Miley was laughing when Dutch came in to tell them that they had a guest. Not having a clue who it might be, both he and Mercy went to the door. There stood Allen, and he didn’t look like this was a social visit.
They went to the living room, which was fast becoming Joel’s favorite part of the house besides the kitchen. The furniture was very comfortable, and he loved the way the plants in the room seemed to fill every corner and dark place. The air itself was cleaner smelling—fresh, he supposed. The fireplace had been lit last night to ward off the chill, and it had been amazing. A little too warm, but he could see them all there in the winter months.
“I just let your brother off at the old hotel outside of town. I have to tell you, he doesn’t look good. I think he might be suffering from early onset of diabetes. That’s the only thing I can think of that would be making him feel like he is.” Joel told them how he’d seen him too, and Saul had told him he was fine. “He’s lost a great deal of weight. And on a man his size, that’s not a good thing. And he’s thirsty all the time. While I was taking him from the Stop and Go, he drank down two more sodas. Something that I know for sure he shouldn’t have.”
“I took him food and water a few days ago. He looked scruffy then, but nothing like he does now.” Allen told them that he had water out there and nothing more. “I think he’s ransacked the other rooms for a bed. I noticed it the other day when I drove by and he was gone. He’s set himself up nicely there.”
“He’s also looking for a gun. Right now I don’t think he could hit the broad side of a barn, the way he’s squinting all the time. That’s another sign, his eye sight is going bad.” Allen said that he’d keep an eye on him. “In a couple of days, if I don’t see him around, I’ll go and check on him. I think he’ll be all right there if he won’t let anyone help him. But I’ll drop off some salad fixings, as well as a case or two of water. Until he’s willing to go to the hospital on his own, there is little to nothing we can do about him. Now, if he gets out and does some crazy assed things, I’ll have him in there so quickly that he won’t know what happened.”
After Allen left, they sat and talked about Saul for a bit. He was for sure fighting diabetes, but how far it had gone now was anyone’s guess. Like Allen had said, if he didn’t want help right now, they couldn’t force it on him.
“If Saul is sick, why is he acting like he doesn’t have anything wrong with him? Doesn’t he realize that not paying attention to something like that would make him more ill?” Miley looked down at her legs. “I was just remembering the time that I had a sore on my bottom. I couldn’t feel it at all, and if you’d not found it when you did, the doctor said it could well have killed me. Why would he do that to himself?”
“Because he has always thought he was above such things, like sickness and being hurt. I remember when we were boys, he broke his arm. I don’t remember how, but it was a good week before he finally admitted that it hurt. It was worse because of that. It had to be rebroken then set again.” Joel thought of all the things his brother had done to him and decided never to tell his daughter. She didn’t need to know the real Saul. “He’ll get help with this, hopefully before it’s too late. Letting something this serious go could make him have kidney problems or worse.”
“If you are serious about helping me with the books, I’d appreciate the help. I can show you how to look for things in them. But the paper is very old, and some of the things are faded. Not badly, but they have been around longer than you guys have.” She smiled at them both when Miley said that covered a lot of things. “Yes, I suppose it would. But tomorrow is as good a day as any. And on Saturday, we’ll head over to the stash. It’s in a cave that’s not far from here. But only magic can open the stones there.”
“Oh, how cool is that.” Miley yawned as she continued, making herself comfortable on the sofa. “I’m so cozy in this room, it’s my favorite place to be. Especially with my mom and dad in here with me. I think I might just take a little nap before dinner. I think that once I start walking, I’ll be able to run marathons.” Then she closed her eyes with a smile.
“I love her.” Joel said he knew that, answering her in the same whispering voice. “I mean, I love her as much as I have anyone in my life. She’s my daughter.”
“Yes. And she loves you as much as you do her.” Mercy nodded and left the room. Emotions were getting the better of her, he knew. Giving her time, Joel sat there and watched their daughter as she slept safely in their hearts.
Chapter 9
Allen drove his cruiser to the hotel. He could see that it was in poor shape. Perhaps when Saul was someplace else, he’d talk to the council and ask to have it torn down. That way, squatters like Saul couldn’t make it their home.
When he called out for Saul, he found him in one of the many bathrooms. He was standing at the sink cutting away at the long beard he had. It looked as if he might have just started, and Allen watched him as he hacked away at the growth with a knife.
“Do you need some help?” Saul asked him if he looked like he did. “No. I was just offering. How are you feeling today?”
“Fit as a fiddle. Why do you care, anyway?” Allen didn’t sit on the bed in the room. There was no telling what sort of things might be inside the mattresses. “I’ll be out today. I have my eye on a few things and today is the day.”
“What sort of things are those?” He didn’t expect him to answer and laughed when Saul glared at him. “You need to be out of here today, Saul. I’m going to see about having this place torn down. So people like you can’t just come in and make themselves at home.”
“Yes, and this place is such a mansion. I’ll be out, don’t you worry about it.” Saul put the knife down and stared at him. “You cozying up to my brother and his new wife? I hear tell she had the bucks, and stupidly gave Joel the rights to it as well. How stupid do you think she is, I wonder?”
“She’s a very nice person. I like her.” Saul said that he wasn’t any judgement of character. “Oh? And why is that? Because I’m a cop?”
“Because you’re a dumb ass. Just like Joel. Who in their right mind would turn over millions of dollars to someone like him?” Allen said people did that when they trusted. “Yes, well, I don’t trust well. And what about my parents? Have you figured out if they were murdered? Not that I care one way or the other. Dead is dead, don’t you think?”
“They were both murdered. And we found the axe.” That got the desired reaction from Saul. He tried to look as if it meant nothing to him, but Allen could see the fear in his eyes. “It also seems that your mom had enough strychnine in her system to kill a large mammal. You wouldn’t know anything about either of those things, would you?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. And if you found the axe in the shed, then bully for you. I heard that he fell on the axe, not that he’d been hit with it.” Allen hadn’t said that it was in the shed but said nothing. It wasn’t as if it were a confession, and certainly nothing he could use in court. “Why don’t you go away? I have shit to do today, and you’re keeping me from it. I told you I’d be out by today.”
“Yes, well, I told Joel that I’d check on you and I have.” Saul asked why Joel would even care. “I suppose because you’re his brother. But since you’ve been a lying piece of shit all your life, I would guess that his heart, if you even have one, is bigger than yours.”
“You’re a funny cop, did you ever have anyone tell you that?” It was then that he noticed that Saul was sweating. It wasn’t cold out, but it wasn’t hot either. After asking him again if he was all right, the man seemed to snap. “Mother fuck, yes. How many fucking times are you going to ask me that? I answered your questions. I am leaving this shit hole today. And I am fucking all right. I want you to leave me to my business.”
“You are my business, Saul.”
The snort was almost comical. Allen also noticed that he was white knuckling the sink. Something was off. But right now, he didn’t have a clue what it might be.
Saul did look better. He had his color back. There wasn’t any kind of obvious thirst, or any of the other signs. Perhaps he’d been wrong; maybe Saul really was all right. Tipping his hat to the man, he went to his cruiser and left the lot. But not before calling Joel and letting him know what he’d found.
“If he’s suffering, I honestly didn’t notice it today. Perhaps it was just a case of me wanting him to be ill to get him off the streets.” Joel told him not to worry about it. “You’re a good man, Joel.”
“Thank you. Allen, did you forget something today?” Allen said he didn’t think so. “Well, I’d like for you to come on over to the courthouse and be my witness. If you remember, I asked you several days ago.”