Between the Minds of Myths and Faiths

Between the Minds of Myths and Faiths
Some books declare a devil's deeds are wrote by demon inks
Yet every story ever told were penned from what man thinks

Charles Samuels walked into the telegraph office just in time to hear the very end of a loud discussion between Mr. George Thatcher and two of Madison Longfellow's associates; one Clifton Grover and another, Miles Plaining.  "And as I've already told you Mr. Grover, I haven't seen hide nor hair of Allan since yesterday.  Now if you will excuse me I have work to do.  Oh and before you take upon yourselves to come looking for him again, don't.  Unless of course it's after the lot of you pay for the damages to my wife's farm there on the other side of town and my son's Bryce doctor's bill.  Then we can discuss it; good day."
Clifton Grover looked over his shoulder at Charles who was still standing in front of the door.  Charles never said a word.  Only opened the door as a gesture for Mr. Grover and Mr. Plaining to leave.  They hesitated for a minute then gathered their hats on their heads and left the building.  Charles made his way to the counter.  "What did they want" he asked Mr. Thatcher. 
"They claimed Allan and Gilly Rockford beat up a defenseless man who worked for Mr. Longfellow."
Charles stood there staring Mr. Thatcher in the eyes.  "How's Bryce?"
"Banged up pretty bad; has a black eye shining like a new moon, a fat lip, a couple of teeth that'll need a few days to tighten back up in his jaw and a severely sprained ankle.  Been hobbling around like a short legged goat on a pair of crutches down there in the basement all day.  I'll tell you, them fellows going there got some nerve walking in here looking for his brother to pay the doctor bill for the man who did that to him.  I ought to have had them arrested for trespassing."
Charles wasn't all the way awake yet from the nap he had taken earlier.  He had cleaned up enough to be seen in public, chugged a stout cup of coffee, and left his garage to visit with Bryce before he went back to the tunnels to help secure them.  Mr. Thatcher asked him, "have you saw Penelope today?  How is she?"  Charles nodded saying, "I saw her before they left for Bridge Port.  Dr. Garrett couldn't do much for her so her mother was taking her there to have her looked at by a doctor; the one who nursed Percival back to health when he had that tumble off the roof when we were shingling the roof to city hall."
"That bad, huh" Mr. Thatcher was genuinely concerned.
"She didn't look good.  Of course she didn't say how bad it felt but she really didn't have to."
"Bryce feels bad about his part in that.  I guess he told you that's probably how she hurt her arm."
"Yeah" Charles answered then let out a deep sigh.  "The reason I stopped by was to see if we could use your basement for a few of the men who's been outside all day.  As far as I know we have all the women and kids in town now but we're running out of space to put people and we needed a few places for the fellows to get some rest.  I know you got your little set up down there to keep an ear to the lines and you need the room but..."
"Oh that's no problem.  I've got enough space we can use there.  Sure, sure, anything our people need.  Do you need some help getting it cleaned up?  Allan's down there with Phillip and Bryce; you can go on down there while I tend to things up here if you want.  Here let me show you."  He lead Charles around the corner to the door leading downstairs.  "Oops, almost forgot" he turned around and walked back to the front door of his office.  He turned the lock on the door to lock into position then turned a sign around to the outside that read, "out to lunch."  He made his way back to Charles then opened the door.  "Follow me" he said, "and watch your step.  I can't be here nursing you and Bryce all day.  I've got work to do."  Charles followed him to the basement and into the safe room underneath.  Once Mr. Thatcher had allowed him in he told Bryce, Charles, Allan and Phillip that he would be upstairs.  He also told them to keep the noise they made under the floor as quite as possible.  Once he was gone Charles updated the rest of them about Penelope's condition, the last word he had received about the tunnels, and about the conversation he had heard between their father and Clifton Grover.  "Boy them fellows got some kind of nerve to walk in here making demands, don't they" Allan spouted off sarcastically.  "Pay him for breaking in to your garage and then putting his hands on a woman like that." 
"I'm not sure whether it's nerve or that high class stupidity Mr. Marcy use to tell us about when he lived around here.  He always did say people like that couldn't find their head from a hole in the ground unless someone told them where to look" Phillip said.  "Think the whole world evolves around their arse and who's kissing it."  
