The Order of the Redeemed

by Warren Cain

  Should have talked to someone about that a long time ago, thought Kirk.

  Chapter 54

  Kevin Lampkin pulled up to the house his company had been hired to build at the Sunrise Acres subdivision. Several men were on the roof putting shingles into place, while other hammers could be heard inside the home.

  “Morning, Bill,” said Kevin with a grin that made his black mustache tilt up on the left side of his otherwise boyish face.

  “Damn it, Kevin, this is the third time this month you’ve been late and I don’t even want to hear an excuse because I’m tired of hearing ’em. If I wasn’t short of good help, I would send you packing. You smell like a keg of beer. This is your last chance, Kevin. You get in that truck, go home, sleep it off, and come back Monday sobered up and we’ll talk,” scolded Bill.

  Kevin, without a word, headed back to the driver’s side of the truck Bill lent him to get to work.

  “What the hell did you do to my truck?” Bill said, noticing a new dent in the front fender.

  “Someone hit me in the parking lot at the grocery store after I left work yesterday,” said Kevin, hoping he sounded convincing.

  “If I so much as find out you drove my truck drunk and hit something, you’re out of here. I don’t care how good a worker you are. You need to get your damn fool head on straight before you screw up royal. Now go home and come back on Monday . . . sober.” Bill turned, shaking his head as though he still had plenty to say but didn’t have the time to waste on it.

  “GET THE HELL BACK TO WORK!” Bill shouted, noticing work on the site had come to a halt while everyone stopped to watch the exchange.

  Kevin knew he was furious because they had fallen behind schedule and Bill had them working five, twelve-hour days a week and was threatening to start working Saturday if they couldn’t catch up.

  I could go sleep it off like Bill said, but hell I slept from 1:00 last night until 9:00 this morning. It is Friday and since I have the day off and it’s almost noon I think I’m going to start partying a little early today. Hell, I can slow down on Monday when I HAVE to be back at work. Besides, everyone’s going to be at Steve’s Place tonight.

  Kevin pulled into the liquor store to pick up a case of beer.

  Chapter 55

  Kirk stood outside the bar at Elam, Texas. He had dropped Nick off in Houston and finished the drive to Elam. He made it with only two hours to spare.

  He took a deep breath as he entered the smoke and chaos inside Steve’s Place. He was still uncertain as to what he would say or do to convince Kevin not to get behind the wheel, but he was determined to stop him.

  The bar was filled with loud music from a DJ. Kirk could barely make out how much he needed to pay for a cover charge. He handed the lady at the entrance $10 and waited to see if she asked for more or gave him back change. She handed him a $5 bill.

  “Thank you,” he said, doubting she heard him. A smile was her only reply. Kirk waded through the crowd towards the bar.

  Which table were they? thought Kirk, trying to remember from his vision where he had seen Kevin and his friends. Kirk looked around only to see a different group of people sitting at the table than the ones he had seen in his vision.

  Must not be here yet, Kirk thought to himself as he ordered a cup of coffee from a bartender who looked disgusted at the thought of brewing a pot of coffee.

  Kirk ignored the look but found comfort in the fact that the coffee would be fresh. He had enough four- and five-hour-old coffee to know how bad it could taste.

  Kirk turned to see Kevin and the crowd he was with entering the bar. From the looks of things, they were some of the regulars at this establishment. The lady taking money waved them in with a friendly hello. Kirk saw her shake her head no as she allowed them in at no charge. The group seemed to liven up the whole atmosphere of the bar.

  Their first round was bought by a gentleman at the end of the bar who looked quite natural sitting in that particular seat. Must be another regular, thought Kirk to himself.

  Kirk looked at the time. 10:25. It would be an hour and a half before Kevin would leave.

  Better approach him now while he’s not as drunk as he’s going to be, thought Kirk, taking a deep breath.

  He made his way through the crowd towards the table where the drinking contest was already beginning.

