Sooner Dead

by David L Thornburg

  “I don’t know how, unless…” he hit the steering wheel with the palm of his hand. “I’ve got an idea.” He turned the cruiser around.

  “I don’t know what it is,” Lianne said, “but I like it already. Mostly I like that you’re back at work. By the way, where are we going?”

  “To see the mayor.”

  Chapter 19

  Bronson Blake drove through Oak Valley in a ten-year-old Jeep Waggoneer, dusty from its trip up from Oklahoma City. Bronson picked it up from the back of the ministry’s garage, confident that nothing would tie it to his father’s church except possibly the bumper sticker that read, “In case of rapture, this car will be unmanned.”

  Bronson looked in the rear-view mirror. He wasn’t very recognizable either, his work shirt and jeans replacing the suits he wore when he appeared on TV, his unstyled hair under an OSU Cowboys hat.

  He didn’t dare stay at the old Stone Mansion again, but he wasn’t sure where else to go. He cruised by the only motel in town but the charred ruin of what looked like an explosion was discouraging. Gas line, perhaps?

  He remembered the first time he had been to Stone Mansion. Murray and Sonia Stone decided on a whim to take a road trip there and they let Bronson tag along. They were impossibly cosmopolitan college students, he a high school senior whose father was in business meetings with Jerome Stone at the Oklahoma City campus. Bronson was born and raised in Oklahoma, and planning on attending his father’s Bible college, while the Stones were home from some Ivy league school back east.

  They drove east on I-40, then north on 75, the very route he took that morning. They ate at a café in Oak Valley, burgers, tater tots, and chocolate shakes. Then they followed rural roads to the old house.

  Bronson could tell it had been magnificent in its day, but it was a dilapidated wreck when they drove up. Murray parked the Chevy Tahoe they were driving and went to the back of the vehicle, lifted the window into the cargo area, and retrieved a rifle.

  “Why did you bring that?” Sonia asked.

  “You never know what will happen out here, sis. You know this place is haunted.”

  “I know I’m jumpy enough without you shooting your foot off.”

  “Haunted?” Bronson asked.

  “Don’t worry, these ghosts won’t hurt you,” Sonia said.

  They followed Murray up to the house. Its ancient lumber creaked in the prairie wind. Sonia kicked at the beer bottles that littered the porch. The ominous atmosphere caused Bronson’s heart to beat faster.

  The screen door slammed and Sonia yelped. “Just the wind,” Murray said, but his voice was quieter now, too.

  “Let’s go,” Sonia said, and Bronson thought that was a good idea.

  “What’s the matter? It’s just our old family house, Sis.”

  “Aren’t you afraid of what we’ll find?”

  “I don’t think there’s anything to find, or it would have been found already.”

  Bronson didn’t realize how quiet they were until a siren shredded the air. A police cruiser skidded to a stop by the Tahoe. A uniformed cop got out, his own rifle in hand.

  “You kids get away from the house. Son, go ahead and lay the gun down and move away from it.”

  They did as they were told, and the stout officer made his way to Murray’s gun and picked it up. Bronson read the name Harris stitched across a front pocket of the lawman’s shirt.

  “Now why did y’all see fit to bring this?”

  “Animals,” Murray offered. “Wolves, maybe.”

  “Probably not in broad daylight.” Harris opened the gun and shook two bullets into his hand. He handed the gun back. “Go on and get out of here.”

  Sonia said, “Don’t you know who we are? Our family owns this house!”

  Harris’ voice dropped an octave. “I don’t care if you’re George and Laura Bush. No good will come out of messing around out here.”

  “I’ll have your job!” Sonia wouldn’t let it go.

  “Tell you what. You tell your daddy you were here today, and if Jerome Stone has any questions, have him call me.”

  As they drove away, Bronson watched the policeman throw the rifle bullets into the pond, then look up at the house. His silhouette faded from view.

  “Why did we come?” Bronson asked. “What happened here?”

