Red Dog Saloon (19 page)

His
only witness was blind. He was so close yet so far. He had sat there for
several minutes talking to the man not realizing he was blind. His detective
skills were slipping.

“If
you’re blind, how do you know you were visited by the killer?” Sam asked.
“Maybe he was just curious like me. What makes you so sure he’s the killer?”

“Because
he came here to kill me,” Earl responded.

T
he
old man revealed he told the mysterious man the same story he just told
the sheriff. Telling the man what he knew, Earl noted, saved his life - at
least temporarily.

“He
told me he would kill me last,” Earl said.

With
that, the old man 
reached and pulled down the
collar of his house coat, revealing a scar on his neck. It was a down payment
left during the killer’s visit.

“See,
sheriff, if you can stop him before he finishes his business in your county,
then you’re saving my life too,” Earl revealed.

His
eyes fixed on the scar, Sam was a believer. Earl Cutts’ words were now gospel
in his mind.

“How
many are left?” Sam asked.

“Just
two,” Earl revealed. “Bart Foster and Glenn Satterfield.”

“Mayor
Glenn Satterfield?” Sam gulped with his eyes wide. “The mayor of Easton? That
Glenn Satterfield?”

“One
and the same,” Earl confirmed. “He was a rapist and an attempted murderer
before he became a politician, not that the two are mutually exclusive by any
means.”

How
could Sam protect the mayor without coming clean and revealing he knew his role
in the incident at the old Red Dog? It wasn’t like Sam could just stroll in and
call the mayor of Easton a rapist. Things had gotten even more difficult.

“And
then there’s Sheriff Foster,” Earl reminded. “My visitor was very interested in
him too.”

“Do
you know anything else that can help me, anything at all?” Sam asked.

“If
I knew anything else I would tell you since my neck is on the line,” Earl said.
“He did know a lot about the girl. He even knew she was at the mental hospital
over in Shelby.”

The
snow was beginning to fall harder outside. The sheriff realized he needed to
leave to avoid the chance of being snowed in.

“It’s
a shame you can’t see the snow,” Sam said as he started for the door. “It’s
very beautiful today.”

“That’s
okay, I’ve seen more than I deserve,” Earl said as he turned back toward the
window. “The good thing is that at least I won’t see him when he comes for me.”

Sam
fought to keep his SUV out of the ditch as he wound back down the hill from the
retirement home. Snow was now completely covering the blacktop. The trip was
worth it. Not only had he discovered the identities of the Red Dog gang but he
also found the rumors of Earl Cutts’ death were greatly exaggerated.

He
now realized why Rhody insisted on immunity in exchange for his cooperation.
The career criminal believed, wrongly, that they had helped
murder Earl Cutts. If Sam’s suspicions were right, the rest of the gang
was also under the impression they had been part of a murder. And, as such,
they likely assumed the recent murders of their old gang were part of payback
for Cutts’ death. They might even think the killings were the work of the ghost
of the old tavern owner, back from the grave to collect his tab. They were
overlooking their complicity in the rape of the young girl. Sam was convinced
it was that unspeakable incident that had brought about the recent killings.

The
more he thought about it, the less sympathy he had for the recently deceased
members of the Red Dog conspiracy. What was happening was the purest form of
justice even though it was delayed two decades. However, Sam had taken a solemn
oath to protect the people of Castle County – the good as well as the bad. He
had no choice but to find and prosecute someone for the crimes despite his
personal feelings. Anything less would be dereliction of duty.

The
sheriff resolved to head straight to the mayor's house when he made it back to
town. Glenn Satterfield was likely in grave danger and it was Sam’s duty to
warn him even though he suspected the mayor had already made the connection
between the deaths and the Red Dog. Plus, Sam knew Bart was one of
Satterfield’s biggest contributors, backing the incumbent mayor’s candidacy the
past couple of elections. Some even believed Bart was bank-rolling the mayor’s
campaigns in return for special favors that helped benefit both his legitimate
and illegal businesses.

Although
Bart had never been charged, it had long been rumored he dealt in stolen cars
and parts, operating chop shops in neighboring Pickett County along with his
alleged dabbling in the narcotics business. The chop shops were beyond Sam’s
jurisdiction, Pickett County was almost like a lawless frontier where
certain crimes were overlooked by law enforcement. Actually, Castle County had
been that way before Sam’s election as sheriff. Most of its citizens had been
oblivious to the illegal acts condoned by his predecessor.

Sam
strained his eyes as he steered his vehicle through the blowing snow, following
in the tracks of other vehicles, careful to keep a constant speed. The terrain
leading from Harvest Lake back to Easton was hilly, creating a hazardous drive
on sections of road that hadn’t been salted by road crews. He would have to
take his time getting back to town. From the looks of things, it would be
dark-thirty before he pulled back in to Easton. Sam realized what night time
meant recently in Castle County – murder and mayhem. Would the string of
murders continue tonight? If Sam had anything to do with it, the string would
conclude. Armed with the knowledge of the remaining targets, the sheriff was
confident he would have the killer in his jail by sun up.

