by Mark Goodwin
Don rolled the window down again. “Is there somewhere we can talk?”
“We can talk right here.”
“Okay. Do you mind if we get out of the truck?”
“I think I’d prefer if you stay inside.”
“Alright then. My name is Don Crisp…”
“Yes, I’ve heard. You’re supposedly the head of security at Apple Blossom Acres.”
“That’s right. May I ask your name?”
“State your business, Mr. Crisp.”
“Very well. We had an incident Saturday night. A widow’s home was torched.”
The tall man kept one hand on the butt of his pistol. “That’s unfortunate, but I don’t know what that has to do with us.”
“Let me finish. The perpetrator spray painted a message on the back wall which said get out while you still can, LR. Some of the people in Apple Blossom Acres speculated that LR could stand for Laurel Ridge. I just wanted to stop by and ask if that could have possibly been anyone from your community.”
“Absolutely not. The accusation is unfounded and preposterous. Good day, Mr. Crisp.”
“Hold on, I’m not the one who thinks Laurel Ridge is responsible.”
“I don’t care what anyone thinks. Turn your vehicle around and leave.”
“I think you should care. The widow’s grandson has roughly ten militia members convinced that you’re a threat and that your community should be eliminated.”
The tall man turned around, his face went white. “Us? We haven’t done anything. Tell him to leave us alone.”
“I’ve tried to reason with the man. We’ve had a town hall meeting about it and everything. The issue has caused a split in our community. But he seems dead set on coming after Laurel Ridge. His militia is well-armed and well-trained.”
The two guards looked at the tall man. One asked, “Herman, what are we going to do?”
The tall man, Herman, evidently, thought for a moment. “Why are you telling me this?”
“Trying to be neighborly, provide you with a warning.”
Herman was shaken. “How do we even begin to prepare for an attack by some psychopathic madman?”
“I’d be happy to provide you with a few pointers, if you’ll let us come in.”
Herman seemed hesitant. “How do I know this isn’t some trick?”
Don pulled out his driver’s license. “Here’s proof I live behind you.”
Herman examined it. “What about theirs?”
Jack offered his ID as well.
Kate leaned forward to address the man. “I’m from Atlanta and Gavin is from Charlotte. We came up to my dad’s old place after the attacks.”
“That’s a common story in our community as well.” Herman returned the wallets to Jack and Don. “Pardon my skepticism, but it seems you took considerable risk just getting out on the road. Are you sure charity is the only motivation for your visit?”
“Times aren’t getting any easier, may I call you Herman?” Don asked.
“Yes, please. My name is Herman Sweeny. I’m the HOA president for Laurel Ridge.”
Don introduced Kate, Jack, and Gavin, then said, “I did feel it was my duty to give you a heads up, however, it’s in our interest to not have a security threat in our backyards.”
“Pull forward and follow me up to my house.”
Don watched the man speak with the guards privately, then followed him up the steep winding road. Herman’s home was a huge house. The foundation of the arts-and-crafts cabin was stacked stone. Chinked logs made up the construction of the main level while shaker siding covered the second floor.
Don pulled into the cobblestone drive and cut the engine. Kate and the others exited the vehicle, then followed Herman to the portico which was covered by a grand timber-framed roof.
“This is a beautiful home,” Kate walked into the vast open foyer and gazed at the beautiful architecture.
“Thank you. Retrospectively, I wish I’d allocated my money differently, but who could have imagined such a thing would happen. Please, have a seat.” Herman waved his hand at the oversized leather couch and loveseat. “You said you could offer some advice.”
Don looked down at the wide dark wooden boards of the floor. “I don’t have any justification for detaining the widow’s grandson, other than him mentioning a possible vendetta against Laurel Ridge. If I were to try such a move, it could further divide our community, push others who are currently not supporters into his arms, so to speak.”
“I understand your position.” Herman made the large leather chair look small when he sat in it.
