A Peachy Criminals, page 7
“It’s the only game I think back on that sends regret into my mind,” Old Joe told Momma Peach.
Michelle saw Momma Peach's eyes water up. “Momma Peach?”
Momma Peach looked down into her lap. “My husband never liked giving up on anybody.” Momma Peach wiped at a single tear. She looked up at Old Joe. “You ain't worth helping. I know I made a promise to my husband...but some promises just have to be broken. Some stray dogs just need to be put down.”
Momma Peach stood up and snatched herself a second slice of pizza. “Honey, do what you want with this man. I am going back to my bakery.”
“I'll drive you—”
“No, Michelle,” Momma Peach said in a soft voice. “I want to walk. I have an umbrella. You stay here and tend to this man and make sure he leaves town before nightfall because if he don't, and he tries to come begging again, I might lose my senses and kill him with my own bare hands.”
“Momma Peach, don't be that way,” Old Joe begged.
Momma Peach cast her eyes down at Old Joe. “Why did you come to me for help, anyway?” she asked. “Do you even know why? Because I do, now. You thought I’d be an easy mark if you gave me your two-bit apology about my husband. That was your sob story. Oh yes, I know you, boy. I ain't stupid. Or maybe I was for trying to help you.” Momma Peach shook her head and walked out of Michelle's office.
Michelle was silent for a moment. Then picked up the phone on her desk and dialed St. Louis.
Old Joe hid his face in his hands. “You're sending Old Joe to his death, cop!” he cried.
Michelle eased the phone away from her ear. “Why did you come to Momma Peach?” she asked Old Joe. “For money?”
Old Joe nodded his head yes. “Momma Peach was always a bleeding heart. I knew the woman would help Old Joe...at least, that's what I thought. Momma Peach has changed, sure as the sky is blue, she has. Momma Peach ain't no bleeding heart anymore. She's grown some tough skin.” Old Joe looked up at Michelle. “I didn't expect that woman to do me this way. So much for old friends.”
“Yeah, friends,” Michelle said, privately wondering how he thought of himself as Momma Peach’s friend after everything he had done. Her call to St. Louis was brief but fruitful. A few hours later a Georgia state trooper arrived at the police station and took Old Joe away in handcuffs.
“You killed Old Joe,” Old Joe hollered at Michelle as he was cuffed and pulled into the hallway. “You killed me, cop!”
Michelle watched the state trooper pull Old Joe out into the rain. “Have a nice trip,” Michelle called out and walked back to her office to finish up some paperwork. An hour later, she drove to Momma Peach's bakery and found Momma Peach in the kitchen baking peach bread. “A state trooper took Old Joe off my hands,” she told Momma Peach and jumped up on the kitchen counter.
Momma Peach nodded her head as she kneaded the dough. “Thank you, baby,” she said in a tired voice. “I sure am glad.”
“But you feel guilty,” Michelle guessed.
“I am supposed to love as Jesus loved, but...I couldn't deal with his lies anymore,” Momma Peach explained, using her wooden rolling pin to flatten out the bread dough on her baking table. “That man brought three deadly killers into our town, baby. He had to go.”
Michelle nodded her head. “I agree that Old Joe didn't have a heart,” she told Momma Peach. “He came here to con you out of money. He said he expected to find a bleeding heart.”
“I was a bleeding-heart kind of woman in the old days,” Momma Peach confessed. “I was a sucker. I guess...my husband was a sucker, too.” Tears began to fall down Momma Peach's face.
Michelle jumped down from the kitchen counter, ran over to Momma Peach, and hugged her. “It's okay,” she told Momma Peach. “You couldn’t have known.”
Momma Peach dropped the rolling pin in her hands and hugged Michelle. “I see my husband’s face in my memory...I see the hurt in his face...the humiliation...but he still insisted that we had to forgive Old Joe and pray for him. I don't want to pray for Old Joe. I want to hate him.”
“I can't blame you,” Michelle told Momma Peach. “That man witnessed a murder and didn't say a word to anybody. Momma Peach, a man like that isn't worth much in my book.”
Momma Peach looked up into Michelle's caring eyes. “I know, baby...and I feel the same way. But...for all our tough talk, I am just afraid I sent Old Joe back to St. Louis to die...and that I was driven to do that out of hate and revenge. We both know Agent Davison will get at that skunk like a rabid dog breaking into a hen house.”
