by E A Lake
“I know that, too. But this is really dumb. I mean like dangerous dumb, Judy.” He leaned in close so that only she could hear his next words. “Those kids will be the death of us. You just watch and see. Maybe not all of us. But before we ever see Ashland, at least one of us will be dead, I guarantee it.” His nod put a final exclamation point on the subject.
Judy smiled and patted his chest. “Oh Jim. You always see the worst in everything. It will be okay. The three of us will make sure of that. No one will get hurt because of those children.” She reached up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “They’re God’s greatest gift to us, Jim. They won’t bring us any trouble; that I’m sure of.”
Wilson looked away. “Yeah. I guess so.” He and Judy went to rejoin the other two.
Chapter Twenty-four
“Jerry,” Wayne called out from behind his desk.
Jerry looked up. In his hand was the planting schedule for this season. Carefully, he studied it to be certain that every last one of the council’s requests had been addressed.
“Yes sir?”
“Jerry,” Wayne continued. “What do you think of Doc Swanson’s oldest daughter?” Wayne leaned back in his comfy chair, feet on his desktop.
“I think Patricia’s too young for either of us, Captain. Why?” A skeptical gaze crossed Jerry’s thin face.
“No, not that. Don’t be a fool. She’s just a child.” Wayne stared over his feet as Jerry stood and approached. “I was just thinking that once she is with child, she might come and live with me and Mrs. Randall.” Wayne smiled, lost somewhere in a dream. “We would treat her like a princess and her child could be our granddaughter.”
“I don’t know, sir. She’s kind of immature from what I’ve seen.” Jerry sat down, directly across from Wayne. “Not sure it’s a very good idea, if you’re asking.” And I doubt you’re asking my opinion, he thought.
Wayne shrugged. “Well, I like it. Mrs. Randall does, too. So, give it some thought.”
“Yes sir,” Jerry answered, looking back down at his report.
“How’s planting coming, Jerry?”
“From what I can tell, we’re off to a good start.” He folded a page over, reviewing the revised schedule. The warmer weather permitted them to plant a week earlier than the previous season. “Should all be in within a week, maybe eight days.” He looked up at his smiling boss.
“Wonderful, wonderful. Don’t be afraid to have the overseers lean on those girls. We want to stay on schedule.” Wayne grinned. “Sometimes all it takes to keep them in line is one or two real harsh examples.” Jerry nodded. “Let’s be sure we use all our talents to keep on schedule this year, Jerry.” Wayne tipped his head back and smiled into space.
Standing as close to Judy and Sharon as they could, Wilson and Tiny blurted out options of retrieving the children. Thus far, no viable plan had formed. In desperation, Judy listed off everything that came into her mind.
“Okay, listen to this,” she began. “We go back in there and ask to see that Captain Wayne fellow. We explain our thoughts and ask him, real nicely,” she pointed at Wilson, “if he will trade back for them.” The others looked at her skeptically. “What?” she asked, exasperated.
“Judy, he gave us more than just provisions, you know.” Sharon peeked at Wilson as she tried to help Judy’s idea blossom. “But maybe if we give him some of our reserve, he’ll go along with a trade.”
Wilson rolled his eyes at Sharon.
“Two nice rooms, six steak dinners, four big breakfasts. That’s what we got that he’ll want back.” Wilson’s tone indicated his apprehension at the current plan. “And all the crap we gave him before the kids barely made that an even trade. Right?” Judy and Sharon shared a frown.
Tiny leaned down with a quiet thought. “Let me see if I got this right.” He paused as a guard walked past and then continued more quietly. “We give him back all the supplies they gave us this morning. That makes us even for the kids, right?”
Wilson rubbed his face and considered Tiny’s words. “I suppose. But then we got to get even for our stay, and,” he held up his right index finger, “if he wants to be a real stickler, he’ll make us repay what he’s given the kids already.” The group sighed collectively. “That’s just the way I see it, gang.”
Sharon nodded and jumped back into the conversation. “We need to try something. And Jim, he seemed to be okay dealing with you. So I think you just need to go at him trying to get at his sense of decency.”
