Jennings' Folly

by Thomas C. Stone

  “Hey Phinny, what’s up?”

  “Not much.”

  I handed the sack through the bars and told Phineas about our trip to Mandalatown. He ate as we talked.

  Papaw got straight to the point. “Where’s that animal showing sign?”

  Phineas chewed a bite of breakfast sandwich before he answered, explaining that “the food in here is the pits.” He swallowed and continued. “Pat and I originally followed a hot trail back up to the mesa. We think that’s where he was making his home, but he definitely had a regular hunting route that took him on about a sixty kilometer circle that partially ran through our land.

  “The mesa. Is that where Danny…?

  “Yes,” said Phineas. “It was among the rocks and we had a strong signal. I wanted to use the brace but we didn’t have a good signal from the mass detector. It was there and we knew it. We waited an hour for it to move, but it was more patient than we were.”

  “So you moved down to flush it out.”

  “That’s right, except it was just Pat and me. Pat told Danny to stay put at the trail head. Shoot anything that moves, that’s what Pat told him.”

  “So what happened?”

  Phineas shook his head and took another bite of his sandwich. “Somehow, it got behind us. For that to happen, either Pat or I must have walked right by it. I don’t know why it didn’t jump one of us instead of Danny.”

  “Because it knew who was weakest.”

  “How could it know that?”

  “Because it was watching. You say it’s a black one – they’re bigger, stronger, faster, and smarter.”

  Grandpaw looked at me. “Remember the lizard on the mesa?”

  I nodded.

  “I wonder if it’s the same beast.”

  “How can it be? We killed that one with the brace.”

  “Did we?”

  Papaw had a point. Maybe it was the same one. Maybe we didn’t kill it after all.

  How many years had it been since we had been threatened on our own property? Six, seven, eight? Gary Jennings was not the only full-time kitzloc hunter on Dreidel, but he was the first and he was certainly the most successful. Many of the others hadn’t survived long enough to tell their story. As a result of their combined efforts, most of Dreidel no longer crawled with the creatures and certainly not the Folly, until, that is, this big black one that seemed to come out of nowhere.

  Phineas finished his sandwich and asked Grandpaw if he could get him out of there.

  “Of course I can. I just need a few minutes with Summit’s grand poobah, the lord of light himself. Where’s old holy Joe?” Papaw asked the jailer

  The jailer laughed and shook his head. “Haven’t seen him today.”

  “Well, why don’t you take that little old key of yours, the one that’s hanging on that there belt chain, and unlock this cell door. I won’t tell on you.”

  The man shook his head. “You know I can’t do that, Mr. Jennings. Jonah would have my hide.”

  “Don’t worry about it, son,” said Grandpaw, “I’ll take care of Jonah.”

  A voice came from the open door. “And just how do you plan on taking care of me?”

  Jonah stood at the open door with two of his men.

  Chapter 22

  Grandpaw didn’t miss a beat. “I’m here to take Phineas home.”

  Jonah stepped into the room wearing riding boots that nearly reached his knees. The wooden heels clicked on the concrete floor. Two men followed, eyeing Grandpaw and me.

  Jonah wore that big, goofy smile as he stood in front of Grandpaw. I got the feeling he was enjoying the moment. “Well, Mr. Jennings,” he said, “you see, Mr. DeKalb has committed a number of crimes, both here and in Calgary – but you’re probably aware of all that since you’ve been abetting him for a good number of years.”

  “Don’t make this any harder than it has to be,” said Papaw.

  His remark made Jonah’s men stiffen, but Jonah’s eyes didn’t wander from Grandpaw and the smile remained plastered on his tanned face. “No, no reason to make anything hard. We’re all friends here.” He half-turned to face Phineas, who lingered at his cell door. “But Mr. DeKalb must first answer the charges…”

  “All right, all right,” interjected Grandpaw, “how much?”

  “How much what?” answered Jonah, sounding so sincere it could make a person sympathetic with him for his uncanny acting abilities alone.

