Bent Creek (26 page)

Just about the time she decided she couldn’t keep up the charade and tell him the truth, the de
cision to confess and stop moonshining was made for her. It was another Saturday and time for a delivery to Clyde’s store.  Jesse wasn’t feeling well and even though she hated going alone, Rachael had no choice. It was one of their largest deliveries and would make them a lot of money. Today was also the day she was going to tell Sam the truth.

It had started raining that morning, a cold, steady rain that put a chill in her bones. By the time the truck was loaded, Rachael was soaked to the skin. She didn’t have time to change. She was running late already. Shivering, she got behind the wheel and slowly pulled out of the yard, trying to avoid all the rain-filled ruts. She glanced at herself in the mirror.  Her hair was a mess and her clothes were wrinkled and muddy.  How would she explain her appearance to Sam?

While Rachael was on her way to Lynch, Clyde already had company in his store. Two men had entered.  They stood around pretending to look at some of the hardware until all of the morning customers had left. Clyde called out to them, “Kin I hep ya?”

“Yeah, ya sure kin. I got a business proposition fer you,” the largest man said.

“Sorry, I ain’t buyin’ anymore merchandise right now. Got too much stock as it is,” Clyde said.

“Oh, I ain’t a sellin’ anythang.  I jest want you tah give me all yer money, that load of shine that’ll be comin’ round soon and then I’ll let you stay alive. Now, that sounds like a pretty good proposition tah me,” the man said.

Clyde backed up against the glass case, slowly reaching behind the counter for his pistol.  His heart was thumping in his throat. One of his worse fears was coming true.

“I wouldn’t do that if’n I wuz you.” The man pulled a knife out of his belt and stuck it into the counter.  The other man put a gun in Clyde’s side and pushed him toward the back of the store. Clyde began to pray.

Rachael had made it to town and maneuvered the truck down the narrow alleyway next to Clyde’s store.  Pulling as close to the building as she could, she jumped down and pushed open the heavy door. Assuming that Clyde was in the store waiting on a customer, Rachael began to unload the truck, stacking the heavy boxes on the wooden landing. After three trips, she decided to wait for him. Her back was already beginning to hurt from the weight of the boxes.  Five minutes went by and still no Clyde. Getting impatient, Rachael walked to the door leading to the store and opened it just a few inches. There was no sign of him. Suddenly, without warning, someone came up behind her and jerked her away from the door, a hand covering her mouth. She struggled as her assailant dragged her backwards, her hands trying to pry his fingers loose from her face. Twisting just enough to turn her head a few inches, Rachael chomped down on the finger that was now almost all the way in her mouth. Her attacker let out a loud yowl and pushed her to the floor. Landing almost on her face, Rachael looked up to see Clyde’s feet, tied to a chair in the far corner of the room.  As she raised her head, she looked up and into his eyes.  Clyde was bound with a horse rope, a rag tied across his mouth.  She could see the fear in his eyes. “Git up, girl.  I outta beat yer head in, you done near bit my finger off,” the man, growled.

Rachael slowly sat up and faced him.  She had never seen him before. He was short and stocky and dressed in cover
alls. He held a red kerchief on his finger. “I outta smash yer head fer bitin’ me,” he snarled.  Just as he moved toward her, another man entered the storeroom.  A straw hat pulled down over his eyes covered most of his face.  As he raised his head, she knew she was in trouble.  It was the man with the scar running across his face, the mean looking bastard that Joe had described to her.

“We ain’t got time fer all this crap, Norvelle.  Leave her be.”

“But, she done bit my finger, Cooter,” he whined.

The man called Cooter pulled Rachael up by her arm and sat her down on a wooden stool.  “Now, here
’s the way it’s gonna be, gal. You’re gonna tell me where yer still is and where you got yer money hidden. Clyde, here, wuz nice enuf tah pay us fer the shipment outside, but we want the rest of it.  Now you jest tell me where it is and you kin go on yer way.”  He pulled a roll of bills from his overall pocket, which Rachael knew was the money that Clyde was going to give to her.  “Cat got yer tongue, girl. Ya better fess up, I ain’t got all day.”

Rachael’s mind was racing. She couldn’t tell them where the still was. If they came out to the house they would probably kill all of them and take everything they owned.  And what about Clyde? Were they going tah kill him, too?  She had to think fast.

