Next World Series | Vol. 6 | Families First [Battle Grounds]

by Ewing, Lance K.

  “That depends on you, but it doesn’t have to be that way. You decide. But either way, she can’t stay in town.”

  “And me—what if I leave too?”

  “Well, I can’t stop you, I guess. I hope you will stay—stay with me, that is.”

  “Give me some time, no more than a week, to think about it?” he asked. “And please let her go tonight.”

  “Sure. For old times’ sake, you have 48 hours to decide, and I’ll release her in the morning. If she’s not gone from Weston by week’s end, then...”

  “I know, and she will be, one way or another,” replied Ken.

  They sat like that, back-to-back, talking about the old days for two more hours.

  * * * *

  Ken had a lot to think about. He always cared for Kate, but now she was something different, something harder and rough—not around the edges but inside. Like looking at a beautiful apple with a rotten core.

  I will let my girlfriend choose, he thought. She has to leave town—not far, maybe just Trinidad or Raton. He wanted her to be happy, and somehow he wanted the same for Kate.

  * * * * * * *

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  Weston, Colorado

  James was up early and stretched his stiff back, leaning backward over his chair.

  “Rise and shine, Jason,” he called out. “It’s going to be a big day. I can feel it!”

  “Yep, I’m up,” he replied, with a stretching yawn that always appeared exaggerated to another person watching. “What’s for breakfast?” he asked casually, giving James confidence he would hold it together a little while longer. “I could go for a sausage and egg biscuit, two hashbrowns, and a large coffee—if you’re taking orders, that is.”

  “Coming right up, sir,” chimed in Ken’s girlfriend, playing along. “How many ketchups?” she added.

  “As many as you’ve got,” replied James. “Good timing,” he added, as the front door opened and his deputy friend walked down the hall.

  “How about some breakfast burritos?” the deputy asked. “I’ve got egg and egg or just plain egg, but they are still hot.”

  “Sounds good to me!” said Jason, with the others agreeing.

  He delivered the breakfast to James last and whispered, “They’re coming, the good guys, sometime today. Listen for it, and you will know.”

  * * * *

  Kate and the Judge made it into the jail next.

  “I suppose you’re going to need a trial,” she said to James and Jason. “Since both you guys and Judge Lowry are here, I think we can get it done quickly. Don’t you think, Judge?”

  “Sure, we can do it right now if you want.”

  “I do,” Kate replied, acting not like the Sheriff but a team of lawyers for the prosecution.

  James and Jason were brought up to the front jailhouse office.

  Kate presented her argument first, spewing mostly lies threaded with some true statements that didn’t matter.

  James, having no attorney, appointed himself, as was his right, and he defended both himself and Jason in front of a corrupt Sheriff and Judge, both with plenty to lose. He stated the facts as everyone present knew, but half would never admit to, and closed by asking for immediate release for him and Jason.

  Judge Lowry pretended to consider both sides carefully before coming to his decision. After hearing all of the facts, he gave his ruling.

  “I’ve been a Judge for quite some time now, and I’ve always ruled decisively. The evidence presented proves beyond a doubt that both James VanFleet and Jason Davis are combatants of this town and pose a clear danger to its law enforcement and citizens alike. My ruling, while certainly unorthodox, is as follows. I sentence each of you to hang from the gallows no later than this coming Saturday or be driven from the town of Weston and its borders on all sides, including your families and friends on the mountain over on Raton Pass, never to return. What say you?”

  Jason jumped at the chance to decide but was stopped cold with a look from James.

  “My wife and I have built our ranch,” started James, “from nothing but a barren field. I escaped one of the most ruthless gangs in Chicago to get here, and our friends up on the mountain are not a part of this, so we will not bargain with them or our families.”

  “Are you sure you wouldn’t like to reconsider?” asked the Sheriff.

  “I’m sure.”

  “Okay, deputies,” said the Sheriff. “Inspect the hanging platform and report back to me today. While you’re at it, release what’s-her-name back there and make sure she leaves town.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” they replied reluctantly, with only the head deputy, James’ friend, knowing the tide would turn sooner than later.

  “You both made a mistake that’s hard to come back from,” said James, telling Jason to get up off the floor. “Hanging us won’t bring you peace. The citizens of this town know where you have been and where you are heading. Most know about Mr. Grimes, and memories last longer than the ruling class.”

  “Oh great—a civics lesson from the farmer and former gang banger,” said Kate sarcastically. “I don’t care what you... What’s going on?” asked the Sheriff, distracted, looking towards the door as the walls of the jailhouse shook.

  “Sounds like a tornado or earthquake!” added Judge Lowry.

