Chapter 9

The next morning, I had calmed down enough that I started thinking clearly. I had been at the cabin for almost a month. That meant I needed to do something about my truck and trailer. I had a feeling that Percy wasn’t going to be as generous about his parking lot. I saddled up Margarite and started into town. Most of the trip, I spent trying to figure out what was my next step.

I had pretty much drawn the line on Jake’s cabin. This was going to piss off the power brokers, whoever they were. Percy was in their back pocket, and probably the rest of the local politicians. If this ended up in court, I was going to need a lawyer. I thought about getting a hold of my ex-wife’s. I knew from bitter experience that she knew what she was doing. But considering how she had raked me over the coals, she wouldn’t be cheap. Besides that, who would I point the lawyers at. Fitzpatrick? He could say it was a simple business offer and claim client privilege. Wilcox? There were no witnesses. He could deny our conversation ever happened.

By the time I got to town, I hadn’t come up with any answers beyond letting whoever was behind this make the next move. When I got to the forestry office, I tied Margarite up and headed inside. As I entered, Lucy looked up. When she saw who it was, the smile on her face dropped like a rock. I guessed that either the power brokers or Percy had gotten to her too. “Hello Ms. Rutledge, I’m here to pay the rent for my truck.”

“I’m afraid that won’t be possible, Mr. Reynolds. Mr. Wilcox said that you would have to find somewhere else for your vehicle.”

“I see, is Percy around?”

“No, Mr. Wilcox is out of town at the moment.”

“Ok, did he happen to mention why I needed to move?”

“He told me to tell you that there were prior reservations for the space. You are to be out of the lot before he returns.”

“Very well. I’ll have to find something else.” After leaving the office, I headed over to the diner. It had worked before. Maybe I’d find something there again.”

When I walked into the diner, Mabel spotted me and called out, “Mr. Reynolds, just the person I wanted to see. Come on down to the end. I’ve got a business proposition for you.”

Hearing that, I groaned. It looked like everybody was involved in getting Jake’s property. Sitting down, “Well, Mabel, let’s hear what you’ve got.”

“Well, Mr. Reynolds, when you were here before, I got to thinking about Percy and his lot. And about your stock with nowhere to board them. So, I talked to the owner, and we decided to start a side business. There’s an acre of land behind the diner. We converted half to parking. Then a couple of the boys strung some fence and set up a pasture for stock.” About halfway through Mabel’s announcement, my jaw dropped. As I sat there speechless, I could see the enthusiasm drain and concern replaced on her face. “What’s wrong, Mr. Reynolds? Did I say something?”

Snapping back to reality, I replied, “No, you didn’t say anything. I just came from the forestry office. Percy’s told me to move out. I’m just amazed that my bad luck has turned around so fast.”

“Percy’s kicked you out? Why? You didn’t do something wrong, did you?”

“No, Lucy Rutledge said that there were prior reservations for the space.”

“That’s unusual, that lot has never been filled. Even during tourist season.” Mabel’s face changed again, and I could see glee and a little greed there now.

“You must have a bit of pull with your boss if he went along with your idea.”

Mabel laughed, then called through the service window. “Hey, Chet, who owns this joint?”

From the back, a voice yelled back, “Dammit woman, are you going to keep rubbing my face in that. You own it. And don’t bother asking, I’m not playing poker against you again. I still think you’re some kind of card sharp.”

Still laughing, Mabel turned back. “Chet’s a good cook, but a lousy poker player. You’re looking at the owner. Thanks to a full house against a busted flush.”

Chuckling, I said. “Remind me not to play against you. Now what kind of deal can you make me?”

The next 20 minutes were spent haggling over rent and time length. I think I came out on the better side of the deal. Mabel charged me the same amount as Percy. And I agreed to buy 2 tons of hay. This would give me priority space for my rig and animals when I was in town. I knew that most of the hay would be going to Margarite and Jughead. Considering how much Jughead ate, I had to be on the better side of the deal.”

Leaving Mabel’s, I moved Margarite and my rig over and got Margarite settled. I then headed to the feed store and ordered the hay. When I told the clerk where it was to be delivered, his cheerful demeanor disappeared. I guessed he was another of Mabel’s poker buddies. After dinner at Mabel’s and a good night’s sleep in the camper, I headed back to Jake’s cabin.

The trip back was uneventful, but I had the feeling that I was being watched. If I had been in combat, I would have been paying closer attention. But with everything happening with the anonymous land grabbers, I put it down to paranoia. Shadow must have been feeling it too. The whole trip back, he kept close to me. As we got closer to the cabin, he got more and more squirrely. As I was opening the door, he kept facing to the right and sniffing the air. When I bent down to pet him, a round hit the wall where my head had been.

I’ve had been shot at enough times. I knew when there was incoming. I dived through the open door with Shadow on my heels. As I kicked the door shut, another round hit. As I lay there, catching my breath, I started getting mad. First, it was the lawyer, then the politician, now they were taking potshots at me. But as I got madder, I also started slipping into my combat mode. It’s almost like there are 2 of me. One part is scared, or mad, or even hysterically happy. The other part is stone cold. Some of my teammates in Iraq had told me that when I was in combat mode, they were more scared of me than the enemy.

That cold part of me started evaluating the situation. First, I was bunkered up in the house. I had enough food and water to last until next spring. More than enough to out wait whoever was outside. Plus, anybody trying to get inside would need explosives to get through the walls or door. This was a good thing, except it didn’t solve the main problem. Who was behind the shooter? It was a sure bet that the land grabbers weren’t out there. They would hire an assassin for the job. Even if I took him out, they would be safe and still be anonymous. They would continue. Probably using Percys threatened political pressure next.