Die a Stranger (33 page)

Then, finally, we got to work on something together. Something terrible. It’s funny how going through something like that with another person will make you see him differently. I wouldn’t exactly call us best friends now. But we had made our peace.

“Chief!” I yelled as I went out the door. “Wait up a minute!”

He turned and looked around with all the good humor you’d expect from a man who’d just worked about eight hours of overtime. “McKnight? What the hell’s going on?”

“I’ve got a friend in one of the holding cells. I need to get him out.”

“I don’t have anybody down there right now. I can’t help you.”

He shares the cells with the county. He pretty much shares
everything
with the county, and he usually doesn’t get the best of any of it. His office, for instance, somehow doesn’t have a window.

“It’s not one of yours,” I said. “It’s county. Some guys got picked up at the Cozy. Out in Brimley.”

“I know where the Cozy is, McKnight. I was drinking there when you were still a beat cop in Detroit. And thank you for answering your own question. You have to talk to the county guys.”

“They say I have to wait until morning. I was hoping you could just let me go see him, at least. Find out what happened. That’s all I’m asking.”

He was standing there with the door to his car open. Just a few minutes away from a late dinner and a bed. He looked up at the sky, shaking his head like somebody up there owed him an explanation.

“Why did you move up here?” he said to me. “Seriously, why?”

“Just a few minutes,” I said. “I’d really appreciate it.”

He owed me, that was the thing I wasn’t saying. He owed me and he knew it, and I knew it, and that’s why he finally slammed his door shut and led me back into the building. A few minutes later, the master door to the holding cells was opened and I was let inside.

“Five minutes,” he said to me. “Knock on the door when you’re done. The deputy will let you out. I’m going home now.”

“Thanks, Chief.”

His response to that was the dull clang of the jailhouse door closing. I walked down the line of cells and found the last two occupied.

There were five men in all, and whoever split them up obviously didn’t understand the history. The three men in the one cell were all old-timers from the rez, more faces that I vaguely recognized, either from events at Vinnie’s mother’s house or from just seeing them walking down the road. If it was winter, they were sure to be so underdressed you’d wonder how they didn’t freeze to death.

These were men who grew up on the rez, who remembered how it was before the casinos came. These were men who knew Lou LeBlanc from way back when. They all knew about Lou being banned from the rez forever. They were all there to answer the call when he came back, thirty years later.

In the second cell sat Lou and his old nemesis, Henry Carrick. Henry was sitting against the back wall. Lou was up front by the bars. They both had scraped-up faces that would look much worse by the next morning.

I stood in between the two cells, so I could see them all at once. “Aren’t you guys a little old for this?”

The three men on my left started laughing. Henry and Lou just sat there like they were made of stone. I went down to the end of the cell closest to him and knelt down on the floor.

“Okay, so what happened?” I said. “Or is it already pretty obvious?”

“I stopped in at the Cozy,” Lou said. “My old pal Henry over here, he was sitting at the bar. He told me I had to leave. I tried to point out to him that I wasn’t actually on the reservation, but that didn’t seem to matter. He made some calls and next thing you know he’s got three of his buddies and they’re all trying to start something with me. I figured I’d already given Vinnie enough free shots tonight. So yeah, this time I fought back. When the owner of the Cozy couldn’t get us to take it outside, he called 911 and that’s how we ended up here.”

“Did the Bay Mills cops bring you?”

“No, there was a regular county car down the road. I tried to explain to them that I was just defending myself. I might have gotten a little belligerent at that point.”

“Lou, did you hit a cop?”

“No, I didn’t. I swear. I was just trying to make them understand. But they didn’t want to hear it. They just called another car and they brought us all down here.”

He dabbed at the corner of his eye and looked at the trace of blood on his fingers.

“So it sounds like you need to spend the night,” I said. “That’s pretty standard around here. They don’t have enough manpower to do much else after hours unless they absolutely have to.”

“I can’t do that.”

“I think you’ve done a lot worse,” I said. “A night in the county jail, you can do that standing on your head.”