  The lead deputy, standing next to James, smiled broadly. “That, my former bosses, is the sound of change. The rumble of new hope and the end of tyranny. By the way, I quit!” he announced, loud enough for all to hear. “James, I would be honored to work under your leadership if you’ll have me.”

  “Of course, old friend—always and every time.”

  “What are they talking about now?” an irritated and confused Sheriff asked the Judge.

  He was peering out the front window. “The Military, that’s what,” he responded, shaking his head. “They are here and...”

  His voice was drowned out by helicopters, Humvees, and tanks rolling through town, with several stopping just outside the jailhouse.

  “You knew about this?!” Kate asked her former deputy, growing more furious by the second.

  “Yes, ma’am,” he replied confidently. “Now I’ll ask you both,” he added, nodding to her and Judge Lowry, “to turn, facing the wall, and put your hands behind your backs.”

  “I’ll do no such thing!” she said defiantly.

  “Shoot him, Judge. Shoot all of them!” she said. He put out his hands in front of him and shook his head slowly back and forth.

  “I said shoot them!” she screamed, taking two steps back and looking for an exit, James thought.

  James caught Jason’s eye and realized he didn’t know this was going to happen.

  “We’re okay now, Jason,” said James, seeing the relieved look on his face. They both saw Kate turn and head for the emergency door in the back of the building.

  “Hey,” shouted the deputy. “Hey, stop right there!” But she was gone, and without power the emergency door alarm would not engage.

  “She’s getting away,” said Jason, worried all over again.

  “It doesn’t matter,” replied James. “What about you, Judge?” he added. “Are you going to run again?”

  “Why would I?” he replied defiantly.

  “You sentenced us to hang, if I remember right.”

  “Or to leave town quietly, and in all my years on the bench I never once gave my defendants a choice of sentences—don’t forget that,” he replied, still looking out the window.

  “Hands behind your back, Judge,” said the deputy, catching him before he could leave and cuffing him tightly.

  “This is all just a misunderstanding,” the Judge said, only now changing his tune. “Kate did it—she killed Sheriff Johnson! Shot him right in the head and threatened me to stay quiet. I’ll testify to all of it; just give me the chance.”

  “Mr. VanFleet?” came the question from the front door.

  “That’s me,” James replied, waving his arm to the soldier in f
ull combat gear.

  “It’s good to meet you, sir,” the soldier replied, shaking his hand. “The Colonel will be by in a few days, but we’re here to secure the area and oversee a transition of power. It looks like you already started on that,” he added, looking at the deputy with Judge Lowry in his grasp. “The Colonel likes a man who steps up; most of these towns we’re working with wait until we get there to do the dirty work.”

  “It was just timing, I guess,” said James. “So how does this work, at least to start?”

  “Colonel’s orders: you are now Sheriff of the town of Weston. Your Deputy Mayor, uh…Jason Davis,” he read off a notebook page. “Where are he and David Jenkins?”

  “Here,” said Jason, holding up his hand. “I’m Jason, and David is at the hospital for a checkup. Should I go get him?”

  “No, just inform him he is now Mayor.”

  “Where’s the now-former Sheriff?” he asked.

  “She headed out the back door,” said James. “You just missed her.”

  “All right,” he said, jotting a note down on his notebook. “And you must be the Judge?” he asked, nodding to the handcuffed man.

  “I am, and I’m afraid there has been a bit of a misunderstanding here, but I’m sure we can work things out where all parties will be satisfied.”

  “Is this guy for real?” asked the soldier.

  “I’m afraid so,” said James.

  “We will take good care of him,” the soldier added, motioning for his MPs to take him into custody. “Good luck, James, and thank you for doing your part. Together we can get this country back online. The Colonel will pay you a visit soon and discuss the next steps.”

  James looked at a stunned Jason, who looked like a homeless man who had just learned he hit the state lottery. “‘Deputy Mayor Jason Davis’ still has a ring to it, and I’m sticking around to enjoy it.”

  “You sound a bit better, Jason,” said James.

  “I’m feeling a whole lot better, wouldn’t you know!”

  * * * * * * *

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Weston, Colorado

  “Let’s get to work,” replied James.

  He called a town meeting for everyone that could attend tomorrow at noon and gathered his few remaining deputies, asking them to spread the word. “It will be right outside the Weston Grill and Tavern.”

  James locked the door of the jailhouse, getting his deputy friend’s spare keys.

  “I hope this building stays empty,” he told Jason on the way home.

  “We didn’t even have to stay long,” replied Jason. “Thank you, James.”

  “For what?”

