Read Online Tishomingo Blues by Elmore Leonard - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Elmore Leonard
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them was in Panama City, Florida. Maybe a couple years ago."
JohnRau took a little round hazelnut. "They're not like the organized crime families. There's a bunch right here that deals drugs. There's a bunch that hijack trucks and commit armed robberies. A bunch in prison who extort money from homosexuals on the outside. There're moonshiners, bootleggers, methamphetamine manufacturers ... they're not associated with each other. The only thing they have in common, they're all violent criminals."
"Was Floyd one of them?"
"You saw the type of person he was. Can you see him pulling any kind of rough stuff? Showers said if we'd reduce his sentence to time served he'd work for us, keep us informed."
Dennis said, "I wouldn't think he was that smart."
"He wasn't. I had him down as an idiot. It turned out he wasn't even close to what was going on. He'd tell us things were already common knowledge, in the newspaper, or he'd make something up. I don't know why they shot him. Five times, as a matter of fact. The medical examiner said, `This man was harder to kill than a cockroach.' "
Dennis was staring at JohnRau's tie again. He said, "I think there's something wrong with your flag but I don't know what it is."
JohnRau smiled. "You count the stars?"
"I tried, they're too small."
JohnRau picked up the wide part of the tie and looked down at it. "There are only thirty-five stars, the number of states in the Union by 1863. Even though we were now at war with the states that seceded, Lincoln would not allow the stars representing those states to be removed."
There was something wrong with that, too.
Dennis scooped another handful of nuts, craving them, but held off stuffing them in his mouth. "You said the states we were at war with, sounding like a Yankee."
JohnRau said, "You know what it is? Whenever a reenactment's coming up I begin to assume the attitude of the side I'll be on. This first Tunica Muster won't be a major one, Yankees'll be in short supply. Since I can go either way, I'll wear Federal blue this time. Probably represent the Second New Jersey Mounted Infantry. They were at Brice's."
"Brice's Cross Roads," Dennis said.
And JohnRau's eyebrows raised. "You're taking part?"
"No, but CharlieHoke is, and I hear Mr. Kirkbride's gonna be Nathan Bedford Forrest."
JohnRau was smiling again. "Walter loves old Bedford. Yeah, it was Walter and I put this one together. I happened to mention there's terrain east of here reminds me of Brice's, full of that scrub oak they call blackjack. I'd see it driving up from Batesville. Walter) umped on it. He said, `You want to do Brice's?' I hesitated because we have the Battle of Corinth coming up in September, one we do over there. Usually we feature the assault of Battery Robinett, which most every Southerner knows about. You've heard of it?"
Dennis said, "Battery Robinett?"
"It was a Confederate assault on a Federal gun position. One of the heroes was a colonel of the Second Texas, WilliamRogers, KIA, shot seven times as he stormed the redan."
"Who won?"
"The Federals pushed them back. I reminded Walter of Corinth. Also the fact that Brice's Cross Roads was two years after Shiloh and Corinth. Not that it matters, but I felt I should mention it. Well, then Billy Darwin heard about it. Right away he saw it as a promotion, a minor reenactment but a major annual tourist attraction. The crowd gets tired of standing in the hot sun and comes in the casinos to play the slots."
JohnRau stopped, his gaze raising, squinting as he said, "Is that Darwin up there?"
Dennis looked around and the next moment was on his feet because it was, Billy Darwin standing on the top perch of the ladder. Dennis watched the way he was holding on with both hands looking up at the sky. "I think he froze," Dennis said. "I'll have to bring him down."
"That fella by the tank," JohnRau said, "he's shining the spotlight on him, but you can't see it."
"I gotta go," Dennis said.
"Mr. Lenahan , one more
JohnRau took a little round hazelnut. "They're not like the organized crime families. There's a bunch right here that deals drugs. There's a bunch that hijack trucks and commit armed robberies. A bunch in prison who extort money from homosexuals on the outside. There're moonshiners, bootleggers, methamphetamine manufacturers ... they're not associated with each other. The only thing they have in common, they're all violent criminals."
"Was Floyd one of them?"
"You saw the type of person he was. Can you see him pulling any kind of rough stuff? Showers said if we'd reduce his sentence to time served he'd work for us, keep us informed."
Dennis said, "I wouldn't think he was that smart."
"He wasn't. I had him down as an idiot. It turned out he wasn't even close to what was going on. He'd tell us things were already common knowledge, in the newspaper, or he'd make something up. I don't know why they shot him. Five times, as a matter of fact. The medical examiner said, `This man was harder to kill than a cockroach.' "
Dennis was staring at JohnRau's tie again. He said, "I think there's something wrong with your flag but I don't know what it is."
JohnRau smiled. "You count the stars?"
"I tried, they're too small."
JohnRau picked up the wide part of the tie and looked down at it. "There are only thirty-five stars, the number of states in the Union by 1863. Even though we were now at war with the states that seceded, Lincoln would not allow the stars representing those states to be removed."
There was something wrong with that, too.
Dennis scooped another handful of nuts, craving them, but held off stuffing them in his mouth. "You said the states we were at war with, sounding like a Yankee."
JohnRau said, "You know what it is? Whenever a reenactment's coming up I begin to assume the attitude of the side I'll be on. This first Tunica Muster won't be a major one, Yankees'll be in short supply. Since I can go either way, I'll wear Federal blue this time. Probably represent the Second New Jersey Mounted Infantry. They were at Brice's."
"Brice's Cross Roads," Dennis said.
And JohnRau's eyebrows raised. "You're taking part?"
"No, but CharlieHoke is, and I hear Mr. Kirkbride's gonna be Nathan Bedford Forrest."
JohnRau was smiling again. "Walter loves old Bedford. Yeah, it was Walter and I put this one together. I happened to mention there's terrain east of here reminds me of Brice's, full of that scrub oak they call blackjack. I'd see it driving up from Batesville. Walter) umped on it. He said, `You want to do Brice's?' I hesitated because we have the Battle of Corinth coming up in September, one we do over there. Usually we feature the assault of Battery Robinett, which most every Southerner knows about. You've heard of it?"
Dennis said, "Battery Robinett?"
"It was a Confederate assault on a Federal gun position. One of the heroes was a colonel of the Second Texas, WilliamRogers, KIA, shot seven times as he stormed the redan."
"Who won?"
"The Federals pushed them back. I reminded Walter of Corinth. Also the fact that Brice's Cross Roads was two years after Shiloh and Corinth. Not that it matters, but I felt I should mention it. Well, then Billy Darwin heard about it. Right away he saw it as a promotion, a minor reenactment but a major annual tourist attraction. The crowd gets tired of standing in the hot sun and comes in the casinos to play the slots."
JohnRau stopped, his gaze raising, squinting as he said, "Is that Darwin up there?"
Dennis looked around and the next moment was on his feet because it was, Billy Darwin standing on the top perch of the ladder. Dennis watched the way he was holding on with both hands looking up at the sky. "I think he froze," Dennis said. "I'll have to bring him down."
"That fella by the tank," JohnRau said, "he's shining the spotlight on him, but you can't see it."
"I gotta go," Dennis said.
"Mr. Lenahan , one more
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