Banjo

by Graham Salisbury

  He and Danny watched Dad drive away, the trailer swaying over the dirt.

  “Little brother?”

  Danny stared after the truck.

  “I were you, I’d just keep my mouth shut till he’s ready to talk.”

  “Nothing he could say would make me feel any worse than I already do.”

  They headed for the stands.

  “Danny! Tyrell!”

  They turned and saw Ann waving them up. “You go on,” Tyrell said. “I need some water.”

  Danny took the steps two at a time.

  A man shouted, “Nice roping, kid,” and Danny nodded, thanking him.

  Ann was sitting with Meg and what looked like her family. Danny recognized the tall guy. Another kid sat on the other side of him, the two of them looking as friendly as wolves.

  Ann scooted over and patted a spot next to her.

  Danny sat.

  “Danny,” Meg said. “This is my mom and dad and my brothers Jacob and Jeremy.”

  Danny glanced over at them and nodded. “Hello.”

  The mother had a nice smile, and the dad didn’t look too put out about anything. But the brothers sure did. He wanted to ask Meg what their problem was. Instead he said, “Uh…about Banjo, should—”

  Ann touched his arm. “We’ve got it all worked out. We’ll go right after the rodeo.”

  “I just want to see Banjo and know that he’s okay.” He looked at his hands, then at Meg. “Thanks for taking care of him. He’s a…a good dog and—”

  Danny stopped. He glanced toward the concessions. Hurry up, Tyrell. The girl and her brothers made him nervous.

  “Meg,” Ann said. “How interested are you in staying to the end of this?”

  “Not too much, I guess. Why?”

  “Well, maybe we could go see Danny’s dog now.”

  “Sure…if it’s okay with my brother and my mom. We brought two cars.”

  Mrs. Harris shielded her eyes from the sun, looking over at Danny. “Okay, but you ride with Jacob, since I don’t know Danny and his brother. That okay with you, Jacob?”

  “Sure,” he said.

  * * *

  • • •

  Tyrell, Danny, and Ann followed Jacob’s truck.

  “You sure you want to do this?” Tyrell said. “You know it will only make it harder on you.”

  Danny looked out the window. “I’m sure.”

  But he wasn’t.

  “Those people didn’t look too happy to know the famous Danny Mack.”

  “I know,” Ann said. “It was weird.”

  “They think I dumped Banjo.”

  Tyrell mumbled, “We did dump him.”

  A while later, they slowed and drove down a long gravel drive.

  “Wow,” Tyrell said. “This is the kind of place you dream about.”

  Two horses in a paddock that ran alongside the drive followed Jacob’s truck as they drove in.

  In a pen beyond, Danny spotted a lone bay horse watching them. The horse was on the small side but handsome.

  In the side-view mirror, he noticed a shiny black big-wheeled pickup following them down the drive. He turned to Tyrell.

  “I see him,” Tyrell said.

  Jacob parked by the barn.

  Tyrell pulled up nearby.

  The guy in the black truck parked behind Tyrell and got out.

  With a rifle.

  57

  They watched the guy in the mirror. Tyrell said, “Feels like we’re walking into trouble.”

  But the guy waved at Jacob and Meg and headed around behind the barn.

  Tyrell, Danny, and Ann got out.

  Meg watched Danny, liking the way he took his time, his quiet manner. When he’d met her parents, he was thoughtful and polite. Which made the whole thing with Banjo more confusing.

  “Nice place,” Danny said, walking up.

  “He’s in the barn.”

  She hadn’t meant to be that rude. She softened her tone. “At…at least, he usually is. We don’t keep him tied up.”

  “I never did, either.”

  The two of them went into the barn.

  Banjo was in the back corner of one of the horse stalls and appeared to be asleep. “I made him a bed of hay,” Meg said. “He’s been depressed.”

  Banjo raised his head, and when he saw Danny, his eyes shifted away, as if guilty.

  Meg’s throat tightened. This is so sad. Banjo should have jumped up and run to him. Or at least wagged his tail. There was no way she was giving him back unless she saw good reason to, and right now that wasn’t happening.

