“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.”
“But not me,” said Mars. “You never loved me.”
“I was proud of you, Mellow, for what you did on the football field. But you being black wasn’t the reason I could never love you.”
“What, then?”
“Every time I looked at you I saw the sonofabitch who hurt the only person I’ve ever really loved. Not your fault. And I know it sounds effed up and it is, but it was just how I felt.” He paused. “Hell, I might as well lay it out for you. All of it. Your father? I lied to you. I never killed him for what he did to your mother.”
“What?” exclaimed Mars.
“It wasn’t for lack of trying. But he was too rich and too well protected. His goons almost ended up killing me.” He pointed to the scar. “They gave me this, along with some other permanent injuries. The prick’s still alive down in Colombia living the good life. Makes my blood boil every time I think about it.”
Mars said, “Why are you telling me this?”
Now for the first time Roy looked nervous. “Because that’s the real reason I framed you for murder, Mellow. Not to protect you. And your mom didn’t know I was going to do that. She just thought I was going to disappear. If she’d known my plan to frame you she never would have let me do it. Hell, she would have killed me.”
“Why?” asked Mars.
“You really need to ask that question?”
“Yeah, I do.”
“Because despite how you were conceived, she loved you more than anything in this world.” He paused and added resignedly, “Even more than she loved me.”
Mars looked at Roy until the latter lowered his gaze and continued. “Framing you was the only way for me to get back at that asshole for what’d he done. Even though he probably didn’t give a shit about you, there still was a part of him in you. And it was the only part I could get to. So I set you up to get back at him.”
A long moment of silence went by.
“That’s pretty sick, Roy,” observed Decker, while Mars just stared at the man he’d thought was his father. “You punished the wrong guy.”
Roy shrugged. “Like I told you before, Decker, life ain’t perfect and neither am I. I did what I did and I don’t have to defend it to you or anybody else.”
“Callahan!” called out the electronically enhanced voice. “Your time is running out!”
Decker looked toward the door. “So what do we do about the guys out there?”
“Maybe I got a way out. If I give them what they want.”
“And they’ll just let us go?”
“Me maybe, but you two are on your own.”
“You sonofabitch!” exclaimed Mars. He started toward Roy, but the man pointed his gun at him.
“Don’t make me shoot you, Mellow.”
“I’ll shoot you,” said Decker.
“No,” said Roy. “I’d shoot somebody in the back. But I don’t think you would. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to get going.”
In the darkness he bumped into Decker on his way to the door. Roy gripped Decker to steady himself. “You are losing weight, Decker. For all the good it’ll do you.”
He let go and called out the window, “I’m coming out. You guys want to know where the stuff is, we can work a deal. But you shoot me, trust me, that stuff will end up where you don’t want it to.”
“What about the others in there with you?” the voice called out.
Roy didn’t even look at the two. “Not my problem,” he yelled back.
“You bastard!” roared Mars, but Decker held him back.
“Let him go, Melvin.”
“Why? So he gets to live and we die?”
“Don’t be such a pussy, Mellow,” sneered Roy. “You might get out of this. If not, I’ll see you on the other side.”
“No you won’t,” said Mars. “I’ll be with Mom. And you know where you’ll be.”
“I’m coming out.” Roy marched out the door holding his gun up
.
Decker peered out the window and saw three men race forward, each carrying a rifle and outfitted in cammie gear and body armor. They surrounded Roy.
“Where is it?” one of them said.
Roy looked back at the little house.
“Hey, Mellow, tell your Mom I said—” His voice cracked and tears suddenly filled his eyes. “Tell her that I love her, Melvin. Always will, no matter what.”
“Oh shit,” exclaimed Decker. He grabbed Mars and flung him backward. Mars went sliding across the floor and thudded into the rear wall of the building. Decker raced over and covered him with his big body.
Outside, Roy opened his coat. The packs of Semtex around his waist were rigged to a trigger.
The men surrounding him turned to run.
But it was far too late for that.
