Fox Tracks

CHAPTER 37

“I’ve always wanted a purple boob,” Sister told Betty, Tootie, and Gray as she sat in the den, her feet up.

“Thank God you bought that cigarette case,” said Gray. “I’m glad I didn’t say anything about the cost.” He smiled. “It’s priceless.”

He picked up the case from the coffee table. A bullet wedged in the middle of it, the tip flattening against the back side.

Gray and Tootie had brought back Sister from the emergency room. After cleaning up, as she’d been muddy from head to toe, Betty had met them at the house. She’d brought her cap for them to see the crease on the top made by Tariq’s bullet.

Sister sighed. “We can give thanks Dragon killed him before he shot anyone else. If Tariq could have gotten his rifle up he would have fired.”

“Odd,” Betty mused. “He fell out of the tree but he never loosed his grasp on the rifle.”

Tootie said, “He was such a good teacher. I liked him so much. What happens to people?”

The three older people didn’t immediately respond.

Even Golly, quick with a criticism, said little. Events had shocked her, too.

At last, Gray offered a partial explanation. “I guess anyone can justify what they do if they believe they are doing it for a great cause. For Tariq, raising lots of cash to help protect the Coptic people, millions of them, was worth a few American lives. That’s all I can think of, but I know we all underrated Ben Sidell.” Gray moved his thoughts to something he could understand.

Gray had spoken with the sheriff once they got Sister to the emergency room, where she regained consciousness. “Ben knew contraband was moving out of our county. At first he assumed it was illegal liquor, but then realized it had to be tobacco. The laws have changed to allow smaller batches of liquor to be sold. That isn’t to say there still isn’t money in moonshine, but the ’shine is off, forgive the pun.”

“How’d he know that?” Tootie asked.

“Pretty much the same way Sister figured it out: Albemarle County and central Virginia are the perfect distribution centers for the northeast, and even into Chicago.”

Sister leaned on Gray’s shoulder for a moment. “But Tariq. Never in a million years would I have thought he was behind something like this.”

“The real leadership of his smuggling operation is in Cairo. He was important, had a great cover, spoke perfect English.”

A knock on the back door sent the dogs barking. Tootie hurried to see who was there, and shortly afterward she and Ben Sidell returned.

“Did you learn anything new just lately?” the genial sheriff asked Sister.

“Yes, you’re a good sheriff.”

“Butter me up. I ought to slap you with every citation I can find. Sister, you damn near got yourself killed, nearly blew our operation. And furthermore, I had to spend a damned whole hour with Animal Control convincing them the hound was protecting his owner. I spun a lovely tale for Dragon. Madam, you are a lot of work.”

“I am. I’m sorry. How can I make it up to you?”

“A stiff Scotch would help. I’m finally off duty.”

Gray walked to the bar to pour Ben a serious amount of single-malt Scotch. “Anyone else ready for a libation?”

“I think I might have a whiskey sour.” Betty stood up, served Ben his drink, then returned for one of her own. For himself, Gray made his usual Blanton’s and bitters.

“Thank you.” Ben gratefully took a sip. “High-test.”

“Hard day.” Gray smiled as he sat down, his own drink in hand.

Betty turned to Ben. “Is the embassy informed?”

“Yes. It is our great good fortune that a former secretary of state lives in Albemarle County. He told me to simply hand them the report of events. Nothing more.”

“Which means they know about the contraband?” asked Sister. She may have ached, but her mind was sharp as ever.

“Sure.” Ben put his glass down. “We’ve been working on this for over a year. This is an annual multi-hundred-million-dollar business. The only monies that come to our citizens are those growers and workers in on the deal, the chain of true tobacco people or as they say: ’bacca. Then there’s the chain of truckers and those who distribute in the big cities. The hubs of distribution collect the cash. In other words, everyone who buys American Smokes in Boston, those store owners pay directly to the distributor and with cash. There are no records that we can find of the transactions. We’ve uncovered only one player in this entire network. And he’s dead.”

