Toledo Bend by Keith Houghton

Author:Keith Houghton [Houghton, Keith]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scriptacular
Published: 2022-11-09T16:00:00+00:00

TWENTY-FIVE

Carson Eaves rolls his eyes as I caution him at the locked cell door. “Pal, I need your assurance you’re not going to do anything stupid after I let you out of here. Mallory said you’ve agreed to see a counselor. And that’s a good thing. Can I trust you’ll behave yourself in the meantime?”

“Just open the damn door, Mitch. And stop worrying about me. You’ll give yourself an ulcer.”

“Stop giving me cause then.” I swing back the door and Carson pushes past me. “Hey. Where’re you going?”

“Outside. Damn air stinks to high heaven in here. I need to breathe me something with fewer excrement particles suspended in it.”

Devereux and I follow him outside into bright sunshine. Heat radiates from the street, creating ghostly shimmers in the distance.

“To be perfectly honest,” Devereux says, “I think the smell back there is mostly down to you.”

Carson shakes himself out, then stretches, every joint cracking. “I should sue for wrongful imprisonment. Maybe add some police brutality to the charge while I’m inclined.”

Mallory joins us outside. “Take it easy. No one’s suing anyone. We’re all friends here. First and foremost. Let’s remember that.” She hands Carson a cup of water. He thanks her and gulps it down.

I tip my head toward the department entry. “How’s about we go back inside and get your statement on record. Out here isn’t the best place to discuss sensitive subjects.”

Carson drops the empty cup at his feet. “No, thanks. I’m not going back in there anytime soon. You’ll need to arrest me first.”

Devereux smiles. “That can be arranged. You’re not off the hook yet, Carson Eaves. Just because we didn’t find anything at your house doesn’t mean you’re not Le Feu Follet. You need to provide me with proof of your whereabouts on a handful of specific dates going back twelve months.”

“No,” Mallory says. “Carson’s agreed to tell you guys his story, and that’s all. He’s not under any obligation to answer questions.”

I gesture at the entryway. “Let’s just go back inside. It’s cooler in my office.”

Carson glowers at me. “What is it with you and the heat? You behave like a damn snowbird. Anything you want us to discuss, we can do it out here.”

I glance up and down the street. Both the roadway and the sidewalks are just as deserted as they were earlier this morning. It seems, after last night’s festivities, the whole town is sleeping in.

“Okay, alright.” I retreat to the shade and lean my back against the door jamb. “Why don’t you run us through what happened yesterday.”

Carson glances at Mallory.

“Just tell them what you told me.”

Carson fills his lungs. “Okay. Sometimes, I get insomnia. When it happens, I get up and write. I was doing exactly that yesterday morning when I heard knocking coming from my patio doors.”

I experience a flashback to the blood on the handles and glass. “What time was this?”

“Just before dawn. I didn’t know what was going on. You can imagine my shock when I found a child standing there, covered in blood.

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