The Great Thirst Boxed Set

by Mary C. Findley

  “Okay, now we have the new email set up. We can transfer the contacts over and start sending the kids the plans we made, to see how they want to participate,” Talia said. “Wait. This is weird. There’s already mail in the inbox.”

  “Let me see.” Keith looked over her shoulder. “Whoa. Ten emails? And they’re all from kids in the class.”

  “Oh, no!” Talia pointed to the first opened email. “Rikki sent pictures of the school. Look at all the heavy equipment. She says they’re just going to bulldoze it.”

  “Yeah, here’s one from Annie. She says the kids are going to be split up among different schools. Man, that’s why they let us keep Bradley Central open in the first place. Everybody’s such a long distance from another school. But why are they making them go to different schools? Are they trying to make sure they’re separated?”

  “Here’s one from Tom. They’re saying they tried to protest the bulldozing of the school. They keep asking why it won’t be fixed up, but no one will answer.”

  “The crews are expected to begin demolition first thing Monday,” Keith said. “Wait – no way. Adam says here some of the Bible as Literature class will sneak in and see if any of their stuff survived the explosion.”

  “They can’t do that! It’s got to be dangerous,” Talia exclaimed.

  “Look at this one from Jayna. She says a couple of the kids were arrested for trespassing on the school property yesterday. The police have locked them up. She said they were looking for evidence to prove it was a bomb. Talia, she says the police say they won’t let them go.”

  Talia read aloud from the email

  Mr. Bradley and Ms. Ramin, Sean and Daryl’s mom and dad said they told the cops Mr.Bradley told them it was a bomb that exploded at the school. The cops told them no, it was just a water heater. Daryl said Sean argued with them and said the government was lying to shut down the school.

  The cops asked them if Mr. Bradley told them to say that. They said no, but the cops said Mr. Bradley would have to come and give a statement to prove he didn’t. That was the only way they were gonna let Daryl and Sean out.

  Mr. Bradley, everybody in town is talking about how your whole family disappeared right after the bomb went off. People are starting to say you might have had something to do with it. We know it’s not true, but now those two guys are in jail, and their parents say the cops want to talk to you, and they’re holding them as – Daryl’s dad says it’s called material witnesses – until you come and straighten it out. He says they can hold them forever.

  “I have to go back to town,” Keith said.

  “You can’t,” Talia cried. “They’ll just arrest you instead.”

  “No, they won’t,” Keith scoffed. “I’ll explain about the van following us, and how we were afraid for my grandmother. Clark knows about the van. He’ll back me up.”

  “But Keith, they can jail you just because we never reported the accident we witnessed with the van. What if they blame us for the crash? This is a trap, don’t you see? They want you back in town so they can get you. They’ll make up anything to hold you, and you’ll be back in Jenny Kaine’s power.”

  “What am I supposed to do? Those two kids are in jail because of me. The other kids are going to get themselves arrested or hurt when they try to go into the school before it’s plowed under. I have to talk them out of that. This is what I was saying about being there in person. I stay here, hiding, I look guilty and I have no way to stop those kids. Nobody’s going to listen to an email.”

  “You can’t go back to town. We can’t allow you get yourself arrested. We need you to help with the work on the Testaments. I need you to be safe and alive to marry me.”

  Keith stared at her, clenching his fists. “Those kids need me, too. And what do you mean you ‘can’t allow’ me to do what I need to do? Are you going to knock me down like you did that fake security guy? Like you did Dan? Is Naddy going to lock me up in one of these buildings that I haven’t even seen the inside of yet?”

  Chapter Forty-nine – “We’re All in this Together”

  Talia stared up at him. “Where is this coming from? I’ve done nothing but protect you and try to help you see what believers all over the world face every day. I am not your enemy. I don’t know why I should even have to tell you that.”

  She shot out of her chair and ran out of the room. Keith stood there for a full minute before taking off to find his dad. Joshua Bradley sat in the large, open community area of the main building, drinking coffee with several other men and women.

