Blood Sisters

by Melody Carlson

  One camera was focused in on the captain and one on Eli. “Get outta my face,” the captain snapped at the cameraman, waving his club.

  “Freedom of the press,” called the cameraman without budging an inch.

  The captain turned his attention back to Eli. “You folks are marching without a permit. That’s breaking the law. I could take you all in for this.”

  “Did all the other marchers have permits?” Eli asked calmly.

  The captain didn’t answer. And Judith could tell by his face that they didn’t. She’d wager that not one single permit had been issued for today’s parade.

  The young man to Eli’s left took a step forward. “Do the other people in the parade have permits?” he repeated in a firm but calm voice.

  “Shut up, boy!” yelled the captain.

  “What’s going on here, Arlen?” asked Gary as he approached the barricade. He had led the camouflaged troop, the ones carrying rifles.

  “We got us some illegal marchers,” said the captain from the side of his mouth.

  “Need any help keeping these varmints under control?” asked Gary. He shifted his rifle and eyed Eli in a condescending manner.

  “You haven’t answered our question,” said Dr. Warner in a loud, clear voice. He stepped forward to stand next to

  Eli and the other young man. “Did everyone else here have a permit to participate in the parade today?”

  “Now, you don’t even live here no more, Doc,” said Arlen in a hostile voice.

  Gary stepped closer to Eli and the two young men that Judith now felt certain must be his college-aged sons. “And you boys don’t live here neither. Y’all got no right to march in this here parade.” He took another step toward them and spit out a nasty racial slur, jutting his chin out as if inviting them to fight back. But they simply stood there, staring evenly back at him, not even flinching.

  “Hold on there, Gary,” warned the captain. “This here is police business.”

  “Well then, do something about it, Arlen!” yelled the man standing next to Gary. “These coons are ruining our parade. Why don’t you just arrest them all and be done with it?”

  Eli began to speak. ““We’ve only come here today because we, and a number of other people, are praying for change in Cedar Crest. We want to see acceptance and unity restored to this town—”

  “Shut up, boy!” yelled Gary, raising his gun as if he meant to use it.

  “Gary,” warned Arlen in a quiet voice. “Put that thang away.”

  Just then, Judith spotted Adam, across the street and about a block down, standing off by himself and leaning against a street sign. He had a ball cap pulled low on his brow and he was hunched over as if talking into a cell phone or something like that. Hopefully, he was calling in for reinforcements.

  “Y’all better go on home now,” Arlen told the protesters. “You’ve had your fun and games, now go on home with ya.”

  “You never did answer our question,” said the young man again, slightly louder this time as if to make sure everyone else could hear. “Did the other people in the parade register for permits?”

  “Look!” said Arlen. “I’m telling y’all to disperse and go home, do ya hear me?” He stepped forward, slapping his billy club in his free hand. “Now, if y’all wanna make trouble, I’d be more’n happy to take y’all in and book you.”

  “Book us on what?” asked the other young man who’d been quiet until now. He stepped up next to Eli. “We’ve broken no law.”

  “You don’t have no permit!” Arlen snarled, his face just inches from the young man. “And if you don’t leave right now, I’m taking y’all in. Ya hear me?”

  The young man held out his wrists as if inviting the captain to cuff him. “Well I’m not leaving, so I guess you’ll have to arrest me.”

  Arlen made a sour face. “Boy, why don’t you just go back to wherever it is you came from. We don’t need your kind here, and I sure as heck don’t want you down at city hall defiling my jail.”

  This made several people laugh, tossing out more nasty comments, and telling the protesters to go home as well as some other unsavory places.

  But one by one, the other marchers all stepped forward, including young Josh and Katie, and each held out their hands, wrists together, as if they too were waiting to be cuffed. Even Martha and her lady friends, although it was plain to see by their wide eyes that they were a little frightened by this possibility. But just the same, Judith admired them more than ever. She wished she could stand among their ranks. And then, to her complete surprise, a few others began to step out from the sidewalk. Not people from the lake, but people she had assumed held similar views. But then they walked out onto the street, joining the small group of protesters, quietly taking their places all around them. And then, as if to show their actual support, each of them held out their wrists to be cuffed as well. Judith estimated there to be about forty people out there by now.

