“I’d hope not. But it’s who I’ve met so far.”
Barrett nodded. “You met the sheriff, and maybe you met the judge?”
“That’s right. What do you know about them?”
“Enough to stay out of their way. Enough to know that most folks with half a mind are scared witless of them.”
“They’re elected positions, aren’t they?”
Barrett threw his head back and gave a bull snort. “Elected, sure. And I ran against Tolliver for sheriff, so you ever want to hear about Corridor County politics, I can talk on it. But you probably don’t, and I probably shouldn’t.”
“I got the impression he was from Cleveland.”
Barrett gave him a surprised glance and a nod. “You had the right impression.”
“How in the hell did he become sheriff down here, then?”
Barrett’s smile was forced this time. “I wouldn’t waste your thoughts worrying on a thing like that. It’s Corridor County’s problem, not yours.”
“Is High Town really all there is to the county?”
“Most people are scattered. You know, live in the woods or out at places like this. Was a lumber mill outside of High Town that kept the place alive, but it went under five years ago, and, all told, a few thousand people probably went with it. Workers and their families and such. Take away the only real industry in a place like this, and it empties out powerful fast.”
“So what do people out here do now?”
“They try to get by,” Barrett said. “Just like Becky.”
“How’d she end up alone in this place?”
“Was owned by her parents. They came down from Georgia years back to try and build a sport fishing business. It didn’t take. Her mother drowned right out from the house. Some said it was tides that caught her, others believed she went willingly enough. Tired of her husband’s methods of getting ahead.”
“What methods were those?”
Barrett gave him a long look, then turned away and said, “A few years later, Rebecca’s daddy took his boat out, lost the engines, and then lost himself. They found the boat but not him. All that was left of her family by then was her brother, and he’s in prison.”
At that moment Rebecca Cady appeared around the side of the house, wiping her hands on a towel.
“Hello, Tom.”
“Becky, you survive all right?”
“Better than the inn,” she said, and then added, “Stop calling me Becky.”
“I know, I know. Is there anything left of the back porch?”
“Not much. I lost the generator, too. No icebox.”
Barrett groaned. “Can it be fixed?”
“Probably not. You can have a look if you’d like.”
“I’ll do that.” He turned to Arlen and winked. “We’ll talk in a minute, gunslinger. Don’t shoot me in the back now, hear?”
“Awful witty boy, aren’t you?” Arlen said, and Barrett gave another of his loud laughs and walked away. Arlen went in search of Paul.
He found him up on the ladder on the side of the house. He’d gotten the boards off the windows and was now nailing a torn piece of the wooden siding back into place. Arlen called for him to come down.
“We’ve got a job,” Paul said before his feet had even touched ground.
“I’m sorry?”
“Here,” Paul said triumphantly. “I talked her into it this morning. She sure needs the help, and we sure need the money. I know you don’t want to stay, but it’s a different tune if we’re getting paid, right?”
“What we need is a ride, boy, and there’s one out front.”
Paul frowned. “A ride where, Arlen? We don’t have enough money for a meal, much less a train ticket. You want to walk all the way back to Alabama? Rebecca said she could pay us ten dollars each if we get this place cleaned up and the porch put back together. Shouldn’t take more than a few days. That’s enough for train tickets at least.”
Arlen stared at him. “Paul… you remember where you are? You remember what happened to the man who drove us down here?”
“Arlen, it’s not like she blew his car up!”
“I don’t care if she did or not, he ended up dead and we ended up in jail and this ain’t a place I intend to stay around.”
“So where are you going to go?”
“Away,” Arlen said. “Hitch a ride into a town and figure it out.”
“Wouldn’t you rather do that with a few dollars in your pocket?”
“They’re probably my own dollars,” Arlen snapped. “I’m still not sure she didn’t steal it herself.”