Page 48 of For the Birds

“In fact,” I added, “if you return Scooter along with me, you might be able to work out some sort of lesser punishment.”

“I didn’t take Scooter Malcolm!” Buck shouted.

I didn’t believe that for a second, especially not now. “You’ve already kept me hostage and shot at me numerous times. You’re pretty much a dead man walking, but if you return Scooter, you might have a chance.”

“Are you deaf?” Buck yelled. “I didn’t take Scooter Malcolm!”

“Then where ishe?”

“The hell if I know,” he said, sounding defeated. “That’s why I wanted to hire you. To findhim.”

My mouth nearly dropped open. “If you can’t find him, how in Hades did you think Ican?”

“You found my necklace, didn’tyou?”

I put my hand on my hip. “Why would you ask me to find him when you’re so damn certain I work for Skeeter?”

“Because I was pinning my hopes on the fact that you didn’t. You claimed to be working to help the county; then you gave me the necklace when I know Malcolm wanted it. But now I think you were bullshittin’ us. Why would Malcolm care so much if you’re not screwing him? So you’re either sleepin’ with him or on his payroll.”

“I am not on his payroll. I provide services that help him ferret out turncoats, and before you ask, no, I will not be offering those services to you. The only reason I helped Skeeter in the first place was for the good of the county.”

“And to save your D.A. boyfriend,” he said with a sneer.

I shook my head in disgust. “Keep it up, Mr. Reynolds, and you’ll be diggin’ your own grave. Literally.”

“If I’m dead anyway,” he said, “why don’t I just take you withme?”

I shot him a deadly glare even though my courage was starting to wane. Nevertheless, I wasn’t going to beg this man for mylife.

“Buck, think this through, man,” Dermot said. “This is goin’ all wrong.”

“No fuckin’ shit!” Buck shouted as he started to pace the warehouse.

Dermot walked around him and approached me. “Look, Lady. We didn’t take Scooter. We’ve got nothin’ against Scooter. He’s like Switzerland. No one wants to touch him, and if Malcolm was thinkin’ straight, he’d know we didn’t doit.”

I snorted. “And he probably thinks Mr. Reynolds isn’t stupid enough to shoot me, and yet here we are with a puddle of blood poolin’ at myfeet.”

“Goddammit, Buck!” Dermot shouted, turning around to face his boss. “Why’d you have to go and throw a damnfit!”

“She wouldn’t listen tome!”

“We knew she wouldn’t, you damn fool! You were supposed to reason withher!”

“Let’s make this perfectly clear: I’m in charge here,” I said. “I’m making the rules, and if you can’t deal with that, shoot me dead right now.” It was a huge risk—a very stupid one—but I needed their respect, and this was the only way I could see to getit.

Neither man said anything. I’d just lived two seconds longer than expected.

I reached out my hand. “I need your phone so I can call Mr. Malcolm and have him send someone to pick me up. And if you’re respectful until his representative shows up, I’ll try to convince him not to killyou.”

Buck stopped pacing and shook his head. “No. We’ll take you tohim.”

“If you think I’m stupid enough to get into a car withyou—”

“We’re not in Fenton County. We’re in Louisiana. It will be faster if we takeyou.”

Louisiana? But our location was neither here nor there at that immediate moment. “If you think I’m gonna get in a car with three men who are carryin’ guns when I don’t have a weapon, let alone a pair of shoes, then you must be addled in thehead.”

“How about we give you something to make you trust us?” Dermot asked.

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