Jackery stood in front of the motel, looking down the street as the semi-trailers of construction equipment came rolling into town. One by one, they pulled into the grocery parking lot to unload their cargo: bulldozers, cranes, and graders. Marcy had arranged to rent all the available machines within trucking distance. Jackery would not make the same mistake twice. He’d level the entire county before Barb even knew what was going on, much less stuck his nose in.
As each machine rolled off its trailer, a militia member would climb into the cab. It would’ve been preferable to have a crew of professional operators, but that would have taken far longer to arrange. As it was, a significant number of the guys had experience working construction. The ones that didn’t could be taught. After all, it didn’t require advanced skills to knock shit down.
Soon the entire parking lot was full of equipment and men learning how to operate it. Jackery felt nervous at the delay. It was only a small one, but he was spooked by how Barb had been able to gum up his previous plans. He hated to give the man even the smallest of opportunities to do so again.
“How’s it going?”
Jackery turned to see Susan standing beside him in her sheriff’s uniform.
“All good,” he said. “How are things inside?”
“Locked down tight. There was some grumbling when I made the announcement, but we shut that down flat. The troublemakers are locked away in the back. The rest are like sheep in a pen.”
“No sign of outside interference?”
“Barb?” she said with a smile. “Neither hide nor hair. Cutting off outside communication and rounding up the entire county was a genius move. By the time word gets out about today, it’ll be too late to do anything. You can’t un-knock down a house.”
“That’s the plan,” he said. “I’ll breathe easier when it’s done.”
“Relax,” she said. “By this time tomorrow, you’ll be the sole owner of the entirety of Dixon County. Or should I say, Jackery County?”
She walked away. He watched her go. Once again, he had conflicting feelings about this woman. As an ally, she was a true asset, seeing what needed to be done and taking care of it with cold efficiency. At the same time, she assumed a personal familiarity that rubbed him the wrong way. It was his fault for mixing sex and business. He couldn’t deny the sex had been exquisite, but the first rule of sex was that you always paid for it, one way or another. God only knew what this woman would end up costing him. Well, what was done was done. He’d have to deal with her sometime, but not today. He needed to keep his focus on the plan.
A crash sounded from the other side of the parking lot. It was followed immediately by shouting. Jackery walked across the lot, dodging moving equipment until he had a good view of the situation. A crane stood tilted with one side’s wheels off the ground. Butted up against it was a bulldozer. Two beefy and bearded men were circling each other, yelling threats and insults.
They’d drawn an audience with the other trainee operators taking a break from their lessons to enjoy the spectacle. Jackery shook his head. It seemed his private army was turning out to be more Keystone Kops than Blackwater.
One of the combatants drew knife,fe and the gathering crowd began to whoop and holler encouragement. Before things escalated any further, a wiry man stepped out of the crowd and right up to the two fighters. He stared at each one in turn, and they tried to match his glare but quickly dropped their eyes.
The crowd dispersed when it became clear there would be no bloodshed. Jackery closed his eyes. It was going to be a long day.
#
Danita spotted a familiar face in the crowded store. She nudged Barb. “That’s Toby,” she said, pointedly looking in his direction. “My high school boyfriend.”
Barb followed her gaze. “He looks like he’d rather be in the grips of the Spanish Inquisition than here right now.”
“Do you want me to see what info I can get out of him?”
“If you think you can do it without putting yourself at any risk.”
Danita got to her feet slowly and walked over to Toby. He didn’t see her at first, but when she came into his peripheral vision, he turned and stared at her, his face miserable. She tried giving him a smile, but the poor guy didn’t respond, and when she got within speaking range, he just said, “I can’t be seen talking to you.”
“Escort me to the bathroom.”
She thought for a moment he was going to refuse her request, but after some kind of internal struggle, he turned and led the way to the restrooms. She followed a step behind, but when they got to the short hallway leading to the doors labeled “Men” and “Women,” she walked past to an unmarked door and pulled it open. Inside was a supply closet. She grabbed Toby’s arm and pulled him inside, shutting the door behind them.
“What are you doing?” he hissed.
“No one will see us talking in here.”
“This isn’t a joke, Danita. They’ve got the old sheriff locked in the department’s break room, and Susan’s running things with an iron fist. That Jackery guy is the big boss, but she’s the one calling the actual shots. She came up with the idea of using the grocery as a holding cell. And she’s the one who suggested deputizing the militia creeps. It makes me want to tear off my badge.”
“Don’t do that,” she said, leaning into him.
“Don’t worry. If I let on how I really feel, they’ll lock me up, too. They’re not taking chances.”
“Are they really planning to tear down everybody’s houses?”
“They’ve got bulldozers and wrecking balls in the parking lot. The scum who aren’t on guard duty are learning how to run them.”
“Your parents live in town, right?”
“They’re visiting my uncle out of state until things settle down.”
“You mean until every house in the county has been bulldozed into the ground.”
“They won’t do that to us,” he said in a voice that sounded less than confident.
“You don’t really believe that, do you?”
“I’m a member of the sheriff’s department.”
“And the sheriff himself is under house arrest. The minute you’re no use to these people, they treat you like less than dirt.”
“What can I do?”
“Stay close and be ready to act.”
“I don’t know.”