  “What do you think? How much to pay him out of here?”

  “It’s not that simple, Mr. Jennings. We can’t just let him go. What sort of example would that set?”

  “I don’t care anything about making examples out of anybody. I’ve got a lizard on my property and I need Phineas to help me find it and kill it.”

  “Mr. Jennings. With your reputation, it’s hard to believe you need any help at all. Where’s your partner?”

  “Pat’s on the hunt as we speak. That’s why I need to get this business over with so’s I can get back.”

  Jonah took a deep breath and let one side of his smile drop. “I really wish I could help but Mr. DeKalb must face judgment.”

  “Your judgment?”

  “I am the authority here, yes.”

  “Okay,” said Grandpaw to Jonah, “I see what you’re doing. I got your point. You’re in charge and we have to do what you say. At least, in your house.”

  “Please, Mr. Jennings, Gary, don’t look at it like that.”

  “Is there any other way to look at it?”

  Jonah looked thoughtful. “No, I suppose not.”

  “So. How much?”

  Jonah shook his head. “Sorry, Mr. Jennings, we’re going to have a hearing. My people need to see that justice will be served.”

  “It’s been years since Phineas got in trouble. Why don’t you let it go? What’s your problem?”

  “It’s not a problem with me, sir. I am merely playing my role in a greater plan. My people need to see that justice in Summit always prevails.”

  “Why?”

  That stopped him down. The smile dropped a fraction then rose again. “Ah, you’re making a joke. Well done. In any case, a sense of justice is the bedrock of any civilized society. While we don’t have criminal problems to speak of here in Summit, we do have human nature to contend with. There is a cycle of learning and sometimes it is part of the growth of the community.”

  He lost me there and I spoke up, telling him so.

  “Hello to you too, Amanda. Nice of you to join the discussion.”

  “Hello, Jonah.”

  “To continue,” he said, “I will hold Mr. DeKalb until we’ve reviewed his offenses.”

  “When’s that going to take place?”

  “No date has been set. I’ve messaged the authorities in Calgary informing them that I’ve captured a fugitive. They may want to tack on additional charges or perhaps send an emissary to witness the trial.”

  The last part particularly rankled Papaw and he took a step closer to Jonah. Jonah didn’t flinch but his two men moved in on each side.

  “The boy will make restitution,” Grandpaw said, “but I need him to come home with me.”

  “You have a kitzloc problem?”

  “There is one.”

  Jonah shook his head. “I don’t understand. You’ve killed hundreds, if not thousands, of the animals. And now, you need help killing a single creature?”

  “This one’s a new strain. It’s bigger, stronger, faster.”

  “Hmm.” Jonah rubbed his chin. “Here’s what I can offer, Mr. Jennings. DeKalb will remain here until we decide what to do with him. I will, however, help you by leading a team and searching out this lizard of yours. I’d like to help make this country safe for all.”

  “Yeah, right,” Papaw said. “So’s you can trade security for freedom.” Papaw looked at me and said, “Let’s go.”

  As we made for the door, Papaw told Phineas not to worry. “We’ll think of something,” he said.

  At our backs, J
onah said, “Let me know if you change your mind, Mr. Jennings. We’d like to help you with your problem.”

  “Sure you would,” Papaw mumbled.

  Just before we left the basement room, I took a look at Phineas standing at the closed cell door, hands clutching the iron bars, looking forlorn, and wondered how we would ever get him back again.

  Neither Jonah nor any of his men gave us any trouble as we went to the striders, started them up and sped away.

  Over the radio circuit, Grandpaw complained about that “do-gooder” Jonah and how Jonah knew exactly what he was doing.

  I asked Papaw what Jonah wanted and Papaw replied that Jonah “wanted everybody to think just like he does.”

  “Well, what are going to do about Phineas?”

  Papaw said, “It’ll be all right. Jonah wants to make a big deal out of it, but after all the dust settles, it’ll come down to a pay-out.”

  “So Phineas has to remain in jail?”

