Fly Girl Ch. 05

Maria nodded at the broad back before speaking to her lover.

"She is right, I think. We should take care of that arm, yes?"

Lucinda nodded.

Maria spent the next few minutes dressing the wound. She knew the liquid would sting, but Lucinda barely flinched. Once cleaned the cut looked much better—more superficial than Maria first thought. She finished by wrapping it with fresh cloth that appeared to have been torn from age-softened t-shirts.

"How is that?"

"Much better. How did you learn to do that?"

Maria's smile faded. "You do what you have to," she replied. She busied herself with gathering the used bandage and dirty cloth.

"Y'all done?" She turned the arm and admired the neat job. "Now where'd y'all learnt t'do that? Tha's good." She beamed, despite the tension. Lucinda smiled. Maria's eyes softened a bit, too.

"Bet all y'all's 'ungry, huh?" She took the basin and slung the water out the back door. She set the bowl on the floor, ran her hands under the faucet, dried them on her apron and picked up a metal plate. It quickly filled with stew and greens and a square of cornbread with melting butter. She set it in front of Maria and turned to fix another.

"You, first." Maria slid the meal to Lucinda. "For being so brave. For knowing that the dog and his woman would not hurt us. I did not believe you. I am sorry."

"You have a history that differs from mine, Lucinda said as she accepted the plate. I'm closer to the memory of trust than you are." Her tiny smile was infinitely gentle.

A second plate arrived. Lucinda had a bite in her mouth, a wide-eyed expression on her face, and a growing smile on her lips.

"Excellent!" she assured Maria.

"Y'all dig in, sweetie. Looks like all y'all need ta put on some weight." The big woman chuckled as she turned to serve herself. Otis's tail began to thump in earnest when she sat with them and bowed her head.

"Lawd, thanks for your bounty. Thank you for watching over these two girls and for giving me the means to welcome 'em into my home. And Lawd, help them learn ta speak proper and right quick, too. Amen!" She spooned a generous helping of stew into her mouth and watched her guest. She smiled as they ate with gusto.

"All y'all's hungry, huh? Hun-gry," she spoke.

"Si, hon-gree," Lucinda replied. She turned to Maria. "Hon-gree, si? It's very, very delicious, yes? Very 'hon-gree'." She smiled at their hostess. "Hon-gree!"

"That's better, she grinned. "Damn, this teachin' ain't so hard, is it, Otis?" She slipped him a piece of squirrel meat. His tail beat the floor. He swallowed, smiled and waited for more.

Dying echoes of automatic weapons fire reached the small shack. The girls' eyes darted back and forth and they sat closer to one another without realizing it.

"All y'all're kinda nervous, ain't. . ." The woman's voice trailed off as she recognized the change in their demeanor. "Oh, Lawd, that shootin's got somethin' ta do wich all y'all?" She recalled stories from her childhood of slavers chasing her ancestors. She thought, This is how it looks when someone's being hunted.

Her jaw worked and she felt the anger stoking a fire deep within her. "This's a big ole bunch o' shit!" Her voice startled Lucinda, and Maria jerked as the big woman stood so quickly she sent her chair crashing. Otis growled at the direction of the gunfire as she stomped down the hallway. She returned with the shotgun and two boxes of ammunition.

"Ya girls are goin' ta be safe here as long as I'm alive, darlins'," she said, loading the barrels of her coach gun. She snapped it closed and safetied the triggers. Then she sat, gun across her lap, facing the door as if expecting someone to burst in at any moment. Otis sat next to her, stared at the door and "woofed." Then he growled, lay down and appeared to sleep.

Maria watched him for a moment. His eyes opened, he growled, woofed, and went back to sleep.

After a couple of tense minutes she looked over at the girls again. She saw the wariness in their faces, and noticed they were holding hands. A smile formed on her lips.

"No one's gonna getcha in my house," she promised. She nodded her head once for emphasis. Otis growled with his eyes closed.

"This woman is crazy," Maria announced.

"Yes," Lucinda agreed. "I like it."

"Does she really think she can stop them if they find us?" Maria looked away from the shotgun and into Lucinda's shining eyes. "Really?"

"Yes, I think she really does believe." She smiled. "And somehow, I feel safer."

Maria glanced at the woman and her dog, then back to her lover. "Shit. Me too." She managed a small laugh.

Turning back to the woman, Maria watched her rock back and forth. Her head turned and their eyes met. She gave the girls a half-smile and a nod. "I'll keep all y'all safe. If it comes to that, I'll keep 'em here while all y'all run fer it, 'kay?"

Her tone of voice and her posture said all they needed to know.

"You are insane, Lady," Maria told her through a manic-tinged grin. "And your little dog, too."

The van had been moved down the road by a deputy. Its driver, handcuffed, sat on the floor in the back with the girls and two female deputies. Three of the girls mocked him and made rude gestures while the deputies tried not to laugh.

"Senora?" The girl looked to be about fourteen. Her eyes darted and she wet her lips before looking at the deputy.

"Si?"

"Hay otra van."

"What'd she say?"

"There's another van."

