“Thank you,” the scruffy guy murmured, watching the traffic pass on Highway 281.
“Funny thing is,” Hank continued, “it looks just like the one my friend Frank owns. You got any idear why that is?”
The man bobbed his head several times, without making eye contact. “I purchased this vehicle from Frank just this morning. I can understand your confusion.”
Hank was stunned for a moment. Frank hadn’t said anything about selling his ATV-and Hank told the stranger as much.
“It was a spontaneous transaction on his part,” the stranger said. “I happened to see him riding it and realized it was the exact model I’ve been looking for. I made an offer that your friend was generous enough to accept.”
Now Hank was pretty certain something squirrelly was going on. He and Frank had bagged an eight-pointer on Thursday evening, and had celebrated by drinking late into the night at Frank’s place. Hank hadn’t seen Frank since then, because Frank had to work this weekend. That meant Frank would have been out at the job site since sunup this morning, installing some cabinets. He wouldn’t have been out riding his ATV.
Hank wasn’t sure what to say. He wasn’t the type for confrontation, but he couldn’t just let the guy go without checking it out, could he? “You happen to have the title on ya? Maybe a receipt?” Hank asked.
“No, I’m afraid I don’t.” The stranger lifted the gas nozzle out of the can and went to place it back into the slot in the pump. That’s when his sleeve slid down far enough for Hank to see the handcuff on his wrist. In an instant, Hank knew exactly who this guy was: the fellow who had escaped from John Marlin, the game warden.
The men locked eyes for a moment, both of them knowing the pretense was over. Hank was about to make a lunge for the keys in the ignition, when the stranger aimed the nozzle at Hank and hosed his chest down with gas. Hank dropped his twelve-pack onto the concrete.
“I advise you to remain quite civil,” the stranger said. In his hand he now held a disposable lighter. “At least until I’ve made my departure.”
Hank suddenly realized that Frank’s ATV wasn’t really that important. They could haul deer just as easily in the back of Hank’s truck. Hell, if Frank was caught in the same situation, Hank would say,
“Kindly take a few steps back,” the stranger said.
Hank did what he was told, keeping an eye on the lighter.
The scruffy guy strapped the gas can to the back of the ATV and straddled the seat. He turned the key and the motor sputtered to life.
“Please tell your friend I apologize for any inconvenience,” the stranger said. Then he put the ATV in gear and roared out of the parking lot.
“What next? Maynard Clements’s place?”
Garza nodded. “I guess so. Until we can find a way to get at Mameli. It’s gonna be tough if we have to go through his lawyer.”
Garza proceeded down Ladybird Lane and came to a wood-and-stone entry way that said RANCHER’S ESTATES. They found Maynard’s place-a well-kept home on Pitchfork Lane-and pulled in behind Clements’s dusty brown Jeep Cherokee. Maynard answered the door wearing sweatpants and a Texas A amp;M T-shirt.
“Hey, guys,” Maynard said. “What are y’all doing here?” Before they could answer, he gestured over his shoulder. “Game’s about to start. Come on in.”
Marlin and Garza followed Maynard in and took a seat on a vinyl sofa, while Maynard sank back into a worn recliner. Next to the recliner, a pitcher of orange juice and a large Big Gulp cup sat on a small table. Marlin thought he could smell some kind of liquor. Not even noon yet.
“Playing Oklahoma State today,” Maynard said. “Should be a good one. Can I get y’all anything?”
“No, that’s all right, Maynard,” Marlin said. “Sorry to interrupt….”
“Aw, no big deal. It’s nice to have company.” He looked at them suspiciously. “Y’all
On the screen, the Aggie band built to a crescendo as A amp;M kicked off.
“I just wanted to talk to you a little bit more about Bert Gammel,” Marlin said.
Maynard turned the volume down a tad, but kept his eyes on the set. “Figured as much, but I’m not sure what else I can tell ya.”
“Well,” Garza chimed in, “we were just wondering what you know about Salvatore Mameli. I believe he’s had some dealings with your department.”
“Oh, sure, I know Sal,” Maynard said. “Nice guy-for a Yankee.” Maynard chuckled, then got distracted by the happenings on the field. “Aw, damn! What the hell was the defensive end doing on that play? You see him miss that tackle?”
Oklahoma State was marching downfield.
“You ever know Mameli to do anything dishonest, like maybe try to pass some cash under the table?” Garza asked.
Maynard shook his head, but remained focused on the game. “Hate to shoot you down, but me and John been through this already. Seriously, that kinda thing just doesn’t go on out here. At least not in my experience. I can’t speak for Bert, but he was about as honest as they come. I’m tellin’ ya, there ain’t no way he’d take a bribe. And if someone offered one, he’d tell me about it. I guarantee it.”
Garza and Marlin both asked a few more questions, but discovered nothing new. Finally Marlin described finding Gammel’s cash supply in the deer feeder.
“Well, yeah,” Clements said, “that does seem like a strange place to keep your cash, but that doesn’t mean it was dirty money.”
“No, I guess you’re right,” Garza said. “The odd thing was, we found
Maynard narrowed his eyes, but didn’t seem rattled. “What kinda envelope?”
“Standard manila.”
The project manager smiled. “Like you’d find in an office, I guess?”
Marlin nodded.
Maynard stood and walked over to a small hutch that was buried with paperwork. He extracted several manila envelopes from the pile. “Look like these?”
Marlin said that it did.
“Come on down to my office if you want. We got hundreds of these lying around. Betcha that’s where Bert got it. Hell, he mighta grabbed one off my desk.”
Garza stood. “Yeah, that’s what we were thinking, Maynard. Just had to check it out.”
But Clements wasn’t listening. The Oklahoma State quarterback had found a wide-open receiver in the end zone. Clements groaned and let loose with a string of profanities. He grinned at the two men. “Could be another rebuilding year, I guess.”
“He seem nervous at all to you?” Garza asked, back in the cruiser.
“Not at all,” Marlin replied, wondering whether he should be disappointed or encouraged. “Actually, I guess that makes things easier. Now we can concentrate on Mameli.”
“Right now, I say we concentrate on lunch. You hungry?”
Marlin was surprised. He figured Garza would have wanted to go straight back to the sheriff’s office to monitor the standoff. “Lead the way.”
Garza radioed Darrell Bridges and told the dispatcher where he and Marlin would be for the next hour. Back in Johnson City, Garza pulled into Big Joe’s Restaurant, and the men found a quiet booth in the back. Over chicken- fried steak, they went through the Bert Gammel and Emmett Slaton cases from the beginning, analyzing every detail.
“Still thinking the cases are tied together somehow?” Marlin asked.
“Mameli’s face sure got red when I mentioned Slaton, and he seems to have links to both Slaton and Gammel. Problem is, we’re awful short on motive for either case at the moment. Yeah, the bribery thing seems like
