by Sharon Sala
Carl Buckley’s face flushed with anger. He turned on the principal even as his wife was trying to calm him down.
“Assault, my ass! Who the hell called the cops?” he demanded.
Lon heard the challenge in the banker’s voice but didn’t rise to it.
“I received a report from a doctor in the ER. Surely you know that when any child is brought into a medical facility with suspicious injuries, those injuries have to be reported to the police,” Lon said.
“Injuries? Exactly what kind of injuries are we talking about?” Buckley asked.
“The child in question has a broken nose, broken ribs, loose teeth, and large contusions on his back, belly, and leg.”
Sally Rankin stared at her twins in disbelief and then covered her face.
Coach Sharp’s wife looked at her son as if he were a stranger and then began to cry.
Carl Buckley’s wife slumped forward in her chair and would have hit the floor if Buckley hadn’t caught her.
Coach Sharp cursed beneath his breath, but it was from panic, not anger.
But it was the banker, Carl Buckley, who had a reputation to protect, and he was ready to bully whomever it took to make all this go away.
“How dare you come in here and treat us like criminals?” Carl shouted.
Lon saw the rage on the banker’s face and the smirk the Buckley boy was wearing, and began pushing what he knew would be emotional buttons. He glanced at the principal.
“I was not aware that the parents were part of the assault,” he said.
Sally Rankin gasped. “We weren’t, but if we had been there, I can promise none of this would have happened.”
“Then Mr. Buckley misspoke. Dealing with criminals is part of my job, and when they are underage, dealing with their families does occur,” Lon said, pointing at the video camera with the remote. “This will be taped for security purposes. So, Mrs. Winston, if you don’t mind, I need to commandeer your office and ask you to step out—”
“But I—”
“Did you participate in or witness the attack?” he asked.
“No, but—”
He opened the door to her office and then stepped aside, waiting for her to leave, which she did, but with indignation. He closed the door behind her and turned to face the room.
“Parents are allowed to be present since the perpetrators are minors, but since they were not witnesses, they have no voice in what is said. Do I make myself clear?”
Coach Sharp nodded.
“Yes, sir,” Sally Rankin said.
“Do we need to call a lawyer?” Buckley asked.
“I’m just taking statements, not charging them with anything, Mr. Buckley.”
Buckley’s nostrils flared. Just as he opened his mouth to complain even more, his wife elbowed him in the ribs and shook her head.
Lon pointed at the boys who were sitting by their parents.
“Boys, stand up and bring your folding chairs over here in front of me and take a seat, please.”
The boys were beginning to look anxious. It was becoming apparent that they might actually be in big trouble. They stood, glanced at their parents for backup, and when none was given, dragged their chairs to the middle of the room and sat down.
Coach Sharp stifled a groan. Lon had efficiently moved all four boys so that they would be sitting with their backs to their parents. There was no telling what might come out of their mouths.
Lon turned on the camera, identified himself, stated the time and date, and then gave instructions to the boys.
“This is a video camera which I will be using to take down your statements. Now, all I need you to do is answer every question I ask truthfully. For the record, please state your name, age, and grade in school, beginning with you.”
He pointed at the boy to his left. Not only was he the largest one, but he was also the only one who didn’t look scared.
“Lewis Buckley. Ten years old. Fourth grade.”
Lon pointed at the boy beside Lewis, who quickly responded.
“Kevin Sharp. Nine years old. Fourth grade.”
“Billy Ray Rankin. Nine years old. Fourth grade.”
“Bobby Jay Rankin. Nine years old. Fourth grade.”
“Thank you,” Lon said. “Now who wants to tell me how the altercation with Brooks Pine began?”
No one moved. No one spoke. All but Lewis were pasty white and shaking. Lewis was still smirking. Lon thought of the Pine kid’s battered body and needed to wipe the smirk off his face.
He pointed at Lewis and Kevin.
“I’m going to need you to remove your shoes, and, you, please remove your shirt. I will be booking them in as evidence.”
Lewis reeled like he’d just been slapped.
“But these are my new shoes,” he argued.
Kevin plastered his hands on the front of his shirt.
“I can’t go nekkid in school.”
Lon shrugged. “There’s blood on Lewis’s shoes and on your shirt. That makes them evidence in the assault. Our crime lab will take samples of the blood, and if it matches Brooks Pine’s blood, then it helps prove your part in the assault. Please take them off.”
Lewis swiveled around in his seat, his eyes widening in panic.
“Daddy?”
“Please face me,” Lon said. “Your parents are not in trouble. You are.”
Lewis was upset but tried to hide it as he took off his shoes.
“You can keep the shoes. Daddy will buy me some more,” he announced loudly. “I don’t want anything with that skuzzy kid’s blood on it. He’s nothing but white trash.”
The Buckleys were tight-lipped and red in the face.
Lon kept his focus on Lewis, who seemed to be the ringleader of the four.
“Who is white trash?” Lon asked.
“Beep Pine,” Lewis said. “Everybody knows it. Daddy says their family is white trash.”
“How did the boy’s blood get on your shoe?” he asked.
Lewis shrugged. “His nose popped when I kicked him. I guess it happened then.”
