The Devil's Right Hand Read Online Free PDF Page A

ass
in some titty bar on Bragg Boulevard, last time I heard.” He took a
long pull on the beer. “Momma and Daddy don’t even mention her name
anymore.”
    “ She might let us hide out at her place
for a while. I been there once.”
    Leonard pulled a beer out of the bag, popped
the top and handed it to his cousin. “Not a bad idea,” he said
after a moment.. “Bet she’d introduce us to some of her friends,
too.” He grinned like a satyr. “Shit, we play our cards right, we
might not even have to pay for pussy. Now, you’re thinkin’ right,
old son.”
      

CHAPTER TWO
     
    Keller walked out into the motel parking lot,
blinking against the sun. The previous night’s thunderstorms had
blown away, leaving the world exposed to the hard glare of the sun.
The heavy, waterlogged air soaked up the heat until walking across
the parking lot was like swimming through soup.
    As he approached his car, he saw a white
police cruiser parked crossways behind him. There was a big cop
leaning against the car, his arms crossed over his chest. His
sleeves were rolled up to accentuate his massive forearms. His
partner was standing beside Keller’s Crown Victoria, peering
through the window with one hand shading her eyes. She was a tall
woman, with the lean build of an athlete. Both cops’ eyes were
hidden behind the inevitable mirrored sunglasses. The female cop
turned as Keller approached.
    “ This your car, sir?” she said. There
were a few wisps of light brown hair coming untucked from beneath
her blue cap, but that was the only hint of softness about her. Her
lips were compressed into a thin line when she wasn’t speaking.
When she spoke, her voice was the officious bark of a drill
sergeant. She made sure that the word “sir” contained not a speck
of actual respect or courtesy.
    Keller took a deep breath. “Yes, ma’am,” he
said. “Is there some kind of--”
    “ Mind telling us why there’s a shotgun
in the front seat?”
    He kept his voice mild, inwardly cursing
himself for choosing not to bring the shotgun in with him. The desk
clerk at the last place he had stayed had seen him carrying his gun
into the room and had spent most of the evening coming by and
calling on various flimsy pretexts to make sure Keller had not
killed himself with it. “It’s not against the law to have a
shotgun, is it?” he asked.
    The big cop straightened up. His lips
stretched over his teeth in a rough approximation of a smile.
“Smart-ass, huh?”
    The female cop looked annoyed at the
interruption. “Mind if we look in the car, sir?”
    Keller did mind, but there was no way to win
the argument without a lengthy discussion, part of which would
probably take place at the police station. It was a discussion he
was sure he would win, eventually.Still, that would take time,
possibly a lot of time. Keller wanted to get back to work. He took
the path of least resistance.
    “ Sure,” he said. He was still smiling.
He took his keys out and opened the doors.
    The search was quick and sloppy. Keller
noticed that the male cop seemed to take particular pleasure in
leaving the contents of the glove compartment scattered over the
front seat so Keller would have to put them back himself.
    “ Why do you have these metal rings
welded to the floor of the back seat, sir?” the female cop
asked.
    Keller’s smile was beginning to pain him. “I
work bail enforcement,” he said. “Sometimes they don’t want to stay
in the car. The rings are for the handcuffs.”
    “ What about the police scanner?” she
said.
    “ Like I said,” Keller replied, “I work
as--”
    “ A bounty hunter,” the male cop said.
He pronounced it like a curse.
    “ Whatever,” Keller said. There was no
overt insolence in his voice, but the lack of deference seemed to
anger the male cop. He got out of the front seat of Keller’s car
and stood up.
    “ You got a--” he began. The female cop
interrupted him. “Can you open the trunk, sir?” she
said.
    Keller’s