Charles stood leaning on the wall next to the door listening to the two of them.  He waited until they finished then spoke up, "so your dad said we could clean this place up to use as a safe room.  Not in here where all this is but out there" he pointed toward the other side of the wall.  "We have a bunch of guys that need a place to get out of the dark and back into the fresh air for a little while."
"What's it like out there" Bryce asked.
"Well, my father and the rest of them are planning on rigging the tunnels to collapse if that tells you anything."
Bryce looked at his brothers before he said, "rig the tunnels?  Why would they do that?  We need those to get around in."
"Not as much as we did.  While Mr. Longfellow's in here playing daddy to Edison Saville over in the lock up Gaston LaFeu has a whole new outfit out there creeping around all of our houses and into our barns.  Simon Grouse and Jon Alderman have been stuck in that old barn of the Langston's since day before yesterday waiting for them to clear out of there so they can leave."
"You mean their trapped up there" Allan asked.
"More like unwilling to move" Charles said.  "They're up top of a tool shed that's about to fall into that old dried up creek bed surrounded by a dozen of guys packing rifles; LaFeu's there and some guy named Randolph who tells the rest of them what to do.  They have enough room to send an arrow or two from time to time but that's about all." 
Bryce butted in to the conversation, "well Longfellow's got some big wig bunch on their way from out of town to help stop all of that.  Or says that's what he's doing."
Charles stopped talking to listen to Bryce tell him the update Charles had slept through.  Not only had Longfellow sent for his own personal cavalry of supposed lawmen but Charles' dad and the others were bringing in their own mini militia to help back up the Rivertown town's men.  That's when Charles repeated what Penelope's father Percival had told him earlier around noon that day.  "Yeah but they're still planning to rig the paths.  They don't want anyone from out of town to even know they exist.  He didn't say how but he did say that's what they had been working on all morning since that other bunch of LaFeu's had made their way into the barns.  Every body underneath was going to stay put and start roping the shaft doors.  That's why all the women and children were brought through last night and today.  I was getting ready to go back to see how things were going but I wanted to stop and see you, Bryce, before I did.  I wanted to say thank you for keeping Saville out of my place." 
"Well" Bryce looked away from Charles, "I wished things had went better than they did.  Especially for Penelope; she didn't deserve that."
"You didn't either" Allan spoke up.  "Stop blaming yourself for that.  What did he do, first thing when he got away from you, huh" Allan was still upset from the whole event and he made his opinion very clear to everyone who was listening.  "He went right back after her.  He could have made a run for the door and went right on out of sight away from the place.  But he didn't.  He slugged you and went after her while she was trying to get away."
"He's right" Charles said.  "Don't blame yourself for somebody like that.  Blaming yourself just lowers who you really are to that slime balls level of thinking.  Penelope would tell you the same thing."
After a few more minutes of conversation Charles, Allan and Phillip went to the other side of the door back to the large room sitting full of old wooden crates.  Charles asked them to straighten things up as best as they could.  Father Francis and some others would be bringing materials to make small beds there for the men who were coming in through the tunnels.  Instead of using the upstairs exit Charles himself went through the path door on the opposite side of the basement wall.  He made his way to the parish.  On his way he met a few of the families who were on their way to the church for a safe place to stay.  They talked casually as they made their way through the tunnel trying not to upset the children with all of the reasons they were being made to leave their homes for a dark hollow tunnel underground for their own safety.  The memories Charles had of his own youth began to regale themselves in his memory as he walked along the path.  He remembered how it felt, all those years ago, walking along in the dimly lit paths listening to his father and the others; and to this day he still didn't like the way it felt.  Once they made it to the parish hatch Charles recited the needed phrase for Mr. Lancaster to recognize him and the others as friends seeking shelter.  The children were allowed through first, along with their mothers, then the men followed.  A large portion of the church had already transformed into a safe haven for the arriving families.  The sanctuary itself had been remodeled into small curtained off sections allowing each family some privacy.  At the further end, where the good pastor usually stood to read his Sunday prayers, several tables had been positioned in long rows.  Each table was covered with a large variety of food, plates, cups, bottles of water, baskets of breads, boxes of fresh fruits, jugs of teas, lemonades, and juice.  Several of the Rivertown women's garden club were organizing the much needed goods into specific areas.  Voiles soda shop had brought through the tunnels two large refrigerators to the vestibule and placed them there to both help prevent anyone who might try to break in through the already reinforced doors, and provide the peoples gathered there a safe place to keep the items that needed refrigeration.  