Read Online Ghouls Night Out by Terri Garey - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Terri Garey
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deputy, and a pretty hefty one at that. His gut led the way as hegot out of the car, settling his hat over a nearly bald head as he emerged.
“You the guy called nine-one-one?” The deputy took Joe’s measure pretty quickly, eyes flicking over the open medical kit on the ground and the stethoscope Joe wore around his neck as he walked toward the truck.
Joe nodded an affirmative. “I’m Dr. Joe Bascombe from Columbia Hospital in Atlanta—I came upon the scene and was able to offer medical assistance.”
“Looks like Randy Catlett’s truck—he in there?”
Joe nodded again. “He’s in there. He’s banged up, but he’ll survive.”
The deputy peered in at Randy, while more sirens sounded in the distance. “What kind of trouble you got yourself into now, Randy? Didn’t that DUI you got last month slow you down none?”
In a town the size of Hogansville, it made sense that Randy and the deputy knew each other.
“It weren’t my fault, Dwayne.” Randy’s tone was whiny now. “My headlights weren’t workin’. Get me outta here, would ya?”
Deputy Dwayne turned away from Randy, muttering under his breath. “Stupid shit. Only a matter of time before something like this happened.”
The ambulance was in sight now, sirens wailing noisily as they came up the road. The deputy flagged them over with a raised arm, as though they couldn’t see the truck wrapped around the tree or his cruiser sitting there, lights flashing.
“It gets worse, Deputy,” Joe said. “This man just confessed to me that he murdered someone. A woman.”
That stopped Deputy Dwayne in his tracks. “Thatso?” he asked, shooting Randy a glance. I couldn’t help but notice the skeptical tone in his voice. “We don’t get many murders around these parts.”
The ambulance rolled to a stop and turned off the siren, leaving blessed silence in its wake.
“Well, you’ve got one now,” Joe answered the deputy firmly. “Just before you got here he confessed to murdering a woman named Michelle.”
From my hiding place in the bushes, I watched as Randy’s eyes got big. Now that help had arrived, he was obviously having second thoughts about his confession.
“I—I don’t know what he’s talking about, Dwayne,” he shouted, still trapped in the truck. “What kind of crazy talk is that?”
Shit. What was I supposed to do now? I couldn’t step out from the bushes and terrorize Randy in front of the deputy and the paramedics, who were already out of the ambulance and on the way over.
Joe’s face reflected my thoughts. One quick glance in my direction before he looked away, but I knew he was warning me to stay put.
“I’m telling you the truth, Officer. This man told me he murdered a woman and dumped her body in a pond. I’m willing to swear to it in a court of law.”
Deputy Dwayne didn’t answer. His jaw worked, but I was willing to bet it wasn’t gum he was chewing on. He confirmed it when he leaned to one side and spit. No self-respecting Georgia lawman would be caught without his chewing tobacco.
The paramedics had reached the truck, an older man with a crewcut and younger guy with a mullet. The older guy eyed Joe and his stethoscope, and Joe spoke to him automatically, though he kept his gaze trainedon the deputy. “Broken or bruised ribs, possible fracture of the right tibia. No sign of chest compression, concussion, or spinal injuries.”
“You mean I ain’t gonna die?” Randy’s face showed his relief. He even ventured a weak half smile, while my heart sank.
Surely he wasn’t going to get away with this…surely this whole muddy, messy, dramatic evening hadn’t been for nothing…
A blast of music startled me, making me jump. It startled everyone else, too, and masked the rustling I’d made in the bushes. It was the radio in Randy’s truck.
Music and voices blurred into a solid stream of noise, as though the radio was scanning through stations, very fast. Everyone stood frozen, listening, until the
“You the guy called nine-one-one?” The deputy took Joe’s measure pretty quickly, eyes flicking over the open medical kit on the ground and the stethoscope Joe wore around his neck as he walked toward the truck.
Joe nodded an affirmative. “I’m Dr. Joe Bascombe from Columbia Hospital in Atlanta—I came upon the scene and was able to offer medical assistance.”
“Looks like Randy Catlett’s truck—he in there?”
Joe nodded again. “He’s in there. He’s banged up, but he’ll survive.”
The deputy peered in at Randy, while more sirens sounded in the distance. “What kind of trouble you got yourself into now, Randy? Didn’t that DUI you got last month slow you down none?”
In a town the size of Hogansville, it made sense that Randy and the deputy knew each other.
“It weren’t my fault, Dwayne.” Randy’s tone was whiny now. “My headlights weren’t workin’. Get me outta here, would ya?”
Deputy Dwayne turned away from Randy, muttering under his breath. “Stupid shit. Only a matter of time before something like this happened.”
The ambulance was in sight now, sirens wailing noisily as they came up the road. The deputy flagged them over with a raised arm, as though they couldn’t see the truck wrapped around the tree or his cruiser sitting there, lights flashing.
“It gets worse, Deputy,” Joe said. “This man just confessed to me that he murdered someone. A woman.”
That stopped Deputy Dwayne in his tracks. “Thatso?” he asked, shooting Randy a glance. I couldn’t help but notice the skeptical tone in his voice. “We don’t get many murders around these parts.”
The ambulance rolled to a stop and turned off the siren, leaving blessed silence in its wake.
“Well, you’ve got one now,” Joe answered the deputy firmly. “Just before you got here he confessed to murdering a woman named Michelle.”
From my hiding place in the bushes, I watched as Randy’s eyes got big. Now that help had arrived, he was obviously having second thoughts about his confession.
“I—I don’t know what he’s talking about, Dwayne,” he shouted, still trapped in the truck. “What kind of crazy talk is that?”
Shit. What was I supposed to do now? I couldn’t step out from the bushes and terrorize Randy in front of the deputy and the paramedics, who were already out of the ambulance and on the way over.
Joe’s face reflected my thoughts. One quick glance in my direction before he looked away, but I knew he was warning me to stay put.
“I’m telling you the truth, Officer. This man told me he murdered a woman and dumped her body in a pond. I’m willing to swear to it in a court of law.”
Deputy Dwayne didn’t answer. His jaw worked, but I was willing to bet it wasn’t gum he was chewing on. He confirmed it when he leaned to one side and spit. No self-respecting Georgia lawman would be caught without his chewing tobacco.
The paramedics had reached the truck, an older man with a crewcut and younger guy with a mullet. The older guy eyed Joe and his stethoscope, and Joe spoke to him automatically, though he kept his gaze trainedon the deputy. “Broken or bruised ribs, possible fracture of the right tibia. No sign of chest compression, concussion, or spinal injuries.”
“You mean I ain’t gonna die?” Randy’s face showed his relief. He even ventured a weak half smile, while my heart sank.
Surely he wasn’t going to get away with this…surely this whole muddy, messy, dramatic evening hadn’t been for nothing…
A blast of music startled me, making me jump. It startled everyone else, too, and masked the rustling I’d made in the bushes. It was the radio in Randy’s truck.
Music and voices blurred into a solid stream of noise, as though the radio was scanning through stations, very fast. Everyone stood frozen, listening, until the
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