This is part five of The Ties that Bind, a Deep South mystery. If you’re here by mistake, you can find the rest of the parts here.
Recap part four: Lee interrogates Rico and wonders at the state of his soul.
In part five: Lee finds someone unexpectedly and gets punched.
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Photo by Marco de Winter on Unsplas
Photo by Marco de Winter on Unsplash
There is a house in New Orleans,
They call the rising sun.
-The Animals
Lee awoke feeling not much of anything. The muted sunlight that streamed in through the curtains was a match for his heart, present but without warmth. He knew that getting to Eddie Stevenson would be tough, but on the plus side, everyone knew where he lived so finding him would be easy.
As he prepared to go out, he ran through the possibilities in his mind. Eddie wasn’t a model citizen, but gave enough money to the city that he wielded the kind of out-sized power that often runs small towns in the Deep South. Since he owned most of the used car lots in the area, folks often had to buy from him, even though there was a good chance you were getting cheated in some way. He wore polyester suits and had slicked back hair. It was as if he was trying his hardest to embody the sleazy used car salesman stereotype. There were rumblings in the community that he had his hands in other illegal enterprises. He’d been investigated twice but charges had been dropped.
Eddie had a gaudy McMansion out on Goose Pond Island, a small extension of Scottsboro on Guntersville Lake. Lee drove there and parked the Land Cruiser at the state park that was on the western side of the island. He wanted to scope out the area a bit, but didn’t want his Land Cruiser to be conspicuous. He pulled on a black hoodie as he stepped out of the truck and began stretching like he was one of the many runners who enjoyed the scenery on the small island while exercising. This would give him a chance to have a look at Eddie’s house and the surrounding area.
He ran at a slow pace, not wanting to wind himself and not actually trying to exercise. He made his way to the eastern side of the island and meandered through the neighborhood until he found Eddie’s home. He slowed down and put his hands on his head, exaggerating his breathing. He took note of the black iron gate that blocked the driveway up to the house. It was more ornamental than pragmatic, a sign of confidence from Eddie. The property was surrounded by a tall hedge along the road and property lines, the back of the property was the lake. Eddie didn’t seem to have much security, and Lee silently thanked Eddie for his laissez-faire attitude.
Lee decided to go back to the Land Cruiser. When night came he drove and parked near Eddie’s, and after a little deliberation, decided that the direct route would be his best bet. He walked up to the gate and pressed the call button on the keypad that was situated to the right of the gate. A voice crackled over the intercom.
“What do you want?”
“I was told to come see Eddie.” Lee replied. “I heard something about one of his girls and my boss, Rico, said I should come in person.”
There was a pause before the gate swung open inward. Lee walked up the drive and before he could get to the front door, two men stepped onto the porch, both armed with pistols and dressed in black suits.
“Hold it,” the one on the left said, drawing his gun and drawing a bead on Lee’s chest. “Search him.”
The other man stepped up and efficiently, albeit roughly, searched Lee for weapons. After getting the all clear, the first man holstered his pistol and waved Lee into the house. He walked into the large foyer and was directed to one of the chairs that was situated to the right. The first man left, while the second man took his post next to the front door. Lee sat. After about ten minutes he asked the guard by the door if he could use the bathroom. He was directed down a hall to the right.
Lee was often amazed at how often movie tropes, like asking to use the bathroom as a cover to snoop, actually worked. Turns out the average hired muscle wasn’t the brightest. He walked down the hallway and tried each of the doors to see if they were unlocked. The first door was locked. The second door was the bathroom. The third door was unlocked. He turned the knob and slowly opened the door.
The smell hit him first. Stale alcohol and body odor along with old fast food. He stifled a gag. He slid in through the doorway and pulled the door closed behind him. A cursory sweep of the room revealed it empty until his eyes settled on a bundle of blankets on the queen sized bed. A foot stuck out from underneath them. Lee walked to the opposite side of the bed and saw the woman’s face who was laying there. He recognized her. It was Dove Percy’s mother, Tammy.
Her lips were chapped and clenched tight over teeth that seemed too big for her mouth. Her dark blonde hair was tangled and unkempt. He knew quickly that she was the source of the smell in the room. He shook her gently to rouse her and covered her mouth with his hand so she wouldn’t alert the guard. He put a finger to his lips and then whispered, “I’m trying to find your daughter.”
Confusion, relief, and fear all flashed across her face. She took a deep shuddering breath as Lee withdrew his hand. “Who are you?”
“I help the sheriff on cases like this.”
“Like what?”
“Missing persons. Runaways.”
“Well she didn’t run away, she was taken.”
“Do you know by who? Who would want to take your daughter? Was someone trying to get at you?”
She laughed softly, sadly. “Looks like they don’t have any trouble gettin to me.” Grief. It seemed to Lee that in that moment, the full weight of all her past decisions settled on her shoulders. A yoke that was too heavy to bear. But in an instant it changed. Grief shattered into desperation and panic
“You gotta find her mister. She’s special. You gotta get her back,” she hissed.
“That’s what I’m trying to do ma’am. Can you give me any information that would help me?”
She sat up shot her hand out and latched onto his forearm, her dirty nails digging in, threatening to break skin.
“She’s pure and undefiled. An innocent lamb. Led to the slaughter by wicked men. Those wicked men. They wish to make of her a sacrifice. Spotless and sweet. In silence they led her away” She jerked her head towards the door. “You. Gotta. Save. Her.” She collapsed back onto the bed and let his arm go. It seemed that all of the life was draining out of her and imploring Lee was her last motherly act.
Lee slipped quietly out of the room and into the bathroom. A few seconds and a flush later, he stepped out of the bathroom and headed back to the foyer. He smiled sheepishly at the guard and patted his stomach. The guard’s face stayed still as stone. Lee sat down again to wait, hoping he’d be able to see Eddie.
He spotted the first guard striding down the hall walking with a very distinct purpose, and he wasn’t alone. Two other men flanked him and they didn’t look friendly.
“Mister Stevenson regrets to inform you that he will not be able to talk with you. We’re to escort you off the premises.” The word “escort” was loaded with the promise of pain.
“Oh sure, no worries! Actually I can just show myself out!” Lee hoped his immediate disengagement would let him get out unscathed. He had no such luck.
Right about the time he stood, the guard who had been by the door spun him around and hit him hard in the face. Lee was able to roll with the punch so it didn’t knock him out. Hurt like hell, though.
“Wait. Please.” Lee held his hands up in a pacification gesture. In a split second the other men were there, dragged him out the front door, and tossed him down the steps. The first guard walked down, kicked Lee in the stomach and leaned down to him.
“Rico sends his regards.”
The guards turned to walk back inside and Lee laid on the ground for a while. His ears were ringing, his knee hurt from being tossed down the stairs, and he’d have a nasty bruise from the boot to his gut. All things considered it was a milder beating than he expected. He collected himself and stood, slowly walking back through the already opened gate to his Land Cruiser.
Eddie knows something. Lee thought to himself. The beating was a scare tactic. What were they trying to scare him off of? And Tammy, Dove’s mother, seemed pretty convinced that Eddie and his men had something to do with her daughter’s disappearance. Lee felt, call it intuition, that there was something else going on here, he just couldn’t put his finger on it. There were too many questions. Why did Eddie take Tammy? Why would he take Dove, too? Who was running Eddie? What was next?
Luckily, the next question was answered for him. A large silver SUV with the windows down rolled by and Lee saw Tammy in the back seat. He cranked the Land Cruiser and followed the SUV off the island, back through Scottsboro, and towards the mountains.
Into the woods we go.