Mr. and Mrs. Voiles themselves had donated one large container of ice cream, of every flavor they had, to the needs of their fellow town citizens to help bring some delight to the tribulations they were facing.  Charles helped Mr. and Mrs. Lewis find a curtained quarters to settle theirselves and their two small children, ages two and three into a nice place to relax.  Then he asked Mr. Lewis to follow him.  A group of other men were standing in the corner of the church away from the women and young ones talking about what part they were to participate in while the tunnels were being evacuated.  Dwight Barker and Laurence Hill were making a sentry list of times for each man present to help watch over the church and the tunnels leading to it.  Father Francis himself was sitting on the far side of the room talking to a few of the ladies who were going to be helping with the cooking of the meals and serving the gathering crowd.  Even more people were moving up and down the basement stairs in and out of the large room.  Charles talked briefly with Dwight then made his way through the tunnel back the way he had came in.  But this time instead of going to Thatcher's post and telegraph office he followed the path underneath to the city hall building.  He emerged through the floor boards in a small closet just big enough to stand up and turn around in.  Before he opened the closet door he listened for any sound that might be heard in the office just on the other side.  He didn't hear a voice but he did hear what sounded like a drawer opening.  "Catfish prefer sour dough more so than cold corn" he said.  He waited but heard no reply.  He leaned near the hinges on the closet door to peep into the room.  He couldn't see the face of who was in the room but he knew it wasn't his father.  The figure stopped moving to look around the room then made it's way to the door.  Who ever it was opened the door carefully then eased their head out, but only slightly.  Once he did that he eased the door to the office gingerly back into it's closed position then moved as quietly as possible back across the room.  That's when Charles saw the face of the stranger who was ruffling through his father's office.  The man stood just in front of the desk looking around the room.  Charles saw the curtains to the back window behind the desk blowing into the room.  Without hesitating he locked the closet from the inside as silently as possible then made his way back through the hatch under the floor.  The next available opening to the inside was Mr. Gershwin's hatch located just under his wide receiving desk in the front of the city hall building.  Charles made his way there as stealth as he could manage.  "The elves clean well here underneath" he spoke as soon as he arrived.  He heard footsteps shuffle across the floor above him then heard, "make sure to always wipe your feet".  As he looked up one board slid back away from the entire top of the floor.  He saw Mr. Gershwin standing there looking back to the other side of the room.  "What's that, oh"  Mr. Gershwin chuckled a fake laugh, "it's a silly rhyme my wife's been teaching the children at home" he was obviously speaking to someone else at the desk with him.  "Her mother brought her a new rug back in the winter for our foyer.  But somehow our children seem to find their way around it when they're in and out of the house."  Charles waited where he was.  Mr. Gershwin then went to speak to his visitor so Charles could hear him.  "Now what was I, oh yes, Mr. Martin's records of spending on the highways, let's see.  That would have last been updated eleven years ago when the state put in the new pavement towards the Plum Creek area to Hovington.  I'm sorry gentlemen but that will take some time to find as I'm sure you can understand.  I've been flooded with more than one request for records today, as you can imagine, and I'm on a schedule.  So if you don't mind to wait a few moments I will retrieve those for you to review as soon as possible.  Please have a seat there with the others and I'll be with you soon."  Charles heard the few words of another voice respond to Mr. Gershwin through the opening in the floor.  "Well speed it up.  We don't have all day."  Mr. Gershwin responded politely, "of course, I'll do my best."  Then the floor board slid back in to it's original closed position.  Charles thought only for a second then made his way further back across the maze of paths to where he remembered the records office hatch to be.  There he waited. The more he waited the less unsettled he became.  Then he reached for a cow bell hung on the floor boards underneath, went to the back of the maze under the buildings floors and began shaking the bell vigorously.  After a good minute of his repetitive ringing he began to hear other bells ringing all along the tunnels from not just one, but every direction.  Charles stopped and waited for someone to arrive.  Clyde Park, Dwight Barker, Phineas Michaels, and Roy Ledger were the first ones to respond in person.  "What's going on" Dwight asked. 
"Trouble upstairs, someone's in my father's office.  I think someone came through the window.  Gershwin has his hands full in the lobby and he sounded like he needed help.  Where's the others" Charles spoke quickly. 
"On their way I suppose" Dwight responded.
"Good, Dwight get to the middle lead.  Send them up and out.  Surround the building with as many men as you can find."
