Emily’s eyes widened. “Are you sure we can make it, Jimmy?”
“Oh yeah, it’s a quick dash.”
Ready to spring out of the car, I perched on the edge of my seat.
“Go. Get out. Go now.” Jimmy’s words rang in my ears like cymbals.
We tore to the huge structure and slowed to a walk when we reached the back of it.
Jimmy waved his hand toward the thicket of foliage. “It’s a little farther than I thought, but that’s our destination,” he whispered.
Joe got out of his car and put a casual looking wobble in his walk. Probably part of his act. He peered around the field, his gaze fixed on Emily’s car. Did he recognize it? Fear shot up my spine. No way. Joe had never seen Emily’s car with her in it.
He turned and faced a sign on the fence.
Jimmy’s eyes grew wide. “Go.”
We darted to the shrubbery.
Emily dropped down on the grass between Jimmy and me. “I think I’m becoming an athlete.”
Putting our hands over our mouths, we snickered.
“Hey, you from the temple?” Joe’s voice rang out like thunder.
Poking my nose into the prickly leaves, I sat straight up.
Coach Rogers walked toward Joe.
Jimmy’s mouth gaped.
Emily blinked and leaned into the bushes as though she were trying to get a closer look. It didn’t surprise me. There had to be a Meriwether connection. Also, Andy told me Coach Rogers skipped a lot of practices. He wasn’t working on game plans though. The plays he designed set up innocent kids with drugs. Not this time.
Joe marched right up to Coach Rogers. “I just moved here from Los Angeles. My supplier told me to see the monk, and I did. He sent me here.” He spoke in a harsh, demanding tone.
“Yeah, we’re waiting on a shipment. It’s late, so we’re sending it directly to the temple tonight. Be there at nine o’clock.” Coach Rogers said his piece, turned, and walked away.
Joe returned to his car and drove off.
Jimmy’s eyes widened. “It’s”—he sucked in a deep breath. “Goin’ down tonight.” His voice cracked.
My heart beat so hard I thought it might burst. “I have to see it, but after all Joe said about these people I don’t expect the two of you to go. I don’t want you in danger.”
Jimmy put his hand on his hip. “Are you kidding? After all we’ve been through, I wouldn’t miss this. We’ll stay hidden.”
“You can’t get rid of me.” Emily pushed her long hair behind her ears. “Should I pick you up about eight o’clock?”
Jimmy put his arm around my waist and pulled me close to him.
My heart leapt with joy. “Yes.”
14
Dad was sweeping leaves off the rock walkway when Emily stopped in our drive.
Images of Coach Rogers and two criminals with no faces bounced around in my head. My insides nearly popped for wanting to tell Dad what was going down.
“See you tonight,” Emily said as I scooted out.
“Thanks for everything.”
I waved at Dad and said, “Hi” not letting on I knew the biggest secret in the world.
He grinned real big.
Mom called out the kitchen window. “Hi, honey, I’m in here.”
Happiness shot through me like a laser. A meal at home with Mom and Dad. “I’ll be right in.”
Sun seeped in between the ruffled curtains and shone on Mom’s face, exposing a sadness her stiff upper lip couldn’t hide.
Anger bubbled in me when I saw her like that. I wanted those drug dealers to suffer for what they’d done to Sean and my family. If I could get hold of them, I’d tear them to bits.
Cutting corn off the cob, Mom turned and smiled. “Want to help?”
She wouldn’t approve of the fury I felt inside. Knowing those who hurt Sean would pay gave me satisfaction, but it didn’t right things. An emptiness that couldn’t be filled lived inside me. An ache that couldn’t be eased pierced my heart. At school my friends had done all they could to lift my spirits, but my burden had pushed me to the outside of their world. My life, all of our lives had fallen apart. This evening our home seemed almost normal with Dad working in the yard and Mom cooking. “What do you need?”
“Could you peel those potatoes? I thought they’d be good with corned beef and cabbage.”
“Oh, yum.” I picked up a spud. “Mom, I’d like to go out tonight with Jimmy and Emily.”
