Mount-Aire Motel. Devi l called Boyd to tell him Raylan was back in his room.
"Roger that," Boyd said, and told Devil , "Okay, he should be leaving again pretty soon. I got a way t o bring him to me I think'll work. He leaves, you stay on him."
Devil's voice said, "Where you at?" sounding surprised.
"Down the road from Ava's. You stay on him, hear?"
Boyd sat in his Jeep Cherokee by the JESUS SAVES sign, th e road here like a tunnel through the trees, dark as night. H e called the Pork brothers on the hill behind the motel and tol d them to get ready. "You saw him come back? . . . Okay, yo u see his car pull out again, you let it go. Understand? But the n any other cars pull out to follow him? You open up on 'em.
Pour it on, as many rounds as you can squeeze off."
The Pork brother on the phone said it was near dark, ho w would they see the cars? Boyd said, "Jesus Christ, they pu t their lights on, don't they? Aim back of the headlights."
Boyd believed the suits would spot 'em and swarm u p there with sheriff's deputies and state police and shoot thos e two fat boys down, but didn't see losing them would handicap him any. It was the reason the Pork brothers were up there.
He drove through the tunnel of trees to a semidry creekbe d he turned into and stopped about fifty yards in to leave th e Jeep. It was a place he'd used to slip up on the house, mak e sure Bowman wasn't home. It was close by. Boyd move d through the pines toward a light shining in the front room , meaning she was home. He rapped on the door. It opened, an d he saw right away Ava was expecting company.
X.
She had on her party dress, the shiny green lowcut one with the straight skirt she'd worn to Bowman's funeral. Seeing Boyd instead of Raylan gave her a start and all she could say was, "Well, hi," disappointed. There was nothing to hide, so she told Boyd she'd invited Raylan for a homecooked supper but didn't know if he'd make it or not.
Boyd came in sniffing, saying, "Mmmmmm, frie d chicken." Saying, "Why don't you call Raylan and remin d him? Go on, he's at the Mount-Aire." And gave her the phon e number.
Well, then she became suspicious. Why would Boyd kno w that? "You've talked to him?"
"Honey, me and Raylan are old buddies. I thought yo u knew that?"
She hesitated because it sounded fishy.
"Go on, give him a call. But don't say I'm here."
"Why not?"
"I'm not staying," Boyd said, "so why mention it. I can se e you want to flirt with him some."
"We was neighbors," Ava said, "that's all."
"I know, and you want to talk about old times and so on. Go on, call him."
Raylan picked up the phone to hear Ava askin g if he could smell the chicken frying. "It'll be done by the tim e you get here." Raylan, sitting on the side of his bed, took a few moments before telling Ava he was on his way.
He went next door to Art Mullen's room to let him kno w he was going. Art said, "You don't see it as Boyd using her?"
"I would," Raylan said, "except she asked me this afternoon, at the courthouse."
"She could've been setting you up then," Art said. "I thin k we'll tag along."
Raylan didn't argue. He drew Art a quick map showin g how to get to Ava's and left.
Dewey saw headlights pop on, the Town Ca r out from the motel, and hit Devil's arm, Devil still behin d the wheel, Devil adjusting his hat as he turned the key an d the starter groaned without catching. "You're gonna floo d it," Dewey said. "Pump the gas pedal twice and try it." I t worked, the engine roaring to life, and they took off eas t after the Town Car, Dewey saying, "Now catch the son of a bitch, will you?" He reached over his seat for the shotgu n and saw out the rear window another car pulling awa y from the motel and heard gunfire, an automatic weapon, an d saw sparks jumping off the road behind the car, the ca r swerving, U-turning back to the motel with its headlight s off. Now a rifle was firing along with the bursts from th e AK, Devil hunched over the wheel saying, "Jesus Christ," a
"Roger that," Boyd said, and told Devil , "Okay, he should be leaving again pretty soon. I got a way t o bring him to me I think'll work. He leaves, you stay on him."
Devil's voice said, "Where you at?" sounding surprised.
"Down the road from Ava's. You stay on him, hear?"
Boyd sat in his Jeep Cherokee by the JESUS SAVES sign, th e road here like a tunnel through the trees, dark as night. H e called the Pork brothers on the hill behind the motel and tol d them to get ready. "You saw him come back? . . . Okay, yo u see his car pull out again, you let it go. Understand? But the n any other cars pull out to follow him? You open up on 'em.
Pour it on, as many rounds as you can squeeze off."
The Pork brother on the phone said it was near dark, ho w would they see the cars? Boyd said, "Jesus Christ, they pu t their lights on, don't they? Aim back of the headlights."
Boyd believed the suits would spot 'em and swarm u p there with sheriff's deputies and state police and shoot thos e two fat boys down, but didn't see losing them would handicap him any. It was the reason the Pork brothers were up there.
He drove through the tunnel of trees to a semidry creekbe d he turned into and stopped about fifty yards in to leave th e Jeep. It was a place he'd used to slip up on the house, mak e sure Bowman wasn't home. It was close by. Boyd move d through the pines toward a light shining in the front room , meaning she was home. He rapped on the door. It opened, an d he saw right away Ava was expecting company.
X.
She had on her party dress, the shiny green lowcut one with the straight skirt she'd worn to Bowman's funeral. Seeing Boyd instead of Raylan gave her a start and all she could say was, "Well, hi," disappointed. There was nothing to hide, so she told Boyd she'd invited Raylan for a homecooked supper but didn't know if he'd make it or not.
Boyd came in sniffing, saying, "Mmmmmm, frie d chicken." Saying, "Why don't you call Raylan and remin d him? Go on, he's at the Mount-Aire." And gave her the phon e number.
Well, then she became suspicious. Why would Boyd kno w that? "You've talked to him?"
"Honey, me and Raylan are old buddies. I thought yo u knew that?"
She hesitated because it sounded fishy.
"Go on, give him a call. But don't say I'm here."
"Why not?"
"I'm not staying," Boyd said, "so why mention it. I can se e you want to flirt with him some."
"We was neighbors," Ava said, "that's all."
"I know, and you want to talk about old times and so on. Go on, call him."
Raylan picked up the phone to hear Ava askin g if he could smell the chicken frying. "It'll be done by the tim e you get here." Raylan, sitting on the side of his bed, took a few moments before telling Ava he was on his way.
He went next door to Art Mullen's room to let him kno w he was going. Art said, "You don't see it as Boyd using her?"
"I would," Raylan said, "except she asked me this afternoon, at the courthouse."
"She could've been setting you up then," Art said. "I thin k we'll tag along."
Raylan didn't argue. He drew Art a quick map showin g how to get to Ava's and left.
Dewey saw headlights pop on, the Town Ca r out from the motel, and hit Devil's arm, Devil still behin d the wheel, Devil adjusting his hat as he turned the key an d the starter groaned without catching. "You're gonna floo d it," Dewey said. "Pump the gas pedal twice and try it." I t worked, the engine roaring to life, and they took off eas t after the Town Car, Dewey saying, "Now catch the son of a bitch, will you?" He reached over his seat for the shotgu n and saw out the rear window another car pulling awa y from the motel and heard gunfire, an automatic weapon, an d saw sparks jumping off the road behind the car, the ca r swerving, U-turning back to the motel with its headlight s off. Now a rifle was firing along with the bursts from th e AK, Devil hunched over the wheel saying, "Jesus Christ," a
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