Summer of the Guns

by Justin Daniel Herman

  Everybody gathered around the governor, with Rutledge and the attorney general each taking some documents to study. The only one that hung back was Captain Sykes. He sat in his chair, mumbling.

  Jessie stood watching, then excused herself. “The children need some rest,” she called out to the governor. “I’ll take them upstairs and get them in bed.”

  “No, please Jessie,” I begged. “They might need me down here.” I was too excited to go to sleep.

  “She’s right, Jessie,” said Captain Sykes. “They might have some questions for Billie and Kelly. Maybe Ace told them something helpful. Why don’t you tuck Sara into bed, then come back down.” His voice was thick like he’d been drinking again.

  After Jessie had put Sara to bed, we sat in the kitchen with Tuck, waiting in case they needed us. It was already midnight by then and I was beginning to feel sleepy. I put my head on the table and nodded off. Next thing I knew, Captain Sykes had a hand on my shoulder. “You and Kelly can go to bed, Billie,” he said. “We won’t need you ‘til tomorrow.” Then the captain took me by the elbow and led me upstairs. He’d had a lot of drinks; I could see he was wobbling. Jessie followed behind him.

  “Go to sleep,” Jessie said as she left the bedroom, “it’s all okay. You’re completely safe.” Then she walked out with the captain, leaving the door open a crack. I heard them talking in the hallway.

  “I’m not sure that your dad’s calling in Cooley was a good idea,” said Captain Sykes. “He should have stonewalled until after the election. It’s only the day after tomorrow.”

  “But those papers will prove that dad wasn’t involved in the scandal,” Jessie replied. “The people need to know that before they go to the polls.”

  “Yeah,” the captain answered. “Johnny’s in the clear, but some of those guys were his appointees. This all happened under his nose. Cooley will have a field day. I can see his headline for tomorrow already: ‘Governor sleeps while appointees rob state blind.’”

  “Maybe so,” she said, “but he’ll have to report that they tried to kill us, too. I’m not above hoping we get a sympathy vote.” There was a long pause, then she said goodnight to the captain. I heard her open her bedroom door, then close it firmly.

  Just as I started to go to sleep, I heard someone knocking. I stayed in bed trying to ignore it, only I heard it again. It sounded like a light tap. I finally picked my head up to listen. It seemed to be coming from Jessie’s room. I threw the covers back and walked quietly to the door. I put my eyeball against the crack of light. I could see Captain Sykes still standing there, right outside Jessie’s door. A moment later, Jessie’s door creaked open. “You’re drinking,” she said in a low voice. “And so am I. We both need to sleep it off.”

  “There’s a good way to get over that. It’ll bring us both down to Earth.”

  “What are you talking about?” she responded in a worried voice.

  “Jessie, you and me—we could, uh, be together tonight. After what we went through today—the things we’ve shared. It was meant to be this way.”

  “My God,” she said angrily. “I’ve already told you no.”

  Then he turned nasty. “You’ll never accept that I love you, will you? I saw you this morning with your arms around that negro. And you won’t let me even touch you.” His voice was getting shrill. “Goddammit, Jessie, you owe me. If you don’t love me, you can still pay me back. I’m tired of waiting for you!”

  “Go home, Charles,” Jessie said sharply. “You’re drunk again!”

  “I’m not leaving ‘til this is settled, Jessie. Now let me in. You’re not puttin’ me off any longer.” He tried to force the door open, but it didn’t budge. She must have had her foot behind it.

  “Stop it, Charles,” I heard her yell. Her shouts became muffled as he reached through the opening and tried to put a hand over her mouth. Then the door swung open, causing him to stumble. Jessie pushed past him and ran down the stairs. The captain watched her disappear, then walked down the stairs like nothing had happened. A few minutes later, I heard the front door open and close. I figured the captain had finally left.

  I sat hunched at the door, still peering out the crack. My heart was pounding. It wasn’t me who was in danger, but I felt like I was for some reason. After a few minutes of silence, Jessie came back up the steps and went to her room. She was sobbing quietly.

