The 'Cousins'

Part Twenty-One: Fears and Explanations

A/N:  Timeline- Thursday, 19th April, Midday Onwards.

Bill Elbury sat at his desk and flicked open the file. “I’ve been doing some work, he said in a flat monotone.’

‘I was just thinking that,’ Greg chortled,  ‘judging by the thickness of that folder…,’  Bill raised a finger for silence and continued.

‘Have there been any more ‘incidents’?’ Greg shook his head.

‘No, I think the tyre attack was a one off, I’m keeping my eyes and ears open. The Sherriff knew it had happened, and that’s a bit of a concern.’

‘What do you mean, concern?’

Greg sighed and re-crossed his legs while he thought out his reply.

 ‘The Sherriff met me out of town on the way back yesterday. He knew all about the ‘incident’ as you call it and I wondered how he knew, that’s all.’

Bill shrugged it off. ‘One of those things. I wouldn’t worry about it. Flik Donovan’s paid to know what’s going on. It wasn’t a secret here in Larksville. One of his informers would likely have told him about it.’

Elbury’s answer was plausible, but Greg was unconvinced and pressed his lips together to help him keep his thoughts to himself. The accountant laid the palms of his hands flat on the table and leaned forward before speaking in low, confidential tones. 

‘I’ve been talking to a contact at Hertz. Your ‘Beemer’s’ been moved to Omaha for a detailed examination and the tyre’s been sent to police forensics for tests. They thought it might be a deliberate acid attack. Forensics have since confirmed this, so watch out for yourself. Keep your ears and eyes open. It seems someone don’t want you around. I think you should move into Larksville, for your own good.’

Greg sat bolt upright in the chair and shook his head. ‘Nah, I’m staying where I am.’

‘Why for goodness sake?  Do you like courting danger? Set up here where you won’t need to look over your shoulder or wonder what’s waiting for you round the next corner.’

Greg slapped his thigh.

‘Not my style, Bill. Not anymore. I’m done with running away. I’m pretty certain the cretin behind all this nonsense is Felix Gleitner.’

‘Gleitner?’ Elbury sat back in surprise, and gaped at Greg, ‘Gleitner? He’s a small time low life that runs crooked labour crews for equally crooked chicken farmers. How can you possibly have got in his way to upset him this bad?  Besides, he wouldn’t do a thing like that himself.’

‘He don’t have to. He also runs a vice ring out of the Truck Stop using High School kids. I bumped into three of his string coming out of where my car was parked before I came over here yesterday. I reckon they did it for him.’

‘But that don’t prove anything unless you saw ‘em do it!  What you say has to be a fairy story. The Sherriff wouldn’t let him or anybody else run anything like that with school kids. His ear’s too close to the ground. He’d run Gleitner into jail so fast his feet wouldn’t make tracks.’

Greg sighed again. ‘Maybe so but It’s no fairy story, I can’t prove it – not yet, but it is happening. If the Sherriff doesn’t know, then his informers aren’t working, or they’re compromised. Of course, if he does know and has done nothing about it, it implicates him too and would explain better how he come to meet me on the road yesterday.’

Elbury ‘s fist slammed the desk. ‘That’s enough now. Talk like that can cause a whole lot of trouble. You’ve no proof of any of this and Flik Donovan is a much respected, church going citizen and a damned good lawman. Implicating him don’t explain away why Gleitner or anybody else is coming after you!’