Read Online Bad Juju: A Novel of Raw Terror by Randy Chandler - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Randy Chandler
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elbow.
Luke stepped inside. “Evening, Joe
Rob.”
Joe Rob nodded, but said nothing.
He took a sip from his can of cola and averted his eyes.
“You’re wondering what the hell I’m
doing here,” said Luke, pulling up a metal folding chair and sitting at the
card table. “So I’ll tell you straight out. I have reason to believe Fate Porch
and his boys have taken an unhealthy interest in you, Skeeter. Maybe in you
too, Joe Rob.”
Luke watched both of them for a
reaction.
Skeeter’s eyes got big and his jaw
dropped.
Joe Rob’s face seemed to darken
with sullen anger.
“What makes you think so?” asked
Skeeter, sitting on the lower berth of the bunk bed.
“Well, I can’t really say right
now. But the point is, they’ve been watching you. And they seem to think you
might know something about Odell. Turns out he’s missing.”
“Why would I know anything about
that?” Skeeter’s voice shook as he spoke.
“I was hoping you could tell me,”
Luke said.
“I don’t have anything to do with
Odell...or any of ’em. They’re bad news.”
“Yes, they are. Which is exactly
why you need to tell me the truth. This could be a dangerous situation for you.
If you tell me what’s going on, I can probably help you with whatever it is.”
Skeeter looked askance at Joe Rob.
Joe Rob sat stone-faced, arms crossed over his chest.
Skeeter said, “I don’t know anything. Nothing’s going on that I know of.”
Luke drummed his fingers on the
rickety card table. He looked at Skeeter. He drummed harder, louder, building
to a nerve-wracking crescendo, capped off by banging the shank of his palm on
the table. Skeeter winced. Joe Rob stared at him through the narrow slits of
his eyes. “Listen, boys,” Luke said, taking an ominous tone. “This is not a
game you want to be playing. These people will chew you up and shit you out the
other end if they even think you crossed them. That I promise you.”
Joe Rob uncrossed his arms. “We
don’t know what the hell you’re talking about, Mister Chaney.”
Luke pursed his lips, nodding.
“How’s your grandmother, Joe Rob?”
He shrugged, momentarily caught off
guard by Luke’s sudden change of tack. “Okay, I guess.”
“Give her my regards.” Luke stood
up. Looked at Skeeter. “You come to your senses, give me a call. I’m in the
book. But don’t wait too long. I don’t figure you’ve got that much time before
the manure hits the blower.”
He walked toward the door, then
turned and added, “And then it’ll be too late.”
CHAPTER 5—SNATCH
“How the hell can he know
anything?” Skeeter fumed. He was pacing a semi-circle about the card table.
Joe Rob sat in brooding silence,
watching his friend’s tiger-like pacing.
“I mean, he’s not a cop anymore,
but that don’t mean shit. He knows . I don’t know how he knows, but he
does.”
Joe Rob said, “He knows those
assholes are scoping you out. We already knew that. So what?”
“But how does he know that much?
This is fucked up, man.”
“Cool it, will ya? Don’t get your
bowels in an uproar.”
Skeeter flopped into the chair that
Luke Chaney had, only moments ago, vacated. He tried to calm himself. “All
right. There’s no way he could know what happened to Odell. But he knows he’s
missing and that those Porch cretins are dogging me.” He cracked his knuckles
to keep his hands from fidgeting. “He wants to help us. Maybe we should let
him.”
“He can’t help us. He ain’t even a
cop, not anymore.”
“No, but if we told him what
happened, and that the reason we didn’t go to the police was because we were
afraid that the Porches would kill us—”
“Fuck that! We already agreed, man.
Took a blood oath that we’d never tell. No matter what.”
“Yeah, but—”
“‘But’ my ass. You break a blood
oath, I’ll have to fuck you up.”
“ What? ” Skeeter couldn’t
believe what he’d just heard.
“That’s what happens when you break
the
Luke stepped inside. “Evening, Joe
Rob.”
Joe Rob nodded, but said nothing.
He took a sip from his can of cola and averted his eyes.
“You’re wondering what the hell I’m
doing here,” said Luke, pulling up a metal folding chair and sitting at the
card table. “So I’ll tell you straight out. I have reason to believe Fate Porch
and his boys have taken an unhealthy interest in you, Skeeter. Maybe in you
too, Joe Rob.”
Luke watched both of them for a
reaction.
Skeeter’s eyes got big and his jaw
dropped.
Joe Rob’s face seemed to darken
with sullen anger.
“What makes you think so?” asked
Skeeter, sitting on the lower berth of the bunk bed.
“Well, I can’t really say right
now. But the point is, they’ve been watching you. And they seem to think you
might know something about Odell. Turns out he’s missing.”
“Why would I know anything about
that?” Skeeter’s voice shook as he spoke.
“I was hoping you could tell me,”
Luke said.
“I don’t have anything to do with
Odell...or any of ’em. They’re bad news.”
“Yes, they are. Which is exactly
why you need to tell me the truth. This could be a dangerous situation for you.
If you tell me what’s going on, I can probably help you with whatever it is.”
Skeeter looked askance at Joe Rob.
Joe Rob sat stone-faced, arms crossed over his chest.
Skeeter said, “I don’t know anything. Nothing’s going on that I know of.”
Luke drummed his fingers on the
rickety card table. He looked at Skeeter. He drummed harder, louder, building
to a nerve-wracking crescendo, capped off by banging the shank of his palm on
the table. Skeeter winced. Joe Rob stared at him through the narrow slits of
his eyes. “Listen, boys,” Luke said, taking an ominous tone. “This is not a
game you want to be playing. These people will chew you up and shit you out the
other end if they even think you crossed them. That I promise you.”
Joe Rob uncrossed his arms. “We
don’t know what the hell you’re talking about, Mister Chaney.”
Luke pursed his lips, nodding.
“How’s your grandmother, Joe Rob?”
He shrugged, momentarily caught off
guard by Luke’s sudden change of tack. “Okay, I guess.”
“Give her my regards.” Luke stood
up. Looked at Skeeter. “You come to your senses, give me a call. I’m in the
book. But don’t wait too long. I don’t figure you’ve got that much time before
the manure hits the blower.”
He walked toward the door, then
turned and added, “And then it’ll be too late.”
CHAPTER 5—SNATCH
“How the hell can he know
anything?” Skeeter fumed. He was pacing a semi-circle about the card table.
Joe Rob sat in brooding silence,
watching his friend’s tiger-like pacing.
“I mean, he’s not a cop anymore,
but that don’t mean shit. He knows . I don’t know how he knows, but he
does.”
Joe Rob said, “He knows those
assholes are scoping you out. We already knew that. So what?”
“But how does he know that much?
This is fucked up, man.”
“Cool it, will ya? Don’t get your
bowels in an uproar.”
Skeeter flopped into the chair that
Luke Chaney had, only moments ago, vacated. He tried to calm himself. “All
right. There’s no way he could know what happened to Odell. But he knows he’s
missing and that those Porch cretins are dogging me.” He cracked his knuckles
to keep his hands from fidgeting. “He wants to help us. Maybe we should let
him.”
“He can’t help us. He ain’t even a
cop, not anymore.”
“No, but if we told him what
happened, and that the reason we didn’t go to the police was because we were
afraid that the Porches would kill us—”
“Fuck that! We already agreed, man.
Took a blood oath that we’d never tell. No matter what.”
“Yeah, but—”
“‘But’ my ass. You break a blood
oath, I’ll have to fuck you up.”
“ What? ” Skeeter couldn’t
believe what he’d just heard.
“That’s what happens when you break
the
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