  “I need to talk to you,” shouted Kirk into Kevin’s ear.

  “Do I know you?” asked Kevin, beginning to look defensive.

  “No,” said Kirk. “You look like you’ve had a lot to drink and I think you should take a taxi home tonight. I’ll pay for it.” Kirk was a little less than confident about how that was going to be received.

  “What are you . . . my mom?” asked Kevin sarcastically. “Leave me alone.”

  The drunkenness was already obvious in Kevin’s eyes.

  “No. It’s important you don’t drive tonight. You have to take a cab or let someone sober drive you. I’ll drive you home.” Kirk made the offer before he thought about how it would sound.

  “Get the hell away from me. I’m not gay,” said Kevin as he stood up, knocking his chair over.

  “No. No. I’m not trying to pick you up. It’s just that—” Kirk stopped himself. There’s no way this guy’s gonna believe I had a vision about his wreck.

  “This guy giving you trouble, Kevin?”

  Kirk turned to see a large man who must be the bouncer for this bar.

  “I think he’s trying to pick me up,” said Kevin, jerking his head toward the door, which appeared to be the signal for “kick him out.”

  “Let’s go, dude.” The bouncer wrapped his giant arm around Kirk’s neck and held one arm with his other hand. The pressure around his neck made it difficult to breathe.

  “I’ll make a bet with you,” gasped Kirk.

  The bouncer stopped for a minute and looked at Kevin. Kevin’s curiosity perked up.

  “This better be good,” replied Kevin, tensing up as though he was going to hit Kirk at the first sign of some obscene remark.

  “If you get knocked down by a cat tonight, you either take a cab home or let me drive you home.”

  “What do I get if I don’t get knocked down by a cat?”

  “Fifty bucks,” said Kirk, wondering how he would make it home if he lost.

  “If I make this bet, will you leave me the hell alone?” asked Kevin.

  “Until you get knocked down by a cat, you won’t see me again.”

  “You got a deal, doofus.”

  Kirk felt as though it would be in his best interest not to ask Kevin to shake to “seal the deal.”

  Chapter 56

  Kirk decided to wait across the street from the bar. He wanted to see the whole scene play out from a different angle than he had in his vision. Kind of like seeing the instant replay on television from a different camera angle, he thought to himself, trying to forget about the serious nature of what he was here for.

  Kirk was uncertain that Kevin would be knocked down by the cat the way he was in his vision.

  I’m not even sure if what I’ve already done has changed the outcome of what’s going to happen. At least by the time he comes out, he’ll be wasted enough I might be able to physically keep him from driving if his friends don’t step in, thought Kirk as he decided his best chance was to separate Kevin from his friends.

  11:55. Show time, thought Kirk as Kevin stumbled his way out the door. As Kirk had hoped, Kevin tapped the back of the Monte Carlo. The scene was like watching a rerun. He knew what was going to happen. It still made him smile as the cat knocked Kevin to the ground. This time Kirk was able to see the look of surprise on Kevin’s face as the cat ran off. Kirk held back a laugh, realizing that the next few minutes would be critical to keeping Kevin from getting behind the wheel.

  “Should I drive, or call you a cab?” asked Kirk, try
ing to use a tone that would not sound sarcastic or arrogant.

  Kevin looked up. He had not seen Kirk standing there and had hoped no one witnessed the scene. Kevin’s expression changed as the realization of Kirk’s prediction coming true sunk in.

  “I don’t know how the hell you did that, but stay away from me.”

  “You made a bet you would let me drive you home or call a cab if that happened. You’re not going to back out on that bet, are you?” Kirk said, trying to persuade Kevin to honor his bargain.

  “Get away from me,” said Kevin, pushing past Kirk.

  “I was hoping I wouldn’t have to do this.” Kirk reached back under his shirt and pulled a pistol out that had been tucked into the top of his jeans. Kevin was opening the door to the truck when he turned and started to say something but stopped short when he saw the pistol in his face.

