BooksBarbecue
Back The Heathens
Chapters (33)
  1. ALSO BY ACE ATKINS
  2. Dedication
  3. Epigraph
  4. ONE
  5. TWO
  6. THREE
  7. FOUR
  8. FIVE
  9. SIX
  10. SEVEN
  11. EIGHT
  12. NINE
  13. TEN
  14. ELEVEN
  15. TWELVE
  16. THIRTEEN
  17. FOURTEEN
  18. FIFTEEN
  19. SIXTEEN
  20. SEVENTEEN
  21. EIGHTEEN
  22. NINETEEN
  23. TWENTY
  24. TWENTY-ONE
  25. TWENTY-TWO
  26. TWENTY-THREE
  27. TWENTY-FOUR
  28. TWENTY-FIVE
  29. TWENTY-SIX
  30. TWENTY-SEVEN
  31. TWENTY-EIGHT
  32. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  33. What’s next onyour reading list?

“I need you to trust me.”

“Like my daddy trusted your asshole uncle?”

“If you haven’t noticed,” Quinn said, “I’m not my uncle.”

“I get blamed for everything,” she said. “Even when I didn’t do it. Even when it’s not my fault. Sometimes you get looked down on so much, you just start acting like what’s expected of you. You know? What’s the damn point? Might as well be an outlaw. It’s what folks want to see.”

“I understand.”

“No, you don’t.”

“I ran wild when I was your age,” he said. “I stole some cars. Got drunk a lot. Hunted on posted land. Hell, one time me and my best friend stole a fire truck.”

“Shit.”

“Ask anybody,” Quinn said. “I was mad as hell and didn’t know why.”

“I know what you’re doing,” TJ said. “And I don’t have time for no Dr. Phil bullshit, Sheriff. I just wanted to know if Ladarius is alive.”

“He’s gonna be fine,” said Quinn. “But he’s off the field and you’re on your own.”

“Just to save you the trouble,” she said. “He’s not like that traitor, Holly. Ladarius won’t say nothing. ’Cause he don’t know nothing.”

“I know about the insurance settlement,” Quinn said. “I know your mom took it from you and gave it to Chester.”

“Then why don’t you get up off your ass and do something?”

“Come on in,” Quinn said. “You keep running and I promise you, y’all are gonna get hurt. Ladarius damn near bled out after he got eaten up by some dogs. He was trying to steal y’all a car.”

“Oh, God.”

“I know you’re telling the truth,” Quinn said. “But I need time. I need more interviews. More evidence to process. I’m trying to put this whole thing together.”

“Bullshit.”

“What more can I promise you?”

“Not a goddamn thing,” she said. “I don’t hear anything but just more lies. More time won’t change a damn thing.”

The line went dead. Quinn turned back to look into the jail yard. Someone had brought a big blue sheet cake to the Saturday gathering and his deputy Kenny was behind the fence making sure it was shared between all the prisoners. Kenny took a small piece for himself as he led all the men in orange in a fine rendition of “Happy Birthday.”

Quinn couldn’t help but shake his head. Kenny sang so loud Quinn could hear him from behind the glass.

*   *   *