2008-8-27 09:31:00
by Ted Dewey
Several days slipped by. Once more, there was a meeting of the minds. The three men were seated at the small table in Henry's office. Rodney Goldsmith was speaking. "Gentlemen," he began, "we have a problem; a big one. As you know, we have had a visitor these last two days. That black and yellow plane hasn't dropped down and paid us a social call, but he has sure been up the looking us over. It's probably taking a bunch of pictures."
Rodney got to his feet and began pacing up and down the small room. "We know who the dirty bastard is." He went on, "and we have a very good reason to believe he intends to take over here.
"We know that he built that place just over the mountain. From there, he could have moved in on us with only a few moments notice." A slow smile crept over his face. "As you know, we took care of that. Now the next big question is, what will be his next move?"
Oran Thomas stood up, "I have given this a lot of thought. I have tried to put myself` in his place... So my guess is, he will drop a few bombs, hoping to scare the hell out of everyone here so as they will pull up stakes and get their families out. Then he will move in. There is a whole bunch of no good characters with a million bucks that are just hoping to get in. He will take their money and reap a fortune."
Rodney slowly shook his head. "From what I hear of this guy, and judging him front his past record, I would tend to believe that he would rather see a lot of blood shed. If there were no survivors, he would be perfectly safe." He turned to Henry. "And what is your opinion, my friend?"
Henry slowly got to his feet. He cleared his throat and began, "Gentlemen. Guys like him will stop at nothing to gain their objective. He offered to put up a million in cash, and was refused. The board of directors turned him down. So now he is sore. He has decided to take over everything, and I don't think that us burning that building down is going to stop him. He is probably now more determined then ever, and won't quit until he destroys every one of us."
Henry paused and cleared his throat. Then continued, "There is no law back here to protect us from scum like him, so that leaves us no choice. Gentlemen -- we must protect ourselves!"
Rodney Goldsmith nodded, "You are right, Henry. Right all the way. But how in the hell are we going to protect ourselves, when we don't have the faintest idea what he will pull next?"
Henry took his time in answering. His mind drifted back to World War Two. He was just a little more than a kid then, serving under General Patton. Now this was one general that didn't sit around wondering what the Germans were going to do next. He went after them, and it paid off!
"If we wait for him to make his next move," Henry told them, "we might just as well give up now. There won't be enough of us left to fight back!"
Rodney nodded. "Then what do you suggest?"
"The war has already started, and our only hope of survival is to beat him to the punch. He started the thing when he built that place over the hill. We burned his house down and blew up his arsenal! We've got him on the run. Let's keep it that way! Let's make it so damned hot for him that he will get out of Arizona and never come back!"
"That sounds great," said Rodney. "But how in hell are we going to do that? We don't even know here he hangs his hat."
A slow smile, spread over the face of Henry Bower. "I know where we can find him! He is making Prescott his home, at least for the present. He bought some land out by Granite Butte and built a house on it. He also built a runway for that black and yellow plane that he flies around here."
Rodney and Oran exchanged glances. This was news. "How in the hell did you find that out?" Oran asked.
"Yes, Henry, tell us more," said Rodney. There was what sounded like a calm and in his voice.
Quickly, Oran followed up, "Yes, give."
Henry's face was a little pink. "Gentleman," he spoke softly, "I have a confession to make. I guess I bent the rules a bit and confided in my wife. She has been keeping an eye on that pair every since they hit town just a little bit over a year ago."
"Are they staying in Prescott now?" asked Thomas.
"As far as I know."
"Henry, you are a wonder," said Rodney. "And as far as you bending the rules, this did not apply to your wife.
Henry looked relieved. "I am sure glad to hear that. We sort of traded information."
Rodney resumed his pacing up and down the little room. "We could of heard the lion in his den," he muttered.
"It's not like a game of checkers," said Henry, "where you let the other guy have every other move. We've got the bastard on the defensive. Let's keep it that way."
"Spoken like a true general," said Thomas. "What do you suggest we do now?"
"For the last several nights, I have had the same dream. We went down there and destroyed his house and that plane he flies around. Last night, I got up nerve enough to shoot him a couple of times."
"A mighty good dream at that," said Rodney. "And I think we should make it become a reality. What do you think, Oran?"
Thomas nodded. "If we don't do something he will destroy us for sure. I say, let's get going before it's to late."
"We could burn the house down, destroy the plane, tell him to get the hell out of the country, and not to come back," Rodney suggested.
"Let's not forget." Thomas told him. "That when we are down there, we are in white mans' country. The law would be on his side."
Henry grinned, "In my dreams, I shot them both dead. Didn't wait for them to call the law."
Rodney shook his head. "We must be careful, or we will all end up in jail."
"Do you have a better idea?" Henry asked.
Rodney shook his head, "Not right now, but how does this sound? A chopper will be here in the morning. Henry and I will get on it and go on in to Prescott. Maybe we can figure out something when we get there. That leaves you, Oran, to stay here and look after the place."
"The rascals have met Henry," Thomas told him. "If they get a good look at him, they might become suspicious. Better let me go."
"One thing for sure is that we can't all three go. One of us must stay here. These guys don't know me and I don't know them personally. I recognized them from pictures I have seen of them, so I will go. Henry knows his way around down there. That could prove to be quite an asset." He turned to Oran. "So that leaves you, my friend, to stay and look after everything here."
"There is someone else here that will insist on going," Henry told him. Rodney lifted an eyebrow. "And just who might that be, my friend?"
Henry grinned. "Julie, my wife."
"I don't think a woman could do us any good."
The grin on Henry's face grew larger. "Who told us where to find them, Rodney? Besides, she wants to go shopping."
Rodney Goldsmith's face was a little pink. "Maybe she can do us some good at that. Find out if she wants to go and tell her to be ready at ten in the morning."
"Meeting adjourned!"
-- End Of Chapter Twenty-Six --
Copyright © 2008 by J.J. Dewey, All Rights Reserved