  Arlen was clearly flustered by all this. He turned and looked at his men, calling a couple uniformed officers over to him. Then the three put their heads together for a short consultation lasting several minutes, before they turned and faced the protesters.

  “Fine,” said Arlen, “have it your way then.” He and the other two policemen pulled out the handcuffs. Arlen loudly told the whole group that they were under arrest and then proceeded to recite their rights. First he handcuffed Eli. Meanwhile the other two policemen cuffed the two young men. Then each of the officers shoved their cuffed man ahead of themselves, and they began to walk toward the police station just a couple blocks down the street. The crowd cheered in victory, hurling more cruel and racist words to their backsides. Judith felt tears burning in her eyes as she watched Eli and his sons being led away, their heads still held high as they walked.

  “Wait!” called Dr. Warner loudly. “What about the rest of us?”

  “Go home!” yelled Arlen over his shoulder. “The party’s over. And this entire crowd has exactly five minutes to disperse!”

  Once Eli and his sons were out of sight, the onlookers began taunting the protesters still standing in the street, calling them all sorts of names. But the group ignored them, talking among themselves as if concocting some sort of plan. Then all together, they moved off the street and began walking away toward the other end of town. Judith sent up another prayer for them, for their safety and for divine wisdom. She looked back over to where Adam had been standing only to find him gone. How she longed to talk to him, to tell him she’d had enough of her charade, that it was time for her to quit this thing, but he was nowhere in sight. Well, surely he and his people would be watching out for Eli and everyone else. Surely, he’d been calling for some outside help.

  “Where’s Ellen?”

  She turned to see Burt, no longer on his horse. “She’s in the Timber Topper,” answered Judith meekly.

  “Good. Go and get her and let’s go home.”

  Home? She shuddered as she went back into the café. She had no desire to return home with them. But how could she get out of this? “Burt’s here, Ellen,” she said woodenly. “It’s time to go.”

  A plan occurred to her as they walked toward the car. “Say, Burt,” she began. “Maybe you could drop me by to pick up my car. That way I could follow you back to the lake, but you wouldn’t have to take me back home tonight.”

  “Oh, aren’t you going to stay the night with us?” asked Ellen. “I hope you didn’t let that little display out there bother you, dear. Once we get back to the lake, everything will be just fine again. We’ll have our little picnic celebration, and then a wonderful fireworks display.”

  “Yes,” said Judith as they climbed into the Cadillac. “But wouldn’t it be easier on you two if I just brought my own car?”

  “No,” said Burt abruptly as he turned on the engine. “It’s best if you just ride with us, Judith.”

  She swallowed. Everything inside her said to put an end to this charade right here and now. But suddenly, she re
membered Aunt Lenore back at the clinic. Perhaps, with all the day’s festivities, she could slip in and have another conversation that might be used as evidence. And what about her promise to get the old woman out of there? Perhaps with everyone distracted with their activities…or perhaps Judith was simply being foolish. She wondered what Adam thought of this whole thing. He’d suggested that problems might develop. Who knew what would occur after this little display in town today? She’d seen the angry looks on the men’s faces as Eli and his group stood their ground. She didn’t think men like Burt and his friends would take something like this lying down. Then it occurred to her, this might be her best chance to get some information from Burt as well.

  “So, what did you think of all that, Burt?” she asked from the backseat as he drove toward the lake.

  “Hmph.” He shook his head. “I think those boys don’t know what they’re getting themselves into.”

  “What exactly are they getting themselves into?” she asked innocently.

  “Trouble.”

  “You mean by being arrested?”

  He laughed, but it was mean and cynical. “That’s probably the least of their troubles right now.”

  “So do you think they’re in danger?”

  “What d’you think, Judith?” he snapped as he turned onto the highway.

  “Well, to be honest, I think they might be safer in jail than out on the streets.”

