Moonshine Over Georgia by Chris Skates

Author:Chris Skates [Skates, Chris]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-05-31T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 28

WE MEET AGAIN

I felt my entire body tense up. Then I caught myself. The worst thing I could do now was to have a big reaction. I determined that, no matter what I had to do, I was coming out of these woods with this tobacco can. I wondered if Wallace was willing to shoot it out with a lawman to get it from me. Rather than find out, I decided to try something.

“Morning John,” I said calmly. I was still kneeling near the spot of blood so I reached into my shirt pocket and took out my own rolling papers, careful not to show the pouch of my own tobacco in the same pocket. I rested Turner’s can on one knee and then took out a paper. As I had done a thousand times on my own, I held the paper curled between my thumb and forefinger, pressing down on it lightly with my index finger to form a trough. Then I popped open the lid of the Prince Albert can with my thumb. I prayed a quick prayer that Turner had tobacco left in his can or else this ruse was going to end badly. He did, so I shook out some tobacco into the paper, snapped the metal lid closed, and wrapping the can in my handkerchief, stuffed it into my hip pocket. As I finished rolling the cigarette Wallace kept talking. He seemed to take no note of my activities.

“So what brings you out to visit my land this fine morning?” Wallace was all smiles. He specialized in charm when it suited him, namely when he wasn’t in a rage over something, or demanding I run someone out of the county, or pistol whipping an unconscious man.

“Now, John,” I said. “As hot and humid as it is what do you suppose would bring me to take a walk in these woods? You know I ain’t bird watching.”

Wallace laughed, and it almost seemed genuine. “Well, Miller (for the first time that I could ever remember, he didn’t call me Mr. or Agent) you might as well be bird watching ‘cause there’s nothing else to see down in these woods.”

I licked the paper to seal it and popped the cigarette into my mouth. I was going to take my time lighting it. Something bothered me about smoking a dead man’s tobacco.

“You riding your fences this morning?” I wanted to lighten the conversation a bit, see if I could read Wallace’s state of mind.

“Just checking on things,” Wallace said. “I like to make sure I don’t have trouble with trespassers.”

Now Wallace had changed the tone, and I didn’t like where it had gone. I also didn’t like being lectured about trespassing by a man who possibly just committed murder. I took out my Zippo lighter and decided to make a show of lighting the cigarette. The lighter would give me a reason to have my hands in motion. That in turn would give me a jump on Wallace if it became necessary to draw on him.

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