Canyon Lands

by T J Reeder

  Well she did get a better response then I had so far, he said he would take us to the parents places so we trooped out where we found several of his deputies just standing around and they all followed us. When we headed out Beth smiled at me and winked, I love her smiles and winks but the smile never touched her eyes. Now I was worried.

  Something had sure changed since we brought May’s people here just a few days back. We arrived at a run-down looking house that the Chief said was where the first girl’s folks lived. We got out and when he started to follow I said, “That’s ok Chief, we got it.” Well he didn’t like that one bit but wasn’t going to argue with me. I think he was starting to get the drift that I wasn’t pleased with his attitude. Good, fuck him.

  We knocked on the door and it was opened by a nice looking lady who looked at us both and said, “Can I help you?” Beth took over and said, “It’s about your daughter, can we come in?” She already had tears running down her cheeks when we sat down, Beth told her right away that the kid was safe which caused a change right away.

  The lady said the girl and her friends had all gone missing about a week earlier and nobody would do a thing. I asked who she meant by nobody and she pointed at the door and said, “him,” meaning the chief, with about as much venom as a person could work up. Beth asked her to explain from the top.

  She said that to put it in simple terms the locals who had always loved the summer people for the money they brought in now hated them because they were extra mouths that needed feeding, and even though they worked in the community gardens as well as any other projects that needed labor they were still treated as outsiders. I asked why the kids had all left, she said it was starting to become apparent that the head men in the community felt the kids weren’t pulling their share of the load and had decided that the girls could pay their way the ‘old fashion’ way.

  In the new world we live in gold may not have value but ammo, booze, dope and young girls and women had taken its place. We have seen it everyplace we have been and I’ve hated it everywhere we found it and we did a good job of stamping it out when we found it.

  Now it was looking like stomping time was back. I asked if it was the entire leadership of the town, she said it was. She said most of the locals were good folks but had learned to not push back against the leadership because some folks had come up missing after objecting too much.

  I asked where her husband was, she got teary again and said he went missing after he punched out one of the deputies who had fondled their daughter. She said that was a few months back and that was another reason why the kids took off, fathers were disappearing. The boys were in a better place then the girls but were still being treated rough.

  I gave her the list of names we had for her to look over, she said she knew most of them and all were in the same boat as she was, a couple of husbands missing and all being treated like shit.

  I asked her if she could contact them all and tell them their kids were safe and where they were but to not talk about it at all. She agreed and I told her we would be back in a few days or so and then things were gonna be better.

  We left and I said, “Thanks chief, sometimes delivering bad news is better if the crowd is kept to a few.” He perked right up and asked what happened? I said the kids were screwing off out on the lake, all doped up and drunk and had been playing chicken at high speed when they both chickened in the same direction, the crash caused one boats fuel tank to blow and the resulting explosion and fire had killed several and the rest drowned before anyone could get there. I said one girl lived long enough to give us their names. And we had buried them.

  Ever see somebody hearing what should be sad news try real hard to hide a smile? Well this asshole was not doing a good job of it. He did go on about how he and the leadership had tried to work with the kids but they just wouldn’t leave the pot and booze alone, Beth and I just looked sad and shook our heads.

  His entire attitude changed on the way back to the chopper, he said May’s people were doing a wonderful job and were a blessing. Beth was running her fingers on the butt of her pistol; shit Sandy would have shot the bastard by now.

  At the bird he asked why the guns were on board, I told him we had found some rabid coyotes in our area so we were gunning them from the air.

  He said he sure would like a couple of the m-60’s if we had any to spare, I said sure, we will be back in a few days with some. He was ecstatic.

  We loaded up on the chopper and Ralph took off right away, leaving the Chief and his people in a cloud of dust. We made it home and I called a meeting and explained what we found out. Joe and Willy were all for just taking the town, I didn’t want the town I just wanted the folks living there to be treated well, so a change of leadership was in order.

  And why was it my business? Well because. Because I can’t stand this kind of crap plus the girls now know so if I don’t they will without me. Not that they couldn’t do it as well or better it’s just that where one goes we all go.

  I figured we would give it a few days and then head back to take the Chief the promised m-60’s except he wasn’t gonna like how he got them. One problem is not knowing just how many of the locals are involved with this mess, and who could be trusted to take over. All legitimate concerns that had to be handled or the whole mess was not gonna go away.

  I talked to the folks who had spent the day observing the kids and got reports on all of them, a couple of the boys are more into laying in the shade and letting others work, they also seem to have hidden some weed and spent the day stoned.

  All of the girls were pitching in and trying to help, all had some gardening experience, Mable said a couple of them really enjoyed it.