  I waited another few minutes trying to figure what to do. I finally walked into the hallway and knocked softly on Jessie’s door.

  “Who is it?” she called out.

  “Me, Billie. Can I come in?”

  She was quiet for a moment. “Yes,” she finally answered.

  When I opened the door, I saw her sitting on the bed, sobbing. “We need to tell the governor what happened,” I said. “There’s something wrong with Captain Sykes. He makes me afraid, too.”

  “No, don’t do that, Billie,” she answered.

  I stood there looking at her, then walked over to try to comfort her. She stopped crying and smiled at me. “You’ve got to get some sleep,” she said, “and so do I.”

  I woke up early the next morning, feeling stiff and sore. Memories of the night before all came flooding back in a torrent. Then the image of my father came into my mind. It both calmed me and frightened me at the same time. I wanted to see him again. I wanted to tell him about the car chase and how I’d jumped in the driver’s seat and got us to safety. But I knew that was impossible, at least for the moment. Then Kelly came into the room with Sara.

  “Breakfast time,” Kelly said, “Tuck wants us to eat now.”

  I sat up, realizing I hadn’t even taken my clothes off the night before. After washing up, I followed Kelly downstairs and half-heartedly ate the oatmeal Tuck placed in front of us. I could hear muffled voices coming from the governor’s study. Then suddenly the door to the study opened and out walked the governor with George Cooley, the newspaper reporter. I remembered him from juvenile court. He looked angry as they walked to the front door.

  “I’ll give you ‘til noon, Governor,” said Cooley as he reached for the doorknob. “If you don’t tell us where you have Horne and the others hidden, my paper will call for your impeachment. And I guarantee the legislature will go along.”

  “For what crimes?” the governor said. “Other than stupidity, that is, and you can’t impeach me for that.” The lines on his face were somehow deeper than they were the day before. He looked ancient.

  “Maybe not,” said Cooley, “but the people can damn sure vote you out of office, Johnny.”

  “Do your damnedest,” the governor fired back. “If you’re right, I’ll be first to congratulate you. But right now, you’ve still got a fight on your hands, so I suggest you get to it.”

  As they walked past the kitchen door, Tuck offered the governor a cup of coffee. He smiled and said “thanks” as he reached out and took it. “I’d offer you some, Cooley,” said the governor, “but I’m afraid that would encourage you to stay.”

  Tuck ushered Cooley to the front door just as Attorney General Defoe, Pat Fellows and Jimmy Parsons came out of the study talking among themselves. Colonel Rutledge followed behind them. After they’d seated themselves at the table, Tuck served coffee all around.

  “Where did Captain Sykes disappear to?” asked Tuck.

  “He left about midnight,” said the governor. “The man’s all torn up inside. There must be some curse on him. Both his sons are dead and now his wife has left him. I guess he went back home. If he’s drunk, I can’t say I blame him. Anyway, I’ve got my own problems. I need to get cleaned up and get out of here. I’m scheduled for a half dozen stump speeches today.”

  “Wait a minute, Dad,” Jessie said as she joined us, wearing a robe. She looked as tired as her father. “Why don’t you just stay here and call all your allies on the phone. They can get the word out about what happened. There’s no reason for you to go out on the road with all this mayhem going on.”

  “With this scandal b
reaking they’ll be changing their minds up to the last minute,” replied the governor. “I’ve got to make sure they know the truth about things, and I need to do it personally, not on the phone. I need to talk to the voters.”

  “I think the gravest danger is past,” said Pat Fellows. “But we can expect the hotheads to be out for your speeches today. The radio’s been blasting out about the scandal and the big roundup of public officials. The noon edition of the paper will be out with Cooley’s story in a couple of hours. You’re gonna need some protection out there. This is just the sort of thing that stirs up the crazies.”

  “I’ll assign two guys from the patrol,” said Colonel Rutledge. “And I think both of you should stay with him, too.” He looked around at Jimmy Parsons, who sat in a chair at the head of the table.

  “I’ll stick with you, Colonel,” said Parsons, “but somebody better stay here with Miss Atkins.”

