by Erica Hale
I made a mental note that he had to get that weed on top of his head cut. and cut soon before he looked like a member of the Adam’s Family.
I shut his door and crept back to my room.
Turning on my laptop, I started to put down the rest of my notes. I wasn’t going to be in Planters much longer and I wanted to have all my ducks in a row when I left. I was trying to reassure myself that I wasn’t a failure and that going back home to Washington empty handed wasn’t my fault, but I still felt like hammered trash.
Clay would go free, and the backwater rednecks will still run this town while I was back home without a care in the world.
I shut my eyes for a second in thought. I knew I shouldn’t be this happy about my decision, but I had to smile. Don’t run away from trouble, but let trouble come to you.
★★★★★★★★★★
Considering he had never been to Washington state and wasn’t really sure where it was on the map, Ernest Jr. dreamt about it. The sun was warm on his face and there was this big blue ocean that didn’t have an end to it.
He was digging his toes in the sand and laughter was in his throat, then the sound made its appearance. This wasn’t part of the dream he knew, the sound was too familiar, the sound of a round being lodged in the chamber.
Through sleepy crusted eyes, they opened to his daddy with a gun in his face.
“Where is he?” his father slurred from last night’s liquor. “Where is Anthony at?”
Any sudden movements could be his last with his dad’s wobbly legs and twitchy trigger finger. “He went home. I tried to make him stay, but he went back across the street to his momma’s house.”
Ernest Jr. never took his eyes off the gun while his dad swayed like a blade of grass in a breeze. “Why can’t you do one damn thing? I don’t put too much on ya, I ask you to make sure the boy stays here, and what the hell do you do? You let him leave.”
Broken sleep shouldn’t ever resort to broken bones, Ernest Jr. thought.
There was no way of knowing how this day was going to turn out, but he’d rather have another broken arm than a bullet in his head.
“What do you want me to do? Go over there and drag him back, Dad? He left, and you know as well as I do that I couldn’t make him stay,” the boy said, trying to tap into the rational side of his dad’s brain.
The older Ernest smirked and lowered the weapon. “Are you talking back to me, boy?”
His son knew that this was going to be the ass kicking of his life. Might as well go out with a bang.
Throwing the covers off, Ernest Junior stood toe to toe with his dad. Granted, the boy had to look up to his dad, but he stood his ground.
“If I am, you’d beat me, if I wasn’t, you’d still beat me. There is nothing that I can do to make you happy. I do whatever you want me to do. You nearly beat me to death. Probably the same outcome if I didn’t do what you wanted. So yeah, maybe I am talking back to you. It’s all the same anyway, right?”
Like the strike of a cobra, his dad had a handful of his hair, yanking his son back until his chin was up in the air. “You listen to me, and you listen to me good. As long as you are in this house, you listen to me and do what I tell you to do, you hear me?” The boy huffed and his dad’s eyes grew wide. “You think you can do better out there? Who is gonna take you in? Who’s gonna put clothes on your back?” Pulling his son closer to him, Ernest Jr. nose wrinkled from the smell of his dad’s alcohol drenched breath. “You’re dumber than a rock pile and just as attractive.”
Ernest Jr. flopped back on the bed from his dad’s push.
“Now if you really want to make me proud you can do one thing for me.”
Smoothing the back of his hair from where his dad nearly pulled his brain out, “Yeah. What’s that?”
His dad raised the gun to his son and pointed it to the middle of his chest. “Kill that whore across the street.”
There had been numerous thoughts of taking a life, not anyone else’s but his own. There was no way that he was going to risk life in prison while his dad disowned him to the news cameras.
“Dad?”
“You want to make me proud? You want to make up for all the bullshit mistakes you’ve made, you do this one thing and all will be forgiven. You getting your ass kicked by him, listening to Forrest instead of me. Hell, you letting him leave this house when I told your stupid ass not to let him out of your sight. You kill her and you know that Forrest is going to protect you. You won’t see the inside of a jail cell. Do it and maybe the relationship between us could be better.”
