#37
Chuck and Wyatt did all the talking on the way back to town. Donny rode on the offside of Chuck and pretended indifference to the conversation. Personally, Donny didn't think it was right of Wyatt to be moving in on Abby, as far as he was concerned, she was Jerry's girl.
Chuck looked over once or twice at the suddenly moody teenager, and then ignored the sour disposition.
Wyatt was busy asking questions about the clan, and Chuck had to admit he didn't know most of the answers. Chuck and Donny had to trot to keep up with Wyatt's single-footing horse, and that was the end to the conversation.
Mark wasn't at home, he was down talking to Seamus and George. Donny dropped off at home and went to the barn in silence. Chuck and the sheriff went down into town and stopped at the general store.
Wyatt was just as interested in the store and it's contents, as he was in talking to Mark about the extortion scheme.
The store was tidy and stuffed with merchandise. Well stocked with a wide variety of items, George and Corbin had done a masterful job.
"What's that above the windows?" Wyatt asked, and George was proud to show off his anti-theft ideas. Boards rolled into the semblance of bamboo shades, could be lowered in a flash and secured on both sides of the glass. The front door had a welded inner door of wrought iron and the back door was a metal clad piece of resistance. There was a metal set of bars at the foot of the stairs up into the apartment where George and Millie lived.
"You've done a good job of securing the store," Wyatt praised as the four men walked around the building. "The idea of hanging the flag out when you are open for business is good. I like what you gentleman have done with the town. So,...tell me about the 'force' you came in contact with," The sheriff invited.
"Didn't Donny say anything?" Mark asked, puzzled. "He was the first one to spot them, and the head honcho seems to be his uncle."
"Didn't say a word," Wyatt countered, looking at Chuck for confirmation. "He seemed real moody on the way back, but I put it down to the fact that there aren't many kids around here. He seemed sad when he got the information."
"I'd say they were semi-military, or at least rogue military," Mark gave out the information. "We were invited into their camp. Donny and I went together, and not much was said and I got a little hot because I figured he was stalling. The leader asked who I was, that I would be giving him orders, and I had to show him my badge. They folded their camp and moved out in less than fifteen minutes. Now,...nothing was said about 'protection' or extortion money, that was just my feeling. But I don't think I was getting the wrong impression. Donny seemed to recognize the leader as his uncle, no love lost between either boy, and the uncle seemed to almost recognize Donny. However, I think the jury is still out on the situtation, I don't believe it's over."
Wyatt accepted a cup of coffee from Millie. "This is so good, I can't believe you have coffee."
George was grinning, "it pays to know the freighter," he chuckled. "Especially a guy that has the connections that Corbin has."
Wyatt hadn't heard of Corbin, so he asked a lot of questions of George. George gave reasonable answers, but wasn't one to 'spill' all his information, just because someone asked.
Mark was standing off to the side, hands stuffed in his pockets, listening to George and Wyatt.
Chuck, taking a non verbal lesson from Mark, did the same. Chuck was amazed to find out so much information about Wyatt, by the questions he was asking. This was a trick he discovered by copying Mark, and suddenly a lot of the suspicion Mark had initially displayed against him, now made sense.
Chuck was thinking, lost in the dawning light of his own behavior. Suddenly it hit him, if he could learn to think and react as Mark did, he had the upper hand with almost everyone he would meet.
"It's a surefire way to analyze," Chuck said quietly, forgetting that he was speaking aloud. Mark looked up at him and gave a small grin, but didn't say a word.
As the afternoon crept into evening, Wyatt excused himself and headed back to the Inn and his supper date with Abby. Mark invited Chuck home to supper, and the two men walked up to the house, deep in talk.
Clora saw them coming and had another place set at the table. All through supper, Chuck was thinking and asking questions, intending to get on the better side of Mark, than he had been.
Then he asked the question.
"How come you didn't talk to the sheriff about your part in discovering the 'protection squad'? Chuck inquired. "You were right there." he asked of Donny.
Donny flicked a glance at Mark, almost if he were asking permission to talk. Chuck caught the look and then the small nod Mark gave back.
Puzzled, he was thinking, now what was, or is, so important that he has to get permission to speak.
"A couple of reasons," Donny started slowly. "First, I didn't want to 'color' the sheriff's impression of me. If my uncle turns out to be a low-life scum, I don't want to be painted with the same brush. I'm still a kid, and I hope to be around here for a long time; and I definitely don't want to be the first person the sheriff thinks of, when something bad goes down in the neighborhood. The second reason is, I think my uncle would be more useful dead."
Donny helped himself to his third bowl of stew, snagged two biscuits from the plate and resumed eating. He had said his piece, as far as he was concerned.
Chuck was fiddling with his coffee cup, rolling it between his palms. "Well I guess I sort of understand, especially since Wyatt is the Sheriff. I have a lot of questions Mark, that I would like to ask when you have time."
"If your done eating, bring your coffee into the living room. Donny will eat another two or so bowl fulls, perhaps I can answer your questions now. The two went in the living room and Donny and Clora had a agreeable and silent time in the kitchen.
"I'm going to plow more garden in Andy's front pasture tomorrow," Donny finally said. "I'm supposing that he's gonna bring Judy back as a wife; so what do you suggest I plant for them Ma?"
"Stew veggies," Clora was finishing up the dishes. "Onions, potatoes, carrots, turnips, some lettuce and radishes, try a small amount of cabbage. If nothing else, bank the fall vegetables with dirt and they will overwinter in the ground and produce seed next spring. That's how you get to save seed for the next year."
"Ok, I can do that; will you show me how much seed to plant in the beginning?" was his next question.
Clora answered, writing out on a piece of paper what she would sow if it were her garden.
"Ma, do you and Dad mind me being here, I mean staying here and eating and all that."
"We don't mind at all Donny. We wouldn't say, well now that you are eighteen, you're on your own. You have a lot of information that you need to catch up on. It will be different now that Andy is gone. Before you expected him to gather all the information, because he was older. Would it be fair to say that you weren't always paying attention, as you should have?" Clora poured herself a cup of coffee and came to sit at the table.
"Yeah," Donny ducked his head. "I kinda treated Andy like a twin of me, didn't I?"
"Yes, but you are a very intelligent and quick witted young man. This winter, between wood getting, sawing and hunting, I will give you a crash course in becoming a Linderman adult."
"Sounds ominous," Donny jested. "I suppose I need to learn to cook and sew buttons on also." Donny wasn't surprised when Clora nodded.
"What if you decide not to marry for ten years," Clora teased. "You're going to be awful hungry and shirtless for a good many years."