Redemption
Chapter 11

Copyright© 2017 by MysteryWriter

cabin tents rented for $25 a day summer.$30 a night winter rate
trailer rentals: larger $75 mid size $60 small $50
John Boyd 28yrs old
Gabby Boyd 25 yrs old.
Alice Boyd current owner of the Gatehouse
Edwardo world famous catfish chef (according to mom)
Joy and Jen wait staff for Alice Boyd’s catering
Jasper Amos hunter, guide, knife make
Sylvia Amos sheriff’s detective lieutenant
deputy Angie Davenport
Marion davenport Angie’s mom
Clyde Summers suicide victim
Edward Gaines suicide victim while serving time with John
Max Bork Gabby’s fancy man
Willow computer geek
Tom Jasper’s cousin and half ass builder
Martin cameraman
Vanessa producer
Walter Pickering Vanessa’s boss
Lamar the mechanic and junkyard owner
Everette mom’s new bf
Greta a camera person for Country channel
Manson country channel lawyer
Joyce Reedmon TV personality
Dawn Goldman ex-con
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When Dawn and I returned to the campground, I escorted her to the cabin/tent closest to the Titan. I explained how everything worked. I also explained that she might have to move, if I had a full house booked.

“You can always bunk a couple of days with me,” I explained. “That is the very last alternative.”

“You are serious about that?” she said looking shocked.

“I am. You can help with the chores around the campground to pay your own way. I am not a charity,” I explained.

“Okay, I can be a house maid,” she said smiling. “Of course I want a French Maids costume.”

“You are not to turn tricks anywhere on the campground property,” I said firmly.

“I got it John,” she said shortly.

“Okay, can you swim?” I asked.

“Of course,” she replied.

“Do you own any warm clothes,” I asked next.

“light weight sweaters. I don’t own a really heavy weight jacket,” she said. “I was never a street walker.”

“I’m going up river to check my line of limb hooks. You can come along, but only if you can dress warm enough. I’ll have to buy you some warmer clothes later,” I explained.

“I’d like to try it once. I can get an idea of what I’ll need from the first trip,” she said.

I nodded then hooked the trailer onto the truck. I had both my kayaks loaded onto their sides for the trip to the river. Dawn literally climbed into the truck for the ride down to the river.

When we arrived I didn’t bother to back the trailer into the water. The kayaks would be swamped, if I did that. Since they have negative buoyancy bodies they would simply sink. They have to be totally empty to float well. That is the reason I carried a small plastic cup whenever I went to the river. It gave me something to use for bailing. I knew Dawn was likely to need it on her first trip up river.

I was surprised that she took to it so easily. She paddled the kayak almost expertly once she got used to the two ended paddle. She had a little more trouble with the Catfish. Those mothers can gore your hands with their fins. Trust me that shit hurts. I showed her a couple of times how to hold them before I let her take the fish off the hooks and re-bait them. By the end of the first hour she was doing fine on her own.

We were about half way up the line when I said, “You are ready to be on your own. You just continue up the line and I’m going to jump to the end. I’ll meet you half way.”

“I’ll call you if I get into trouble,” she suggested.

“It won’t do any good,” I explained. “My phone is in the truck. It cost to much to be dropped overboard. With the water this cold it would just be gone.”

“Good idea. I’ll be super careful,” she said.

“Good idea,” was my reply.

By the time we finished and got both got our kayaks loaded, it was 5PM. There was just enough daylight to get back to the Circus tent and drop the fish in the refrigerator. I deemed it to chilly to process them. We returned to the Titan to warm up.

“I stink,” Dawn commented.

“I didn’t notice,” I said. “You can scrub down in my shower or sink. I have some good soap and some lemon rinse stuff that works pretty well.”

“Show me how it works,” she demanded.

“Okay the shower room needs to warm some before you start. Go to your cabin for a change of clothes. At least get a clean sweater, so you don’t have to wear the stinky one after your shower,” I said.

“Okay,” she replied.