Michelle didn't know what to say. Sure, she knew Agent Davison would find Old Joe sooner or later, but Old Joe wasn't her problem. The man had caused his own problems and now that he was gone, well...out of sight and out of mind. “We couldn't have helped Old Joe, Momma Peach. And sooner or later, that awful man would have caused us both a lot of problems and brought Agent Davison back to our little town with his two hired killers.”
“Don't I know it,” Momma Peach told Michelle and shook her head. “Old Joe expected to hide out with me, maybe romance me into the bargain, and then probably take me for every penny I had and vanish into the night.”
Michelle wiped at Momma Peach's tears. “I still have a lot of pizza left over. What do you say we go rent us a couple of movies and hang out at my place and eat pizza all night?”
Momma Peach let her eyes fall down onto her baking table. Michelle's suggestion sounded inviting and warm. “None of those horror movies you like?” she asked. “I don't want any nightmares tonight.”
“I was thinking,” Michelle put her arm around Momma Peach, “maybe we could rent some tear-jerker and cry into a box of tissues all night.”
“Oh, give me strength,” Momma Peach said and forced a smile to her face. “Okay, baby, Momma Peach will cry into a box of tissues with you and get heartburn from eating pizza, but she won't sleep on that lumpy couch of yours.”
“I'll sleep on the couch,” Michelle promised.
“Deal,” Momma Peach said, feeling better. She gazed out the window as she rolled out the peach bread and allowed the sound of the falling rain to wash Old Joe out of her mind.
Far away, Old Joe was climbing out of a bathroom window.
“Old Joe ain't gonna be no easy target,” Old Joe told himself as he crawled out into a dark and rainy night. When his feet hit wet grass, he looked to his left, saw a row of semi-trucks parked for the night, and then looked to his right and saw woods. “Legs, get moving,” Old Joe said and scooted into the woods like a slippery raccoon and vanished while a sleepy state trooper stood outside the bathroom door waiting for Old Joe to come out. Sure, the trooper knew the bathroom had a window, but he doubted an old man could manage to open the window and crawl out. But he underestimated the old con man, and the stakes were high.
As he escaped into the dark woods, Old Joe cackled, thinking about the state trooper. Old Joe sure fooled him.
Chapter Five
Momma Peach walked into the kitchen of her bakery feeling refreshed and happy after spending a night with Michelle, watching one sad movie after another while munching on delicious pizza. Sure, the rain was still falling and the morning was dark and gloomy, but so what? So what if the birds weren't singing and the sky wasn't blue? Sometimes rain was good for the land—and the heart. “Oh, let the rain wash our tears away,” Momma Peach sang as she walked into her kitchen smiling happily. “Oh, let the rain—” Momma Peach stopped singing. Old Joe was leaning against the back door with his arms folded over his chest. His brown suit was damp but not entirely wet, showing Momma Peach that he had been standing in her kitchen for a couple of hours.
“Hello, Momma Peach,” old Joe said in a worried voice. He lifted his right thumb up to his mouth and began chewing on his thumb nail. “Now, don't be mad at Old Joe. You know that Old Joe was being sent back to St. Louis to die.”
Momma Peach stared at Old Joe. And to her shock, instead of feeling anger and rage, she felt relief wash through her heart. Old Joe was alive. The old skunk had managed to escape, which meant that she had a chance to correct her mistake and fulfill her promise after all. “I ain't gone to that fancy hotel to get my money back yet. You best get on out there and take a hot shower before you catch your death. And before I change my mind,” she said, giving him a pointed look. “I will be along shortly.”
Old Joe's tired eyes went wide with shock. “You're...not mad at Old Joe?”
Momma Peach removed her pink rain jacket and placed it on a wooden coat rack beside the back door. “Jesus never gave up on me and it ain't right for me to give up on you. Somewhere deep inside of that cold heart of yours, there has to be a decent piece of man.” Momma Peach looked at Old Joe. “My attitude hasn't been very smart,” she confessed. “I have been letting my emotions think for me instead of my brain. You're in a heap of trouble, boy, and I sure don't want to be involved. But,” Momma Peach sighed, “I made a promise to love as Jesus loved...I was wrong to say that you were beyond help. And for that, I am sorry.”
