?Who?s Bobby Lee??
?That?s Bobby Lee there,? Preacher said, indicating the driver. ?He may be a descendant of the general. You told Hugo you wanted to meet me. Don?t demean yourself by pretending you didn?t.?
Nick could hear a brass band marching through his head. ?So now I?ve met you. I?m satisfied. I?m going home now.?
?I?m afraid not,? Preacher said.
Nick felt as though a garrote were tightening around his chest, squeezing the blood from his heart. Face it now, when Esther and the kids aren?t with you, a voice inside him said.
?You say something?? Preacher asked.
?Yeah, I have friends. Some of them are cops. They come here sometimes. They eat free at my restaurant.?
?So where does that leave us??
Nick didn?t have an answer. In fact, he couldn?t keep track of anything he had said. ?I?m not a criminal. I don?t belong in this.?
?Maybe we can be friends. But you have to talk to me first,? Preacher said.
Nick set his jaw and stepped inside the SUV, then heard th
e door slam behind him. The kid in the top hat floored the SUV onto the service road. The surge of power in the engine caused Nick to sway against the seat and lose control of the safety strap he was trying to snap into place. Preacher continued to look at him, his hazel eyes curious, like someone studying a gerbil in a wire cage. Nick?s hand brushed the stiff outline of the .25 auto in his side pocket.
Preacher knocked on his cast with his knuckles. ?I got careless,? he said.
?Yeah?? Nick said. ?Careless about what??
?I underestimated a young woman. She looked like a schoolgirl, but she taught me a lesson in humility,? Preacher said. ?Why?d you want to meet me??
?Y?all are trying to take over my businesses.?
?I look like a restaurateur or the operator of a strip joint??
?There?s worse things.?
Preacher watched the countryside sweeping by. He closed his eyes as though temporarily resting them. A moment later, he reopened them and leaned forward, perhaps studying a landmark. He scratched his cheek with one finger and studied Nick again. Then he seemed to make a decision about something and tapped on the back of the driver?s seat. ?The road on the left,? he said. ?Go through the cattle guard and follow the dirt track. You?ll see a barn and a pond and a clapboard house. The house will be empty. If you see a car or any lights on, turn around.?
?You got it, Jack,? the driver said.
?What?s going on?? Nick said.
?You wanted a sit-down, you got your sit-down,? Hugo said from the front passenger seat.
?Take the pistol out of your pocket with two fingers and put it on the seat,? Preacher said. Half of his right hand remained inside the fold of the newspaper on his lap. His mouth was slightly parted, his eyes unblinking, his nose tilted down.
?I don?t have a gun. But if I did, I wouldn?t give it to you.?
?You?re not a listener?? Preacher said.
?Yeah, I am, or I wouldn?t be here.?
?You were planning to shoot both me and Hugo if you could catch us unawares. You treated me with disrespect. You treated me as though I?m an ignorant man.?
?I never saw you before. How could I disrespect you?? Nick replied, avoiding Preacher?s initial premise.
Preacher sucked on a tooth. ?You attached to your family, Mr. Dolan??
?What do you think??