The Broken and the Dead (Book 1) (31 page)

Day 19, Continued, Frank’s Family Lodge

              I had finally got myself under control and made my way downstairs; I found Lucy on the radio talking or rather giving instructions to Old Man Tucker. Elaine was sitting next to her and was laughing finding the conversation hilarious; Lt. Klein was sitting on a nearby couch waiting her turn. Lucy was telling OMT that Ronald had taken over his ‘
garb dooby
’ while he was gone; she held Ronald Bear out in front of her and marched him back and forth in front of the radio handset just so there would be no mistake. Lucy seemed satisfied that OMT had kept his word and made radio contact as per the agreement and was willing to turn the handset over to Lt. Klein and after doing so scampered away in that special way that only five year old girls can do. Elaine started to follow her but I grabbed her arm, I knew the Livingston’s would be coming in from the back any moment and I had to let her know what had happened.

No one had known that the girl OMT had executed was Janae Livingston except for me and OMT. I knew this was going to blow up in our faces big time and we had to be ready. Lt. Klein trust the handset away from her just moments after getting it from Lucy, a high pitched sound, it oscillated and hummed. I knew it right away, I had heard it before.

“What the hell is that?” Lt. Klein asked.

I looked at her and said “it’s the monsters, they are in a humming circle and we can hear them on the radio.”

Day 19, Continued, the Post Office

Old Man Tucker stared at the handset on the radio in the Humvee. He shook his head and looked over at Dr. Carter who was standing nearby.

“Something is wrong.” OMT said, “Listen to this.”

He held the handset up so Carter could hear it.

“What on God’s green Earth is that?” Carter asked.

Old Man Tucker said “I’m not sure but I have my suspicions, look I hate to leave Janey with you like this but I think we had better head back to the lodge.”

The older man shook his head

“Look, don’t even think about it, your team saved our hides and I will do everything I can for her, I promise.”

Old Man Tucker nodded then held out his hand to Dr. Carter,

“Thanks doc, I will come back as soon as I can and I’ll bring a radio if I can so your group and ours can stay in contact.”

Dr. Carter took Tuckers hand and shook it firmly,

“Just be careful, that young lady in there doesn’t need to feel abandoned you know.”

OMT turned and climbed into the Humvee and started it up, shutting the door he pulled away, did a quick U-turn and headed back out of town towards the highway and to the lodge.

              The Old Man pushed the Humvee to its limit, he tried to reach the lodge on the radio but the static continued. The sun was setting low on the horizon when he pulled onto the hidden drive, gravel was flung to either side of the Humvee as it fishtailed up the drive. One of the MRAPs was parked right in front of the steps. The Humvee slid to a stop and OMT climbed out and started around the front of the Humvee. He looked up as a crowd exited the lodge to stand on the front porch.

“What happened? Is everything okay?” he asked.

I followed the others out the door, Mr. Livingston was standing with his arms around his wife; her eyes red, her cheeks tear streaked, she was holding a white kerchief to her mouth as if she were trying to keep her screams from exploding. OMT looked confused but his expression instantly changed to one of agony as Darnell stepped out from behind the MRAP with a length of 2x4 in his hands and swinging it like a bat brought it across OMT’s lower back. OMT crumpled like a sack of rocks, he was stunned for a moment before he tried to get to his hands and knees; Darnell waited until he did then he kicked OMT in the ribs hard. OMT let out an “oomph” as he fell onto his side; Darnell tried to kick him a second time but OMT wrapped his arms around the younger man’s foot catching it. He twisted it viciously and Darnell started to fall but the younger man was far faster than his older counterpart and he stayed with the motion and ended up kneeling on OMT. He held the 2x4 in his left hand and he began to pummel OMT with his right hand. OMT tried to cover and did manage to block some of the blows but many landed and a cut opened over his left eye and his nose was clearly broken.

              “You bastard! You fucking bastard!” Darnell screamed “You murderer!”