“Sure, no problem. Jimmy’s spending quite a bit of time with you and Emily. Is he a friend, a casual boyfriend, or more?” Mom’s eyes twinkled. Then they searched my face as though she tried to see if there was any happiness in me.
The mention of Jimmy brought a grin I couldn’t have stopped if I’d wanted to. “Probably just a friend, but I do like him a lot. Emily thought he might ask me to go to the Fall Festival next Saturday, but so far he hasn’t mentioned it.”
Mom added a stripped corncob to a pile on the kitchen counter. “There’s still time. That’s a week from now.”
Having a conversation with Mom made this time like the evenings I’d once taken for granted. Maybe I could talk with her about the rage that lived in my soul. “I’ve been really mad at the people who hurt Sean. I think I hate them.”
Mom dropped an ear of corn on the counter, turned, and hugged me. “I understand. It’s all I can do to keep from feeling that way, but we mustn’t. The Bible tells us God doesn’t want us to judge people or take revenge on those who wrong us. If we become incensed and bitter over things others do, we end up hurting ourselves. Medical science has proven that hatred and anger take a physical toll on us.”
Tears welled up inside me and I blinked. “I know all that from church, and I’m trying not to be so angry, but I’m furious. How can I stop it?”
The corners of Mom’s eyes softened. “You can’t. Only God can. Ask Him to take away the hate you feel. We mustn’t condone crimes ever, but we must forgive those who commit them. We’re all imperfect people who fall short in God’s eyes. As I’ve said before, we have limited vision. We don’t know the drug dealers’ pasts, their problems, or what made them as they are. Only God does. Leave this to Him.”
Mom’s words bounced around in my head. “I see. God’s greater than the hate.”
“Yes.”
“How will I know when I’ve forgiven them?”
“You won’t want to get even with them any more than you would someone walking down the street you don’t know.” She looked at me with questioning eyes as though she wanted reassurance that I understood what she said.
The landline rang.
“I’ll get it.”
Mom picked up the cordless receiver. “Hello. Yes, just a second.” She smiled big and put her hand over the mouthpiece. “It’s for you, honey.” A happy lilt I hadn’t heard since Sean entered the hospital rang in her voice.
“Thanks, Mom. I must have left my cell turned off again. I’ll take it in my room.” I took the cordless phone and walked upstairs.
“Hi. It’s Jimmy. I wondered if you’d like to go to the fall festival with me. It’s a country theme with hay rides.”
A squeal echoed in my head, but I tried to sound cool. “Yes. That would be fun.”
“Great! I’ll come at six o’clock. We’ll go to dinner.”
My heart fluttered as I clutched the phone.
“Either my mom will take us, or we can catch the bus to Meriwether.”
Remembering my conversation with Emily, I put the receiver to my mouth.
“Emily’s going with Owen. Maybe we could all ride together.”
“I’d like that. I’ll see you later tonight too.”
We hung up, and warmth for Jimmy filled me. However, at times I still struggled with the loneliness that engulfed me when Sean ended up in the hospital. A ten-foot-high rock wall could’ve stood between me and my friends and not isolated me from them more. It’d taken all the strength I had just to walk on campus right after Sean had
the stroke. Was it the hatred and anger or the hurt that caused me to distance myself? Was there such a thin line between the two I couldn’t tell the difference? Maybe a deep hurt fueled hate. It really didn’t matter what caused it as long as God took it away.
Sean wouldn’t want me to go through life cut off from people who cared about me or having urges to hit someone. I was controlling the rage bottled up inside me now, but I was afraid if I didn’t get rid of it, it’d erupt and spill into every facet of my life.
Dear Lord,
Please help me understand it’s not my place to judge the drug dealers because I don’t know their hearts or their problems. I want to condemn their actions and forgive them. I don’t want to live with this anger and what it’s doing to me. In Christ’s name I pray. Amen.
With lighter steps I walked downstairs and pulled a chair up to the table. I forced myself to blot out the ill feelings and dwell on something good. Jimmy. With him and the Fall Festival on my mind during the meal, it seemed my hand speared the corned beef and cabbage on its own.
