“They’re meaner than snakes,” Kermit agreed.
The two struggled through the dense woods, crossing down through a steep gully. When they had scrambled to the top, they were both gasping for breath.
“Let’s rest a minute,” Jenny said, more for Kermit’s sake than for her own. She did not like the look of his face, and he had mentioned once that he had had a mild heart attack a year back. As they sat down, she said, “How are those grandsons of yours?”
“They’re doin’ better than snuff.” Kermit smiled, despite his heaving chest. He wiped his steaming brow as he gave her reports of his two grandsons, of whom he was inordinately proud. Finally he said, “You need a younger man on this kind of thing. I was pretty good in my younger days, but I’m too old now.”
Secretly Jenny agreed, but she said cheerfully, “Well, Billy and Frank are coming up on the other side. We’ve got them trapped here.”
“I’ve got to say, Miss Jenny, you’ve done a good job as sheriff. I know it was hard for a woman with no experience, but you’ve got a good heart and you’re honest. Back when Sheriff Beauchamp was running the show, it was pretty good, but after he passed, I didn’t keer much about puttin’ on my badge. I felt like Conroy sort of tarnished it, if you know what I mean.”
“That’s exactly what I said when I testified against Arp and Pender!” Jenny exclaimed. Then she reached over and patted the old man on the shoulder. “Well, if you’re up to it, let’s get this done.”
“I’m fine, Sheriff.”
The two rose and crept slowly toward the designated spot. Billy had identified the location, and now Jenny exclaimed, “There it is! And look, there comes Billy and Frank down that hill. We’d better move in with them.”
The two moved forward, but when they reached the other two officers, Billy shook his head in disgust. “They’ve flown the coop and moved all the equipment. It was all here yesterday, but look at these tracks. There’s been a truck in here that hauled it all off.”
Jenny felt angry and frustrated. “How could they have known we were coming? Nobody knew outside the office.”
Billy stared at her and cocked one eyebrow but said only, “We’ll have to try again, Sheriff.”
Jenny waited until Billy and Frank Eddings went to get the cars, and she was disgusted because she had been certain that they could make an arrest. Now she said to Bing, “Something’s wrong, Kermit. How could they possibly find out what we were doing?”
Kermit Bing said quietly, “The next time we won’t say a word at the office. Just me and you and Frank and Billy.”
Suddenly Jenny stared at the deputy. “You don’t trust people at the office?”
“Not saying a word ’cause I’ve got no proof. But next time it’ll be just us four, Sheriff.”
Jenny nodded and then said quietly, “You may be right, Kermit.”
The air was still, and Kermit Bing looked up. “I’ve been on this old earth a long time. It’s not the same as it was when I had Helen with me.”
“How long were you married, Kermit?”
“Forty-nine years. She was the best woman I ever knew,” he said simply. “All those years I loved her more every day.”
“That’s so sweet,” Jenny whispered. Her eyes grew misty at the thought of this old man. He was old now, but once he had been a young man full of blood and ambition. She tried to think of him as a young man of twenty courting his Helen. The years had come and gone, but they had stuck together. Kermit had often spoken of his love for his wife. He did it so simply. Most men, Jenny knew, were reticent about saying things like that aloud, but Kermit Bing had no reservations. Now he closed his eyes and leaned his head back against a tree. “The best woman I ever knew, and I had her for all those years,” he murmured.
****
“I think you’re some kind of a pervert, Luke Dixon.” Dixon had walked Jenny up to the porch. A single light bulb glowed faintly, dispelling the darkness. He pulled her down to sit on the steps beside him and said, “Well, I’ve been called lots of things but never that.” He put his arm around her and said, “Maybe you’d better tell me all about it.”
“You don’t have to hug me so hard,” Jenny smiled but did not attempt to pull away. “It’s the movies you want to see. First it was Frankenstein and tonight that horrible Dracula film. Ugh, I don’t even want to think about it. I suppose you feel sorry for that old vampire.”
“Well, I do in a way.”
“Why do you always feel sorry for monsters? He was evil.”
“No, he wasn’t evil. He didn’t make himself into a vampire. Another vampire bit him, and he didn’t have any choice.”
Luke Dixon loved to argue. That was the lawyer in him, and for a while he sat there defending Count Dracula. Jenny was always amused at Luke, and finally she said, “Oh, shush! I don’t want to hear about any vampires.” She looked up at the moon, a huge silver medallion in the sky, and grew still for a moment.
“What are you thinking about, Jenny?”
“I was thinking about Kermit Bing.”
“A good man.”
“You know, he really is. I don’t suppose he’s ever had his name in the paper. Never done anything much except be a great husband and now a wonderful grandfather to his grandsons. There needs to be more people like him in the world.”
“He’s not been the same since his wife died. You should have known him before, Jenny. He was always full of practical jokes and laughing, but he’s grown pretty quiet since then. He misses her a lot, I know.”
“He talked about her today when we were out in the woods. He’s like a man who’s lost an arm—or something even more important.”
“That’s right. A man can lose an arm and get by, but when he loses his woman, he’s like a ship without his rudder.”
Luke suddenly leaned over and kissed her cheek. “You smell good,” he said.