Wilson’s face angered. “He ain’t decent, Sharon. He’s a businessman. You saw that. We all did.” He didn’t like the plan and it showed.
Judy reached out and took his hands in hers. “But we have to try, Jim. We need to do this for the boys and Miranda.” She smiled briefly, staring into his eyes. “I know you don’t want to think of her being just a plain old farmhand for the next three years. And then she’d be matched up with some boy to try and have babies.” She shook his hands once. “I know you don’t think that’s right for her.”
Wilson’s eyes darted from friend to friend. Finally, he looked at the ground and nodded. “Yeah, that ain’t right,” he said quietly, sullenly. Looking at his team, he continued. “Okay, we’ll try and do what we can. But we have to know going in we don’t want to piss a guy like this off. He’s got a whole army of guys and guns behind him.” They all agreed and turned to head back for Wayne’s office.
“Sir?” Jerry approached Wayne from the door. “Those finders from yesterday are back. Said they’d like to talk to you for a few minutes if they could.” Jerry stared at the back of Wayne’s chair, not sure if his boss was even awake. Finally, Wayne spun slowly, his eyes fixed on the paper in his hands.
“Jerry,” he said with pursed lips. “Do you think we’re doing a good job here in Eau Claire?” Jerry went to answer but Wayne cut him off. “Don’t tell me what you think I want to hear. Tell me your real thoughts. Are we making a better life for these people?”
Jerry thought for a moment before answering the moody man. “I believe what you’ve accomplished here is nothing short of amazing, sir. When I first came here, I couldn’t believe everything that was provided to the population. They don’t have to worry about a thing.” Wayne’s eyes narrowed. “They work, and hard might I add, but in return they get so much from you. They have a decent place to live, protection from outsiders, food to eat, clean clothes. When they’re not working, they’re basically free to commune with each other. They have several churches to choose from. In short, they’ve got it all.”
Wayne sat his paper on his desk and smiled at his guardian. “See, that’s what I think as well,” he said with conviction. “Compared to some of these scummy communities nearby, our people want for nothing. They have an easy life in a really crappy world.” Wayne leaned back in his chair, puzzled.
“So what’s the problem, if I might ask?” Jerry didn’t know where this might be heading.
Angrily, Wayne slammed his fist down on the desk. “Why in the world are those idiots at the Waste Center still screwing around then?!” he shouted. Jerry took a small step back. “According to what I just read, our people are still finding crap being dumped in the landfills that could be repurposed elsewhere. Look at this,” his tirade continued, pointing at the report. “They’re finding food scraps that could go to the pigs. Clothing that isn’t ripped or stained that could be cleaned and handed out as new again. And the food; the amount of food they’re seeing is staggering.” Wayne stood and glared at Jerry. “Maybe they have too much to eat? If they throw this much out, that must be the case.” Jerry watched as his boss’s face became a deeper red by the second.
“Cut everything off to the north side,” Wayne seethed with hatred. “Everything. They don’t get any fresh food for the next two weeks. Cut their water by 75 percent. No clothing or other supplies for the next four weeks.” He shook his fist at his grinning cohort. “And let those bastards know exactly what caused this. Leave no doubt in their minds, Jerry. If t
hey wanted to screw off and not produce like the rest of the community, fine. Screw them all!”
“I’ll have George and Darby lean on them, too.” Jerry noticed that Wayne seemed to ignore him. “They’ll find a couple guys to take this out on. People will get back on board quick after that.”
Finally, Wayne nodded.
“Let’s keep the carnage to a minimum if we can, Jerry,” he said. “I just want them to have a better sense of community, that’s all.” Wayne stared at his desk for a moment before looking back at Jerry. “But if a couple guys need to lose a few fingers, or maybe a hand,” Wayne shrugged, “well, who I am to argue if it gets the message through?” Jerry and Wayne laughed maniacally.
“Who’d you say wanted to see me, Jerry?”
“Oh, those finders from yesterday.” He watched Wayne fall back into his chair and smile. “I told them you were mighty busy, but they said it was sorta urgent.”
Wayne shot him an indifferent look.
“Show them in,” Wayne replied. “Maybe they got something more useful for me.”