  “Get in the truck. NOW!” said Kirk, trying to intimidate Kevin. It seemed to work. Kevin appeared to sober up rather quickly at the sight of a gun in his face.

  “NOW SIT OVER THERE, SHUT UP, AND HANDCUFF YOURSELF TO THE DOOR WITH THESE!” Kirk handed Kevin a set of handcuffs he had purchased with the pistol at a pawn shop after he had been kicked out of the bar. He had not even considered needing a pistol until he realized Kevin’s friends may jump into the conflict. From the confrontation before he was kicked out of the bar, Kirk knew he didn’t stand a chance alone if his friends got involved.

  Kevin complied with Kirk’s demand.

  Kirk was almost shaking when he first pulled the gun out. He was so nervous, but he surprised himself at the authority he heard in his own voice.

  “What are you doing?” asked Kevin as he handcuffed himself to the wing window brace on the door.

  “I’m going to show you how bad you almost screwed up tonight,” said Kirk. “I just stopped you from killing a nine-year-old boy who was just on his way home with his family.” Kirk pulled the truck down the road.

  “Slow down, man,” said Kevin with a little fear in his voice.

  The adrenaline must be sobering him up, thought Kirk as he remembered Kevin barely able to keep his eyes open on this trip. He was driving fast to ensure he made it in time to see the Jones family come through the intersection.

  “Now pay attention, Kevin,” demanded Kirk as he parked in view of the intersection.

  Kevin was beginning to nod off.

  Adrenaline must be wearing off, thought Kirk.

  “Wake up, Kevin.” Kevin’s eyes were open, but he was beginning to look sleepy.

  “In a minute, a red Plymouth is going to come through this intersection. I want you to look in the back seat at the little kid looking out the window. If I had let you drive tonight, you would have hit the car as it came through the intersection and he would have died.”

  “How the hell do you know that?” asked Kevin.

  “The same way I knew you would get knocked down by a cat. Now watch . . . they should be coming through any second.” Kirk barely got the words out when the red Plymouth came through the intersection.

  Jeff was looking out the back window. His eyes caught Kevin looking right at him. Jeff raised his hand slowly as if to wave, but no smile came to his face. As quickly as they appeared, they were gone.

  “Take me home,” said Kevin.

  Something in his voice changed. Kirk couldn’t tell what it was, but something about seeing them cross the intersection got to him.

  I hope he’s seen enough to change his ways, thought Kirk hopefully.

  Chapter 57

  Ron walked into a pawn shop in Clark, Wisconsin. The man behind the counter wore a white tank top that allowed his large keg-shaped belly to hang out the bottom.

  “I have twenty bucks, and I need to buy a video camera,” said Ron in a panicked voice.

  “Twenty bucks and you can LOOK at all the expensive ones. Thirty and you can touch one of ’em,” said the man in a sarcastic tone.

  “I need one,” demanded Ron, annoyed at the tone of the man’s voice.

  “Not my problem,” he said with a laugh.

  “How much to rent one for a few hours?”

  “I’m not going to rent one out. What the hell’s your problem?”

  Ron walked up to the counter with a video camera in hand. “Here’s twenty bucks,” he said in an angry tone, grabbing the man by the front of his shirt. “Make me out a receipt for three hours’ rental, and I will be back in two and a half hours.”

  The man looked into Ron’s eyes and saw no room for negotiation. The man behind the counter was unaccustomed to people being larger than he was, but this man had him by a couple of inches and appeared to be in much better physical condition than he was.

  “Alright. I’ll rent you the damn camera, just ease up, man.”

  Ron glared at the man as he made out the receipt for three hours’ rental on a video camera. He almost ran out of the store, realizing he was almost out of time.

  Three blocks away. He almost ran the whole way.