  Danny dropped to his knees. “Banjo,” he said softly.

  Banjo struggled up and moved away from Danny.

  “It’s okay, boy,” Danny whispered. “I’m not gonna hurt you. I know you’re a…a good dog.”

  Banjo dipped his head and let out a low whine. He dragged himself back toward Danny on his belly.

  Tears rushed into Meg’s eyes.

  Bam!

  The gunshot echoed through the barn.

  Banjo scrambled up and cowered in the corner, trembling.

  “No!” Meg ran out, yelling, “Dex, no!”

  Danny leaped to his feet.

  A second shot was followed by the clinking sound of a tumbling can.

  Banjo circled the stall, then ran out.

  Bam!

  Another can clinked.

  “Dex!” Meg shouted. “Stop shooting!”

  Danny chased after Banjo, now running crazed, head and tail low, looking for a way out of the barn. He clipped Meg, sending her to her knees.

  Meg scrambled back up, and together she and Danny managed to grab him and hold him close, Banjo struggling, trying to escape, eyes bulging.

  Danny wiped his eyes on the shoulders of his shirt.

  Meg took Banjo’s head in her hands. “It’s over, Banjo, it’s over, it’s over.”

  58

  “Guns scare him,” Meg said softly.

  “They should.”

  Ann, Jacob, and Tyrell ran into the barn. Tyrell crouched next to Danny and Banjo. “He okay?”

  Danny shook his head. “He may never be okay again, after what he’s been through.”

  “The gunshots…,” Meg said.

  Jacob turned to head out. “I’ll tell Dex to stop.”

  “I already did.”

  Jacob touched Meg. “Some man just called the house. He said he knew the dog.”

  Danny’s head snapped up. “What man?”

  “Didn’t say. Just told him he’d better get over here, because there’s someone else knows the dog, too.”

  Danny stood. “He’s coming now?”

  “As we speak.”

  “Jacob,” Meg said. “Why—”

  “You said you wanted to find the owner, didn’t you? Isn’t that why we put up all those signs?” Jacob lifted his chin toward Danny. “How do we know it’s his dog? Maybe it’s the other guy’s.”

  Ann touched his arm. “I know Banjo is Danny’s dog, Jacob.”

  Jacob nodded. “Okay, but the guy’s still coming over.”

  Danny felt the back of his neck bristle. Had to be Mr. Brodie. Who else? “I know who it is, and he doesn’t want to claim Banjo. He wants to take him away and put him down.”

  Jacob snorted.

  “It’s true,” Tyrell said. “He’s our neighbor, and he’s not giving up.”

  “So what can we do?” Meg asked.

  Danny shook his head. “I’ve about run out of ideas.”

  Meg looked toward the barn door. “We have to hide him. Now!”

  “Put him in your truck, Tyrell,” Ann said. “Let’s just get him out of here.”

  Danny put up a hand. “No. I’m
done lying. I’ll deal with whatever comes, but I’ll tell you this, he’s not taking Banjo.”

  Meg moved up next to him. “He’s going to have to get by me, too.”

  Dex appeared in the barn door. “Some old coot just drove up looking for Meg.”

  59

  Mr. Brodie had come alone. He stood by his truck with his hands in the pockets of his dusty coveralls. He studied Danny a moment, then turned away.

  “I come about the dog,” he said. He took one of Meg’s posters from his pocket and peeled it open. “Which one of you girls is Meg Harris?”

  Meg nodded.

  He tapped the poster. “If this is the dog I think it is, and judging by who’s standing next to you, I’m right, then it’s wanted by the law.”

  Jacob barked out a laugh. “Seriously? The dog is wanted by the law?”

  Mr. Brodie kept his eyes on Meg. “Where is he, miss?”

  Danny stepped closer. “He’s in the barn, Mr. Brodie.”

  Mr. Brodie’s eyes shifted from Meg to Danny. “How’s your new pup doing?”

  Danny blinked but said nothing.

