by Jack July
“You sent Kayla and Teddy to her dad’s?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay. I want you to call in everyone who is not loaded. Then you’re going to the hospital.”
“No, I’ll be fine.” Then he dropped to one knee.
Carla Jo grabbed the microphone for the loudspeaker. Her voice echoed throughout the buildings and grounds. “Josh, come to the office immediately. Josh, to the office now!”
Josh ran up as Carla Jo was putting Parker in her car. “Josh, as soon as the drivers drop their trailers, tell them to return to the yard.”
“What in the hell is going on?”
“Just get ’em back here.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Carla Jo started her car, hit the hands-free device on her dash and speed-dialed. “Joseph, where’s Kelly?”
“At work?”
Carla Jo figured she would be safe there. “We have a problem. Sitzberger brought muscle. They attacked Parker and threatened his family. I’m taking him to the hospital.”
Under his breath, Joseph spat, “That mother fucker.”
“Joe, time to be a man, check your feelings and protect your employees and company. Do not go after them. That is not your job. Understand me? They want you to come after them. If you do, you will lose everything, got me?”
Joseph was quiet. Carla Jo knew how the men in that family operated: as long as they were talking, things would be okay. But once they stopped talking… “JOSEPH MURPHY BRAXTON, DID YOU HEAR ME!”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Do. Not. Go. After. Them.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“See you in a couple of hours.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
By the time Joseph walked through the front door of the office, the lust for revenge had reached a fevered pitch. Small town word-of-mouth and CB radios transmitted the incident all over Jackson County. Two dozen or so pissed-off drivers, determined to take things into their own hands, were plotting and planning. Things quieted down when the unmistakable presence of Sheriff Carter followed Joseph through the door. The sheriff then watched as what had been a 23-year-old of average maturity became a man.
Joseph spoke, “May I have your attention?” The grumbling and conversation continued. “HEY! SHUT THE FUCK UP!”
The room fell silent as all heads turned to look at him. People filed out from other rooms and all stood packed in the lobby. “Parker will be fine.” He paused a moment. “I’ve always been proud of what we do here, how we treat each other like family. Now it looks like ya’ll are ready to defend each other. That makes me happy too. Problem is, we cain’t. That’s what these people want us to do. They want us to leave our trucks, shut down our business and break the law. If they cain’t force the union on us, they want to shut us down. That’s how they work. That’s what they want. We cain’t allow that. Josh?”
“Yeah.”
“Take Parker’s job till he gets back. Send the trucks out in pairs when possible. The rule has always been no weapons in the trucks, though I know most of you carry anyway. That rule is lifted. Do not start anything, and if you can get away, get away. If you have a problem, the first thing you do is go to channel 16 on your CB and call a deputy. Sheriff Carter tells me his dispatch will monitor that station. Now Sheriff Carter has something to say.”
In his quiet, friendly, understated way, the sheriff addressed them. “Drivers, I am upset by the turn of events. I will find those responsible, and justice will be done. I’ve known most of you since you were shittin’ in your diapers, so you can believe me when I tell you this: Do not, under any circumstances, seek to take the law into your own hands. I will bust your ass. Understood?”
A small chorus of ‘yes sirs’ and head nods followed.
“Good. Be safe out there.”
Joseph called out, “Josh, get ’em on the road.”
Carla Jo drove away from the new clinic in Rock Creek, leaving Parker in the best of hands. She thought again about what Brian had told her. She still felt that the days of violence were long gone. Then she looked in the rear view mirror.
Sitzberger’s red ford Taurus was uncomfortably close to her bumper. She kept one eye in the mirror as he charged to her bumper then slowed down. She looked at her phone and then remembered what she was driving: 650 horsepower in one of finest automobiles ever produced. If needed, she could outrun him. She left the Rock Creek city limits and headed back to Braxton trucking. Rock Creek Road was fun to drive; she’d taken it in her Vette at 100 mph plus more times than she could count. The road headed downhill over Donner Creek. That was located in Devil’s Holler. Legend told of people who went down there and never returned. Truth was, the creek water was cold coming out of the hills and the moonshiners wanted to keep people away.
She approached a 90 degree sweeping banked turn halfway down the hill. How fast she could take it depended on whether she saw any cars coming down the hill on the other side. She looked across in the distance; the coast was clear. Sitzberger made another charge at her car, but this time he didn’t stop. The Taurus smashed into her Mercedes’ rear. She dropped a gear and nailed the gas. Sitzberger beeped the horn, trying to get her attention. He wanted her to pull over. He waved his arms wildly trying to get her to stop. She dove into the curve, the left front tire tickling the white line of the oncoming lane. A little smile came onto her face as she checked the mirror and he was gone. The Mercedes’ McLaren suspension stuck the tires hard to the pavement and she blasted out of the turn at over 100 MPH. A fraction of a second, later her expression changed to one of horror. Sitzberger’s union partners had parked a car sideways across the mouth of the bridge.
Dr. Earle set down his pad and seemed happy. “So you got her back?”
“Yes we did. I was both excited and disappointed. They dug Mia Stanton out of the shallow grave and prepped her remains for the trip home. The only family she had was Cindy. They wanted Cindy to identify the body. I wouldn’t allow it.”
