David Baldacci - The Last Mile

Decker steeled himself for the blade to return to his jugular, because he had finally named the man. He added, “Even though that’s not your real name.”

“I told you to back off.”

“I know you did. I’m just telling you what I know. Lucinda’s dead, you’re not. You set up your own son.”

“No I didn’t.”

“Then what happened?”

“I don’t have to tell you nothing.”

“No, you don’t. You’ve got the knife. I’m just saying that they’re out there and they want Melvin, and I’m not sure you can cover his back.”

“You’re with the damn FBI, what can you do?”

“We’re doing all we can. I just don’t know if it’s going to be enough, considering I have no idea who else is out there. Maybe you can help me there.”

Decker waited for the man to say something. He knew he was still there. He could hear him. And smell him.

Outside the rain continued to pour down. Decker wondered if this would be the last time he would hear the miserable rain. He imagined himself bleeding out on this crummy bed in the middle of nowhere in Texas.

“You there?” he asked. “You got something to say?”

“If they took your friend, I’d stop worrying. It’s too late for her. Just the way it is.”

“Okay. I hope you’re wrong, but you’re probably not.”

“And you need to stand down. I’ll take care of this.”

“Like you took care of Regina Montgomery?”

“You want me to kill you?”

“No, but I want to understand what’s going on.”

“Why?”

“I told you why. I want to help Melvin.”

“Nobody can help him, not really. He got screwed. No fault of his, just the way it turned out.”

“He had his whole life planned out.”

“So did I. It happens. Life is like that. Plans go to shit.”

“He went to prison because of you, Roy.”

“It was better than the alternative. He’s alive, isn’t he?”

“For now.”

“Just go back to wherever you came from and let me take care of this. Take Mellow with you. As far away as you can. I won’t ask a second time. The next time I’m just going to gut you, you understand what I’m saying?”

“I understand.”

“No, I don’t think you do. I really don’t.”

Decker braced for the strike.

When the blow fell, it wasn’t the knife, but something hard and heavy.

It struck the side of his head and all Decker saw after that was darkness.

Now it’s you who’s lucky.”

Decker blinked his eyes open.

Mars was staring down at him.

“I don’t feel lucky,” he groaned.

“Join the club.”

Decker looked around. “Where am I?”

“Hospital. You got a concussion. Side of your head looks like you got in a fight with Ray Lewis.”

“That’s what I feel like, actually.” He tried to sit up, but Mars put out a restraining hand. “Whoa, big fellow. You ain’t going anywhere.”

Decker lay back. “Where are the others?”

“Bogart and Milligan are trying to figure out what happened. Jamison sat next to your bed for hours. She just left to use the bathroom. Expect her back any second. Pretty loyal to you, that lady.”

Decker gazed up at him. “I guess I don’t always realize those things.”

Mars pulled up a chair and sat down. “I did some research on your condition .” He tapped his head. “Up here.”

“Why?”

“Because I wanted to understand you better. It’s like studying film and then making a game plan.”

“And what did you find out?”

“That it’s complicated. You’re complicated. No two cases are really alike. You could change tomorrow if your brain keeps rewiring itself. Pretty dicey.”

“I guess that’s why I live for today,” quipped Decker.

Mars grinned. “You and me both.” Then his grin faded. “Was it him?”

“Who?”

“You know who, Decker. My old man. Did he do this to you?”

The door opened and Jamison appeared there. When she saw that Decker was awake she rushed over. “Omigod, Amos. How are you feeling?”

“Alive. That’s about it. But I’ll be fine.”

Mars said, “Decker was just about to tell us who walloped him.”

Jamison gasped. “You know? You saw the person?”

“It was your father, Melvin. At least I’m ninety-nine percent sure it was.”

“So you didn’t see him?”

“I heard him. He had a knife against my jugular during our conversation. He knew about everything.”

“Did he use my name?” asked Mars.

“Yes. Well, sort of.”

“What exactly did he call me?”

“Mellow.”

Mars looked away and rubbed his chin with his hand. “Right.”

“What’s the reference?”

“His joke. Since I was the exact opposite of mellow. He was the only one who ever called me that. The only one.”

“So it was him,” said Jamison.

“Pretty sure, yeah,” said Mars.

“He was also a smoker,” said Decker.

“So was my father.”

“What else did he say, Amos?” asked Jamison.

Decker slowly told them, but leaving out some parts, particularly those in reference to how Roy Mars really felt about his son.

Mars said slowly, “So he’s saying he did this to protect me? And he got me out probably because my mother made him promise?”

“He didn’t actually say that, but when I made the statement he didn’t dispute it. But one thing puzzles me. He said he hadn’t set you up. When it was clear that he had.”

Mars nodded. “But my mom knew what he was going to do. That he was going to frame me and then play dead. Chocha , like you said.”

Decker and Jamison gazed nervously at him.

“She probably thought you’d be safer in prison, Melvin,” suggested Jamison.

“Yeah, so safe I nearly died.”

“She had terminal brain cancer, I doubt she was thinking all that clearly. And it was pretty obvious that she didn’t like the plan. That was why they were arguing.”

“But he still went ahead and screwed me over. And she went along with it.”

A long moment of silence passed.

“We can argue forever about what was in their heads, Melvin,” said Decker at last. “But it won’t change things.”

“Right. I know.”

“But it still sucks,” said Decker.

“Yeah, it does.”

Jamison glanced at him and attempted to quickly change the subject. “But now you don’t think it’s the cartel out there behind this?”

“Roy snorted, because he thought I was going down the wrong path when I mentioned the cartel. When I reversed course on that, he clammed up.”

“And Davenport?” asked Jamison in a tremulous voice.

“Unfortunately, he didn’t sound so hopeful about her.”

“But he said he was covering my back,” said Mars.

Decker looked at him. The pleading look on the man’s face was painful to see.

“He did say that, Melvin. He was going to do his best to protect you.”

“Because of my mother.”

“I don’t think it’s all that. He said you got screwed. Maybe he feels remorse.”

“I don’t think so,” said Mars slowly. “I’m not sure the guy can feel anything.”

“Whatever your father feels or doesn’t feel about you, Melvin, has nothing to do with you,” said Jamison firmly. “It’s his issue, not yours.”

Decker said, “The man could wield a knife. And though he’s in his seventies, he’s still physically formidable. I’m not easy to knock out. But he managed it.”

“He always was strong as a bull,” said Mars absently.

“There is a connection between your father and Montgomery,” said Decker. “He as good as admitted that. If we can find that nexus we may be able to determine who is behind all this.”