Stealing Second (The Amendments Book One 1) (30 page)

“Don’t you think I’ve thought of that? I’m pretty sure they won’t lock me up. My guess is that a lot of soldiers did just what I did. They can’t prosecute me for not joining the enemy. Don’t you see, Gary? I have to do this. I can’t stay here.”

“What about Violet?”

Cathy turned away and stared off into the hazy sunset. “I was hoping she could stay with you.”

“What about your mom? Don’t you think she’d be better off staying with her?”

Cathy spun around and shook her finger at me. “That’s the first place Jim would look for her. Do you think I want him showing up at my mom’s and taking her away? What kind of life would she have?”

“You don’t even know if he’s still alive.”

“Look, if you don’t want her, I’ll take her away with me. I’m sure they have places for girls like her. I’m doing this, Gary. With or without your help, I’m doing it.”

“Of course she can stay with us. You know that. I just wish you would’ve talked to me about this.”

“I wanted to, I really did. You can’t imagine how I feel. I’m a soldier, Gary. How could I look Violet in the eye after this thing is over? This is what I signed on for. I have a duty to protect and serve my country.”

“When were you thinking about leaving?”

“I’m leaving in the morning.”

“What if we hadn’t had this talk? What were you planning to do, just walk away?”

“I was going to leave a note. I didn’t want to, but I thought it was the only way. What do you think your folks are going to say?”

I thought about that. I knew they would understand and that they would welcome Violet with open arms. The truth was, I wasn’t thinking about Violet, I wasn’t even thinking of my parents, or even Cathy. I was thinking about me. “Where does this leave us?” I asked. “I thought we might’ve had something.”

Cathy stepped over and put her arms around my waist. She then kissed me for the first time in days. I was angry with her, but I gave into the kiss. We stood there for a long time and she grew more passionate with each passing second. Finally, she pulled away and she took a furtive look around. “Take me,” she said.

“Take you?” I asked. “Take you where?”

“Take me here, take me now. Take me to your shack. I want to be with you, Gary. This might be my last opportunity to be with a man. I want to make it special, for the both of us. I love you.”

I wasn’t expecting her to say that, but I knew I couldn’t let the opportunity pass. I took her by the hand and I led her to my fort. Wordlessly, with Kyle’s dried blood splattered against the far wall, we took each other.

Chapter 22

Early the following morning, Cathy left the farm. Foolishly, I agreed to explain things to Violet. For some strange reason, I thought she would understand. She spent the next two days in tears. Cheryl and my folks were more understanding and they took turns talking to her. Neil began spending a lot of time with her and that seemed to help. But by the third day, Violet had retreated to her special place and I thought we had lost her.

Dad continued talking about his plan to form a political party of regular people who had grown tired of the way things were. He didn’t seem to think the war would last long. Jack had kept his promise to remain sober and Helen and Mom became fast friends. By this time, I had become obsessed with digging up my treasure. It had been two weeks since we stormed the camp. Despite Dad’s protests, I couldn’t wait another day. I decided to go that night. As luck would have it, a slow-moving thunderstorm arrived at just after dark. I waited until long after the candles were out and I snuck out of the house.

Armed with Kyle’s little shovel, I hopped into Mom’s Buick and started it up. The gas gauge read between a half and a quarter tank. I estimated that roundtrip the drive would be about 120 miles. I would be cutting it close, but it was a chance I was willing to take. I had become consumed by the gold. Nothing else mattered.

The rain was really coming down and I was pretty sure that no one had heard me leave. Mom and Dad had always been sound sleepers and I knew that everyone had put a full day in at the farm. I drove well below the speed limits on the deserted highways. I used one of Dad’s maps to chart my course. I found on
ly one campground on the map. I knew it had to be the place.

I wasn’t in a big hurry and I wanted to conserve as much fuel as possible. I bypassed Mason and then I drove through the empty town of Thistle. The parking lot of the burned out church was still filled with the vehicles of the dead. The rain slowed to a drizzle and I began to remember landmarks that we had passed on our hike. Though it had only been a few weeks ago, it felt like ages had passed since that time. The campground snuck up on me and I almost drove past it. I caught the brown and white sign at the last second and I slammed on the brakes.

