by Ed Robinson
We stashed water bottles along our route back to the cabin. We’d travel light in order to handle the load. If we could each carry five or six plants per trip, we’d still have to go up and down a bunch of times. We were in for a marathon of mountain hiking. We also knew that stealing the plants could be the trigger that would set Banner off. Our feud was about to escalate.
We pulled some long burlap bags we’d bought at a local nursery out of the garage. The machete was new and sharp. We took off our heavy clothes to allow for more freedom of movement. Brody stood watch while I snuck down the road to check on Banner. His truck was still there. There was no movement outside the shack. It was too late to be up there hunting. I hoped he wasn’t chopping down weed plants. I doubted he would do that in the dark though. He was probably just taking a nap.
I made my way back to Brody and reported what I had seen.
“We’re on hold,” she said. “Let’s get some rest, see what tomorrow brings.”
Seventeen
I snuck out at first light to check on the situation at Banner’s place. His truck was gone. The beer cans were bagged up and there was a padlock on the door. He’d left the mountain. Now we had our chance. I hurried back to wake up Brody, but she was waiting for me with a cup of hot coffee. Waffles popped out of the toaster as I hugged her good morning. We ate quickly and prepared ourselves for the long day ahead.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do,” I said. “But keep vigilant. We don’t know when he’ll come back.”
“You think we can get the whole crop down here today?”
“It’s asking a lot,” I said. “We’ll have to make the trip four or five times, depending on how much we can carry comfortably.”
“What about Sky?”
“We’ll stash it all for the night and call her in the morning,” I said. “This is going to take all day.”
“Here? In this cabin? Do you think that’s a good idea?”
“In the woods close by,” I said. “So far Banner hasn’t trespassed on our land.”
“A missing field of dope might change his mind,” she said. “He’ll know it was us.”
“He can’t exactly call the cops can he?”
“He could rat on us for possession,” she countered.
“I hadn’t thought of that,” I said. “That would be smart, but I don’t think he’ll want to involve the police. He’ll be livid and not thinking straight.”
“You think he’ll come here to confront us?”
“It’s possible, but this is our turf,” I said. “We outnumber him.”
“So where’s does it go down?”
“Up there,” I said. “The mountain will decide.”
“It’s been building up to that all along, hasn’t it?”
“It’s my mountain,” I said. “Pop passed it down to me. I’ve learned its ways and embraced them. Banner is a cancer on the landscape. It would still belong to Pop if he hadn’t killed him.”
“I hope you’re right,” she said. “I know you love it up there, but Banner has been around here for a long time. He probably feels like you’re the cancer.”
“I’ll guess we’ll find out whose claim is legitimate,” I said. “The smart money is on me.”
We climbed the mountain for the first time that day with a machete and some burlap bags. I had my hunting knife and we each carried a .40 cal Smith & Wesson. We were light on our feet and made steady progress. My gut told me that Banner was in Tennessee and that we were in the clear, at least for the day. We made it to the pot farm by mid-morning. I started felling the weed with the machete while Brody dragged the plants off and stuffed them into bags. I stopped and hefted a bag with three plants in it. It wasn’t too heavy but it was awkward to carry. I had Brody load me up with another one. I could just carry two bags with three plants each. Any more and I would have trouble climbing downhill. Brody could manage two bags with just two plants each. One trip down the mountain meant ten plants transferred. We were looking at five trips.
I sniffed the air and listened to the sounds before we started down. There was nothing in our way. We scrambled down the slope at a good pace and hid our bags in some deep thicket just off to the side of our property. We grabbed a quick drink and headed back uphill. The second climb was only slightly tougher than the first, but it made me wonder how the last climb would feel. Brody trudged along like a real trooper.
The effort involved made it hard to stay in touch with the sights and sounds around us. I resorted to stopping occasionally to let my senses take in whatever information was available. I still felt that Banner was not on the mountain. We marched on. I cut and Brody bagged and together we made our way back down with our loads. We rested a little longer after the second trip and drank more water. We used the bathroom while we were close to the cabin. I grabbed a hand towel to wipe our sweat as we worked.