“However, if he were to act on his threats, he would be jeopardizing the safety of our community by creating bad blood between us. I believe I would have the support of enough of the community to take action against him at that point.”
The lines in Herman’s face deepened. “But it would be too late for us.”
“Unless we could warn you that the attack was coming,” Kate said. “Could we spare one radio?”
“The signal would never go over the mountain.” Jack shook his head. “And we couldn’t send a runner because James would be going through the woods. He’d probably shoot anyone who he saw as a threat and try to explain it away later.”
Don looked into Herman’s eyes. “You should pick one property to defend. Without communications, you can’t hold this neighborhood. They’ll pick you off one at a time. Your people need to gather all your supplies and dedicate one home as a fortress.”
Herman looked up the stairs where his wife was eavesdropping on the conversation. He nodded. “My wife actually suggested that. But we’ve been hoping this would blow over, and it wouldn’t come to such drastic measures.”
Don continued, “We’ll come to back you up if James attacks, but you’ll have to keep them at bay until we arrive.”
Kate’s heart froze. She’d never considered that she might be asked to take action against Sam. She had to find another way.
Gavin said, “Don, can our team have a moment to talk privately?”
“Herman? Would you mind?” Don asked.
“Go right ahead. I’ll leave you the room.” Herman stood and walked up the stairs toward his wife.
Gavin leaned forward and spoke softly. “We picked up a few extra guns from the shootout at the McDowell’s place. Maybe we could arm them with something better than an over-under shotgun.”
“We didn’t pick up much ammo from that fight,” Kate countered. She was usually the first person to be generous, but she knew these guns could end up killing Sam, the nephew she loved so dearly and had promised her dying brother that she’d look after.
Don looked to Jack. “What do you think?”
“Kate’s right. We don’t have an endless supply of ammo. We could give them some weapons, but they’d have to pull the triggers sparingly.”
“One 30-round magazine in an AK-47 could mean the difference in life and death to a man who has nothing but a pistol or an over-under shotgun.” Gavin looked at Kate who turned away.
“I guess we could give them two AKs and 100 rounds. We probably have an extra pump-action shotgun. They should have ammo for that,” Jack said. “What do you say, Kate?”
“Sure.” She didn’t want to give them anything but knew it was the right thing to do.
Herman came back down and Don told him their plan.
“That’s very generous. What’s the catch?”
Don said, “We want you to form an alliance with us. We’ll figure out a way to communicate. If we get hit from our side, you’ll back us up. If you get hit, we’ll back you up. And both of us will make sure no harm comes through the back door, to either of us.”
“I’ll talk it over with the board, but I think that sounds agreeable. I take it you are worried about other threats than just this James character?”
Kate nodded. “James Dean wasn’t the first problem we’ve encountered, and he won’t be the last.”
Don stood and looked out at the long-range view
of the mountains. “Ernest Martin has the property on top of the mountain on our side. We’ll meet you on the ridgeline this evening at 4:00 PM. We’ll bring you the guns and walk you through basic operations.”
Herman pulled a binder off the bookshelf containing the Laurel Ridge HOA information. He opened it and took out a map. Herman spread the map out on the coffee table. “That should back up to Perry Hine’s place. Good. I’ll meet you there.”
Kate and the others said farewell to the man and headed back to the truck.
On the way home, Don said, “Kate, I realize you have a substantial emotional attachment to one of the rangers, but I’m going to need you to keep this under your hat. Think you can do that for me?”
She looked at Gavin and bit her lip.
Don continued, “I hope it doesn’t come to a firefight, but Sam has made his choice. I need to know I can count on you.”
“Okay,” she mumbled.
“Okay, what? I need to hear you say it.”
“Okay, I won’t talk to Sam about it.”
“Or anyone else. This could spread like wildfire. If Vicky or Amanda McDowell were to catch wind of it, it would go straight to David. Then he’d tell Dean. This is top secret. We all need to be on the same page for this one.”
