CHAPTER 10
Why was it that Jake always felt like someone was painting a target on the back of his head? You would think that fate might get bored with it after a while. They were just driving to the damn airport! How hard could that be? When he saw what was transpiring near the little shack that they called their “business office,” Jake sighed and put the borrowed pick up truck in park. He switched it off and then told his two passengers in a very frustrated and reluctant tone, “I think we need to break this up.”
Danni was sitting next to the passenger door and she squinted to get a good view of what was going on out there. It was starting to get dark, their headlights were now off, and the only illumination she had was from other trucks and they were mostly pointing in directions that were of no benefit to her. Even so, Danni could easily make out the shape of Lucy Rayne. She was surrounded by a pack of big cowboy types, all of whom were well armed and, at least two heads taller than her. Even in her indefensible position, Lucy was not giving ground.
Lucy's words were loud enough to be easily heard, and understood, inside the truck, “listen here shit for brains. Killian was real specific about you and your dickhead punchers. I don't care how man acres your daddy owns, he said you are not going up there. They got enough problems all ready.”
Amy was sandwiched between Danni and Jake. She found that the more tense the situation got out there, the tighter the squeeze was getting in the cab of the truck. That was why she spoke up quick enough, “Jake, just drive into the middle of them. That'll be a big enough diversion. Lucy can jump in the back and we can go back to town.”
“We're going up to Loony Toons Town,” Jake shot back, “not running and hiding.”
“Jake!” Amy was adamant, “we have to be alive to do that. Do you see how many guys there are out there? Do you see all those big guns they have?”
Danni was not in the mood to run and when she said something, it sounded more like she meant it, pointing out a little detail that was a serious problem, “do you see those three big guys between us and them?”
Jake pretended to count the goon squad that was now definitely watching them. He then pretended to count the occupants of the truck before he comically began doing math on his fingers. Then he told his two young agents, “my math might be wrong but, I think we got even numbers here.”
Amy grunted in frustration, “not pound for pound! Jake I'm not big enough to take those guys on.”
After getting out of the truck, and just before closing the door, Jake told the red head, “who said anything about you?”
Now that she had some room, Amy slid in behind the steering wheel and was, at this point, obviously more angry than scared. She noted, “oh joy. He's going to go spin some more of his bullshit and talk his way out of this. Like that's going to work.”
Danni was not so sure that was case and she did not know why. She watched intently, and for a second, she thought Amy was right. Jake pointed to something far off on the other side of the field. A plane did seem to be setting down but, what was so special about that? Then Danni realized that this plane looked both familiar and funny, all at the same time. Danni was so busy trying to make out the aircraft that she almost missed the show, entirely. It was over with, almost, before it had even began.
Danni had not been the only one looking at the air plane. So had the three ranch hands. They never really saw what Jake did and Danni was not even sure she did. All she knew, for certain, was that they were all on the ground and Jake had not even rumpled his clothes.
Amy's jaw was wide open but, she managed the words, “did you know he could do that?”
Danni gulped. She also found those feelings of fear welling up insider her again. She had been kind of scared when she saw the lynch mob but, now her fear was more of her own companion, again! “Amy, I think that right now, the safest place around is,” she bit her lip for a moment and then just blurted out the only thing she could think of, “right behind Jake.”
Danni got out of the truck, over her friends protests, and ran after Jake who was now approaching the main ruckus that was centered on Lucy. Danni did stop at the three ranch hands, who were now all on the ground and, surprisingly, very conscious. They were disarmed, not very much of in a hurry to go anywhere, and definitely in pain. One of them stopped nursing an arm, that was bent in the wrong direction, and reached out for Danni. He was no threat though. His only word was, “ambulance.”
“Help's on the way,” Danni told the guy as she ran off towards Jake. She stopped as Jake brazenly stepped up next to Lucy, holding his badge up high so that the mob could see it. Danni did not even seem to realize she had melded right into the crowd and the guy next to her was giving her the once over. She snarled at the guy with the big shotgun, “what?”
The guy smiled at her? Then he asked, “hey sugar, who you got on the game tomorrow night? You know I got me one of them big screen TV's.”
Fortunately, Jake put an end to all conversations by telling the crowd, “the law is here. I am a Colonial Ranger and this is an unlawful assembly. You are all to go home now. What you are not going to do is get on an airplane and fly up the valley to start more trouble. Is that clear?”
The guy who was most obviously running this little circus was not very impressed. He stepped up and said, “I don't give a damn who you are mister. I'm sick and tired of them damn Rennies. Enough is enough. They been messing up our livelihoods for years. They give us all a bad name. They do vile and unnatural things up there at that monstrosity of a settlement and, now, they want to put us all in danger cause they can't take medicine? We're tired of it, ain't we boys?”
Jake pointed to the guy, “you're in charge?”
The man did not back down, “I am sure am.”