“I don’t know anythin’.  I jest meet some man on the road and he puts this stuff in my truck and I bring it here.  He pays me a few dollars for deliverin’ it.”

“Well ain’t that jest a pack of lies.  We been watchin’ you fer over a month. We know’d fer sure you and yer family is runnin’ a still. We been out tah yer house.  Somethin’ is a goin’ on, you jest better fess up.”  His hand squeezed her face. “I ain’t a patient man, so you jest speak up. Sides, Nevers done kilt my brother. I’m pert sure of that.  I’m sorry Nevers done died
; I wanted the pleasure of killin’ him myself.”

“It’s up on Black Mountain, by Pine Ridge,” she blurted out. “It’s up where Nevers put it. It wuz too heavy fer us tah move it. The money is a hidin’ up there, too.  We make the shine up thar and then haul it down each week and bring it here tah Lynch.”

“That a fact? You tellin’ me the truth, cause if’n you ain’t you jest might be in a heap of trouble.”

“That’s the truth. I swear,” she yelled out.  “On my momma’s grave, that’s the truth.”

“Well maybe you jest better take us up that thar mountain and show us where it is.”

“What about Clyde?” she asked.  “Why don’t you let him go? He won’t do you no harm.”

“I wuz thinkin’ on takin’ him with us.” He ran his finger over the blade of his knife. “Maybe I’ll jest do him in right now and git it over with. Gimme the keys tah yer truck.”

“We won’t all fit in the truck and if’n you don’t unload it, ya’ll lose half them cases going back up that steep ole moun
tain. You need tah leave it here and take yer car. That a way, Clyde kin stay here and make sure everythin’ looks okay and watch over the cases. If’n you kill him and he’s not here in the store people will wonder what happened tah him. Clyde never leaves his store durin’ the day.  They may git suspicious, and start snoopin’ round.  If’n they find the liquor they’ll probably take it or worse yet call the sheriff.  That’s a powerful lot of money in those boxes.  You won’t say anything, will you, Clyde?” Rachael looked at him with pleading eyes.

Clyde made a gurgling sound and shook his head the best he could. The scar faced man moved closer to Clyde and pulled his knife out of his belt.  He placed it under Clyde’s chin. “Now, this little girl thinks you kin keep yer mouth shut till we get back.” He pushed the knife deeper into Clyde’s throat and a trickle of blood began to run down his neck.  “If’n we let you go, you ain’t g
onna say a thing are you, Clyde?  Cause if’n you do, I’ll come back and slit yer throat from ear tah ear and the girl, too.” He ran his hand over the scar on his face. “Yer gonna keep that truck full of shine safe fer us, ain’t you, Clyde? Don’t be thinkin’ bout runnin’ off in that there truck, cause I’ll find you and I’ll come back and kill this here girl right in front of you and ya’ll have her blood on yer hands.”

The fear in Clyde’s eyes was a good enough answer.  He nodded his head vigorously. His gag was removed from his mouth and with one quick movement the ropes binding him were cut. Clyde was in tears. “I won’t say nary a word, I promise,” he said, choking back the sobs in his throat.

“Okay, come on, gal, let’s get a goin’.”

“Wait! Let me get my hat,” Rachael said, as she bent down, she hurriedly whispered to Clyde, “Get Sam, Pine Ridge.” It was all she had time to say before she was dragged outside and shoved into the backseat of Cooter’s car.  She thought to herself that Cooter was dumber than she imagined if he believed that Clyde was just going to go about his business as if nothing had happened. Cooter was really a stupid but very dangerous man.

She had to pee, her mouth was dry, her heart was ready to jump out of her chest and she had no idea what she was going to do to get out of this situation.  Rachael was just buying time. Time for what, she had no idea. Sitting close to the window, her eyes darted from side to side.  Maybe Sam was walking down the street to meet her. She prayed that Clyde wouldn’t be too scared to go find Sam. Maybe he would just get in the truck and take off without looking back.  As the car moved further down the street toward the country road, she knew it was all up to her to figure out how to get out of this mess.

“Okay, you be tellin’ us which a way tah turn when we git near the mountain road.  We ain’t too familiar with these parts. You jest make sure you don’t try nothin’ funny.  I ain’t above throwin’ you outta this car,” Cooter said.