“Yes, sir. I understand.” Kate slumped back in her seat, hating the situation.
CHAPTER 20
But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the Lord: and be sure your sin will find you out.
Numbers 32:23
Monday evening, Kate prepared for her shift at the checkpoint. A knock came to the door. Kate looked out the window to see Sam and David standing on the porch. Both were wearing camouflage clothing and tactical vests. She opened the door. “Where are your jack-boot uniforms?”
“Those are our dress uniforms.” Sam came inside. “We’re training. We don’t train in our dress uniforms. David and I are here to get my share of the supplies.”
“Okay, but I only have thirty minutes before I have to go.”
“That should be enough time.” Sam led the way down the stairs to the garage.
Kate kept a close eye on what he was taking. She’d allow him only so much. “What are you training for?”
“I can’t disclose the nature of our missions. I’m sure you understand.” Sam opened the door and began loading buckets into James Dean’s Wrangler.
Kate watched the two boys taking the buckets closest to the entrance. She felt confident that Sam couldn’t fit too many supplies in the Jeep, but hoped he wouldn’t come back for more. She noticed the magazine in Sam’s vest had been painted OD green. “You painted your magazines?”
“Yeah, those shiny black magazines reflect light; sunlight, even a flashlight beam at night. The paint dulls them out, makes them less reflective.”
“Can I see one?”
Sam paused as if he were trying to figure out what she was up to. “I suppose it won’t hurt anything. But I’ll need it back when I leave.” Sam handed her a magazine and continued hauling buckets.
Kate examined the hue. “Sam, this is the same paint that was used on Mrs. Dean’s house.”
David stopped in his tracks. He remained frozen for a moment. He seemed to quickly calculate the implication of the remark and turned to Sam for an explanation.
Sam looked at him and shook his head dismissively. “They sell that stuff at Wal-Mart. It doesn’t mean Mr. Dean set the fire himself.”
“No, but it’s an awful curious coincidence. You’re walking away from your family to go fight with this man. I think you owe it to yourself to consider the possibility.” Kate held to the magazine firmly.
David stood staring at Kate.
She said, “You, too, David. Vicky and I have each other, but your mom is all alone in this hostile new world. Would your father approve of you running off on her to follow Dean?”
Sam angrily snatched the magazine away from her. “That’s enough, Aunt Kate.”
However, her comments were already resonating with David. He looked contemplatively at one of the spray-painted magazines in his own vest. “Are you sure about this, Sam?”
“David, she’s trying to get in your head.” He stuffed the mag back in his front pouch.
“Why would these people in Laurel Ridge, who were mostly like doctors and lawyers, have OD green spray paint laying around?” David stood in his position.
Sam snapped at both of them in defense of James Dean. “Mr. Dean was on shift when the fire occurred.”
“Where was Skeeter?” Kate asked.
“I don’t know. That doesn’t make him an arsonist. Besides, why would he set his own grandmother’s house on fire?”
Kate corrected, “He set her garage on fire. For one thing, it almost absolved him of suspicion. For another, he incited outrage in the community because one of our most vulnerable members was attacked. And lastly, it gave him an excuse to take over the Smith’s residence, which is now conveniently being used as ranger barracks.”
Sam shook his head but didn’t dispute any of the line items Kate had ticked off. “You’re judging him guilty over some circumstantial evidence.”
Kate made a conscious effort to stay cool. “And you’ve exonerated him despite some very compelling circumstantial evidence. Sam, you’re an intelligent young man. The only reason you would refuse to even consider that James had a hand in the fire is that you are consumed with rage. This crisis has taken your mother and your father, and you want somebody to pay. You don’t care who it is. Anybody that James tells you to kill will be a suitable scapegoat. I know you Sam; you won’t be able to live with yourself if you make a mistake like that.”
Sam and David looked at each other for some time. Finally, Sam asked his brother-in-arms, “What do you want to do?”
