She said, “Perhaps.”
Chalk said, “I’ll take perhaps. What I propose is we work together. We could use your manpower, no offense. We get the gold. You can have the device like you wanted. We’ll go on our merry way and finalize the payment for it. This way we don’t run into each other coming and going. An amicable and productive truce. Mutually beneficial in a symbiotic way we can all live with.” Chalk wanted to shoot the rest of Tahereh’s men to help make his case, but there would be time for that. After he made use of their backs.
Tahereh began, “How do I know …?”
Chalk interrupted. “You don’t know! Tahereh, dammit, we went over that. The cold’s getting to your brain. You’re slowing down. God knows you’re already too twitterpated to shoot your way out of this. You’ve heard the old saying: Slaughter, slaughter everywhere, and not a stop to think. Take a moment. Consider your position. I’m telling you it’s a pretty good deal. I could have killed you a long time ago.”
A noise-suppressed gunshot bupped from the weeds behind Tahereh’s team. The man who lay outstretched on dry land clutched the side of his head as a bullet clanged against the metal trailer. Blood coated his fingers.
Chalk said, “See what I mean? Now let’s cut the bullshit. This really isn’t a negotiation, sweet-cheeks. It’s dictation, with me being the aforementioned dick. Savvy?”
The recently injured guy pulled his hand away from his head. His left ear was bleeding from a scarlet half-moon punched out of the lobe. He glared at Tahereh in silent accusation, injured pride etched on his face as clear as the notch in his ear. She did the only thing she could. She looked at her three remaining men and nodded.
She yelled, “We’re coming out. Don’t shoot!”
Chalk yelled back, “That’s my girl! Nice and slow now. Drop the hoglegs in the water. Keep your hands up where I can see them.”
They did as Chalk instructed. With their guns lying in the shallows at their feet, they slowly stood up. Muddy, and shivering. Sopping miserable, they held their hands out harmless, empty, streaming water at their sides.
CHAPTER 36
Dyze was elated at LuAnna’s news. He practically bubbled. “A dirty dozen bars like this? Swagger die, that’s nigh on eight million and some. Now I get it. No disrespect to Hiram or Charlene, but that’s worth a killing or two!”
Dyze stopped suddenly, looking hard at LuAnna. He was remembering her badge and all it stood for.
Ben needed to shift the cross-hairs off her as quickly as possible. “LuAnna has an announcement.”
As the Councilmen looked at her, she demurred. Ben could tell she was not sure which piece of news from the last twenty-four hours he meant her to share. The engagement? Their baby on the way? “You go ahead, Ben. Tell them.”
Ben said, “You should all know that LuAnna has resigned from the Natural Resources Police, effective immediately. A note or a phone call soon will make it official. Meantime, you all are on notice: LuAnna Bonnie Bryce is no longer a corporal on the payroll of the Natural Resources Police. She’s thrown in with us, free and clear and all the way. End of story. Anyone who has doubts can step outside with me right now for clarification.”
With his newfound sense of Smith Island’s bloody history, Ben knew he had probably just saved LuAnna’s life for the second time in as many hours. Now she should be resting. Why was she mixing with this crew after the beat-down she’d suffered from Chalk’s mob?
Lorton Dyze angled a dead-eyed smile on LuAnna. “Welcome home Honey Girl. Glad ye come to your senses. Now, how about a little coffee for us old farts to take the chill off?”
LuAnna smiled, limped into the kitchen. Mary and Kimba followed her to help. Ben bit back the urge to suggest bed was a better place for her than slinging joe for this mob. He would never embarrass her like that.
Dyze studied Ben and Ellis. “Now we come to the interesting part. How do you boys figure the split?”
Ben was quick to address this. “Half of everything belongs to Knocker Ellis Hogan. That’s our deal. I’ll stand by it. I gave my word.”
Unhappy eyes bored into Ellis. There was a rumble of awkward throat clearing.
Dyze said slowly. “That so? All right. I suppose we can cross that bridge when we come to it.”
Ben shot back, “No, Lorton. We’re standing in the middle of the bridge right now. Any more conversation about the split, and you’re burning that bridge. None of you knows where the gold is. And you damn well don’t have a clue how to disarm the bomb.”
Reverend Mosby spoke up for the first time. “Easy there, gentlemen. If Ben’s given his word to Ellis, then we’ll abide as if we gave it ourselves. It’s our way. What in God’s name do you mean about a bomb?”
Ben said, “The way it looks to me, Pap interrupted some kind of sale. Intercepted the government cheese as well as the food stamps.”
The Council elders smiled and nodded at one another; that’s our boy Dickie-Will.
Ben went on. “Gentlemen, this bomb is the real thing. Not a toy. Not dynamite wired up to a battery and an alarm clock. I’m pretty sure it’s a dirty. We’re talking about radiation. It’s got a timer, and the timer’s counting down right now to detonation when it will probably kill us all in—” Ben glanced at his dive watch. “Six hours, seventeen minutes. And yes, the bomb is sitting right on top of the gold at this very moment. Now friends, I do believe Reverend Mosby’s assurances, but he doesn’t speak for every one of you. Your word, gentlemen. I want your word you’ll honor my promise on the split with Ellis whether I’m alive or dead.”
The bomb Ben once feared was now a bargaining chip. Ellis looked stunned, wondering if this show of loyalty would protect him, or put the kiss of death on him.
LuAnna yelled from the kitchen, lapsing for a moment into the patois of her island home, “Ben, I know ye want your coffee black. Lorton Dyze, ye oughtn’t take cheese, nor heavy cream n’mare, not with that bum ticker o’ yar’n. Skim’s more like it.”
Dyze sang back, “Honey Girl, ye put that chalk water in my cup, and you’ll see what happens. I ain’t so old, and ye ain’t so tall I can’t still give ye a whuppin’. Especially with the head start them fonny boys dealt ye.”
Looking around, Ben understood. The sharp-eared LuAnna had broken the tension in the room without even being present. Ben so loved that woman. He understood why she was downstairs now. As best she was able, she was backing his play.
Ben looked at each of the Council members. They all nodded, mumbled assent. It was a grudging bond they made, but it was ironclad.
Then Dyze said, “Now that we’re all settled, what are ye doing with your share of it, Ben Blackshaw?”
“What’s in those boxes isn’t my share. I believe it was Pap’s gift to these islands. To all of us.”
No one spoke for a moment.
Reverend Mosby said, “This time around I do speak for one and all when I say that’s a fine sentiment, Ben. The finest. Your pappy would be proud.”
“Thank ye kindly, Ben. That’s most honorable.” Eyeing Ellis, Dyze needled. “Wish everybody was so community-minded. But things are what they are, and we shall be grateful for the bounty of the Lord. Ain’t that right, Reverend? Be it known I personally will skull-fuck the family, livestock, and household pets of any man who raises a hand against our neighbor Knocker Ellis. And if for some tragic reason Ellis don’t make it through the troubles before us, his entire share inures unto his family’s use and no one else’s. That’s how we done it before. That’s how we’ll do it now.”