She took his hand and looked into his eyes. “I know you, Toby,” she said, careful not to lay it on too thick. “You’ve got a good heart, and you love this community. It needs you now. I need you.”
They stood like that, neither one moving nor speaking until he broke the spell by taking his hand back.
“I can’t promise anything,” he said.
“As long as you’re willing to try.”
He didn’t say no. She decided to settle for that.
#
“I think he’s on our side,” Danita said to Barb. “You just have to tell me how to use him.”
“I’m working on it,” said Barb.
“Don’t take too long or it will all be moot.”
“I’m well aware,” said Barb.
“Good.”
Barb gave Danita a look that said, Watch your tone, young lady. Danita rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. Barb shook her head in mock exasperation, but in fact she was happy to see the girl’s spunk. As far as formulating a plan, Barb was actually pretty far along. She could visualize the endgame, and the middle was coming into focus. It was only the beginning that was giving her trouble. She closed her eyes and played out the moves in her mind, skipping over the opening she didn’t have and doing her best to flesh out the middle. After a few minutes, she opened her eyes.
“Can your boyfriend get us into the sheriff’s station?” she asked.
“First of all, he’s my former boyfriend,” said Danita. “And second, I can ask him.”
“Let’s go together.”
They stood and walked toward the bathrooms. As they passed Toby, Danita gave him a look and a tilt of her head. She led Barb to the supply closet. Making sure they were unobserved, they slipped inside and pulled the door shut behind them. They waited in silence, a silence that dragged on.
“Are you sure he’s coming?” said Barb.
“I’m not sure at all,” said Danita, giving Barb some more attitude. “But I’m hopeful.”
Time seemed to stretch as they continued to wait. Barb was about to suggest they give up when the doorknob turned. She shifted to make room as the door opened and Toby stepped in, pulling it shut behind him.
“Are you trying to get me in trouble?” he said.
“Of course not,” said Danita, putting her hand on his arm. “But my friend Ellie here has a plan to stop the nightmare, and she needs your help.”
Toby glanced at Barb. She met his eyes calmly, not reacting as he looked her up and down. He seemed less than impressed, and she felt no need to change his impression.
“What’s your plan?” he said, his voice, expression, posture—everything about him—broadcasting his skepticism.
Barb held out her hands.
“Cuff me,” she said.
#
A handcuffed Barb walked from the rear of the grocery store, heading in the direction of the sheriff’s department. Toby walked beside her, his hand gripping her arm. They passed several clumps of militia members before they ran into one who looked to be supervising the others. He held up his hand, and they stopped.
“What are you doing?” he said. “Everyone’s supposed to be in the store.”
“I’m taking the prisoner to the station,” said Toby.
“All prisoners are being held in the back of the store.”
“All male prisoners. This one’s a female.”
This was a line Barb had prepared for Toby in case they were stopped. It wasn’t exactly logical, but she was counting on the innate sexism of the average right-wing type to cause them to at least find it plausible. The supervisor frowned and spat on the ground.
“No one said anything about this,” he said.
Toby shrugged. Barb stood, her shoulders slumped, eyes down, the very picture of a helpless female.
“All right. Go on.”
They continued on their way. Toby started to rush, but Barb pulled his arm.
“Slow and steady,” she said under her breath.
They made it to the employee entrance at the back of the station without being stopped again. Toby entered the code into the keypad, and they were in. Barb held up her hands.
“Cuffs off,” she said.
Toby unlocked the handcuffs and put them back on his belt. He and Barb walked through the empty station to the large, open bullpen. The only occupant was a middle-aged woman at a desk in the corner. On the desk were a radio base station and a desk mic.
“Carol Jean,” said Toby.
“What are you doing here, Toby?” said the woman.
“This is Ellie,” he said. “She’s here to relieve you.”
The woman frowned at Barb. “Who are you?” she said. “And why didn’t the sheriff say anything about this to me?”
“You know what’s going on out there,” said Barb. “And Toby says you have a home a few minutes out of town, right?”
The woman nodded, a wary expression on her face.
“Go there now. Grab up any personal valuables and take off. Don’t stop until you pass the county line. It’s not safe here anymore.”
This was the most dangerous moment in their plan. Toby had assured Barb that this Carol Jean woman was no true believer and had openly expressed dismay at what was happening. But she was also a long-term member of a hierarchical organization. Her natural instinct would be to support the department—even in its current debased state. At the same time, she knew better than most that Barb was telling the truth. After a long, agonizing moment of indecision, the woman reached under her desk and grabbed her purse.
“Good luck,” she said to both Barb and Toby. She made a beeline for the back door of the station.
Barb slid into the chair. She turned to the computer sitting on the desk. She jiggled the mouse to keep it from going to sleep and requiring her to log in as Carol Jean, whose password she’d forgotten to ask for. Ah well, a woman couldn’t think of everything.
Toby stood awkwardly behind her.
“Go back to your position,” she said.
“Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
“I’ll be a lot better without you drawing attention to me.”
He headed back the way they’d come. She turned her attention to the computer in front of her. First, she made sure it had Internet access. Then she opened a web-based audio file editor. Finally, she took out her phone and used the USB cable she always kept on hand to upload the file Cathy had sent her.
“You’re so tense, Peter,” came Cathy’s voice. “What’s the matter?”
“It’s these crazy people I had to deal with today.” Jackery’s voice was loud and clear.
Barb smiled.