Judy, Tiny and Sharon stood two steps behind a nervous Wilson. They’d all heard Wayne’s tirade shortly before. Somehow, this didn’t seem like the right time to be dealing with the angry master, Jim knew. Yet, here they were.
Wayne clapped his hands together and rubbed them briskly. “So, did you forget something yesterday? Maybe some more goodies for me?” He leaned close to Wilson. “Or maybe even another batch of kids?” He winked and looked at the others. They stood stark-faced, looking at one another.
“Well, no,” Wilson began slowly. “We just wanted to talk to you about something. Something we saw here in Eau Claire.” He gave Wayne a quick, nervous smile. “If that’s okay with you, sir?”
Wayne’s grin grew. “Sure, have at it. My life’s an open book.”
Wilson looked down and tried to start, but the words disappeared as fast as he thought of them. Finally, he looked up and tried. “Well, see, here’s the thing. We all thought yesterday,” he turned to his friends and nodded, “we thought you had said the kids would be going to school.”
Wayne nodded, staring at Wilson. “That’s what I said. Problem?”
Carefully, Wilson searched for the right words to answer. “You see, we ran into a feller this morning who said only the boys go to school.” He nervously stared at Wayne. “But not the girls.” He smiled apologetically to the man.
Wayne again nodded casually. “Well, that’s true.” His stare intensified. “Again, problem?”
Wilson let out a tight breath between his tighter lips. He screwed his mouth back and forth several times. Finally, he looked back at Sharon. She urged him on.
“Yeah, a little one.” Wayne’s expression remained the same; Wilson worried more. “You see, we thought that Miranda would be getting taught, just like the boys. That’s all.” He raised his hands so Wayne would know he meant no offense. For his part, Wayne didn’t seem offended.
“All we have here is a slight failure in communication, people,” Wayne said cheerily. “My fault probably. So, let me clear this up as quickly as I can.”
Wilson waited cautiously for the man to explode. Returning to his chair, Wayne sat down and smiled at the four of them.
“You see, we don’t see the value in educating the girls. The boys learn basic math, and science, and how to read; that sort of stuff.” He leaned back and snuck a peek at Jerry in the back of the room. “This way, the boys can be productive members of the community, helping to build Eau Claire well into the future.” He glanced up at Wilson. “You following me so far?” Wilson returned a nervous nod.
“Likewise, the girls have equally important jobs here. They do all the planting and weeding of our crops. They work the chicken barns every day. Harvest fruit when in season, and then help in the major crop harvest.” He leaned forward. “You see, Wilson, theirs is an important job as well. Every bit as important as the guys.”
Judy raised her hand and Wayne smiled at her. “But, wouldn’t they benefit from the same education as the boys then? I mean, I don’t want you to think I’m questioning you. I just wonder about their futures.”
Wayne nodded appreciatively.
“Judy,” he said pointing at her, “you make a good point. And we’ve tossed that around from time to time. It’s just that we have another problem here. You understand that between 16 and 18, these girls are beginning to blossom into fully grown women, right?” Judy nodded and gave him a tense smile. “Well, we need them to concentrate on their work and having children at that point. So, what good would having an education do them?” Wayne shrugged and offered the group a puzzled expression.
“Okay,” said Wilson, “I get it. Maybe you’d consider trading the kids back to us then?” Wayne’s face puckered. “If that’s something you might be open too?”
Wilson sensed instantly that what he’d suggested wasn’t a good idea. But he’d opened the door and planned to walk through it – if he could.
Chapter Twenty-five
Wayne rose and paced the floor behind his desk. From time to time, he shot Wilson a glance, a look Wilson couldn’t read. Speaking to himself, moving his head about, Wayne debated their request. Finally, he gave a solid nod and turned to the group, smiling again.
“I understand what you’re asking here. I even understand why you’re asking for it. But see, that’s a problem.” Wayne’s face showed his sadness, false or not. “I need those boys. I need them bad. We’re way down on kids lately. No one’s been having any. I mean, a few here and there. But not enough to keep us going forward.”