Sam
spent his slow drive back to town formulating a plan on how to catch the
killer. His best plan of action was to elicit the help of Glenn Satterfield;
however, the sheriff doubted the professional politician would be willing to go
along with a plan where he would be used as the cheese to bait the trap.
Instead, Sam reckoned, they would use the mayor as the lure without his
knowledge. They would wait around and pounce when the killer showed himself. He
would enlist the help of the police chief and some of his trusted men. They
could cover every entrance to his house and make sure there was no way the
killer could get to the mayor undetected. Sure, it would be easier if Glenn
would go along but Sam was already resigned that they would have to do it the
hard way.

Sam
made the call to Chief Denton Wood as he continued his trip back to Easton. The
city’s chief lawman was stunned by the news of his boss’ involvement in the
heinous crime but quickly pledged his assistance in the sheriff’s plan of
action. After all, what better job security could there be than saving your
boss’ life? Sam agreed to keep the chief’s clandestine assistance a secret if
the plan never came to pass, but give him the credit if their work saved the
mayor’s life. It was a win-win scenario for the chief, who, in turn, enlisted
the assistance of two of his most trusted officers.

For
his part in the mission, Sam would put Bo and Kendal on the case while keeping
their mission secret from the rest of his officers. He didn’t want news of the
joint operation reaching the mayor’s ears for fear of retribution against Chief
Wood should the plan not go as anticipated. While he trusted his deputies,
Sam knew even the most trusted officers tended to talk. All it would take is
one slip of the lip to expose the chief to the ire of his boss. Sam was also
uneasy given the destruction of Rhody Turner’s phone records. He
suspected there could be a mole within his department. He had never
doubted the loyalty of anyone in his employ - until now.

Sam
crossed into Castle County as darkness fell. The return trip took twice as long
as the drive up to Harvest Lake. He had already set up his plans for the night
over the phone on the assumption he would not be able to gain the mayor’s
cooperation. However, he would still give Glenn a chance to join forces since
it was his life at stake.

The
security lights were just coming on at the mayor’s home, located on the edge of
Easton, as Sam pulled into his driveway. The quickly intensifying snow storm
made driving a chore despite the efforts of the street department. The city,
not used to major snow storms, had just one snow plow.

The
sheriff plodded through the three-inch deep snow in the mayor’s front yard.
The mayor's large palatial estate sat at the edge of town and was back-dropped
by a dense forest. The grand residence reminded Sam of a country plantation
with its large columns that greeted visitors.

Glenn
had married into money before becoming a multi-term mayor of Easton, tying the
knot with the daughter of a wealthy oil man. The marriage ended badly a few
years ago but Glenn had been able to make some good investments with his wife’s
money. And, despite not getting the lion’s share of the divorce settlement,
Glenn did okay for himself as evidenced by the trappings of wealth
that surrounded him. However, given what he knew now, Sam suspected some
of that wealth may have come by way of Bart and his illegal endeavors.

It
was that money along with generous contributions from his friend Bart that
helped finance Glenn’s political career - a career the mayor hoped one day
would land him in the governor’s mansion. He had already put out feelers
regarding the gubernatorial race that would be held in two years and
had plans to begin fund-raising for a possible bid.

Glenn’s
aspirations for a higher office were no secret to anyone in Easton. Sam took
that into consideration when he assumed the mayor would resist his being
recruited into their plan to catch the killer. He realized someone with the
mayor’s lofty goals could not risk his skeletons being exposed.

Sam
waited patiently after ringing the doorbell. He plunged his hands deep in
his coat pockets as the cold breeze whipped across the mayor’s grand porch,
funneling through like a wind tunnel.

“Sheriff
Delaney,” Glenn said in a less than pleased tone as he answered the door.

Sam
was immediately struck by the mayor's appearance. The normally well-manicured
public official, who was rarely seen in public with a single hair out of place,
looked like he had been out on a bender. Bags under his bloodshot eyes
suggested a lack of sleep while a couple days' growth of beard and his nervous
demeanor told the sheriff that the ghost of the Red Dog had already been
haunting him.

“Sorry
to bother you on such a snowy night,” the sheriff began just as he
noticed several suitcases sitting by the door. “Are you planning on a
trip? You appear to be packed and ready to go.”

Glenn
rubbed the back of his neck nervously. His eyes darted back and forth as he was
obviously not happy about the sheriff’s visit.

“Yes,
I’m planning to go on a short vacation,” Glenn replied. “I thought I’d get away
for a while. You know, get a little rest and relaxation.”