  “I’m afraid so, Mandy.”

  We fell silent for a time after that until we saw our neighbors Andy and Randi on the road from Summit. Andy had pulled his wagon off the road and the whole clan was having lunch under a shade tree.

  They waved as we approached, so we pulled up to say hello.

  Papaw asked Andy if any of them had seen any sign of the lizard we were looking for. Andy shook his head in the negative. “Ain’t seen nothin’,” he said, “and I hope to keep it that way. Allah willing.”

  One of the boys spoke up, assuring us that if his daddy did see a lizard, the lizard wouldn’t have long to live. Grandpaw reached down and tousled the boy’s hair. In response, the kid said when he grew up he was going to be hunter just like Grandpaw and Amanda.

  “Don’t you want to be a farmer like your old dad?”

  “Nah. You have to get up too early,” he explained.

  Everyone laughed except for Randi. I caught her staring at me again and wondered what her problem was.

  “Well,” said Papaw, “we need to be on our way. Let us know if you see anything of the lizard we’re looking for. It’s a particularly mean one.”

  “Will do,” Andy replied. “And tell Liza to come around later today. I’ve got more melons than I can sell in Summit and they’ll go bad. She can have as many as she wants.” Andy looked at me and asked, “You like melons?”

  “Love ‘em,” I said.

  “Tell her to come get some.”

  “We will,” said Grandpaw.

  After the short visit, Grandpaw and I continued our trip back to the house, leaving Randi and Andy and their six children eating lunch by the side of the track.

  *

  Out of earshot of the kids, Randi said, “Why do you have to look at her like that?”

  “Like what?”

  “You know like what. Like you’re ready to jump her.”

  “Oh please, Randi, how many times do we have to…?”

  Their second youngest son informed his parents he was ready to go. The other children voiced their agreement, so Randi and Andy were forced to forestall their argument. They picked up their trash and loaded the kids into the rear of the wagon. Once on their way, the wagon pulled by two draft horses, an icy silence froze any chance of conversation between the two adults.

  The children were aware their parents were having an argument but none were sure what it concerned. The oldest had an idea it had something to do with Amanda.

  The family’s surname was Frisco. The parents had originally met on one of the great cities orbiting Earth where they worked as sanitation techs – a fancy title for space janitors. Even though their positions in the eternal pecking order were low, both made good wages and both saved their earnings. After dating for two years, they began making plans for the future: Marriage, immigration to a new world, freedom to pursue a new occupation, and finally, children. They both wanted children. All these things came true for the couple, yet often, even when people’s dreams come true, they’re still not satisfied.

  The couple married only after they’d been accepted as free-lance colonists to Dreidel. They paid their re-location fees, attended the immigration classes, and Andy began to study farming in virtual simulators. By the time they arrived on Dreidel, both were prepared for a frontier life.

  Their enterprise, their farm, had been successful. Andy was a natural at growing vegetables and fruits. There was always fresh food at the Frisco’s farm and people often stopped by to purchase or trade.

  In the early years, there were problems with the lizards, and Andy had five notches on the stock of his Cummins flechette rifle signifying the deaths of five lizards.

  Within months after the arrival of Grandpaw, the local lizard population dropped rapidly and, as a result, the Friscos no longer worried as much about the creatures.

  When the farm came into view, all the kids, except for the smallest, who was not yet two years old, jumped from the wagon and raced to the house. Andy called after them but they paid no mind. He guided the pair of horses to the front yard and stopped long enough to let Randi climb down from the driver’s bench. Still upset with her husband’s imagined infidelity, she said nothing.

  Andy sighed and climbed down, then commenced to unhitch the team.

  It was late afternoon and on Dreidel that meant there were still several hours of daylight remaining. The children spread to the fields. Remembering Jennings’ admonition about the kitzloc, Andy shouted after them to remain close.

  *

  “No luck,” said Papaw to Liza as he entered the house.

  “Jonah wouldn’t let him go, would he?”

  “Nope. He says he’s going to make an example out of him.”

