The Activist

by John Grisham

  not because he had accomplished anything.

  Famous because he was a jerk, Theo thought as he seethed and bit his tongue and gritted his way through the day. Only in America.

  * * *

  Theo was sick of Percy and his snakebite. As soon as possible after the final bell, he hurried to the VFW. Behind the building, the Major had scattered all of the pup tents and gear and was washing down the large coolers. About half of the troop showed up for the extra work, but Theo didn’t worry about the absentees. He and Phillip and Cal immediately went about the job of pitching the Falcon tents and wiping off mud with soap and water. The tents had to be cleaned and dried; if not, they would mildew in storage.

  The Major kept his distance, and Theo was fine with that. The tough old Marine loved discipline and was not about to show a softer side. Theo understood this. He had decided he would not quit scouting. He would not allow one bad moment to take away something so important to him. Instead, he would follow his father’s rather cold advice and dig in, tough it out, work harder, and carry his suspension like a badge of honor. As best he could, Theo would act like a Marine and give the Major a dose of his own medicine.

  As he was rolling up a tent, he heard the Major’s voice behind him. “Theo, where’s Woody?”

  Theo stood and looked up at the Major. He thought about saying: “Gee, Major, I don’t know. It’s not my day to keep up with him.” Or: “Gee, Major, I don’t know, since he’s now the patrol leader, why don’t you go find him yourself.” But these thoughts passed quickly, as Theo knew better than to play wise guy with the boss.

  Theo said, “Not sure, but I think he had something after school.” Woody was one of Theo’s best friends, and Theo would do nothing to get him in trouble. The truth was that Woody had no desire to be a patrol leader and was not about to clean muddy tents on a perfectly fine Monday afternoon.

  The Major clenched his jaws as he always did, then said, “I’m having an Aviation merit badge meeting this Thursday at four p.m. Can you be here?”

  “Thought I was suspended,” Theo shot back, then wished he had said something else.

  “You’re suspended as a patrol leader, not from scouting,” the Major said coolly.

  Theo thought for a moment. How cruel was this? At a time when he planned to stiff-arm the Major as much as possible, the guy brings up the Aviation merit badge. At the moment, Theo was working on four merit badges—Aviation, World Government, Computers, and Veterinary Science—all nice subjects and all chosen by him. The other three, though, were not nearly as exciting as Aviation. The Major had promised Theo and the other five Scouts in the study group that they would visit a regional airport, see the inside of an air traffic control center, and, best of all, take a real flight in a small Cessna.

  “Okay,” Theo said.

  “Great. See you Thursday.” And with that, the Major turned around and began barking at two guys in the Warthog Patrol.

  Theo was no match for the Major, and he knew it.

  Chapter 11

  Late Monday afternoon, Theo rode his bike four blocks from his office in the rear of Boone & Boone to the office of another Boone—his uncle Ike’s. This second Boone office was not busy or thriving or well decorated. Instead, it was on the second floor of a shabby old building that housed a Greek deli on the ground floor. Theo’s father and Ike were brothers, and at one time had been lawyers together. Those days were long gone. For reasons Theo would probably never understand, Ike was no longer a lawyer and he seldom spoke to Theo’s father. However, Ike was still a part of the family, and for this reason Theo was expected to stop by every Monday afternoon and chat with Ike. Often, the meetings were not too pleasant, and Theo did not always look forward to them. Other times, though, Ike could be funny and when in a good mood could tell hilarious stories. Theo never knew which Ike he would encounter on Monday afternoons. Among the family secrets was the rumor that Ike drank too much, and Theo suspected that influenced whether he felt fine or miserable.

  Judge was usually confined to either the home or the office, but occasionally Theo hooked a leash to his collar and allowed him to run alongside his bike as he zipped through town. For Judge, there was no greater thrill than flying down the street trying to outrun Theo and the bike. On this Monday, Judge really wanted to go, so Theo grabbed the leash.

  The two of them bounded up the stairs and, with a quick and meaningless knock, burst through the door to Ike’s long and cluttered office.