  “I won’t need any protection,” Jessie said as she sat down at the table. “You’ve already arrested all the ones who were threatening us. You go on with Dad. If I have any trouble, I’ll call Charles. He’ll be sobered up.”

  “I don’t think you can count on him,” said the governor. “He’s out there with his horses and he’s probably drunk as hell. You can’t call the city police, either. They’re probably furious with me down there.”

  Colonel Rutledge handed Jessie his card. “Take this and call me on my private line,” he said. “I’ll be there until five p.m. If you even think you see something strange around here, give me a call. I’ll come myself or send someone in five minutes. Oh, and tell the operator to send any patrolman available. Jurisdiction won’t matter here. If I’ve gone home, call me there. I wrote the number on the back of my card.”

  “Thanks,” she said, placing the card on the kitchen table. “But I’m sure I won’t need it. The kids and I will be fine and besides, Tuck’s here.”

  When everyone was gone, Jessie suggested we go for a swim. She sat reading the paper while we splashed around in the pool. Even though Sara couldn’t talk, she squealed joyfully as she jumped off the diving board.

  Jessie smiled at her and gave her a thumbs-up sign. As I lay on a towel beside her, she told me she’d canceled Thelma’s visit for the day. “I doubt you kids could concentrate anyway after all the excitement yesterday. We’ll make up for it next week.”

  I looked at her glumly. “I have a confession to make,” I said.

  She raised her brows as she stared at me. “What sort of confession?”

  “When I stole Tommy Sykes’ car so that Sara and I could get away from him, I found $100 in it. I didn’t know they’d stolen it from you. I kept it because I thought Sara and I would need it.” I reached into my pocket and took out a bunch of bills. It was all that was left of it. “I gave some of it to Ace when we were desperate. I’ll pay the rest back as soon as I can.”

  She took the money and studied it, then turned back to me. “You don’t need to pay it back,” she said with a laugh. “I’ll put it in a savings account for you and Sara and I’ll add some extra with it. I’m just glad you had it when you needed it.”

  24

  It was just getting evening when we heard the phone ringing in the kitchen. “Where’s Tuck?” said Jessie as she got up from the sofa. “Tuck!” she shouted. “Get the phone before it rings off the table.” When Tuck didn’t answer, Jessie got up to get the phone herself. I followed her into the kitchen. I was beginning to feel hungry and hoped to find something I could snack on. When I came in, I saw Jessie standing with the phone in her hand, a worried expression on her face. She turned to face me as she hung up the receiver.

  “Oh, my God,” she said. “I can’t believe this. Why would he do such a thing? I’ve got to get Colonel Rutledge on the phone. Oh, where is that card he gave me?” She scanned the kitchen table, brushing papers aside, then did the same on the breakfast bar. Finally she breathed a sigh of relief as she picked up a small business card, then quickly dialed a number. “Oh, God, please be there,” I heard her say.

  “What’s going on?” I asked. I felt scared again.

  The number she dialed didn’t answer, so she slammed the receiver down and called the operator. “It’s after five,” she said. “I need to call him at home.” She dialed another number but got no answer. Then she called the Highway Patrol Headquarters again.

  After a pause, I heard someone on the other end. Jessie spoke urgently. “I just tried to get Colonel Rutledge,” she said. “His private office number doesn’t answer.” Then she screamed into the phone, “This is Jessie Atkins! Send a patrolman to the governor’s mansion! Hurry please! And call the city police too!” She was trembling.

  “What’s happening?” I asked desperately.

  “I’m sorry,” she answered. “That was the warden at the prison who called a while ago. Your father’s broken out, and he’s probably after you and Sara. He beat up two guards and stole a truck. The Patrol Operator said all the patrolmen are out on assignments. She’s hoping to get an off-duty man to come.”

  I hardly knew what to say. Part of me was thrilled that my father was coming for us, but then panic set in. “He won’t hurt you, Jessie,” I said, trying to comfort her. Kelly and Sara had both come down the stairs by then. Kelly spoke up from behind me.

  “Where’s Tuck at?” asked Kelly. “Maybe he knows where the governor keeps his gun.” I felt hurt that Kelly was afraid of my dad, too, but I held my tongue.

