Page 140 of For the Birds

“You don’t need Scooter. Besides, you like him. Everyone does. You’re liable to piss off half the county if you kill Scooter Malcolm. Nobody gives two cents aboutme.”

“Except for Malcolm.”

“That’s right,” I said, trying to sound self-assured, but my heart was racing and I was struggling to catch my breath. “You have to think this through, plan for the long run, right? Isn’t that why you asked me to have a vision? Because you’re worried about how Skeeter’s men will react to yourcoup?”

“Most of ’em know he’s not himself.”

“Then all the better to make your move,” I said. “You timed it right, but you can’t be a hothead. You have to think about the transition. Killin’ Scooter’s gonna piss off your new men something fierce. Maybe you can make a deal with Scooter to make him back up your version of how things went down. I can help you cook something up if you’dlike.”

“I don’t need shit from you,” Merv spatout.

“Why do you think James kept me around? It wasn’t just for the visions. I helped him think things through sometimes. I’m an outsider, so I can think outside of the box, and you need a whole new box, Merv Chapman.”

He didn’t say anything, so I continued. “The way I see it, you’re in deep shit. Skeeter’s men are loyal, even when they don’t agree with his judgment. So when they find out you killed Scooter and betrayed James . . . it’s not goin’ to bode well foryou.”

Panic filled his eyes. “You think I don’t know that? But we’ll go through the ranks and make them pledge to me or die. We’ll make examples of the ones who don’t.”

“That’s downright stupid,” I said. “You need every single one of those men. You can’t afford to lose any ofthem.”

“I’ll be gettin’ Reynolds’ mentoo.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” I said. “Buck never showed, and Gary’sdead.”

The look in his eyes told me he hadn’t reasoned things through thatfar.

This was a dangerous game, but the only one I knew to play at the moment. I had to save Scooter, and that meant pushing all of Merv’s buttons. He knew my weakness, but I also knew his. He couldn’t see further than the power grab in front ofhim.

“If you send out Scooter, you might still be able to salvage this thing,” I lied, and I wasn’t sure I should be proud or ashamed that I sounded so convincing. “I’ll help you come up with a plan to survive this, but you have to send out Scooternow.”

“You’re only doin’ this to save your own ass,” Merv sneered, but he didn’t look so sure of himself.

“No. I’m as good as dead, and I know it,” I said. “You want to make James suffer, and this is the best way to do it. He’s sufferin’ right now. You heard him out there.”

“You’re sure as hell not doin’ this to helpme.”

“Not directly, but turns out helpin’ you out of this is the best way to save the county. That’s always been my goal. To protect the innocent people in the county. I’ve made no secret ofthat.”

Merv gave Scooter a shove. “Go out the backdoor.”

“What?” Scooter asked in confusion.

“Go,” I said. “Tell Skeeter that Merv and I are workin’ things through.”

Merv looked pissed. “Go before I change my mind. And tell Skeeter and Jed that she’s dead if I see either of their faces.”

Scooter ran out the back door, and it swung shut behind him. I heard multiple voices shouting, but the clamor outside stopped moments later. Even the banging and gunshots cutoff.

“Go on,” Merv said, looking dubious. “What’s my plan for redemption?”

I couldn’t say I blamed his skepticism. I wasn’t sure I could help Merv, let alone whether I wanted to. My only goal had been to get Scooter out of the line of fire. “Depends on whether you’re still tryin’ to stage a coup ornot.”

He snorted. “Once you start one, you can’t just change yourmind.”

“Maybe not. You can ask for forgiveness.”

“Never gonna happen. And even if I felt inclined, there’s no stoppin’ this now. Besides, you said you saw Skeeter killme.”

“My visions change,” I said. Telling Merv I’d lied seemed like a bad idea. “Maybe sendin’ Scooter out of here wasn’t part of the universe’s original plan. Maybe you changed things.”

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