“Did Mom know what you did with the bombings?” asked Mars.
“You think she would’ve married me if she’d known what I’d done?” Roy looked back at Decker. “After the ESPN show aired, I got a letter.”
“They threatened you?”
“They threatened everybody. And that’s when I found out that Lucinda was dying. She had maybe a few months. I was caught in a real bind.”
Decker said, “But you hadn’t revealed the evidence against them all these years, Roy. After seeing you on TV, why would they come after you so hard? That might make you give up their secrets.”
“It was McClellan’s doing. He was the one who sent the threats, I’m sure of that. Huey and Eastland would have just sat on it, done nothing. But Roger’s not built that way. All those years I know the sonofabitch has been brooding about what I did. He would have seen it as a betrayal. And he doesn’t like anyone holding something over his head. He came after me and dragged the other two along, of that I’m certain.”
Decker nodded. “After meeting the man I can see how that would be the case. But how did you fund the stuff that Regina Montgomery bought?” he asked. “You couldn’t even afford medical care for Lucinda.”
“Little safecracking, a few scams, a bit of burglary, an armed robbery. Took me some time but I got enough cash. Then the dumb bitch went on a shopping spree. I told her to wait till she moved on, but she couldn’t wait. Stupid woman. So I had to take care of that little problem.”
“And the guy who took your place when you disappeared, Dan Reardon?”
“Don’t feel too sorry for him. You know what Reardon was? A pedophile and a murderer. Nobody bothered to look, but he probably has half a dozen kids buried out at his old place.”
“And you never told anyone?” said Decker.
“No, I blew his head off instead. Saved everybody a lot of time and money.”
“But they know you’re alive now, Roy. And they’ll come after you and Melvin.”
“Well, I’ll be a lot harder to find than Mellow.”
“And you’re okay with that?”
“I’m okay with a lot of things you wouldn’t be.”
“Even though Lucinda wouldn’t have agreed?”
In response Roy held up his phone. “You wrote this text, didn’t you? The first one to me. Because I don’t see Mellow being that eloquent.”
The screen read, Is this really what Lucinda would have wanted, Roy? It’s her son, the only living thing of your wife left. What would Lucinda want you to do?
“It’s a fair question,” said Decker.
“Never said it wasn’t.”
“So, what would she want you to do? Not just for Melvin. But for the others killed. For the little girls who never got to grow up and have their own children.”
“Don’t try to pull at the heartstrings, I don’t have any left.”
“And I don’t believe that. Because you got Melvin out of prison. You saved his life.”
“And yet here you are asking for even more.”
“Because the job’s not over yet.”
“Your job, maybe, not mine.”
“We can dance linguistics all night. It’s not going to get us anywhere.”
The two men stared at each other.
“It would be interesting to see what makes you tick, Decker,” said Roy.
“We might be more alike than you think.”
“Oh, I think we’re very much alike.” Roy looked down. “What if I gave you the stuff? Would you really let me walk?”
“If we got the evidence to put Eastland and Huey away, I really wouldn’t spend a lot of time looking for you.”
“But the FBI might.”
“They might. But like you said, you’re a hard man to find.”
Roy considered this and was about to say something when he froze, and his gaze darted past them. His features hardened.
“You screwed me. You brought the FBI.”
Decker looked behind him and then turned to face Roy. “No, we didn’t. Which means it’s the other side out there.”
Chapter 74
Roy immediately turned off the lantern, plunging them into darkness.
“Give me my gun,” said Decker.
“How do I know it’s not the FBI out there and you’re just trying to trick me?” countered Roy.
The bullet shattering the window made them all drop flat to the floor.
“Because the FBI usually identifies themselves and doesn’t typically open fire into a building with people in it.”
The next moment an electronically enhanced voice called out, “We know you’re in there, Callahan! Just walk out and bring the stuff with you!”
“Shit,” muttered Roy. He slid out Decker’s gun and passed it across to him.
“Is there another way out of here?” asked Decker.
“The back door, but I gotta believe they got that covered too.”
As if in confirmation of this, a shot blasted in from the rear of the house.
“Okay, that’s a no-go,” said Decker.
“They’ve got us pinned down. All they have to do is wait us out.”
Decker pulled out his phone.
Roy saw this and shook his head. “That’s no good. This is one of the areas on the cellular map that’s got no signal. Nobody lives out here. It’s why I picked it to meet.”
“So we’re screwed,” said Mars.
“You were screwed the moment that ESPN show aired, Mellow.”
“So this is my fault?”
“It’s a little late to be apportioning blame,” interjected Decker.
He crept to a window and looked out.
“Can’t see anything. But those rounds sure sounded like high-powered rifle shots. Like the kind that killed McClellan.” He scurried back to the others. “Do they really think you’ve got the stuff with you?”
“No, but they want me to take them to it.”
“Where is it?”
“Not going there. I need leverage right now.”
“They’re going to kill us, Roy,” said Decker.
“They must have followed you here. How else?”
“Nobody followed us.”
“Eastland runs an intelligence firm, you dumbass. You don’t think he’s got ways to watch people?”
Decker turned to Mars. “He might be right.”
“I am right. I never should’ve agreed to meet with you two idiots.”
“It’s not like we wanted to meet with you either,” retorted Mars. “You’re the one who started all this.”
“I asked you this before but never got an answer,” said Decker. “You ran and took incriminating evidence with you, Roy, why?”
“You think now’s the time to discuss this?”
“I don’t think we’re going to get another chance.”
Roy glanced toward the window as the same voice called out, “You got one minute and then we open fire. And we’re packing incendiary rounds.”
“Shit,” muttered Roy. He looked at Decker. “Okay, you’re right. Killing kids wasn’t in the plan, not that the Three Musketeers gave a damn. After that I wanted out. But they weren’t going to let me. They made that clear.”
“What’d you do?”
“I stole the evidence from Huey Sr.’s safe. The old man was proud of what they’d done, but he wasn’t stupid enough to let that stuff get out. But I’m a curious guy. I was the one filming their little confessionals, and I’d seen Huey Sr. open his safe a few times, got the combination that way. Figured that’s where he’d keep the stuff. When I took it, I left ’em a note telling them what I had and got the hell outta Dodge and left the country.”
Mars said dully, “And fell in love with a black woman. Quite ironic.”
Roy suddenly looked contrite. “That’s the thing about love, you just... I mean, you can’t control it. I loved your mom and she loved me. From the minute we laid eyes on each other.”