I 'm going to skip ahead here, past Monday and Tuesday, to the aftermath.
The call from Memphis came on a bright morning, Wednesday.
Unable to sleep, I'd been shuffling papers and creating unnecessary files since 3 a.m. I was looking out the window, watching Bill from the Gulf station teaching his kid to ride a bike down the middle of Cherry Street, when the phone rang. A spider had built a spectacular web in the corner of the window. The web and bright-colored joints of the spider's legs caught morning sunlight like prisms.
"Sheriff's office."
"Turner?"
"You got him."
"Sam Hamill here."
"Always a pleasure."
"Sure it is."
"I assume you're not calling just to say hello."
"Not hardly." He held his hand over the receiver for a moment-to speak offstage, as it were. Then he was back.
"Thing is, something strange has just happened up this way."
"It usually does."
"I've got a body."
I waited.
"Two, actually. But only the one that matters. Man goes by the name of Jorge Aleche?"
"When?"
"Some time between noon and four yesterday, him and the bodyguard. Why do you ask?"
"Curiosity. What is it exactly that I can do for you, Sam?"
"I don't suppose there's any chance you'd have been back in town, right?"
"None at all. Been a little busy down this way, too."
"So I heard." After a moment he added: "I spoke to Sheriff Bates. Sorry about the shooting. He said you got the one who did it, though."
"The one who pulled the trigger, anyway."
"Well, it looks like someone may have gone a little deeper in country, if you know what I mean. 'Bout as far in as you can go, matter of fact. You think that's what happened, Turner?"
"Possible."
"I tried calling the current sheriff, one J.T. Burke, and was told by… just a minute… Mabel? Do I have that right?"
"Mabel. Right."
"Told me the sheriff was off on official business and would return my call as soon as possible. Little before that, I tried someone named Don Lee-"
"Acting sheriff."
"What I was told. So there's this Mabel person, secretary by the name of June, two or three sheriffs that I know of. You got one hell of a staff for a town that size."
"We take turns. Monday's my day as crossing guard."
"Sure it is. Anyway, the wife said this Don Lee was under the weather-recently sustained some injuries, I understand?-and was resting, and unless it was really important she didn't want to disturb him."
"Is there a message I can give Sheriff Burke for you, Sam?"
"What it comes down to is, since no one else seems to be available, here I am talking to you."
"Likewise."
"In an official capacity."
"Hold on then, let me get my badge and gun."
What sounded suspiciously like a snort came over the line.
"Never change, do you?"
"All the time."
"Given the possibility of a connection between the series of attacks youVe suffered and the shootings here-"
"Not much gets past you boys, does it?"
"-MPD believes it important to extend our investigation. I have instructions to request a full local investigation, and to hand off responsibility for that investigation to your office. I'm doing so with this call."
"But suh, we don't know-"
"Shut up, Turner. Just be glad the FBI's not on its way down there."
He was right, of course.
"Turner…"
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry for the way this went down. All of it."
"Thanks, Sam."
"We'll be expecting your reports, then. In due time. No particular hurry-up, we've got our hands full."
"Business as usual."
"God's truth. And Turner…"
"Yeah?"
"You do get up this way again, you should think about giving Tracy Caulding a call. For some twisted reason, the woman likes you."
"I know you find it hard to believe, Sam, but people do."
"Go figure… One hell of a world, ain't it?"