  “We met, and you and Janice brought my family into your home. Thank you for everything from the first day, making me Deputy Mayor, and now this today.”

  “You’re not upset about missing out on the Mayor position?” asked James.

  “Not at all. If we were a band, I would like to be playing bass guitar or drums. I get to have some influence but don’t have to make the tough decisions. Besides, a Mayor can’t be throwing up every-other meeting; it just doesn’t look good.”

  James laughed. “Things have been crazy lately, and I, for one, think you have handled yourself like a leader.”

  * * * *

  Janice was happy to have her man home, and Jason’s girls squealed so loudly it got Chance up and running around the house. Neither woman expected them home already.

  “Things just seem to fall into place when you’re living right,” said James, as little Billy jumped onto his lap.

  * * * *

  The restaurant area was bustling, starting before 10 a.m., with the rumors of a new Mayor and Sheriff almost spot on. David and Jason stood with James but agreed to have him lead the rally of sorts.

  James addressed the large crowd from the restaurant’s upper deck, waiting a full two minutes for the applause to stop.

  “My fellow citizens of Weston,” he started, as they cheered once again. “I have been designated by the United States Military as your new Sheriff, effective immediately.”

  The cheers he expected turned quiet, and the chatter started, first in whispers and then louder.

  “Why was the Military here, anyway?” shouted a man near the front.

  “It sounds like they are in charge now,” shouted another, getting cheers from a dozen or more around him.

  Jason, standing next to James, looked uneasy but not sure what to do.

  “What’s happening?” he asked James as quietly as he could.

  “It’s all right, Jason,” he replied. “They just don’t like new things they don’t understand. Let’s take it slow and win them back.”

  “Okay. Now hear me out!” he shouted above the raucous crowd, reminding him of the bleacher incident not long ago, just down the street. He waited until they quieted down before continuing. It gave him a chance to think, and he was upset at himself for underestimating their response. For a guy who’s always two steps ahead, I really screwed the pooch on this one, he thought.

  “I won’t get into everything now,” he started again, “but the former Sheriff and Judge of this great town were not fit for duty.”

  The crowd started turning slowly again, this time with many nodding heads in agreement.

  “Most of you here have met me, and some of you know me well.” The next part was a bit of a gamble, but James needed a trust factor to pull it off. Having already been through so much since the lights went out, these citizens were about to find out how much worse it could get.

  “It’s not who you know necessarily, but who you know who knows the person you’re wondering about,” James was telling Jason just last night.

  “Raise your hand if you count me as a friend,” he said, hoping it worked.

  Only a few hands were raised, with many in the half-hand raise camp one might see at church. Committed in mind but still not wanting people to see.

  “Raise your hand if you count me as a friend!” he said again, gesturing with his own and watching nearly half going up in the air. He smiled, as the bluff paid off. He added, “Now those of you unsure about me and my qualifications as a leader, take a few minutes to ask one of these fine citizens with hands in the air.”

  James sat back in his chair and didn’t say a word while his citizens discussed whatever they may about his qualities as a man and a leader.

  “Are you going to say something?” asked Jason.

  “Nope. Not yet. Right now, half the town is hopefully singing my praises, and you can’t buy better publicity than that. This process can’t be rushed, and when it’s done, that same trust will extend to you and David. It just takes them doing it, is all.”

  “That makes sense, I guess,” replied Jason. “When do you start back?”

  “When they’re done.”

  “James VanFleet! James VanFleet!” came the chant—starting low, then building steam.

  “And there it is,” he said to Jason. “I would feel guilty if all the wonderful things they are saying weren’t true,” he added with a smile, remembering someone saying, “It’s not bragging if it’s true.”

  “Thank you, thank you all for coming today,” James continued. “Please listen to what we have to say, and we will answer as many questions as time allows.

  “The United States Military is now running the show. We all knew it would happen; the only question was how soon. We, in exchange for taking in some FEMA families...” he continued, as the crowd stirred again. But this time he expected it. “In exchange for taking in some FEMA families, not so different from you and me—and they may even be some of your friends or loved ones from other towns—we will be allowed to earn our freedom and keep our great country under US rule.”

  James paused, knowing the crowd would get loud and drown him out again, and he would not be wrong.

  “I think we are going to have a lot of questions soon,” said Jason.

  “That’s good,” replied James. “I’m interested to see how yo
u handle them,” he added with almost a straight face. “Now, for the punch in the gut. They have to be told.”

  James continued: “We have but one chance to work hard, sacrifice if needed, and fight for our freedom. If any or all of us lay down, our children will be fluent in Chinese and Russian by year’s end and we will all be working for them, without a choice in the matter.”