Doc nodded. “That was smart; she had been through too much trauma.”
“I thought that, too.”
“At that point, the mission was over. You were supposed to go home, right?”
“That’s SOP, but something wouldn’t let me leave.”
“Was it the baby?”
“Well…”
Sonda’s taxi pulled up to the front of the American embassy. Amy flashed her ID and Marines waved them through the gate. They drove to the rear where Cindy Patrick was immediately met by a physician and his nurse. When the nurse took her arm, Cindy panicked and reached for Amy. “No, no, don’t leave me yet, okay? Please? Don’t.”
When missions are over, the operative’s instructions are to disappear, like a ghost, like they never existed. That’s because legally, they don’t. Problem was, Amy too felt an attachment that came more from increased motherhood hormones than any sense of commitment. She instructed the physician to wait and walked out to talk to Sonda. She leaned into the window of the taxi. “It’s been fun.”
Sonda nodded. “Yeah. Hey, I was wondering if you’re interested into finding where that baby came from?”
Amy thought for a moment. “They want me back ASAP but, yeah, I am curious.”
“Good, good, I am going to look into some things, talk to Blaga. I will call you.”
“Okay, do that.”
Sonda opened the car door and stood. “If I don’t see you again, a proper goodbye?”
“Yes, absolutely.” They gave each other a hug. “Would it be okay if I call you Amy?”
“Sure, just, keep it to yourself.”
“I am truly honored to know you.”
“And I you. We’ll meet again.”
Sonda smiled, returned to the taxi and drove away.
Cindy took Amy’s hand and wouldn’t let go. Amy sat on a stool next to her during the medical exam. After they had dinner together, Amy escorted her to the room where she would be staying the night. Amy had her own room in the embassy but Cindy
didn’t want her to leave. It was a king size bed, so Amy figured, why not?
She went to her room to grab her things and her phone rang. It was Adele. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Got the report from Abe. Good job, honey. Now get your ass on a plane and get home.”
“I’m gonna stay the night at the embassy. I’m really tired.”
“Cindy bonded to ya, did she? Operatives don’t do that; get your ass home.”
“That’s part of it. The men that kidnapped her also murdered a baby. I wanted to look into that with Sonda.”
“That’s nice. Get your ass home, on a plane. Tonight.”
“There is nobody home but me. Micky’s in Hawaii and Bogus is probably on his way to Texas. His sister just bought a chemical company so he’s been flying back and forth a couple times a week. Let me ride around with Sonda and take a look. I’ll learn more of the city. She’s a really good operative. I can hand Cindy off to the FBI tomorrow.”
Adele pinched the bridge of her nose while squinting her eyes. “Okay. Do not make me regret this. Do nothing, no operations, nothing. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, ma’am. Thank you.”
“No fucking around, none.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“All right, love you honey.”
“Love you too.”
Adele hung up and hit a button on her phone. Her admin picked up. “Ma’am?”
“Get Gator on the line.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Amy returned to Cindy’s room only to bump into the nurse. She was carrying a small paper cup with a pill and a glass of water. “What’s that?” Amy asked as they walked into the room.
“Something the doctor prescribed.”
Amy had years of medical training; she knew what most pills were by sight. This didn’t look familiar. “What is that?”
“I’m not a liberty to say.”
“Who is?”
“The doctor.”
“Tell him to come up here please.”
Cindy was on the phone talking to her mother. There were tears and joy. Moments later the doctor appeared at the door. “May I speak to you in the hall?” he said.
Amy nodded and stepped out of the room. The doctor gave her a stern look. “Why are you interfering with the treatment of my patient?”
“At this moment, I am responsible for her. Her emotions are somewhat frayed. I will be her advocate and as such, you will tell me what you are giving her.”
“Miss, ah...?”
“Fenian.”
“Yes, well, Miss Fenian, this is doctor-patient privilege and is none of your concern.”
Amy felt heat rising in her chest. “I’ll tell you what you’re going to do. You’re going to tell me what the hell that pill is or I will get the director of the CIA on the phone and you will tell her. Until I know what that is, you will not give it to her.”
The doctor looked her in the eye. “Fine, it’s RU486. She’s pregnant.”
“Oh, okay. I knew she was raped.”
“Several times.”
“Does she know?”
“No, and she doesn’t need to. A little cramping and bleeding and it will be over.”
Amy was as pro-life as one could be, but a child conceived by rape? That was cause for reflection. “Okay, but you need to tell her.”
“That’s not protocol.”
“It is now. I’ll do it.”
“Fine.”
They entered the room together. Both had serious expressions. Cindy recoiled in alarm. “What’s wrong?”
Amy sat on the edge of the bed and took her hand. “Cindy, you’re pregnant.”
“I’m what?”
“Pregnant. The doctor wants to give you a pill to terminate the pregnancy.”
Cindy’s arms crossed quickly across her midsection. “I’m pregnant, with a baby?”
“Yes.”
Cindy sat quiet for a few minutes. She covered her mouth with an open hand and began to tremble. “We did it. I knew Mia would not leave me alone. This is what we came for. We did it. I’m going to have a baby.” With that she began to weep joyously.
