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He got a city map at the quickstop and spread it out on the seat of the cruiser while he drank coffee out of a styrofoam cup. He traced his route on the map with a yellow marker from the glovebox and refolded the map and laid it on the seat beside him and switched off the domelight and started the engine.
When he knocked at the door Llewelyn's wife answered it. As she opened the door he took off his hat and he was right away sorry he'd done it. She put her hand to her mouth and reached for the doorjamb.
I'm sorry mam, he said. He's all right. Your husband is all right. I just wanted to talk to you if I could.
You aint lyin to me are you?
No mam. I dont lie.
You drove up here from Sanderson?
Yes mam.
What did you want.
I just wanted to visit with you a little bit. Talk to you about your husband.
Well you cant come in here. You'll scare Mama to death. Let me get my coat.
Yes mam.
They drove down to the Sunshine Cafe and sat in a booth at the rear and ordered coffee.
You dont know where he's at, do you.
No I dont. I done told you.
I know you did.
He took off his hat and laid it in the booth beside him and ran his hand through his hair. You aint heard from him?
No I aint.
Nothin.
Not word one.
The waitress brought the coffee in two heavy white china mugs. Bell stirred his with his spoon. He raised the spoon and looked into the smoking silver bowl of it. How much money did he give you?
She didnt answer. Bell smiled. What did you start to say? he said. You can say it.
I started to say that's some more of your business, aint it.
Why dont you just pretend I aint the sheriff.
And pretend you're what?
You know he's in trouble.
Llewelyn aint done nothin.
It's not me he's in trouble with.
Who's he in trouble with then?
Some pretty bad people.
Llewelyn can take care of hisself.
Do you care if I call you Carla?
I go by Carla Jean.
Carla Jean. Is that all right?
That's all right. You dont care if I keep on callin you Sheriff do you?
Bell smiled. No, he said. That's fine.
All right.
These people will kill him, Carla Jean. They wont quit.
He wont neither. He never has.
Bell nodded. He sipped his coffee. The face that lapped and shifted in the dark liquid in the cup seemed an omen of things to come. Things losing shape. Taking you with them. He set the cup down and looked at the girl. I wish I could say that was in his favor. But I have to say I dont think it is.
Well, she said, he's who he is and he always will be. That's why I married him.
But you aint heard from him in a while.
I didnt expect to hear from him.
Were you all havin problems?
We dont have problems. When we have problems we fix em.
Well, you're lucky people.
Yes we are.
She watched him. How come you to ask me that, she said.
About havin problems?
About havin problems.
I just wondered if you were.
Has somethin happened that you know about and I dont?
No. I could ask you the same thing.
Except I wouldnt tell you.
Yes.
You think he's left me, dont you.
I dont know. Has he?
No. He aint. I know him.
You used to know him.
I know him yet. He aint changed.
Maybe.
But you dont believe that.
Well, I guess in all honesty I would have to say that I never knew nor did I ever hear of anybody that money didnt change. I'd have to say he'd be the first.
Well he'll be the first then.
I hope that's true.
Do you really hope that, Sheriff?
Yes. I do.
He aint been charged with nothin?
No. He aint been charged with nothin.
That dont mean he wont be.
No. It dont. If he lives that long.
Well. He aint dead yet.
I hope that's more comfort to you than it is to me.
He sipped the coffee and set the mug down on the table. He watched her. He needs to turn the money in, he said. They'd put it in the papers. Then maybe these people would leave him alone. I cant guarantee that they will. But they might. It's the only chance he's got.
You could put it in the papers anyway.
Bell studied her. No, he said. I couldnt.
Or wouldnt.
Wouldnt then. How much money is it?
I dont know what you're talkin about.
All right.
You care if I smoke? she said.
I think we're still in America.
She got her cigarettes out and lit one and turned her face and blew the smoke out into the room. Bell watched her. How do you think this is goin to end? he said.
I dont know. I dont know how nothin is goin to end. Do you?
I know how it aint.
Like livin happily ever after?
Somethin like that.
Llewelyn's awful smart.
Bell nodded. You ought to be more worried about him I guess is what I'm sayin.
She took a long pull on the cigarette. She studied Bell. Sheriff, she said, I think I'm probably just about as worried as I need to be.
He's goin to wind up killin somebody. Have you thought about that?
He never has.
He was in Vietnam.
I mean as a civilian.
He will.
She didnt answer.
You want some more coffee?
I'm coffeed out. I didnt want none to start with.
She looked off across the cafe. The empty tables. The night cashier was a boy about eighteen and he was bent over the glass counter reading a magazine. My mama's got cancer, she said. She aint got all that long to live.
I'm sorry to hear that.
I call her mama. She's really my grandmother. She raised me and I was lucky to have her. Well. Lucky dont even say it.
Yes mam.
She never did much like Llewelyn. I dont know why. No reason in particular. He was always good to her. I thought after she got diagnosed she'd be easier to live with but she aint. She's got worse.
How come you live with her?
I dont live with her. I aint that ignorant. This is just temporary.
Bell nodded.
I need to get back, she said.
All right. Have you got a gun?
Yeah. I got a gun. I guess you think I'm just bait settin up here.
I dont know.
But that's what you think.
I cant believe it's all that good a situation.
Yeah.
I just hope you'll talk to him.
I need to think about it.
All right.
I'd die and live in hell forever fore I'd turn snitch on Llewelyn. I hope you understand that.
I do understand that.
I never did learn no shortcuts about things such as that. I hope I never do.
Yes mam.
I'll tell you somethin if you want to hear it.
I want to hear it.
You might think I'm peculiar.
I might.
Or you might think it anyway.
No I dont.
When I got out of high school I was still sixteen and I got a job at Wal-Mart. I didnt know what else to do. We needed the money. What little it was. Anyway, the night before I went down there I had this dream. Or it was like a dream. I think I was still about half awake. But it come to me in this dream or whatever it was that if I went down there that he would find me. At the Wal-Mart. I didnt know who he was or what his name was or what he looked like. I just knew that I'd know him when I seen him. I kept a calendar and marked the days. Like when you're in jail. I mean I aint never been in jail, but like you would probably. And on the ninety-ninth day he walked in and he asked me where sportin goods was at and it was him. And I told him where it was at and he looked at me and went on. And directly he come back and he read my nametag and he said my name and he looked at me and he said: What time do you get off? And that was all she wrote. There was not no question in my mind. Not then, not now, not ever.
That's a nice story, Bell said. I hope it has a nice endin.
It happened just like that.