Please do this, Jake. It will be well worth your time, if for nothing else than an unforgettable trip.
Lisa is not well. Okay to discuss this with Harry Rex, but please swear that loudmouth to secrecy.
I will not do anything to jeopardize your well-being.
Think it over. In a few days, call Gene and say either “Yes” or “No.”
I need you, pal.
Mack
The small envelope contained a slick brochure from the Terra Lodge.
（6）
The most dangerous place in downtown Clanton on a Monday was undoubtedly the law office of Harry Rex Vonner. With a well-earned reputation as the nastiest divorce lawyer in the county, he attracted clients with assets worth fighting over. Monday was volatile for various reasons: bad behavior on Saturday night, or too much time in the house arguing over this and that, or even another explosive Sunday lunch with the in-laws. There was no shortage of detonators, and the frazzled and warring spouses rushed to get legal counsel as soon as possible. By noon, the place was a tinderbox as the phones rang nonstop and litigants, both current and brand-new, dropped by with and without appointments. The harried secretaries tried to maintain order as Harry Rex either stomped around, growling at everyone, or hid in his bunker-like office out of the fray. It was not unusual for him, on a Monday, to storm out of his back room and order someone, client or otherwise, to get the hell out.
They always complied because he had a reputation for unpredictability. It, too, was well earned. A few years earlier, a secretary had rushed into his office and said she had just hung up on a husband who was headed into town, with a gun. Harry Rex went to his closet, and from his impressive arsenal chose his favorite, a Browning 12-gauge, pump-action shotgun. When the husband parked his truck near the courthouse and started for the office, Harry Rex emerged onto the sidewalk and fired two shots into the clouds. The husband retreated to his truck and left. The blasts boomed like howitzers over the square. Offices and stores emptied as folks scurried to see what was going on. Someone called the police. By the time Sheriff Ozzie Walls parked in front of the office, a crowd had gathered on the courthouse lawn, a safe distance away. Ozzie went inside and met with Harry Rex. Discharging a firearm in public was a crime all right, but in a culture where the Second Amendment was revered and every vehicle had at least two firearms, the statute was rarely enforced. Harry Rex claimed self-defense and vowed to aim lower next time.
After dark on Monday, Jake eased around the square and, avoiding the chaos in the front, ducked into an alley and entered the office through the rear door. Harry Rex was at his desk, rumpled and wrinkled as always, his tie undone, food stains on his shirt, his hair a mess. He actually smiled and asked, “What the hell are you doin’ here?”
Jake said, “We need to split a beer.”
It was code for: We need to talk, and now, and it’s top secret. Harry Rex closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “What is it?” he asked in a low tone.
“Mack Stafford.”
Another deep breath, then a look of disbelief.
Jake said, “Meet me at the Riviera at eight.”
At home, Jake kissed, hugged, and pestered Carla as she put a chicken in the oven and prepared dinner. He went upstairs and found Hanna busy with her homework. He went to Luke’s room and found him playing quietly under his bed. Back in the kitchen, he asked his wife to have a seat at the breakfast table and handed her the letter. As she read it, she began shaking her head and tapping her teeth with a painted fingernail, an old habit that could mean several things.
“What a creep.”
“I always liked Mack.”
“He left his wife and kids and disappeared. And didn’t he steal some money from his clients?”
“That’s the legend. He vanished three years ago, but he didn’t really leave his wife. They were getting a divorce. Is she sick?”
“Come on, Jake. Lisa’s had breast cancer for a year now. You knew that.”
“I must have forgotten. There’s so much cancer. She was never your favorite, as I recall.”
“No, she wasn’t.” Carla looked at the letter again. “Check those potatoes.”
Jake walked to the stove and stirred a pot of boiling potatoes. He filled a glass with water and returned to the table.
She asked, “Why does he want you? Wasn’t Harry Rex his lawyer?”
“He was, guess he still is. Maybe it’s because Harry Rex is afraid of flying and Mack knew he wouldn’t make the trip. There’s nothing wrong with going down, I mean, nothing illegal.”