We had to rest again when we made it back up. My heart rate was high and we were both out of breath. We may have set an overly ambitious schedule for ourselves. It was well after noon and we were both starting to get tired. I chopped. She bagged. We took another brief respite before slowly dragging our asses back down to the cabin. Our pile of weed was getting large. We separated it into two piles and started another pile thirty yards away.
I’d like to say we were racing daylight, but we were hardly racing on our fourth trip. It was pure torture to our knees and hamstrings. My lower back was complaining loudly as well.
“I’m running out of gas, Breeze,” Brody said.
“Me too,” I admitted. “Stop for a minute.”
I couldn’t summon the Zen state that I needed to assure our safety. My breathing was labored and my heart beat equaled that of a Chihuahua on speed. Brody sat with her head between her legs, sweat dripping in a pool between her feet. We didn’t move for twenty minutes. I watched the sun angle lower in the sky while we recovered. Finally, we were able to move on.
I chopped down the remaining plants and helped Brody stuff them into the last of the bags. We couldn’t carry the full load in one trip, but it gave us some extra time that didn’t include hiking. I was in desperate need of a beer and some Ibuprofen. It was dinner time and we were both hungry. It didn’t look like we’d finish before dark. I was worried that I hadn’t been listening well enough. I’d lost touch with the vibrations of the mountain. Banner could be stalking us at that moment and I wouldn’t know it. I hid my fears from Brody.
We got halfway down when Brody dropped her bags. She crumpled to her knees and looked to me for mercy. I knelt by her and wiped the sweat from her brow. I found a water bottle and let her drink what was left.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “Just give me a minute.”
“Wait here,” I said. “I’m going back for the rest of it. I’ll bring it back down to this spot. You rest.”
“Be careful, Breeze.”
“Stay alert,” I said. “Take your pistol out of its holster until I get back.”
I got back to the bags of dope and was suddenly mad at myself for leaving her alone. She was vulnerable and I was far away. I thought I was doing her a favor by letting her rest. Now I was afraid something would happen to her. I managed to hoist all the remaining weed and stumble down towards her resting place. By the time I reached her, I was in distress. I crumpled in a heap of weed and sweat by her side. The water was all gone. She offered to take what she could carry on down to the cabin, but I refused.
After too long of a break, I was able to continue. We left half of our packages there on the hillside. We stashed what we had with the rest of it and staggered into our cabin. I handed Brody a beer. I used mine to wash down three Advils and went in search of some whiskey. I’d learned to appreciate the painkilling properties of booze a long time ago.
We ate some leftovers heated in the microwave and zoned out in front of the TV. Some of the weed was still halfway up the mountain, but it would have to wait. My old joints wouldn’t let me do any more climbing that day. Brody was asleep on the
couch next to me. Before going to bed, I patrolled the house, locking up and looking out the windows. I laid Brody’s pistol on the end table next to her. Mine was on the nightstand within easy reach.
He came for me in my dreams. I was staring down the barrel of his rifle and it got closer and closer until I was inside the business end of a high-powered weapon. Then it all went dark. Brody was shaking me awake. I was drenched in sweat and shaking with the chills.
“It’s okay,” she whispered. “I’m here. It’s going to be all right.”
I struggled to sit up and regain consciousness. Brody held me to her chest and rocked slightly back and forth like I was a newborn in his mother’s arms. We had a history of this. Bad dreams had haunted me over the years, at different times and for different reasons. When I was awake, I could keep the demons at bay. My mind worked overtime to block out the bad memories, but sometimes they found me in my sleep. Other times the nightmares were omens of things to come, warnings that I could heed. This one was telling me not to underestimate Cody Banner. Some bad shit was about to go down on that mountain, and I had best be prepared.
