The sedan sped up and passed him, then pulled over and slowed to a stop.
Robie could have whipped around it and kept going, but he decided not to. He pulled over, too, right behind the other car.
The three men climbed out of the sedan and walked back to him. One on the driver’s side, the others on the passenger.
Robie rolled down his window when the man on his side reached into his jacket pocket.
Robie said, “Isn’t the FBI field office in Jackson? You guys are a long way from home.”
The man took his hand away from his jacket but Robie climbed out of the car and said, “No, go ahead and show me your credentials. It’ll make me feel better.”
The man did so.
“Special Agent Jon Wurtzburger,” read off Robie.
“How’d you ID us?” asked Wurtzburger while the other two men warily watched Robie.
Robie pointed to the car. “If you really want to go clandestine, take off the government plates.” He next pointed to Wurtzburger’s suit and tie. “Standard Bureau dress down to the tie pin. And if you were bad guys you would have rammed me when you passed. But you get a ding on your car, you have a month’s worth of paperwork to fill out.”
Wurtzburger put his ID pack away. “And how do you know so much about the FBI?”
“I have some buddies in the Bureau back in DC. We go out for beers together, shoot the shit.”
“We ran your background, Mr. Robie. There’s not a lot there.”
“Well, I haven’t done a lot, so I guess that makes sense. What can I do for you?”
“Your father is accused of murdering Sherman Clancy.”
“I know he is.”
“We’re interested in Clancy.”
“Why?”
“He has ties to some casinos.”
“And why is that a problem? Gambling is legal here.”
“You’re an outsider, Mr. Robie. We checked. You haven’t been back here for over two decades. Which is one of the reasons we’re contacting you like this.”
Robie leaned against the fender of his rental and studied them. “And why is that important?”
“Do you believe that your father killed Mr. Clancy?”
“I don’t know. Like you said, I just got here.”
“Well, if he didn’t, there might be another explanation.”
“Clancy’s casino partners, you mean?”
Wurtzburger looked intrigued. “Why do you say that?”
“Well, you brought up the ties to the casinos. And they’ve been described to me as junkyard dogs who may have had a reason to kill him.”
“Who told you that?”
“Can’t remember exactly. But I think pretty much everyone in Cantrell will tell you the same thing if you ask.”
“So local scuttlebutt?”
“Which often turns out to be spot-on.”
Wurtzburger looked at him curiously. “And you’re here because of your father?”
“I am.”
“But you think he could have killed Clancy?”
“I’ve found that given the right circumstances, people are capable of pretty much anything.”
“Based on your experience in a life where, to quote you, you haven’t done a lot?”
“I like to observe people, Agent Wurtzburger. You can learn a lot by keeping your mouth shut and your eyes and ears open.”
Wurtzburger nodded and then handed Robie a card. “Well, if you see or hear anything, will you give me a call?”
Robie took the card. “You haven’t really told me why the FBI’s interested in this case.”
“You’re right, I haven’t. Have a good day.”
Wurtzburger and his men returned to their car and drove off in a swirl of fine Mississippi dust.
Robie got back in his car and headed on.
He pulled to a stop later in front of the Willows. Victoria’s Volvo was parked in front. He went inside.
Priscilla met him at the door.
“Where’s Victoria?”
“Upstairs with Ty. How’d it go at the courthouse? She didn’t say.”
“Not much happened. He pled not guilty, and the judge wants him to get a lawyer.” Robie didn’t mention the threats against his father.
He headed up the steps and got to the top landing in time to see Victoria come out of Tyler’s room.
“I see you made up your mind about the hearing today,” he noted.
She stood there, seemingly frozen in the doorway. “I almost didn’t go. That’s why I was late. I sat out in my car.” She came forward. “What happened?”
“He acted as his own lawyer, pled not guilty, and asked for reasonable bail to be set.”
“And was it?”
“It might have been except that Aubrey Davis said there have been credible threats against him and he would be safer in jail. The judge has taken it all under advisement. So for now he stays in jail.”
Victoria placed a hand against her throat. “What credible threats?”
“I was hoping you could tell me.”
“Dan never mentioned that anyone was threatening him.”
“Well, he made some enemies with the oil platform lawsuit he won.”
“That was years ago.”
“Some people have long memories.”
And don’t I know that, thought Robie.
Victoria said stubbornly, “I can’t believe that. They would have had ample opportunities to hurt him. Or us. And they haven’t. And what would the threats be for? We’ll kill you if you what? Do something? Don’t do something?”
Robie had to concede that these were all good points. He also knew that if he wanted to answer any of these things he would have to do what he had come here to do in the first place.
See his father.
He hustled back down the stairs.
“Where are you going?” Victoria called after him.
Robie didn’t answer her.
Chapter
25
It’s time, Deputy Taggert,” said Robie.
He was standing in front of her desk at the jail.
“Robie, I don’t know what to tell you. Your daddy—”
“He’s in trouble, people have made threats against him, and he’s not going to be leaving here until his trial is over. And I think I can help him. But I can’t do that until I talk to him.”
“But he said—”
“I know what he said. But if it were your father what would you do? Give up and go home with your tail tucked between your legs?”
Robie figured this jab would get to the chip-on-her-shoulder deputy.
She drummed her fingers on her desk, then stood, took a set of keys off her gun belt, and said, “If this goes bad, I’m goin’ to say you overpowered me and you’re goin’ to go along with that, damn the consequences. Understood?”
“Understood.”
She unlocked a steel door and led him down a narrow passage. At the end was another door that she unlocked using a different key. They entered a cell block area. The doors were solid so one couldn’t see inside. She led him to the last one on the left. She rapped on the door.
“Judge Robie, you got you a visitor.”
She looked at Robie, hiked her eyebrows, pointed a finger at him, and said in a low voice, “Ten minutes. That’s it.”
She opened the door and Robie walked through. A second later the door was shut and locked. He heard her booted feet going back down the hall.
The next instant Robie was slammed up against the wall. His cheek hit the brick and he felt it start to swell.
“What the hell are you doin’ here?” barked Dan Robie right in his son’s ear.
Robie broke his father’s grip, with some difficulty, circled him, bent Dan’s arm back and then behind the older man, and wrenched it upward, but not enough to do any permanent damage.