  Sonia turned from the front seat. “What happened is the reason Blake Ministries is successful today. Ask your father, but I bet he doesn’t tell you.”

  “Sonia…” Murray warned.

  Bronson remembered she’d stopped talking, and the ride back to the city was silent.

  He parked in front of the diner and stepped inside. It hadn’t changed in the last decade, and probably longer than that.

  “Sit anywhere,” the lady behind the counter called. He perched at the counter.

  After eating an open-faced roast beef sandwich drenched in brown gravy, he asked if there was any place to stay.

  “Guess you saw the motel.”

  “What happened?”

  “The OSBI boys are playing it close to the vest, so no one really knows. There’s still some rooms there, but the out-of-towners have them.”

  “OSBI?”

  “Yep. There was a rent house, but the new lady cop is staying there. You may have to go down the road.”

  “Sorry to eavesdrop,” said a man as he sat next to Bronson.

  “Howdy, Reverend,” the waitress said, pouring coffee for him.

  “Are you just passing through?”

  The lie came to Bronson easily. “I’m between jobs, and I was hoping to pick something up around here. I’m kind of at the end of my resources, if you know what I mean.”

  “Well, my wife’s grandmother’s place is needing some work. Nothing major, just paint and yard work. It’s been vacant for several months.”

  “Sounds great.”

  “Let me give Steph a call.”

  “You want to what?” John Gray looked from Daniel to Lianne.

  “Have a dedication ceremony for the Stone Mansion Bed and Breakfast, sir,” Lianne said.

  “He heard the first time,” said Daniel.

  “Yeah, I heard.” The mayor sat at his desk at the auto dealership with his head in hands. “And you want to do it so we’ll have more crime?”

  “Not exactly…” Lianne stopped abruptly when she saw Daniel look at her and shake his head.

  Gray looked up. “Actually, I like it. Whoever is behind all this might tip their hand and we’ll get some answers, but at least we get to have a big dedication ceremony. Speeches, celebrity guests, media, the whole bit.”

  Daniel said, “That’s the kind of visionary thinking this town needs.” He ignored Lianne’s rolling eyes. “Can we get it together for this weekend?”

  “Four days? I think so. I’ll get my wife on it. She’s the brains behind the operation, anyway.”

  Lianne opened her mouth, but Daniel elbowed her.

  John’s wife stuck her head in the door.

  “Cynthia! We were just talking about you.”

  “John, you need to come see this.”

  They followed her out of the office, through the showroom, and out to the sidewalk. Cynthia pointed to the east end of town.

  Daniel saw a gathering of vehicles, mostly old pickups, in the parking lot of the school. A crowd was gathered and listening to someone, but Daniel couldn’t determine who it was.

  “Don’t they need a permit or something, Danny?” John asked.

  “I’ll check it out.” He moved down the street, aware that Lianne was beside him. As he got closer, he said, “Jim. Lisa. The Crow brothers.”

  “Tell me,” Lianne said.

  “Most I recognize from the reservation northwest of here. I don’t know what could have brought them here, all at the same time.”

  The group was surrounding a short, slim figure who Daniel heard before he saw. “Sherry Threefeathers.” He looked at Lianne. “You were supposed to keep tabs on her.”

  S
herry’s words became distinct as they got closer. “The state has no right to pave over our history. Your history. We need to protest the wealthy who are trampling on our rights!”

  Daniel pushed his way through. “Sherry, what’s going on?”

  “You need to join us, officer. Even better, you need to lead us. Don’t let the system keep us from our heritage.”

  There were murmurs of agreement, and Daniel sensed things could go very wrong in a hurry. He hooked his thumbs in his belt, his right hand close to his gun – a subliminal message, he hoped – and planted his feet. Kind of like he was preparing to throw a long pass.

  “Listen, all of you. This situation with the road is changing all the time. All of us need to let things settle down and see where they land. Rest assured there are laws and procedures that will keep everything fair.”

  He saw some nods. Sherry opened her mouth to speak, so he hurried to cut her off. “Everyone just needs to go on home. There’s nothing to accomplish here. If things change, I’ll let you know.”

