Family Reunion

by Nicholas Sarazen

  Three teenage boys walked by and eyed Stephanie. They said something as they passed, but their words were drowned out by the blaring music from the boom box one of them carried on his shoulder.

  Weasel looked at the boys and then at Stephanie. "Maybe we better be headin' on back."

  "I think you're right. But I'll tell you what, Weasel. I'll do something that I rarely do. Should I decide to write a story, I'll go over it with you before we run it. Does that sound fair?"

  "I guess so."

  "When can you get the book?"

  Weasel looked away. "It's one thing me tellin' you about it, but it's another thing for me to take it. It's not that I'd mind you lookin' at it, it's just that I feel I'd be lettin' Xeno down if I took it."

  "At least tell me where he keeps it."

  Weasel thought for a moment. "I guess that won't hurt anything," he said. "It's in an old cabin, up in the San Gabriel Mountains. He stays there sometimes, but he's gone a lot, too. Gettin' the book wouldn't be no big problem, I guess, but I just don't think I could do it."

  Stephanie put her hand on Weasel's shoulder. "You won't have to. I will."

  After she left Weasel, Stephanie went back to the office to write her story about Severman House. She wanted to tell Hal about the turn of events, but he had left earlier in the day for a management seminar. Her thoughts drifted back to Weasel and The Family. She wasn't sure what she was pursuing or why. She still doubted there was a book. Even if it existed, she wondered how many ex-members of The Family would have any socially-redeeming qualities. But if the book did exist, a story on what the Family members were doing now--even if they turned out to be drug addicts, prostitutes, or whatever--now that could be something, a sort of "What Really Happened to the Class of '70." But what if some of them were successful? Could they have gone on to college, become businessmen, lawyers, teachers? My God, imagine having your child taught by a former disciple of Mother Earth! They would not all turn out to be Weasels, or would they? Were they happy? Did they still remember? Was there guilt? The list of questions could go on and on. She knew there was only one way to find out the answers. The book.

  Stephanie also knew there was something else at work within her, something that went well beyond being a reporter and following leads. Maybe it began with why Weasel wouldn't walk beside her, or maybe it was that look in his eyes when she told him she would talk to him after her interview. Whatever it was, whenever it happened, she knew that Weasel was reaching out to her. As far back as she could remember she had a weakness for strays--dogs, cats, it didn't matter. In his own way Weasel was a stray, and once again she was taking in another one.

  Stephanie had arranged to meet Weasel in the morning. She stayed late to get the story on Severman House out of the way and was worn out by the time she typed the last word into her VDT and saved the copy for proofreading by a night editor. On her way out she left a note on Hal's desk to tell him that something had come up and she would see him on Wednesday.

  Tuesday arrived much too early. Stephanie dragged herself from bed for her calisthenics and morning run. She was still tired, but her muscles were loose by the time she finished her stretching exercises. The morning air was crisp and she glided around her course. She knew it had been one of her faster runs.

  Weasel was to meet her in front of a drugstore on 6th Street, about four blocks from Severman House. He had told her he didn't want to meet her at the shelter because he didn't want the other residents to get suspicious. He also had made her promise not to say anything to Colonel Willis about his past involvement with The Family because he was afraid he would be forced to leave Severman House if people knew.

  Stephanie spotted Weasel and pulled over to the curb in front of a row of decrepit buildings. There was a crunching sound as her right front tire rolled over an empty bottle.

  He opened the door and climbed in. There was no broad grin on his face this morning. There wasn't even a greeting. Deep wavy lines marked his brow. He looked straight ahead but said nothing.

  "Good morning, Weasel," Stephanie said. "Is something bothering you?"

  He pointed in front of him. Stephanie followed the unspoken cue and pulled out into the traffic. His small frame slumped even lower in the seat.

  "I'm sorry," he finally answered, "but I'm just not feelin' good about this."

  "I told you there's nothing to worry about. Xeno will never even know I was there, let alone that you were involved."

  Weasel leaned back against the cloth seat and breathed deeply, the air rattling inside his chest. "It's more than Xeno findin' out I told you. Like I said yesterday, I just get to feelin' that I'm lettin' him down, that he trusted me with something and now I'm tellin' somebody who shouldn't know, an outsider if you don't mind me sayin', Miss Stephanie."