Brody climbed into bed next to me and we snuggled for a while, but I couldn’t fall back to sleep. When I knew she was asleep, I slid out from under her arm and paced the cabin. I double-checked all the door and window locks. I hefted my pistol, asking it for security. It was four in the morning and I was wide awake. I got dressed and stepped out the back door to stare up at the night sky. Billions of stars looked back at me. Thin wisps of clouds moved in front of the moon then dissipated. The tops of the trees swayed ever so gently in the light breeze. I saw a pair of glowing eyes down by the creek, probably a raccoon.
Knowing that I had hours before Brody would wake up, I laced up my shoes and headed up the mountain in the dark towards the last of the weed. I could be back before she ever knew I was gone. The night air was easy to breathe, crisp and refreshing. As I left the cabin I activated my extra-sensory perception. It came to me quickly and naturally. The night lit up with sounds and smells. There was a talkative owl on the other side of the ridge. A possum was digging in the mud and moss for insects. The creek droned on as it always did and always will. Insects buzzed and twittered in the dark. The odor of raw earth was pungent like onions and garlic. Rot and decay complimented new life sprouting up wherever the sun penetrated the forest. It was glorious and almost overwhelming with its raw power to affect the senses. I took it all in and let it wash over me. I was a part of the woods. The mountain accepted my mortal presence and gifted me with its treasures. It cleansed me of my nightmare and gave me hope for what was to come.
I found the last bags of weed plants and slung them all over my shoulders. I’d been invigorated by the night's potions. I easily lugged it back down to the cabin. I had to go in and get a flashlight to locate the piles we’d hidden before adding the last of it to our stash. The job was done. We had all of Pop’s crop secured in one location. Banner couldn’t touch it now. Sky would reap the profits and maybe appreciate her brother’s legacy. Pop would smile down upon us all.
I started the coffee maker and padded about the cabin on stocking feet, letting Brody sleep in. I took a cup out onto the porch to listen to the song of our mountain stream. There was a foggy mist descending down into the trees. Back on my boat, I always watched the sunrise over the water while the coffee helped start my day. At the cabin, the sun didn’t make it above the trees until mid-morning. Instead, it trickled rays of light through the woods, bouncing off leaves and rocks under the fog.
I was on my second cup when Brody came out to say good morning. She did not look ready to tackle another exciting day. She was still worn out, hungry and a bit on the grumpy side. I made bacon and eggs as a peace offering. The toast popped out of the toaster, startling her.
“I already brought the rest of the weed down,” I told her.
“I’ll call Sky in a bit,” she said. “After I wake up a little.”
I was feeling much better and wanted to get started up the mountain to see what I could see, but Brody had not fully recovered. We still had to get rid of all that dope, so I stayed put, giving her time. She took a shower after breakfast and looked a little better. I didn’t push her, but she finally picked up the SAT phone and called Pop’s sister. Sky was eager to pick up the load. She was on her way. We gave her instructions on where to meet. The weed plants were piled up on someone else’s property to the east of our cabin. There was a trail going up the hill to a corner on the blacktop road above. There was a small dirt and stone pull-off where folks could stop and take in the mountain scenery.
The trail was short but very steep. It went behind a neighboring cabin and came out on a gravel road that eventually joined the blacktop. I assumed the deer had beaten it down on the way to our apple trees. I had Brody load me down with as many bags of weed as I could handle and started up the path. Brody followed behind me with a much lighter load.
Sky arrived on our second trip up the hill. She started loading her truck while we went back down for more. It didn’t take us long to retrieve all of it. A heavy tarp covered the burlap bags. Four bricks on the corners held it down.
“I only have to make it ten miles,” Sky said. “Most of it at thirty miles per hour. It will be okay.”
“Best of luck to you,” I said.
“Be careful,” Brody said.
“Thank you both,” she said. “I’m really touched that you’d do this for me.”
“Thank your brother,” I said. “This is the last of his legacy.”
“It’s more than I ever thought he’d leave,” she said. “God rest his soul.”
“Maybe it doesn’t matter to you,” I said. “But he was my friend. He helped me adjust to this place and to understand some things. I’m grateful to have known him.”