While she was gone, I flipped the switch for the electric ceramic heater in the outside shower. It also turned on a fairly dim overhead light in the outside building. With the little heater blasting away, I turned to my computer.

I called up my schedule for the coming evening. I had nothing pressing, but I was likely to be called on to answer a question or two from the new arrivals. The first knock on the door was just Dawn.

“Okay how do i do this,” she asked.

“I led her into the shower building. When we were both inside with the door closed I show her how to operate the shower. When she started to remove her clothes, I turned to the door. Don’t you want to see. Are you to shy or are you too gay?” she asked.

“Dawn, save your breath hon. That kind of shit doesn’t work on me,” I explained. “When you finish, Come on back inside. I’ll find something for dinner,” I said.

I went into the Titan and waited for Dawn to join me. She took a while in the shower. I expected, it had been thestrong smell of fish which caused her to take longer. It usually took some scrubbing with the dish washing detergent and then a rinse with the lemon juice to do the trick.

When she did come in, I turned off the switch which killed the overhead light and the heater. Her hair was wild and her clothes were not nearly as tight as the ones she had worn up river. She looked comfortable, it was a good look for her, I decided. Since she was wearing a tank top, I also got a peek at a couple of her tattoos. Most of hers were done in tattoo shops, not in prison. They were too well done to be inmate art.

“I like your tats,” I said.

“Want to see the rest?” she asked quietly.

“Not right now,” I said.

“Do you have any?” she asked.

“Just one, and no you can’t see it.” I said.

“Later then,” she said. “You know I’m all sweet smelling you could at least hug me.”

“Not a chance,” I said with a smile.

“You are gay,” she said.

“If you say so,” I agreed.

“So who’s the lucky guy?” she asked.

“I haven’t met him yet,” I answered.

“Then you aren’t gay?” she asked.

“If you say so,” I repeated.

“You went up for drugs, did you really kick the habit?” she asked.

“That was seven years ago. I’m still working on it,” I answered. “They say once an addict, always an addict. We just aren’t practicing anymore.”

“That’s all crap you memorize so that you can spout it out to other junkies,” she said.

“Are you a junkie?” I asked putting a plate of bacon and eggs on the table in front of her.

“I ain’t no junkie,” she said.

“Good, then I won’t have to worry about you leaving to score,” I said.

“I might leave because I’m bored though,” she replied.

And while you are out running wild you just might score,” I replied. “But you got it under control.”

“Damn right I do,” she said.

“Do us both a favor. Stay here long enough to get healthy, then do whatever it is you have to do. Just make that decision when you are declared in good health, and well fed,” I said to her.

“Like I said before, I’m clean and sober, so I can stay until you bore me to tears,” she said.

“Well that might be tomorrow, but try to hang in there long enough to get checked out,” I said. “Now eat up.”

She began eating dinner then said to me, “You know there is very little chance that you would get anything from a blow job. They tell me I give a great blow job. It’s that tight midget mouth, I guess.”

“I’ll make a note of that,” I said. “But can you cook?”

“I make a pretty good hash brownie,” she said.

“How do you feel about pecan pie,” I asked.

“I love it, but I have never made one,” she said. “But I can make a banana pudding.”

“Well that makes you good for something. Have you ever been a waitress?” I asked.

“When I was a kid, I sold hot dogs to the tourists,” she said. “I did that till I found an easier way to make a buck.”

“Well while you are here, if you want your own money, you will have to do real work for it. You can help with my mom’s catering business, clean the cabins, or fish. At the moment those are the only options here.” I suggested.

“Than I might just check out tomorrow,” Dawn said.

“Up to you,” I replied. “If you stay breakfast is around 7AM. If you wake up earlier come on over. Remember no tricks and no junk.”

“I’d feel better if I slept here the first night at least,” she said.

“Okay, I think you can fit on the padded bench over there,” I said. “The bed belongs to me.”

“Any chance we could share?” she asked with a smile.

“None,” I replied.

“Okay party poop-er,” she said. “I’ll help your mother with the catering business.”

“It’s not that simple. You have to convince her she needs you,” I said.

