Home Invasion
Page 22
“Maybe. But I’d like it better if we weren’t so close to death. A little distance would be better.”
Dalton nodded. “Distance from death breeds complacency. Living on the edge keeps you on your toes.”
“Hopefully, we can keep a little distance. We’re going to town tomorrow to talk to Sheffield and let them know what we heard.” I said. “That, and I have some legal crap to deal with.”
Dalton perked up when I said that. “What sort of legal issues?”
“Just some local BS to sort out. At least it ain’t my problem anymore now that we have a judge.”
Dalton laughed. “So you put it off on someone else?”
“Hell yeah!” I said. “Mitch seems like a good guy. We just need someone with a level head that can make these decisions.”
“Other than you.” Dalton said.
I nodded. “Other than me.”
Dalton finished his meal and said, “I’ll go with you in the morning. A trip to town would be good. Plus, I want to watch the circus in the morning.”
“Oh, thanks for that,” I replied.
I finished my dinner and bid everyone a good night. Sarge told me he’d see us in the morning for our trip to town. I reminded him we needed to swing by Gina and Dylan’s to pick up the veggies they were giving to the town. He nodded and waved as I headed out the door. It wasn’t dark yet, but it was close. The air was still and hot, heavy with humidity. It seemed to get the hottest right as the sun was beginning to set. It drove the humidity to the ground and gave everything a muggy feeling.
Even the animals were suffering. No birds sang. No squirrels scampered through the trees. It was as if everything was waiting for the relief the setting of the sun would bring. I crunched through the dry pine needles and fallen leaves as I passed through the fence to my place. Somewhere off in the distance I heard the rumble of thunder and hoped it would find its way here. A Florida rain shower was a double-edged sword. While it would cool things off for the moment, it would make the morning utterly miserable. You’d be able to see the steam rising from the ground as the sun heated it. But you gotta take what you can get.
The dogs were lying on the porch in their usual places, sprawled out and leaving me little room to get to the door. I just tip-toed around them. At the door, I paused for a moment to check them out. They looked thinner. Not really a concern yet; but if the weight loss continued, it would be. I made a mental note to try and find more for them to eat. They were still loyal, hanging around the houses all day. Not that they did a damn thing for us. But it was good having them around.
Inside, I found Little Bit still sleeping on the couch, and I left her there. The house was getting hot. God, I hated Florida summers. Even more so without the benefit of central air. Or any air for that matter. I checked on the other girls and found them in their beds, sprawled out with nothing over them. Leaving their doors open to encourage what airflow might happen, I adjusted their fans. Mel was in the bed with a sheet over her. The fan was at the foot of the bed, oscillating back and forth. These fans were a luxury. It reminded me of my youth. When I was a kid, we didn’t have central air in the houses we lived in. We didn’t even have window shakers. We had fans. And everyone had their own. I remember the day we moved into a house with central air. I thought we’d suddenly become rich!
I stripped down to my drawers. I wore wool underwear, which might sound counterintuitive in this heat. But they were much more comfortable. I’d pitched my cotton versions back in the Before. The wool wicked sweat and was naturally antimicrobial. Cotton is death cloth, and I avoided it at all costs. Hot or cold, it would kill you.
Pulling the sheet back, I lay down and pulled part of the sheet over my hips only, leaving my feet and upper body out. It helped regulate temperature, and everything you can do in these conditions helped. Reaching out to the nightstand, I made sure my pistol and flashlight were there. Feeling them in the dark, I relaxed and tried to go to sleep.
But sleep would be fleeting. My attempts to sleep were filled with dreams of troops rolling through Eustis. A very vivid image of the American flag being lowered at the armory was playing over and over in my head. The men who took it down simply wadded it up before attaching another. This one had even fields of white, red and blue. The flag of the Russian Federation. It kept replaying until it woke me up.
I looked around in the silent and dark room. Nothing was amiss, so I lay back down and rolled over towards Mel and put my hand on her hip. It was too damn hot to put my arm over her, so I settled on just the hand on her hip and tried to go back to sleep. I was just about to doze off when she grabbed my hand and tossed it off, saying, “You’re hot, get off me.”
It made me grin. She was right, after all. Maybe it was hearing her voice. Maybe it was just waking up. But I fell back asleep, and this time I wasn’t haunted by dreams of marauding foreign troops. I woke up when the room started to lighten. Getting up, I was lightly covered in sweat and felt sticky. Sleeping when it’s hot out is a miserable experience. Heading into the bathroom, I turned on the shower and got in. The water was warm to start, but cooled nicely in no time. I rinsed off and felt much better.
Getting out, I toweled off and dressed, Mel came in as I was pulling my shorts up. I stopped and looked at her with a squint. “Do I need to wait, or?”
She pushed me out of the way, yawning as she passed me. “No, don’t stop, and get out. I need to use the bathroom.”
I picked up my things. “Well, good morning to you too, Sunshine.”
“Close the door on your way out,” she replied as she took a seat on the throne.
