Jimmy watched in amazement as the radio personality continued on with his monologue. He had never shared a room with such a monstrous ego, and despite all of his anger, Jimmy felt somehow drawn to this man because of it. Those conflicting emotions were punching it out inside his mind, and they left Jimmy feeling dazed and confused.
“Back to you, Ken. Let me see if I got this straight. You amassed an army of housewives and homosexuals and ordered them up to your compound. Are you, by chance, a polygamist?”
“A what?” Ken asked, his face registering unadulterated shock. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“That was a simple question,” replied Thrill with a chortle. “Are you a polygamist? Do you know what that means?”
“I know damn well what that means, and no, I am not a polygamist! I am a happily married, Christian man. As far as Jon goes, he was a homosexual, and he was one of the finest men I’ve ever met in my life. Listen up, Thrill. Here’s how it all went down. My wife, Patty, saw that things were getting crazy, and bless her heart, she began to invite her friends up to the lake house to ride out the storm.”
“Patty?” asked Thrill. “And how many kills does she have under her belt?”
Ken nearly lunged out of his chair. “Patty has never hurt anyone in her life! Don’t make this personal, Melbow! I swear to God…”
“Calm down, Ken. Don’t get so defensive. I apologize if that sounded cold. I’m just trying to visualize all of this in my mind. Okay, let’s move on, shall we? You invite some friends up to your lake place and then what? What happened next?”
“There was a resort next door,” Jimmy said, weighing in with his side of the story. “The people over there were living the high life, as if the whole thing would blow over like a bad storm. They partied it up and laughed at us as we put up the wall. Well, eventually they started to run out of things, and they must’ve thought that we looked like easy targets.”
“So, you went after them with your guns blazing away.”
“No,” snorted Ken. “Will you please stop trying to sensationalize everything? Here’s what happened: I got struck by lightning trying to save one of those damn fools from drowning out on the lake. I had to go to Ely to be treated.”
“Treated by the doctor in town, is that correct?”
“We’ll get to Doc in a moment; don’t try to lead me. Yes, I was taken to see Doc Benson. He and I went to school together. Well, while I was away, they had some trouble with the group from the lodge. They were running out of food and so what do they do? They invite people from our group to come over to their side of the fence. I kept our people busy while those people at Sally’s were living the life of Riley. I suppose that appealed to some of our people, and they took their supplies over there, not knowing that was all the other group was really after. They burned through their supplies in no time, and it wasn’t long before they wanted more. That was when they tied one of our men to a post and threatened to burn him alive unless our people gave them some supplies.”
“You have to be kidding me.”
“No, Thrill, I’m not. They would have done it, too. I know that now.”
“My God! What did you do?”
Jimmy watched in astonishment as Thrill Melbow began to slowly change. His tone softened, and be became patient as Ken continued his story.
“They gave them what they wanted to save our friend, Bill. That’s what my people did. They pulled a trailer up to my shed and emptied it of everything we had in there. Then they sent our people back with their tails between their legs.”
“You must’ve been angry. Did you take them back?”
“Of course they did. I got back from Ely the following day, and they told me all about it. I’m glad our people came back. They made a mistake, and we forgave them.”
“Don’t forget about Brenda,” Jimmy said, pointing a finger to Ken.
“That’s right,” agreed Ken. “Brenda decided to stay with the other group. She was always a bit on the wild side, and it ended up costing her dearly. I don’t think Brenda thought they would actually kill her.”
“Why would they kill her?” Thrill asked, leaning over the table as if they were telling stories around a campfire. “They had already cleaned you out.”
“They had cleaned out the shed. Brenda must’ve told them what we had stored in the basement. Patty and I had bought tons of canned foods, and most of our other supplies were down there, too. Well, they tried the same trick with Brenda that they tried with Bill. This time we weren’t giving in.”
“I can’t blame you. They must’ve been fools to think you would’ve.”
Ken nodded his head, and Jimmy could see the emotion welling up in his eyes as he relived that terrible night. “It was late, after ten, and they set everything up in the dark to try to take us by surprise. They had Brenda hogtied to that post and turned some headlights on her to make sure we could all see it. We could all see Brenda was scared to death, the poor thing. I suppose none of us thought that they’d actually do it, but they did. That’s when the shooting started, and they stormed the fence. We were outnumbered three, maybe four to one.”
“We wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for those M-16’s,” said Jimmy. “Legal or not, our superior firepower saved us. We buried a lot of our own people after that fight.”
The door to the conference room suddenly flew open, and Katie Flourish stood in the opening, looking as if someone had just insulted her mother. Thrill sat with his back to the door, but when the room grew silent, the big man looked over his shoulder and studied Katie for a long moment. He promptly returned his attention to the camera. “We’re going to take a quick break. We’ll be right back with more from Ken Dahlgren and Jimmy Logan. We also may have a special guest sitting in, the incomparable Ms. Katie Flourish. You won’t want to miss this.”
The lights dimmed, and Jimmy watched as Katie charged into the room. “What the hell is going on here?” she growled, showing her teeth in a totally different light. “Jimmy, Ken, you both see what he’s doing, don’t you?”