  “What are going to do?”

  “We’ll just wait and pay whatever fines are imposed.”

  “What if they decide to leave him in jail?”

  “They won’t leave him in jail. Not as long as we have two bags full of diamonds. Even Jonah won’t be able to resist. We’ll get Phineas out of there, eventually.”

  I flopped in a chair and asked about Uncle Pat.

  “He’s already out again, gone to the northeast, looking for that lizard,” said Liza.

  I got back to my feet, saying, “He could use some help. I’ll saddle my mare and go catch up with him.”

  Grandpaw shook his head and told me to accompany Liza to the neighbor’s farm. “They have fresh melons,” he explained to Liza.

  “Oh really? Give me a minute to get ready, Amanda. You can saddle a second horse, if you would, please.”

  “Randi doesn’t like me,” I said flatly.

  “Then you can wait outside,” Liza retorted.

  “And,” said Grandpaw, “take your kit with you.”

  “Of course,” I said, like it was the most natural thing in the world for me to be as prepared as any man whilst in the great outdoors.

  And so, that is how Aunt Liza and I happened to spend the afternoon. We rode slowly, enjoying weather that was on the verge of turning cold again, but still pleasant enough to remain outside without bundling up. It was a six kilometer ride to Randi and Andy’s, and Liza and I talked about everything under the sun. Liza enjoyed the break from her routine. Even though I didn’t look forward to seeing Randi again, I enjoyed the time with Liza.

  After growing weary of chit-chat about my potential boyfriends, Liza asked what I planned on doing with my life. The question surprised me and I told her I was already doing it.

  She laughed and said I couldn’t expect to hunt lizards forever. “Heck,” she said, “In a couple of more years, they’ll all be hunted out. You’ll be eighteen years old, without a job and without a man to take care of you.”

  “I don’t need a man to take care of me.”

  Liza smiled like she knew something I didn’t. “Sometimes it’s nice to be taken care of.”

  We cleared the last ridgeline and looked down at the house sitting in the center of a broad valley. The house was encircled by shade trees and a tall electrified fenc
e. As we rode closer, however, I could see three separate gates standing open, indicating that the fence was powered-down. Risky, I thought, with a rogue lizard on the loose.

  We rode through the open front gate and I noticed the barns doors were open so I went that way, hoping to avoid Randi while Liza went to the house. Liza reached the house and stepped down from her horse (a real sweet calico mare, by the way, that Uncle Pat gave her as a gift three years before). Liza went to the front door as I tied my horse’s halter to a post set into the ground outside the barn. I could hear Liza knocking on the door as I entered the barn.

  “Hello,” I said, peering into the shadows. There was no response so I took another step forward. “Hey, anybody here?”

  There was a line of three empty stalls and that was curious because Andy’s horses were not in them. The wagon was outside, but the horses weren’t. Perhaps Andy had turned them out to pasture. That’s when I saw a boot, a man’s boot, sitting upright on the floor in front of the third stall.

  An alarm went off in my head.

  We hadn’t seen anybody. The unhitched wagon sat outside, the horses were missing, and where were the kids? I brought my Vimbacher to bear on the third stall as I moved forward. I stepped past the empty boot and looked into the third and last stall to find Andy’s crushed and lifeless body. I won’t go into a lengthy description about my neighbor’s mortal wounds, but suffice to say he’d been severely battered. I recognized him not from his face because there was so little left, but from the clothes he was wearing. He hadn’t changed since I had seen him earlier in the day.

  Faintly, I heard Liza holler from the house.

  Running from the barn, I looked to the fields on my right, searching in vain for the children. Liza’s shrill voice came from inside and I saw the front door was open. I ran through the open portal, calling for Liza, and her voice rose from the rear, in the kitchen. That’s where I found her standing over Randi’s corpse, or rather, what was left of it. The kitchen walls were splattered with blood and the back door was torn from its hinges. Liza held her hand over her mouth and asked the same thing I was thinking: “Where are the kids?”