The Empty Chair

mess up the search. I want you to keep an eye on him. If he’s not there just wait at his place till he shows up again.”
    Mason didn’t even bother to respond to this bizarre request. “You sent Lucy out after Garrett. And didn’t tell me.”
    Bell looked the deputy up and down. “She and a couple others’re going over to Blackwater Landing, see if they can pick up his trail.”
    “You musta known I wanted to be in the search party.”
    “I can’t send everybody. Culbeau’s already been over to Blackwater Landing once today. I can’t have him screwing up the search.”
    “Come on, Jim. Don’t bullshit me.”
    Bell sighed. “All right. The truth? Being as you got a hard-on for that boy, Mason, I decided not to send you. I don’t want any mistakes made. There’re lives at stake. We’ve got to get him and get him fast.”
    “Which is my intent, Jim. As you ought to know. I been after this kid for three years. I can’t believe you’d just cut me out and hand the case over to that freak in there—”
    “Hey, enough of that.”
    “Come on. I know Blackwater ten times better’n Lucy. I used to live there. Remember?”
    Bell lowered his voice. “You want him too bad, Mason. It could affect your judgment.”
    “Did you think of that? Or was it him ?” Nodding to the room where Mason now heard the eerie whine of thewheelchair. It set him on edge like a dentist’s drill. Bell asking that freak to help them out could cause all kinds of problems that Mason didn’t even want to think about.
    “Come on, facts is facts. The whole world knows how you feel about Garrett.”
    “And the whole world happens to agree with me. ”
    “Well, the way I told you’s the way it is. You’re gonna have to live with it.”
    The deputy laughed bitterly. “So now I’m baby-sitting a redneck ’shiner.”
    Bell looked past Mason, motioned to another deputy. “Hey, Frank . . .”
    The tall, round officer ambled over to the two men.
    “Frank, you go with Mason here. Over to Rich Culbeau’s.”
    “Gonna serve a warrant? What’s he done now?”
    “Naw, no papers. Mason’ll fill you in. If Culbeau’s not at his place just wait for him. And make sure him and his buddies don’t go anywhere near the search party. You got that, Mason?”
    The deputy didn’t answer. He just turned and walked away from his boss, who called, “This’s better for everybody.”
    Don’t think so, Mason thought.
    “Mason . . .”
    But the man said nothing and strode into the deputies’ room. Frank followed a moment later. Mason didn’t acknowledge the cluster of uniformed men, talking about the Insect Boy and about pretty Mary Beth and about Billy Stail’s incredible 92-yard runback. He walked to his office and dug a key out of his pocket. He unlocked his desk and took out an extra Speedloader, clipped in six .357 shells. He slipped the Speedloader into its leather case and hooked it to his belt. He stepped to the doorway of his office. His voice cut through the conversation in the room as he gestured toward Nathan Groomer—a strawberry-blond deputy of about thirty-five. “Groomer,I’m going to have a talk with Culbeau. You’re coming with me.”
    “Well,” Frank began slowly, holding the hat he’d fetched from his cubicle. “I thought Jim wanted me to go.”
    “I want Nathan,” Mason said.
    “Rich Culbeau?” Nathan asked. “Him and me’re oil and water. I brought him in three times for DUI and hurt him some the last time. I’d take Frank.”
    “Yeah,” agreed Frank. “Culbeau’s cousin works with my wife’s dad. He thinks I’m kin. He’ll listen to me.”
    Mason looked coldly at Nathan. “I want you.”
    Frank tried again. “But Jim said—”
    “And I want you now. ”
    “Come on, Mason,” Nathan said in a brittle voice. “There’s no call to break your manners with me.”
    Mason was looking at an elaborate decoy—a mallard duck—on Nathan’s desk, his most recent carving. That man has some talent, he thought. Then said to the deputy, “You ready?”
    Nathan sighed, stood up.
    Frank asked, “But whatta I tell Jim?”
    Without responding, Mason walked out of the office, Nathan in tow, and headed toward Mason’s squad car. They climbed in. Mason felt the heat bristle around him and he got the engine going and the AC blasting full up.
    After they’d belted up, as the slogan on the side of the cruiser instructed all responsible citizens to do, Mason said, “Now, listen up. I—”
    “Aw,