Lillie again and always a pleasure to watch her work.
“Never heard of the North Side Boys?” Lillie said. “Now, that does amaze me, Sammi. There isn’t shit to do up in Blackjack but join a gang or watch the Illinois Central pass. I seen plenty of those boys hanging out at your store, doing a little business outside.”
“Nope.” Sammi said.
“Nito Reece?” Lillie said. “Everyone around here knows Nito. He’s a real mean motherfucker.”
“You sure don’t talk like a sheriff,” Sammi said.
“Really?” Lillie said. “A good sheriff should talk in a way to elicit an answer to a question. So far, you haven’t told me jack shit about who messed up your face. If I were you, I’d relay a little information so it didn’t happen again. You don’t want to get in thick with any of the North Side Boys. Especially Nito Reece.”
Sammi looked to Quinn and nodded. Quinn nodded back. Sammiknew him but didn’t know his name. Could recognize he was somebody from Jericho, maybe even remembered him as the sheriff. Sammi looked away.
“We get a call that a young black male is in your store waving around a gun,” Lillie said. “But you didn’t see it because you were too busy walking into walls.”
“Yeah,” Sammi said. “That’s right.”
“Sammi,” Lillie said. “Son of a bitch. Don’t lay down for these boys. I had one of them in last night. Once you make excuses for them, they’ll eat your ass up.”
Sammi looked over Lillie’s shoulder, again to Quinn, and said, “Don’t I know you?”
Quinn nodded. “Maybe,” he said. “I knew your dad. Back when he worked for Mr. Varner at the Quick Mart. How’s he doing?”
“He owns three gas stations now,” Sammi said. “And a tobacco super-outlet and cell phone store over in Tupelo. He doesn’t like Tibbehah County. He says people cheated him here.”
“He’s right,” Quinn said.
Sammi looked confused. Easy to look confused with a big flat-brimmed ball cap and lots of blood on your face.
“Johnny Stagg used to put the squeeze on him,” Quinn said. “He made him pay protection for his store until I became sheriff.”
Sammi looked doubtful, wiping the blood from his lip. “Which one of you is in charge?” Sammi said. “Because I’m confused who I’m supposed to be talking to.”
“Come again?” Lillie said.
“Which one of you is the sheriff?”
“She’s the sheriff,” Quinn said. “I’m just the impartial observer.”
“But you were the sheriff.”
“Yep.”
“I heard you were just like all the rest,” Sammi said. “Isn’t that why you didn’t get reelected?”
“No, sir,” Quinn said. “Not at all.”
“I heard you shot some men,” Sammi said. “And that you got state people to cover it up.”
Quinn grinned, just a bit, and shook his head. He looked to Lillie and her face had turned a bright shade of red. She took a long, deep breath and Quinn lightly touched her arm. Wasn’t worth it. “We want to help you,” Lillie said.
“I don’t want help.”
“Don’t take their shit,” Lillie said.
“I walked into a wall.”
“Keep on doing that and it’s gonna tumble down on your thick fucking head, kid.”
Sammi stood up from the gas pump island, looked at the blood soaked through the rag, and tossed it in the trash. He shook his head and walked back into the Gas & Go.
“Still miss being the law?” she said.
“Hearts and minds, Lillie.”
“And sometimes a swift kick to the nuts doesn’t hurt.”
• • •
M a’am, it sure is good to finally meet you,” said the young man across from Fannie. “I’ve heard a lot of good things about you from some important folks.”
“Is that a fact?”
“Yes, ma’am,” the boy said. He was probably in his late twenties butlooked nineteen. Unkempt shaggy hair, wrinkled khakis, blue button-down with an Ole Miss tie. “You have a top name in the hospitality industry. We just wanted to make sure you had gotten our messages of
“Never heard of the North Side Boys?” Lillie said. “Now, that does amaze me, Sammi. There isn’t shit to do up in Blackjack but join a gang or watch the Illinois Central pass. I seen plenty of those boys hanging out at your store, doing a little business outside.”
“Nope.” Sammi said.
“Nito Reece?” Lillie said. “Everyone around here knows Nito. He’s a real mean motherfucker.”
“You sure don’t talk like a sheriff,” Sammi said.
“Really?” Lillie said. “A good sheriff should talk in a way to elicit an answer to a question. So far, you haven’t told me jack shit about who messed up your face. If I were you, I’d relay a little information so it didn’t happen again. You don’t want to get in thick with any of the North Side Boys. Especially Nito Reece.”
Sammi looked to Quinn and nodded. Quinn nodded back. Sammiknew him but didn’t know his name. Could recognize he was somebody from Jericho, maybe even remembered him as the sheriff. Sammi looked away.
“We get a call that a young black male is in your store waving around a gun,” Lillie said. “But you didn’t see it because you were too busy walking into walls.”
“Yeah,” Sammi said. “That’s right.”
“Sammi,” Lillie said. “Son of a bitch. Don’t lay down for these boys. I had one of them in last night. Once you make excuses for them, they’ll eat your ass up.”
Sammi looked over Lillie’s shoulder, again to Quinn, and said, “Don’t I know you?”
Quinn nodded. “Maybe,” he said. “I knew your dad. Back when he worked for Mr. Varner at the Quick Mart. How’s he doing?”
“He owns three gas stations now,” Sammi said. “And a tobacco super-outlet and cell phone store over in Tupelo. He doesn’t like Tibbehah County. He says people cheated him here.”
“He’s right,” Quinn said.
Sammi looked confused. Easy to look confused with a big flat-brimmed ball cap and lots of blood on your face.
“Johnny Stagg used to put the squeeze on him,” Quinn said. “He made him pay protection for his store until I became sheriff.”
Sammi looked doubtful, wiping the blood from his lip. “Which one of you is in charge?” Sammi said. “Because I’m confused who I’m supposed to be talking to.”
“Come again?” Lillie said.
“Which one of you is the sheriff?”
“She’s the sheriff,” Quinn said. “I’m just the impartial observer.”
“But you were the sheriff.”
“Yep.”
“I heard you were just like all the rest,” Sammi said. “Isn’t that why you didn’t get reelected?”
“No, sir,” Quinn said. “Not at all.”
“I heard you shot some men,” Sammi said. “And that you got state people to cover it up.”
Quinn grinned, just a bit, and shook his head. He looked to Lillie and her face had turned a bright shade of red. She took a long, deep breath and Quinn lightly touched her arm. Wasn’t worth it. “We want to help you,” Lillie said.
“I don’t want help.”
“Don’t take their shit,” Lillie said.
“I walked into a wall.”
“Keep on doing that and it’s gonna tumble down on your thick fucking head, kid.”
Sammi stood up from the gas pump island, looked at the blood soaked through the rag, and tossed it in the trash. He shook his head and walked back into the Gas & Go.
“Still miss being the law?” she said.
“Hearts and minds, Lillie.”
“And sometimes a swift kick to the nuts doesn’t hurt.”
• • •
M a’am, it sure is good to finally meet you,” said the young man across from Fannie. “I’ve heard a lot of good things about you from some important folks.”
“Is that a fact?”
“Yes, ma’am,” the boy said. He was probably in his late twenties butlooked nineteen. Unkempt shaggy hair, wrinkled khakis, blue button-down with an Ole Miss tie. “You have a top name in the hospitality industry. We just wanted to make sure you had gotten our messages of
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