"Where's your father" Roy questioned.
"His with the state men inspecting the roads.  So are the others, we have to keep whoever's up there from making off with those records.  Clyde, you stay with me."  The hatch above them opened spilling light through the tunnel.  "Around the wall and through the crawl" Gershwin's voice sounded out through the short walk to where they were standing.  "Roy, you and Phineas get to the others and get outside in case we need you" Charles finished ordering the fellows with him.  "Clyde, let's go" then Charles made his way back to where Gershwin had opened the floor hatch.  "Hurry" Gershwin pleaded.  Charles and Clyde made their way up and out to the records room where Gershwin had not only locked the door but had reinforced it with a large cabinet full of old record books stacked to the top.  "What's going on" Charles asked Gershwin in as quiet a voice as he could manage. 
"We have several uninvited guests" Gershwin started speaking.  "One set came with Mr. Longfellow this morning before he left with your father.  The other's came in only an hour ago and presented me with a letter requesting all of our vital finance records for Rivertown supposedly signed by Mr. Longfellow, however" Charles couldn't wait to listen to what Gershwin had to tell him, "someone's in my father's office going through his files" he blurted out. Gershwin turned from Charles and walked to a shelf against the back wall.  "We need to get these to safety.  All the others are update years between here" he walked down a few shelves, "and here.  We will need the originals which are those, the most recently updated, and one section where, where, oh where is it" he moved along the records desperately trying to hurry.  "Ah yes, those," he pointed to a stack of the thickest compiled books Charles had ever saw.   "Get them into the tunnels.  Even if we have to collapse the routes later the books can be found underneath to dispute any other claim that might be made against them.  They all have state seals on them.  The rest are handwritten and local."
Charles looked at Clyde and said, "get going.  I'll be right behind you.  Gershwin?  How many are there?"
"Books" Gershwin asked.
"No, men in the lobby?"
"About a dozen or so.  But this last bunch don't speak like they're anywhere from around here.  Even dress a little different."
"Are they wearing little pins on the shirt collars; right near the buttons on the collar?  You should be able to see them."
"Yes, as a matter of fact they are.  Do you know who they are?"
"No, but Grouse and Alderman described a similar looking bunch that LaFeu had hired that came in to run everybody else who worked for him off and out of town.  Now, we'll get these records to safety.  But don't give the first one of those people sitting in that lobby the first glimpse of anything except a form to fill out and make sure they have proper i.d. to match their story.  I'm going to find Longfellow's cohorts and have them validate a few things for me.  Go on, get back out there.  I'm going to move that shelf back in front of the doors."  Gershwin had started sweating in the middle of all the excitement.  He grabbed a handkerchief out of his jacket pocket, his hands shaking, and wiped the sweat from across his forehead and top lip.  "Alright" he started to leave then turned back, "and Charles?"  Charles looked back to him.  "Be careful" Gershwin encouraged him.  "I will; you do the same."  It was then Charles saw Clyde reappear under the floor.  "Stay right there, I'll hand them down to you" he said in reference to the books.  He went to the door first to help Gershwin ease the large chest out of the way then waited until he had left before he relocked the door and returned the shelf back to where it completely covered the door and part of the wall.  Charles then scrambled back to the opening where Clyde was looking up at him.  "Get the bell, we're going to need a few extra men up here.  I'll gather some of these books and start dropping them through the hatch."  Clyde didn't question Charles.  A few minutes later Charles could hear the slight clanking sounds of the old bell under the floor.  He didn't bother waiting on Clyde to come back to the tunnel hatch door.  Rather he began dropping them through the opening as fast as he could move.  He had cleared nearly three quarters of the first shelf when he heard Clyde say, "Charles, we have some help!"  Charles went to the hatch, emptied his arms of the records he had gathered, then dropped through the hatch on top of them.  "Christ" Clyde gasped as Charles landed in front of him.  "Don't do that" he clutched his hand to his chest.  Charles stood up, "I've already started the shelves that are suppose to be emptied.  Finish those as quick as you can; I removed a book or two from the shelves you need to clear.  Don't bother with the rest of them, we don't need them.  Empty the whole shelf.   But leave enough space for a walk through here so we can pass through later if we need to.  I'm going to find that Grover fellow who's been skulking around town with Longfellow.  Hey Clint, Joseph, how are you all doing?"  Charles patted them both on the shoulder as he passed by them but didn't stop to talk.  "Help Clyde then get outside.  Clyde, lock that hatch then slide that iron bar through it before you leave."  Then Charles disappeared through the tunnel beyond their sight. 
