Free Off You Go by Boo Walker Page A

She had supported him and lifted
him up and believed in him from the day they met. She’d been
faithful, too, even when he hadn’t deserved it.
    Still, Dewey found little pity for Rowe
Tinsley, and not just because he’d attacked him and nearly killed
him. He had no pity for Rowe, just like he had no pity for himself.
Rowe had made the decisions that had led to this day. Dewey had no
idea what was going to happen, but he had a pretty good feeling
that Rowe Tinsley was about to have a bad night. The worst in his
life.
    Dewey heard some shouting and saw two boys
run out into the backyard. Rowe Tinsley followed with a football in
his hand, his arm cocked back as he encouraged his boys to run a
route. Dewey watched them play for a while. Maybe he had a little
pity for the man. Seeing a family broken apart was not something he
would ever relish.
    As Dewey stubbed out the butt, ripped the
filter off, and stuck it in his pocket, he saw Hammond Callahan’s
Cadillac pull onto the street.
    “ This is not good,” Dewey
said to himself. “I was really hoping you weren’t going to show
up.”
    Dewey got back into his truck but didn’t
start the engine. Hammond parked behind the other expensive cars in
the Tinsley driveway and knocked on the door. Rowe’s wife answered.
He kissed her on the cheek and followed her inside.
    “ Surely you wouldn’t do
anything with his family there, would you?” Dewey contemplated
calling the police but decided against it. He wasn’t sure what his
role should be, but calling the police would only exacerbate the
situation.
    It went bad quickly.
    Hammond entered the backyard and one of the
boys threw him the football. He dropped it to the ground and
pointed back toward the house. The boys went back inside, and Rowe
and Hammond walked up to the water. An argument ensued and within
two minutes, Hammond drew a gun.
    Dewey jumped out of his truck and started
running toward the front of the house. Hammond had the gun pointed
at Rowe’s chest. Dewey placed a call to 911 as he tried to decide
what to do. He wasn’t the kind to carry a gun, so he didn’t have
much of a leg to stand on. The operator wanted him to stay on the
line, but Dewey hung up.
    As he reached the side of the house, staying
low and taking cover, he could hear what they were saying. “My
family is inside!” Rowe screamed. “Are you crazy?”
    “ What does it look like?”
Hammond roared back. “You made me crazy. You took both my girls away from me.
Both of them.” His voice was cracked and depleted. “You got her
pregnant. What kind of man are you? You killed my grandchild, too.
My only one.”
    “ You’re no saint, you
bastard. It happened. I didn’t know all this would happen. Gina
wanted me to leave my wife and marry her! She wanted me to help her
raise the child. I told her I would help with the kid somehow, but
I wasn’t going to leave my wife. Don’t tell me you’ve never ran
around before.”
    “ Not once in my life.”
Hammond looked very trigger-happy.
    Wondering why the hell he was putting
himself in danger, Dewey came around the corner and faced the two
men.
    “ Hammond,” Dewey said, the
police are on the way. Drop the gun.” How funny—sadistically
speaking—to ask a man to drop his gun when the only weapon you have
is your words.
    Hammond swung the gun around. “Who the hell
are you?”
    “ My name is Dewey Moses.
Your wife hired me. I know she left you, but you can’t do this. You
will always have a second chance…unless you do this. Then it all
goes away. Trust me, I’ve been there.”
    “ You stay out of my
life.”
    “ I’m trying to help.”
Dewey decided that, even if the theory he’d been building in his
head wasn’t true, it was a good time to at least toss it out. Lies
save lives sometimes.
    Dewey said, “Your daughter is a—”
    Right then, Rowe made a move. Hammond still
had his gun pointed in Dewey’s direction, but he sensed Rowe’s
movement and brought the gun back around