Sandhill Street: The Loss of Gentleness

by Rob Summers

Chapter 9 Pinching the Goods

  Wittily Dread marched out to the sidewalk in front of her house to confront Gentleness. This was the fifth time in a month that he had lingered near her front yard, and it simply had to stop. While her commission from Grace for the statue had been ongoing, she had fumed and done nothing, for she had not wanted to lose the five hundred dollars. She had wanted to buy Christmas presents for her family and had had no time left to find another way to earn money. But Ambassador Grace had returned her statue to her yesterday, with payment, so that was all over with. If Gentleness would just stop hanging around outside, then all appearance of a connection between Dread House and Grace House would be ended.

  “Listen, it’s all very flattering, but you can’t keep standing out here,” she said to him. “Didn’t I tell you that we Dreads can’t be associated with Heavenites?”

  Gentleness looked down at her with patient regard. “Actually, until this evening I’ve been hanging around over on the other side of the street.”

  “As if that makes any difference!”

  “It does. I’m here tonight for a different reason. I’m keeping a lookout.”

  “I know, for me!”

  “No. I mean sure, for you, but…”

  “It is too cold to stand here and argue about it,” she said, for she had rushed out without a coat. “You’ve always been so ready to help others. Well, help me by staying out of my life!”

  “Not forever though?”

  “Yes, forever! Do you think I could ever put up with someone who likes everyone, even Prevarica? Yes, this has to do with my parents’ troubles, but it isn’t just that. Face it, I never thought of you as my style. I can’t stand the way you just grin like some big stupid bear when someone’s insulting you. You’re doing it now! Look, I want a boyfriend with an edge, with some kind of reaction to things.”

  Gentleness’ saddened expression showed her that she had finally made an impression. But she would not say she was sorry, for it would only encourage him in his delusion.

  “If you don’t want me to,” he said, “I won’t hang around here any more after tonight.”

  “If! I’m telling you to get lost!” she almost screamed. “Look at me, I’m shivering. I’m going in now.”

  It was well time to get away since two middle aged men were coming along the walk and she did not want to be seen talking with a Heavenite. After she returned to her house, she looked out a window to see if Gentleness was going, standing well back so as not to be seen herself. The men had stopped by him, and one of them was speaking to him animatedly while the other stood at the boy’s side, almost behind him. The very talkative man reached out and gave Gentleness a walloping but friendly slap on the shoulder, and just at that moment, the other man slipped into the boy’s coat pocket a small, slender canister with a tube projecting from the end. Gentleness didn’t notice.

  Though she could not define the threat, she was instantly sure that this would bring terrible consequences for Gentleness, and she thought of running out and warning him. Still watching out the window, she began to slip toward the front door.

  But it was too late. The man behind Gentleness suddenly produced handcuffs, and pulling his arms back, locked them on his wrists; and the talking man pulled out a badge and held it in front of the boy’s face. With no sound of siren or flash of light, a police car pulled up at the curb. What could they be arresting Gentleness for? It was that canister! They had planted something on him!

  She tore herself from the window and fumbled with the doorknob, fought her way past door and storm door, hurting an elbow in the process, and ran into the yard—just as the squad car was speeding away with Gentleness and both men in it. They must have shoved the boy into the back seat the moment she had turned from the window.

  She watched them out of sight as they turned the corner, then went back in, sat down, and fought back tears. What to do now? It was no use calling the police; not when they were the very ones who had done this. Gentleness was just gone, that was all, and depending on what trumped up charge was brought against him, might be gone for a long time. He was a Heavenite, hated by the City authorities, and had no hope of clemency. She might never see him again.

  “Oh, my God!” she exploded as the sobs began. “After what I just said, he’ll always think I hate him.”

  In back of Leasing House, Dignity rejoined Reason at a shadowy vantage point.

  “I sent Gentleness to stand across the street as a lookout,” Dignity said.

  “Good,” Reason said with relief. “When he tagged along, I began to think that there was no kind way to get rid of him. But he’s no good at this sort of thing, and actually, he’d probably spend the whole time trying to talk us out of doing it.”

  Dignity nodded as both watched the back of Leasing House. “It’s a good thing Pinch owes me one,” he said. Then they stood silent, both looking for the serving woman’s signal.

  They had slipped up by way of the alley, intending a small raid, something suggested by Pinch herself. She knew where all Guiles Leasing’s private papers were kept and had described to them a legal document in his possession that promised him a City Seal in return for certain services and commitments and the relinquishing of certain rights. It was written in legalese, Pinch had said, but she had once been a paralegal and had easily interpreted it. Specifically, Leasing House would be given up to infernal fires that would hasten its demise (to be expected in a very few years), and in the meantime, all its inhabitants must faithfully serve the City administration, relinquishing all human rights. The City was full of houses destined for Hell, but Leasing House was among those specially devoted to plutonic service and closer to the eternal flames.

  Dignity thought that should have been abundantly clear to anyone, even without formal proof; but it appeared that, if he were ever to wake his parents out of their satisfied stupor, he would need as evidence something as tangible as this contract. If it worked, not just Neglect and Folly but everyone in the neighborhood would be forced to see that the Heavenites were right. Reason had brought a camera with a lens suited for photographing documents. All they would need would be a few minutes. Furthermore, they weren’t breaking and entering, since they could walk in through the back wall. His cousin had also calculated two reasons why they could not be charged with stealing. The first was that they weren’t taking anything out of the house. Second and more important was that, even if their picture taking could be construed as some sort of crime, Guiles would never seek to charge them with it, for he would not be willing to admit that such a document existed and that he had signed it. Yes, they were trespassing, but these were relatives, and so what?

