“Well, it took a bit for him to accept that he had nothing the ADA would risk taking to trial—and an actual call from me to the ADA to point out the respect the ADA has for me and his lack of desire for facing me in a courtroom. But finally, common sense and the actual law prevailed.”
I laughed. “Hermes doesn’t have any common sense. You backed him into the corner of no return. He can’t afford to alienate the people who put him in the position to begin with. Thanks, Alexander. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this.”
“Me too,” Nickel said. “Man, I don’t know you or even understand what you did, but if you ever need anything, I’m your guy. And drinks for life at the Swamp Bar.”
Alexander gave him a broad smile. “It’s charming, I’m sure, but I have to run. I got a call from another friend on the way over here. He’s been arrested for stealing his maid’s underwear.”
We all stared.
“Was he having an affair with her or is it a creepy stalker thing?” I finally asked.
“Neither. He was wearing them. But we can’t have that kind of thing getting out about state representatives, now can we? Call me if this circles back around and I’ll be here in a flash. And Fortune, give me a ring when you’ve wrapped all this up and we’ll do lunch, because what little I know is fascinating. Ladies, always good seeing you.”
And with that and a wave, he climbed into his Bentley and left.
“Who is that guy?” Nickel asked.
“Alexander is a retired federal prosecutor—a famous one. He’s known as the Grim Reaper.”
Nickel’s eyes widened. “Holy crap! When I was in, cons would talk about the big cases sometimes. The Reaper took out the biggest and best—arms dealers, drug cartels, human trafficking rings. He always won and didn’t care who he implicated in the process. ‘The truth is all that matters,’ he used to say. The man is legendary. I can’t believe I just shook hands with a legend. Do I even want to know how you’re friends with him?”
I smiled. “He is impressive. And let’s just say he’s a fan of my former work.”
Nickel nodded in understanding. “You got him the goods on the bad guys. Makes sense.”
“Come on, we’ll give you a ride to the bar. Whiskey’s blood pressure is probably through the roof, and he’s not going to calm down unless he lays eyes on you. That way I can tell you all what happened with Alexander at the same time.”
“I want to see Whiskey, and need to pick up my truck, but I’ve got to get back to my dad.”
“Don’t worry about him,” Ida Belle said and motioned to her SUV. “The Sinful Ladies are rotating in pairs. He’s had plenty to eat and good company. And Whiskey came up with a reason for your absence, so he won’t think anything of you being gone for a few more hours.”
Nickel looked relieved. “Man, I appreciate everything you guys have done. Taking care of my dad and getting me out—the Grim Reaper… No one is going to believe it. You’ve got some interesting friends, Fortune.”
“I hear that a lot.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
As we made the drive to the Swamp Bar, Nickel recounted his arrest and jail visit.
“That Hermes isn’t right,” he said. “There was talk about him when I was inside. Rumor is he’s the kind that will take money to look the other way.”
“I totally believe that,” Ida Belle said.
“But it makes no sense that he’d want the sheriff’s job,” Nickel said. “His jurisdiction would be a bunch of small towns. What’s the big draw? Can’t be a lot of money to be gained around here.”
“Control, for one,” I said. “Men like Hermes are power hungry, and since fear is the only way they can get that power, that’s what they focus on.”
Nickel nodded. “He’s certainly not going to get it through respect. He spoke to the other deputies and the dispatcher like they were dogs. Made me mad. Except for that one guy—the guy who arrested me with Deputy Breaux. I’ve never seen him before, and I make it a point to know the local law enforcement.”
“I’m pretty sure Hermes imported some dedicated backup.”
Nickel shook his head. “What kind of loser gets off on pushing around a bunch of regular folk?”
“There’s a lot of money buried in these small towns,” Ida Belle said. “And people have secrets to go along with it. Look at Nora. We know she’s loaded but outsiders wouldn’t. But men like Hermes can find that out easily enough. Pair that with her penchant for illegal substances and she’s an easy target for payoffs.”
Nickel’s face flashed with anger. “I hadn’t even thought about that. I’m smart enough not to take anything that woman is mixing up, but she’s harmless in the big scheme of things.”
I nodded. “Which is exactly why Carter prefers to avoid her in person and walk away if anyone is talking about her.”
“I get it. If he doesn’t know, he can’t be accused of not doing anything. Carter’s a good man. I know the Marines needed him badly or he wouldn’t have gone, but selfishly, I wish he’d turned them down.”
“We all do,” Gertie said.
Ida Belle pulled up in front of the bar and as we were walking up the steps, the door flew open and Whiskey ran out and grabbed Nickel, squeezing him so hard that Nickel grunted. When Whiskey let him go, he reached for me, and I got an equally hard squeeze. When he was done passing out hugs, he waved us inside, a huge grin plastered on his face.
“Well, heck, get inside. I’ll pour a round and you can tell me what happened.”
We all took a seat at a table and Whiskey put his most expensive brandy and whiskey on the table along with coffee and a couple other choices for mixing. Everyone selected their drink, we clinked them together to celebrate Nickel’s release, and then I told them about the exchange between Hermes and Alexander. Everyone had a good chuckle at Hermes’s expense but when the laughing was over, everyone sobered a bit.
“This could all still be a problem for me, right?” Nickel asked.
“If Hermes can convince the ADA to push the issue, then yes,” I said. “I don’t think he has enough to get an indictment, much less a conviction, though. And the ADA is bucking for a promotion. He’s not going to want to attach his flag to a sinking ship.”
Gertie nodded. “Besides, Fortune’s going to solve the whole thing and then Hermes will have to go pound sand.”
“Anything I can do to help, you know I’m there for it,” Nickel said.
“Did Hermes show you a picture of the dead guy?” I asked.
Nickel nodded. “I didn’t recognize him.”
“Are you sure? The body was rough.”
“Yeah, death and the water will do that to you, but I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen him before. Just a sec.”
He went behind the bar and came back with a pad of paper and a pencil and started sketching. A couple minutes later, he turned the pad around and showed us a sketch of the dead guy—except this one was alive and without bloat and decomp.