  “Hey, Dad,” Keith said, forcing what he hoped looked like a genuine smile. “Can I have the keys to the van?”

  “The keys to the van? What for?” his dad asked.

  “I just want to go for a drive. Cabin fever, I guess.”

  “Lots of room to walk around the compound,” a man said as he took a sip of his coffee. “Pretty place. Always something new to explore. Even driving space. It’s pretty big.”

  “I need to get out,” Keith said, trying to keep his tone level. “Can I please have the keys, Dad?”

  His father looked up at him. “Where are you going, Keith?”

  Keith looked around. No one had moved or spoken except Joshua. “Could we … talk someplace else?”

  “We’re all in this together, son,” an elderly man said, standing and offering a hand. Keith shook it woodenly. “”I’m Bart Matthews. This is my wife Sheila. We ran the Truth Adventures theme park in Nevada, until they shut us down. Maybe you heard about it.”

  “I’m … not sure … wait … the one that got sued for child endangerment?” Keith asked.

  “That’s the one.” Bart smiled wanly. “We had exhibits of people and dinosaurs together, among other things, and the local school district complained. Some parents brought their kids to the park and the kids used pictures they took and our literature in reports they gave for classes. We were accused of teaching dangerous and false information. Still trying to figure out how it’s dangerous, except to them, of course.

  “But I spent 18 months in jail, and my exhibits were seized. We were able to get them back, and though some of them were in rough shape, they are stored here in one of the warehouses.” As he talked, his whole body stiffened and the woman sitting beside him reached up and grabbed his hand. He relaxed slowly and seated himself.

  “Eighteen months in jail?” Keith echoed. The couple nodded.

  “We lost our house, basically for having a Bible study,” a young woman said. “Sorry. I’m Fran Taylor.” She popped up out of her seat, as did all the men, and Keith shook hands with her, too. “My husband Saul lost his job with the city over it. They demanded a property reassessment and cited us for parking violations, failing to get a permit … He had trouble getting another job, and they fined us for being late trying to pay the fines, and then we couldn’t make the mortgage payments … well … he’s in cancer treatments now, and I had noplace to go.”

  “Son,” Joshua Bradley said, “if there’s something you’re concerned about, beyond what I already know, please tell me. Tell us. We can’t let the enemy divide us when there’s a possibility someone may have the knowledge to help us solve the problem.”

  Keith dropped into a chair and the content of the emails from the Bible as Literature class spilled out of him. He took a deep, unsteady breath when he finished.

  “Brad Shannon,” said the lady whose husband had cancer.

  “Who?” Keith asked.

  “Of course!” Joshua Bradley exclaimed. “Brad Shannon! He’s just the person we need!”

  “Who’s Brad Shannon?” Keith persisted.

  “You don’t remember that lawyer who tried to harass the school courtesy of the Holdens?” his father smiled. “He used to work for the Civil Rights Defense Association.”

  “Oh, the guy who came to church and talked about Jonathan Edwards?” Keith said.

  “It was your church?” Fran Taylor beamed. “Now he’s with the Constitutional Protection Legal Fou
ndation. Attorney Shannon’s probably the only reason we didn’t go to jail. He said they’re starting to revisit the idea of debtors’ prisons. He’s had legal troubles of his own, since leaving the CRDA, but he says he won’t stop helping other people. You need to call him. He has a special secure line, and answers it personally.” She pushed a business card across the table.

  “Let’s go make that call,” Joshua said, rising and putting a hand on Keith’s back.

  “Okay, Dad, in just a minute. First of all I have to go see if I can get my foot out of my mouth with Talia.”

  “Oh, was that why she ran through here like the world ended?” Joshua sighed. “The two of you have got to learn to face the world together, Son. The enemy is out there, not between you.”

  “Yeah,” Keith muttered. “Yeah. Which way did she go?”

  Everyone pointed up the main staircase. “Her room is at the head of the stairs,” Sheila Matthews said with a smile. “Number 101.”

