call Andy, then,” Janice said, and she did.
She had a powerful set of lungs, and Rhodes wondered if she’d developed them through years of calling hogs. Rhodes resisted the urge to cover his ears.
A minute or so after being called, Andy came around the house. Like his mother, he wore overalls and a plaid shirt. Rhodes figured they shopped together, probably at Walmart, but Andy wasn’t wearing gloves, and he wore a battered and stained straw hat instead of a bonnet.
“Hey, Sheriff,” Andy said. “What brings you out here?”
“You don’t listen to Milton Munday?”
“Oh,” Andy said. “That.”
Rhodes noticed that Andy had a red mark on one cheek, the kind of mark that might have been made by a tree branch whipping across it.
“Yes,” Rhodes said. “That. I wondered if you two might have heard any shooting at the Leverett place yesterday afternoon.”
Andy looked at the ground. Janice said, “We sure did. It spooked some of the animals, so we had to come out and quiet them down.”
“You didn’t go over to the Leverett place to see what it was all about?”
“Hah. We know what it was all about. Hog hunters. We don’t hold with that.”
“I know,” Rhodes said. “You didn’t try to put a stop to it, I guess.”
“Those people have guns,” Janice said. “We wouldn’t stand a chance. Would we, Andy.”
“No, ma’am,” Andy said. “Not a chance.”
“They’d shoot us down like dogs,” Janice said. “Or hogs.”
“If you had guns yourselves, you’d stand a chance,” Rhodes said.
“We don’t shoot people, Sheriff,” Janice said.
“A little rock salt wouldn’t hurt them.”
“They might shoot back at somebody using rock salt, and they have something a lot more dangerous.”
That was true, but Rhodes thought she was the type to take the risk. He couldn’t read her face, however, because of the bonnet, and Andy kept staring at the ground.
“So you didn’t even bother to go out and see what the shooting was all about,” Rhodes said.
“I told you,” Janice said. “They had guns. We hunkered down in the house and minded our own business, like we always do.”
“That’s the smart thing, all right,” Rhodes said.
“You betcha.”
Hogs squealed in back of the house.
“Andy,” Janice said, “you better go check on Peabody.” She looked at Rhodes. “Peabody’s the goat.”
Andy turned without a word and headed back around the house.
“You have anything else, Sheriff?” Janice asked.
“Not right now,” Rhodes told her.
“Then I’d better get back to work.”
“You do that,” Rhodes said, and she left him there.
Rhodes stood thinking things over for a minute, then got in the county car and left.
* * *
Rhodes was on the way to see Mikey Burns when Hack called.
“You need to come by the jail. We got a situation here.”
“What kind of situation?” Rhodes asked.
“Just a situation. You comin’?”
“I’m on the way,” Rhodes said.
Chapter 7
The situation was a man a bit over six feet tall, though he looked taller because the white Hoss Cartwright hat he wore added a full foot to his height. Unlike Hoss’s hat, this one had a rattlesnake-skin band. He wore a black shirt, black jeans, a black denim jacket, and black ostrich-skin boots. He looked somehow familiar, but Rhodes couldn’t figure out why. He knew he’d never seen the man before. He would have remembered the hat if nothing else.
“Name’s Rapinski,” the man said. His voice rumbled out of his broad chest. “Hoss Rapinski.”
Rhodes resisted the urge to hum the theme from Bonanza . He looked at Hack, who rolled his eyes.
“Glad to meet you, Mr. Rapinski,” Rhodes said.
Rapinski extended his hand. “Call me Hoss.”
Rhodes shook hands with Rapinski. “I have a feeling that’s not your real name.”
“Eugene don’t have quite the same ring.”
Rhodes had to agree with him. “What can I do for you?”
“You know who I am?” Rapinski
She had a powerful set of lungs, and Rhodes wondered if she’d developed them through years of calling hogs. Rhodes resisted the urge to cover his ears.
A minute or so after being called, Andy came around the house. Like his mother, he wore overalls and a plaid shirt. Rhodes figured they shopped together, probably at Walmart, but Andy wasn’t wearing gloves, and he wore a battered and stained straw hat instead of a bonnet.
“Hey, Sheriff,” Andy said. “What brings you out here?”
“You don’t listen to Milton Munday?”
“Oh,” Andy said. “That.”
Rhodes noticed that Andy had a red mark on one cheek, the kind of mark that might have been made by a tree branch whipping across it.
“Yes,” Rhodes said. “That. I wondered if you two might have heard any shooting at the Leverett place yesterday afternoon.”
Andy looked at the ground. Janice said, “We sure did. It spooked some of the animals, so we had to come out and quiet them down.”
“You didn’t go over to the Leverett place to see what it was all about?”
“Hah. We know what it was all about. Hog hunters. We don’t hold with that.”
“I know,” Rhodes said. “You didn’t try to put a stop to it, I guess.”
“Those people have guns,” Janice said. “We wouldn’t stand a chance. Would we, Andy.”
“No, ma’am,” Andy said. “Not a chance.”
“They’d shoot us down like dogs,” Janice said. “Or hogs.”
“If you had guns yourselves, you’d stand a chance,” Rhodes said.
“We don’t shoot people, Sheriff,” Janice said.
“A little rock salt wouldn’t hurt them.”
“They might shoot back at somebody using rock salt, and they have something a lot more dangerous.”
That was true, but Rhodes thought she was the type to take the risk. He couldn’t read her face, however, because of the bonnet, and Andy kept staring at the ground.
“So you didn’t even bother to go out and see what the shooting was all about,” Rhodes said.
“I told you,” Janice said. “They had guns. We hunkered down in the house and minded our own business, like we always do.”
“That’s the smart thing, all right,” Rhodes said.
“You betcha.”
Hogs squealed in back of the house.
“Andy,” Janice said, “you better go check on Peabody.” She looked at Rhodes. “Peabody’s the goat.”
Andy turned without a word and headed back around the house.
“You have anything else, Sheriff?” Janice asked.
“Not right now,” Rhodes told her.
“Then I’d better get back to work.”
“You do that,” Rhodes said, and she left him there.
Rhodes stood thinking things over for a minute, then got in the county car and left.
* * *
Rhodes was on the way to see Mikey Burns when Hack called.
“You need to come by the jail. We got a situation here.”
“What kind of situation?” Rhodes asked.
“Just a situation. You comin’?”
“I’m on the way,” Rhodes said.
Chapter 7
The situation was a man a bit over six feet tall, though he looked taller because the white Hoss Cartwright hat he wore added a full foot to his height. Unlike Hoss’s hat, this one had a rattlesnake-skin band. He wore a black shirt, black jeans, a black denim jacket, and black ostrich-skin boots. He looked somehow familiar, but Rhodes couldn’t figure out why. He knew he’d never seen the man before. He would have remembered the hat if nothing else.
“Name’s Rapinski,” the man said. His voice rumbled out of his broad chest. “Hoss Rapinski.”
Rhodes resisted the urge to hum the theme from Bonanza . He looked at Hack, who rolled his eyes.
“Glad to meet you, Mr. Rapinski,” Rhodes said.
Rapinski extended his hand. “Call me Hoss.”
Rhodes shook hands with Rapinski. “I have a feeling that’s not your real name.”
“Eugene don’t have quite the same ring.”
Rhodes had to agree with him. “What can I do for you?”
“You know who I am?” Rapinski
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