“You don’t understand. They took down our names before they dumped us down here, but they didn’t really
process
us. You know what I mean?”

“At this hour, I’m not surprised. Like I said…”

“Alex, do remember what I told you earlier today? About being on parole?”

“Yeah, but this is just a routine disturbance at a bar. They’ll just kick you out in the morning.”

“I didn’t tell you everything today,” he said. “I didn’t tell you that I wasn’t supposed to leave the state under any circumstances. Technically, I violated my parole as soon as I got on that airplane.”

“Okay, is there anything else you want to tell me?”

He lowered his head and his long hair fell down to cover his face.

“I’ve done a lot of really bad stuff in my life,” he said. “You don’t even know the half of it. I’ve had this feeling that the next time I see a jail cell, it’ll be the only thing I ever see for the rest of my life. Just being here right now … I can’t take it, Alex.”

“Just take it easy. I know I owe you one today. Let me figure this out.”

I owed him one, all right. Never mind the rest of the week, I owed him a huge debt just from what he’d done in that swamp alone.

Speaking of debts …

“Just sit tight,” I said, standing up. “I’ve got one card I can play.”

*   *   *

I knew exactly where to go. I knew exactly how well I’d be received when I got there. But I went anyway.

Chief Maven’s house was a raised ranch over on Summit Street. I parked on the street and walked up to his door. It was the ass end of midnight, but I rang the bell and waited for a minute. Then I rang it again.

The door opened and Maven looked out at me with something that I probably wouldn’t call excitement or delight. He had obviously gone right to bed when he had gotten home. Now he was wrapped up in a bathrobe and blinking in the glare from the porch light.

“What in goddamned hell,” he said slowly. “Do you have any idea what time it is?”

“I need one minute, Chief. Then I’ll leave.”

“You’re seriously standing here right now. I’m not dreaming this.”

“One minute,” I said. “Please let me come in.”

It was so outrageous, I think he was kind of stunned. He just stepped back and let me come through the door. Once I was in his front hallway, I just stood there and told him what I wanted.

“There’s one man in the holding cells,” I said. “His name is Louis LeBlanc. He needs to be released immediately.”

“You have lost your mind, McKnight. I knew it would happen eventually.”

“It was just a stupid bar fight. Four guys jumped him and he wouldn’t take his beating like a good boy. That’s it. He’ll never be charged with anything. None of them will. They’ll just get kicked out tomorrow morning.”

“Then why—”

“Because I’m asking you. That’s why.”

“He’s in county custody. You know I can’t do anything.”

“If you call the sheriff and ask him yourself, he’ll do it. You know that.”

“Are you kidding me? Call the sheriff in the middle of the night? Wake him up and ask him to go down to the office?”

“He doesn’t have to go anywhere,” I said. “He can call it in and go back to bed.”

“I can’t believe this,” he said, turning from me and walking halfway down the hall. “Of all the bizarre, stupid things I’ve ever heard.”

“He was helping me, Chief. He was helping me the same way I once helped you. So I owe him one. Just like you owe
me
one.”

“Oh, here it is,” he said, turning around to face me. “I was wondering when you’d pull that on me.”

“I didn’t think I ever would. But you know it’s true. You owe me exactly one big favor, no questions asked. Just one. This is it.”

He looked at the floor and shook his head.

“One phone call to your buddy the sheriff. Tell him it’s important. Apologize for how late it is. Just tell him he has to call over and spring a man who shouldn’t be there in the first place. Then you’re done.”

“Then we’re square?” he said.

“Then we’re square. Forever.”

He let out a long breath and walked into the kitchen to get the phone.

“My wife’s sister wanted us to move to Arizona,” he said as he dialed. “I said I’d never live in a state that has rattlesnakes and scorpions. But you know what I didn’t think of?”

I stood there watching him as he waited for the sheriff to pick up on the other end. I didn’t figure I was supposed to answer his question.

“No Alex McKnight in Arizona,” he said. “That should have sold me.”

The sheriff picked up. Maven started talking. A few minutes later, I was in my truck, heading back to the City-County Building.

And Maven and I were square.