Carl Buckley went numb. Hearing the casual manner in which his son had just spoken did not bode well for the outcome of this meeting. His wife put a hand over her mouth to stifle a moan. She was both horrified and ashamed.
“Are you the only one who kicked him?” Lon asked.
“No,” Lewis said. “Kevin and the twins kicked him too.”
“You kicked the most!” Kevin argued.
“We only kicked his legs and belly,” the twins said.
The parents couldn’t look at each other and wouldn’t look at Lon.
Lon just kept pushing. “Exactly why did you kick him? Why would any of you boys want to hurt him?” Lon asked.
“He had ringworm!” Lewis yelled.
“He had cooties!” Kevin Sharp added.
The twins ducked their heads. They were already aware that they’d crossed a huge boundary. Their mother had already called both of them bullies earlier. They were screwed.
“I didn’t want to do it,” Billy Ray said.
Kevin elbowed him in the ribs.
“Ow! That hurt!” Billy Ray cried.
Kevin glared. “Don’t lie. You were laughing when you kicked him.”
Lon held up a hand and elevated the tone of his voice.
“Boys! Keep your hands to yourself. And by the way, did Brooks Pine tell you he was hurting? Did he ask you boys to stop?”
Lewis shook his head. “No, he didn’t—”
Bobby Jay interrupted. “Don’t tell another lie, Lewis. We’re already fucked!”
Sally Rankin inhaled so loudly both boys actually ducked their heads, expecting her to grab them up by their shirt collars and wash their mouths out with soap.
* * *
Ruby Dye was cutting Rachel Goodhope’s hair when Vera Conklin came in the back door of the Curl Up and Dye. She’d gone out to get lunch for herself and the girls, but she had come back with more than their food. She set the sack down on the table in back and hung her wet raincoat on a hook as she headed toward the salon.
She raised an eyebrow at her sister, Vesta, which was part of their twin-speak for “Boy, do I have something to tell,” smiled at Ruby’s customer in the styling chair, and pointed at Mabel Jean, who’d just finished doing Rachel’s nails.
“Mabel Jean, your salad is in the sack on top. Vesta, your club sandwich is probably on the bottom. Ruby, your burger is in there somewhere, and if it’s squished, it’s not my fault. They pack up to-go orders at Granny’s Country Kitchen like they’re running out of sacks. Hi, Rachel. My goodness, that new haircut is going to make you look ten years younger.”
Rachel beamed.
Then the ladies watched Vera take a step back and put her hands in the air, somewhat like Preacher Lawless down at the Freewill Baptist Church right before he called upon the good Lord for forgiveness of their sins.
“Ladies, I’m about to bust with my news. I just heard about the most horrible thing.”
Ruby stifled a smile. Vera was all about the drama.
“What happened?” Ruby asked.
“The youngest Pine boy got beat up by a gang of older boys at school this morning. They said his nose is broken and he’s bruised and bloody all over. They also said when Johnny Pine came to get pick him up, he read them the riot act and then took the little guy to the ER.”
They looked at each other in mutual horror.
“Good Lord! What is this world coming to, anyway?” Ruby muttered.
“Who would do something so awful to a little kid?” Rachel asked.
“If gossip is correct, it was Coach Sharp’s son, Carl Buckley’s son, and Sally Rankin’s twins.”
Ruby shook her head. “Considering two teachers and a banker are the parents, doesn’t sound like the little Pine boy is going to see much justice.”
“I don’t know about that,” Vera said. “After Dr. Quick treated the Pine boy, he called the police. Something about a legal responsibility to report assaults on children, I think.”
Vesta glanced at the clock. She had almost twenty minutes before her next appointment.
“I’m calling Junie down at the police station to see if they arrested those kids.”
Ruby frowned. “No, don’t! Whatever’s happening, we’ll find out soon enough. Better to leave gossip alone when kids are involved.”
“She’s right,” Vera said. “Besides, Lisa George teaches fifth grade math, and I’m doing her hair after school. She’ll talk. She can’t keep a secret for beans.”
Rachel Goodhope frowned. “How old is the Pine boy?”
“They said he was in second grade,” Vera said. “There are just the three Pine boys left, you know. The older brother, Johnny, is raising his two little brothers, and this probably hit him real hard, him being the only one responsible for them anymore.”
“Why is that?” Rachel asked.
Ruby patted Rachel’s shoulder. “Because their daddy is in prison and their mother overdosed two years ago and died. Johnny came close to losing the boys to Social Services then, and if they want to, they could make this an issue and take the boys away from Johnny by claiming he’s not a responsible parent.”
“But he’s not to blame,” Rachel said.
Ruby shrugged. “Since when has that mattered?”
“Well, I think that’s terrible,” Rachel said.
Ruby nodded. “So do I,” she said, then gave Rachel’s hair a last squirt of hair spray and spun the chair around. “All done. What do you think?”
“Good,” Rachel said, eyeing her new cut. “I like it a lot. Thank you, Ruby.”
“You’re welcome, sugar. Let’s go up front and get you down for next week, okay?”