OMT was losing consciousness and couldn’t protect himself, Darnell stood up and taking the board again he tried to bash OMT’s head in but OMT managed to roll just enough so that it hit his left shoulder instead. That’s when Lucy came out onto the porch and screamed at what was going on; Lucy prompted Lt. Klein to step in.

“Enough! Livingston! Stand down!” she ordered.

“Not yet! Not until he is dead!” he yelled back.

Darnell kicked Tucker repeatedly, when his face was visible Darnell’s fist continued to smash at it. When Tucker’s face was barely recognizable as one, Darnell stood up, straddling the nearly unconscious old man, he raised it over his head in both hands, preparing to split Tuckers head like a grape.

The Lieutenant stepped forward and grabbed the 2x4 with one hand stopping Darnell from using it again, at least not unless he was willing to fight Klein first. For just a moment it looked as if Darnell was indeed willing to do just that but just as Deputy Weir started to head towards the conflict, it was Darnell’s mother who intervened.

“Darnell that is enough.”

She stepped down off the porch and headed towards her son, she placed a settling hand on his shoulder and the change was nearly instantaneous. She looked down at OMT who lay bleeding in the dirt but said nothing to him. She twined an arm with Darnell’s and led him towards the lodge. Deputy Weir knelt next to OMT,

“You okay Tucker?” he asked.

OMT just moaned in response. Weir then took a pair of handcuffs from his duty belt and pulled OMT’s arms behind him and snapped the cuffs on.

“Sorry about this Tucker.”

Weir said in a barely audible voice as he took the Colts from his belt and the fighting knife from its sheath on his right thigh.              

              Rico and Weir brought OMT in and set him on the floor, leaning against the stairs going to the 2
nd
floor, they released one cuff and pulled his arms so that his wrists went between two of the balustrades  each and then cuffed him in that position. Emotions were high and everyone seemed upset except for Deputy Weir who just seemed sad. It was dark when the debate began, at first everyone was involved but Darnell got upset that Lucy was there and he demanded that all the kids be banished from the room.

I said “That’s not fair! We are involved as much as anyone else!”

Darnell laughed “You see? Look I don’t care how Tucker ran things; it’s time for the big kids to take over.”

Mrs. Driscol came over to me and said “Johnny, why don’t you and Karen take Lucy upstairs? Okay?”

Darnell quickly added “Kyle you and Elaine go too.”

Kyle started to comply but Elaine stood her ground “

Screw you Darnell, who are you to decide who stays and who goes? We have fought just as hard, lost just as much as anyone and probably more than most, I say we stay.”

Elaine gave the death stare that she apparently had inherited from Mom but this just made Darnell even angrier.

“Shut the fuck up bitch, now do as I say!”

It looked like he was going to slap Elaine, Mrs. Driscol stepped between them

“Darnell! Stop it!”

Darnell’s’ father agreed,

“Darnell, calm down son, we have serious things to discuss and you trying to bully that young lady isn’t going to help at all.”

Mrs. Driscol put her hand on his arm but he jerked it away, his face was clouded with anger and he stomped away to stand near the fireplace.

              I spoke to Karen, “will you please go ahead and take Lucy upstairs? I’ll come get you if anything is being decided. I promise.”

She nodded then took Lucy by the hand that was not clutching Ronald Bear tightly to her face, Karen’s brother Kyle came to stand next to me as Karen and Lucy left the room. As Lucy and Karen passed by OMT, Lucy knelt next to him and gently touched his face; there was blood covering half of his face from the cut over one eye and the other was swollen so badly it was completely shut. Lucy whispered to him.

“Mr. Tucker, please don’t cry, it will be okay. I don’t believe you did what they said you did.”

Tucker was awake and he heard what Lucy had said but his answer was gravelly and hoarse, barely audible.

“Lucy, please, no matter what, I want you to stay in your room okay? You and Ronald Bear, promise me?”