  “Well, well,” Ike said with a smile. “How is my favorite nephew?”

  “Great, Ike, and you?” Theo said as he fell into a creaky wooden chair, one with papers and files stacked under it. Every piece of furniture in the room was either covered with files or trying to hide them. Theo was Ike’s only nephew, and, as far as Theo could tell, about the only family member who kept in contact with him. Ike’s wife had divorced him years earlier when he got into trouble, and his kids had moved far away. Ike was a lonely old man, but at the same time it was hard to feel sorry for him. He seemed to want a quiet, unusual life.

  “Just another fine day,” Ike said, waving an arm at the pile of papers on his desk. “Sorting out the money problems of people with no money. How are things over at Boone and Boone?”

  “The same, nothing new.”

  “How are your grades? Straight A’s?”

  “Close.” This always irritated Theo, this intrusion into his privacy. He did not understand why Ike thought he had the right to nose around in Theo’s schoolwork. But, as Mrs. Boone always said, “He’s family.”

  “What do you mean ‘close’?” Ike asked.

  “B plus in Chemistry, but I’ll pull it up.”

  “You better pull it up,” he said sternly, but Theo could tell it was all an act. Ike looked to his left, at his desktop monitor. “This just came across. Saw it ten minutes ago,” he said as he peered over his reading glasses, then clicked his mouse. “According to our fearless daily newspaper, online edition, no less, a kid from your Scout troop had a rather nasty encounter with a copperhead over the weekend. Know anything about it?”

  “And why is that news?” Theo said in disgust.

  “Because everything is news these days, Theo. Nothing is private. There are no secrets and there is no shame. Everybody is a celebrity. Percy Dixon?”

  “That’s him, and evidently his mother is trying to get all the publicity she can. I’m sure she called the newspaper. How else would a reporter hear of something so unimportant?”

  “Were you there?”

  “Oh yes.”

  “What happened?”

  So Theo told the story again.

  * * *

  When he finished, Ike said, “What a jerk! You don’t deserve a suspension for that.”

  “It’s okay, Ike. I’m over it, and I’m tired of talking about it. Let’s change the subject.”

  “Sure. Yankees and Twins?”

  “No.” Ike was a rabid Yankees fan who loved the team and its history. Theo pulled for the Twins because no one else in Strattenburg did. In all fairness to the Twins, though, Minnesota was a thousand miles away.

  “I can’t blame you,” Ike said. He shoved his chair back and reached for a small refrigerator he kept almost hidden behind a stack of files. He pulled out a bottle of beer for himself and a can of Sprite, which he slid across the desk, knocking off a few papers along its route. “Here,” he said, just in time for Theo to catch the Sprite. Ike unscrewed the top of the beer, slowly, almost painfully, lifted his feet into position and plunked them down on his desk. When he was properly kicked back and reclined, he took a sip.

  Theo knew from experience that a long story was coming.

  Another sip, and Ike began, “Get a load of this.” This was Ike’s usual opening line for a story. “The Greek family downstairs, Jimmy and Amelda Tykos, lovely people, I’ve known them for years and see them every day. They came to this country when they were children and have worked twenty-four/seven their entire lives to give somethi
ng to their kids. Great folks. Their oldest son, Russell, owns a construction company, builds small houses and does remodeling jobs, stuff like that. Russell’s about forty, married with three kids, and his first child was born with a bunch of medical problems. They spent a fortune saving the kid and now the poor child needs all sorts of special treatment. It almost broke Russell along with his parents, but they dug in, worked harder, saved even harder, and they survived.”

  Theo must have glanced away, because Ike snapped, “Am I boring you here, Theo?”

  “I’m listening.” Theo suspected he was probably the only person in town who would tolerate Ike’s long, rambling stories, but they usually led to an interesting point.

