Part III of III
The trio had trudged from the Bingo Hall to the barbershop with no answers, but one thing Tim noticed was that when this man named Seth walked into a room, the air pressure noticeably dropped. It was as if people couldn't talk fast enough and were desperate to tell him what he wanted to know. Raylan still hadn't said who the mystery man was and Tim thought it best not to ask. Tim's phone rang and his face went from serious to sad. "Tom died," he said quietly. Raylan slammed his hand against the steering wheel but remained silent.
They pulled up to a small building with the large letters VFW over the doorway. Tim vaguely recalled the stone building he had been called to awhile back so Raylan and Art could gain entrance in order to speak with Arlo. This time there was nobody out front and the three marched up to the stairs and Seth flung the door open. There were four old men playing cards at a table not far from the bar.
"Seth," one of them greeted. "What brings you out here?"
"I am desperate for some information," he declared, causing a ripple of tension to make its way across the room.
"Whatever we can do," another man offered.
"Tell me if you have seen this boy?" Seth asked taking Nate's picture. "Or this man?" Raylan asked showing them the picture of Quarles he had on his phone.
"No," they all said shaking their heads.
"Has there been anything different, anybody not where they were supposed to be or acting odd?" Tim asked.
The man that had spoken first rubbed his chin and looked thoughtful. "Well you know Edna and Ellis Everett were supposed to help with the fish fry the other night and neither one showed up."
The man across the table nodded. "Yeah they never miss, they didn't even bother to call."
"They live up at Bluebird Holler right?" Seth asked.
"Yeah down that long lane with all them fir trees," the chin rubber said. "They might have had some work done on their septic, Roy said when he went by the other day they weren't around but it looked like they had been digging in the backyard."
Raylan, Tim and Seth all looked at each other and quickly moved toward the front door. "Do you know where we're going?" Seth called out.
"Further west, but not sure of the details," Raylan yelled back.
"Well then stay close," Seth said climbing in his car and slamming the door.
Quarles had swallowed a pain pill and sat down on the couch next to Nate. He leaned over and stroked the boys cheek. "I'm cold, can I put my shirt back on," Nate asked.
"You look fine to me. I want you to leave it off. Look I'll take mine off too." He set his gun down and pulled off his shirt and tossed it aside.
"What time is it?" Nate asked.
Quarles shoulders fell as he sighed. He looked up and pointed up to a clock shaped like a tea kettle and said, "it's noon."
"I need to take my pill," Nate stated.
"And what happens if you don't?"
"I'll get nauseous," Nate lied.
"Fine, where is it?"
"In my bag."
"Get it," Quarles snapped.
Nate got up and walked over to the recliner where he had put his bag earlier. He unzipped it and began to dig around, he took out one bottle and shook his head no and dove back in. "It must have fallen to the bottom."
"Well dump your bag out then," Quarles said impatiently. "In fact I don't like you being in there."
"What am I going to do, hit you with my math book?"
"Aren't you a funny one," he commented.
"What's your first name?" Nate asked trying to change the mood.
"Robert," he answered.
"I had a friend named Robert when I lived in Florida."
"Well good for you." Quarles said getting impatient. "Look kid hurry up or I'll have to motivate you."
Seth had slowed down obviously looking for an obscure road. Raylan crawled along right on his tail.
"I guess you can't put Edna and Ellis Everett in your GPS and find the place," Tim commented, his eyes searching the tree line for an opening.
"No, this is what you call the local advantage," Raylan said.
"Can I ask who this guy is?"
"No, it's better that you don't," Raylan answered as Seth found the road and turned right.
They bumped along the dirt lane that seemed to alternate from potholes to large lumps in the road. It took nearly a minute to finally roll up on the house. Seth was already out of his car when the Lincoln stopped. Raylan and Tim got out and walked to meet him when they heard a gunshot and a high pitched scream.
**(five minutes earlier)
Nate continued to dig in his bag. "Why don't you just let me go?"
"Why would I do that, it's not like your father would give me a break because I did."
"No, but maybe I would," Nate said pulling his hand out of his bag.
Quarles looked up to see Nate standing there with a gun pointing at him. He looked around but realized his gun was across the room, forgotten on the bookshelf where he had placed it when he took his shirt off. He smiled as he looked back at the boy. "Hey that's not a math book."
"And I'm not going to hit you with it either," Nate replied.
"Now do you really think you could use that? So many think they are capable but find they aren't." Quarles stood up and took a step towards Nate.
"Don't come any closer," Nate warned.
Quarles relaxed his body and took another step forward certain that Nate wouldn't hurt him. Nate shot him in the kneecap.
"Have you heard the story about why Dickie Bennett limps?" Nate asked after Quarles got done screaming. "You see, they were playing baseball, Dickie pitching, my dad batting. He had already gotten two hits off of Dickie so the next time my dad was up; Dickie threw it right at his head. My dad went down and the benches cleared. The melee was all around him while he was still down on the ground, but just as Dickie was going to stomp on him, he saw his opportunity and nailed Dickie in the knee."
"So you guys have a thing for knees?" Quarles asked through his pain.
"No," Nate answered tersely, "we have a thing for assholes."
"You seem very calm for somebody who just shot a man," he yelled.
"I'm not prone to hysterics," Nate answered dryly.
"Yeah I can see that. You are a forty year old in a tiny body…you, you are your father."
"So I've been told."
"So now what?" Quarles asked.
"I guess you pray to the God you have always denied."