“Good Lord,” said Betty. “Tariq never spent much money.” She thought out loud. “Old car. Decent clothing, but nothing to suggest such income.”

“He didn’t have that much. Oh sure, he had more than Custis Hall paid him, but he wasn’t motivated by profit. Tariq was a true idealist. He believed he was protecting, saving even, Coptic Christians.” Ben folded his hands together. “Maybe he did. Who knows.”

“But how? The military will control Egypt one way or another and those men are mostly Muslim. They harass the Christians and the Muslim Brotherhood will go back on every promise they make about protecting all Egyptians. They believe in Sharia, which sure isn’t good for Christians. The Brotherhood and the Army are enemies but both are anti-Christian. The embassy has to be alert to all this.”

“The secretary of state was not exactly forthcoming about why this needs to remain silent, but after working on this case, talking to him, reading everything I can get my hands on, and watching Arab TV, in translation, I have a pretty good idea.” Ben unfolded his hands, placing them on his knees. “We believe dictatorships are bad and that every country should be a democracy, preferably in our image. England has been working on democracy since 1215; little by little, France flip flops since the French Revolution. We believe she’ll remain mostly democratic. Look at the European nations, and the Scandinavian ones; close as they are to us, not all of them are successful at it.”

“Neither are we.” Gray laughed. “But what you’re saying is this is an impossible dream for a Mideast country.”

“He feared the Muslim Brotherhood are elected in force and that they will go back on their word of working with others. It’s a case of the lesser of two evils. The fear of Tariq was that the Muslims will wipe out the Christians or drive them out of Egypt. Religious extremists are rarely motivated by profit. They are much harder criminals to catch.”

“Better the Devil you know than the Devil you don’t,” Sister remarked.

“Yes.” Ben drank his drink down to half. “Graft, payoff, are a way of life in most of the world. You can’t do business in South America without it and not over there either. I didn’t know that the military in Egypt can run businesses, but they can. Anyway, Tariq felt his people would be much safer with a military neutral about Coptic Christians. Maybe he was right. All the money made from contraband is funneled into the pockets of the colonels and generals.”

The four sat there for a time; even the animals were quiet.

“Ideology kills, doesn’t it?” Tootie asked the dagger-to-the-heart question. “Doesn’t matter what it is.”

“It damn near killed Janie,” Gray said in a strong voice. “You could have been killed as well as Sybil and Shaker.”

“I heard you all kept coming for him,” said Sister, “and you Betty, no ratshot even.” She smiled at her best friend.

“I can’t believe I left my gun on the saddle, but I needed to get out of that open field.”

“I was wrong, Ben, I truly was and I apologize,” said Sister. “I expect the sight of that American Smokes pack is what set him off. And I also expect that those men killed with packs placed on their chests were killed because they wouldn’t sell the contraband.”

“That’s what we think. Tariq was in New York when Adolfo was killed. We think other operatives were in Boston and Chicago to kill those noncooperative shop owners. It was a strong warning to others.” Ben enjoyed the crackle and the odor of the fire.

“Carter Weems?” Sister asked.

“I expect he was hauling the stuff out of here and became a liability in some way.”

“And Art?” Sister asked again.

“Art is up to no good, but we can’t catch him at it. But I will give Tariq credit, he held it together, kept the trains running, so to speak, and only lost it at the end.”

“Tell you one thing,” said Betty. “Tariq was smart. He laid a clever drag and waited for the right day. Tracks don’t hold in footing like this. If he’d accomplished his goals, who would have found the drag line?” She raised her eyebrows. “I say the hounds are the real heroes.”

“Always are.” Sister held up Gray’s glass, then took a swig. “How can you drink this stuff?”

Though sore as hell where the cigarette case had pressed against her heart, Sister was returning to true form. “Ben, you’ve been wonderful. I know you live alone. Let me give you a puppy. It’s the purest love in the world.”