Thrill stood up from his chair and held his hands up in the air. “Katie,” he said. “I want you to know something, and this is coming straight from my heart.”
“Oh, can it, Thrill,” spat Katie. “Everyone knows that you don’t have a heart.”
Thrill stood silently for a moment before he continued. “You’re right, of course. I was summoned to spin their story. I’m not going to deny it. But after meeting these men and hearing their story, I’ve decided that I can’t do what I was hired to do. There’s a lot at stake here, and I think America needs to know the full truth.”
Katie’s face softened, and she crossed her arms at her chest. “Don’t you dare lie to me, Thrill. Go ahead and spit it out. What do you have up your sleeve?”
“I’m going to let these men finish their story and then expose our government for what it really is. I can’t stand by and watch as our country goes to hell in a handbag. I simply refuse to do it. Look at what they’ve done to the Constitution. We’ve got to put the brakes on this thing.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“You will do no such thing!” shouted Collins from across the room, who was charging towards Thrill with his briefcase. “We have a contract!”
A burly man in a black sports jacket intercepted Collins five feet away from his target. The man took the attorney by the arm and twisted it behind his back in one slick move. “Hold it right there,” he said.
“Let go of me,” Collins demanded. “You have no right to do this. Think about it, Melbow. You’ll be ruined. Do you hear me? Your life won’t be worth a plug nickel!”
“What do you want me to do with him,” the bodyguard asked.
“Take him out of here, but make sure he doesn’t leave. And don’t let him make any calls. We have one more segment, and I don’t want him to spoil it.”
“You’ll never get away with this!” squealed Collins as he was ushered out the d
oor.
When the door closed, Katie dropped her arms to her side and put her hands on her hips. “You know who that was, don’t you?” she asked, her face registering disbelief.
“I know damn well who that was,” replied Thrill. “And he’s probably right. My life won’t be worth a plug nickel after we finish here. I’m willing to take that risk. Katie, we have fifteen minutes to tell America the truth and blow the lid off of this thing. I’d be honored to have you join me.”
Jimmy watched as Katie scratched her head, and the trademark smile returned to her face. “I didn’t know you had it in you, Thrill. Okay, let’s get this done. Somebody find me a chair and get me a microphone. Oh, my producer is going to kill me.”
“I don’t think your producer is the one you have to worry about,” replied Thrill, ominously. He turned to his technicians. “Let’s go people! We need a microphone and a chair, now!”
“What the hell have we gotten ourselves into?” Ken asked, turning to face Jimmy as the room became a whirlwind of activity.
“I’m not sure,” replied Jimmy. “But whatever it is, we’re stuck right in the middle of it.”
A moment later, Jimmy watched as this unlikeliest of pairings saddled up next to each other at the table. The room had grown utterly silent, and there was an air of gravity that hadn’t been there earlier. Everyone knew that the next fifteen minutes would be the most important of their lifetime.
“Five seconds,” called the producer.
A moment later, Thrill began to speak. “Welcome back, America. As promised, I have been joined by the lovely and extremely talented Ms. Katie Flourish. We don’t have a lot of time here, so I want to get straight to business. First, I have a confession to make. I was hired to discredit the two men sitting before me, and I can’t find it in my heart to do so. Instead, I want to use our remaining time to inform all of you about what is really happening in our beloved country. We’re being sold down the road by people who don’t give a damn about anything but their precious bottom line. They’ve worked for years to assemble a government they could trust to ensure their success.”
“That’s right, Thrill,” Katie said solemnly. “A plan is in place to create a new world order, ruled by a fascist government in order to serve the needs and purposes of the elite. Their greatest fear is men like Ken Dahlgren and Jimmy Logan—men willing to stand up for their beliefs and convictions, unafraid of the consequences. If we have any chance to save ourselves, it will be because we chose to follow their lead. The time has arrived to stand up and be counted.”
There was a pause, and Jimmy could feel the hair on the back of his neck prickle. He and Ken exchanged a look of shock as Thrill began to speak.
“You all know me and what I stand for. I want you to know that my beliefs in the conservative way of life have not changed a single iota. I still deplore liberalism and giving to those unwilling to fend for themselves, but the time has come for all Americans to stand shoulder to shoulder and fight those who would steal their country out from underneath them.”
Katie nodded her head. “We need to stop the senseless bickering about who is left and who is right. We’ve been divided for a reason, America. We’ve been divided in order to be conquered. I want you all to think about that, long and hard.”
“I’ve been saying that for years!” exploded Ken, slamming his fist on the table. “We need a revolution, people. A peaceful revolution that we fight legally, at the polls! Vote out the incumbents. We need to get back to the basics of the American way of life. We need fresh minds in our government—men and women willing to cross the aisle in order to serve the people who elected them into their positions. We need term limits in order to ensure that fresh ideas are brought to the table. America is our country. We can’t allow it to be taken from us!”
Katie and Thrill exchanged a perplexed look and Katie turned to face Ken. “You sound like a candidate, Mr. Dahlgren. Would you be willing to back up those words with a presidential campaign?”