  He laughed again, only more quietly this time. “You really think so?”

  “Are you saying they aren’t safe in jail?”

  “Oh, you two,” said Ellen. “Can’t we talk about something more pleasant?”

  “But I’m curious about this,” persisted Judith. “What do you think will happen to those—” she clinched her teeth— “those boys?”

  “You know, I think I’m getting too old for all this,” said Burt.

  “Too old for what, Daddy?” asked Ellen.

  “Oh, I don’t know.”

  “But what do you think will happen to the ones in jail?” Judith couldn’t force herself to say “boys” again.

  “I’ll just say this, Judith, I wouldn’t want to be the one responsible for their safety, is all.”

  “So, you really do think they’re in danger?”

  “Why do you care?” His voice was sharp now.

  “I’m just curious.” She tried to make her voice sound light and excited, like she was enjoying this whole thing. “Don’t you think it was pretty smart for Arlen to come up with that business about not having a permit?”

  Burt sniggered. “Yeah. Gotta hand it to ol’ Arlen, he was thinking fast on his feet today. Permits, that’s a good one!”

  “Yeah, I’ve just never seen anything like this happen before. It was pretty exciting, kind of like a movie. I wonder what’ll happen next.”

  “Well, I ’spect that’s up to Gary and his boys. No telling what they might do when they get riled like that.”

  “So you’ve seen things like this happen before?”

  He nodded, his eyes sparkling with excitement. “Oh yeah.”

  “Wow. That was pretty interesting, I mean, watching the big showdown.”

  “Yeah, well, we got to keep them boys in their place. Let ’em know who’s boss. That ringleader boy used to live in this town. One of them Paxton boys. But I don’t know where them other two boys come from. But you see, this is just the thang. You let one of ’em in and they all start pouring in—just like some nasty disease, spreading like the plague. Same thang’s happening all over this country. We’re just a crawling with foreigners. And it’s up to folks like us to put a stop to it.”

  “But how do you put a stop to it?”

  “By drawing the line.”

  “But what if they step over it?”

  “That’s when things can get a little rough.”

  “Has it ever gotten rough around Cedar Crest before? Or are you just talking about back in Mississippi?”

  He was turning off toward the lake now. “Well, mostly things stay pretty quiet around here, but we’ve had us a few wild nights when we had to get tough.”

  “Yeah,” she said eagerly. “I heard about that time with that Paxton boy. That must’ve been one of those times.”

  The car grew quiet now. “Who told you ’bout that?” Burt’s voice was like ice.

  She swallowed hard. “Oh, I don’t recall for sure, Burt. Maybe it was Hal.”

  “Hal knows better than to be shooting his mouth off like that.” The guard at the gates waved their car through and the Dobermans chased after them, barking loudly.

  “Oh, I don’t remember for sure if it was Hal or not. Anyway, isn’t it common knowledge around here? Didn’t someone set up that whole thing, making it look like an accident?”

  Another quiet pause. “Well, I’ll say this—there’s accidents and then there’s accidents. But it’s time you learned that there’s some things we just don’t talk about, Judith. And that is one of them. You understand me?”

  “Well, sure. If you say so. I was just so interested.” Then she decided to try Ellen’s tactic and use a little-girl voice. “I’m sorry, Burt. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  “Yeah, well, if you’re going to live out here you better start learning how to keep your mouth shut.”

  “Oh, Daddy,” said Ellen, shaking her head. “You don’t need to talk like that to her. Judith is a smart girl, but she’s just curious, is all. She don’t mean no harm.”

  “Well, okay then, but I think she’s heard plenty for one day. Some things are better left unsaid, if you know what I mean. Just you rest assured, Judith, we vow to protect our own around here. And that includes you. So you’ve got no cause to worry about your safety.”

  She wished she could believe him.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  BURT WENT STRAIGHT TO his office when they got home, and Judith joined Ellen in the kitchen, helping her make the lemon meringue pies.

  Although she couldn’t decipher the words, Judith could hear Burt ranting on the phone as she juiced lemons. “Burt sounds pretty upset.” she said in a matter-of-fact tone.