  "You're not letting anyone down. Forget Xeno. Think about the rest of the people in The Family. They've made something of their lives. They deserve to have their story told." Stephanie knew she had to be careful not to bruise the feelings of one who was not exactly a pillar of the community. "What do you say?"

  For several seconds Weasel rode in silence. A strip of plastic dangled from under the dashboard. He reached out and twirled it with his fingers. Finally he pursed his lips and blew out a long burst of air. His face relaxed. "Okay, I'll tell you how to get the book."

  "You won't be sorry, Weasel."

  She offered him a piece of gum. When she reached into her purse her fingers found her cassette recorder. Silently she pressed the buttons. She wanted to be sure she had the exact directions to the cabin on tape, but she had another reason for wanting to record what Weasel was about to tell her. Her logical mind still believed that Weasel was probably playing out one of his well-concocted tales. But if not, this could turn out to be one of her biggest stories ever and Stephanie knew she had to follow the lead as far as it took her. And if it were true, she wanted something for posterity, a reminder of how it all came about. She found the stick of gum. As she handed it to Weasel she half-closed the purse with her elbow to keep the recorder from his view.

  "All right, now how do I get to Xeno's place?"

  Weasel had just put the piece of gum into his mouth and was wadding up the wrapper when his upper body stiffened and his face twisted. He coughed with such force that the gum flew from his mouth and bounced off the windshield.

  Stephanie was shocked at the sound and severity of the cough. "Are you okay?"

  Weasel nodded and took several shallow breaths. "Yeah. I do that every now and then." He picked the gum off the dash and looked it over.

  "Let me give you another piece," Stephanie said.

  "Nah, this one's okay." Without seeming to give it further thought he put the gum back into his mouth. "Now what were you asking me?"

  "I was asking you," she said, suppressing a smile, "how to get to Xeno's place."

  He started giving the directions to the cabin. She recognized the general area from his description.

  "You stay on Tujunga Canyon Road until you see a big hill on your right and a sign about falling rock. There'll be an old rusty pipe stickin' out of the cliff. Around the bend there's a dirt road kind of hidden by the trees. It's real hard to find. That's the one that goes up to Xeno's cabin."

  "That's it?" Stephanie asked.

  "That's it. But what are you gonna do if he's home? What would you tell him you're doin' there? Xeno don't like trespassers, you know."

  "I can handle myself. Where does he keep the book?"

  "It's inside the cabin. You go in the door and go to the side wall, to your right. There's a couple of boards that you lift out. He hides the book there, in the wall."

  "How do I get inside the cabin?" she asked. "Does he have a key hidden somewhere?"

  "It ain't locked. I don't think he's even got a lock on the door. Xeno's not scared of nobody, and when he's gone there's nothin' there worth takin' anyway, except the book. And nobody would find that in a million years unless they knew right where to look. But Miss
Stephanie, if Xeno's there, no matter what he does you won't tell him I helped you, right?"

  "I promise."

  As they talked, Stephanie noticed that Weasel was more presentable this morning. His jeans looked fairly new. His yellow and maroon Hawaiian shirt was tucked in. Even though his sneakers were a cheap, canvas kind, they were shiny and unmarred. The stubble on his face had vanished since yesterday and his hair gave the appearance of having had a comb pass through it. Despite the improvements, Weasel still looked like he had just stepped out of a soup line. Stephanie remembered reading somewhere that many of The Family members were from middle-class families.

  "Weasel, there's something I haven't asked you. How did you become involved with The Family in the first place?"

  Weasel stared out the window for a few moments before looking back at her. "It was a long time ago, Miss Stephanie, but I'll never forget. It was summertime and I was spendin' my nights in Griffith Park. I had me a bunch of friends and we'd meet every night to drink and swap jokes and have a real good time. When we got tired we'd just go to sleep on some benches. Anyway, I was walkin' through the park one night when I saw some people standin' off near some bushes. I ducked behind a tree, figurin' if they had anything to eat I might be able to grab me what was left if they wandered away a bit. It was dark, so I was able to get up real close without them seein' me. I saw two guys and two girls standin' over this man layin' on the ground. I couldn't see his face but I recognized his voice. He was a buddy of mine from the park named Lonesome Lou. He was beggin' and pleadin' for them not to hurt him. He kept sayin' he didn't do nothin' to them, just to please leave him be. Lou always had a bottle with him and at first I thought they was just after his wine. The little guy and the girls seemed to be followin' the lead of the big guy. I really think they would have let Lou go if it hadn't been for..."

