by Joe Nobody
“She?” Bishop asked, tilting his head.
“Yes,” Bella Dona answered with a nonchalant response. “I believe her name is May.”
Terri’s shock at the name of Butter’s coconspirator passed quickly. Bishop saw it and hoped he was the only one who took notice.
Stepping toward their hostess, Terri’s tone became very undiplomatic. “So you expect me to believe that a 20-year-old girl traveled several hundred miles across hostile lands so she could meet up with our friend and try to kidnap and rape another woman? I’m struggling with this, partially because it doesn’t make a lick of sense, but mostly because new facts keep coming to light. You must realize that May is a citizen of the Alliance as well.”
Everyone but Castro seemed to have forgotten about the throng of people that still surrounded the Texans and their hosts. Bishop was reminded of their presence when several of the onlookers inhaled sharply as his wife’s words challenged Bella Dona.
Castro appeared about ready to explode, the purple-faced strongman taking an aggressive step toward Terri with murder in his eyes. Bishop intercepted, moving in front of the local, his posture making it clear he was ready to fight.
Bella Dona regained control of the situation quickly, “I think we should all step inside before continuing this discussion. Please, let’s get out of the heat and give everyone’s emotions a chance to simmer down.”
With their guests in tow, Castro and Bella Dona took the opportunity to have a quiet, private discussion as they strolled back toward the Castle. Bishop decided to do the same, drawing close to his wife and leaning into her ear. “Butter didn’t kill all of those guys back there.”
“How do you know?”
“They were shot in the head with a small caliber handgun, probably a .32. Butter carries a .45 like mine. There would be an exit wound the size of a golf ball if they had been shot with one of our pistols. Plus, our guide initially told us that Butter had killed two of the sentries, remember?”
“Perhaps May shot them? She could have brought a weapon with her.”
“Could be, but the guys who were executed had been bound right before they were killed. One of them had most of the skin whipped off his back. I think Castro had his incompetent guards killed and is blaming Butter.”
Terri nodded, then added, “Did you see how all of the farm workers wouldn’t make eye contact with Castro or Bella Dona? It was like they were scared to death of our hosts. What have we stumbled into here, Bishop?”
“I don’t know, but this whole mess reeks of evil. It’s everywhere. There’s something else that’s bugging me – where have I heard of the relationship between Copperheads and Quakers before? I just can’t quite place it.…”
“A conservative religious group and a breed of snake?”
“No, I am sure someone coupled the two groups of people in another conversation, and it’s driving me nuts trying to remember. It’s like those times when you can’t think of a word.”
The group arrived back at the main house, the two Texans escorted into the library, no one speaking a single word. Again, they found themselves alone in the room with Castro and Lady Bella Dona.
The lady of the house didn’t take her seat, however, choosing instead to stand beside her previous perch. After everyone was settled, she began speaking as if the entire affair was nothing more than a social Sunday tea. “It is obvious by the look on both of your faces that you don’t believe we are being forthright about this situation. So be it. If you’ll excuse me for a brief time, I will make arrangements to have a key witness to last night’s events brought here so that you can interview her. In the meantime, I will have additional refreshments brought in.”
As Bella Dona turned to leave, she had another thought. “And please, don’t try to leave this room. Our security people are extremely tense given last night’s trespass, and I wouldn’t want any harm to befall my guests.”
The couple found themselves alone in the library, looking at each other, both questioning just exactly what was about to happen next.
Grim lowered his binoculars and turned to Kevin. “Bishop was right. Those armored vehicles are old French surplus models they sold to Mexico years before the collapse. I’m stunned they’re still running.”
“They look pretty potent to me,” Kevin replied, still scouting the closest APC through his scope.
Shrugging, Grim said, “Their armor isn’t all that thick. Oh, don’t get me wrong – it will stop anything we have with us, but if you had a .50 caliber, it would blow through that plating like it was made of cardboard.”
“But we don’t have a 50. Mr. Bishop told me to only bring along my AR10, and it doesn’t have near the same punch.”
Grim rubbed his chin, “That’s true. Hindsight is always 20/20. Still, now that I’ve had a good look at them, I’m not nearly as concerned.”
Studying the senior man, Kevin’s eyebrows bounded towards his hairline. “You’ve got a plan.”
Smiling broadly, Grim nodded. “Come on. Let’s get back to the camp. We’ve got a little prep work to do. If push comes to shove, I want to be able to get these truckers out of here.”
The two SAINT members stalked back to the camp where Grim immediately began to issue orders. “I want 20 gallons of gasoline carried between those two trucks where our friends up on the hill can’t see what we’re up to. Kevin, get a couple of the truckers and have them start pulling bullets apart and putting all the powder into some sort of dry container.”
Grim then pointed at one of the deputies and commanded, “Grab another man and start scavenging through those old buildings over there. No telling what you will find, but I already spotted some scrap irrigation pipe. Be discreet, but bring me as much of it as possible. Assume those guys up on the hill are watching your every move, so be sneaky.”
Grinning at his comrade, Kevin nodded while stroking his chin between his thumb and forefinger in a knowing gesture. “You’re going to make pipe bombs,” the rookie operator surmised. “Are you sure they will penetrate their armor?”
