thinking the same thing. Hennessey went on, ‘Leyton drew his weapon and got off two shots but unfortunately only wounding one guy before they overpowered him. I shot one of the guys also only wounding him, after that I couldn’t get another good shot, they kept me pinned down and were  too close to Leyton and Miss. Faraday for me to risk firing back, then they disappeared amongst the trees. I was about to follow when I heard you approaching.'

Lando was silent digesting this. Was there no end to the traumas that woman was having to endure.

He said quietly, ‘the woman, did they hurt her?’

Hennessey glanced at him, ‘no, but…’

Lando looked at him and snapped, ‘but what? Come on, Hennessey.’

‘It’s not what you think, Lando. It’s just that, well, she begged them not to hurt Leyton, said she would go quietly if they let him live.’ He shook his head as if perplexed, ‘I don’t know why I’m surprised, I should be used to the unexpected from that lady. But right then and there when she had seen a man murdered before her eyes, when she must have been terrified out of her wits she was pleading for the cop’s life. She’s an unusual woman.’ He looked at Lando, ‘as well you know, Lando.’

Lando’s eyes narrowed but there was no smug smile on Hennessey’s face, in fact it was  grave and thoughtful.

Lando shook his head, ‘there she goes again, giving them something else to hold against her.’

Hennessey looked sideways at him, ‘maybe. But if she hadn’t they might have just killed Leyton there and then. While he’s alive we have a chance of saving him.’

When Lando said nothing Hennessey went on, 'they used Leyton’s own handcuffs to cuff his hands behind him and dragged him and Miss. Faraday to a boat they had waiting.’

A boat again, thought Lando. He said, ‘so why are we driving, why aren’t we in a boat following them?’

Hennessey turned his head and the mocking smile was back, ‘no need for a boat, no need to follow them.’

‘Why?’ Lando was getting really irate now, tired of Hennessey’s complacency and smugness.

Hennessey seemed to find Lando’s anger amusing because his smile turned into a grin.