Thirty-Six and a Half Motives
Page 59
Tiny cursed again, shaking his head.
“We ain’t seen much of Teagen here at the garage,” John Paul said, his face a pale shade of gray. “Only when he brought his van in. But he went to the poker games.”
Probably the same poker games Ronnie went to, but Neely Kate remained cool as a cucumber.
“How many times did he go to the games?” I asked John Paul.
“I don’t know, ma’am,” he said in a shaky voice. “I’m not invited to ’em, and that’s the God’s honest truth.”
I turned back to Big Mo. “I’m sure you two went. Someone who is so poor at taking gambles would surely keep turning up, hoping to win his money back. Am I right?”
The look on Big Mo’s face made it clear we weren’t going to be friends when this was all said and done.
“Let me ask this again—how many times did Sam Teagen show up at your poker games?”
Big Mo shot Neely Kate a hateful glare. “Ask your man, Neely Kate. He was there.”
“Yeah, I’d do that,” she said in a dry tone. “If I knew where he was. So we’re askin’ you. How many times?”
“You think I’m the man’s damn keeper?”
I drummed my fingers on the table, pushing out a sigh. “You see, Mr. Mo. I don’t believe you.” I shrugged. “But then, maybe you don’t know. It’s pretty obvious you don’t have the wits to be a card counter. Maybe you simply can’t count that high.”
“The only thing keepin’ me from rippin’ your head off right now is Skeeter Malcolm,” Big Mo spat out, spittle landing on the table.
I gave him a bored stare. “Frankly, I don’t care about your impulse control issues, Mr. Mo. What I want is information about Teagen and Marshal. Now, John Paul was helpful enough to let me know Teagen attended your poker games, and I’ll be sure to tell Skeeter how cooperative he was.” I pursed my lips and gave a slight shake of my head. “So far you two aren’t getting a favorable report. Now you boys have three seconds to start talking, or I’m going to call Skeeter and inform him that you aren’t ready to be brought into the fold. The count starts now. One.”
Both men shot daggers of hate at me. I was sure the fact that a woman had so much power over them was getting their goat.
“Two.”
John Paul looked like he was about to throw up, and Big Mo looked like he was close to having a stroke.
“Three.” Disappointment rose through me as I picked up my phone and stood. Neely Kate got to her feet as well. “Gentleman, I wish you the best of luck,” I said.“You’re gonna need it.”
Movement caught my eye as I turned to leave. Neely Kate whipped out her gun and trained it on Big Mo, who had pulled out a large pocketknife.
“Mr. Mo,” I said, sounding like a disapproving schoolteacher. “That is disappointing. I suggest you sit yourself in that chair and place your knife on the table before somebody gets hurt.”
“I don’t have to do a damn thing you say, you bitch,” Tiny said. “If you were her—hell, if you were anywhere close to being in Skeeter Malcolm’s back pocket—Carlisle would be on us like white on rice.”
The back door slammed open, and Jed appeared in the opening with a gun in his hand and an expression on his face that made it clear that two of the men in the room were in deep shit. “Do as she says.”
The men’s eyes widened as they turned to face their newest threat.
Tiny lifted his hands. “I didn’t threaten her.”
“Sit your asses in those chairs,” Jed snarled.
Tiny sat down so fast he almost fell off the edge of his chair, but Big Mo stood his ground, the knife still in his hand, blade extended.
Jed shook his head in disgust and shoved the table against the wall.
“While Rose likes to take a genteel approach, you’ll find me much more direct.” He lowered the tip of his gun. “This is your last warning, Tompkins, or you’re losin’ a knee cap.”
Cursing, Big Mo tossed the knife onto the floor and sat down.
Jed shut the door he’d burst through and bent down to pick up Big Mo’s knife. He tucked the blade away with one hand, keeping his gun trained on the men as he moved closer to them. He motioned for John Paul to move his chair next to Big Mo’s so they were all facing him in a rough line.
Neely Kate walked around them before coming to a stop next to Jed, her gun still in her hand. I joined them, and Jed handed me the knife, giving them a disappointing stare all the while.
“Skeeter’s not going to be happy to hear about this,” Jed said.
“We didn’t know she was the Lady in Black,” Tiny said. “Otherwise, we would have been more respectful.”
“Yeah, see . . .” Jed drawled, “I’m not buying that. And neither will Skeeter.”
Fear filled Tiny’s eyes, but Big Mo still looked furious.
“Now we’re gonna try this again,” Jed said, cocking his head to the side. “Rose is gonna ask you questions, and the level of your cooperation will help when you plead your case with Skeeter.”
“I’ll help,” Tiny burst out. “Teagen came to four poker games. He was the one who recruited us to work with Gentry.”
That surprised me, but Jed and Neely Kate remained expressionless.
“What did he say to convince you?” I asked.
“He said Gentry may have lost the auction, but he had backing from some big wigs. He refused to tell us who—he only said to think bigger than big. But Teagen didn’t work for Gentry. He said he worked for the woman who had the big wig’s ear.”
“What did he want you to do?”
He cast a glance at Jed before returning his attention to me. “Support Gentry.”
“What exactly did that entail?”
“Gentry planned to have some kind of turf war, but Teagen admitted that was just smoke and mirrors. The big guy and the woman were after four people,” he said, casting a glance in my direction. “Well, I guess it turns out maybe it was really three.”
“So I’m guessing me and the Lady in Black count as two of them?” I asked.
“Shut up, you idiot,” Big Mo spat out in disgust. “You’re as good as dead if you tell her.”
I held Tiny’s gaze. “I give you my word that Skeeter won’t kill you. No matter what you have to tell me.”
