Valley Of Hope -- Chapter 35

2008-10-1 13:23:00

My Friends,

Here are the last four chapters of my Dad's book.

[Compiler's Note:  This article contains only one of the last four chapters. The last three chapters can be found in the three articles following this one.]

I was surprised to see he is for gun control. This philosophy seems to go against his own life experience and the character in this and other of his books.

My Dad rarely said anything about his beliefs to me so it is interesting to discover some of them as I go through his books.

He left us about 15 books he wrote and I am slowing going through and editing them, but probably will not post chapters on the Keys since most are not that philosophical.

I do, however, plan on posting them on the web as they become available.

Hope you enjoyed the book. It has some structural flaws, but is still fun reading.

  

Valley Of Hope

by Ted Dewey

Chapter Thirty-Five

It was about noon when the couple arrived in Phoenix. They had lunch at a small cafe then on to the nearest shopping center. Julie was going to buy herself some new clothes.

And for the first time in her life she was not just looking for bargains. Henry had told her. "Buy whatever you want. That money has been piling up for over a year and it makes me nervous. Besides, I want you to be one of the best dressed ladies in the Valley of Hope."

As the day passed the mercury climbed to one hundred and ten and was headed higher. It was a long day for Henry -- going from one dress shop to another. She must have tried on half of the dresses in Phoenix, he thought.

He made an attempt to speed things up a bit. No matter what she tried one he would say. "Buy it. On you it looks great."

But Julie wasn't fooled. She was really enjoying this shopping spree and bought only what she wanted. Time was passing quickly for her, but not for the tired and thirsty Henry.

It was now five o'clock in the afternoon. The back seat of the Ford was piled high with wrapped packages. Henry was behind the wheel. He turned to Julie and smiled hopefully.

"Is that it?"

Julie shook her head. "One more stop darling. I got everything but shoes. Go up two blocks then turn to the right."

Minutes later they parked the Ford and got out into the blazing sun.

Right in front of them was the shoe store. And just on the left was as big overhead sign that read; COLD BEER. Henry licked his dry lips. Julie took one look at her beloved husband and smiled.

"Darling.I won't be in there very long. I know it is no fun for you to watch me try on shoes so why don't you slip into that place and enjoy a cold beer. I will join you later."

Henry grinned. "You talked me into it..."

Julie kissed him on the cheek. "See you in a few minutes." What a good and understanding woman this Julie was, he thought as he opened the door and headed for a barstool. He set down and ordered a cold bottle of Bud.

It was a clean place and nice and cool. The bartender poured a frosted glass about half full, then set the bottle down beside it.

Henry took a couple of swallows of the cold beer and looked around. The place was almost empty. Four people were down at the far end watching a boxing match on TV. The bartender was friendly, and was badly in need of someone to talk to. "How are you today?" he asked Henry.

"Fine. Sure is hot outside."

"Don't think I have seen you in here before. Are you a newcomer around here?"

"I don't live here. Brought my wife to the city to do a little shopping. We are from Prescott."

"Prescott, eh? You say you just came down from there?"

"Just this morning."

"Boy! you guys up there have sure been in the news these last few days. What's new about that explosion that wiped out a section of the town?"

Henry drained the bottle into the glass then ordered another. "Haven't heard anything today. We came to town early this morning. My wife is still on the go."

The bartender opened another beer and set it in front of Henry.

"Sure something funny going on up there." he said. "The last report we received here is they had just called in the F.B.I. They must suspect someone from out of state or they wouldn't do that. What do you think?"

"I agree with you. What else did you hear?"

The man leaned over the bar. "Just awhile ago a special news bulletin came over the TV. Some deputy sheriff from Prescott will be on the six o'clock news broadcast. Says he: knows all about what happened and why. The guy's name was DeShazo... Dan DeShazo. do you know him?"

"No. I live out in the country, and I don't know any of those city or county officials."

"Must of been quite a bomb," the bartender went on. "There were several pictures in today's paper. Where the house was standing there is nothing left but the concrete foundation. It blew about four o'clock in the morning. Did you hear it?"

Henry wished the guy would shut up or talk about something else. "I didn't hear a thing."

The boxing match on the tube had come to an end. The four people watching it got up and walked out.

The bartender grinned. "Good. Now we can watch the news. He walked down and turned up the volume.

Part way through the newscast the man announced:

"And now for the latest in that big blow up in Prescott. We take you there. Come in Bill Brown."

The picture changed to the Sheriff's office in that city.

The reporter Bill Brown and Deputy DeShazo were standing there. Brown was speaking. "The big blast that shook the city a couple of mornings ago is no longer a mystery. At least as far as the people here are concerned. Want to tell us about it Dan?"

Deputy Dan DeShazo was dressed for the occasion. His uniform was neatly pressed, and his boots were shining. He smiled as he stepped up to the microphone.

"This is Deputy DeShazo speaking." He drew a small note book from his pocket and glanced down at it, then continued.

"The first thing," he said, "I want to put you straight on this: The man that owned the house that exploded is not the man he pretended to be. He called himself Ira Baker."

DeShazo looked up from the book and smiled. "His real name," he went on, "Is Frank Poletti, a well known mobster from the east coast..."

Henry took a swallow of beer and grinned. "Right on!"

"And the fellow that lived with him -- and was known as Lonnie Phillips was his right hand man. A mute whose correct name is Lewis Bergland." DeShazo paused and let this sink in.

"How did you learn this?" asked Bill.

DeShazo smiled. "I have been keeping an eye on that pair for some time. I didn't like their looks. Also I took fingerprints from the mangled bodies and sent them in."

"And the other four?"

"From their fingerprints they were identified as the Arata gang from Chicago. All four brothers. They got here just a day before the house blew up."

"Any idea why they were here?"

DeShazo smiled. "Yes I do. But I don't have any proof. And we will probably never know for sure. I was on the phone to Chicago for about an hour and came up with these facts: Poletti and Bergland are old time buddies of the Arata gang. Five years ago the six of them were working together smuggling drugs. They were caught and went to jail for a couple of years. When released they went different ways. It was rumored that there were bad feelings between them. Threats were made."

"About a year ago Baker or Poletti moved here to Prescott and brought the mute with him. He changed his name, bought some land and built a new house. This fellow has a long record. Often he deals in high explosives, fire arms and ammunition! That house must of been full of the stuff."

"Then you think that is what exploded?" Brown asked.

DeShazo nodded. "We know it. All the evidence was there. Exploded shells -- broken machine guns. The place was a regular arsenal."

"Any idea what caused it to explode?"

"We will probably never know for sure and can only take a guess. There is no one left to tell us as both gangs were completely wiped out."

Henry was keeping an eyed on the window. Suddenly he got a glimpse of Julie coming toward him her arms full of boxes. He would go help her.

There was just one thing bothering him as he stepped outside. Just who in hell was that guy they sent down that runway?

  

-- End Of Chapter 35 --