Mom sipped her tea. “Was that Jimmy on the phone?”
“It was. He invited me to the Fall Festival.” A big grin bubbled inside me and popped out.
“Well, good. What time is it?” Mom asked.
“He’s coming at six o’clock. We’re going out to dinner.”
Mom and Dad smiled. Even though they were half-hearted grins, I knew they were happy for me.
I gulped down the last of my food. “I need to get ready for tonight. Is that OK?”
“Of course.” Dad cut his corned beef. “Don’t be too late. We’d like you to go to church with us.” He spoke as casually as if worship service were a weekly occurrence.
Joy danced up my spine like sprites. Did I dare believe things were getting better? Would God answer my prayer about this horrible evil tugging at my soul? Would we start going to church again as a family? Would Sean get well? “I won’t.”
Mom smiled at me. “Go ahead and get ready, honey.”
I hurried upstairs and thumbed through my blouses. Jimmy had seen them all. Here I was daydreaming about him again when I should be thinking of Sean. Maybe I was meant to care about Jimmy and Sean both. One time, Mom had said, “God gave us enough love for everyone in our family and all of our friends. There’s plenty of it. It doesn’t run out like tea in a pitcher.”
I put on a velour light blue top and finished dressing. The doorbell rang. I took one last look in the mirror then rushed downstairs. As I passed by the den I hollered, “Bye.”
I opened the door and Jimmy grinned wide. He walked me to Emily’s car. Then he scooted in the back and stuck his head over the console. “Let’s go through the rear entrance of Meriwether and drive on the road that leads to the woods.”
Emily backed out and looked at me. “Jimmy said you want to go to Fall Festival with Owen and me.”
I couldn’t stop my wide grin, but trying to appear casual, I ran my hand through my hair. “Yes, we do.”
“Great.” Emily drove down the mountain to the Meriwether campus, rode through it, and exited on the street leading to the woods.
Jimmy thumped his fingers on the headrest. “We should come out close to the gravel road where we parked when we followed Joe to the temple.”
“Yep.” Emily turned onto it.
Joe’s car already sat on the shoulder, but he wasn’t in it.
Jimmy’s eyes widened. “A van’s pulling up behind those trees. Keep driving, Emily.”
“OK, who could it be?”
“Probably the back-up cops. Maybe a SWAT Team.” Excitement filled Jimmy’s voice.
Branches crunched underneath the car’s tires as Emily continued down the road, the entire van visible now. Light seeped from the back of it. The door opened wide and two guys wearing dark shirts and pants hopped out. They switched on flashlights and trudged toward Emily’s car.
She accelerated and drove to a DEAD END sign and then let the motor idle. She glanced at me, and then Jimmy. “We have to turn around. What do you want to do?”
I yearned to see the criminals arrested, and I was so close, but what if Joe, or worse yet, the drug dealers discovered us. “You know I want to stay, but—”
Jimmy nodded. “No but about it.”
Emily backed up, turned around, and wheeled toward the spot where Joe had parked.
I craned my neck. “The van’s still there, but I don’t see the men.”
Emily cut the engine.
I tingled all over as we filed out.
Jimmy pulled a small flashlight from his pocket and pointed it toward the ground. Twigs snapped beneath his shoes and he stopped in his tracks. “I’ll clear a path, so we won’t make so much noise,” he whispered.
Emily pressed her lips together as though she was thinking. “How?”
“I’ll push aside anything in the way.” Jimmy moved his foot back and forth. “See. I can make a soft rustling sound like a squirrel. After I nose around I’ll come back for the two of you.”
Emily put her hand on her hip. “You’re leaving us alone in these woods?”
“Only for a few minutes.” Reassurance filled Jimmy’s voice. He stepped forward and looked back over his shoulder. “It’s all right. I’ll be right back.”
Emily and I stood perfectly still in the only light left, the glow of the moon.
Neither of us spoke. Who might hear us? The cops? The gangsters? Either way, I didn’t want to get caught. My palms grew sweaty. I never could forgive myself if anything happened to Jimmy or Emily. Sticks broke. Light shone on the trees next to us. My heart pounded so hard it beat in my ears. I reached over, grabbed Emily’s arm, and squeezed it.