“Thank you for making it easy,” Jake told him just before he stomped on the man's shin, grabbed his head, put a knee to the nose, and then let the guy fall like a rag doll. Then Jake told the stunned crowd, “this man is under arrest. Anybody want to join him?” Apparently, none of them did.
One guy did walk up to Jake but, he had already laid his weapon on the ground and had his hands up as he approached. Jake just waited for the guy to talk on his own cue. What the man did say was, “mister, I'd consider it a personal favor if you didn't arrest this man. He...”
Jake thought about it and said, “owes you money, right?”
“Sort of,” the guy replied, “pay day ain't till tomorrow and I'm already behind on my single wide. We kind of need him to authorize the transfers, you know?”
After a few of the ex lynch mob guys drug off their unconscious boss, Jake noticed the little short plump girl with the gaping jaw. He shrugged at the girl and then, Lucy told him, “I'm glad you didn't blow your brains out.”
Jake considered it and then replied, “I hope you feel that way about most people.”
Now it was Danni and Amy's turn to be stunned. They stopped next to Jake and looked around at the crowd that was breaking up. It was Danni that stated the obvious, “I didn't think waving your badge around was going to do anything. Most people just ignore it.”
“They did ignore it,” Jake told the girl. “That wasn't the point of showing it to them.” Amy looked at Jake and quizzically shrugged. He knew what she was asking so he told them, “the point was, next time they won't ignore it. Course that's not the problem we have now. The next set of clowns, that are coming, aren't going to care about our badges, no matter what we do.”
It was no great surprise to hear the slow and exaggerated claps of a single set of hands. Jake was pretty sure he had been listening as well as watching from the shadows, the entire time. The guy certainly had more than enough time to get over here from his plane and, more importantly, with support. That was why Jake was somewhat irked as he watched Horst walk out of the shadows. As the guy stopped clapping and viewed the scene, Jake growled, “I'm willing to bet you got at least a squad of grenadiers out there. You didn't think you could do some of that peace keeping shit, and come over here and help?”
Horst seemed amused, “IFOR prefers that local matters be resolved by local officials.”
“Since when,” Jake replied bitterly.
“Since,” Horst said with his usual arrogance, “when I deem it. Besides Agent Barton, you look no worse for wear and you seemed to have the matter entirely in hand.” Then Horst thought about it, smiled, and nodded to the American, “and I have to admit a guilty pleasure. It's a pure joy watching you work sometimes.” Horst then nodded to the women, touched his crop to the brim of his hat, and with a single word, “ladies,” he vanished back in the shadows.
Jake did call out to the guy and ask, “what the hell are you doing here, Horst?”
A single word came out of the dark, “vacation.”
Danni grunted, “my ass. I thought I recognized that plane.”
Amy was more pale than usual when she noted, “he can't have many guys with him. That was a Heinkel Two Thirty-Six I saw landing. It's just a staff plane.”
Lucy reached in the over sized pocket on her dress and pulled out an over sized bottle of bourbon. It was so big that Jake wondered how the girl walked around with it all the time. She took a big swig and Jake quickly relieved her of the bottle and took one himself before saying, “you have to fly. I'm the one that needs to be drunk. You sure you're up to it?”
“Been flying since I was six,” Lucy told him and then added, “sweetheart.” She was not that concerned about it and Jake hoped it was with good reason. What did seem to bother her was, “another bunch of damn Germans. It won't be too long before this whole place looks like downtown Berlin.”
Jake took a second sip and then said, “what do you mean another?”
It was after the third extended shot of bourbon that Jake found himself slightly confused. He only wished it had been from the alcohol. While Jake was somewhat concerned by Lucy's revelation. Amy was downright shocked. Jake found that curious. Amy was, apparently, even more so because she was practically demanding of Lucy, “he's not the guy that rented that hanger?”
Jake gave Amy a very serious look and then he just asked all of them, “what hangar? IFOR doesn't rent shit, they just take.” Now Jake was a little angry, “why didn't anybody tell me about this?”
Danni became self conscious and, was still a little scared. The sight of Jake taking those guys down was still running through her mind, “when we brought Maxine up here, last time, some Germans showed up and rented a hangar. Sorry Jake, I forgot. I mean... Is that bad?”
“I don't know Danni,” Jake was still miffed, “it might not be bad but it is definitely important. Anytime somebody does something that out of place, it is most definitely important.” He looked to Lucy but pointed back in the direction that Horst left, “you said he wasn't the guy that did it?”
Lucy shrugged, “they all look the same to me but, you said that guys name is Horst? Naw, the guy that signed the lease on the hangar is named... um, hell I don't read no German. I think it's something like Feld?”
Why did that not sound right? Then it hit Jake and he asked, “Feldwebel?”
Lucy's eyes lit up, “yeah that's it! How did you know?”
“Cause that's not his name,” Jake said with a certain air of disgust as he began walking towards the planes. He told his 'troops' as he did, “well come on. We don't have time for this right now. The Sheriff needs the cavalry.”
Days as a Schizophrenic (Poem)
Decant
It's Hurting Again