  Stephanie turned from Arcadia onto Alameda. Union Station now loomed on the right. She glanced at Weasel. "Go on, I'm listening."

  "Well, I don't think nothin' would have happened to Lou if it hadn't have been for Xeno. He was the big guy. The other three wanted to leave but Xeno wasn't ready to go. When Lou kept sayin' he hadn't done nothin' to them, Xeno just laughed at him, a real mean laugh. It gave me the shivers. He said ‘old man, you've done enough to me by just livin'.' And then Xeno pulled out a knife with a blade this long," Weasel's hands were about nine inches apart, "and just stuck Lou right in the gut."

  "How horrible."

  "Well, that's not all," added Weasel. "Lou started screamin', so Xeno put his hand over Lou's mouth, pulled the knife out of Lou's belly, and slit his throat, just like this." Weasel ran his finger across his neck. "I heard this gurglin' noise comin' from his throat and blood was just squirtin' everywhere."

  Stephanie winced. "Oh, God. I can't imagine being right there and having to watch all of that."

  "I was one scared dude, Miss Stephanie. I knew if I made any sound I was a dead man. I remember poor old Lou tryin' to get up, and they kept laughin' at him. I don't know how, but he finally got up on his feet. He had one hand across his throat and the other on his belly, tryin' to keep the blood from pourin' out. You wouldn't believe the look on his face. Then he sort of stumbled and fell forward. Xeno was still laughin' at him. He just held the knife straight out and Lou fell right on it." Weasel paused and took a breath. "Xeno let go of the knife, and it stayed there, just stickin' in Lou's belly. I was shakin' in my shoes by then. He kept tryin' to say somethin', but nothin' was comin' out, nothin' except that gurglin' noise. Then he started walkin' away, kind of staggerin' like he was drunk, and he was headin' right for the tree I was hiding behind. Then he just fell down and that was it. It was awful, Miss Stephanie, just awful. I've seen a lot of guys get it in my day, but nothin' like that, not for no reason at all. He didn't have no money, no booze, nothin'. I just couldn't figure it. I was just about losing it when Xeno told me to come out from behind the tree."

  "What did you do?" Stephanie asked.

  "I came out from behind the tree. It scared the heck out of me that he knew I was there without even seein' me. I figured he was going to kill me next, so I thought if I did what he wanted maybe it'd be over quicker. So I came out. Then Xeno asks me if I knew the guy who'd been givin' him and his friends so much trouble. I said yeah, I knew him. I told Xeno the guy's name was Lonesome Lou. Xeno just laughed and said that Lou won't be lonesome no more. Then he reached down and stuck his fingers in the blood and made a X on Lou's forehead."

  "Why did he do that?"

  "Because to Xeno, X means you're dead. So then he said since I was a friend of Lou's it was only fittin' that I help give him a proper burial. He sent the girls off somewhere and they came back with a shovel. And I dug Lou's grave. I kept hopin' somebody would walk by, but you know how big Griffith Park is. Nobody did. I dug the grave and Xeno made me roll Lou's body into it. He landed kind of bent over on his side. Then Xeno told me to start fillin' in the grave, so I did. It wasn't very deep, so it didn't take long. Then the girls covered it with leaves and grass and stuff. It was by a bunch of bushes, so you really couldn't tell much it was there."

  Stephanie shook her head. "You poor thing. How did you ever get out of there alive?"

  "Well, Xeno looked at me real funny-like and said that I was an okay guy. He asked me if I wanted to meet Mother Earth and I said sure, not knowin' if he meant I was going to end up in the ground with Lou or what. I just knew that I wasn't about to argue with anything he said. He told me Mother Earth was goin' to save her chosen people. Xeno said I could be one of the chosen people, too. I still thought I was dead, but I wasn't. He took me up to the mountains and I was a Family member from then on. Xeno really got to like me, you know. I was like his right hand man. Whatever Xeno wanted me to do, I did."