“Margaret.”
I shook inside and out.
“Margaret.”
Only Jimmy would know I was out here, or Joe might guess I was.
“Margaret.” It was Jimmy’s voice.
“We’re over here.”
He walked right up to us.
I tugged at his jacket sleeve. “Why were you flashing light on the trees?”
“I was trying to find you.”
Emily stomped her foot. “You were making noise, and it didn’t sound like a squirrel. Why didn’t you follow your own path?”
“I was trying to, but I accidentally wandered off course.” Jimmy shifted his stance. “What is this, twenty questions?” Irritation dripped from his voice.
I grabbed his arm. “No, we were scared.”
He hugged both of us then stood back. “One of the guys asked another if he was coming in clear. Then he made plans to charge the temple on these words: All right, it looks good. Here’s the money.”
Gasping, I put my hand over my mouth. “You overheard all of that?”
Jimmy clicked the flashlight switch on and off. “Yeah, they had the back door of the van cracked.”
“Did you see them?” Emily kept her voice low, almost in a whisper.
“No. I couldn’t see inside, but I had a clear view of the temple from the bushes. We can watch the bust from there and leave before Joe returns to his car. He’ll never know we came.”
In my mind I jumped up and down and screamed with happiness. “That’s perfect. I’ll see Joe arrest those dirtbags.” Now that I’d helped find the crooks who sold Sean the drugs, I wanted no association with this sub-culture, as Joe called it. “That’s all I need, all I can ask for.”
“Come on.” Jimmy pointed the flashlight down and cupped his hand around the end of it, funneling the glow.
I held onto the back of his shirt, following in his footsteps.
Emily put her arms around my waist.
It seemed to take hours to reach our lookout, but it probably only took minutes. Jimmy cut off the light as I sat down. Then I pulled my knees to my chest and gazed at the temple, hardly able to believe this moment.
Crickets chirped, and leaves rustled in the quiet Thoreau-like forest. Who would’ve thought an ambush lurked amid the trees? In the glow of t
he porch lights the temple looked so peaceful. No one came out. No one went inside.
Then a loud thud resounded as the door of the van opened and policemen streamed out of it. A big spotlight shining as bright as the noonday sun rotated on top of it while flashlights lit up all at once. A dozen men carrying rifles charged the temple, some moving to the sides of it, others marching onto the porch. One of them kicked the front door open.
Joe stomped outside holding two guys at gunpoint, one Harold Gravitts, the other, Coach Rogers.
Jimmy and Emily gasped.
No wonder Sean lost his starting quarterback position. A sense of satisfaction for what I’d known all along swelled inside me. Sean wasn’t replaced because of his performance or his lack of talent.
A cop trekked out with the supposed monk in front of him. “Get those hands behind your back.” Gruffness filled his voice.
Another officer on the SWAT Team walked over to the monk and grabbed hold of the ski mask, exposing the chin and mouth. No scars. I held my breath as the black cover slipped over his nose then off his entire face. I put my hand over my mouth, holding in my gasp. Eight-Ball.
Jimmy tapped me on the shoulder. “Let’s go. We need to leave before the cops discover us.”
Seeing Detective Garrett and the police beat the drug dealers to a pulp would have thrilled me, but they weren’t doing that, and I didn’t need to watch the policemen guide the hoods to their patrol cars.
Jimmy covered the flashlight with his jacket and shined it carefully toward the ground while we crept along the path, undetectable figures moving to the edge of the woods. Then we ran to Emily’s car and sped out of there.
Jimmy’s head popped over the console. “Man, I’ll never forget this. I watched the cops catch three gangsters, and I knew two of them.”
Emily held the steering wheel tight, her eyes on the road. “It all makes sense now. First, Coach Rogers landed the job at Meriwether. Then he brought Gravitts here. I bet they sold drugs in Greenstown.”
Jimmy nodded. “The cops in Greenstown probably suspected them. I bet that’s why Coach Rogers applied for the position at Meriwether.”
Stopped Cold Page 14