He made his exit through a small door at the back of the building behind one of the large juniper shrubs that kept the door well hid.  He looked through the limbs of the greenery to see what exactly he would have to face if he stepped out from behind the shrub.  There along the back of the building was a small gathering of Rivertown's local men standing, waiting to see what would happen next.  Charles eased himself carefully between the limbs of the shrub and the stone work of the building to emerge.  One of the other men standing there noticed him.  "Charles, for lands sakes what's going on in there," Mose Sharp nearly demanded to know. 
"I'm not sure Mose; but it looks like we have some people trying to break into the records department.  Come with me" he told Mose and Mose followed after him.  When they rounded the corner of the building Charles looked up at his father's office window.  "Take these fellows here with you and get inside there to help Gershwin" Charles ordered Mose.  "Won't you need a few of them with you over here" Mose asked.  "I'll get some more around here from 'round back.  Go on, tell Gershwin we got this covered out here.  But be quiet about it.  Don't want to spook our guests off before we find out who they really are."  Mose moved on his way gathering a few of guys around that side of the place together to go with him.  Charles went back to the back and motioned for Reginald Swinton, Thomas Gunnter, and a few others to join him.  He put them all in position first then ran to Thatcher's office as fast as he could run.  "Mr. Thatcher!"  He pounded on the door which still displayed the 'out to lunch' sign from his visit before.  Mr. Thatcher opened the door, "what's going on lad?" 
"You have a radio to contact my father with don't you?  Him and the other's in the state cars?"
"Yes of course" Mr. Thatcher replied.
"Do it, get in touch with my father, or anybody else you can get and have them bring some of them state fellows with them.  Longfellow and some other bunch are over at the trustees office trying to get into our records."
Old man Thatcher didn't waste a second asking questions.  He went straight to his two way radio and began searching for help.  It didn't take long for him to get a response.  Charles waited in the door way until he did then closed the door and ran back across the street to the city hall.   As he made his way to the front door a voice called out to him from some distance away.  "Charles Samuels!"  He stopped to see who it was summonsing him.  An older man wearing a dark blue jacket and hat with a gray hat band came racing towards him at a full sprint.  When he got to where Charles was standing he introduced himself.  "My name is Robert Dales, Mr. Samuels," the man pulled out a leather wallet, opened it and presented it to Charles for inspection.  "I'm with the state police.  Your father called us in a few weeks ago.  We've been watching Rivertown since we got here."
"Right, state police" Charles really wasn't interested in what the man had to say at the moment.  "Good, then follow me" he said and went through the doors to the lobby inside.  Robert Dales followed him and tried to speak to him once again without any response from Charles at all.  As soon as Charles stepped inside he made eye contact with Gershwin who was behind the front desk as usual.  Charles went straight away to where Gershwin was standing and then went behind the desk to join him.  "How's it going" he asked panting as he spoke.  Gershwin eyeballed the front lobby full of out of towners then said, "you tell me." 
"That there is" he pointed to Robert who was standing on the other side of the desk.  "What is your name" he asked.
"Robert Dales" the man said then showed his identification wallet to Mr. Gershwin.  "I received a call that there might be some trouble here at moment.  Thought I would see what I could do to help settle it down before things got out of hand" he said in a low calm voice. 
