The lawyer seemed to perk up at the sound of Gibson's name. Was Fred Bart the only person in the room who didn't realize the guy was working the other side? Jeffrey would've loved to roll up the man's sleeves, look for any tattoos he might have.
Jeffrey repeated, 'Boyd Gibson?'
Bart talked slowly, moving his lips as little as possible as if he could hide his teeth. 'Jake told me what happened,' he said. 'Clint and Boyd never got along, but Jake kept them in line. He told them to burn down Hank's bar. Lena had spent some time there and Jake didn't like her poking around. He was trying to scare her off.'
'So?' Jeffrey prompted.
'So, Jake said that they poured gasoline around the outside of the bar. Clint threw a match on it, but then Boyd started yelling about how Hank kept some money inside, stuffed under a floorboard or something.'
'He ran into a burning building to get cash?'
Jeffrey asked, thinking that if Bart was telling the truth, Jeffrey had risked his life to save one of the stupidest bastards on earth.
Bart nodded. 'At that point, you came along. Boyd got away and he met up with Clint in the woods. They had some kind of argument. I told you these men were hotheaded.' Bart paused for effect. 'At any rate, Clint ended up stabbing Boyd.'
'And then what?'
'And then he had to tell Jake.'
'What about the knife?'
'Clint didn't want to lose his knife – it was expensive – so he used one he'd… found.' The man held out his hands in an open shrug. 'Mind you, I got this story second-hand from Jake, so I can't confirm the veracity.'
'Yeah,' Jeffrey said. 'I understand that.' He crossed his arms. 'Did Jake say whose idea it was to throw Boyd's body into my hotel room?'
'His. Jake thought if your wife got scared enough, you'd leave town.'
Jeffrey asked, 'What about Charlotte Gibson?'
'Jake got worried because she was talking to Lena.'
'So Jake torched her?'
'Yes. Jake liked to send messages.'
'Is that right?'
'Yes.'
Jeffrey remembered what Lena had said about Bart's last words to Valentine, the anger that had boiled up between the two men. The dentist had been supplementing his income with meth since Valentine was in diapers. He'd been the big man in town until Myra had married her college sweetheart.
'Lemme get this straight.' Jeffrey summarized, counting off the dead bodies on his fingers as he said, 'Clint Jones killed Boyd Gibson, Jake killed Charlotte and of course you were kind enough to shoot Clint in – what – self-defense? I guess leaving Lena and Sara in the house to die was some kind of oversight on your part?'
'I know I shouldn't have left those women there, but I was terrified. Jake has some powerful friends. I ran away because I was frightened. I take full responsibility for that.'
'I'm happy to hear you take responsibility for something.'
He tried to defend himself, saying, 'I called the sheriff's office and gave an anonymous tip.'
Nick had obviously heard this before. 'We listened to the nine-one-one tapes from Friday, Fred. We haven't found anything.'
'Then you need to keep looking,' Bart insisted. 'I called from a pay phone at the Stop 'n' Save. It should have my fingerprints on it.'
Jeffrey didn't doubt the phone had Bart's prints on it. He'd had plenty of time to think up an alibi while Lena and Sara were fighting for their lives.
'What about the other body?' Jeffrey asked.
'Other body?' Bart echoed. 'What other body?'
He seemed as surprised as Sara and Lena had been. Both women swore they hadn't seen anyone else in Hank's house, but the remains of a man's body had been found somewhere in the vicinity of the back bedroom.
Jeffrey told him, 'There was another set of bones in Hank Norton's house. The state coroner says he was an older man, maybe in his sixties.'
Bart looked at his hands. 'I don't know anything about that.'
'You don't know anything about a lot of things,' Jeffrey challenged. 'I think you're just sitting there with your little mind spinning, trying to come up with quick answers for every question, but the thing is you've got no idea how deep this hole is you're standing in.'
'I don't know what you mean.'
Jeffrey looked at Nick. Both men knew that Bart was either too arrogant or too stupid to see that his life was pretty much over the minute he shot Clint Jones and told Jake Valentine to get under the sink.
'All righty.' Nick sighed, pressing his palms against the table as he stood up.
Bart yelped, 'What are you doing?'
'Packing up,' Nick told him, collapsing the tripod. 'You don't know doodly squat, Tonto, and I have a feeling any second now the Lone Ranger there's gonna be heading back up to the corral to get along with his little doggies.'
The lawyer chuckled. 'Well put.'
Nick told him, 'No offense, buddy, but we're really hoping none of this goes any farther than it has to.'
'I think we've had enough collateral damage to last us for a while.' The lawyer pushed Valentine's photos of Fred Bart across the table. 'It seems to me you have an overwhelming amount of evidence here. Surely enough to charge the guilty party.' He stood, telling Jeffrey. 'I'm very sorry that your wife was in harm's way.' As an afterthought, he added, 'And your detective, too, of course.'
Jeffrey took the man's meaning, but he wanted to be clear. 'Just so long as they're safe now.'
'They are.'
The lawyer turned to leave, but Bart clawed his arm, screaming, 'You said they'd work a deal! You said they would-'
'Get your hands off me,' he barked, jerking his arm away.
Bart finally seemed to understand that the lawyer wasn't on his side, that the only reason the man was here was so he could make sure Bart wasn't a threat to the people who were really paying his fees.
For his part, the lawyer seemed relieved that the masquerade was over. He gave Nick a nod, then Jeffrey. 'Gentlemen, if you'll excuse me.'
'What are you doing?' Bart demanded. 'You're my lawyer! Where are you going?'
The man left the room without looking back.
Bart stood by the table, wringing his hands like a woman.
Nick told him, 'Sit down, Fred.'
Bart sagged into his chair. 'I want to cut a deal,' he muttered. 'I need to cut a deal.'