His father bobbed his head up and down so fast and hard, he thought it was going to roll off his neck.
It was just another empty promise, just another carrot dangled to his face. He just nodded and gave his dad a chipped tooth smile.
“Sure, Dad. Do you want me to walk across the street, and when she answers the door blow her away? Or just wait until its dark, sneak over there and put one in between her eyes while she’s sleeping?”
His dad narrowed his eyes, trying to decipher if his son was trying to be sarcastic or if he was really that stupid.
“I will let you know,” he said, stumbling out of his son’s room. Before he closed the door, he spoke, “But it will be sooner than later.”
Gripping the stair railing, he descended from the upper level of the house. Ernest knew his son didn’t have the balls to pull the trigger. He knew the boy was just as worthless as his momma.
I should had thrown him away with his momma when he had the chance, he thought.
Putting the nine millimeter on the coffee table, he sat on the couch. He commenced to dialing the same number he’d been dialing all night. On the third ring, Leland finally answered.
“Bout damn time.”
“I got caught up last night.”
“I know that you didn’t do what I asked you to do.” There was a long pause. “I know that the boy came in, probably wrecked your romantic evening.”
Leland cleared his throat. “The second I got over there, the kid comes. But, I scared her good. Told her to get her black ass out of town before having my way with her would be the least of her worries.”
Ernest rubbed at his jaw line that was prickle from days without a razor. “You know that she works at that liberal ass rag they call a paper down on Mason Street?”
“I know. I told you when I followed her. What, you scared she’s digging into us, trying to get something on us? You know as well as I do that’s impossible. There is no way in hell she could connect those dots,” Leland reassured. “She ain’t that smart.”
“Never said she was smart. Their kind is more conniving, sneaky like. There like dogs with a bone, they just keep digging and digging. I want her and that nigger loving son of hers gone.”
Ernest was tempted to tell him that he wanted her dead. Hell, even the kid could get a bullet, too. Keeping this side of Planters white was the only thing that Ernest wanted and needed.
“So, what do you want me to do now?” Leland asked. “Keep a tail on her? You need me to push harder.”
Ernest didn’t answer right away, but thought out a plan. “If she’s a predictable as I think she is, she’ll be headed over to that colored church. All those monkey congregate over there for the fourth. When she leaves, we’ll be there waiting for her.”
Leland held in his gulp. “What about the boy? I told you I’m not hurting a kid.”
Leland thought he must have told a joke by the way that Ernest fell out laughing. “At one point in our friendship, boy, did I really think you were into the dirt work? Now it seems that that monkey has got your head all twisted around. You’re not thinking clear. I know that Forrest told you she got some high class lawyer to get the kid out of lock up the other night. If she gets a whiff of what we got going on, Forrest’s little Barney Fife badge won’t get us out of shit. We end this and we end this tonight. You either with us, or you ain’t. And I’m sure you don’t want to be on the side of th
e ain’t, now do ya?”
“You know I’m with ya.” Leland’s answer was slow and filled with doubt. “If we do this--”
“Hell, boy, when we do this, it will be done quick and easy,” Ernest interrupted.
“Shit. We need to think. That girl has a family that will come down here snooping around. We just can’t wipe her ass of the planet without no one noticing. Shit, she has a job, don’t you think people will start to ask questions? We must be smart about it. Think this shit through. If we go off killing people without a care in the world, we will be in more shit that we can handle.”
Ernest figured he was right, but just knowing that bitch was across the street thinking she was better than him was driving him mad.
“I gotcha.”
“Sober the hell up. I’ll be over after a while and we can go over the details, but don’t do shit before then. I’m not getting locked up because of your dumb ass.”
Ernest chuckled. “You’re right, man. That’s why I have you around to keep me on the straight and narrow.” He laughed again. “You’re a real friend. My dumb ass brother would probably shoot his own foot off and Forrest would beat her to death right on Main Street during a parade. You’re right smack dab in the middle.”