“Maybe we shouldn’t take all of your supplies to the barracks. We could look around, see if anything else pops up that indicates Skeeter started the fire.”
“I already took Dean’s Jeep to get my stuff.” Sam looked to Kate as if asking for a way out.
“Did you tell him how much you were bringing?”
“No, I just said some buckets of rice and other foods.”
“So take four buckets and tell him that’s what you feel was your fair share. You can take some of the ones that got shot up in the raid.” Kate picked up a bucket which had duct tape covering the bullet holes.
Sam seemed to mull over the idea. “Okay. But if we don’t find anything else, you won’t hold out on me when I come back for the rest?”
“Did I hold out on you this time? It’s your share, Sam. I hate to see you go, Vicky hates to see you go, but you’ve obviously decided to make your own rules. I don’t want you to make a mistake that you’ll regret because I love you, but I respect your decisions.”
“Has Vicky said anything about me?” David asked.
“She misses you. I’m sure your mom does even more.”
David looked at his boots and bit his lip. “Tell Mr. Dean that I needed to see my mom. I can’t make training tonight.”
“What if he gets mad?” Sam asked.
“Tell him to come get me if he thinks he can.” David walked out the garage door and retrieved his AR-15 from the back of the Jeep. He walked down the driveway, gravel crunching beneath his boots.
“Now look what you did.” Sam watched his friend walk down the hill.
“What I did?” Kate’s feathers were instantly ruffled.
Sam cracked a mischievous grin. “Relax, Aunt Kate, I’m just kidding.”
She resumed her composure. “Are you going back?”
“I have to drop off the Jeep. Maybe I’ll leave it in the drive and come right back.”
“Dean will know something is afoot if you and David don’t return. I need to call Don right away.”
“Don’t say anything on the security frequency. Mr. Dean is monitoring the channel.”
Kate’s thumb was on the talk button of her radio. She let it fall to the side of
the device. “I’ll go talk to him in person. Can you stall a while with the Jeep?”
Sam lifted his shoulders. “I could say we picked up a nail, and we’re changing the tire.”
“Unlikely, but possible. Let’s take the supplies back into the garage anyway.”
“So I’m not leaving Dean with four buckets?”
“That was a ruse to buy us time. Now that David has gone AWOL, the jig is up.” Kate walked to the Jeep and grabbed two buckets.
Sam followed her and did likewise. “Maybe you shouldn’t be quite so convincing next time.”
The two of them quickly put the supplies back in the garage and closed the door. Kate sprinted up the stairs. “Gavin is in his room. Tell him what’s up, and the two of you wait here for me to come back with Don.”
“Roger, that.” Sam followed her upstairs.
“Oh, and I need one of your magazines to show to Don.” She took the mag Sam handed her and hurried out the door.
CHAPTER 21
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.
1 Peter 5:8
Standing outside of Pete Davis’ garage, Kate plugged her ears with her fingers while she waited for Harold Pritchard to quit banging the length of rebar against the metal pot. After breaking his wooden spoon on the activity that he pursued with such rigor, the old man had found the iron rod to be a far more suitable material, and it produced a much more desirable ring. When he finally ceased, Kate shivered and removed her fingers.
Pritchard looked at Kate, Sam, Jack, Don, and Pete Davis, all of whom held expressions of extreme annoyance. “What? You want me to get folks over to the garage, don’t you?” He afforded no time for a response. Rather he carried his pot and his piece of rebar into the large meeting space. “Well, that’s how it’s done. They’ll be here directly.”
Gavin hurried up the road with Corey and Annie Cobb following close behind him.
Pete looked at Don. “Who’s watching the gate?”
“No one right now. We need all hands on deck. As of this moment, James Dean is our biggest threat. I’ll do everything I can to handle this without it ending in a standoff, but we should plan for the worse. Pete, if things go south, I’ll need you to help escort the women and non-combatants out of the building.”
