Page 61 of Paladin's Hell

Chapter 21

Hellfire

Walking into church I take my place at the head of the table. I’m the last in. While the brothers settle, I use the moment for myself. Glancing around, I don’t miss that Paladin’s sitting quietly at the end of the table. Other brothers are talking, sharing a joke, but ignoring him. Takes time to find your place in a new club. He’s wearing a pensive expression. I hope he’s not considering he’s made a mistake in coming here.

I pick up the gavel and knock it against the wood, then wait for the boys to quiet down. It’s not my way to shout or growl at them, except when it matters. When Taser and Lizard continue their conversation a little too long, it’s Demon who stares down the table. Catching his eye, they stop talking, sheepish looks on their faces.

“Sorry, Prez.”

I raise my chin at Lizard. “Ain’t no problem if you’re discussing a solution to bring to the table.”

The guilty look he gives back suggests they hadn’t been.

“The detective in charge of the case has updated me on the man in the dumpster at Tits Up.” Paladin’s eyes shoot to mine as soon as I start speaking. Of course he’d be worried. Cops would love to pin something on one of us. I put him out of his misery fast. “Body was that of a vagrant, died forty-eight hours before. Which puts you in the clear, Pal, as you weren’t even in Pueblo then.”

As I expected, a visible wave of relief comes over him and some of the tension leaves his face.

“Still say it was stupid puttin’ his hands on the body.”

“What if he hadn’t been dead?” I’m pleased to see Pal’s not letting Taser get away with the implied criticism. “What if he’d been alive?”

Taser shrugs. “Probably have been dying in any event.”

I resist the urge to roll my eyes. “If he’d have been alive we wouldn’t have had a dead body on our hands and fingers pointing at us. Cops still trying to determine if that’s where he died, initial signs from the forensic evidence suggest the body might have been moved.” Gazing at them one by one, I add, “While the heat’s off Paladin, it’s on the rest of us now. Tase—do you know when it could have been placed there?”

Taser looks up sharply as though he’s just coming to the realisation fingers could be pointing at him. I watch as he starts to take it seriously. “I’ll ask the cleaners. They’d have been the last to throw the bags in. But it’s high, Prez. They might have just chucked the trash over, and not looked inside.”

“No bags on top of the body,” Pal puts in. “If we know when the trash was last discarded then that sets the start of the timeframe.”

Taser scowls as though he’s wishing he’d made that point.

“If I can, Prez?” I nod at Pal. “What was the cause of death?”

“Seems like natural causes. Sent some samples off, waiting for them to come back.” I confirm.

“Then the most likely scenario is someone found him dead and moved him to fuck with us,” Paladin continues.

The sergeant-at-arms is nodding. “Agree with Pal.”

“But why?” asks Pyro. “What’s the point of going to the trouble of leaving a body behind one of our businesses?”

Cad’s shaking his head. “If I hadn’t seen movement on the cameras, we wouldn’t have gone looking. Dumpster could have been collected before the body had been found, and it might have been discovered when the contents were tipped out. Would have taken more investigating, but would still have been linked back to us. More heat then, too, as it would have looked like we’d hidden it.”

“Fuckin’ sloppy way to dispose of a body. We’ve got the desert for that.” A few smirks go Mace’s way.

“If it was natural causes, surely they’d just have thought he’d climbed in and died there?”

“We’ll never know Lizard. I agree with Cad though. I’d rather know it was there and face the implications head-on, than have it come up and blindside us when we’re involved in other shit.”

“What do we tell the cops if they come prying?”

“Same as last time, Taser. The fuckin’ truth. Or will that be too hard for you to remember?” Demon snaps.

“Er, Prez? Can we get on to the auto-shop?” Taser sends his friend a quick look as if to thank him for taking the attention away.

“Sure, Pyro. Anything new?”

“Just those few hundred dollars of parts stolen as you already know. I’ve explained to the customer they’re going to have to wait an extra few days. Had to pay express delivery for replacements. Oh, yeah, Pal, ordered your new seat in with that.”

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