  Mr. Brodie sighed. “Listen. We can do this the easy way, or we can do it the hard way.”

  “Now, wait a minute,” Jacob said, moving in. “Is that a threat? Because if it is, I’m going to ask you to leave.”

  “All’s I want is to get that dog impounded, son. It was attacking my livestock. He pointed toward the horses out in the pasture. “You got stock. You must understand that.”

  “He hasn’t bothered any of our animals,” Meg said. “Why’s that?”

  Mr. Brodie nodded. “Maybe so, but my boys caught him going after mine, and I don’t aim to see him come back to do it again.”

  “He’s not coming back, Mr. Brodie,” Danny said. “I know the law, but I don’t believe he did what Billy and Ben said he did. Banjo’s not that kind of dog, and I’m not going to let you take him.”

  Mr. Brodie squinted at Danny a long moment, then turned toward his truck. “Be back soon, folks. Don’t go nowhere.”

  Mr. Brodie drove off.

  Ann said, “He wouldn’t kill Banjo…would he?”

  “Maybe not personally,” Tyrell said, “but he’d have the law do it. You remember the collie-malamute that chased that woman’s horse and got taken to court? It was all over the papers.”

  “I remember,” Jacob said.

  “He was sentenced to die,” Tyrell went on. “But he got lucky and was sent to some shelter in Utah for wayward animals. The lady who owned the horse wasn’t too happy about that, but they got it worked out. Banjo might not be so lucky.”

  “But Banjo’s not a killer,” Meg said.

  “This guy caught him going after what?” Jacob asked. “Cattle?”

  “Sheep,” Tyrell said.

  Danny paced. “Problem is, you have to protect your livestock. A pack of wild dogs can do more damage than wolves.”

  “Banjo was running with wild dogs?”

  “At night. That’s what that old guy’s boys say.”

  “But why would he?” Meg said. “He’s not wild.”

  Danny crossed his arms and looked at his boots. “Alls I know is ranchers see their calves and sheep dying, and how they deal with it is they shoot, right then. And it’s legal.”

  “Dogs don’t know right from wrong,” Meg said. “They live in a different world. Like horses, and birds. Like any animal.”

  “I just don’t want my dog shot,” Danny said.

  Meg stared at Danny. “I’d say he’s not your dog anymore.”

  Danny sat on the ground next to Banjo. His gut was tight as a whip, and his fingers trembled.

  “So now what?” Meg asked.

  Danny shook his head.

  60

  Less than an hour later, they were all over by the barn as Mr. Brodie drove up, trailed by an Oregon state trooper.

  “You want me to handle this, Danny?” Tyrell asked.

  “I can do it. But thanks.”

  “Got your back.”

  Mr. Brodie and the trooper parked and got out. “That’s the boy owns the dog,” Mr. Brodie said. “And that’s the girl who found him. This is her place.”

  The trooper looked at Meg. “Your parents home, miss?”

  Meg shook her head.

  “Don’t matter if they are or they’re not,” Mr. Brodie said. “It’s the dog we’re talking about, the one attacked my sheep. It’s here, somewhere.”

  Danny sprang forward, inches from Mr. Brodie’s face. “He didn’t attack your sheep! I know my dog.”

  The trooper motioned for Danny to step back. “I need to see the dog. And I need to take him with me.” His eyes shifted to Meg. “When do you expect your parents?”

  “They—”

  Bam!

  The trooper flinched, his hand swinging to his sidearm.

  “It’s okay, “Jacob said. “Just a friend shooting cans.”

  When a second shot rang out, Danny backed away and ran toward the barn.

  “Wait!” Meg called, and ran after him.

  Banjo was gone.

  “How’d he get out?” Meg said. “The stall door was closed!”

  Danny ran to the pasture behind the barn.

  “Banjo!”

  Meg followed, shouting over to Dex, who stood with his rifle crooked in his arms. “What’s wrong with you? The dog is scared of gunshots! I told you that!”

  Mr. Brodie, the trooper, Ann, Tyrell, and Jacob all came through the barn and out into the sunlight.