“That’s kind of you,” she said. “I always believed he had a good heart. It was just impossible to bring it out of him.”
“The same has been said of me,” I told her. “But I’m trying harder these days.”
“Bless you, Breeze and Brody,” she said. “Now I’ve got to go.”
We stood there and waved her off as she drove down the east side of McGuire Mountain towards Valle Crucis. Helping her was a bonus to our original mission, which was bringing the hammer of justice down on Cody Banner. I was anxious to survey the mountain and determine if he was back. Brody was more interested in a nap. We took the path back down through the woods and along the creek until we reached our cabin. Brody took her boots off and plopped down on the couch.
“I know you want to go up there,” she said. “I just can’t do it yet. Yesterday kicked my ass.”
“Let me sneak over there and see if he’s back,” I said. “If he’s not I’ll come right home.”
“What if he is back?”
“I’ll want to track him,” I said. “See if he finds that the pot is missing, or if he just goes hunting.”
“I’ll be here by myself,” she said.
“If he’s up on the mountain you don’t have anything to worry about,” I told her. “This is the safest place for you while he’s up there.”
“I’m so sorry, Breeze,” she said. “I just need to rest some more.”
“I’ll probably be back in no time,” I said. “If he’s not back at his shack then we have time to rest.”
“Be careful,” she said. “Make sure your spidey senses are working.”
“You sure you’re going to be okay here alone?”
“I just need a few more hours of sleep,” she said. “I’ll lock you out when you leave.”
I changed into my crusty hunting clothes. At the last minute, I decided to wear Pop’s deerskin shoes. My rifle was ready as were my knife and pistol. I skipped the shower so that I wouldn’t smell of soap and shampoo. I skirted the edge of the road until I crossed the creek. I disappeared into the woods and began the process of becoming one with nature. I noticed that dialing into the vibrations of the mountain gave me a certain hap
piness. I hadn’t been all that happy during my time in Florida. I was either lonely or up to my nose in trouble most of the time. I loved the water and the mangroves and the beaches, but I don’t think I truly appreciated them like I did the mountain.
I picked my way through the underbrush towards Banner’s hunting shack. My ears and nose brought me data from far ahead. I slowed and made even more careful steps until I could see the sad little compound. Banner’s truck was parked in its usual spot. I sat and waited and observed, listening for movement. He wasn’t there. That meant he was up on the mountain somewhere. I didn’t dare risk climbing the hill on his property. He’d have the advantage on his own turf. I had to backtrack until I could cross the creek.
I angled up and to the east until I was back on my own ground. I’d been over the same route so many times now that it was second nature. I could make good time and still maintain my situational awareness. Banner was not on the lower portion of the mountain. That much I knew. I pressed on, wanting to make contact so that I knew exactly where he was. Previously, I had always had the high ground and heard him coming. The roles were now reversed. I wanted to think that my superior skills as a woodsman would prevail, but I couldn’t underestimate the man. The stakes were too high.
Where would he be? Was he simply hunting over on his side of the mountain? He’d already killed a freezer full. Would he head straight for the spot where the weed used to be? Was he here to harvest the plants? If he found the entire crop missing, he’d blow a gasket for sure, but what would he do? Would he immediately come looking for me? What if he went to the cabin? Brody was down there alone. I knew that she was capable of protecting herself, but she wasn’t at top operating efficiency. The locks would stop him long enough for her to respond with a weapon.
I continued on my way, sampling the air for scents and sounds. I was three-quarters of the way up when something startled me. There was a new smell on the air, fresh and clean. I smelled soap and shampoo, maybe even deodorant. It was Brody. She was on the mountain alone. She hadn’t stayed put in the relative safety of the cabin. I didn’t have time to be upset with her. She was obviously coming to help, but she was putting herself in extreme danger. In her weakened state, she’d be no match for Banner. I was filled with fear for her safety. This crazy crusade was of my making. I’d laid claim to this mountain, but Brody was still learning its ways.