Part 25 (1/2)

Butch seemed to enjoy his role as kind of a bully. I thought that joining a motorcycle club probably only empowered his sense of worth. And if he really was that hung up on Susan, he seemed like he was more than capable of hurting someone.

”So he decided he was just gonna leave, since I wouldn't,” Butch said. ”So I followed him here to the fairgrounds.”

”What did you do to him?” Susan said, her hands on her cheeks.

Butch chuckled. ”Well, it was sort of an accident. He wouldn't listen to me. I tried to get him to listen to me. For you, Susan. I tried to talk to him for you.”

Susan was crying now, tears running over her hands, which were plastered to her cheeks. For the first time, I felt a little sorry for her.

”I gave him a little shove,” Butch said. ”And he didn't really like that. And, then, when he took a swing at me, I shoved him a little harder.”

Susan sobbed quietly, her cries echoing up the stairs of the grandstand, and I didn't say anything.

Butch shuffled his feet. ”He sorta hit his head-on a brick-and didn't get up.”

”He was dead?”

Butch hesitated, then nodded.

”So you just put him in the freezer?” I asked.

He hesitated, then nodded again. ”Didn't really know what else to do with him.”

”Call the police,” I said. ”Or an ambulance. Nine-one-one would cover all your bases. He took a swing at you. You could've claimed self-defense.”

”Yeah, those didn't occur to me,” he said, shrugging.

Clearly.

”And let's face it,” Butch said. ”I pushed him. I knew it would come out about me and Susan. I knew what it would look like. Putting him in the freezer seemed like the right thing to do.”

That was something I never expected to hear anyone on the planet say.

”And you knew eventually I'd get to Susan,” I said.

Butch chuckled again. ”Well, I saw the opportunity to push you that way.”

He certainly had and I'd let him do it. He'd subtly pointed me in her direction and I had strolled right down that path. I'd jumped to conclusions and a.s.sumptions and it had put me right at the end of a handgun.

Well done.

49.

Butch moved Susan and me to the bottom of the grandstand at the far end of the arena, farther away from the gate, the gun still trained on us.

”So now what?” I asked.

”Good question,” he said, rubbing his chin. ”I can't just trust you to keep your mouths shut.”

”Oh, I will!” Susan said. ”I won't say anything!”

He rolled his eyes. ”Right. That'll happen right about never.”

”So then what?” I said.

I wanted to figure out what I was dealing with and also buy some more time. So far, I was getting the time, but nothing was coming into my head as to how to save Susan and myself. Butch may have killed George, but it did seem to be accidental to me. So maybe he wasn't ready to deliberately kill anyone.

”Well, I gotta figure out where to put your bodies,” he said, his mouth twisted in thought.

Or, maybe he was.

Susan let out a loud whimper.

At the far end of the arena, I could see movement behind the fence, but I wasn't sure who or what it was. I tried not to look, because I didn't want Butch to turn around. He wasn't close enough for me to leap at him if his attention was diverted elsewhere. I needed to just keep him occupied.

”You think you can just shoot us and get rid of us and no one will know?” I asked. ”Butch, the entire town saw me on the back of your bike at the parade. I mean, you spoke to my wife and arranged a ride for her. People aren't going to just forget that. It ties you directly to me.”

He thought hard for a moment, temporarily stumped. Then a slow grin spread across his wide face. ”I can make it look like Susan did it. Everyone also saw her leave. I tried to help, but she knew you were asking too many questions and, since she killed George, she figured she had to off you.” His grin grew wider. ”Then I found her with the gun, we struggled, and the gun went off.” He snapped the fingers of the hand that wasn't holding the gun. ”Bingo!”

I hated to say it, but that actually sounded like a decent plan. He could probably come up with someone who knew about Susan and George, so he could make that connection. And people had seen me talking with Susan.

Butch was actually turning out to be smarter than I'd antic.i.p.ated, and that was a problem. I really wanted to see my wife and daughter again, and my new child for the first time. I did not want to die at the fair.

There was more movement behind the fence. I tried not to look at it.

”People will hear the gunshots,” I said. ”And then you'll have to move our bodies. Gonna be tough to do when everyone starts pouring into the fairgrounds here soon.”

His grin faded. He hadn't considered that and it was a roadblock in his grand plan.

The gate at the end of the arena started to move. Quietly.

”Look, if you go to the authorities now,” I said, ”you can tell them it was an accident. If you kill us, there's no going back. There's no way out. Don't make it worse for yourself, Butch.”

”I appreciate the offer to help, Deuce,” Butch said. ”But I don't think your TV movie of the week logic is gonna work for all of us.” He smiled. ”I got a truck. I'll figure out a way to get your bodies out of here. I'm sure it'll work out.”

Susan whimpered again.

”Your brothers in the Petal Dawgs know you killed George?” I asked, reaching for what I figured was the final straw.

Butch's face darkened. ”No. They do not.”