Ken sat back in his chair and his face turned pale. Jimmy stared at him in shock.
Thrill stared at Katie for a moment and began to laugh. “Katie, you can’t be serious. President? President of what?”
“You said it yourself, Thrill,” Katie shot back. “The protesters are marching in circles because they haven’t found someone to lead them. Why couldn’t Ken be that person? My God, somebody has to step up to the plate. Have you been listening to him?”
“But he has no experience, no credentials. He has no support system. He hasn’t got a chance in hell of winning the election.”
“What experience did George Washington have? And as far as credentials go, do we really want another career politician as our president? What we need is someone to define the middle for the rest of the country and speak for them. This guy does that. Look, we could build a support system from both sides of the aisle. Come on, Thrill. What have we got to lose?”
Jimmy felt his heart thrumming as Thrill started to speak, but thought better of it. “Actually,” he said, rubbing his jaw and staring at Ken. “At this point, we have nothing to lose. I can’t believe I’m saying this. These are dark days, America. I’m giving my support to an unknown.”
Ken sat back in his chair and his face turned pale. Jimmy stared at him in shock.
“Come on, Ken,” urged Thrill. “Katie’s right. You’re obviously a man of fine character and solid moral fiber. I think you’d make a fine president, certainly better than either man currently in the running. You could run as a write-in candidate. We’ve got millions of people out in the streets and they’re looking for someone to step up and lead them. What do you say?”
“Very funny,” said Ken. “You two are a million laughs. I’m hardly presidential material.”
“So, like everyone else, you’re going to leave it up to somebody else?” Katie asked, quizzically. She let the question hang in the air for a moment. “Don’t you see, Ken? That’s the biggest problem we’re facing right now. We’ve got plenty of people on the sidelines. We need someone to step up and lead. Why couldn’t it be you?”
“Listen Ken,” said Thrill, “you know how much I hate to agree with her, but she’s right.”
Ken turned his head and stared deeply into Jimmy’s eyes. He then returned his attention to the camera in front of him. “I’ll do it under one condition: that the man sitting next to me will agree to be my running mate.”
Jimmy felt his face flush as his heart began to thunder inside his chest. He opened his mouth, but it was as dry as sand and his mind went blank. Astounding himself, Jimmy nodded his head.
“There you have it, America,” Thrill said. “The revolution has a leader!”
“I pray you’re right, Thrill,” Katie whispered, putting her hand on top of his. “Who will stand with us? Who has the guts to stand united against the money-machine that is threatening our way of life? I can’t stress enough how important it is for all of us to forget our differences. This is our country and I’ll be damned if I’m going to sit by and watch it slip away from us.”
“Those are strong words, Katie,” Thrill said. “And I couldn’t agree more. Thank you for sitting in with me. The rest is up to you, America. We need more men and women to step forward—Americans unafraid of the challenges that lie ahead. Americans unafraid of those that will do everything in their power to stop them in order to finish what they’ve started. We need to start with a clean slate and fresh minds. We need to stand together!”
Jimmy watched silently as Katie and Thrill continued to deliver their message, using every second of the fifteen minutes that remained. His ears burned and his hands trembled. Had he and Ken just been nominated as presidential candidates? It certainly seemed so. Jimmy felt his stomach roll at the thought. What could he possibly bring to the table with his high school education and blue collar work experience? What did Ken know about running a country, and why didn’t anyone question that? How could Ken have taken the bait and swallowed it so completely? And
what about the dark forces that Thrill and Katie were so obviously afraid of? Wouldn’t they come after both Ken and him for standing up against them? The questions kept popping up in his mind as the interview wound down.
“Vote Dahlgren,” Thrill said, ending the broadcast.
“He’s the best man for the job,” added Katie.
Jimmy and Ken remained where they were for a moment as Katie and Thrill both stood and headed for the door. “What just happened?” Jimmy asked. “How could you do that to me?”
Ken turned and scratched his bristly hair. “What are you talking about? Look, those two were absolutely right. We’ve got to take back our country, and why the hell shouldn’t it be us? What have we got to lose?”
“Everything,” replied Jimmy.
“Just leave everything to me. Hang tight. I want to see if these two will do us a favor.”
Jimmy watched in silence as Ken walked to the door and joined Thrill and Katie. They spoke in hushed voices, and Jimmy could tell by Ken’s body language that he wasn’t taking no for an answer. A moment later, Ken returned wearing a smile.
“Let’s get out of here, kid,” he said, stepping behind Jimmy and grabbing the handles of his wheelchair. “Our flight to Minneapolis leaves in half an hour.”
What Jimmy didn’t know, what he couldn’t know, was how many people had tuned in and watched both interviews. The word spread like wildfire, and the spark ignited something inside the American people that most had given up for dead. They took to the streets and stood shoulder to shoulder, despite their political, racial, religious, and ideological differences, united by a common cause.
The scenario was what their elected officials had feared most. America, the sleeping giant that had slumbered for the better part of six decades, had been rudely awakened. And someone was going to have to answer for it.
Desperate Times Three - Revolution Page 10