  "Did he ever kill anyone else?"

  There was an awkward silence. Weasel finally nodded.

  "Were you with him?"

  "I never hurt nobody in my life, Miss Stephanie."

  "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way. But there have been books and movies about the Stratford-Drew murders and The Family, and I don't recall ever hearing his name mentioned."

  "Like I said, Miss Stephanie, there was a bunch of us that nobody ever heard about. Xeno didn't have nothin' to do with them movie star murders. He never killed nobody famous. Take Lonesome Lou. Nobody really knew him, nobody even knew he was dead and gone. Cops didn't know, and they wouldn't have cared anyway because he would have been nothin' more to them than some wino that was better off dead. So there wasn't no reason for the cops to ever look for Xeno. But there was another reason, too, Miss Stephanie. Fear. Nobody in The Family would ever mention Xeno's name, never. We knew what he could do to people and it scared us. You remember all that talk about Mother Earth havin' all these powers and everything? Shoot, I knew she didn't, she just did a good job of makin' people think she did. But Xeno was different. He had real powers."

  Stephanie started having second thoughts about going to Xeno's cabin. "What do you suppose Xeno would do if I knocked on his door and he was there?"

  "Nothin'. As long as he don't think you're interferin' in his business he won't do nothin' to you."

  "But what about that guy in Griffith Park, Lonesome Lou? He wasn't interfering in Family business and yet Xeno killed him."

  "You're a pretty lady, Miss Stephanie. Xeno won't hurt you. Just don't let him catch you inside the cabin with the book. Besides, you said you got a good plan."

  "Right."

  Stephanie made the turn from Alpine onto Broadway. Pressed ducks and paper dragon kites hung in many of the shop windows.

  "What's the best time to go up there?"

  "Ain't no good time, Miss Stephanie, but if you're goin' to go to the cabin, the best time is in the late afternoon, between four and six."

  "Why then?"

  "Because Xeno will be cruisin' then."

  "Cruising? Cruising where?"

  "Beats me. He just told me he always goes cruisin' then. Y
ou remember that old show, The Shadow, Miss Stephanie? How they said that nobody knows but The Shadow? Well, Xeno's just like The Shadow. Nobody knows but Xeno. I don't know where he goes or what he does, but one time he told me he goes cruisin' every day between four and six."

  "Then that's when I'll go."

  They stopped at a McDonald's and Stephanie bought breakfast. Over his Egg McMuffin Weasel cautioned Stephanie again and again about the book. She was not to put a single wrinkle in any page. She was to return the book to its hiding place just as she had found it and was to put back the planks so Xeno wouldn't know an intruder had violated his sanctuary. She wasn't to disturb anything else, and she was to leave as quickly as possible. There was something in Weasel's instructions that suggested to Stephanie that he was more afraid for himself than for her, that he didn't want any clues left behind that might lead Xeno to him. Weasel didn't ask her what she would do once she saw the book, and she didn't tell him that she planned to jot down a few names, addresses, and phone numbers. Beyond that, she wasn't sure herself.

  Stephanie dropped off Weasel in front of the drugstore where she had picked him up earlier, but this time she avoided the broken bottles.

  "Be careful, Miss Stephanie," Weasel said as he opened the door to leave. "You don't know what you're dealin' with."

  "I'll be all right. And Weasel...thanks. Thanks a lot."

  He smiled and shut the door. Stephanie was already pulling out her cassette recorder as she watched him walk away. She rewound part of the tape and played it to test the quality of the recording. Weasel's voice came across perfectly clear.

  Stephanie got onto the Hollywood Freeway and headed for Griffith Park. She loved it there, but she hadn't been back since last fall. She knew she wouldn't find what she was looking for--Griffith Park was over four thousand acres--but she ended up strolling around for more than an hour. In the midst of the tranquil beauty Weasel's words echoed in her thoughts, replaying the brutal murder of Lonesome Lou.