Chapter 13, Captain, my Captain

Willie slumped down in the chair that was becoming more his chair that he desired it to be, the frequency of his being summoned to that Tate's farmstead becoming too regular, too much. As always, the king, Ed Sr. kept him waiting in the ante-room with only his bombastic son for company. Ed. Jr. was fast becoming his friend, or at least that's what the rumor had it as, something that Willie found oddly distasteful. He had fallen in the ranks as well, from foreman to lackey that even the likes of Ed Jr. by virtue of his sireling to Ed. Sr. gave even him a leg up on Willie. They sat in the living room and made small talk and Willie fidgeted the while.

"What you think Pop's got goin' on fer us t'night?" Jr. asked eagerly.

"Dun know and not sure I want ta know," Willie griped.

"Aw, this stuff ain't nuthin'. Used ta do worse around here with nobody the wiser 'till it was too late to blame anyone!" Jr. chuckled.

"Oh," Willie exclaimed as the goose pimples rose on his arms. The sound of the cackling and the look of mischief in Jr.'s eyes where enough to turn any harlot into a saint. It was the easy malevolence in him that creeped Willie out the most, but for some reason Sr. had chosen him as one of his lietenants and Willie was stuck with him as a peer. Only his own qalifications for such a post weren't from skill or desire but from having to pay his pound of flesh to the fat man.

"I hope we go ta Hube's store, I wanna give that dog o his a good kick in the balls!" Jr. cracked a smile.

"We can't get near it without Hubener hearin' anyway," Willie said. He had nothing against Pete even if he had spoken out at the meeting. He still liked to sit in his front and jaw with Robert. He hated what they had already done and the pangs of guilt grew each time he walked in and greeted Pete.

"I jus' want in the store, I've had my eye on that table saw, that new one from Black and Decker Hubie just got in," Jr. said and played his fingers in delight. Maybe we'll do it anyway ta'night after we do what the old man wants as ta do."

"Not if his dog has anythin' ta say 'bout it," Willie retorted and glared. So far, he'd only had to perform some petty vandalisim and a few times he felt it was justified by his own feelings of emberassment, a little bit of cathartic activity to work out the demons of that night. But, the requests kept coming and he wondered when his debt would finally be paid.

"Oh, I got plans fer that there dog," Jr. said, an evil grin lighting his eyes.

"I'd imagine he's got sum plans fer that ass o yors too!" Willie snapped. "Now why'd ya want ta go an' do somethin' like that anyway?"

"Why not?"

"Cause it aint right perhaps?"

"And it aint right that Hubie should allow his dog ta take a bit outta my leg, neither!"

Willie shook his head and wondered at why he had even started talking to Jr. "You where the one insistin' on gettin' into the store that night, dog's jus doin' his job."

"Whatever, I got plans fer that dog," Jr. nodded and pursed his lips. "Big plans."

"I dun wanna hear that Hubener's dog turns up hurt or worse, Ed!" Willie barked. "You got careless an paid fer it and let it be at that."

Ed Jr. turned away and pouted silently, his features brooding with a blackness that sent more goose flesh marching across Willie's arms. He wanted out, out of the house, out from the presence of the malignant prodigy of his master father and most of all out from the shadow of that man who always looked at him with those soft and condescending eyes that melted whatever manhood Willie had left in him.

"Would you two squirrels stop chattering!" the voice of Ed. Sr. called down from the stairwell. Soon his lumbering form slowly emerged from the stairs and he sat down in his chair with a heavy plop. His bushy eyebrows and mulitple chins gave him a somewhat jolly appearance, as if nothing but goodness and kindness existed behind those blueish eyes. His smile, that way that he had with you so that one didn't even notice the subtle manipulation, and his corpulant form all worked a deception that hung like a cloud around him. For those who knew him well enough to see beyond the facade there was still a power and strength of will that he projected upon you that inevitably made you do what he asked or ordered.