Wilson quickly peeked at Tiny. It was obvious to him that Tiny didn’t like the way the discussion was heading. His fists were clenched tight, and Tiny narrowed his eyes at Wayne. Sharon gave a small shake of her head, but Tiny didn’t notice.
“Now you see, in the next 10 to 15 years, those boys will be good farmers, protectors, overseers, heck, even fathers. And Miranda,” Wayne shook his head looking out the window. “Don’t even get me started on our female population. We’re so far down on young women, it’s a sin. Within five years, maybe even three, she could give us a new generation. One that will build an even greater future for Eau Claire.” Wayne stopped and bit his lower lip. “So, the answer is no. No trade.”
Wilson looked back at his gang. Tiny was pissed; anyone could see that. Sharon studied Wayne’s face carefully, searching for an opening. Already crying, Judy pleaded Wilson with red, puffy eyes to push on.
“We could give you back your stuff. We still got it all.” Wilson watched as Wayne’s attention remained focused out the window to the west.
“Is that so?” Wayne replied softly. Then, turning quickly, he approached Wilson. “You got all that food you ate, the beds you slept in? You got all that ready to give back?” Wilson stared ahead, not knowing how to answer the obvious question. “And what about them kids? Two meals each, eight total. New clothes, a night on clean sheets with a soft pillow.” Wayne shook his head at Wilson’s ignorance. “I didn’t think so.”
“Well, we got some more stuff,” Wilson replied as quickly as he could. “You know, stuff we keep in reserve. Just in case of emergencies.” His pitch rose as he nervously tried to deal with the Eau Claire chief.
“And those boys,” Wayne continued his roll. “Those boys got a half day of school under their belts now. Miranda’s been in orientation, using up people’s valuable time, too. You think that’s free?” Wayne’s brow furrowed. Wilson shook his head.
“No, of course not. We’ll make it good though. I promise you that.” Wilson moved closer to his bag he’d deposited on the floor when he’d entered the chamber.
Wayne eyed him suspiciously. “Damn straight you’ll make it even.” Wayne spoke softly but tersely to the group. He must have noticed their fright because he gave a huge smile and clapped his hands together. “Show me what you got. Maybe we can strike a deal here. I’m always open to a fair trade.” He winked at Wilson as he finished. Something
in Wayne’s tone, the way he carried himself, the way he could change his mood on a dime, told Wilson to proceed with great caution.
Digging through his pack, Wilson looked back at Tiny. “Grab that new stuff out first. We’ll set that in a separate pile.”
Wayne approached the men. “Set it right here on my desk where Jerry can verify it’s all there.”
Several moments passed as the two piled the bags on the desk. Finally, Jerry stepped forward and verified the count and contents of each bag. Happy it was all accounted for, he nodded at his boss.
“Okay then, show me what else you got for me,” Wayne asked.
Wilson dug deeper and pulled out several medium bags of gold and jewelry. Handing the group to Wayne, he watched as the older man inspected each bag. Wayne looked seriously at Wilson.
“This is a good start, boy. But you’d better have a lot more where this came from.” Wilson looked back at his group nervously. Sharon urged him along.
“We got some food we picked up in Menomonie. But we kinda need that for the next little bit of our travels.” Wilson’s eyes came up as he finished. Wayne shook his head at the finder.
“Come on, you gotta do better than that,” Wayne pleaded, grinning. “So far, you got about half a kid paid for. That’d be a big mess to sort out. You must have more somewhere in the deep bag of yours. Dig man, dig.”
Wilson shoved his arm in the bag and felt a large envelope. A quick smile crossed his face as his eyes lit up. “We got some money, cash money.” He pulled the envelope out and handed it to Wayne.
The Captain stared at the contents of the large brown wrapper. Running the bills through his fingers, he frowned.
“You don’t understand, do you?” Wayne’s face showed no mercy. “You see, we got a real problem here.” He sat on the edge of his desk and stared at Jim. “This is all fine and dandy,” he flung the loose cash in Wilson’s face, “but every last bit of it is worthless. I’ve got vaults full of this crap. Hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars. And you know what it’s worth?” Wayne’s face moved within inches of Wilson’s. “Nothing. It’s not even worth the paper it’s printed on. Hasn’t been for the last 14 years.”