  Ike took a sip of beer, looked at the ceiling, and continued: “About ten years ago, Russell and his wife bought some land outside of town, cut it up, and began selling two-acre lots. Beautiful country, hills and creeks and ponds and such. The idea was to sell large lots to people who wanted to preserve the land and trees and protect the environment. Russell and his wife designed their dream home and started building it themselves. After hours, weekends, vacations—they spent every spare moment out there, with their kids, including the little boy in a wheelchair, slowly building their home. For the big stuff, Russell used his construction crews, but if anything could be done by two people, then it was Russell and his wife. Obviously, it was a labor of love, and it took forever. Almost five years from start to finish, and they paid cash along the way. Didn’t owe a dime to anyone once they finished. They had a big move-in party and invited me. I was there. It was wonderful, all their family, and friends and neighbors, all the construction guys who’d worked on the house, everybody who’d lent a helping hand. I’ve never seen Jimmy and Amelda so happy and proud. Beautiful home, beautiful countryside. One big happy family, celebrating the best our country has to offer. Everything was just great.”

  Ike’s voice trailed off, and Theo knew the first chapter of the story was finished and it was time for him, Theo, to push things along. “So what happened?” he asked.

  “Well, now the house is about to be bulldozed so the state and a bunch of politicians can build a two-hundred-million-dollar bypass around Strattenburg. The bypass is totally unnecessary, but that’s not important in the game of politics. Have you heard of this bypass, Theo?”

  Theo was stunned. He had almost forgotten about it. The past forty-eight hours of his life had revolved around scouting, Percy, a rather large copperhead, and a lot of garbage on Facebook.

  He nodded and said, “Yes, I’ve heard about it.”

  Ike yanked his feet down. He leaned forward on his elbows, his eyes glowing with anger.

  “Do you understand the legal concept of eminent domain, Theo?”

  “I do.”

  Ike nodded and smiled. “Good for you. In theory, eminent domain is to be used as a last resort. Taking away property against the wishes of the property owner is almost a criminal act, something the government is supposed to do when absolutely necessary. In this case, there is no necessity whatsoever. It’s just a bunch of politicians trying to get votes by building a road to make their big donors happy.”

  It rarely took much for Ike to start preaching, but on this issue he was steamed up more than usual. Theo decided to prod him along. “I’m not sure I understand,” he said.

  He barely got the words out before Ike was talking again. “It’s like this, Theo. In Carlsburg and places north of here, there are some big trucking companies and lots of factories and the same south of here in Lowensburg. Studies have shown that a bypass might save the truckers all of a few minutes around town, but they don’t care. They want a bypass at all costs! So they get in thick with their politicians, give them a bunch of money, tell them how badly they need a bypass, not for themselves, of course, but for the sacred goal of ‘economic development.’ That’s what every politician says whenever he wants to approve something or build something or waste some more taxpayer money. More jobs, more tax revenues, more everything, all in the name of economic development. There’s also more pollution, more congestion, more crowded schools, and more developers getting rich, but the politicians never mention this because they’re taking money from the developers, and, in this case, the trucking companies.”

  Ike took a deep breath, followed by a long drink of beer. Typical Ike, never wishy-washy, never straddling the fence, never at a loss of an opinion. Theo was actually enjoying the story because Ike was so fired up.

  Theo decided to throw a little gas on the fire. “Isn’t the governor pushing it?”

  “What an idiot! He’ll support anything if the price is right. Front-page news last week showed where the trucking companies and developers have donated tons of money to the governor’s campaign, so guess what? If they want a bypass, he wants a bypass. The guy is nothing but a politician who’s looking to run for a higher office. Don’t ever get involved in politics, Theo. It’s a dirty game.”

  “Don’t worry.”

  Ike relaxed and rocked back in his chair. “Fifteen years ago, Theo, if my politics had been right, I would not have been prosecuted.”

  And for the first time ever, Uncle Ike mentioned his past troubles. Theo wanted to pounce with a dozen questions, but he bit his tongue. One day Ike would tell him the whole story, but he would do so when he wished. Not now.

  Theo thought about telling the Hardie Quinn story, but decided to let it pass. In his opinion, his story was far more interesting than Ike’s, but Ike preferred talking over listening. “Are you going to help the Tykos family?” Theo asked.