  “He must be out shopping,” cried Jessie. “I’ve got a gun in my purse,” she added tentatively.

  Kelly started to tremble. “Can’t you call Captain Sykes?” he asked.

  Jessie furrowed her brows. “I’ll try him. If he’s sober enough, he can get here faster than the patrolman.”

  “My father won’t hurt you!” I blurted, but to no avail. I saw Jessie dial again, then she shouted into the phone.

  “Please come, Charles. Carl Moran’s broken out. Hurry, please!” She listened for a few seconds, then hung up and told me to get my shoes on. “You, too, Kelly,” she said. “And tell Sara. Charles wants me to get you children out of here now. Hurry, let’s go!”

  She ran up to her room while I did the same. I obediently put my shoes on, but I had no intention of going with her. I had to be with my dad no matter what. Only I decided that Sara should stay with Jessie. Papa and I could handle being on the run, but we weren’t deaf and mute. It would to be too hard on Sara.

  Just then I saw Jessie coming down the stairs with Kelly and Sara behind her. Kelly was carrying his shoes. “They told me it happened two hours ago,” Jessie said hurriedly. “He stole a truck. He could be here right now.” Jessie, holding her car keys, opened the back door and ushered Kelly and Sara outside ahead of her. Then she called to me. “Hurry up, Billie! There’s no time for thinking things over.”

  “I’m not going,” I said firmly. “I’m stickin’ with Papa. But Sara should stay with you.”

  “Don’t do this,” she said insistently. “I know you love him, but he can’t give you any life out there on the run. Oh, God, if he’d stayed put, my father was going to help him after the election. Now he’s ruined everything.”

  “Right or wrong, he’s my father and I’m going with him,” I answered.

  “You’re going with me!” she said. She threw her purse on the kitchen table and ran over to me, grabbing me by the hand and pulling me toward the door. I pulled my hand away from her and dodged behind the breakfast table. She came after me again but I jumped out of the way.

  “Please, Billie, please,” she pleaded. “Your whole life’s ahead of you. Don’t throw it away.”

  Then my heart sank. I saw Papa’s huge figure in the open door. He was holding Sara in his arms. She was hugging him tightly and crying. Kelly just stood there, bewildered. At first, Papa didn’t say anything. When Jessie saw me staring toward the door, she turned and let out a scream.

  “Just relax, lady,” Papa said. “I’m taking my children, but I don
’t intend to hurt you.”

  Jessie was just stood there. Then she suddenly spoke up. “I won’t let you,” she told him. I could see she intended to fight. “You can only give them pain and a life on the run. It’s no good, Mr. Moran.”

  “At least I can give ‘em a life,” Papa answered. “I heard about that car chase yesterday. I heard about it right after it happened. I told you I’d come after them if their lives were threatened. Well, I’m here, lady. I’m here and I’m gonna take them. Now, give me your car keys and some money. I know you got money around here in a big fancy house like this.”

  “No,” she replied. “I won’t help you.”

  Then Papa looked over at me. “Get her purse off the table, Billie. Bring it over to me.” Then he looked at Jessie. “I’m no thief, lady, but I got no choice. We’ll have to eat.” When I failed to move, he repeated his command. “Billie, we have to leave,” he said. He was pleading now.

  I grabbed Jessie’s keys from her, then ran to the table where her purse was sitting. I opened it, took out the wallet and handed it to Papa. The little automatic pistol was in there, too, but I didn’t take it. Instead, I just closed the purse.

  “All right, let’s move, Billie,” Papa said as he looked into Jessie’s wallet. “There’s enough in here to get us out of town,” he said. “I’m sorry, Miss Atkins, but I’ll have to tie you up. I can’t let you call in the cops before we even get going. We need a head start. By the time you get yourself loose, I’ll have abandoned your car. I promise you’ll get it back in good shape. I’ll send you back this money I’m takin’, too, soon as I can get work. Now help me tie her up, Billie. We’ll have to tie up the boy, too. We’ll tie them together.”