  And yet—something told Dignity that even proof of the enslaved state and impending fall of Leasing House would not pry his parents out of Guiles’ grasp. Their faith in their son had been shaken or had never existed. Their faith in nephew Guiles and Oblivia was complete, for those two had never offended them with talk of Heaven or even of morality. Despite its severe structural defects, Neglect and Folly found Leasing House to be more congenial than Grace House could ever be to them. For in Leasing House everything was decided in light of the happiness of the moment, and any long-term consequence was as rare a topic of conversation as if it concerned people a world away. So perhaps this mission was hopeless. He could not really visualize his parents leaving here for the more disciplined joys of Grace House—not short of their conversion anyway. Still, these were his parents, and he must try.

  Pinch had told them that all the Leasing House residents except Guiles and Oblivia were away, and that those two always stayed in the basement on these cold winter evenings in the only heated rooms in the house. So this should be easy.

  A light flashed in an upstairs room, Pinch’s signal, and the cousins began threading their way up the narrow back walk between the piles of junk. From the porch they walked straight through where the wall should have been and in
to a laundry room. Lights were on, but even without them they could have found their way, for they knew the house well enough. Soon they were up the back stairs and into the upstairs hall. Pinch was supposed to be waiting for them in Guiles’ bedroom.

  But as they cautiously walked the weather warped floor of the hall, avoiding the hanging rags of wallpaper, a door opened between them and the room they were aiming for. Before they had time to react, there, directly in front of them, was Oblivia. She was holding a three ring binder in her hand, she wore a winter coat over a colorful housedress, and her hair was done up in curlers. She did not seem startled at all.

  “Dignity and Reason!” she exclaimed with a welcoming smile. “I didn’t know you were here. What a nice surprise.”

  They fumbled their way to some polite responses.

  “I wish the kids were here to see you, but Neglect and Folly took them to see Towering Inferno II. Aunt Arctica and Mockery went with them and so did the new nanny. Oh, I offered her the night off, but she said she loves the little dears so that she wanted to go along. By the way, I believe she knows you somehow, Dignity. Anyway, I came up to get this photo album to show Folly after they get back. Guiles is downstairs. I’ll just go get him.”

  Reason stepped forward. “No, please, Oblivia. We can’t stay.”

  The older woman looked at them questioningly.

  Dignity steeled himself. “We just wanted to see a document that’s kept in Guiles’ bedroom and that we think could have some effect on my parents’ lives. I know that may sound a little—”

  “Well, Guiles’ room is right here,” Oblivia said cheerfully, “just down the hall.” She began leading them. “But if it’s anything legal, I won’t know anything about it or be able to find it. We should get Guiles, or Pinch.”

  Dignity maneuvered himself in front of her. “No need to come in. We’ll just find what we need, look it over, and be on our way. It won’t take five minutes.”

  “Now I don’t leave guests alone,” she said, passing him and opening the door. “Oh, here’s Pinch! Pinch we were just wanting you to help Dignity find something of Guiles’. What was it, Dignity?”

  Inside the room the hawk-nosed blonde stood blushing and holding something behind her.

  Following up on a quickly whispered communication from Reason, Dignity favored Oblivia with a tight smile and said, “Reason and Pinch can handle it from here. I wonder if you’d take a few minutes and show me the album pictures?” He put a hand on her arm and began to lead her out.

  “It’s a bit cold up here,” Oblivia confessed, her visible breath puffing. “We should go to the basement if you want to really sit down and enjoy the album.”

  “Well, let’s just look at a few snapshots under the hall light,” Dignity said, still leading her out. “Here, I’ll hold the album. Oh my, look here! It’s Rage and Plausible playing by the lake last summer.”

  “Oh, yes, we all had a wonderful time,” Oblivia said. “That’s Plausible’s little school friend that he invited to go with us. Let’s see, what was his name?”

  Someone closed the door behind them, but Dignity could still faintly hear the clicks and whirrs of Reason’s camera.

  A few minutes later Reason and Dignity exited by the front door and paused on the sidewalk.

  “I don’t see Gentleness,” Dignity said, looking across the street to where he had posted him. “He must have given up and gone home.”

  Reason nodded absently to this as they began to walk the short distance to Grace House. “I’m afraid Pinch will get fired when Guiles hears about what we’ve done.”

  “Maybe not. It may not occur to him that she was in on it. Anyway, she knows she always has a place for her in Grace House. I only wonder that she didn’t stay with us to begin with, or at least come back to us when Leasing House lost its roof.”

  “She didn’t quite fit in when she was with us,” Reason observed. “She’s no real Heavenite.”

  “No, I suppose not. You think you got good pictures?”

  “Should be nice and clear. Now we only have one problem.”

  “Yeah. How do we get to see Mom and Dad so we can show them the evidence?”

  “Maybe we should have thought of that before,” she said.

  Dignity felt more anxious than ever. “We had to do something,” he said. “They’re like prisoners, and we had to do something. Maybe we could mail them the pictures.”

  “Maybe Guiles censors their mail.”

  As they passed under a streetlight, Reason paused and pulled out the abominometer, for she had formed a habit of looking at it from time to time. She mumbled and shook it. She stood still.

  “What is it?” Dignity said, coming back to her.

  “I don’t know. It can’t be right, not unless something terrible has happened. Look at it.”

  He took the instrument from her and saw that it registered at 92.

  “That’s a jump from 86 in just a few hours,” she said. “What can it mean?”