  Most drifted towards their trucks, and Daniel took Sherry by the arm and led her away from the others.

  “Take your hands off me!” She tried to twist out of his grasp, but it was no use.

  “Miss Threefeathers, I could cite you for 14 different infractions here, maybe even put you in jail, but all that would get you is a good story to tell your university friends. Instead, why don’t you go on back to Norman? I’ll have peace in my town.”

  “Don’t you want to know what happened to your people? What happened at Stone City?”

  “My people are the citizens of Oak Valley. Now does Lianne have to escort you out of town?”

  She jerked her arm out of his grasp. “I’ll be back.”

  “Please don’t.”

  Chapter 20

  The journal was out of the safe and lay open on a small reading table.

  March 12, 1927. It feels good to be back at the school full time. It took several weeks to recover from the exposure, but I must say that Mr. Crumpo was very solicitous of my health during my convalescence.

  In fact I must confide here that last evening, as we sat alone in the parlor, my father away as usual and mother involved in her projects, he took my hand in his and said it would please him if I called him Johnny.

  That was a pleasant idea to me, and I agreed, so long as we weren’t in formal company. In my weaker moments I ponder whether there could be a future for us. I’m more and more inclined to believe there is.

  Anyway, the children made over me, even though I had visited them several times recently. I had a difficult time getting them to settle down for their lessons, but still my heart was full of joy to be back with them.

  The only blot on my happiness is my younger brother, Lewis. He still attends school in Oak Valley, but in my father’s frequent absences he returns to Stone City and gets into trouble. Despite Johnny’s best efforts, there are some of the native youth who are not the best influence, given to drink and occasional violence. Lewis could be a good example for them if he found the strength of character to do so, but he would rather submit to their unsocial attitudes.

  I do not know how much to tell Father about this, if anything. He eagerly anticipates the day Lewis will join him in business, and my guess is he would overlook minor violations as boyish misbehavior.

  I fear it is more than that. Perhaps much more.

  The reader placed the journal back in the safe. It would be far safer to throw it into the fireplace and destroy it forever, but the curiosity was overwhelming.

  Chapter 21

  Sonia could not believe she had been summoned back to the corporate office. Twice in one week. What did they expect of her?

  She wafted past her brother’s receptionist and into his well-appointed office.

  “Murray,” she said, then noticed her husband. “Rudy.” Only then did she notice the man sitting in one of the leather chairs. In an environment of dark conservative business suits, his was the darkest. “Agent Devose. I didn’t expect you here.”

  “Please don’t call me Agent, Mrs. Hale. Since I don’t work for any law enforcement agency, I don’t want to be accused of impersonating an officer.”

  Sonia snorted. “That’s what you want to avoid?”

  “No need to be mean about it. If you hurt my feelings, who will be Stone Energy’s enforcer?”

  “I thought you had your feelings surgically removed.”

  “Now, children,” Murray interrupted. “There’s a reason I called this meeting.”

  “And what might that be?” Sonia asked.

  “The dedication ceremony in Oak Valley is back on.”

  “And?”

  “And I think we should be there. Hayseeds and their rituals, you know. Besides, it could be a public relations windfall for us. A couple of homegrown country music stars are going to be there, and I think we should invite Frank Blake to give the invocation and say a few words.”

  “You would. If it’s publicity we’re after, why don’t we publicize our massive subsidizing of your pet preacher?”

  “You know it doesn’t work that way.”

  “When is this shindig?” Sonia asked.

  “Saturday.”

  “I’m busy.”

  “Yes, you and Rudy are going with me to the old family homestead.” He looked around the room at all of them, including Devose. “If we manage this properly, we might put an unfortunate phase behind us and come out sitting pretty.”

  Bronson Blake accepted the dinner invitation against his better judgement. He had spent a full day helping Reverend Stratton – Tony – around the church and even gone with him to visit some church members in the hospital a couple of towns over. At dusk, when Tony went home to be with his wife, Stephanie, he mowed the lawn at the small house with the church’s mower.