  Ron slowed to a walk as he neared a small alley situated between several old buildings that should have been condemned years before. The alley was littered with empty liquor bottles and newspapers blowing out of a dumpster located about halfway down the alley. He tried to adjust his eyes to the darkness as he walked away from the street lights.

  Ron remembered the old creaking fire escape he saw to his left. The bottom section seemed to be hanging on by what appeared to be a small metallic thread. On his right was an old building that had given up some of its bricks and was in danger of losing more.

  Let’s see, Ron thought to himself, almost sure he was in the right alley. He was on the other side of the dumpster.

  Ron walked down the alley. He fumbled with the video camera to make sure it was ready to record. The man at the pawn shop also threw in a video tape at Ron’s request. As he stepped around the dumpster, he saw a man lying on the pavement injecting himself with heroin.

  What a horrible place to be in, thought Ron, trying not to let the putrid smell from the dumpster gag him.

  The man looked up, surprised. He had finished the process just as Ron stepped around the corner. “What the hell are you doing?”

  The man’s eyes had already begun to glaze over.

  “Just take it easy,” said Ron. “I’m not here to hurt you.”

  Chapter 58

  Terrance Clay’s eyes opened. The ceiling fan above him was spinning slowly. His mind tried to process how he ended up in a room he was unfamiliar with. Slowly, as though he were under water, he surveyed the room.

  In the corner sat a man Terrance was certain he had never seen before in his life.

  “Good morning,” said the man, allowing Terrance the time to orient himself to his surroundings.

  “Hi,” said Terrance in an uncertain voice.

  “Ron Truitt. Nice to meet you,” said Ron, holding his hand out.

  Terrance shook hands. “Where am I?”

  “You are in a hotel room I’m sure I can’t pay for, but I was pretty sure you could.”

  “Why am I here?” he asked.

  “I made a video last night that I’m sure you would like to see,” Ron replied.

  Ron walked over to the television and hit the play button on the camera he had plugged into it. Terrance sat up in the bed and blinked his eyes to allow himself to better see the television screen. On the screen was a view of an alley. The movement of the camera down the alley was almost enough to give a person motion sickness.

  “Hey. This is gonna be a hit at the box office,” said Terrance.

  “Just watch and shut up,” commanded Ron.

  The camera moved around the dumpster just in time to see Terrance shooting up.

  Terrance watched the film. Seeing himself shooting up beside the dumpster gave him a sick feeling. He remembered from the night
before buying the heroin and not wanting to wait until he left the alley to use it.

  I can’t believe I wanted it that badly, he thought.

  “I don’t want to see this,” he said in an irritated tone, getting up to shut off the television.

  “This is you. You can try to deny it all you want, but I have it on film,” said Ron. “If you don’t watch it, I’m going to make sure your boss and your wife see it.”

  Terrance looked at Ron. There was absolutely no indication he was bluffing. Terrance was the executive vice president at a local bank and understood that if this tape was released to his boss it would seriously jeopardize his position with the bank. He didn’t want to think about the consequences of his wife seeing this, although he was certain she knew he had a drug problem.

  “Alright. I’ll watch it. Just settle down,” said Terrance, afraid this large man was about to lose control.

  Ron was focused on this one goal. He knew getting this man to understand how bad his problem was would be the key to stopping him from doing it again. Terrance sat down on the end of the bed. His heart felt heavy at the thought of having to watch the rest of the tape. Terrance saw himself inject the heroin into his arm.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Terrance heard himself say.

  “Just take it easy. I’m not going to hurt you,” said a voice on the tape.

  Terrance saw his eyes glaze over as he went into convulsions. His body began to shake. If it had not been himself on the TV, he would have said the man was going to die. Vomit spewed from his mouth. Terrance could not remember any time in his life when he threw up that much.

  “I can’t believe I look like that.”

  Ron would not let him turn away.

  “You’re going to watch every minute of this tape,” insisted Ron. “I had to watch the whole thing, and it wasn’t pleasant for me. You almost died, and all I could do was film it.”