  Keith nodded and set off up the stairs at a run. He stood on one foot, then the other, and rocked back and forth for a minute.

  “Just knock!” Everyone downstairs called out.

  Talia’s door opened before he could make a fist. She stared at him with puffy red eyes. “I heard someone yelling,” she said.

  “They were yelling at me for being an idiot,” Keith said. “Talia, I’m sorry. You keep saying I can handle everything you throw at me, but I didn’t handle that right at all. Please forgive me. Dad said the enemy is out there. It’s gotta be you and me against the world, right?”

  Talia had taken a good look down at the interested parties at the coffee table and Keith sighed when that spring-into-his-arms expression faded off her face.

  “I overreacted, too,” Talia said softly, knitting her fingers together.

  “C’mon. Dad and I are going to call that lawyer who got saved at our church. People are saying he can help with the kids.”

  “Oh!” Talia caught her breath. “Oh, yes! Brad Shannon! I forgot all about him. That’s a wonderful idea!”

  “Why does everybody know this guy but me?” Keith complained as they ran down the stairs together.

  “Material witness has become a real, true, hostage-taking and extortion tactic for law enforcement,” Attorney Shannon said when they connected with him on a teleconference call. He rubbed his brief red bead and stared at the ceiling. “I can file paperwork that should get those two kids out of jail pretty quick. But we have to move fast on the other matter, and keep those kids off the school site. It’s dangerous physically and legally. Their loyalty to the program and to you is not helpful in this particular case. It makes you look like some kind of cult leader.”

  “But I’m sure I can talk some sense into them,” Keith said. “I’ve known them all their lives. They’ll listen to me.”

  “No way should you go down there, Keith. That’s exactly what whoever’s trying to pull this stunt wants. And it’s bad from a practical standpoint, too, because it romanticizes the ‘cause’ in their minds. They see you as a fugitive from oppressive government, risking everything to encourage followers. They might even believe you pulled a Robin Hood and are responsible for the bombing. We can’t let that thinking continue. They’ll just get more thrills out of taking risks themselves.”

  “I didn’t think of it like that,” Keith admitted.

  “Of course you didn’t. That’s a mistake good-hearted people make all the time, though. You’re only concerned about the safety of the kids. But they got themselves into this, and they’re making your situation worse by their actions. Somebody needs to make them aware of that. Who would the kids trust, though? I don’t think any of them would know me. I’m just a sleazy lawyer, anyway.”

  Talia turned her head as they heard the new email signal, musical tones different from the camel bell ringtone but still oriental in sound. “Excuse me. That’s the account the kids are using. I need to see if there’s been a new development.” She slid over to check the mail.

  “My dad’s in just as much danger as I am, right? He can’t go either?” Keith asked Brad.

  “Maybe not quite as much danger for him, but I’d say no, he shouldn’t go either,” Brad replied. “Certainly not Ms Ramin. Who do you really trust down there? Somebody local, a person everybody knows, and whom the kids respect but don’t … well .. The only word I can think of is worship? Somebody who can bring them back down to earth.”

  “Sam Ewing,” Talia said, and burst out laughing.

  Chapter Fifty – Sam Ewing Saves the Day

  “Sam?” Keith repeated. “What makes you think he –”

  “Because he just emailed us in the Restoration account,” Talia said. “Look at all these typos! He said he’s never typed on a computer before in his life. But he says … I think …” she squinted and stared at the screen “… he says his aunt told him to do something about those crazy kids to get them to stop their foolishness. He wants to know if it’s okay to execute his plan – or – I guess it’s his aunt’s plan.”

  “Dr. Ewing and Sam have a plan to calm the kids down?” Keith stared blankly at the messy email.

  “Okay, sounds like you’ve got possibilities, anyway,” Brad said. “Let me get going on the paperwork to get those kids released and do what I can to quash the rumors flying about the Mad Bradley Bombers.”

  “Thanks,” Keith said.

  “Thank you so much,” Talia added.

  They signed off the conference call and turned to stare at Sam Ewing’s email.