  “Help? In what way?”

  “I don’t know, Ike. There seems to be a lot of opposition. If enough people get involved, then maybe the county commissioners will not approve the bypass.”

  “Don’t kid yourself, Theo. Money talks, and the side with the money always wins, especially in politics.”

  Theo found this depressing and didn’t know what to say. Ike reached for a sheet of paper, found it, and leaned forward again. “Take a look at this, Theo,” he said, and Theo leaned in. It was a copy of a map with the proposed bypass highlighted in red. Using a pen, Ike tapped a spot in the center of the page and said, “There is where the bypass will cross Sweeney Road. Right now all of this is rural land, but that will change overnight when they build it.”

  Theo could smell the beer on Ike’s breath and it wasn’t pleasant. He pulled back a few inches. Ike went on, “Now, I have a source who says that a certain local developer, guy by the name of Joe Ford, a real slick operator who’s also known as Fast Ford, has put down some money to buy two hundred acres right here at the intersection of Sweeney and the bypass. It was supposed to be a secret deal, but my source knows one of the former partners of the lawyer who represents the landowner. It’s hush-hush.” Ike left the map on the desk and reared back in his chair. “So, Theo, the buzzards are already circling, waiting for the kill. If the county approves the bypass, you’ll see these thugs scoop up every inch of land alongside it, and in ten years it’ll be lined with strip malls and fast-food joints and car washes. The whole western part of the county will be covered in sprawl and look like the rest of America. The developers will get richer and they’ll be happy to pass along enough cash to keep the politicians happy. It’s a rotten system, Theo.”

  Theo was even more depressed, but then he tried to convince himself that Ike was a gloomy person by nature. Ike seldom smiled and was often bitter. His family had abandoned him and he’d been disgraced when he lost his license to practice law.

  Ike and his sources. He was always claiming to know something that was supposed to be a secret, and, in fact, he often did. Ike moved in the shadows around certain parts of town, places many upstanding citizens avoided. He played poker with at least two groups, and some of those guys were ex-lawyers, ex-cops, and a few ex-cons. He gambled on football and basketball games and hung around with bookies and other gamblers. Theo’s father had once let it slip that Ike made more money from betting then he did fr
om his real work.

  “Well, on that happy note, I need to go,” Theo said, suddenly anxious to hit the road.

  “Say hi to your folks,” Ike said as he locked his fingers behind his head and returned his feet to the top of his desk.

  “See ya, Ike,” Theo said as he and Judge headed for the door.

  “And I want an A in Chemistry.”

  “Sure. You and everybody else.”

  Chapter 12

  Percy Dixon made a triumphant return to school Tuesday morning. Theo knew something was up when he wheeled to a stop at his usual bike rack and saw a television van parked in front of the school. Sure enough, a few moments later a station wagon appeared. Percy’s mother parked it, pulled out a wheelchair, lifted her son into it, and began their little parade into the building. Percy’s leg was elevated and wrapped in layers of white gauze. His teachers and friends were waiting at the front door, and his mother rolled him into the school like a hero returning from war. A reporter and a cameraman followed along, capturing this “breaking news” so the peaceful town of Strattenburg would know the latest.

  Theo watched from a distance, uncertain who was enjoying the spotlight more, Percy or his mother. Percy attacked the snake, and Theo got suspended. It still didn’t seem fair.

  Throughout the day, Theo was continually distracted by the sight of Percy rolling down the hall, or sitting in the cafeteria, or getting pushed around the playground, always with a group of admirers huddled around him as he told and retold the story of his near-deadly encounter with the copperhead, a snake that somehow was growing larger and meaner with each passing hour.

  Some of the kids viewed Theo as the one who was responsible for the disaster; most, however, knew the truth. Percy had few believers, but that didn’t stop him from savoring the attention.

  Theo just suffered through the day, trying to ignore the sideshow. At times, he wished the snake had nailed Percy right between the eyes.