It had been he who cooked up the scheme to defraud the state farm bureau of the crop compensation way back when and his genius for the devious was established early on in life. He didn't weild a power of that of a strong man but of a power of the mind and the sway of the weaker in consitution who could not or would not stand up to his abilities to sway anyone to his way of thinking. If Willie took time to think about his predicament he would come to the conclusion that he need not answer another summons from his tormentor, but his resistance would wane the closer the time approached and he would finally cave at the last possible moment to break free of the spell and would dutifully appear on the doorstep. There was also the unpoken threat of Ed Jr. being turned loose upon Willie's own farm and family and that was enough to keep him subservient for the time being.

"It's time we step up the activities. I'd suppose the folks on the hill are now rightly nervous fer thier buisnesses about now, wouldn't you say?" Sr. asked Willie.

"Can't say, though Hubener has a dog now in his store." Willie answered and nervously scratched his arm.

"Yes, I belive Jr. here met him a few weeks ago." Sr. said with a thin smile.

"Damn dog! Still got a scab on my calf from that damn dog!" Jr. hissed.

"Was yer own fault fer bein' stupid." Willie retorted.

"Well I gotst some plans fer that there dog," Jr. tittered.

"I tole you ta leave the dog alone!" Willie glared.

"There'll be a time fer that, but not yet! So lay aside them revenge plans boy, you got other things to work on fer a different purpose," Sr. said and folded his hands on his chest.

"Whatever it is, can't be as fun as what I wanna do," Jr. groused.

"Shut up, boy! That's why I makin' ole Willie here captain of these operations, you're too busy with yer own petty larceny plans to be of any use for me save fer someone to tell ya what to do, and that be Willie here fer the time being. Got that?" Sr. said and smiled at his son.

"Yeah, I gotst it!" Jr. frowned.

"The application has been made of the county fer the encorporation into a village stattus, jus' a matter of time before it is called to a vote. It's going to happen." Sr. said evenly.

"Well, we need ta start speakin' ta people agin and get those turn coats what voted fer the secret ballot at the meetin' ta vote proper." Willie said, a measure of excitement animating his hands.

"No, it gonna happen. You didn't larn much from that meetin', did ya? Anyone that was gonna fall into line already did afore the meetin'. Anyone else is jus' gonna vote the way they will. Aim aint ta change they's vote, but ta make 'em pay fer how they voted so that the next time around they think twice afore crossin' me again." Ed Sr. said dryly.

"So, we jus' gonna let it happen? Them bastards gonna get what they want from us? That bastard Pembrook an' Shields the others gonna get what they want from our valley an' we jus' gonna let 'em?" Willie burst.

"Dammit man, you can't stop it! You were the fool what brought it to this in the first place, things might have gone our way had you had any sense atoll that night. So quit yer whinnin' ta me! You jus follow what I tells ya and maybe some day you'll see what it is all about." Sr. snapped a Willie.

"So, what air we gonna do?" Willie conceeded.

"Well, captain my captain, you and Jr. are going to pay the Hilcocks a little visit along with a random someone from the hill residences. You are going to make them feel unsafe, be that bump in the night and be that reminder that they are not wanted here. You are then going to lay aside this petty larceny that you and Jr. have been visiting upon the buisnesses along the road and start to really be something other than petty thieves. You understand me? You gonna be the long arm of the valley that reaches out its hand against the newcomers and anyone who works with them, like ole Howard and your good friend Jim." Ed Sr. finished and looked smugly at Willie.

"Uhm, I don't see what that is going to gain us." Willie stated as he gripped the arms of the chair.

"In time, you will see what it is for, but now is not the time for explanations but for you and Jr. to get busy with what you are going to do," Sr. said. "When I am satisfied with the report, I will decide on changing your orders, so consider this your marching orders for the time bein'. You do well, I might even have you stop for a while if it looks ta suit our purposes."

"Can I get Hubie's dog then?" Ed Jr. perked up.