  “Yes, it’s just such a shame you had to witness all that nonsense in town,” said Ellen as she separated an egg. “And here I was just feeling so hopeful that you might really stay with us out at the lake, but now all this has to go and happen. I sure hope it won’t change anything.”

  “Oh, don’t you worry,” reassured Judith. “What happened in town won’t affect my decision one way or another.” She smiled, at least that was the truth. “I was just curious about how they would handle it now.”

  “Well, I don’t usually trouble myself with such things.” Ellen cracked another egg. “Because before you know it these little incidents just blow over and you can forget that anything unpleasant ever happened.”

  She wondered just how much Ellen had been forced to forget over the years. And had she really forgotten everything? Or were things just buried deep down inside of her, things like the memory of broken family ties, lost daughters, and who knew what else? It seemed a high price to pay in order to hate.

  “Is this enough?” asked Judith, holding up the glass measuring cup of lemon juice.

  “That looks fine. Now, how would you like to whip these whites while I check on those pie crusts?”

  “I’ve got to go to a meeting.” said Burt abruptly. “And I ’spect it’ll take most of the day, so don’t look for me at lunch.”

  “What about the picnic?” asked Ellen.

  “It’s still on. Judith can drive you both down to the clubhouse at four.”

  “Oh, goody,” Ellen clapped her hands like a child. “I was hoping that silly old thing downtown wouldn’t spoil our picnic. And how about the fireworks?”

  “Yes, Ellen,” Burt scowled. “The fireworks are still on. Nothing has changed. We’ll have the picnic as scheduled, and then fireworks will begin shortly after sunset.”

  She clapped her hands again. “Oh, this will be such
fun, Judith.”

  “I can hardly wait,” said Judith, striving for enthusiasm, but feeling more drained by the moment. “I’ll bet the fireworks look beautiful over the lake.”

  “Oh, they do. They truly do.”

  “See you girls at four then.” Burt peered into the kitchen. “You bringing them pies to the picnic this afternoon?”

  “Well, of course, silly,” said Ellen playfully. “What’d you think I was gonna do with them?”

  He grinned. “Save ’em all for me?”

  “Oh, you’ll get yours, Daddy,” she said with a sly smile. “Now, you better get along with you before they send out a search party.”

  After a light lunch, Ellen went to take a little catnap but Judith felt more like a cat on a hot tin roof. Finally she decided to go for a walk; after all, no one had said she couldn’t. The clouds had burned off by now, and it was turning out to be a fairly nice day. Not quite as hot as the previous, but fairly warm just the same. She tried to enjoy the calm serenity of the clear blue lake and the tall evergreens all around, but somehow they just looked flat and unappealing to her. Sort of like a faded picture postcard of a place you never really wanted to visit in the first place. With no real purpose, she began to walk toward Hal’s house and then on past it, toward the edge of the new development. She wondered if Jasmine had ever walked along here before. Somehow, she suspected she had.

  Without really paying much attention, she just kept going through the rough of the meadow. And after awhile, a dirt road of sorts appeared off to her right and she decided to follow it and see where it went. After about twenty minutes of fast walking that led her into a wooded area, she realized that the road turned sharply and headed straight toward a gate in the tall security fence. Unlike the front gate, this gate appeared to be unguarded with no dogs in sight, but she felt fairly certain it would be solidly locked. It must be the fire exit that Ellen had mentioned. Judith turned around and began to head back toward the house. She scanned the horizon as she emerged from the trees out into the open again. Had anyone observed her walking out here, all alone? But she saw nothing unusual. Besides, she figured, everyone must be fairly busy about now. Women putting the finishing touches on their picnic meals. Men at their stupid meeting. She wondered what was going on at Burt’s meeting today. Just the same old thing, or were they getting themselves all worked into a lather over Eli and his demonstrating friends? Suddenly she touched the transmitter on her upper abdomen. She’d almost forgotten she was wearing a wire. Was there any important information she might dispatch to Adam while she had this unusual bit of solitude?