121. Interview with Robert “Bob” Hill: Part 3

6 July 2011; 20:06:

– Well, like I said, I ain’t never really been quick on the draw, but I got him that night.

– Don’t like to admit it, but it was luck got me out there. Hadn’t been for me goin’ out ta get my toolbox out my truck, I’da never seen Bishop right over there [Mr. Hill points out the window towards the site of the original fire] where the Dennis’s used to live when I was a kid.

– Dennis’s packed up and made out to Atlanta ’bout, oh, four, five years ago. So the place been empty for a while there while they was tryin’ to get a buyer, just settin’ there fallin’ apart.

– Can’t show you what it looked like after Bishop done what he did. Realtors came through couple months after it happened and bought up the land, built another house in its place. But Bishop was there alright, same Ford pickup as mine, same year, everything. I remember ‘cause mine’s a ‘91, and I don’t see many a man drivin’ them ‘round no more.

– I keep mine up in good condition though, couple a things on the side at work to keep it runnin’ clean enough. They’s mighty fine vehicles, I’ll tell you. Buy American, more reliable.

– Uh huh, I seen Bishop’s truck and thought I hadn’t seen one ‘sides mine in some time, and his was beat up to all hell. I’m bettin’ that thing’s towin’ capacity was shot, probably’d break down if you threw a brick in the cabin by the looks of it. Could hear the engine from way over where I was standin’, soundin’ like it was yellin’ for mercy. Listenin’ to that thing—give it a rough diagnostic check, just listenin’ to the sounds—I’m guessin’ it needed a rotor belt, some tran work, at least six thousand past the last oil change.

– Yeah huh, I’m watchin’ that car and I catch sight a Bishop just settin’ there, starin’ at the Dennis’s old house. Not doin’ nothin’, still as a soldier durin’ the national anthem.  I mean real still too, not shufflin’ ‘round on his feet like these kids do nowadays, like they’s all coked up or gotta piss or just plain nervous or somethin’. He was still as a preacher durin’ prayer, arms at his side, just starin’ up at the house. Weren’t nobody ’round him neither, just him and that damn truck and whoever was in it.

– I mean, I’m just guessin’ was somebody there. Bishop kid said there weren’t, but he looked mighty unsure when they was askin’ him.

– I believed him ‘bout the bodies, I don’t think he had nothin’ ta do with that. They was already in there, probably some drug deal gone bad and person who kilt ‘em thought it’d be a safe bet ta dump the bodies at the Dennis’s old house.

– Bishop, he just a little college young’n, a roughneck. I saw his face when they was tryin’ him, boy was scared outta his mind. He couldn’t a murdered nobody. It was dark, no electricity in that house, boy coulda gone in and set fire to the place and woulda never seen or heard a thang ‘bout no dead bodies ‘til the place was up already. Somebody else killed them people, I’ll give him that. But I ain’t believe him when he said he was alone. I can’t be hundred percent on it or not, but considerin’ how he was actin’ in front a that house, I’m pretty damn sure there was somebody with him. ‘Cause he’d be downright crazy if there weren’t.

– Well, I kept watchin’ and waitin’ and Bishop stood there for a long time. So I took a couple a steps off my property in his direction and that’s when I see that he ain’t as still as I figured.

– My eyes ain’t what they used to be so I couldn’t see no specifics at first, but I get a few feet closer still and see he’s a young’n, twenty-three, twenty-four maybe. And there’s a sound driftin’ over from where he’s at and I get a little closer and he’s talkin’.

– That’s why I say there had to’ve been somebody in that truck, ‘cause he wasn’t talkin’ like no crazy person. Was talkin’ loud, havin’ a conversation, like he was yellin’ at somebody, and he kept lookin’ back at the car, so’s I believe he had somebody with him.

– Was about to go over and ask what they was doin’, but the roof a the Dennis’s old house caved-in right then and flames shot out the top like it was Fourth of July.

– I ain’t never seen nobody move as fast as that boy did right then. I was still lookin’ at the house—caught in one hell a surprise—when he hopped in the passenger side a the truck like lightnin’ was on his ass.

– Tires peeled off and, like I said, my eyes ain’t what they used to be, but they’s decent enough. I couldn’t see inside the truck, but I caught the license plate. Ran in and called Crimestoppers and gave ‘em what I know and they caught that fella.

– Hope it’s a lesson to him, too. Hope it’s a lesson to all of ‘em, young or old. Anybody else wanna come ‘round settin’ fire to people’s homes. Name’s Bob Hill, and I will get your ass locked up.

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