  The rest of the boys were involved in different projects that they joined on their own; two were helping the Old Farts with loading ammo and seemed to be real willing and eager to learn. The OF’s said they would keep them as helpers if they wanted to stay on. All in all, the bunch was doing pretty good except the two pot heads. I had a plan for them.

  Three days after our visit to Page we prepared to return, The girls and I were gonna fly back in the chopper, Joe and Willy were going to leave the day before and quietly infiltrate in and around the road blocks, others were going to infiltrate the town and prepare to get involved if it turned into a cluster fk.

  I wanted to end this without killing anybody, I just wanted to get the PTB’s out of office and power and let the people decide who would replace them.

  May asked what if the locals wanted to keep it as it was.

  All I could do then was offer a place in our area for all who wanted to leave. People are entitled to the kind of Government they wanted, be it good or bad. But nobody should have to live under one like this.

  The morning we left for Page I sent for all the kids and when they gathered I told them we were going to change things in Page and afterward they could decide if they wanted to remain here or go back. All of them wanted to stay here.

  I told the two slackers to get their stuff they were leaving, one asked why so I told him, he asked why he should have to do grunt work when his “woman” was doing it. She spoke up and said, “I’m not your woman or anybody’s for that matter and if you wanna eat then get off your ass and work for the right!” Well he didn’t like that but he liked it even less when he called her a bitch and Sandy popped him in the mouth so hard and fast he was on his ass before he knew it. When he got up he started for her which was a really bad thing to do. I was prepared to stop her from shooting him but she just kicked his ass for about five minutes and didn’t break a sweat. I was proud of her, not for fighting but for not shooting the mouthy little shit.

  With that a couple of the men dragged him to the chopper while his less mouthy buddy grabbed their stuff and ran for the bird.

  We loaded up and headed right out. When we got close to the town the girls manned (womanned?) the guns. I really wanted Beth to stay home but didn’t want my ass kicked so I kept my mouth shut. Sandy yelled
over the noise “Good boy!” May gave me a thumbs up, Beth just leaned on me and smiled.

  We went in like going into a hot LZ but only found the chief and about ten of his deputies.

  Ralph landed so all of them were under a gun with Sandy standing behind it with it pointed right at them. Ralph shut it down while I bailed out and moved to the side away from the gun, when the dust settled I saw the Chief glaring at me so I asked what was his problem? He said he didn’t like the gun being pointed at him and his men. I just smiled and said, “Well here’s the thing. You and your men drop your weapons and there won’t be a problem, don’t drop them and it still won’t be a problem because “She” will just shoot you.”

  They all just stood there with their mouths open attracting flies, finally when he could speak the Chief asked what the fk was going on. “Simple,” I said, you and the rest of your good ol boys network are out of business and the folks here will elect whomever they want to lead the town.

  There was a lot of yelling but a five round burst from the gun and they all dropped down and shut up. May was backing Sandy’s play with her rifle while Beth covered the other side with the gun. All in all it went well, I collected their weapons, and for their safety I cuffed them with their own cuffs and loaded them into the back of their trucks for the ride to the town hall. I left the boys under Ralphs watch.

  We arrived to find the whole city leadership having a meeting that ended when the Chief was pushed into the room wearing cuffs.

  The Mayor stood up and asked just what the hell was going on so I told him and told him what was gonna be happening shortly. He said, “Over my dead body!” Sandy said, “I’m good with that,” and drew her 45, pointed it between his eyes and dropped the safety, now with Sandy I’m never sure what she will do but this asshole was a believer and dropped into his chair real fast looking both green and pale at the same time, I’ll bet that’s a hard thing to do.

  I asked May to head out to the road block and touch base with our people, she was gone for about 10 minutes and returned with Joe. He said they had the road block crew under control and were bringing them into town. Our people would take over the guard duty.

  I asked the Mayor how they got everybody here in case of an emergency, he said with a fire warning and showed the button on the wall. Sandy walked over and punched it setting off a very loud siren which I could only stand for a few minutes before turning it off.

  But it did its job, the people were coming on the run and soon the street in front was filled with a few hundred people with more coming.

  I waited for another five minutes before going out the door. I stood looking out at the crowd until they grew silent, I then asked the so called summer people to move to one side and the locals to the other and with some grumbling they did it.

  I then told them who I was and that we lived up lake in the canyons and that it had come to our attention that there seemed to be a problem between the locals and the summer people. Most of the people looked around kind of like this was the first time they had heard this, some did know. Then I told them their Mayor and Police department was for now shut down.

  I explained about the missing husbands who had complained about things like their daughters being assaulted by the deputies which really seemed to be a wake up for even more folks.