Mr. Gershwin then introduced himself to Mr. Dales and asked him to step behind the desk.  The two of them stepped a couple of steps away from the desk to talk.  Charles peered across the lobby noticing a few of the men who wore the shirt pins were starting to file out of the building; first two left, then another, then another.  "Dales!"  He pointed to the door.  "Your problems solving itself looks like.  All except for" Charles remembered the man he saw in his father's office, "follow me."  He bolted from behind the counter in front to the desk nearly walking face into another man who stopped him in his tracks.  Charles said excuse me then came to an abrupt halt.  "Sid?"  The man he spoke to ducked his head in the opposite direction moving quickly away from him.  "Hey, wait, Sid!  Sid Madewell!"  The man he spoke to kept moving, taking faster steps towards the door.  Charles made a reach for his arm but Robert Dales broke his grasp when he stepped in between them.  "Your father said you were a little erratic" he looked at Charles sternly.  "Now before you do anything else," while Robert was speaking the man Charles was trying to talk to exited the door out of sight.  Charles looked at Robert.  "Get out of my face" he said feeling his hot breath in front of him.  Robert stepped back two steps.  Charles pointed down the hall, "you know where my father's office is don't you?"  Robert glanced toward the others in the room then back to Charles.  "I do" he answered.  "Then go get the trespasser out of there and arrest him."  Robert squinted his eyes at Charles then stepped around him in the direction of Mayor Samuels office.  "Gershwin, go with him" Charles demanded but stayed right where he was standing.  Mr. Gershwin followed after Mr. Dales without question.  Everyone in the lobby heard a loud bang that sounded like a door slamming and the sounds of a shuffling scuffle.  Moments later Gershwin reentered the room, "good job Charles.  We got him."  Gershwin's gaze went to the lobby.  Charles turned around to see three more men who had been seated there rise from their chairs to exit the building in a hurry.  A few of the others were still seated.  "Who's that bunch there" he asked Gershwin in a low voice. 
"Identified themselves as Mr. Longfellow's associates from Millington."
"Uh huh" Charles acknowledged Gershwin's answer.  "Were they here first?" 
"They were." 
"Was Longfellow with them when they came in?"
"Yes actually.  Why do ask?"
"Just wondering if that guy in dad's office is with them or one of that other bunch."
"The man in your father's office has a matching shirt pin like the others" Gershwin informed him.
Charles searched Gershwin's face.  "Did you know any of those guys in here or did any of them look familiar to you?"
"Now that you mention it, yes" Gershwin looked disappointed that he had to say it.
"I thought so too" Charles sighed.  "You stay up here and entertain these chaps, I'm going to go see what's going on in dad's office."  Before Charles could take the first step Robert Dales reappeared in the lobby, escorting the intruder by the elbow.  Charles looked the stranger in the eye and asked, "who sent you?"
Robert Dales gave the answer, "says he works for Madison Longfellow.  The clerk was busy and gave him permission to be there."
"That's absurd" Gershwin said outraged.  "Absolutely absurd!  I've never saw this man a day in my life. Charles I," he started to explain. 
"It's alright Gershwin.  I saw how he got permission.  But it wasn't from you; he used the window." 
The man sneered smugly at Charles.  "Prove it."
"Well these gentlemen over here are with Mr. Longfellow" he looked to the lobby.  "Let's ask them.  Gentlemen, is this fellow here one of your companions?"
They all immediately denied knowing who he was. 
"He's not with us" said the first man who stood to his feet and approached Charles and the others.  "I gave Mr. Gershwin my credentials.  Mr. Longfellow introduced us personally.  Isn't that right Mr. Gershwin?"
"It is indeed sir" Gershwin confirmed the man's presence. 
"And on behalf of Mr. Gershwin" the man continued, "he hasn't gave any one person who entered this building today permission to be any where besides the front lobby.  Not to be a pretentious, arrogant, outsider - as I was so snidely called earlier by one of the locals - but Mr. Longfellow asked us to keep an eye this place; on his behalf of course, so he could inspect and compare some of the local records with his own later.  If I were you, I would have that fellow there retained for questioning and booked for criminal trespassing.  This is after all a local government building is it not?"  Robert Dales answered his questionable comment, "it is indeed and that is a very good idea.  This way" he didn't bother speaking to either Mr. Gershwin or Charles again.  Rather he escorted the unknown trespasser away from them and down the opposite hall to the constables office.  "Thank you" Mr. Gershwin said to Longfellow's representative.  "Not a problem.  We're here to settle the conflicts between your office and Mr. Longfellow, not to create more."  He turned away from Charles and Gershwin then reseated himself with his own group. 