“Thank you. Now, you behave yourself, Luke.”
Luke saw that Jenny was in a pensive mood. He studied her profile, admiring the smooth curve of her cheek and the strength of her face, then asked, “What do you think about marriage?”
Surprised, Jenny turned to face him. He was, she saw, watching her curiously, and she was startled by his question. “Why, I think it’s forever.”
“No matter what?”
“No matter what. Someday I’ll get married, and the minister will say ‘as long as you both shall live.’ That’s the way it should be.”
“It’s a noble ambition. A little bit hard to achieve, though. Lots of couples don’t make it.”
“You know, I admire geese. Canadian geese, I mean.”
“You’re a funny girl,” Luke said, laughing. “What do geese have to do with what we’re talking about?”
“Why, they mate forever. Don’t you know that?”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Well, they do,” Jenny said. “I read a book about them once. It was pretty dull, except when it got to the way they mate. It told about what a hard life they had struggling just to stay alive. The book said geese just can’t afford to philander. They need one another all the time.”
“Why more than other birds?”
“I think it’s because they travel so far. And then I remember it said that they have inefficient digestive systems. They can’t digest cellulose.”
“What does that have to do with it?”
“Well, you see they have to fly, and they can’t fly with a huge belly. The book said a meal of grass will digest in only two hours, so they have to stop and eat a lot. And then the female goose,” Jenny said meditatively, “gives away her own energy resources through the laying of her eggs. Then for a month she has to sit on those eggs and can’t leave to grab even one daily meal. Sometimes a female will starve to death right on the nest. Then the eggs won’t hatch or the hatchlings will die.”
“Why do you remember all this?”
“I don’t know. It just makes me think about how awful it is that geese can be more faithful in lov
e than human beings.”
“What else did that book say?”
“Well, it said they have to work together full-time to raise a brood of goslings. While the female sits on the nest, the male has to stand watch. If a predator comes, he warns her by honking, and they fly to safety. Or else she hunkers down on the nest, and he flies alone, trying to lead the danger away. Even after the eggs hatch, they continue to do this because the goslings are flightless. So they need each other.”
“You know, I think you’re right. It would be good if all married couples were as faithful as geese.” He shifted his arm and took out his billfold. “I found this the other day in a bunch of clippings I’d saved. I don’t even know what it’s from now. I forgot to mark the location, but I liked it.” He held it up to the light and read:
“Fidelity, enforced and unto death, is the price you pay for the kind of love you never want to give up, for someone you want to hold forever, tighter and tighter, whether he’s close or far away, someone who becomes dearer to you the more you sacrifice for his sake.”
Luke fell silent, holding the paper in his hand. For a time the two of them sat, and then finally she rose. She turned to face him as he stood before her, and when he leaned to kiss her, her lips were ready. He held her tightly, and she felt a sense of security. There was goodness in this man, she knew. How deep her own feelings went she could not say, but when he lifted his head, she said, “I like that very much, Luke. Good night.”
“Good night. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Stepping into the house, Jenny found her father sitting in the parlor reading. It was late for him, and she said, “What are you doing up so late?”
“Waiting up for my daughter. Have to be sure she’s all right.” He rose and came over to her, putting his arm around her, and she kissed him on the cheek. “Are you serious about that young man?”
“We’re just good friends, Dad.”
“You look tired. Is something wrong?”
“I’m not getting the job done.” She told him briefly of the attempted raid and of the failure it brought. “I just can’t handle it.”
“You haven’t been at it long, Jenny. You’re just tired. Go to bed now, and things’ll look different in the morning.”
“Maybe you’re right. Good night, Dad. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Twenty minutes later Jenny lay in bed, but she could not sleep. Over and over she explored various schemes to make her office more effective. Finally a plan began to form, and she thought for a long time and then, satisfied, rolled over and went to sleep.
CHAPTER TWELVE
The Raid
Jenny did not say anything for over a week about her plan to go after the moonshiners of the county. She stayed awake at night thinking and planning, but it was not until the first of September that she called Moon aside and laid before him the results of her planning. The two of them had been patrolling along the county roads when Jenny turned and said, “Billy, I think it’s time for us to make a dent in this awful moonshining business.”
“It’s a little hard. We found that out last time,” Moon replied. His coppery skin glowed in the bright sunlight that filtered in from the open window beside him. He glanced quickly at Jenny, then asked, “What’ve you got in mind?”
“You’ve been talking about Al Jennings, and we know pretty well about that still of his. I think it’s time to hit him, Billy.”
“Jennings is a pretty tough customer, and he’s sharp too.”
“Well, we can’t wait any longer, but this time I want us to do it differently.”
“Different how, Sheriff?”
“I don’t want anyone at the office to know about this raid.”
“You’ve been thinking about that too, I see.”
“I’ve got my suspicions and so have you, but we can’t prove anything.”
“Two of us won’t be enough. We have to have more men.”
“We can do it if we use Frank and Kermit.”
“I don’t know. They’re pretty old guys. They were good men in their day, but this could get rough. I think we’d better get more people in on it.”