Old Joe saw remorse and sincerity in Momma Peach's tender eyes. What he didn't see was a bleeding heart that he could take advantage of. He saw a strong woman who could not be broken or manipulated. “Okay, Momma Peach,” Old Joe promised, “no more games from Old Joe. I'll act straight. I admit that I came here expecting to flip you around like a pancake...Old Joe sure didn't expect to meet up with a strong woman.” Old Joe continued to bite on his thumb nail. “I needed a place to hide out, you know...a place to think and gather my wits. I ran to you expecting a free meal and some free money to help me on my way. The truth of the matter is, you were the only person that I could think of to run to for help. I...panicked. My mind was out of order and I was running scared...I reckon I'm still mighty scared. Old Joe don't want to die.”
Momma Peach listened to Old Joe. She searched his eyes and studied his heart. “You witnessed a young man die. Sooner or later, you're going to have to return to St. Louis and help get justice for that young man, yes sir and yes ma’am. And we both know you shouldn't have run, but I can understand your reasons. Fear can make a man act mighty stupid and mighty selfish.”
“Yes, Momma Peach, fear sure can.”
Momma Peach nodded her head. “I care about justice just as much as I care about the people I love. Three deadly men came to my town, three deadly men who may or may not be connected to a corrupt politician. I don't like rats and I know that I’m going to have to set out some rat traps in order to save Old Joe.”
Old Joe stopped biting his thumb nail. “Won’t your cop friend send me back to St. Louis before you can set out any traps?”
“Maybe not,” Momma Peach assured Old Joe. “Michelle is a brilliant detective. She cares about justice and if she thinks hiding you may bring down the men who shot and killed an innocent person, then she'll do just that.” Momma Peach stared at Old Joe and listened to the heavy rain fall outside. The kitchen grew silent. Old Joe bowed his head. “Old Joe, was the young man who was shot and killed innocent?”
“The only crime that young man committed was being too prideful and arrogant.” Old Joe raised his eyes. “He kept boasting about being rich, how he was the son of some powerful politician, trying to scare me, you know, into letting him win back his money. He ran his mouth instead of his mind. Dumb.”
“Why do you think he was killed?” Momma Peach asked.
Old Joe shrugged his shoulders. “I don't know and that's the truth. What I do know is that being handcuffed and tossed back in the direction of St. Louis sure sobered up my mind and let me know how foolish I have been acting. It was sure dumb of me to go con a few pool games yesterday. I should have known Agent Davison and his two thugs would chase me down. Old Joe is just an old dog with bad habits.”
“You should have accepted the twenty dollars Michelle gave you and been satisfied.”
“I should have learned a lesson when your cop friend conned me yesterday when we played Pennies, too,” Old Joe confessed. “Pride, pride, pride,” he said in a shameful voice. “I thought there ain't a cop alive that can con Old Joe, but sure enough, your cop friend conned me real good and I was too blind to realize that I was being taught a lesson. You see, Old Joe thinks he can outsmart anyone, Momma Peach, but he can't. I am just a broken, pathetic, old street hustler who’s wearing down real fast and losing his edge.”
“Maybe it's time you tried to settle down and live an honest life?” Momma Peach suggested gently.
“How?” Old Joe asked. “Momma Peach, I ain't ever helped a soul in my life. Old Joe always came first. I’ve always been a selfish, cold hearted snake that ain't worth salt.” Old Joe shook his head. “Why, I would take a piece of candy from a baby and sell it for a few pennies if I thought it would benefit me. How's that for some honesty, huh?”
Momma Peach folded her arms together. “The thief on the cross didn't pretend to be someone else in front of Jesus, now did he?”
“I ain't never read a Bible before, so...I wouldn't know,” Old Joe answered honestly. “I couldn't even tell you where to find them ten commandants.”
“The Book of Exodus,” Momma Peach said and drew in a deep breath. The day before she had been willing to allow Old Joe to be sent back to his death. She guessed, maybe, that the event opened her heart while sending a healthy fear through Old Joe. “Well, you are going back to St. Louis to do what is right, when the time comes. After that, Old Joe is coming back to Georgia and I am going to help you learn how to read your Bible and live an honest life.”