  “Do you think he knows about his aunt being a Guardian of the Testaments?” Keith asked. “I can’t believe Sam wrote this. It looks like he typed with his toes.”

  “I’m guessing Sam doesn’t know the real reason his aunt wants him to do this, but it’s true that the kids all love him, in spite of how he rubs the grownups the wrong way. He’s got such a rebel attitude but a true heart.” Talia smiled. “I think he’s the perfect one to pull this off. Do you think their plan will work?”

  “Tell him to go ahead and let ‘er rip,” Keith said with a grin. “I wish I could see the kids’ faces. They are going to love this.”

  “They made the news,” Joshua Bradley said Monday morning as he carried coffees into Keith and Talia’s war room. “Oh, I see you found it.”

  Keith pulled a chair closer so he could sit with them.

  “Controversy continues to grow over the mysterious events at tiny Bradley Central School,” a newscaster said. “Just over a week ago a terrifying explosion rocked this school and community, shattering windows in the Shady Rest Senior Apartments across the street. Conflicting reports emerged concerning the cause of the blast. Building inspectors deemed the school too badly damaged to be salvaged and demolition was supposed to begin today.”

  The reporter looked behind and to her left and the camera followed as she stepped in front of the smoke-blackened exterior of Bradley Central. She pushed her microphone at Sam Ewing in a hard hat and dust-smeared clothing. He beat on his pants and the reporter coughed and backed up, frantically trying to rescue her perfect dark blue ensemble.

  “Oh, how original.” Talia groaned. Father and son burst out laughing.

  “Oops,” said Sam. The reporter approached again as the shot widened to include all the recent graduates from Bradley who had attended the Bible as Literature class. All of them wore personal protective equipment and stood, grim and determined, like soldiers behind Sam.

  “This is Sam Ewing, a civil engineer who lives here in town and recently assisted in some remodeling work done to the school,” the reporter said, forcing a bright smile for the camera. “He has some surprising news that may change the fate of this once-doomed institution.”

  “Yeah, somebody didn’t do their homework,” Sam growled. “Number one, people are saying the school is too damaged to repair. I inspected the building myself after I heard about this report of it being condemned. The building is completely repairable. I have already filed the results of my inspe
ction with the proper authorities.

  “Number two, there’s plenty of money to pay for the repairs because the insurance policy we took out on the remodeling job covers any other necessary repairs within the same fiscal year. I don’t know who authorized this demolition, but my crew and I are here to put a stop to it right now, and here’s my legal authorization to do so.”

  Sam waved a clipboard with papers to his right as the shot expanded to include the bewildered demolition foreman trying to catch the papers and get a look. The kids all crossed their arms and looked fierce for the camera.

  “Mr. Ewing –” the reporter began.

  “Sam. Mr. Ewing’s my dad.”

  “Sam, then. What about the cause of the explosion? This station has been told that –”

  “Hey!” Sam stuck a greasy-gloved finger in the reporter’s face and made her back up again. “News is supposed to be reporting facts, not rumors, right? If somebody calls you up and says something, it’s gossip until you check it out. Unless you got solid proof of what you’re about to say, don’t even think about saying it! My business deals in what’s true and what isn’t, and I thought that’s what reporting was supposed to be about, too.”

  The reporter’s eyes got very wide. She didn’t say anything.

  “I will tell you this,” Sam said, putting his hands on his hips. “My preliminary inspection proves that this building isn’t unsafe, contrary to what’s been reported. My crew and I are going to go over it with a fine-toothed comb, and then there may just be some facts for you to report.” The kids nodded in unison on the word facts.

  “We’d appreciate being kept in the loop about your findings, Mr. –” The reporter dodged his correcting finger again. “I mean, Sam. This is Amber Sachs reporting. Back to you, Ted.”

  Keith, Talia, and Mr. Bradley stood to their feet and clapped.

  “That couldn’t have been more perfect!” Joshua exclaimed. “Good old Sam.”

  “I didn’t know he was a civil engineer,” Talia said.