The team moved in a wave that surrounded the buildings. Then they moved forward to tighten the noose. A door sprang open and two men came out into the sunlight. One stopped to light a cigarette. There was a tiny "snap" as a deputy stepped onto a dry branch beneath some leaves.

"AY!" The man turned, reaching for the shotgun on the sling around his neck. Before he could raise it two ugly crimson holes blossomed from his chest and he fell backwards, gurgling as he died.

"Hands! Manos! Ahora!"

The second guard jerked his hands up high and swore, "Madre de Dios!"

"What it is?" Jeffe demanded as he strode out the door.

"Stop. Hands up!"

"Manos, ahora!"

Jeffe put his hands up. "Can I help you, officers?"

The door behind him burst open. He had only an instant . . .

"Alto! Arriba las manos. Ahora!" For emphasis, he held his hands out to the sides above his shoulders.

"Si tienes armas, caer. AHORA!"

Weapons thudded into the grass as the soldiers followed his orders.

"Yes, officers. We are cooperating. But these weapons are only for our protection. It can be—"

"Quiet," the Sheriff barked.

Al and Wayne stepped forward.

"My name is Al Scott with the FBI." He brandished his credentials. "We have a warrant to search the premises. Wayne."

"Wayne Little, FBI." He, too, displayed his badge then began searching Jeffe. "He's clean."

"For what do you search, gentlemen?" His tone sounded light, but his eyes were dark, flinty, angry. He took the proffered warrant without reading it and stared into Al's face.

"Human trafficking," Al told him. Several deputies moved toward the doors while others covered the exits and maintained the perimeter.

"You will find, I believe, that there is no 'slave trade' here." He smirked.

"You're probably right," Al agreed. "But there's the small matter of a van—"

"Two vans."

"Thank you, Agent Little. Two vans that may tell us another story."

The smile never waivered, but Al noticed a dangerous flicker in those flinty eyes.

"No matter, Agent. I will speak with my attorneys, now."

"Of course. Now if you'll turn around, please, hands behind you. You have the right to remain silent . . ."

It had been hours and most of the gunshots they heard were from distant hunting or pleasure shooting. One string of eleven reports sounded like a semi-automatic pistol, but the staccato beat of machine guns did not recur. The girls slept on the tattered couch. Otis had joined them, doing his best to wriggle onto his worn and dog-dirtied spot. Lucinda blocked part of it, so he curled against her thigh and rested his head on her leg.

The woman gazed on the sight of her charges in their peaceful slumber and smiled—until she heard the heavy vehicle pull into her yard. Otis raised his head and quivered with excitement. The guardian stood quickly, shuffled to the window and saw a large black SUV. She could not see into it or tell how many it carried. She went to another window to check the back.

"Dammit ta Hell!" she hissed under her breath. Otis barked and the girls awoke with a start.

"I need all y'all ta git into the back room," she began. "C'mon, darlin's." She beckoned with her left hand while the shotgun dangled from her right. "Hurry!"

Maria and Lucinda could see the vehicles and knew they could not slip past them both. They followed her through a doorway and into what looked like a sleeping room. Batik cloth covered the windows. The woman wrestled one-handed with a heavy chest-of-drawers, trying to make room between it and the wall. Maria helped.

"If all y'all kin keep small behind this, this'n the bed'll give the best protection." She peered into Maria's eyes, then Lucinda's, and murmured, "Sorry."

The pounding on the door made them all jump. Otis ran out of the room and towards the sound, barking furiously.

"Hello, in the house. Federal Agents!"

"Damn," she grinned, relaxing.

Maria tensed. "Federales?" She faced Lucinda. "Federales," she repeated. Her voice reeked of defeat.

"It's okay," the older woman told them. Maria grabbed a thick arm and shook her head at the woman.

"What is it, Sweet Pea?" A light bulb switched on and she nodded. "Oh, y'all think maybe it's a trick? Okay, I'll be careful. Now git!" She jerked her head toward the hiding place and turned for the front door.

"Open up!" More pounding was accompanied by more Otis shouting.

"Ah'm comin'! Hold yer water." Barkbark

The men she could see looked official enough. A couple wore suits and one had an earpiece. Barkbarkbark Two were in Sheriff's uniforms and had a bulkiness that suggested body armor.

"Show me a badge," she spoke through a closed door. Barkbark She held a middle-of-the-road view on lawmen, but thought these were the real deal. If they were faking bad guys, they would have already smashed their way into her home. Barkbarkbark

The one at the front door held a gold shield and an ID card to the window. Barkbark

"What'a all y'all want?" Barkbarkbark

"Could you open up, please, ma'am?" Barkbark

"Nuh uh. An' doncha go usin' no 'Alabama search warrant,' neither." Bark!

A deputy chuckled. The suit at the door turned and asked, "What?"

"No, ma'am," the deputy shouted. To the agent, he promised, "Tell ya later."

"Ya know yer tras-passin', right? What'a ya want?" she repeated. Barkbarkbark

The deputy waived over another Sherriff's officer. "Let him handle this," the deputy told the suit then turned. "Talk with her, Linc."

"Yessir." Linc addressed the door. "Ms. Susie?" Bark!