“If we do that, then word can get out. You and I will plan this alone. Then, when we’re ready to go, we’ll let Frank and Kermit in on it. We don’t tell anybody else anything and that way we can take Jennings off guard.”
“I’d like to nail Jennings, but I still think we need more men.”
“You know more than I do about this business, Billy, and I trust your judgment. But I need to make a showing. I haven’t had a single important arrest since I’ve been in office, and the moonshine business is booming. We’ve got to make some sort of effort.”
The two spoke of the possibilities for a time, and finally Billy said, “Okay, if that’s what you want, Sheriff, we’ll try it. But they’re hard to sneak up on. I think they’re making another run now. They’ll be busy for at least another day or two.”
“Then let’s do it either first thing in the morning or this afternoon.”
Moon was startled. “This afternoon! Without any planning?”
“Why not? We know where the still is. All we have to do is close in on them. If we can sneak up and catch them off guard, they won’t have a chance.”
Moon thought silently for a time. “Well, actually there are only three of them, sometimes only two. If we catch the old man Al and bust up that still, that’d put at least one moonshiner out of business. And a bad one too. Al’s a pretty bad guy, Sheriff. He killed a man over in the next county. He got off, but everyone knew he was guilty. It won’t be any play party, but we’ll do it if you say.”
Jenny hesitated, then nodded firmly. “All right, we’ll do it, then. Shall it be this afternoon or in the morning?”
“Might as well make it now. We’ll go by and see if we can catch Frank and Kermit.”
****
Kermit Bing answered the door and was surprised to see Sheriff Winslow standing there. “Why, hello, Sheriff. Come on in.”
“Thanks, Kermit.” Jenny stepped inside and said quickly, “We’ve got a very important job right away. Can you come?”
“Why, sure. What’s up?”
“We’re going to raid Al Jennings’s still.”
“About time,” Kermit nodded. “That man shouldn’t be roaming around free, and his boys are just as bad.”
“We’re going over now to see if Frank’s able to go. It’ll be just the four of us. And, Kermit, don’t tell anybody.”
“Right, Sheriff. Where will I meet you?”
“Frank has the car. I’ll have him come by and pick you up. We’ll meet out of town in one hour out past the cotton gin.”
“All right. I’ll be ready when Frank comes.”
“This could be pretty dangerous, Kermit. Billy says Al Jennings and his boys are killers.”
“Everybody knows that,” Kermit said. He smiled and said, “You’re really getting into this sheriffing business, aren’t you, Miss Jenny?”
For a moment Jenny hesitated. Bing suddenly looked old and tired. For one instant she was tempted to call the whole thing off, but she had convinced herself so thoroughly that all she could say was, “We’ll be real careful about this, but there should be only three of them, maybe two. I’ll have Frank bring the shotguns and rifles by.”
“All right, Sheriff. I’ll be ready.” He stopped suddenly and snapped his fingers. “I’m supposed to be at the scout meeting tonight. My oldest grandson, he’s getting his Eagle Scout badge.”
“Well, that’s wonderful! I know you’re proud of him. What time will that be?”
“Not till seven o’clock.”
“We’ll be back in plenty of time for that. I’ll go with you.”
“Would you really, Sheriff?” Bing was pleased. “That’d mean a lot to Tim and to me too.”
“I’ll be sure to be there, then. Meanwhile, I’ll see you out by the cotton gin.”
Bing nodded and after he shut the door, he went over and looked at t
he picture of the two young boys on the wall. “An Eagle Scout. Just think of that,” he said. Then he straightened up and moved toward the bedroom to put on his uniform. He dressed quickly and strapped on the thirty-eight he had carried all of his years as a deputy. At a knock on the door, he went to answer it and found Deputy Arlie Pender standing there. “Hello, Arlie, what’s up?”
“I came by to see if you could take my duty tomorrow, Kermit. I got something I need to do.”
“Why, I guess so.”
“Appreciate it, Kermit.” Pender left and strolled back to the car, but stopped suddenly and snapped his fingers. “I forgot to tell the old man I had the early shift.” He wheeled and hurried back to the house, but as he stepped up on the porch, he stopped abruptly. Bing was on the phone, and Pender stood to listen.
“ . . . can’t go hunting with you tomorrow, D.C. Got to work an extra shift. What? No, I can’t go this afternoon. We’re raiding a still, and tonight I’ve got to go to the awards for the scouts. Whose still? Well, it’s Al Jennings’s, but don’t say a word, you hear me?”
Arlie Pender moved silently off the porch, then hastened to the car. He jumped in and said, “We got to get to Max, Merle.”
Merle Arp turned and said, “What’s wrong?”
“There’s gonna be a raid on Al Jennings’s still this afternoon. Max will want to know about it.”
Merle Arp sent the car ahead with screeching wheels. “You’re right about that,” he said grimly. “He promised Al protection, and Al will come lookin’ for him if he gets into trouble.”
“We gotta hurry. It must be the sheriff, Moon, Frank, and Kermit.”
“Why didn’t they tell us about it?”
“Because they’re not stupid. They suspect we’ve been tippin’ off what’s going on. Come on. Get some speed out of this rattletrap.”
****
Conroy stared at the two deputies. “You sure about this, Arlie?”
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