Divine Justice (Camel Club 4)

“That line didn’t even work in the fifties,” said Alex. “He’s a public servant with a job to do. Nail Oliver. And while he’s on the run, we’re left as targets.”

“So should we all go into hiding?” Annabelle asked.

Alex said, “That’s pretty much impossible for me to do. But Annabelle, you definitely should dig a deep hole and get in it. Reuben too. Caleb, how about you?”

“Why would Oliver have left us in this impossible situation?” Caleb groused.

“He didn’t have much choice,” Reuben answered. “If we’re right, he popped two giant VIPs on the same day. You don’t go have coffee after that and wait for the SWAT team to tap on your door with a battering ram.”

Caleb shook his head. “Even if Oliver did kill them—and despite the letter he left behind, I bet he didn’t leave any evidence for them to find.”

“Damn it, what point aren’t you getting, Caleb?” Reuben exclaimed. “These guys don’t care about prosecuting his ass. They just want him. They’ll squeeze whatever useful information he has out of him and then put a round in his brain. He was a former government hit man who had to go on the run because Gray and Simpson screwed him over and tried to kill him.” Reuben said this last part while staring at Alex. “Oliver’s been on the run for thirty years. And then they killed Milton. And don’t forget, Harry Finn told us that Simpson admitted that he was the one who ordered the hit on Oliver and his family way back when. If ever a man had a reason to kill somebody it’s Oliver, to hell with what the law says.”

“So they might be afraid of what Oliver might know about past government missions,” Caleb said. “And they’d want to silence him?”

“Now you’re thinking like a librarian,” noted Reuben wryly.

Annabelle said, “But there might be another way, I mean instead of us going underground.”

Alex leaned against the wall. “What do you have in mind?”

“We find Oliver and help him really get away.”

“Forget it, Annabelle. We’d be leading these guys right to him,” protested Alex.

“And besides,” added Reuben, “I’m sure Oliver had a nifty escape plan.”

“Really? No ID. No money. I gave him a credit card. I checked on it. It hasn’t been used in months. He can’t get on a plane. He can only run so far.”

“Before they catch him,” said Reuben quietly.

“Maybe that’s what he wants,” stated Alex. The other three stared at him. “He got Simpson and Gray. He felt terrible guilt for Milton. He may feel he has nothing else to live for. He runs, but not that hard. He knows they’ll catch up to him and he’s prepared for what that means.”

Annabelle said, “I’m not going to let his life end that way.”

“Annabelle, stonewalling the CIA is one thing, but you get mixed up in actively helping Oliver elude the authorities then you’re looking at prison time too. A big chunk of it.”

“I don’t care, Alex. Look what he did for me. He risked everything to help me.”

“He’s done that for all of us,” added Reuben.

“You wouldn’t be here either, Alex,” Annabelle said, eyeing the man. “Except for Oliver.”

Alex sat down on an old desk. “Guys, I hear you, but I’m a federal agent. I can only go so far.”

“We don’t want to get you in trouble, so you don’t have to do anything,” said Annabelle, though her tone was less gracious than her words.

“Except look the other way,” added Reuben.

“How would you even go about finding him?” said Alex.

“That’s for us to figure out,” said Reuben coldly. He glanced over at Caleb. “You’re a federal employee too, but are you in?”

Caleb nodded. “I’m in.”

Alex, his features grim, rose. “Well, I guess this is where we part company. Good luck.”

“Alex—” Annabelle began, but the door had already closed behind him.

The three remaining members of the Camel Club simply looked at each other.

“Screw him,” exclaimed Reuben. “So how do we find Oliver?”

She gazed at him. “The fox is on the hunt, right?”

“Right. So?”

“So we follow the fox.”

“You have a plan?”

“I always have a plan.”

“Annabelle, girl, I love you.”

CHAPTER 24

STONE WAS ABOUT TO APPROACH Danny Riker when someone else appeared from the other side of the graveyard. Stone shrank down behind the stone wall as the man stepped clear of the shadows and into the moonlight. At first, Stone thought the big fellow was going to attack Danny, so stealthy was his approach. Indeed, Stone was preparing to spring out when the other man gently touched Danny on the shoulder.

“Come on, boy, no good you being here.”

Danny looked up into the face of Sheriff Tyree, who bent down to help him up.

“Not right. Ain’t right,” Danny sputtered, as he leaned against the large frame of the lawman.

“A lot in life isn’t fair, Danny. But you can’t let it eat you up, boy.”

“I want to die.”

Tyree slapped Danny across the face. “Don’t let me never hear you say that again, Danny. The girl’s dead. Nothing you can do will bring her back.”

He pointed at the dirt. “You call that fair?”

“You get your head on straight. She had a choice. She killed herself. This ain’t doing nobody any good. Now you want me to give you a ride home?”

Danny wiped his face and shook his head. “You’re a stupid man if you think that,” he snapped.

Tyree studied him. “You know something I don’t?”

“I know lots you don’t. So what? Ain’t worth shit what I know.”

“I mean about Debby?”

Danny dropped his head and his defiant tone. “No. I don’t know nothing. Just talking is all. Talking and saying nothing, really.”

“You said I was stupid if I believed that. What, that she killed herself?”

“You putting words in my mouth now, Sheriff,” Danny said, his face whitening a bit.

“I just want to hear what you have to say.”

In response, Danny turned and walked off.

“Danny, you come back here.”

“Stop yelling, Sheriff, you’ll wake the dead.”

“Right now, boy.”

“I’m not a boy, Tyree, in case you hadn’t noticed.” Danny turned to look at him. “And unless you want to put a bullet in my back, I’m going home.”

Tyree laid a hand on top of his pistol as Stone stooped as low as he could. He didn’t want to give either man a chance to spot him.

He waited for Danny to disappear down the road and then watched as Tyree stalked back to his patrol car parked nearby and drove back toward town.

Should I just leave now? Why wait until morning?