to ask Knott.â
âWhy would I ask him?â
âBecause there wasnât any dead preachers until he got involved. Theyâve had their conferences for years, no problems. Then all of sudden, this year, thereâs bloodshed.â
Â
I hate to admit this, but part of me believes him. He doesnât have a reason to lie to me. He could bury me somewhere on this island where no one will be able to find me and not lose an ounce of sleep. Demetrius confessing to me that he didnât kill Cole means that there is something he needs from me.
âIâll make sure to ask Knott, but whatâs the point of me being here?â
âTwo things. One, the girl you visited yesterday, donât ever go to her house again.â
âWhy is that?â I ask.
âIâm a friend that doesnât want her to be bothered.â
That means Elisha has a connection with Demetrius, which means that Demetrius didnât kill her father. Iâm back at square one with no real leads. Tomorrow, Iâm going to have to go back to Elishaâs place and deliver the check from Pastor Bryant to her.
âWhatâs the second thing?â
âThe second thing is since youâre a minister and Knott canât tell the difference between one preacher and another, I want you to find out what heâs planning, and then report back to me.â
âSo I work for you now?â
âGod, no. Work would imply that Iâm going to pay you. No, this is a favor.â
âA favor? A favor will imply that you will owe me one, then,â I say.
Demetrius puts his cigar out in a nearby ashtray. He still has plenty of cigar left. Either heâs wasteful or he put out the cigar to illustrate a point.
âYou find out what I need to know and I wonât stop by Adeleâs house for some of her coconut cake. Which, I hear, is quite good.â
I will never forgive myself for getting Adele involved in my mess. I have a home, and I can get up and go back at a momentâs notice. Adele, on the other hand, has to stay on the island with this monster.
There are not too many ways I can play this, and I canât negotiate from a position of weakness. I have to convince Demetrius that I have the upper hand, when, in actuality, I donât.
âI donât think you would want to show up at Adeleâs house uninvited, and you donât have to make threats to convince me to help you. Threats are usually made by someone who doesnât have power.â
Demetrius takes a step closer. He is now in striking distance, but I doubt there is anything I could do that would even stun a behemoth like him. Physically, Iâm powerless.
âYouâd be even more of a fool if you think that I donât have power.â
âYou donât, because if you did, you would know what Randall Knott has planned, but you donât,â I say.
âYouâre just a big-time gangster on a small island. Youâre no match for someone like Randall Knott who can crush you without leaving his breakfast table. You donât want me to spy on Knott for you; you need me too.â
After my last comment, I took a deep breath and braced for Demetrius to plummet me. He balled up his fist and even looked like he was going to do it, but he didnât. Instead, he swallowed his anger and let his smile take over.
âI like you, Nic. You got guts, Iâll give you that. Youâre right, I do need you, but I donât need Adele or that old man or that sweet girl that youâve been walking around with. So whatâs it going to be?â
I love how he frames that question . . . as if I have a choice in the matter. I donât. Tomorrow I would have to go knocking on Randall Knottâs door to see what I can find out about Pastor Coleâs death. As far as Demetriusâs first request goes, after I deliver the money to Elisha, we can go our separate ways.
âIâll look into
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