"Would you forget the damned dog!" Ed. Sr. snapped. "You won't do nuthin' to that dog 'till I say so, got it?"

"I don't likes it, don't likes the stuff we doin' and don't see that it serves even yor revenge purposes," Willie stated weakly, a slight stutter to his words as he tried to sound emphatic.

"It ain't fer you to likes or dislikes, Willie. It is fer you to execute what I tells ya. Remember, this is all on you an yor stupidity. Yor mine 'till I say so, got it?" Ed Sr. said, the condescending tone biting deep into Willie.

"Now you to get along an' figger out what you gonna do ta ole Howard Hilcock. He made it so them fellers could bring that chem plant here and bring all them people on the hill who work fer it, so he should get something appropriate ta his actions. Make it a good 'un." Ed. Sr. said as he rose from his chair and ambled back up the stairs.

Wille sat and brooded. It had gone beyond too far weeks ago. It was going to where he had niether stomach nor inclanation to pursue it further. Yet, to leave it be would be to leave whomever to the unprincipled hands of Jr. and his penchant for evil for evil's sake. Especially if the Hilcocks where to be the targets. Despite the drifting apart in attitude and feelings towards the changes in the valley and on the hill, Willie still had his history with Howard Hilcock and his son Jim. If Willie left it to Jr., the Hilcock's would find something beyond even what his old man was hinting at being done. Trapped by his own foolishness and his desire to keep Jr. in check, Willie had little choice.

"So, cap'n, whats we gonna do to the Hilcock's?" Jr. said with that greedy glint in his eye.

"I don't know yet, gimme time ta thinks," Willie scolded.

"We could put some of that chemical in theys feed, teach 'em ta let them city fellers build that plant on theys property," Jr. added. "Yeah, get some o that chemical they produce and accidently see that it makes its way into theys feed."

"That's too deliberate, it's gotta be more accident and less damage." Willie moaned. "Jus' shutup an' lemme think."

"Well, we gonna do this tonight or what? I got stuff I wants ta do if'n we aint gonna do it tonight," Jr. whinned.

"You can carouse later, one of these days someone's gonna catch you sneakin' out of some bedroom an' shove the buisness end of a shotgun up yer ass," Willie snarled.

"Ain't happen'd yet," Jr. retorted. "Got my eye on some young thing up on the hill, jus' waitin' fer the right time," Jr. said with a grin.

"Well, you can keep it in yer pants tonight, 'cause we've got stuff ta do," Willie said curtly, still having no idea what to do but desirous to save the poor soul from the horror of Jr.'s appitites.

"Well then this had better be worth it," Jr. groused.

Willie buried his head in his hands and wracked his mind to find the least damaging thing that could be done but would also satisfy his master's bidding.

****

Day was breaking and the sun was arching its way over the mountains, casting its long shadows over everything and bathing the face with sweet warmth against the fading chill. Jim got out of his truck and walked over to where his father's truck was parked along side the boundery between the chemical plant and the rest of his usable land. There was a break in the fence line that paralelled the Happy Valley road and a clear trail of tire tracks lead from the road, through the fence and ten feet into Howard's budding corn crop. The ground around where the tire tracks stopped was coated in a greenish goo and it appeared that the goo had been poured from the truck before it backed up and drove back to the road. Jim walked the tire tracks to where Howard stood surveying the mess.

"Come from the chem plant?" Jim asked.

"Don' know, but where else would this stuff come from? It smells like the stuff that comes from that place," Howard surmized.

"Wonder if some delivery truck did this, dumped some accidently then went on theys way?" Jim said and scratched behind his ear. "You'd think they'd at least tole us if it was an accident."

"Yeah, you'd think. It shore was a lot of stuff though, look at how far the spill goes," Howard pointed. The rows of corn where drenched in the liquid along several rows and the goo had drifted down the furrows before settling into the soil. Enough to cover a few hundred yards of furrow that radiated out like spkes.