E m had fallen asleep, stretched out on the damp ground, cradling her head in her folded arms. I was sitting next to her, watching her, her diaphragm rising and falling with her soft breath. Her blond hair spilled over her arms and I thought about watching her all night long. I truly believe I could have. I was still wondering how I’d gotten into this situation. James was probably right. It was the questions I’d asked. And the fact that I knew about Cabrina Washington. I’d met the girl. For some reason, that meeting and my questions had triggered a response. Possibly my meeting and questions were the reason that we were all in a situation that no one seemed to understand.
There was no breeze, just the heat and humidity, and I could feel sweat running down my back. My T-shirt was wet, and there was a thin layer of perspiration on my face. I strained to hear any unusual sounds, but the droning of some insects, the call of an occasional bird, and Em’s breathing were all I could pick up.
I may have dozed. I hope that wasn’t the case. I’d like to think that I was a little more alert than that. I’d like to think that if I am asked to participate, I participate with everything in me, but the truth is, I may not be as reliable as I should be. Chalk it up to youth, or maybe too many beers during college. All I know is that Styles was standing above me, tapping me on the shoulder and I hadn’t seen or heard anything.
“Hey, Skipper, let’s get out of here.”
It only took a second to shake off the cobwebs. I reached down and touched Em on the cheek. She shivered and opened her eyes. Even in the dark, I could see the first sign of confusion. Then she shook the webs off too.
“Come on.”
“What did you find?”
“You’re in the notes.”
“What?”
“Back to your truck. Quick.”
I was struggling to get up.
“I’m what?”
“You’re on the computer. Look, there’s a little explanation, but basically LeRoy thinks you and James are plants.”
I couldn’t figure it out. Plants? My mother had plants in the kitchen window. James had a fake palm tree that someone had given him, sitting in the living room window in our postage-stamp apartment. What the hell kind of plant was I?
“Plants?”
Styles extended his hand, I grabbed it and he pulled me into an upright position. “The full-timers think you and James are plants. They think the cops or the FBI planted you to get information on the murder of the senator.”
No. Was he crazy?
“Are you crazy?”
“No. They may be crazy. I’m not.”
“Daron, they can’t be serious.”
“Damn it, let’s get the hell out of here.”
“Plants?”
“Please! Move.”
I was with him. The last thing I wanted to do was spend another night in this park. The sooner we debriefed, the faster we could get out of here and spend the night in a real bed. I realized it was late. James would have been back by now, the card game would have been finished a couple of hours ago. “Were you mentioned?”
“It’s not important.”
“Were you? Did Thomas LeRoy identify you as the guy who killed Bland? The guy who took his money?”
“Yeah. He did. He said they thought I was a prime suspect. Now, would you get your girlfriend so we can get out of here?”
Em staggered to her feet, and we stumbled around the tent, for all the world looking like two drunks trying to find their way home. And we hadn’t had a drink. Not one beer.
I pulled her, hurrying her along. If someone was going to wake up and start screaming “thief,” I didn’t want to be anywhere nearby. We started jogging, and reached the far end of the tent. I stopped and took in long, painful breaths. Too many beers, not enough exercise. We caught our breath, and as we made the turn, I looked around to see if Daron was following. There was no one.
“Where’s Daron?” Em slowed down. She glanced behind us.
“Daron?” I whispered in a loud, raspy voice.
There was no sound.
“My God, Skip. Do you think they found him?”
I ducked back around the corner of the tent, and quietly walked down the length, smelling the wet, stale odor of the large, damp canvas. I struggled to see in the dark, staring hard in the direction we’d come. In the distance I could see what looked like three people. The two on the outside appeared to be walking, the person in the middle was being dragged.