Lucy looked confused because he didn’t deny the murders he was accused of; it was Karen who leaned over and said

“Don’t worry Mr. Tucker, we will, won’t we Luce?”

Karen took Lucy’s hand once more and together they went up the stairs to Lucy’s room.             

              In the great room, Darnell was pacing about,

“I don’t understand what we are doing here? I say I just drag the son-of-a-bitch out in the hard and put one between his eyes!”

Lt. Klein said “Not gonna happen before we know the whole story Corporal.”

She crossed her arms across her chest. Darnell stared at the older woman and said

“You saw the bodies, you saw what he did to my sister!” then after a moment he added “And where is Staff Sergeant Barnes? And Janey? Did you happen to not notice that Tucker returned alone? Shit, he probably killed them too!”

He waved his arms in frustration.

              “I don’t know where they are Corporal and neither do you since you decided to so vigorously apprehend Tucker!” Lt. Klein said.

Her voice revealed that she had doubts as well.

“What do you say Mom?”

Darnell asked his mother who was sitting with her head in her hands. She looked up at her son, tall and handsome, but filled with fury and hate and after a moment she said

“I say my daughter is dead and nothing is going to bring her back.”

Mr. Livingston gently patted his wife’s shoulder before he had his say

“Darnell, you know as well as I that Janae was running with a rough crowd, maybe ...”

Darnell cut him off “Maybe what Dad? Maybe he had a reason to strangle her with her hands tied behind her back with a piece of clothes line?”

              Mrs. Driscol spoke softly but firmly,

“We didn’t know she was your daughter, all I know is that the group she was with had beaten and abused Mr. and Mrs. Franks and killed a relative of theirs.”

Darnell looked aghast, “Says who? Who saw all this happen, huh? This alleged abuse you are accusing my sister of?”

Mrs. Driscol responded “Mrs. Franks told me, and the things she said were...”

“Were what?” Darnell yelled back. “Where are they now? Why did they only tell you?”

It was Elaine who surprised everyone.

“Because they are dead Darnell, dead. When we got here Mr. Franks never spoke a word after they were rescued and I saw the bruises and the cuts on Mrs. Franks.”

“Bullshit! Rescued my ass! You have already accepted that the black folks were the aggressors here or you wouldn’t have stated it like that!”

His words had cut Mrs. Driscol deeply and I could see that, but she didn’t back down.

“Mr. Franks committed suicide the same day you arrived, don’t you find that suspicious? I knew him for over 8 years and I can tell you he was broken, devastated. I don’t know what happened exactly but yes, I believe Mrs. Frank’s story. Those people, and your sister was one of them, had done terrible things here before Tucker stopped them!”

              Darnell started across the room towards her, his fists tight, he was so angry that it took Rico and Weir to keep him from attacking Mrs. Driscol. Lt. Klein stood in the middle of the room and said

“Alright, alright. I don’t think we should do anything tonight. Let’s all try and get some rest and maybe we can come to some intelligent decisions in the morning?”

No one objected, not even Darnell but that may have been because he was so furious.

“Okay then, I have watch on the roof at 10, after me Rico, and Deputy Weir I know you had it earlier today but would you please take another shift till morning?”

The quiet police officer nodded.

“Great.” Klein said “We will move Tucker to the roof so whoever is on watch can keep an eye on him too, is that acceptable?”

She was looking around the room but was clearly speaking to the Livingstons. Mr. Livingston seemed to answer for his family with just a sad nod.

              Lt. Klein checked her side arm then with Deputy Weir took their prisoner up to the rooftop where he was handcuffed once more, this time to the huge wooden housing that I had hidden in so long ago. Klein got some water from the kitchen and tried to clean up OMT, as she knelt by him, gently daubing the damp cloth on his face she asked.

“Tucker, where is Barnes?”

“Dead.” Tucker answered in a voice that sounded like he was trying to swallow a mouth full of minnows, he turned away and spat out a large glob of bloody mucus. He was pressing on his own teeth with his tongue, he had already found one broken and another quite loose.