Chapter 36

Raylan is quiet on the drive home from the hospital. One souvenir she carries from their marriage is the feeling that his silence is always covering up anger or disappointment. Even though logic tells her now that he's just tired or worried or trying to figure things out, the pent up adrenaline from earlier makes her jittery and she can't stop herself from quizzing him.

"Are you upset?"

"Well, I'm not happy." He says, not taking his eyes off the road.

"Everything turned out okay." She reminds him. "Cooper's going to be fine."

His hands tense on the wheel, and he glances in the rear-view mirror. "Look, someone came into our home and tried to hurt you or grab you. Who knows what hell he was going to do? Yes, it worked out. Yes, you were smart and resourceful and I'm glad, but that guy…he's not the problem. He failed. Duffy isn't going to just give up. Do you get that?" He glances at her. "He won't stop until someone stops him."

"Oh, and that someone has to be you, right?" She snaps. "Is that where this is going? Are you gonna drop me off at home and go out and find this guy, Raylan?"

"I wouldn't even know where to look." He says.

She folds her arms, closing herself off from him. "But if you did know where to find him…" She huffs out a breath. "What would you do? Shoot him?"

"I don't know." Raylan admits. "So it's probably a good thing I don't know where he is. And I'm not leaving you alone to go look for him."

"But you're gonna look for him tomorrow."

"Yeah, I am." He says. "Karen Esposito has a line on the guy you clocked. I thought I might tag along if she heads over to Louisville to see if he can talk yet."

"So you won't go off on your own looking for Duffy?"

"I told you I wouldn't." He says. "I promised you, remember?" He pulls into the drive and parks the car. "You have to trust me, Winona, or none of this is going to work."

He's right. She knows he's right. Still, she knows him, too. And for all his good intentions, if he's faced with the choice of getting to this guy or waiting for back-up, she knows exactly what he'll do. But for now, she nods. "I do trust you." She says.

They walk in the house hand in hand and leave the mess in the kitchen for morning.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Jim Carroll is checking out at the local Wal-Mart with a pile of clothing and other necessities for his houseguest, when his cell phone buzzes. It's Duffy, and for the first time in a long time, Jimbo's not afraid to answer.

"Hey." He says, cradling the phone under his chin as he fishes in his wallet for cash. "I think I've got our problem handled and the best part is, it's not going to come back on us at all."

"Go on."

He explains about Dickie Bennett and his vendetta against the Marshal. "So, all I have to do is point him in the right direction and bingo."

"Sounds a little too easy." Duffy remarks. "I'm suspicious of easy things. You sure this guy can get the job done?"

"Look, I may need to encourage him that the expediency of shooting Givens will get the job done just as well as a long drawn out beating, but other than that, I think he's good for it." Jimbo goes on. "I figure I get him a bead on the Marshal, then follow him and take him out when he's finished. It'll look like I just got there too late."

"That would tie up all the lose ends." Duffy agrees. "Alright. Last chance, Jimbo. I gave Givens a warning tonight, by the way. The idiot I sent screwed up and I didn't get the bargaining chip I wanted, but..."

The hairs on the back of Carroll's neck stand up. "What are you talking about? What did you do?"

"You'll hear about it, I'm sure." Duffy says. "LPD was all over the place. Just remember, there's more where that came from if your little plan goes awry. The ex-wife may be off limits to you, but she's not to me."

The call is disconnected and Jimbo stares at his cell. Heart pounding, he dials dispatch and asks about any disturbances in the neighborhood where Givens lives.

"There was a home invasion, one victim, male, taken to the hospital with a stab wound, not life-threatening. Perp is in bad shape too. Got burned somehow."

He thanks the dispatcher and checks his messages. Karen Esposito has called several times. He'd bet good money she has more details on what exactly happened, but he's not anxious to talk to her seeing as how he skipped out on the emergency drill. He'll deal with that later. At least from what the dispatcher says he knows the ex-wife wasn't the one hurt. Not Givens, either, Duffy would have bragged on that. Jim is curious enough about what happened to reconsider returning Esposito's call, but decides to wait until he gets back home and talks Dickie Bennett into his plan. He's more than ready for this to be over.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Karen Esposito parks her car and glances around the quiet neighborhood. No sign of anything out of place. Most cars are stowed away in garages and the houses are dark save for the occaisional security light. No lights on in Carroll's house, either, at least in the front. She walks around the perimeter of the house and spots a light on and a shadow in what must be the bedroom. It looks too small and slight to be Carroll, but light and shadow can be distorting. She ducks down and watches for a few more minutes, but the figure doesn't reappear.

Returning to the front, she climbs the steps and rings the doorbell. No one answers. She knocks, even though she knows the bell is working; still, no answer. She knows there's someone in there. She considers the possibilities. Maybe Jimbo has a girlfriend. That isn't all that far-fetched. He's attractive enough, if you go for the over-sized, brawny, weather-beaten type, and she knows many women who do. Still, missing the emergency drill is out of character and gives her pause. Of course, he might have cleared it with the Chief; there's no way for her to know that.

She stands on the porch for a few more minutes, indecisive, then, sighing, she heads back to her car. Either Jim is home and busy; simply ignoring the doorbell and not answering his messages, or he's gone, no telling where. He'll show up tomorrow. Or not. What if his involvement with Duffy finally caught up with him? She considers calling for back-up and going in, but she really doesn't have cause. And besides, the thought of interrupting some romantic interlude of Jimbo's is just too embarrassing.

Glancing at her cell she determines it's too late to call Givens. She'll save that for tomorrow.