I left and pulled the door shut. After dressing, I went to the kitchen for my morning tea. With my glass in hand, I went to the front door and looked out. It seemed darker than it should for the hour and I stepped out onto the porch. The morning was heavily overcast and it seemed I could smell rain in the air. It made me think about the storm brewing off the coast. I need to talk to Mitch, I thought and went back inside.
Even though it was early, I went to the radio and keyed the mic, “Hey, Mitch. You listening?” Setting the mic down, I sipped my tea. After a bit, I tried it again, but he never came back. “Looks like I’m going to town,” I said as I headed back to the bedroom for some socks.
Mel was there making up the bed. “Why do you do that?” I asked. “We’re just going to mess it up again later. And it’s not like anyone is coming in here.”
Fluffing a pillow, she replied, “Because it looks better and makes me feel better. I’m not doing it for anyone else.”
Coming up behind her, I hugged her. “Well, if it makes you feel better.”
She patted my hands. “It does. What are you doing?”
Releasing her, I went to the dresser and pulled out a pair of socks. “It looks like rain. It’s really overcast. I’m going to go to town and talk to Mitch. He has a way to receive weather satellite images. There’s a tropical storm brewing off the coast and I want to see if it’s coming ashore.”
“Who’s Mitch?”
Sitting down on the bed, I updated her, “He’s our new judge. Nice guy. You should meet him and his wife Michelle. They’re really nice.”
“Where do they live?” She asked.
“Remember that house we looked at that was partly underground?”
She thought for a moment. “Yeah. It had that big hut thing behind it. What’d you call it?”
“Quonset hut. Yeah, that’s the one. They live there.”
“How’d he become the judge?”
Standing up, I said, “I picked him. He seemed like a normal enough guy and we needed someone. I just wanted somebody other than me making some of these decisions.”
“You going to be gone all day?”
“No. I’m going to make a quick trip. I’d like a day off,” I said with a grin.
“I’d like that too. You’re always gone. Be nice to have you around for a day. Plus, I’m still weirded out about those people from the lake.”
She shook her head. “It was just so sad to see people like that. Those poor kids.”
“Yeah. Doc said they all had intestinal parasites really bad. Couldn’t imagine living like that.”
“We wouldn’t. Even if we were grubbing around in the woods.
I’m gonna go,” I said and leaned over and kissed her. “I’ll be back later.”
“Hurry home,” she replied with a smile.
Stopping at the door, I put my shoes on and pulled my vest on over my head. Picking up my rifle, I went out the door and had to step over the dogs. Just as I was stepping into the yard, a voice called out, “You ready to go to town?”
I jumped and looked back to see Dalton sitting on the bench on the porch. “You scared the shit out of me. How long you been there?”
He reached down and rubbed Meathead’s ear. “I was here when you came out earlier.” He looked up at me. “You really should pay more attention.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
He shrugged. “You didn’t have shoes on. I knew you weren’t ready to leave.”
I shook my head. “You’re an odd duck.”
Standing up and stretching, he said, “Quack, quack. Let’s go to town.”
Turning to head towards Danny’s house, I said, “We got to get the old man.”
Sarge was sitting on the porch with Aric. Seeing us, he looked at his watch and said, “You keeping banker’s hours now, Sheriff?”
“I don’t operate on anyone’s schedule but my own,” I replied.
“I been at his house for over an hour,” Dalton said as he went into the house.
Sarge shook his head. “Must be nice. Having the world revolve around you like that.”
I sighed and shook my head. “You ready to go?”
Standing up, Sarge replied, “Shit! I been ready! Been waiting on you all morning!”
Looking at Aric, I asked, “You coming with us?”
He looked around and shrugged. “What the hell. Why not. What’s the plan?”
“Taking some food into town and meeting with the judge. Mister Personality here needs to talk to Sheffield,” I replied.
He hopped off the porch. “Cool.”
Dalton came out of the house with a large travel mug. Steam was rising from it and Sarge cocked his head to the side and asked, “What’s in the cup?”
Taking a sip, Dalton replied, “Coffee.”
Sarge’s head jerked back. “My coffee? You drinking my coffee?”
Dalton pointed at the cup, “No, this coffee is mine.” Then he pointed to the cup Sarge held and said, “That is your coffee. See the difference?”
Sarge’s eyes narrowed and he turned to face Dalton. “Don’t be a smartass!”
“You hush, Linus! I gave it to him,” Kay said from the porch. “You aren’t the only one around here that likes coffee.”
Dalton grinned as he started towards the Hummer. “Yeah, Linus, you ain’t the only one.”
As Dalton passed the old man, Sarge slapped the hat from Dalton’s head. “You don’t call me that.”
Dalton picked up his hat and replied, “Roger that, Top.”
I looked at Aric and shook my head. “You’d think after this long, this kind of shit wouldn’t happen anymore.”
With a tilt of his head, Aric replied, “Shit, I think it’s getting worse.”
Opening the driver’s door, I replied with a chuckle, “I think you’re right.”
“Let me drive,” Aric said as he stepped past me into the open door.
“Fine by me,” I said and opened the back door and climbed in.
Aric fired up the truck and headed out. We waved at Thad and Danny as we passed the bunker. When he pulled out onto the road, Sarge told him to go to Gina’s house.