“So, did you talk to Max last night and tell him about our little money making plan?” Leland asked and prayed for the best.
“Shoot, Max and his wife are going to be out of town for the weekend. Going to go to the Carolinas to see his baby sister and her family.” He cursed under his breath. “I got too much stuff going on. Gotta a nigger across the street that won’t leave no matter how hard we push. Gotta to move this shit before a goon comes here and harms me and my kid.” Ernest paused. “Hell, my son is as worthless as tits on a bull frog, but he’s mine. And I can’t have nobody out here trying to take what’s mine, you know?”
A blind man could see the amount of stress that weighted Ernest down. If Demetrius doesn’t kill him first the stress will.
“I just think that the between the four of us we can come up with something to keep us on this side of the grass,” Leland said, knowing full and damn well the men that he shared company with couldn’t come up with anything that remotely looked like a plan. But he had to say something before Ernest went off and did something that would put his life on the line.
“I don’t want my brother involved in this part of the business,” Ernest said.
“What in the hell are you talking about? I know Marvin isn’t the sharpest tack in the box, but he has to know that meth doesn’t grow on trees and it has to come from somewhere.”
Ernest laughed. “The less that Marvin knows the better. He knows enough to keep him happy that he is in the loop. Anything more, and he will want to get into further. I don’t need Marvin running his mouth to the wrong people and get us all killed. I had to kick him out of my office when Demetrius came in. Marvin’s dumb ass would be in there asking the wrong questions and get us both popped right there.”
“I understand.”
“But back to the gal across the street and her punk ass kid. Now that we can get a round table and discuss that, I’m sure we can come up with some good ideas when it comes to exterminating vermin.”
Wiping the sweat off his forehead, Leland thanked God that he could keep Ernest a bay for at least a little awhile and try and kill Lauren while she slept. “Just give me till this afternoon. We’ll think of something.”
“Yeah. We will.”
★★★★★★★★★★
“What in the hell are you doing here?” he hissed at Ernest through his cracked door. “My mom would freak if she saw you here.” Anthony glanced upstairs in relief that his mother was still in the shower. “Why are you here?”
Ernest shot his hands in his pockets. “It’s not me. It’s my dad, I swear it’s not me. He wanted me to keep you away from your mom. I didn’t know.”
Anthony closed the front door and stood on the porch barefoot. “But why?”
Because your mom is black, because we don’t like y’all in our neighborhoods, taking our jobs or in our schools. Is what Ernest wanted to say. “My dad has this thing about…I don’t know. Maybe his mom didn’t hug him enough growing up. Hell if I know.” Both boys smiled. “I’m sorry for all the trouble I caused and I just want to apologize for everything. I think you are a good guy. I consider you my friend.”
Anthony bowed his head. “Dude you shouldn’t be here you need to go home.”
“Come on, I’m trying to apologize here,” Ernest rose his voice. “I thought we were friends.”
Trying to get his temper under control, Anthony said, “Friends don’t get their friends arrested. Try to turn them against their family or lie. That’s the shit you did to me.” He pointed. “Now, could you get the hell off my porch and get the hell on?”
Ernest continued to stand there, glancing back to his house where his dad was waiting on a report. “I’m sorry. Me and a couple of guys are going to over to the lake and shot off some rockets and M-eighties if you want to come.”
Anthony folded his arms. “Nah, I’m good. My mom and I are going to some church to watch the fireworks there.”
The boy’s face brightened. “Maybe I’ll meet you there or something. We can hang out.”
“Whatever.” Anthony turned his back to grip the door handle. “Maybe I’ll see you there.” Anthony turned to the door. “Ernest,” The young man turned to face Anthony. “Look man, you need to get out of the house. Is there anywhere that could stay at least for a couple of nights?”