Roy Mars hit the trigger.
And the four men simply disappeared.
CHAPTER
75
DECKER SAT LOOKING across at Mars.
They were in a hotel room in Tuscaloosa.
Bogart stood watching both of them and his expression wasn’t a happy one.
The house they had been in had partially collapsed when Roy Mars detonated the bomb wrapped around him. Both Decker and Mars had escaped the wreckage without serious injury, but it had been a near thing.
They had driven the truck left behind by the men with rifles to a point where they could make a call. The police had come, and then Bogart had flown in with a team of agents. Decker and Mars had been taken to the local hospital, stayed overnight, and been released to Bogart.
Jamison had flown down with Bogart and was standing next to him. She didn’t look any happier than the FBI agent did.
“Never thought to loop me in on this?” he said to Decker.
Decker shrugged. “You were officially off the case, Ross. I didn’t want to get you in trouble, and Roy said to come alone.”
“You listen to him and yet you won’t listen to me!”
“It seemed like the only way,” replied Decker.
“And what about me?” snapped Jamison, hands on hips and a scowl on her face.
“I’m sorry, Alex,” was all Decker could manage.
Bogart said, “So Roy’s dead and the other guys were blown to smithereens, and we found nothing at the scene tying them to Eastland or Huey.”
Mars shook his head. “I still can’t believe he just…blew himself up.”
“He saved us, Melvin. Well, actually he saved you. I don’t think he cared if I lived or died.”
“But why? After all the shit he put me through? Was it because of my mom?”
“I don’t think so. I think it was because of you.”
“The guy didn’t love me. He hated my guts. He framed me for murder. I figured he just took the easy way out.”
“I wouldn’t call blowing yourself up the easy way out,” pointed out Jamison.
“Why would he even come there with a bomb?” asked Mars.
Decker said, “He was a man who hedged his bets. He knew Eastland had a lot of resources. He might have figured we’d get followed somehow.”
Bogart said, “Well, whatever the reason, we’ve got nothing. Roy was our last hope. And now he’s gone. So Eastland and Huey are home free.”
“Not yet,” said Decker.
They all turned to him.
He eased something from his coat pocket. His arm had been hit by a flying wall stud in the explosion and was still sore. He held up the article.
“Your wallet?” said Bogart.
“Roy’s wallet.”
“How the hell did you get it?” asked Mars.
“I didn’t. He ‘accidentally’ slipped it into my pocket before he went out and blew himself up.”
“Why would he do that?” asked Bogart.
Decker opened the wallet and drew out the only item inside.
“What is that?” asked Jamison. “A credit card?”
“No, a library card.”
“A library card?” said Bogart. He looked at Mars. “Was he much of a reader?”
“Never saw him with a book in his life.”
“Except the one he would read to you at night,” said Decker.
“That’s right. How’d you remem—” Mars stopped in midsentence.
“Why a library card?” asked Jamison.
“I think he was leaving us a message.” Decker rose. “Shall we?”
* * *
The drive to the library that now stood where the old NAACP office once had was only ten minutes from the hotel. They drove in Bogart’s rental. He pulled in front of the library and parked at the curb. Decker led them inside.
At the front desk sat a middle-aged woman with a stack of books in front of her.
Decker said, “I have a book on reserve.” He handed her the library card.
She took it and then checked on the computer in front of her. “I assume this isn’t for you?” she said when the correct screen came up.
“No, my nephew. He’s just learning to read.”
She smiled. “Make a reader early, you make one for life. I’ll be right back.” She rose and disappeared behind some stacks.
Jamison said, “Are you going to tell us what’s going on, Amos?”
“What book did he reserve?” asked Mars.
“The Three Little Pigs,” said the librarian, returning into view. “I noticed you checked it out once before,” she said to Decker.
“Right. My nephew liked it so much.”
“Well, it is a classic. I read it to my grandkids and I still get scared when the Big Bad Wolf comes into the story. And the pictures are really stunning.” She handed Decker the book and his