Chapter 40

Brighter Days?

"Good to see you again, Mr. Ripley. I hope you're doing well," Mrs. Wilson said as she answered her door.

"Please call me Joseph."

"Okay Joseph. Would you like to come inside?"

"Thank you, Mrs. Wilson. I think I would."

"Joseph, you may call me Rosetta if you like."

"Thank you, Rosetta."

*****

Danny and Regina were laying on the beach enjoying the sunshine and the gentle ocean breezes. "Danny," Regina said, "I think it's time I went back to Daddy's. I need to check on my magazine, and start making arrangements for our wedding."

"Okay. When do you want to leave?"

"I called Agent King this morning, and he said he could have the arrangements ready tomorrow."

"I guess we'd best start packing then," Danny replied. "What time will we be leaving?"

*****

Junior Ripley walked out of his room at the Super Eight Motel in Charlotte, North Carolina. A man was waiting for him in a car parked just outside the room. "Did you bring me a gun?" Junior asked as he opened the passenger door and sat down.

"Got it Boss," the man replied. "It's a nine millimeter Glock. I'm sure you'll like it. It's in the glove box."

Junior looked around to see if anyone was watching them, then satisfied that no one was, he opened the glove box, pulled out the semi-automatic pistol and a fist full of loaded magazines. He then placed one of the loaded magazines in the handle of the Glock, and cocked the slide back to chamber the first round. "Tommy and Simon have been setting me up all along," he said. "It's time I put an end to this mess once and for all, and I'm going to start with our good friend Deputy Cox. That no good son of a bitch was supposed to be working for me all along."

"Cox is working the grave yard shift tonight. We can drive down there, and take care of him before the sun comes up."

"Let's ride," Junior said.

*****

Sheriff Pendergrass was still asleep when the telephone beside his bed began to ring. "Hello. What do you want?"

"Sheriff, I hate to wake you," Deputy Hart said, "but we just found Deputy Cox dead in the trunk of his patrol car."

"I was afraid it might come to this," Sheriff Pendergrass said. "Where did you find the car?"

"In the back of the lot at Smith Lumber Company, but I don't see any evidence that he was killed there."

"No," the sheriff replied. "Whoever killed him must have put him there as a message to Tommy Smith to let Tommy know they're coming after him as well."

"Sheriff, we found some other interesting things in the trunk of the car as well."

"What kinds of things, John?"

"Well for starters, there were some of the same kinds of incendiary devices that were used to start the fires at the old mill, and the lumber yard."

"What else did you find?"

"There were several packages of a white powder in the trunk as well," Deputy Hart answered.

"Have you sent it to the lab?"

"It's on it's way, Sheriff."

"I'm on my way too. I'll be at Smith Lumber in a few minutes."

"Sounds real bad," Mrs. Pendergrass said.

"It is real bad. I'm afraid these hoodlums are about to go to war with each other."

"Maybe they'll do some of your work for you," she said.

"Yeah," the sheriff answered, "but I'm afraid a lot of innocent people are going to get caught up in the crossfire before it's all over, and this town just doesn't need that sort of trouble. I'll see you tonight, Dear. I think this is the start of a very long day."