“Any chance your mom is bi?” she asked.

“Not that I know of,” I said.

‘Well I’ll take a look and let you know,” Dawn said.

“Not a good idea,” I answered.

“Okay, so when do I meet mom?” she asked.

“Soon,” I said.

I checked out somethings on the news sites, then turned the computer over to Dawn. I had to explain the Linux operating system. She proved to be as smart as I thought. She started to scan the web immediately. She asked me how to do things once, then next time she knew how to do it herself. She was very good at the computer thing, but I didn’t tell her that. I just acted like it was how everybody around me did it. Dawn wasn’t buying it. I could tell by her wise ass expression she knew better.

I walked by her later and found her talking trash to some dirty old man in the pro/con chat-room. I didn’t stop to read it. I did note that she had a sleepy look whatever that meant. I didn’t stay to watch what happened. I went to bed very much alone. The funny thing was I didn’t have a problem getting to sleep at all that night.

When I awoke the next morning she was still curled up on my bench across from where my TV should be. It was designed to hold two adults and the bed held three, so the capacity for the Superbowl party was five people. I slipped into the toilet to empty my bladder before making coffee. I heated the day old coffee in the microwave while the fresh pot dripped.

Dawn passed me and took the coffee without saying a word. She went into the tiny closet where the toilet was kept, then closed the door.

I sat watching the TV morning news from the Jackson TV station. Joyce Reedmon’s morning news was the area’s most popular news show. I turned on the computer for Dawn to watch it when she came out.

I fixed myself a cup of fresh coffee before Dawn returned from the toilet. She walked up to me as if she planned on taking the fresh one as well.

“Don’t even think about it,” I said in what I hoped was my dangerous voice.

She smile then went to the cabinet by the sink. The coffee pot was plug into the second part of the electrical circuit. Someone, probably Keith, had a hard piece of conduit run along the outside of the inside wall. It came complete with extra outlets, and it’s own ground fault circuit breaker. She rinsed the day old coffee away then helped herself to the fresh.

“So what’s the first thing we do today?” Dawn asked after she was seated.

“We empty the trash and then I con mom into inviting us to lunch. You need to meet her. You might want to keep the bad ass chick under control. Mom is a little old fashioned. No sense in hitting her with the ex con on parole information just yet.”

“I promise, I will be nice,” she said.

“So what is your real name?” I asked.

“Dawn Goldman,” she answered. “Not a word about being the only Jewish Midget in captivity.”

I held up my hands in surrender. Then we ate a bowl of cereal before we went from cabin to cabin collecting trash. When the truck was full, we drove to the dumpster dump. She climbed into the bed of the truck to toss the bags into the dumpsters.

It was still a little to cold to go upriver and to early to call mom, so we went to a large meadow on my grandfather’s farm. I brought a couple of old chairs with me. They had been outside the Gatehouse, but I had no room for them at the Titan. I also found a couple of half burned chair, which I had rescued just for this purpose. At the time I rescued them, I had no idea when I would use them for target practice, but it had been my plan.

I brought along the cheap rifle scope I had purchased for just this purpose. With everything set up, I said, “How about spotting for me?”

“Sure why not,” Dawn answered.

It was warm enough in the sunshine, since there was no wind blowing. I sat a pillow and piece of newspaper on one chair. Then I walked off thirty paces and sat the other chair down. I braced against the chair while I cocked the crossbow. I carefully slipped a bolt into it, aligned the sights and pulled the trigger. When the bow fired it made an odd pinging sound.

“So where did it go?” I asked.

“I have no earthly idea. I was looking at the chair and saw the paper move a little, but there is no sign of the arrow now,” Dawn said.

“It’s not an arrow it’s a bolt,” I said as I took the sight from her. I scanned the area carefully. I didn’t see anything either. I walked the thirty paces back to the chair. On close examination I found a hole in the bottom of the piece of newspaper. But there was no sign of the bolt. There was however a hole which went all the way through the cushion. After a search I found the bold undamaged about twenty yards down range.

 
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