“A lost cause,” Old Joe scoffed and waved his hand in the air. “I'll end up hustling pool games in no time.”
“You let me worry about that,” Momma Peach told Old Joe. “Now listen to me, I know that by now Agent Davison must know a few facts.” Momma Peach held up one finger. “Fact one: Old Joe was being wrapped up and sent back to St. Louis by Michelle. Fact two: Old Joe has escaped custody. Fact three: Old Joe is running scared.” Momma Peach held up her left fingers. “But Momma Peach knows a few things, too. Fact one: there is no arrest warrant out for you. Fact two: you're wanted by some men slithering under the radar. Fact three: You're dangerous.”
“Dangerous?” Old Joe asked. “Me?” Old Joe chuckled to himself. “Sure, I'm a regular G.I. Joe, Momma Peach.”
Momma Peach shook her head. “You're dangerous because you are a witness.”
“Oh, who'd believe an old con man like me, huh? So what if I saw a man get shot to death. It ain't like the word of an old con man is gonna matter much in a court of law.”
“Then why are three deadly men chasing you?” Momma Peach asked. That made Old Joe pause and think. “Now I know you're a slippery snake when you need to be, Old Joe. And I am gonna be mighty careful with you, too. But I see fear in your eyes and you best let that fear knock some sense into your brain.”
“I don't want to die,” Old Joe confessed. “My mind is sober.”
“I can see that. And my mind is sober, too. I ain't gonna be thinking with my emotions no more.”
Old Joe looked down at his damp shoes. “I'm a dead man, Momma Peach. Sooner or later Davison is going to get me. It's just a matter of time.”
“Then why did you come back here to me?”
Old Joe shrugged his shoulders. “A stray dog always goes back to a warm door. I knew you were mighty upset with me, and Old Joe knows you had every right to be, but he also knew you...wouldn't turn him away into the rain again.” Old Joe looked up into Momma Peach's kind eyes. “You've changed, Momma Peach...for the better. Your heart is still kind and sweet, but you're no pushover. I figured if I showed up and promised to act straight, well, you would help me. What I don't know is...how you are gonna help me? But for some reason...well...here I am. Mighty strange. It's like you're a piece of steel and all of a sudden I'm a magnet.”
“Not strange at all.”
“Yeah?” Old Joe asked. “Then answer me this: why do I think you can help me? If I had any sense I would have kept running all the way to the Florida Keys and sneaked onto a boat and sailed off into the sunset.”
“Why didn't you?” Momma Peach asked.
Old Joe shrugged his shoulders. “’Cause I came to you expecting a bleeding heart that would be easy to con and met a woman that is mighty powerful. I think that maybe...you have someone on your side that can save me.”
“God.”
Old Joe nodded his head. “Yes.”
Momma Peach reached out her right hand and touched Old Joe's shoulder. “Trusting in God is the right answer. Now, I am gonna call you a cab. Go on back to the hotel and rest. I still have a bakery to run. I’ll be along later with some food.”
“And with your cop friend?”
“Yes,” Momma Peach confirmed. “I don't like tackling a case without Michelle at my side.”
“You mean her feet and fists,” Old Joe said and rolled his eyes. “That young woman took down a grizzly bear bare-handed yesterday. Man alive, I never saw anything like that before in all of my life.”
Momma Peach smiled proudly. “She gave Agent Brown and Agent Green a run for their money, too.”
Old Joe's eyes went wide. “Really?”
Momma Peach nodded her head. “I saw Michelle make two grown men walk away in shame.”
“Well...I'll be.”
Momma Peach walked over to the refrigerator in the kitchen and pulled out a peach pie. She handed the peach pie to Old Joe. “Here. I am going to call you a cab.”
Old Joe looked down at the delicious peach pie in his hands. “I promise to behave myself, Momma Peach. I'll go back to the hotel and—”
A sudden thought hit Momma Peach's mind. “On second thought, you better stay put,” she said. “It's possible Agent Davison might want to take a second look at Momma Peach. After all, there was a bunch of beer-gut men that saw me at the pool hall with you yesterday, along with the cops down at the police station. I know that man will surely come back and ask Michelle a few questions, too.” Momma Peach bit down on her lower lip. “Yes sir and yes ma’am, maybe sending you back to the hotel won't be so smart.”