I drove in slowly, following the muddy road around to the back of the empty campground. My heart sank when I pulled into the campsite. The ATV was gone. I rubbed my eyes and stared blankly ahead. I knew I was in the right place. I pulled Mom’s Buick into the parking spot and shut off the engine. The needle to the gas gauge was just below a quarter tank. I was reasonably sure I could make it back to the farm. This was just a passing thought. My mind was zeroed in on the gold. Someone had taken the ATV, I couldn’t help but wonder if whoever had taken it, had stumbled upon the gold. Of course, this was impossible. The gold was buried along with the bundles of cash. If some had taken it, they would have had to of known where it was buried. I thought of Cathy and of her sudden patriotism. I thought of Ace and of his strange ability to read minds. If my gold was gone, one of them would be responsible.

With my flashlight in one hand and Kyle’s shovel on the floor at my feet, I forced myself to wait. I knew I hadn’t been followed, but that didn’t mean I was alone in the campground. I waited until the windows were steamed up until I dared step out into the wet darkness. The rain was light and the night was black. With my heart in my throat, I flicked on the flashlight and walked over to where I had buried the gold. As I drew near, I grew certain that I had been double-crossed.

But when I came across the spot, it looked untouched. I had imagined a mound of dirt with an open hole. I quickly shut off the flashlight and again, I waited. I don’t know why. Looking back, there was something special about that moment. From the very minute I had filled in that hole the entire episode had taken on a dreamlike quality. None of it seemed real. The rain picked up and finally, I began to dig.

Six scoops later, I unearthed the knapsack. My
head felt like it would explode. I pulled it up out of the ground and brushed it off. Inside, I could feel the fat rolls of cash. I ran back to the car and stuffed it into the trunk. I then ran back to the shallow hole and I dug up the three heavy bundles. One at a time, I lugged them over to the Buick and I stowed them away. For some odd reason, I returned to the hole and I filled it in. Muddy and soaked to the bone, I climbed back behind the wheel and I backed out of the parking spot.

I had done it. All of my worries had been for nothing.

I drove like a ninety year-old woman, following the same roads that had taken me back to the campground. I sang songs I had learned as a child in school, happy songs; the types of songs that conjure up old memories of boundless possibilities. I have never felt better than I did during the drive back to the farm. Even the gas gauge seemed to cooperate. The needle read just under an eighth of a tank when I reached the outskirts of Pine City. Everything was going my way.

Or so it seemed.

The clock on the dashboard read 1:25 a.m. when I pulled into the driveway. My heart sank when I saw candles burning in the kitchen window. The rain had stopped and I could see shadows moving about. I cursed under my breath. Someone had noticed my absence and now they were worried. I knew how my parents thought. The cash and the gold would mean nothing to them, not really. I had taken their car without asking and I’d disappeared into the night. That was a breach of their trust. I had been taught from an early age that trust was hard to gain and easily lost. I could only hope that given time, I could make them understand my reasons for leaving.

I got out of the Buick and opened the trunk. I grabbed the kna
psack and left the gold. I prayed that when my folks saw the cash, they might cut me enough slack to explain myself. I didn’t really think it would help. Money had never meant much to my folks. What they didn’t need to run the farm was likely to end up in the collection plate at church. I walked up to the house feeling like I was back in high school, and in a ton of hot water.

I walked up the stairs and across the porch to the doormat and I wiped off my muddy boots. The moon had just appeared through the clouds and rainwater still dribbled down the downspout. I took a deep breath and opened the door. And I found myself staring into the barrel of a rifle. “Hello Gary,” whispered a woman’s voice in the shadows. “We’ve been waiting for you.”

The knapsack was violently torn from my hands and I was thrown to the floor. “Where’s the goddamn gold?” shouted a man’s voice.

“You’
d better tell him, Gary,” said the woman. She had a familiar voice, but in my shock I couldn’t quite place it. “He probably left it out in the car,” she said to her accomplice. And that was when I recognized the voice as Madison’s.