Shaking his head, Grim cracked a smile, “You’re close, kid, but no cigar. I’m going to make something far, far more potent than any little, ol’ firecracker. Watch and learn, my young friend. You never know when some of Uncle Grim’s dirty tricks might come in handy.”
The two Texans were beginning to think that their hostess had forgotten them when Bella Dona suddenly appeared in the doorway. Behind the regal plantation owner was a younger woman, followed closely by the always-present Castro.
April was immediately introduced as May’s sister and one of many schoolteachers who taught in the plantation’s expansive system of schools. Upon hearing of the sibling relationship, both Bishop and Terri immediately understood Butter’s actions. Large pieces of a complex puzzle were finally falling into place.
After everyone but Castro was seated, Bella Dona got things started, “April is one of our most valued employees,” the matriarch explained. “She came to us just over two years ago without hope and near starvation. You may ask her anything you wish.”
Terri didn’t hesitate. “Did Butter try to rape you?”
The question seemed to surprise the educator, her frightened eyes darting between Bella Dona and Castro before she answered. “I’m not sure how to answer that,” she stammered. “He lifted me onto his shoulder and was carrying me outside. I tried to fight him off, but he is so fast and strong. I’m not sure what his intentions were.”
Despite desperately wanting to press the young woman seated across from her, Terri held back. You catch more flies with honey than vinegar, she thought. Pour on the honey.
“I’m sorry you’ve had to endure what was obviously a troubling series of events,” Terri said softly. “I wish there was some other way we could continue our investigation without making you relive that trauma.”
“It’s okay,” April nodded, sniffing back a tear. “It was all so … so … fast. My life here at the plantation has been quiet and routine
. I’m still getting over the shock.”
Reaching across to gently pat the distraught girl’s hands, Terri chose a different path. “Tell me about the downfall and how you and your sisters survived,” she said. “I’m always curious to hear the survivors’ stories.”
For the next 15 minutes, April complied with Terri’s request, relaying the story of her family anchored on the lake, her father’s horrible death, and the hungry months that followed. It was clear from the teacher’s choice of words that her memories were tempered by her near starvation scare. Like so many other survivors, malnutrition was an experience that would likely dominate her thoughts until she died.
Both Bishop and his wife had heard similar tales from countless refugees welcomed into Alliance territory. Starvation was a cruel master, driving its servants to the brink of mental anguish while their physical bodies failed them. The famished might have to wait as long as 70 days before death’s welcome release. The process was harsh and demeaning, always stealing victims’ humanity long before stealing their lives.
“She came to us thin and frail, barely able to function … a stick-figure of a human being,” Bella Dona interjected. “We fed her, clothed her, provided medical care, and nursed her back to health. Now she is a productive individual who contributes to our revival.”
“So why did your sister think you needed to be rescued?” Terri asked.
April seemed to be growing comfortable with the two strangers and the fact that she was inside the Castle – a place she had never been allowed before. “May called me a slave. She said I was suffering from something called the Stockholm Syndrome. She was convinced I was being held here against my will.”
“And are you?” Bishop asked, regretting the question the moment it left his throat. No way she’ll answer honestly with my buddy Castro looming over there.
April’s brow knotted tightly as she considered her answer, “Of course not. I simply choose not to leave. Where else would I go? What else would I do? I left a world where I was starving … where every morsel of food I put in my mouth was robbing my mother and sister of nourishment they needed so desperately. Here I can eat all I want. I have a job where I help children learn, something which is very gratifying. Why would I want to leave this and return to a living hell where I have no resources?”
Terri sat quietly for a bit, contemplating what she had just heard. Everyone in the room was surprised when she turned and directed her next question directly as Castro. “Can she leave? Can we take her home to visit her mother? I’ll be happy to provide her an escort back here after they say a proper goodbye. I am sure you can appreciate how worried she is about her.”
For the first time since their visit, the plantation’s strongman couldn’t seem to find his voice. Bella Dona came to the rescue, “No, she isn’t allowed to leave until her contract has been fulfilled.”
“Contract?” Terri asked.
“Yes, all of our workers agree to a contract. In exchange for our nursing them back to health, they agree to stay and work here in our community until they have paid us back for that investment,” Bella Dona explained.
“The company store,” Bishop mumbled, referring to a practice implemented by coal companies in West Virginia during the early 1900s. The miners were paid in a currency that was only usable at a store owned by the parent corporation. The money was never enough to cover living expenses, so the miners became permanently indebted and could never leave the mine. Another piece of the puzzled fell into place, and the Texan didn’t like the picture that was being to emerge. “Indentured servitude,” he added, loud enough for everyone in the room to hear.
Bishop’s words set Bella Dona off, the once-hidden core of fire and brimstone now on public display. “You Texans, always so judgmental, always so smug with your hypocrisy and pretense of holding the moral high ground. Let me tell you something, sir. We had no choice but to implement our contracts. We had thousands of refugees at our doorstep, all of them begging for food. You have no idea how many would take our charity and then run away. No one wanted to stay and plant the fields. None of them were willing to work at harvesting the crop. No, hundreds and hundreds of them would accept our benevolence and then leave us with empty silos and barren fields. They were like locusts, descending on the plantation and consuming everything before they left to swarm the next victim.”
