Dead to Rights by Jack Patterson (fiction book recommendations .txt) 📕

“Back in the day, I could get away with anything and did. I practiced driving drunk so many times that I had it down to an art. I never got caught, though even if I did, I had a connection at the sheriff’s department that could help me escape pretty much anything.”

“But you didn’t escape everything, did you?”

Boone bristled. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Susannah Sloan effectively broke up your family and ripped your kids away from you, didn’t she?”

“Well, yeah, but it was probably the best thing for me. It helped me get my life back on track and exit the world of crime. And I’d tell her as much if she were alive today.”

“And just where exactly did you go when you left The Pirate’s Den?”

Boone put his hands up, lifting them about chest high.

“I know how this is gonna sound, but I went to Susannah’s house. I figured if Hayward was chasin’ Drake, they’d both be at Susannah’s house. And I was right.”

“What happened when you got there?” Cal asked.

“Hayward was drunk and actin’ crazy, crazier than usual. So, I grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and dragged him back to the car with me.”

“And you just left Drake there?”

“I figured Drake was a big enough boy to get his own ride home,” Boone said. “Besides, he didn’t look like he was through talkin’ to Susannah. She was cryin’ and apologizin’ for what she’d done, though she didn’t act like she regretted it, just a woman sorry that she had to break up with him. I don’t know. It was a long time ago, and my memory is a little foggy about all the details.”

Cal pulled out his pad and jotted down a few notes. After a brief moment of silence, he refocused his attention on Hayward. “Anything else you feel might be very important?”

“Look, I told Sheriff Sloan all this when it happened. I never tried to hide anything from anybody, except maybe some reporters who came nosin’ around Pickett, present company included. And while I still may have some issues with my anger, I don’t hurt people any more. I’ve grown up.”

“What about Hayward?”

Even with only a dim yellow porch light to illuminate Boone’s face, Cal observed the man tense up.

“Why were you out at Bee Gum Lake before anyone else? We saw you there,” Cal said.

Boone bit his lip and narrowed his eyes. “I was just tryin’ to help Hayward out. He was in a tight spot and asked me for a favor, so I agreed. We were supposed to meet farther south along the highway, but he never made it.”

“What were you meeting all the way out there for?”

“All I know is that he asked me to help him out. That’s all. I don’t know exactly what he wanted, but whatever it was, he wanted to keep it a secret. And it was obviously for a good reason, though he wasn’t secretive enough apparently. I waited and waited before I decided to call it a day and drive back to Pickett. That’s when I saw all the cop cars out there and decided to see what was goin’ on.”

“So, who had reason to kill Hayward?”

“Plenty of people, I suppose. He ran with a rough crowd.”

“What about Sheriff Sloan?”

Boone shrugged. “I don’t know. But the one thing I know after growin’ up and livin’ in this town as long as I have is people aren’t always what they seem, present company included.”

Kelly forced a smile. “If I didn’t know any better, Mr. Boone, I’d think you were changing your tune about us.”

“People can change their minds if they want to. It’s a free country.”

“Thanks for your help,” Cal said. “I want to be fair to all the parties involved when I write my story.”

“You’re welcome. But be careful. There are still plenty of people around here who don’t like their private lives or their pasts peeled open like a can of sardines. I suggest you get outta here before somethin’ happens to you.”

“Everybody keeps saying that,” Cal said. “Is there someone in Pickett who’s actually planning on hurting us?”

“Not that I know of,” Boone said. “But like I said, people aren’t always what they seem in Pickett.”

Once Cal and Kelly retreated to the privacy of their car, Kelly sighed and turned to Cal.

“You believe anything that guy said?” she asked.

Cal shrugged. “He spun a good yarn, but I’m not buying anything anybody in this town says. But I’ll take Jacob Boone’s own advice and remember that people aren’t always what they seem in Pickett.”

CHAPTER 29

CAL COULDN’T SLEEP WELL that night and around 6:00 a.m. finally decided against trying any more. He got dressed and went downstairs at the Okefenokee Inn to get some coffee and pore over his notes. If there was anything that was clear at this point it was that Drake deserved a new trial, if for nothing else than his poor defense team and a shoddy investigation by the Pickett County Sheriff’s Department. But a new suspect seemed elusive.

Over the next two hours, Cal concocted several theories about who could’ve murdered Susannah and why. He even created a theory for Drake—and Boone, too. After all, Boone told Cal twice the night before that people aren’t always what they seem.

Present company included.

Cal chuckled to himself. Boone didn’t appear to be a likely suspect, but Cal wasn’t going to rule him out simply because he showed a human side with empathy while chatting on the porch. But there was one piece of information that emerged from the conversation with Boone that bugged Cal.

Boone told Sheriff Sloan about the convergence of three men—Boone, Hayward, and Drake—at Susannah’s house that night. But Cal didn’t remember reading about that in any of the trial transcripts. Surely, even a half-witted lawyer would’ve questioned Boone at trial. But Boone never took the stand.

Cal dialed Robert Sullivan, Drake’s lawyer, to question him about it.

“Mr. Murphy, it’s quite early on