Sam
nodded toward the door. The snow was piling up on the mayor’s lawn. The
forecasters may have underestimated the accumulation total given the intensity
of the snow fall.

“Well
mayor, I don’t think you’re going anywhere tonight,” Sam declared. “The roads
are treacherous and I’d say they’ll be shutting down the interstates in the
next little bit. I think we may have a real blizzard on our hands.”

“I’d
hoped to beat the snow but it rolled in a little quicker than I thought,” Glenn
replied. “I really wanted to get away before dark, I mean ... before tomorrow.”

“Sorry,
but I don’t think that’s happening,” Sam said. “No, I think you’re stuck here
for the night, maybe even tomorrow since I hear it’s going to keep on snowing.”

Sam
could tell Glenn was exasperated by his inability to get out of
town. His procrastination was costing him dearly. He was stuck
in Easton.

“But,
since you’re going to have to delay your trip, maybe we can talk a couple of
minutes,” Sam said.

“Talk
about what?” Glenn asked with a hint of worry in his voice.

“The
old Red Dog,” Sam replied.

“The
Red Dog?” Glenn repeated, acting as if he were confused by the mention of the
old tavern. “You mean that old redneck bar outside town? Why would you come
over here in the snow to talk to me about that?”

Given
the long day Sam had already experienced, he wasn’t up to playing word games.

“I’ve
talked to somebody today who says you know a whole lot about it,” Sam revealed.
“He told me you were there along with Eddie, Andy, Stevie and Rhody one evening
about twenty years ago. Oh, and your buddy Bart was there too.”

Glenn
glared at the lawman. His self-defense instinct kicked in as he felt boxed in
by the sheriff. The suddenness of the sheriff's veiled accusation had caught
him flat-footed.

“I’m
sure you don’t know what you’re talking about,” Glenn retorted. “Who would have
told you something like that anyway?”

Sam
looked Glenn in the eye, shooting him a slight grin.

“Earl
Cutts,” Sam responded.

The
mere mention of the tavern owner's name left Glenn with a lump in his throat.
His face turned pale white as he stood silent for a few seconds with his mouth
agape.

“Earl
Cutts is dead,” Glenn said hoarsely as he cleared his throat. “He’s been
dead for twenty years.”

Sam
shook his head, still with a grin on his face.

“I’m
afraid not,” Sam countered. “I spoke to him earlier today. He’s very much alive
and he remembers you. He also remembers what you did.”

The
color returning to his face, Glenn couldn’t believe what he was hearing. How
could a man they burned to a crisp in the Red Dog twenty years ago still be
alive? Glenn had seen Bart hit the old bar owner in the head, knocking him
unconscious and likely killing him on the spot. Then, he and the rest of the
gang poured gas all around the building before Bart threw a cigarette, igniting
the inferno that reduced the old bar, and Earl Cutts, to ashes.

“You’re
lying!” Glenn yelled. “Earl Cutts is dead.”

“I
don’t think …” Sam began as the mayor stepped toward him.

“Unless
you’ve got a warrant, sheriff, you need to be leaving,” Glenn insisted,
pointing toward the door with an angry look. “I don’t know what you’re trying
to prove but I’d thank you to stay away from me in the future. And, I’d be
careful what I said out in public unless you want a slander suit on your
hands.”

The
sheriff had certainly struck a nerve. The mere mention of the Red Dog and
Earl Cutts had sent the mayor into a state of panic. He hadn’t even
made an allegation or cited specifics.

“You’re
in danger,” Sam blurted out. “The same person who killed the others will be
coming to get you. Let us protect you.”

The
sheriff’s words gave Glenn a moment for pause as he considered his situation.
He knew full well he was in the crosshairs of whatever was out there seeking
revenge.

“I
can take care of myself,” Glenn responded. “Now get out of here before I call
the police on you.”

Sam
gave the mayor a nod as he stepped out the door, pausing a moment as the cold
wind hit him in the face.

“Just
remember. I tried,” Sam said as he tipped his hat to the mayor. “Your blood
won’t be on my hands.”

The
mayor stood glaring at the sheriff as the lawman tromped back across
the yard, following the footsteps he left when he walked to the door. Glenn
considered his options as the sheriff pulled out of his snow-covered driveway
and drove out of sight. It was obvious the sheriff knew his connection to the
Red Dog. And, if the sheriff knew, then who else knew? Most importantly of all
he gleaned from the conversation with Sheriff Delaney was the lawman’s claim
Earl Cutts was still alive. Had the sheriff been bluffing, making up the story
to see if he would bite? What if he wasn’t? What if Earl Cutts survived the
fire that night more than twenty years ago? It’s hard to haunt a person if
you’re not dead yet.