  They started talking among themselves and I saw several becoming angry and some pushing going on. I let it go for a bit and then said, “Ok that’s enough!” How many of you are happy with the current leadership of your town? A lot of hands when up. So I said, “Ok, there will be an election right now to decide if you keep these people or change things right now.”

  I said all in favor of changing leadership move to the right those wanting the current leadership move left. After that was done I asked the summer people to move to one group or the other. One loud mouth yelled out that the outsiders had no vote. I asked him where in the Constitution it says an adult American can’t have the right to vote? He said, “They don’t live here!”

  I asked the summer people to raise their hands if they owned property here and all raised their hands, I asked loud mouth where he lived, seems he lived in a rented trailer in a park.

  I told him to shut up. When the counting was done the new bloods had it by a very large lead. I then told them they needed to decide who they thought would do the job in a fair manner and this started a loud discussion.

  In the end they voted in a new Mayor and city council as well as a Town Marshall who would pick his deputies.

  The new Marshall was the road block man who said he knew me and even the summer people liked him.

  I told them the Mayor and all the former leadership had been involved in the disappearance of the missing men and the assaulting of young girls. And they needed to dig the truth out and do what was needed.

  I said we would be checking back and things best be going right or we would come down hard. I did tell the parents of the kids we kept in the canyon that the kids had decided to stay on their own and I wasn’t going to make them come back but any parents who wished could move to the canyons and set up a home among us as long as they understood our ways.

  All of them wanted to move right now, so Joe and Willy and the troops they took with them would help them get loaded up and rolling, I think they will fit in real well.

  I then asked if the parents of the two pot heads were there. They were so I told them to pick up their boys at the chopper.

  We spent the rest of the day getting things done and after the bad guys were in jail and the new leadership had took over we headed out for home. I was very pleased, a bloodless coup! The best kind.

  We arrived home and after the day in Page our wonderful canyon home was like heaven compared to living in a cluster of boxes full of resentment. I for one will never go back to that lifestyle.

  The Page parents and kids were reunited with both scolding and tears. Yeah I live in the big house on the hill so to speak but in our community we are all equal, want to pave your hobbit home with gold tiles? Fine, get to melting and casting, we have the gold so do it. Of course nobody wants that but if they did they could. Greed isn’t living in our area. The people seem to be so happy and content if those two words don’t mean the same thing. Everywhere we’ve been, for the most part, people want to be left alone to just be happy, they don’t want “Government” outside of a local committee to handle the problems that crop up and damn little of that.

  People are free to come and go as they will, any who cause problems can and will be shown the road. That’s true freedom, live your life as you will, don’t try to force your will on others and don’t be a horsesass. Pretty simple, well, and be prepared to fight to the death for the community if called on.

  We had time to clean up and head to the cooking area on the bum again. The girls jumped in helping where they could while I went to the cold cave for a cooler of beer as my donation to the whole. It’s hard work carrying a cooler full of beer.

  Mable and Lyla had conspired to cook up an awesome strew made from their gardens and some of the boys had gotten lucky and sniped some desert mountain quail.

  The beauty of a big pot of stew is that when you toss in a few small birds with everything else it goes a long way, try to just cook the quail and everybody gets a tiny bite.

  I gave the boys a big thumbs-up and got big smiles in return! Smiles are good! I asked them to tell me about their hunt which showed a lot of smarts and common sense.

  The two boys were maybe 10 or 12 years old and had got an idea and thought it out and then put their plan into action. Part of which involved them going to the Old Farts and digging thru the 22 ammo until they found some CB caps which are like short shorts, they had to expend some of the ammo to learn where the lighter loads were going to hit and having done that they went to a close water hole favored by the quail and using the extra quiet 22 ammo were able to head shoot several birds before the rest got worried and took off.

  Awesome thinking!! And everybo
dy gave them a hand! Now are we gonna starve without the quail? Not even close, but these two lads had an idea to improve tonight’s meal with something we as, a rule, don’t have simply because the sheer numbers needed to make a true meal were not cost effective, as to say hunting with shotguns.

  So they went about it on their own and got it done. The Quail stew was wonderful, the girls had introduced the other ladies to fry bread so we had that to dunk in the stew We had a big fresh salad full of the entire garden. I will admit I miss Ranch dressing and one of the ladies is working at it, but in the meantime she made a really great raspberry with some kind of nut dressing, it is awesome. Cold beer!

  The commo lady sent a “FAK” (find a kid) with the message that Joe and Willy were on the road and would stay over in Kayenta and come on in the next day.

  They also reported several of the People had decided to honor the Old Woman’s request and return home so they were traveling with.