"What makes you think I deny God?'
"Because a man such as yourself, with your narcissistic qualities, ill intensions and appalling past you simply cannot be capable of worshipping anything greater than yourself."
"You are a very astute young man, never ceasing to impress me. Are you sure you aren't forty?
"Why did you shoot the cop?" Nate asked changing the subject.
"The cop with the hat? The one who looks so very much like your very own father?"
"Yeah, that one," Nate said realizing how the two did look a lot alike, tall, thin and an iconic hat.
"I didn't shoot him," Quarles said grimacing in pain.
"Then who did?" Nate asked his face showing surprise.
"Arlo did," Quarles said, his eyes twinkling, "yes your very own grandfather. My family was screwed up but yours oh wow, yours would give mine a run for the money."
Nate's mind began to spin, tall, lanky man with a hat shot by his grandfather, a man who could easily be mistaken for Raylan.
The three men heard the shot and sprinted towards the front door. Raylan slammed his body into the door but it wouldn't yield. He planted his foot under the doorknob but still nothing. Tim went over to the front window but a large plant obscured his vision. He looked around for something to throw through the glass knowing it would be a dangerous move but all he could think of was a scared, wounded and bleeding Nate in desperate need of assistance. Finally a booming voice ordered Raylan out of the way. Once the marshal was clear a short burst of automatic fire froze both Raylan and Tim. Seth then kicked in the bullet riddled front door. The three men burst inside and didn't see at all what they expected.
A shirtless Nate was standing several feet away from Quarles who was also bare chested, but it was the youngster who was in possession of the gun and it was the man who was bleeding profusely from a leg wound. Three sets of eyebrows shot up and the pride began to ooze out from Raylan. Seth smiled and Tim just stood transfixed.
"Back up," Raylan ordered Quarles.
"In case you haven't noticed, I'M A BIT INJURED HERE!" The wounded man yelled.
"I don't give a shit," Raylan responded slowly, waving his gun. "Move your ass back!"
Quarles hopped and skipped backwards but missed the couch and ended up sliding down the floor, his back leaning against the couch. "There, you happy?"
"I am far from happy," Raylan stated.
Seth was nodding and smiling. "Nice job kid."
"Whose gun peppered the door, that thing was awesome," Nate said, his gun still trained on Quarles. "I'm just glad I wasn't on the other side of it."
Tim made his way over to Nate and gently took the gun from him. "We've got it," he said winking. He then tilted his head to Raylan, directing him to come over to his son.
Raylan had been so adrenaline fueled he hadn't stopped to get near his son. He quickly remedied that as his long legs took him to Nate. He knelt down as he had with Tommy earlier and asked him if he was okay. Nate nodded and then asked about the trooper's status. "I'm afraid he didn't make it."
The air rushed out of Nate's lungs while Quarles, despite his agony chuckled. "What's so damn funny?" Seth asked.
"That makes you a murderer, again," Raylan said standing up.
"Oh, au contraire my Stetson clad friend." It was Raylan this time who tilted his head. "I was not the shooter."
"Then who, who killed Tom?" Raylan asked.
"Why it was your illustrious father, Marshal. I guess shooting people runs in the family," he said throwing a look towards Nate.
"Thank God it does," Tim interjected.
Quarles was looking very pale and his breathing was getting shallow and rapid. "Well dammit!" he yelled suddenly. "I was this close," he said holding his thumb and forefinger close together.
"This close to what?" Seth asked stepping closer to Quarles, his Glock in his right hand as he had set his automatic weapon down after splintering the door.
"To having the best piece of ass ever," Quarles said smiling at Nate.
Seth took a step forward closing the gap between him and Quarles and placed the barrel of his gun to the man's head and squeezed the trigger. Bits of Quarles landed on the couch and wall behind him. Once again it was time for Tim and Raylan to stand shocked at what they saw. Nate just stood blinking, his brown eyes huge.
"Well, I had better go. Chances are Edna and Ellis are the cause of the overturned dirt in the backyard that was mentioned earlier." Seth said heading towards the door.
"Wait!" Nate called out. "Who are you?" Nate's eyes studied this man in front of him; they seemed to show a hint of recognition as if recalling a past experience.
Seth stopped and looked back at Raylan. He strode across the room in a few short steps. He stopped in front of Nate, licked his lips and turned to look at Raylan again. The marshal nodded causing Nate to look at him questioningly. He stuck his hand out towards Nate. "I'm Seth Campbell, your grandfather."
"Well damn," Nate said as if all his breath had been pulled from his body.
Seth reached over and grabbed Nate's t-shirt from the chair where it had been tossed and handed it to his grandson. "You okay?" he asked. "Nothing happened?" As if being kidnapped and being forced to shoot his captor wasn't worth mentioning.
"Yes sir, I'm fine. I shot him before he did anything."
"I see your daddy taught you well," he said indicating his kneecap shot. "Unless you weren't aiming for his knee."
"I was," Nate assured as he tugged his shirt over his head.
"Then, fine job."
"How do we explain this?" Tim asked looking over at what was left of Quarles.
Seth cleared his throat. "Nate you tell them everything that happened including shooting the pervert in the knee. Then three men in ski masks blasted their way in looking for a man named Eldon Everett. They see your predicament and let you go; you run out to the road and call your dad. Do you understand?"
"Yes sir," Nate replied.
"Do you two understand?" he asked both Tim and Raylan. They both numbly nodded.