The Invisible Hand - A crime novel

Chapter 81

We don't stay like that for long. There's more noise outside.

I unwrap from Sam. Pick up the revolver.

"Wait here," I say.

I head out. Step over the bodies to get to the door.

A half-circle of workers forms 10 yards out from the RV. They look as stunned as the two I kicked out.

I make the revolver obvious. Hold it out and down from my side.

"What?" I say.

One of them speaks up when the other don't.

"Where's Taw?" he says.

No sense in hiding what they already know.

"I killed him. Any other questions?" I say.

"What about Stu?"

Must be the other dead guy.

"I killed Stu, too," I say.

Seems blunt, but this is how to talk to oil workers. Direct. No pulled punches. It's the same as the cadence on the rig. No bullshit. Just say what you mean. Keeps people alive. Or dead, in this case.

"Why?" the worker says.

"They were hurting my friend inside," I say.

"Hurting a whore?" the worker says like that's not possible.

"Maybe Taw told you there was a whore in there," I say. Rotate the revolver so it reflects off the headlights. "But there ain't no more. Understand?"

No one moves. That's answer enough.

"What now?" the worker says.

"Get some sleep. Come back tomorrow. Work like normal," I say.

"No. What about the energy shots?" the worker says. There's a starved look in his eyes. Like dry cattle staring at an empty trough.

"What energy shots?" I say.

"That oil isn't gonna pull itself out of the ground," the worker says.

I get what he's talking about. This is why I hate meth. Makes you more concerned with it than things like, oh, say, the two corpses in the RV.

I head back into the RV. Return and make the sales. Take the workers for all they have left. Their faces light up. Perfect time to make demands.

"You want more energy shots? We need an agreement. Anyone asks, you say Taw and Stu died taking a nap in the RV. Taw had a cigarette, lit the place on fire. It was an accident. Understand?" I say.

They nod.

I head back into the RV. Fetch truck keys from Taw's pocket. Wrap Sam in a blanket and help her out.

"Get her into Taw's truck. Turn the heat on and keep her warm," I say to the workers. "Does anyone have a spare can of gas?"

One of the workers raises his hand.

"Go get it," I say.

"Why?" the worker says.

"You're going to help me burn this RV to the ground," I say.

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