*   *   *

I was waiting by my truck when Lou walked out of the place. He got in and we took off, back toward Paradise.

“Stop at the Cozy,” he said. “My car’s still there.”

“I think we made a mistake,” I said as I drove. “We should have told those guys about Corvo’s deadline today. Both of them. We had all day to make a plan together.”

“I thought we were giving Vinnie one more night to rest.”

“Says the man who goaded him into a fight…”

“No, it was the right call,” he said, looking out the window. “Give it tonight. I think you’ll have a clear answer in the morning. In fact, I’m sure of it. You’ll wake up and it’ll be right there in front of you.”

“That didn’t work the last time.”

“Have faith,” he said. “I believe you’ll see it.”

I didn’t feel like arguing. We’d all talk about it tomorrow, no matter what. If the answer magically came to me in the middle of the night or not.

I pulled into the Cozy parking lot and let him out.

“I’m going to go drop off those things at my daughters’ houses,” he said. “Just leave them on the doorsteps, some of my old mementos from when I was growing up here. I still don’t think I’m ready to face them yet. Vinnie’s been tough enough.”

“I thought you weren’t supposed to be on the rez.”

“Henry and his posse are still in jail tonight, remember? Now’s my chance.”

I had to smile at that one. I told him I’d see him in the morning. Then I left.

As I was driving through the rez, I saw the lights on at Buck’s house. On an impulse, I pulled into his driveway. It was after one in the morning now, but I heard music playing. I knocked on the front door. When nobody answered, I ran through all of the horrible scenarios that this week had taught me to expect. But when I pushed open the door and called his name, he answered me from somewhere in the back of the house. I walked through and found him on the back deck. He was in the hot tub.

“Sorry to bother you,” I said. “I saw the lights on and I wanted to check on you.”

“It’s all good,” he said. It was just his head and shoulders above the swirling water. “Everybody’s home safe. It’s over now.”

That’s what you think, Buck. The thought burning in my head, along with Lou’s doubts about this man. About having him involved in whatever we decided to do the next day.

“I’ve been pretty hard on you,” I said. “I know you didn’t want any of this to happen.”

“You were on the money, Alex. I’m an idiot.”

“How did the questioning go?”

“I’m sure I’m not done with it, but the tribe’s already sent over a lawyer to help me. That state guy, he was a real piece of work, but I think Chief Benally’s on my side.”

“That’s good to know.”

“Yeah. He even told me today that there’s no way the DA would want to prosecute me. Everybody else on the rez wants to beat my ass, but they’re all glad I’m safe at least.”

He’s strong, I thought. He’s built like a linebacker. And I know he’ll come through if he has the right motivation. Like looking after Vinnie.

“Listen,” I said, “I need you to come out and have breakfast with me and Vinnie and Lou tomorrow. We have to talk about something very important.”

“What is it?”

“I’ll tell you tomorrow. Just get some rest, okay?”

I said good night to him and left him there, soaking in the hot water. It was another cold summer night in the UP. As I went out to my truck, I looked up at the stars. The rest of the reservation was quiet. I didn’t see anyone else around.

I drove back to Paradise.

*   *   *

Once again, I tried to sleep and failed. I was lying in my bed, staring at the ceiling. I was already imagining how the whirlwind would come. Maybe a car, as long and sleek as that cigarette boat, driving silently up my road. I wondered how we could ever be ready to face the men who would step out of that car.

Then I heard a soft knock on the door. Before I could say a word, Lou cracked the door open and stuck his head in.

“Alex? Are you up?”

“Come on in,” I said. “What’s going on?”

He came into the cabin. He was walking slowly, and his face was already starting to swell up from the two fights he’d been in.

“You need some ice,” I said. “Let me get some.”

“Only if it’s in a glass. Whatever you have. Whiskey, gin, I don’t care.”

I’d taken my watch off and put it on the table. I picked it up now and looked at it. It was just after three in the morning.

“What’s going on?” I said. “You look wrecked. You should be sleeping.”

“I just had to talk to you. Sit down for one minute. After you get that drink for me, please.”