Tremaine considered this. “Maybe. But on the off chance that he isn’t as smart as you think he is, I’m going to do everything I can to blow him away. And his brother. I don’t like Rufus Harms. I’ve never liked the guy. I’m getting my ass shot up in Nam and he’s back in the States safe and sound, three squares a day. We should’ve just let him rot in the stockade, but we didn’t,” Tremaine added bitterly.
“Too late for that now.”
“Well, I’m going to do him a big favor. When I find him, his next cell is going to be seven feet long, four feet wide and made of pine. And he ain’t getting a damn flag on it.” Tremaine punched the gas even more.
Rayfield shook his head and settled back down in his seat. He checked his watch and then looked down the road. They were almost at Rider’s office.
* * *
Sara and Fiske sat on the leather couch while the Harms brothers stood in front of them.
“Why don’t we just tie them up and get the hell out of here?” Josh said to his brother.
Fiske jumped in. “I think you’re going to find we’re on the same side.”
Josh scowled at him. “Now, don’t go taking this the wrong way, but you’re full of shit.”
“He’s right,” Sara said. “We’re here to help you.” Josh snorted but didn’t bother to respond.
“John Fiske?” Rufus said. He studied Fiske’s features, remembering where he’d seen similar ones. “That clerk they killed was family, wasn’t he? Brother?”
Fiske nodded. “Yes. Who killed him?”
Josh broke in: “Don’t tell them nothing, Rufus. We don’t know who they are or what they want.”
“We came here to talk to Sam Rider,” Sara said.
Josh looked over at her. “Well, unless you’re gonna put on a séance or something you’re gonna have a real hard time doing that.”
Fiske and Sara looked at each other and then back at the brothers.
“He’s dead?” Sara asked.
Rufus nodded. “He and his wife. Made it look like suicide.”
Fiske noted the file clutched in his hand. “Is that what you sent to the Court?”
“You mind if I ask the questions?” Rufus said.
“I’m telling you, Rufus, we’re your friends.”
“Sorry, but I don’t make friends nowhere near that easy. What’d you want to talk to Samuel about?”
“He filed that for you at the Court, didn’t he?”
“I ain’t answering no questions.”
“Okay, I’ll just tell you what we know and then you can take it from there. How’s that sound?”
“I’m listening.”
“Rider filed it. My brother got it and took it out of the Court’s system. He came to the prison to see you. Then he ended up dead in an alley in Washington. They made it look like a robbery. Now you tell us Rider is dead. Another clerk was killed too. I think it’s connected to my brother’s death, but I’m not sure why.” Fiske stopped talking and studied the two men. “That’s all we know. Now, I think you know a lot more. Like why all this is happening.”
“You know so much. You with the cops?” Josh demanded.
“I’m helping the detective in charge.”
“See, Rufus, I told you. We got to get out of here. Cops probably on their way right now.”
“No, they’re not,” Sara said. “I saw your name in the papers Michael had, Mr. Harms, but that’s all I saw. I don’t know why you filed it or what was in it.”
“Why does a prisoner file something with a court?” Rufus asked.
“Because you want out,” Fiske said. Rufus nodded. “But you have to have grounds to do that.”
“I got me the best grounds of all: the simple truth,” Rufus said forcefully.
“Tell me what it is,” said Fiske.
Josh edged toward the door. “Rufus, I got a bad feeling about all this. We stand here talking to them and the cops are closing in. You’ve already said too much.”
“They killed his brother, Josh.”
“You don’t know if he really is his brother.”
Fiske pulled out his wallet with his driver’s license.
“This’ll at least prove we have the same last name.”