“Hello Madison,” I said, trying to remain calm. “The gold is out in the trunk. Just take it and leave us alone. Please, just take it.”

“Oh, we’re taking it, all right,” growled the man. He then kicked me hard in the stomach and before I could catch my breath, he drug me into the candlelit living room. Everyone was there. My family; Jack, Helen, Neil, all of them were bound hand and foot. Fat strips of duct tape had been stuck over their mouths. The adults sat up in a semicircle, as if it was Christmas morning and they were waiting for the gifts to be passed out. Violet, Matt, and Janis, all sat together on the sofa. I turned to glare at the man.

And I saw that it was Bob
Miller, the man responsible for killing Duke. The soldier who had murdered Gunner and Thor; the person I hated more than I had ever hated anyone.

Anger welled up inside of me. If I had been carrying a gun, I know I would have reached for i
t. How he and Madison had hooked up, I could only imagine. He was dressed in civilian clothes and he smirked at me. “Hello Gary,” he said. “Remember me? Small world, isn’t it?”

“I remember you,” I grunted. “I told you, the gold is out in the trunk. The keys are in my pocket. Just take it and go. Nobody has to get hurt.”

Bob smiled and then he rammed the butt of his assault rifle into my forehead. I went down like a sack of cement. I never lost consciousness, but I was knocked silly and helpless. Bob quickly bound my feet together and my hands behind my back. Hot blood dripped down my forehead onto my nose and cheeks. Madison dropped to her knees next to me and dug the car keys from my pocket. “Thanks Gary,” she whispered. “I knew you’d come through for me.”

“Don’t trust him,” I said, drunkenly, tasting blood in my mouth. “He’s a killer.”

Madison smiled and shook her head. “We’re all killers, Gary,” she said. “Haven’t you figured that out by now?” Madison then turned to face Bob. “I’ll go check it out.”

“No, we’ll go together,” said Bob. He then took one of Mom’s sofa cushions and he pressed it hard onto
my face. For a moment, I thought he was going to suffocate me. But then he savagely twisted the pillow in my face, mopping up the blood. He then tore off another strip of tape and he pasted it across my mouth. “I’m a killer?” Bob asked. “What a rude thing to say about me, buddy. I can promise you, you’ll live to regret those words.”

Madison was digging inside the knapsack and she smiled at me. “That was a big mistake, Gary,” she said. “You don’t know Bob like I do.”

Bob stood up and looked at the kids. “If any of you kids moves so much as a muscle while we’re gone, I’ll shoot each of you in the head. Do you understand me? We’ll be right back. Do not move.”

“He means it, kiddies
,” added Madison, staring at Bob with adoration. “Don’t move.”

They walked out of the living room and a moment later, there was the sound of the screen door banging shut. I have never felt so helpless, so hopeless. I stared at my parents. Dad had a bruise forming on his forehead and there was a red welt across Mom’s cheek. Jack’s entire face was swollen. They all looked at me with sad eyes. They knew the end was near and it seemed like everyone had accepted their fate. A great sadness passed over me and I began to weep.

“No,” I heard Janis whisper. “Get back here!”

I twisted around to see Vio
let scampering out of the room. Frantic groans filled the living room and I was filled with terror. I struggled against the tape, but Bob had bound my wrists together so tightly that they barely moved. Cheryl stared at me with such rage that I had to look away. Mom and Dad stared at me with pleading eyes, shaking their heads at me, as if I could somehow call Violet back to the couch. Only Jack offered me a hopeful expression.

“Violet,” repeated Janis, softly. “No.”

I heard the trunk lid slam shut. That was when I remembered that I had left Mom’s Buick with less than an eighth of a tank of gas. I wondered how Bob and Madison had got out to the farm. I hadn’t seen a vehicle, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t have parked behind the barn or inside the shed. I hoped that was the case. We didn’t have a drop of gas on the farm and I knew Dad’s pickup was on empty. If they were planning on stealing Mom’s car, they wouldn’t get far.