Terri could tell her husband was about to unload on their hosts, and in a way, she didn’t blame him. Still, his loss of temper wasn’t going to get Butter out of hot water or get the United States the food they so desperately needed. “We aren’t here to judge your system or impose our own morals on anyone. We’re only trying to understand what happened with our friend and why a resident of the Alliance traveled all this way and ended up in this mess. How your affairs are conducted is your own business,” she stated calmly.
Bishop looked at his wife as if she had lost her mind, yet knew her well enough to sense that she had some unknown objective in mind. Bella Dona seemed surprised as well, looking at Terri as if she were trying to determine her guest’s sincerity.
“So you’re not going to start lecturing me on the evils of slavery?” Bella Dona asked, still doubtful. “You’re not going to recite a manifesto supporting the rights of the individual or the advantages of freedom of choice? I must say, I’m surprised. Perhaps my own prejudices have clouded my judgement.”
Shrugging, Terri continued, “We understand desperate times call for desperate measures. I’ve looked around and have witnessed scores of well-fed people who seem healthy enough. April is teaching school. Medical care is being provided. In reality, your plantation is light years ahead of most of North America. What my husband or I might personally think about your methods is irrelevant. How you administer, manage, or retain your workforce is none of the Alliance’s affair.”
Bella Dona still wasn’t buying Terri’s spiel but didn’t seem to care all that much. Abruptly standing, she said, “Good. So we are done here. You have your answers, and I’m afraid I must get back to running the plantation.”
“One more question, please,” Terri said, sitting put and obviously not intending to leave just yet, “When is April’s contract paid in full?”
“I would have to calculate that,” Castro answered smugly. “It would depend on her contribution, her condition when she arrived, and how many disciplinary issues are on her record.”
“Fair enough,” Bishop nodded. “How many of your workforce have ever satisfied their contracts?”
“Enough of this,” Bella Dona snapped. “You are no longer welcome in my home. Please leave immediately, or I will be forced to revoke my personal guarantee of your safety.”
“Set them free,” Terri whispered, remembering the message scrawled on the earthmover. “So April, is your sister one of these Quakers?”
The school marm’s confusion returned, “May? A terrorist? I can’t … there’s no way.… May just got out of high school a few years ago. She’s not like that. She’s not a violent person at all.”
“Leave! Immediately!” Bella Dona barked.
“I don’t think you want us to do that,” Terri said with certainty. “If we leave without resolving this issue, I will guarantee that the United States will never purchase another ounce of food from your plantation. I can also promise you that if you execute our man without satisfying our reasonable requests for information, the Alliance will return in force and find the answers we seek. That would be an unfortunate occurrence for all involved.”
For a moment, Bishop was sure Bella Dona wasn’t going to fall for Terri’s bluff. While his wife had done an excellent job of selling the threat, the Texan was sure the woman standing across from them would see it for exactly what it was – desperate posturing.
Bella Dona, however, had a different idea. “I see,” she began, a long, thin finger pressing against the dimple in her chin. Finally, after a very short period, she brightened with an idea.
“A compromise,” announced the plantati
on’s jefe. “I will release your two felons upon fulfillment of two conditions. First, you will bring me proof that the Quakers will no longer threaten our operations. This is critical as we are offering to return the female terrorist to you. Secondly, I want a treaty with the Alliance that states your government will not meddle in our affairs. In exchange, I will fill your trucks and allow the convoy to return home, and I will pardon your citizens. I will give you 10 days to fulfill your side of the bargain. In the meantime, your trucks and their drivers stay here, under our protection.”
Terri considered the offer, “And exactly what kind of proof would you require?”
“I want their heads on a pike,” the matriarch unemotionally replied.
For a second, Terri thought her host was trying to make some sort of bad joke. When Bella Dona maintained a straight-face, the Alliance representative shook her head, “That’s impossible. We don’t execute even the most heinous criminals via evisceration. Besides, if you don’t know who they are, how would you know we had eliminated the Quakers?”
“We’ll know,” Bella Dona answered with a sure smile. “Of that, you can be certain.”
“And if we can’t deliver what you request in that time period?” Bishop asked.
“Then I will execute your friend and confiscate the trucks,” Bella stated without hesitation. “Both of you and one other person will be allowed to leave and return to Texas to fulfill your side of the agreement. The rest of your party stays right where they are.”
“That is unreasonable,” Terri protested. “We have no idea who these Quakers are, or where to even begin looking. They would have to stand trial … be given due process. We don’t just walk up and shoot suspects in the head.”
“They are murderers,” Bella Dona countered. “They ruthlessly attacked the first convoy, massacring those innocent men without mercy or remorse. For the past year, they have destroyed our crops, burned our barns, and sabotaged our equipment. They have butchered dozens of our workers in the fields. If the Alliance is as morally high and mighty as you profess, wouldn’t your government want to vigorously prosecute these criminals regardless?”