  He needed to repair the guttering, paint the living room, and strip the old-fashioned wallpaper from the kitchen walls. When he fell into bed tonight, he would be exhausted and sleep well. It was a lesson in community, helping and being helped, and on an entirely more simple plane than Blake Ministries. More simple, and more real.

  He’d almost lost sight of his reason for being in Oak Valley. He kept intending to sneak back out to the mansion throughout the day, but he was too busy.

  His plan was to keep away from people as much as possible, to prevent anyone from recognizing him. But he couldn’t think of a good excuse to refuse Stephanie’s invitation to dinner. The diner’s back table was all well and good, but a home-cooked meal was too good to pass up.

  So he packed up the tools he was using to assemble a swing set in the yard of the church, went back to the little house and showered, and showed up empty-handed at the parsonage door. He was instructed to not bring anything but his appetite.

  Tony let him in and led him through the living room to the dining room. Seated at the table was a slender young Hispanic woman, her black hair loose around her shoulders. She turned to look at him and froze. He recognized her as one of the cops that approached him when he was staying at the Stone Mansion.

  And she recognized him. She started to get up, but he held his hand up in a pause gesture that only she could see. She lowered herself back into her chair, not taking her eyes off him.

  Stephanie came through the swinging doors that separated the dining room from the kitchen carrying a huge tureen. “Bill, you made it,” she said, sitting it down on the table. “Bill?”

  Bronson started. Seeing the policewoman made him forget that Bill was the name he had given. “Yes,” he recovered, “thanks for inviting me. It smells delicious.”

  “This is Lianne Ortega, one of our police officers.”

  “Pleased to meet you,” he managed.

  “Likewise,” she said, her eyelids half lowered in suspicion.

  Tony said, “Let’s all sit and eat!” He sat and extended his hands to Stephanie on one side and Bronson on the other. Bronson took more time to realize what was going on than the pray
er did.

  Stephanie ladled out big servings of a soup made from meat, potatoes, tomatoes, and a wide range of other vegetables.

  “It smells delicious. What do you call it?” Bronson asked.

  “Goulash. My grandmother’s recipe.”

  “The grandmother whose house I’m staying in?” He saw Lianne’s eyes widen.

  “The very same. Grandma Teo.”

  “Has she passed away?”

  “No, not exactly,” Stephanie mumbled.

  “It’s a long story,” Tony said. Changing the subject, he said, “Lianne, have you seen Bronson on TV?”

  “Uh, excuse me?” Bronson stammered.

  “As a matter of fact, I have,” Lianne said.

  Bronson set his spoon down. “How long have you known?”

  Tony said, “Since I first saw you in the diner. I watch your father often. Got to keep up with my colleagues, you know. He seems like a good man. Genuine.”

  Bronson nodded. “What you see is what you get with my dad and mom. Why didn’t you say anything?”

  Tony shrugged. “Your business. But we have some things going on here in town that may mean we don’t have the luxury of just minding our own backyards.”

  “Really? Like what?”

  Lianne said, “Like why were you trespassing at the Stone Mansion last week? Why did you lie to the police about your reason to be there? And why did you leave town so quickly? What’s your connection to all this?”

  “All what?”

  There was a knock at the door. Nobody wanted to make a move, so Tony called out, “Come in.”

  They heard the door open, and Daniel appeared in the doorway of the dining room, still in his work uniform. He looked surprised to see Lianne, then more surprised to see the vanished caretaker of Stone Mansion. “Wow. Am I interrupting?”

  “Not at all,” Stephanie said. “There’s always plenty for you. I would have invited you, but I didn’t think you would come.”

  Bronson noticed Lianne’s cheeks flush.

  Tony said, “Sit down. You need to be part of this.”

  Daniel did as he was told.

  Tony continued, “Your fellow officer was just grilling Bronson Blake like he was hamburger at a family barbeque.”