"How ya— Who dat?" Barkbark

"Ms. Susie, it's Tad."

"Tad?" Bark

"Yes, ma'am. Tad Lincoln. You remember me? I use to fish with first Otis." Barkbark

"Tad?" she asked, her voice much softer for the memory. bark

"Yes, ma'am."

The suit moved back and gave Linc room.

"Ms. Susie, you don't have 'Leadbelly', do you?" The agent and the other deputy exchanged vacant looks. The deputy shrugged.

"Ya knows I do." Barkbark

"Well, Ms. Susie, could you please open him up, and maybe the door, too? Please, Ms. Susie?"

They all heard the metallic click from behind the door. Bark

"What the fu—" The agent put a quick hand on his weapon, but Lincoln signaled him to remain calm.

"Leadbelly's open. Door stays shut." Barkbark

"Thank you, Ms. Susie."

"What'a all y'all want with an old lady, anyhow?" bark

"Just to talk for a while. We're—" The agent put a hand on Lincoln's arm and shook his head.

"You know she can see you, right?" Linc told him. He turned back to the door. "Ms. Susie, we just want to ask you a few questions. There's some bad guys around, and, well—" Barkbarkbark

"Druggies?" Barkbark

"No, ma'am. Worse." Barkbarkbark

"Worse'n druggies?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Damnation!" Barkbarkbark!

Linc smiled. "Yes, ma'am! And we're worried that they may have scared some good folks who might a run out this way.

It IS slavers, she thought. Damn 'em all to Hell!

Linc went on, "All we want to do is to make sure you're all right, and there's no one in danger here." Barkbark

"What's good folks doin' 'round those bad folks, then?" bark

"Well, Ms. Susie, it's complicated. But . . . are you okay?" bark

"Yes, Tad. We're okay, Otis an' me're okay." Barkbark

"Have you seen anyone today?"

"Now who would I'd o' seen, Tad? I seen Otis, who helped me git some squirrel fer our midday meal. I seen ma yard full o' law men. Jes' who in the Hell am I gonna see, a poor old women way out heah who jes' wansta be lef' alone? Dammit!" Barkbark

Linc smiled again. "Yes, ma'am."

In spite of himself, the suit smiled, too.

"Is it all right if we look around a bit?" Barkbark

"All y'all are already lookin' 'round outside, right?"

"Yes, ma'am." bark

"An' that's okay, but none o' y'all's comin' in. I wasn't 'spectin' no comp'ny and the place ain't rightly present'ble."

"Yes, ma'am, Ms. Susie. Thank you." He turned to the agent. "I think that's all we get today. Is it good enough?"

The man thought behind his sunglasses. Then he nodded. "Yeah, that's enough." He turned to the men from the second SUV. "Anything."

The lead man shook his head.

"Okay, guys, let's go." Everyone began getting back into the vehicles. In the short time they were parked, the interiors had grown steamy.

"Tad?" bark

Lincoln turned at the porch step. "Yes, ma'am."

"Yore momma—she proud o' you?"

"Oh, yes, ma'am, Ms. Susie. Very proud."

"Good. Me, too. An' Tad?" bark

He smiled. "Yes, ma'am?"

"You can come back some time an' you an' me'll take Otis out fishin', 'kay?"

"Yes, ma'am. I'd like that. So, Ms. Susie, is this one third Otis?"

"Fifth!" Brakbarkbarkbarkbark!

"Wow! He sounds strong."

"Oh, he is, Tad! He is all o' that."

"Okay, you stay safe Ms. Susie." Bark!

"You, too, young man." bark

Lincoln stepped off the front porch and sauntered to the SUV parked behind the house. The lead agent sighed.

The deputy asked him, "What? I told you let Linc handle it."

"Shut up, asshole," he grinned. "Okay, you were right. But did that crazy old lady have a shotgun?"

"Of course. Shit, everybody out here's got at least one gun, mostly long guns. What'd you expect?"

He thought on that as the engine came to life and the air conditioner resumed its labors.

He shrugged. "So, 'Alabama search warrant'?"

"Oh, yeah. That's when two officers go up to a house. The one at the front door knocks, and the one at the back hollers, 'Y'all come in'."

"No shit?" the agent chuckled. "I'll have to remember that one."

The team removed all the suspects they found at the compound and processed them at the Sheriff's office.

He fumed, awaiting his attorneys.

Two van loads of girls and young women were safe, warm, fed and most were now sleeping. It was decided that their meetings with councilors and their debriefings could wait until morning.

Al phoned Patsy that he was okay. Wayne started on their mountain of paperwork and tried to forget about the drinks he would have to buy.

The Steves had finally been released and flew the Cessna back to their airport. They tied it down as the moon rose.

Patsy stripped and pushed Tom down onto the couch. She had a lot of pent-up energy to release and she knew just how to release it.

Tom missed the phone call that the airplane was home safe. It went to his voice mail instead.

Lucinda slept cuddled against Maria, who could not close her eyes. Ms. Susie and Otis snored. Loudly.

And Pedro made his way south and west under a heartless moon. . . .