Ernest gave him a jagged tooth smile. “Don’t worry about me. Everything will work itself out. Hey look, I think I might just come down there and shot the shit with you. You know, down at the church.” The boy shrugged. “It might be fun.” Anthony rolled his eyes. “Hey, you are the one that said that I should get out of the house more.”
“Yeah maybe.”
Anthony closed the door and wondered was he being an ass.
By the time he had gotten to his room he knew he could have offered his home to his neighbor. Maybe keep him here, keep him safe from his father and that asshole cop. By the way that his mom was talking, they wouldn’t be in Planters long. All Anthony had the power to do was pray for Ernest safety.
Ernest jogged across the street. “They will be leaving in a few hours, Dad. You were right they are going to that church to see the fireworks.”
Ernest Sr. slapped the coffee table. “I told you that a nigger doesn’t have new tricks.”
Leland stood over the mantle, while Forrest and Marvin sat on the couch in the living room coming up with a plan. Marvin was the first to speak. “Wait till she gets home, scare her and make her take off,” he said, wiping the beer foam from the corner of his mouth. “She’ll have no other choice but to get out of Planters.”
“We still have some of the good stuff, don’t cha? Call in a tip and have one of my deputies search her car. Put some product in her car while she’s at the firework show. Get her hemmed up. Besides, it’s the weekend, she won’t get out until Monday morning to see a judge. Plus, Judge Carter is married to one of my cousins. It won’t be nothing to have her locked up and have a real court date for her for weeks.”
Forrest rubbed at his badge with pride.
“Did you get that damn badge out of a Cracker Jack box?” Leland asked in disgust. “You remember last time you tried to hem them up and they brought in the lawyer. We keep poking at that bear and our whole operation will come to light. Dumb ass.”
Leland rolled his eyes and pushed up on the bill of his hat.
Forrest pushed out his beer gut. “So, what do you suggest?” he sneered with a smug look on this face.
“Burn the house down. Give her and the bastard nowhere to go to. Then they have to leave.” Leland was so nonchalant about their course of action that it even surprised him.
“With them in it?” Ernest Jr. nearly shouted.
His dad was off the couch and had a fist full of
his shirt. “If you don’t pull your shit together,” he warned.
Leland crept up on the older Ernest and unclenched his hand. “This is not the time for us to crack. While they are gone, I will sneak into a broken window in the rear of the house. When the sun goes down, no one is going to be paying any attention to any bright lights. I’ll set the fire. They get home crushed to see everything blazed up. They won’t have a choice but to leave.”
Ernest Sr. pushed his son back on the couch and put his arm around Leland. “You see,” he said to his son. “This is someone that is not afraid to get his hands dirty. This man has no fear. And I saw your little pathetic ass over there practically begging for that boy’s attention. Now he’s another one who can stand on his two feet. Y’all the same age, but he is more man than you will ever be.”
His son’s eyes never left the floor as his dad talked down to him.
“How do you know that the window is broken?”
Forrest was trying to find any fault in the plan.
“I know because I broke it. So while you were trying to make imaginary charges stick, I was working on a way in.” Forrest smirked, trying his best to come up with something cleaver to say. “Again, for those that may be foggy on what is going to happen, Ernest, you call me when they get in the car. I’ll sneak around back, break it, and light that son of a bitch up. Are we clear?”
Marvin smiled and nodded.
Forrest rubbed at his badge and Ernest still looked at his only child as if he wanted to puke.
“We are good to go,” Ernest said. “We’ll all meet up at the lake, like nothing has happened.”
The four men shook their heads in agreement. Marvin was downright giddy at the thought of committing a crime. Forrest was still trying to come up with something better, but again had nothing to offer the group.
“Let me get on home and get some accelerant ready. Remember, we go to the lake right before it gets dark. I’ll see y’all in a few.”
Leland walked past the men and out the door.
He started his wrecker. He drove four and half blocks down the street and parked. Leland dug his cell phone out of his jeans pocket. He dialed, drumming is fingers on the steering wheel while the phone rang.