“I don’t need a lawyer. I keep a baseball bat under the seat.”
“I wouldn’t advise that, Odell. That would only lead to a lot of trouble you don’t need.”
“Where is he?”
“Don’t know right now, but there’s a rumor he’s back in town.”
“Y’all gonna put him in jail?”
“Don’t know yet. Right now it’s just the FBI.”
“All right, Prather. Let me know what’s goin’ on.”
“Will do.”
They shook hands and Marshall walked back to his car.
（27）
The second meeting also took place in Jake’s small conference room downstairs, and it, too, began without hugs. Mack was waiting when she entered the room, ten minutes late. They gave each other a smile and not much else. This time her dark hair was pulled tight into a ponytail and she wore stylish designer frames that made her look even prettier. They sat on opposite sides of the table, and she broke the ice with “Mind if I smoke?”
“What if I said yes?”
She considered this for a second or two before saying, “Well, I’d probably smoke anyway.”
“That’s what I figured. Go ahead. They’re your lungs.”
She whipped out a pack of skinny cigarettes and lit one.
“May I ask how your mother is doing?”
“Sure, you can ask anything, and so can I. Deal?”
“Deal.”
“Well, she’s certainly not improving. She’s not telling us everything the doctors are saying, but I hear a lot. They’ve decided against another round of chemo. She’s too weak.”
“How are you holding up?”
She took a puff and wiped an eye. Her voice quivered as she said, “I’m okay, Mack. I have to be the strong one because Helen is not. She sits with Mom all day in her room, reading to her, praying, crying. Me, I have to get out. I’m so tired of that house.”
“So was I.”
“Ha, ha. But I don’t have the option of running away from my problems. That was really a shitty thing to do, Mack.”
“I agree and I thought I apologized.”
“You did and I accept your apology, but a few sincere words here and there can’t erase what you did.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“I want you to sit there and take it while I pound away. Makes me feel better.”
“Fair enough.”
She blew a cloud at the ceiling. He noticed her hands trembling, her eyes watering. He felt so sorry for her and so lousy for himself. She sniffed and suddenly her voice was stronger. “Did you ever get along with Hermie?”
“Hermie. I had no idea that was his nickname. We got along okay, but only because we had to. Early in my career I was driven by the desire to make more money than Herman. You know how much status means to them.”
“Tell me about it. They still talk about people with bigger houses. Last week Honey got bothered because a friend’s husband bought her a new Mercedes. Wanna know a secret, Mack?”
He chuckled and said, “Forgive me, but it’s kinda funny to hear my daughter call me Mack. Sure, tell me a secret.”
“The money isn’t there.”
Mack couldn’t suppress a smile and said, “Oh really. What’s the dirt?”
“Two years ago a company out of Tupelo tried to buy out Hermie, and for a good price. Of course he said no, said he would buy them. You know how arrogant he is. But he couldn’t swing it. The company from Tupelo put in a ready-mix plant on the south side of town, the first competition Hermie has ever faced.”
“They had a monopoly for decades.”
“Well, no longer. The new company came in with lower concrete prices and the two companies have been cutting each other’s throats ever since. Hermie thinks they’re trying to run him out of business so they can pick up the pieces when he’s gone. It might be happening. There are signs that they’re tightening their belts. Hermie sold his hunting lodge on the lake and they’re talking about selling their beach house in Destin. He seems a lot more stressed these days. Poor guy’s about to lose his daughter, and his business empire is on the rocks.”
“You do hear a lot.”
“You know what Sunday lunch is like around there. They talk a lot, and they think us kids are too stupid to listen and understand. Plus, with Mom sick I spend more time over there than I’d like. I love Honey and we get along well, but Hermie’s around a lot more and when he talks on the phone he forgets anyone in the house is listening.”