The Shack series

Chapter 26

*****

Three weeks later

The Sheriff was sitting on the stairs to the office when we pulled in. "You guys seem awful relaxed all of a sudden. By an odd coincidence, there was a report that a carload of Gold Shield Security boys and their employer managed to fall off a cliff somehow in West Virginia. Looks like it happened a few weeks ago."

"Good to hear. Sounds like they shoulda been more careful."

He nodded. "They friends of Stein?"

"Actually, no. They were all doing their own thing."

He sighed. "Jesus, you guys attract trouble."

Delaney looked indignant. "That whole Mooky thing wasn't about us." She popped open the right side toolbox on the roll back and began pulling out tools.

"And yet you still managed to step in it. Which brings me to the point of the visit. We had a visit by a couple of corporate security types. We got a lot of State Department pressure to let them have whatever they wanted. Big European pharmaceutical company."

"Hackmann?"

"Sounds right. Germans, I think. They weren't particularly friendly. They didn't seem to give a damn about the two dead guys, but they sure as hell wanted to look that car over."

"Wouldn't do them much good."

"No, but I told them that one of the bodies had the remains of a package melted into their clothing. The security guys didn't seem unhappy that it had burned up after I explained that it tested positive for marijuana." He got up with a sigh. "None of that s**t makes sense. None of it. Two people dead, Hyatt's going to be on convalescent leave for six months. Over marijuana."

I shrugged. "Doesn't make any sense to me either."

He started to walk to his Tahoe. "I'll get your guns back to you in a couple days." He paused looking back. "The coroner's report on the two dead guys is a little vague on just who shot them, if you read it wrong, it almost sounds like Hyatt put them down. I'd rather not have these pharmaceutical guys interested in you. Our damn morgue isn't big enough."

"I appreciate it. Hyatt deserves some kind of commendation. She chased them after they hit her and she still tried to take them down."

He nodded. "I was kind of thinking that." He climbed into his Tahoe. "You two stay out of trouble."

Delaney watched him pull out of the yard, then put the last breaker-bar to the side and looked into the tool case with dismay. "Ugh. Dried mouse shit."

"Serves you right, you left the tacos in there, you clean it up."

"Blech." Delaney wrinkled her nose in disgust and started to reach in with the whisk broom. "Huh. Look at that."

I peered over her shoulder and we stood there silently for a moment. "You know... it is Tuesday."

She looked up at me with a grin. "Twelve Amazing Tacos!"

*****

Mooky looked up from the register as we walked in. He managed to turn even paler and stiffened up.

"Welcome to Taco Grande. May I take your order?"

I looked at him for a long moment. His hair had been cut down to almost a crew cut and the bruises covering the left half of his face were edged with dull yellow, slowly healing. A muscle twitched in his jaw. I nodded. "Yeah, we'll take a Big Taco Sampler and two large Cokes."

"Yes, sir." He tapped on his register. "That will be eleven dollars and 92 cents, please."

I fished out twelve bucks and watched while he carefully made change and handed it back to me with the receipt.

He turned with the slow care of someone sporting more than a few aches and pains, carefully counted the twelve tacos into a bag for us, then slid the bag across the counter to us with two cups. "Will that be all, sir?"

I looked at Delaney and nodded to her then looked up at him. "No. One more thing."

Delaney slid her envelope across the counter to him. "It's all we could find. This spilled out in the tool box after the mice chewed it open."

He looked at it in amazement and I picked up where Delaney had left off. "It's only about half an ounce of seed, you're not going to get rich anytime soon off of it, but it's something."

His lower lip trembled a little. "They burned my place. All of it. You saw it."

Delaney elbowed me. I sighed. "I've got a used trailer for sale, I'll drop it right where your old one was next Saturday."

"I don't have any money..."

I held up the change in my hand. "This looks like enough." He just stared at me in amazement. "It's probably all bullshit, you know. There's no way it cures cancer. I doubt if it's any different than any of the other s**t people are smoking. But somebody was willing to kill over it, so, just in case, I'd like to think somebody out there besides Hackmann Pharmaceuticals was growing some. Just make sure you give away some of the seed, get it out there."

He nodded, slowly and uncertainly as we picked up our bag and walked out.

Delaney glanced back at Mooky through the window. "You really think he'll do anything with it?"

"I think so. Hell, he may be the best choice. He doesn't really want to be rich or powerful, he just wants to grow some good w**d. He'll grow it and give a bunch out. Anybody else would try to get rich selling it to a big company."

She wrinkled her nose. "Kinda hard to picture him as a hero."

I chuckled. "Imagine his statue in front of the CDC. 'Mooky, Hero and Healer'."

"I hope they have the Taco Grande hat on the statue."

"I can't Damnin' imagine it without."

Delaney snickered. "You owe a dollar."

"Dammit."

How do I pay you back. I don't have money on me.