“We ain’t seen much of Teagen here at the garage,” John Paul said, his face a pale shade of gray. “Only when he brought his van in. But he went to the poker games.”
Probably the same poker games Ronnie went to, but Neely Kate remained cool as a cucumber.
“How many times did he go to the games?” I asked John Paul.
“I don’t know, ma’am,” he said in a shaky voice. “I’m not invited to ’em, and that’s the God’s honest truth.”
I turned back to Big Mo. “I’m sure you two went. Someone who is so poor at taking gambles would surely keep turning up, hoping to win his money back. Am I right?”
The look on Big Mo’s face made it clear we weren’t going to be friends when this was all said and done.
“Let me ask this again—how many times did Sam Teagen show up at your poker games?”
Big Mo shot Neely Kate a hateful glare. “Ask your man, Neely Kate. He was there.”
“Yeah, I’d do that,” she said in a dry tone. “If I knew where he was. So we’re askin’ you. How many times?”
“You think I’m the man’s damn keeper?”
I drummed my fingers on the table, pushing out a sigh. “You see, Mr. Mo. I don’t believe you.” I shrugged. “But then, maybe you don’t know. It’s pretty obvious you don’t have the wits to be a card counter. Maybe you simply can’t count that high.”
“The only thing keepin’ me from rippin’ your head off right now is Skeeter Malcolm,” Big Mo spat out, spittle landing on the table.
I gave him a bored stare. “Frankly, I don’t care about your impulse control issues, Mr. Mo. What I want is information about Teagen and Marshal. Now, John Paul was helpful enough to let me know Teagen attended your poker games, and I’ll be sure to tell Skeeter how cooperative he was.” I pursed my lips and gave a slight shake of my head. “So far you two aren’t getting a favorable report. Now you boys have three seconds to start talking, or I’m going to call Skeeter and inform him that you aren’t ready to be brought into the fold. The count starts now. One.”
Both men shot daggers of hate at me. I was sure the fact that a woman had so much power over them was getting their goat.
“Two.”
John Paul looked like he was about to throw up, and Big Mo looked like he was close to having a stroke.
“Three.” Disappointment rose through me as I picked up my phone and stood. Neely Kate got to her feet as well. “Gentleman, I wish you the best of luck,” I said.“You’re gonna need it.”
Movement caught my eye as I turned to leave. Neely Kate whipped out her gun and trained it on Big Mo, who had pulled out a large pocketknife.
“Mr. Mo,” I said, sounding like a disapproving schoolteacher. “That is disappointing. I suggest you sit yourself in that chair and place your knife on the table before somebody gets hurt.”
“I don’t have to do a damn thing you say, you bitch,” Tiny said. “If you were her—hell, if you were anywhere close to being in Skeeter Malcolm’s back pocket—Carlisle would be on us like white on rice.”
The back door slammed open, and Jed appeared in the opening with a gun in his hand and an expression on his face that made it clear that two of the men in the room were in deep shit. “Do as she says.”
The men’s eyes widened as they turned to face their newest threat.
Tiny lifted his hands. “I didn’t threaten her.”
“Sit your asses in those chairs,” Jed snarled.
Tiny sat down so fast he almost fell off the edge of his chair, but Big Mo stood his ground, the knife still in his hand, blade extended.
Jed shook his head in disgust and shoved the table against the wall.
“While Rose likes to take a genteel approach, you’ll find me much more direct.” He lowered the tip of his gun. “This is your last warning, Tompkins, or you’re losin’ a knee cap.”
Cursing, Big Mo tossed the knife onto the floor and sat down.
Jed shut the door he’d burst through and bent down to pick up Big Mo’s knife. He tucked the blade away with one hand, keeping his gun trained on the men as he moved closer to them. He motioned for John Paul to move his chair next to Big Mo’s so they were all facing him in a rough line.
Neely Kate walked around them before coming to a stop next to Jed, her gun still in her hand. I joined them, and Jed handed me the knife, giving them a disappointing stare all the while.
“Skeeter’s not going to be happy to hear about this,” Jed said.
“We didn’t know she was the Lady in Black,” Tiny said. “Otherwise, we would have been more respectful.”
“Yeah, see . . .” Jed drawled, “I’m not buying that. And neither will Skeeter.”
Fear filled Tiny’s eyes, but Big Mo still looked furious.
“Now we’re gonna try this again,” Jed said, cocking his head to the side. “Rose is gonna ask you questions, and the level of your cooperation will help when you plead your case with Skeeter.”
“I’ll help,” Tiny burst out. “Teagen came to four poker games. He was the one who recruited us to work with Gentry.”
That surprised me, but Jed and Neely Kate remained expressionless.
“What did he say to convince you?” I asked.
“He said Gentry may have lost the auction, but he had backing from some big wigs. He refused to tell us who—he only said to think bigger than big. But Teagen didn’t work for Gentry. He said he worked for the woman who had the big wig’s ear.”
“What did he want you to do?”
He cast a glance at Jed before returning his attention to me. “Support Gentry.”
“What exactly did that entail?”
“Gentry planned to have some kind of turf war, but Teagen admitted that was just smoke and mirrors. The big guy and the woman were after four people,” he said, casting a glance in my direction. “Well, I guess it turns out maybe it was really three.”
“So I’m guessing me and the Lady in Black count as two of them?” I asked.
“Shut up, you idiot,” Big Mo spat out in disgust. “You’re as good as dead if you tell her.”
I held Tiny’s gaze. “I give you my word that Skeeter won’t kill you. No matter what you have to tell me.”