  “He lit on out,” Dex said, waving toward the trees.

  “What’s going on here?” the trooper said.

  Meg glared at Dex. “The shots scared him off.”

  Dex pointed with his chin. “Ran that way.”

  Danny took off across the pasture, heading for the trees.

  “Okay,” the trooper said. “Let’s all fan out and see if we can get him back.”

  They searched for a full hour with no trace of Banjo. By the time everyone but Danny had straggled back, the rest of Meg’s family had returned from the rodeo.

  “What’s going on, Jacob?” Mr. Harris asked.

  Jacob nodded toward the trooper. “He’s here to take Banjo away.”

  “Why?” Mrs. Harris asked.

  The trooper introduced himself and motioned to Mr. Brodie. “This is Mr. Brodie from Redmond. He’s filed a complaint, charging the dog with attacking his sheep. I’m sorry, but I have to take him away, at least until this matter is settled.”

  “I know the livestock predator law,” Mrs. Harris said. “But you’re wrong about this dog.”

  She went on to say they’d get Banjo a lawyer and take it to court.

  The trooper advised against it. “The law is there for a reason, Mrs. Harris. Something like this isn’t easy for anyone.”

  “It’s a bad law…in this case.”

  They turned toward the barn when Danny emerged and strode toward them, head down, hat hiding his face. “Banjo’s gone.”

  The trooper thought a moment, then turned to Mr. Brodie. “Not much I can do now.”

  Mr. Brodie nodded. “I understand.”

  The trooper took a card from his shirt pocket and handed it to Mr. Harris. “Give me a call when the dog comes back.”

  Danny kicked the dirt and walked away.

  61

  Mr. Brodie and the trooper drove off.

  Danny felt light-headed, almost dizzy. Get a grip. Banjo is still alive. Somewhere out there.

  Meg’s parents linked hands and headed into the house.

  Jeremy went out back with Dex.

  Danny looked into the distance at the trees and mountains. Keep running, bud. Find a safe home with a good family…somewhere.

 
“You all right?” Meg asked.

  “Yeah…no…I’m not.”

  Ann, Jacob, Tyrell, Meg, and Danny walked over to the pasture and hung their arms over the fence. Molly and Sunspot looked back at them from across the way.

  Meg flinched when Dex slid in next to her. “Come,” he said. “I want to show you something.”

  “Not interested.”

  “You want to see this.”

  Dex led them to the gallery of mangled shot-up cans, which he and Jeremy had realigned on the bales of hay. A small mountain of additional bales was stacked farther back to catch stray bullets. “What do you see?”

  “Nothing.”

  Dex grinned and dragged two of the bales away, revealing a dark cave-like interior. “He may be scared, but he’s not in that cop’s car.”

  “You hid Banjo?”

  Danny and Meg crouched and looked in. A low whine came from the back.

  “I heard you talking out there,” Dex said. “I know what that geezer wanted.”

  Danny called into the dark hollow. “Banjo. Come on out, boy.”

  Banjo limped out. How old and tired his dog seemed! “I’m so sorry, bud…I’m so, so sorry.” He hugged him.

  Dex crouched beside Danny. “That’s a real good dog.”

  “I know,” Danny said. “And he shouldn’t have to suffer like this.”

  “Sorry I had to scare him.”

  Danny stood and reached down to give Dex a hand up. “Thanks, friend. You may have saved his life.”

  “I’m going to regret this later,” Meg said. “But, Dexter—nice going.”

  “Holy haystack! She has a heart.”

  “And I have an idea,” Danny said.

  62

  Banjo stood in Danny’s lap, his head out the window.

  The sun was on its westward slide, but there were still a few hours of daylight left.

  Danny and Tyrell had dropped Ann off at her apartment and were now easing down a potholed street in an old section of Bend, looking for Spike’s house. They had to swerve a time or two to avoid loose dogs, a lazy cat, and a tricycle abandoned in the middle of the road.

  Danny had talked Meg into letting him give his plan a try. Now that the law was involved, she’d have to give Banjo up. So what was there to lose?