“It’s been a time since I’ve been up here. I don’t take care of the still,” Rachael replied.  “I might have tah figure on it a bit, so don’t drive too fast.”

“It’s gonna be dark soon, so you better make sure you git us there, girl
, a fore we can’t see where we’re a goin’.”

That’s what she was hoping for.  Night in the mountains was darker than the inside of a coalminer’s boot.  She needed all the help she could get.

Chapter Thirty-One

Clyde sat frozen to the chair.  He was afraid to move. His mind was racing. What if’n they’re really not gone?  What if’n they’re waitin’ fer me to get up and run outta here?  Oh, Lordy, I knew somethin’ bad wuz gonna happen some day, but not this bad.

Clyde’s biggest fear was that the revenuers would come some day and arrest him, but as the years passed and nothing happened he had gotten cockey. Today was far worse than that.

“Hey, is anybody here? Clyde where are ya?”  Clyde was jolted back to reality by the sound of someone calling from the front of the store. Putting his hand on his neck, he could still feel the point of the knife piercing his skin.  “I’m a comin’, hold yer horses,” he yelled.

Billy Tate leaned over the counter. “Where ya been, Clyde? I been waitin’ fer about ten minutes. You don’t look so good. You got blood on yer shirt. You cut yerself?”

Clyde stammered, “Yes…No…I don’t feel too good.  I gotta run down the street for a minute.  Watch the store fer me.”

Billy’s eyes widened. “You kiddin’ me.  You mean it, you gonna let me watch yer store?  Kin I come behind the counter?”

Clyde didn’t answer he was already on his way out the door. Still holding his neck, he ran the two blocks to the board
ing house. “Sam here?” he asked the woman sitting at the desk, reading a magazine. She nodded without looking up and pointed up the stairs.

“Room two, second door on left. You wait, I’ll get him,” she said. Clyde was already half way up the stairs.

“Sam, Sam, you in thar, open the door,” he hollered, his fists pounding on the door.

Sam opened the door, shaving cream dripping from his face. “What in the hell are you yelling about?” He wiped his face with a towel.

“It’s Rachael! They got her. A couple of moonshiners done carried her off. One of them’s called Cooter.  He’s a mean bastard. She needs you. She said Pine Ridge. Lord, it’s a mess. You gotta find her and real quick a fore they find out she’s a lyin’ to them.”

“What the hell are you babbling about? Start at the beginning,” Sam said, as he dried his face and pulled his shirt over his head. Sit down for a minute and catch your breath.”

Clyde plopped down on the side of the bed. “We ain’t got but a few minutes. It’s a mess, a real mess.”  Clyde began to talk faster and faster. “Nevers wuz a moonshiner.  For yars he’s been bringin’ me his whiskey and I been sendin’ it up North. When Nevers died, Rachael and her family took over. They set up a still in the smoke house and made some fine hooch. Nevers killed Cooter’s, brother, Rooster, and now Cooter wants everything. He come tah town and took my money and then when Rachael showed up he wanted tah know where the still and the rest of the money wuz  She said Pine Ridge. That’s whar they’re headed.  But it ain’t up thar and when they find out they’ll most likely kill her.  She saved my life, Sam. They wuz gonna kill me, but she talked them outta it.  You gotta halp her.”

Sam pulled his jacket off the hook on the back of the door. He opened the nightstand drawer and took out a gun. Putting a box of bullets in his pocket, he said to Clyde, “You better not be telling me this just to get me out of town. Let’s go.”

“What should I do, Sam? You ain’t gonna call the law on me, are you?” Clyde asked, following Sam down the stairs.

“Go back to your store. Stay there. Don’t leave the store tonight, but if I’m not back by morning you go down to the sheriff’s office and tell them they need to keep you in a cell. Tell them you’re my witness and I want you safe. So, that’s all Rachael said was Pine Ridge?”

“That’s all she had time to say afore they drug her off. I’m jest gonna be yer witness, right, Sam?  You ain’t a gonna send me to prison are ya? I know’d yer family before you wuz born. I gave yer papa credit in my store when he wuz short of money. So, I’m jest yer witness, right, Sam?” he asked again.