Dylan was sitting on the porch with a coffee mug in his hand when we pulled up. Sitting on the porch were several baskets filled to overflowing with various vegetables. He raised his cup in a salute when we stopped.
“That’s a lot of groceries,” Sarge said when he got out.
“Yeah it is. Glad to do it,” Dylan replied.
We started loading up the baskets as they talked. When we had everything in the truck, I asked Dylan where Gina was.
“She’s asleep. Had a rough night,” he replied.
“Anything we can do for her?” Sarge asked.
Dylan shook his head. “No. She’s got her medicine. Just needs some rest. But thank you.”
“What are you drinking there?” Aric asked.
Dylan looked at the cup and said, “Chicory. We grow it and I roast the roots and grind them up. I like it.”
Sarge’s face twisted. “Better you than me. I can’t stand that stuff. Went to New Orleans and ordered coffee. They gave me that stuff.” He shook his head. “Ain’t right.”
Dylan laughed and sipped the brew. “More for me.” Then he looked at Aric and asked, “You want some?”
Aric nodded. “Sure, thank you.”
“You other guys want some?”
Dalton held his cup up and said, “I got the real stuff. Thanks though for offering.”
“I’ll take some for the road,” I said.
Sarge shook his head as Dylan went into the house and said, “Y’all are just fuckin’ with me, ain’t you?”
Aric smiled, “I could just drink your coffee, I guess.”
“Like hell you will!” Sarge barked.
“Just ask Miss Kay. She’ll give you some,” Dalton said as he loudly slurped from his cup.
“That’s enough out of your ass, Sasquatch!”
Dylan returned with two Styrofoam cups and handed one to each of us. Picking a small bear-shaped bottle from the table beside his chair, he said, “I like it with honey.”
Aric and I both added honey to our cups and stirred it in with a finger. Taking a sip, I was surprised how good it was. “Damn, Dylan, that’s not bad at all.”
“Yeah, that’s good!” Aric added.
Sarge was shaking his head. “That’s just nasty.” Emphasizing his sentiments with a full body shiver. Dylan laughed at him.
“Thanks for the brew,” I said. “And thanks for everything you’re sending to town.”
“Happy to do it,” Dylan said with a wave.
We all loaded up and headed out. The clouds seemed to be getting thicker, if that was possible. Sarge looked up and scanned the sky. “It’s about to rain like pouring piss out of a boot.”
“I hope it ain’t that damn disturbance rolling around out there,” I replied.
“You going to get with Mitch?” Sarge asked.
“Yeah, I want to see the latest images.”
Dalton looked up and said, “We need the rain though.”
“This looks like it’s going to hang around for a couple of days,” Aric said.
As we came into town, we pulled into the armory and unloaded the baskets of veggies into the main hall and left to go find Mitch. I told Aric to head to the PD, thinking he’d probably be there. As we pulled up to it, I saw his side-by-side sitting out front. He was inside with Sean and Shane. They were sitting around the conference table talking when we walked in.
Spinning a chair around to take a seat, I said, “Morning, fellers.” Dalton and Aric took seats as the guys greeted us. “What’s up?”
“We were talking about your buddy back there,” Sean said.
I nodded. “Guess you’re going to deal with that?” I said, looking at Mitch.
“That’s what we were talking about,” Mitch replied. Pointing at Sean and Shane, he added, “They’re going to go find some of the people that were there and bring them in. Then we’ll hold court I guess.”
“Just let me know when and I’ll come in with Thad,” I replied.
“You think we should do the whole, swearing in on the Bible thing?” Shane asked.
“I think you should,” Aric said.
“Looks like we’re swearing folks in then,” I said.
“I’ll bring my Bible in,” Mitch said.
We continued to talk about how the court proceedings would work for a time. Once the major points were worked out, I changed the subject.
“What’s up with the storm?” I asked Mitch.
He slid a stack of papers across the table to me. “Doesn’t look good.”
I looked at the image. There still wasn’t a defined eye, but going over the stack of images, I could clearly make out the rotation of the storm. And it looked as though it would come ashore near Melbourne or somewhere just to the south.
“Looks like the worst of it will stay to the south of us,” I said.
Mitch nodded. “Looks that way. But we’re probably going to get some pretty serious rain and wind out of it.”
“I would have never guessed that from the way things looked this morning,” Dalton quipped.
Shane laughed. “Yeah, but we’re not getting the wind yet.”
“No,” Mitch replied, “But it’s coming.”
Looking at one of the images, I said, “So we’re looking at a couple days of wind and rain probably.” Mitch nodded. “Have you let the folks at the armory know so they can spread the word?”
“I have. They’re supposed to be letting everyone know.”
“Should make for an interesting couple of days,” Dalton said.
Sarge sat across the table from Sheffield. He was waiting on the man to say something. He’d just given him everything he’d heard about the Russian and Cuban forces being in Florida. Sheffield was drumming his fingers on the table and staring at a point somewhere near the center of the table.
After a moment, he shrugged and shook his head. “I guess we have to wait and see what happens.”
Sarge shook his head ever so slightly. “I think we need to be a little more proactive.”
“And what would you do?”