  * * *

  After the final bell, Theo hustled to Boone & Boone, checked on Judge, and disappeared into his office to crank out his homework. Both of his parents were in their offices behind locked doors, meeting with clients, and the entire law firm was quiet and busy. Theo finished his homework in less than an hour. It started raining, there was no place to go, and he was soon bored.

  Out of curiosity, he began searching the Internet for stories about the Red Creek Bypass. There were plenty—old newspaper articles, maps, studies, angry letters to the editors. There was even a website run by a rowdy group of opponents who were collecting and posting every possible bit of information about the project. Most, of course, was not favorable, but there were a few articles from the pro-business crowd claiming the bypass was necessary.

  After an hour of browsing, Theo was bored again. The rain was heavier; Judge was snoozing; his parents were still locked away in their offices. He drifted through the storage room, down the narrow hallway, and into the kitchen, where he looked around for something to eat. “Borrowing” food from another member of the firm was a sport around the offices, and Theo was often the leading culprit. Today, though, he saw nothing of interest.

  Elsa was not at her desk, which was unusual. Occasionally she ran errands late in the afternoon when no more clients were expected, and Theo figured she had just stepped outside. Her desk was in the reception room, guarding the front door. When you walked into Boone & Boone you had to deal with Elsa, who ran the place like a drill sergeant. She knew everyone’s schedule—the lawyers, Mr. and Mrs. Boone; Vince the paralegal; Dorothy the real estate secretary; even Theo, the kid lawyer. Somehow, Elsa kept up with all meetings, court dates, medical and dental appointments, birthdays, etcetera. She missed nothing.

  Theo was curious about who was in his father’s office. Woods Boone was a real estate lawyer who never went to court and rarely had clients upstairs. For at least eight hours a day, he sat at his desk, smoked his pipe, shuffled papers, drafted contracts, researched, and talked on the phone. In Theo’s opinion, his father practiced a rather boring brand of law, one that he wanted no part of. No sir. Theo planned to be in the courtroom in big trials, in front of juries with crowds watching and serious drama unfolding.

  Theo had watched his first trial three years ago at the age of ten. It was during the summer, he was out of school, and for four days he sat in the front row and heard every word from every witness. A young mother and father and their five-year-old son had been killed in a terrible collision with a train at a crossing. Emotions were high, and even Theo felt the pressure. The lawyers battled like gladiators, and Theo’s friend Judge Henry Gantry presided over the trial with great wisdom.

  From that moment, Theodore was destined for the courtroom. Occasionally, he thought of becoming a great judge like Henry Gantry, but more often his plans and dreams centered on being a fearless trial lawyer.

  Elsa kept a large daily calendar in the center of her desk, and on it she scribbled everything, including appointments with clients. The calendar was not intended to be off-limits or in any way secretive; after all, it was just lying there on the desk, for anyone to see. So Theo took a look. He noticed that tomorrow, Wednesday, he had a 4:00 p.m. appointment with his orthodontist. He noticed his mother was meeting with a client named M. Clyburn.

  And, at the moment, his father was meeting with a client named Joe Ford. Theo froze for a second, then he remembered his conversation with Ike the day before. Joe Ford. Also known as Fast Ford. A real estate developer; a buzzard in Ike’s book who was waiting to pounce on the land around Sweeney Road in the event the bypass was approved; a shifty operator who Ike also referred to as a “thug.” Theo tried to remember the other things Ike had said. The deal was for two hundred acres; it was hush-hush, secretive, and so on. Ike didn’t say the deal was illegal in any way, but it certainly sounded like it.

  Theo stared at the name for a few seconds. It sort of made sense. Joe Ford was in the real estate business. Woods Boone’s clients were in that business. But why would Theo’s father represent a man with a shady reputation?

  There were voices upstairs, then heavy footsteps coming down. Theo froze for a second as he thought about disappearing. He could dart through the front door, but that would make some noise. He could duck into the conference room, or dash down the hall toward his office. As he moved, he kicked over Elsa’s trash can and crumpled papers spilled onto the floor. Quickly, he bent over, scooped them up,