Rachel gathered up her things, making sure to get her umbrella. She didn’t want to mess up her new hairdo before she sported it around a little. She thought about the school incident again as she was driving through town, which reinforced the decision she’d made years ago not to have children. Rachel Goodhope would always be a work in progress.
* * *
Dori had managed to eat most of a grilled cheese sandwich between emptying and loading the dishwasher and was taking a breather to ease her aching back when one of the waitresses came in to get a refill on corn bread muffins for one of her tables.
“You won’t believe what I just heard. A gang of older boys beat up the youngest Pine boy at school this morning. His brother took him to the ER and the doctor called the cops to report the assault. Shit is hitting the fan, big-time.”
Walter the cook looked up as he refilled the bread basket.
“Who were the kids who beat him up?” he asked.
“Coach Sharp’s boy, banker Buckley’s kid, and Sally Rankin’s twins.”
Dori was horrified.
“Why would they do something so awful?”
“They didn’t say, but you know how mean kids can be. His last name is Pine, which automatically makes him a target.”
A wave of heat washed through Dori so fast, she felt faint. She had been so busy trying to survive her personal mistakes that she had never thought about Luther’s life that far into the future, but now she was realizing what he had in store. He was a bastard child, and there was nothing that would ever change that fact. By virtue of birth alone, he would become a target. Sick to her stomach, she tossed what was left of her food in the garbage. She remembered Johnny Pine as a quiet, good-looking guy who always seemed too serious. Now she knew why. Her heart hurt for Johnny’s little brother, for her little guy, and for all children who become victims of someone else’s ignorance and rage.
Now that she’d delivered her gossip, the waitress grabbed the bread basket.
“Thanks, Walt. I gotta get back out on the floor, but I’m making a prediction now that nothing happens to those boys. When power and money is involved, it never does.”
Dori thought of Johnny Pine’s lot in life as she began scraping plates. He’d been a couple of years ahead of her in school, but she didn’t remember him ever having a girlfriend or being involved in many school activities. With parents like his, he must have felt like he had a lot to live down.
And then her shoulders slumped. Her parents had been decent people, just like her granddaddy. They had good names and good reputations. She was the one who’d messed all that up. The only thing she could do was never make that mistake again.
Her steps were dragging by the time her shift was over, and it was still drizzling when she left the restaurant. She could call her granddaddy and have him come pick her up, but it was more trouble than it was worth for the time it took to get Luther bundled up and buckled into his car seat. Besides, it wasn’t far, and walking back and forth to work was the only time she had left that was her own.
She sidestepped puddles as she walked, trying to stay beneath the overhangs of various businesses as she headed home. The wind was just strong enough to make holding on to the umbrella difficult, and so she kept it clutched tightly in her hands and pulled close to her head. Someone honked as they drove past, and she started to wave until she realized they weren’t honking at her and kept walking.
A gust of cold wind blew rain against her pant legs. They would be soaked by the time she got home, but getting wet was not a problem, just a situation easily remedied. She thought of the little Pine boy again and wondered if Johnny was as afraid of his responsibilities as she was of hers. Luther meant the world to her, but he’d already started life with one strike against him. She had to find a way to make sure that her mistakes did not hold him back. She put her head down and kept moving at a fast clip, and by the time she got home and walked in th
e back door, she was both cold and wet.
The house was quiet except for the television she could hear playing in the living room. She left her raincoat, umbrella, and wet shoes in the mudroom, and as she went to change clothes, she saw Granddaddy and Luther asleep in the recliner. When she saw the show they’d been watching, she smiled. Watching people hunt alligators was one of Meeker Webb’s favorite pastimes, and it must have agreed with Luther. He was sprawled out in his grandfather’s lap, relaxed as a cat sleeping in sunshine.
She hurried to her room to change into something dry and then began gathering up a load of clothes. There were always clothes needing to be washed. As she worked, she added items to the growing grocery list and then decided to run the dust mop on the hardwood floors. It was a quiet job, and one that needed doing. By the time she had finished, both of her guys were waking up.
When Luther saw her, he let out a squeal that woke Meeker. After that, there was no containing Luther. He wanted his mama, which meant whatever else she needed to do, she would be doing it with Luther riding shotgun on her hip.
Chapter 4
Johnny took the boys home, put Beep to bed, and left Marshall sitting beside him watching TV. He went to the kitchen to make some coffee, and while he was waiting, he called Miss Jane at the Before and After to tell her they were with him.
“Are they sick?” she asked. Jane considered it her duty to guard against germs as well as bad behavior, and didn’t want them anywhere near the other kids until they were well.
“No, ma’am. Beep was hurt at school today.”
“Oh, well, I’m sorry to hear that. Did he get hurt on the playground? I’ve been telling people for years that those old monkey bars aren’t safe.”
Johnny didn’t hesitate to explain. He wasn’t going to sugarcoat one bit of what happened.
“No, a gang of older boys beat him up. He’s hurt pretty bad.”
Miss Jane didn’t like racket, but when they were behaving, she did like the Pine boys.
“Well, that’s just awful. I’m so sorry to hear that. Was it that gang from the depot?”
Johnny took a deep breath, willing himself not to react to the slur about the boys from his side of town who hung out at the abandoned depot, playing music with their band.