Amy looked at the Doctor. “I think you have your answer.”
Chapter 19
Brian walked into Joe’s office and found him on the phone, apologizing profusely to a customer. The advent of J.I.T., or just in time manufacturing, meant a late shipment could shut down an entire commercial or assembly operation at a cost of thousands of dollars a minute. The good part of J.I.T. is no inventory or warehouse costs. The bad part is that any company that chooses J.I.T. had better have top-notch logistics.
Joe hit the button on the phone and shouted, “FUCK!”
Brian shook his head. “Boy, it cain’t be that bad.”
“I got two coal trucks doing the job of six. Barges are stacked up on the river. Josh prioritized wrong. I got the manufacturing super of Shepard Industries screaming at me. I got a load of steel for Matrix Engineering I can’t find.”
Brian smiled at him. “That load of steel is sittin’ in their yard; dropped it myself. They didn’t bother to look. I’ll call up some owner operators and get the coal runnin’ to the river. Stuff happens, people understand that. Don’t ignore your customers; talk to ‘em. They’ll be all right, a little upset, but all right.”
“I need to give Parker a raise.”
Joe looked up to see Parker standing in the doorway. “I’ll take that.”
“What in the hell are you doin’ here? Get your ass home and take care of yourself.”
“Bullshit. I worked too hard to get us here. Now what’s going on?”
Brian patted Parker on the shoulder. “Let’s go to dispatch and get this straightened out.”
Joseph called out, “Parker.”
“Yeah?”
“Carla Jo with you?”
“No, she dropped me off at the hospital three hours ago.”
Joseph pondered that answer for a moment. “Huh.”
The last thing Carla Jo saw was men running away from the car on the bridge. Drive it to the end was what her instructor at the Bondurant Racing School taught her. The three-day school was a Christmas gift from Joseph. He had said, “If you’re gonna drive like an idiot, you might as well be good at it.”
Everything slowed down, she stomped the brakes and the big anti-lock calipers threw her forward in the seat. However, she was still going too fast. Trees lined the road to her right so she turned the wheel left, putting the car into a skid. She missed the concrete bridge abutment as the car went airborne over the edge of the steep embankment. The car was still yawing to the left as the rear end caught a tree, which detached that part of the car at the rear wheels and put it into a helicopter spin to the right. Somewhere in the violent crash a tree limb caught the side of her head and knocked her unconscious. The car hit the bottom of the embankment, turned over and came to rest in the creek, upside down. The roll bar loops did their job, keeping her head out of the water. However, her long black hair was being tugged downstream. Where her hair stopped, the blood continued.
Sitzberger’s car came to a screeching halt at the top of the bridge. The three men were looking over the side, laughing. “Ya missed it, Sitz, HOLY FUCK!”
Sitzberger looked down over the side of the bridge, the bottom of the car visible and steam coming from the engine. In disbelief he said, “What the fuck did you guys do?”
“We blocked the bridge, like ya said.”
“Oh my God, is she alive?”
“Hehe, I doubt it.” The men looked at each other, then the biggest one shook his head. “Hey, Charlie, we better get the fuck outta here.”
“Yeah. Hey, Sitz, ya proved your point. We’re gone.”
They all started to get in the car. Sitzberger shouted, “Hey, what about her?”
“Fahk her. Anyways, that’s your problem. If I was you, I’d get my ass out of this place as soon as possible.”
The doors slammed and the car sped away. Sitzberge
r looked down for a few moments longer. He felt like throwing up. Murder was not part of the deal. He, too, got in his car and sped away.
Sitzberger pulled up at the small apartment he had rented, jumped out of the car and ran inside. He froze when he saw Deputy Nolan sitting at his kitchen table. He turned to run but after a collision with the deputy’s fist, he found himself on his back. “Boy, I think the Sheriff wants to have a little talk with you.”
Dr. Earle and Amy sat and ate breakfast. Amy figured she would be making biscuits every morning until she left. She smiled at him and said, “You may want to slow down a little. Them things will put the weight on ya.”
He dumped more honey on a buttered biscuit. “You’ll be gone soon; I’ll get it while I can.”
“Fair enough.”
“Something bothered me about our conversation yesterday.”
“What’s that?”
“Do you make a habit of proselytizing to victims of crime?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean the Doctor wanted to abort the product of a rape. You stood in the way on religious grounds.”
“I knew Cindy Patrick was Catholic. I knew it would devastate her if she was to find out she had an abortion. It was more her religious grounds than mine.”
“If she wasn’t a Catholic, would you have tried to stop it anyway?”
Amy looked him in the eye. “Yes, I would have.”
“Because you are a Christian?”
“Yes.”
“Look, nowhere in the Bible does it reference abortion.”
Amy sat straight up, a look of righteous indignation on her face. “Are you kidding me? Galations 1:15, ‘But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace.’ Luke 1:44, ‘For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.’ Jeramiah 1:4, ‘Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”’ Psalms 139:13, ‘For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.’ Doc, that is a fully separate life, a child of God. There is more, would you like me to go on?”