Sins & Needles(91)

Ah shit, I thought. Camden was going to tell him about my robbery attempt. Another thing my uncle really didn’t need to know.

“I was in trouble with some people and Ellie agreed to help me,” Camden said, keeping his eyes on him. My lungs expanded gratefully.

“You’re both in trouble with different people?” he asked incredulously. “Jesus, kids, what the hell is wrong with you both?”

“You tell us,” Camden said. He took a step closer to him, his right hand looking anxious and poised. “And while you’re at it, tell us what happened.”

He frowned but said, “Like I already told Ellie, I went out earlier today, I came home. There was a fire truck there putting out the last of the flames. It was only a row of trees but it had burned right through them. The workers were upset—one, Jorge, was bleeding from his nose, says some people roughed him up. They wanted to talk to me, and when they told them that I had gone out for a bit, they hit him. Then they left.”

“What did they look like?”

“They said there were three of them. All Hispanic, although Jorge thought one sounded Puerto Rican or something. But wherever they were from, their English was impeccable. Especially the guy with the longer hair. He had some vivid eyes and they thought he was the one in charge, and maybe a little loco. He didn’t say much but he had some sort of authority. Anyhow, I guess that could be your Javier, couldn’t it Ellie?”

I nodded. Vivid eyes, a little loco, and oozing power? Yes, that sounded just like Javier.

“So then what?’ Camden asked. The impatience in his voice was rising and I wondered just what the hell he was thinking. The story sounded tight to me and made sense. Javier had a dramatic flair for lighting things on fire.

Uncle Jim sighed and continued to fidget with his shirt. “Obviously they were gone when I came. I talked to the cops, didn’t see your father unfortunately, Camden, and they said they’d keep a lookout. They’ve at least got arson and assault charges on them. But I know those kind of men. I’ve been dealing with Ellie and her mother for way too long. They can’t be tracked or traced. You won’t find them but they’ll find you, you know? So I had to run. I came here. Figured it was a good place to lay low.”

I eyed the water stain on the ceiling. “You could have picked a better place.”

“I’m poor, Ellie,” he said. “And now I’m in more of a hole. Losing some of the crop, you know.”

My heart stung and I found myself biting my lip hard. He looked so conflicted and sad. I bet he wasn’t sure whether to feel grateful that I had showed up or if he hated me for ruining everything he had worked so hard for.

“When did all of this happen?” Camden asked.

Uncle Jim looked up in thought. “Uh, maybe around one or two in the afternoon.”

“And you came straight here.”

“That’s right,” he said. His voice was shaking again. The man needed a hug and a drink. “Then I called Ellie. I didn’t know who else to…”

I waited for him to say “trust” but he didn’t. He just trailed off and looked at the floor.

“What kind of car were the men driving? Did you ask?” Camden took another step closer.

Uncle Jim nodded. “Of course I asked, I had to know who to look out for. They said it was a white Ford Mustang. Looked brand new. Probably stolen.”

The room began to spin as my chest pinched. What?

“Are you sure?” Camden asked, finally sounding calm and patient as hell. “Are you sure that was the car your workers saw them driving this afternoon?”

My uncle looked him square in the eye. “That’s what they said.”

Before I could feel anything else, before I could even let my brain tussle with the conflicting information we were just given, the fact that there was no way it could have been the white Mustang since we totalled the white Mustang last night, Camden acted. As quick as anything, he whipped out the gun from his waist and pressed it up against Jim’s forehead, finger on the trigger.

“Why the fuck are you lying to us?!” he screamed, his face turning red, his eyes sharp like blue blocks of ice.

“Camden!” I yelled, going to him. “Put the gun down!”

Camden only pressed the gun harder into Uncle Jim’s forehead. He shrank back in shock, eyes wide and terrified.

“Why are you lying to us!? Tell us the truth, Jim, or so help me God I will blow your fucking brains out right here!”

“I’m not...I….I…” he stuttered, shooting me a look to help him.

“If I find out that you’ve put Ellie in danger by luring her here, I will kill. I will.” Camden’s voice was shaking now, the anger flowing through him and toward the barrel of the gun.