An hour later Mayor Samuels himself came through the front doors.  Robert Dales and Mr. Gershwin were the ones left to explain the events.  Charles was well on his way back through the tunnels moving as quickly as possible between safe stations and rooms as he could go spreading the word that a new problem could be at hand.  He was sure he had looked Sid Madewell right in the eye, sure of it, and to him and those he spoke to they knew that could be a very big problem for them.  Sid and his family were once a resident of the Rivertown area theirselves.  Charles and Sid, along with a few of the others scattered about trying to keep themselves safe, had attended the same school together when they were nine years old or so.  For those not the same age, they still remembered him and his older brothers and sisters in one class or another.  "You don't think that Sid would turn on all of us do ya" Rufus Whittenburg implored.  "We all got along together.  Heck, we all use to go camping together during turkey season before Thanksgiving."  Charles didn't bother making any more out of it than what he knew.  All he could say for sure to any of them was that he was almost positive that that is who he saw.  By the time he reached the Plum Creek area near the Lochlan residents word had spread through the country side like a pollen seed in a spring wind.  A blatant hypocritical doubt spread right along with it as the story passed from one set of men to the other who were still keeping a vigilant guard over their property between barn lofts, tree tops and tunnel paths.  Most could remember being told, and or reading in an imported Pembrook newspaper, that Sid Madewell, along with two of his older brothers Patrick and Roger, had been killed in France during the second World War.  Most were sure Charles was mistaken due to the lack of sleep and stress of the situation they were all facing.  Yet some didn't doubt it at all.  They too had heard stories of misidentified soldiers returning home to Hovington and some of the smaller areas after their families had been told they were no longer alive.  Charles didn't bother accepting or debating anything anyone said to him concerning what he reported; only told them to be exceedingly careful.  Because in fact if it were Sid Madewell, Sid knew every nook and cranny of those areas like the back of his hand.  He arrived at the Lochlan house just as Percival Lochlan himself was getting ready for bed.  "I figured you'd be here" Charles said.  Percival, Mr. Li, Elbert Johann, and Raymond Hunt were all gathered inside the house.  "We're trying to keep the houses as full as possible to help support our men in the barns and outside there.  Since that other outfit uses arrows the same way we do we tried to shorten the distance between message routes and keep the houses looking occupied.  If they get in our barns that's one thing.  If they get in our houses that's another" Percival said. 
"Have you heard anything about Penelope" Charles asked as Percival poured him a cup of coffee. 
"I have.  Her mother sent word earlier that they had made it to Bridge Port.  I probably won't know anything else until tomorrow.  We had a short word arrive here a few hours ago about trouble in town and you seeing a ghost.  Do you know anything about it?" Charles told Percival about the happenings at the city hall building, about meeting Robert Dales, and then he went on to mention the possibility of Sid Madewell being alive and among the men now working for Gaston LaFeu.
Mr. Li was interested in one particular aspect of the story Charles told them.  "You say Dales stopped you from asking question if it were Sid" he asked. 
"Yeah" Charles replied.  "I didn't much like it either but I was trying to get someone back to dad's office to see who that was so I let it go."
Percival asked Mr. Li, "does that bother you?"
"It does, yes.  Over the years more than one man has came back from war who wasn't suppose to.  Some happy to be home with family.  Some angry that they were sent to war.  The Madewell family are all gone from this area now.  After sons were killed in war the father died, the mother couldn't tend to their land responsibilities so daughter moved mother to Tazewell with her family.  Their land was sold to railroad company but mother died before they paid.  Railroad no pay daughter because daughter's name not on the sale paper."  Raymond Hunt verified Mr. Li's story adding that the Madewell's oldest daughter, who lived in the Millington area, had supposedly found out what had happened and was still supposedly working on settling her and her sister's claim to the land; the last he had heard anyway.  Elbert Johann brought up the subject of how war in fact does change a man's perspective.  Charles sat and listened to the conversation drinking his coffee in silence.  "So we could be looking at the possibility of someone in LaFeu's bunch knowing the tunnels run through here then" Percival reasoned after listening to the others talk.  Charles stared into his cup.  "Possibly, yeah" he replied. 
"Well no ones mentioned anybody threatening the tunnels yet; besides us but I still think we should wait until we see what happens tomorrow in the daylight before we do anything stupid.  Charles dad and Longfellow's bunch seem to have the thing under control as far as today is concerned."
Just before the next person could speak Stogie, who had been resting near Percival's feet, got up and went to the kitchen wall.  She sniffed along the back of the ice box then along the floor.  The men gathered around the table grew quiet.  Percival rose from his chair and approached the wall carefully.  "The elves clean well here underneath" a voice from the other side said.  Percival moved the cold box to the side then opened the door to the safe room behind the wall.  Astar Woods and Horace Whittenburg stood closest to him.  A few others, including their sons were sitting and standing in the room behind them.  "We just received this" Astar held up a piece of paper in his hand.  Percival offered the men inside the kitchen.  They accepted and came in leaving the safe room's door open behind them.  The paper was an announcement from Mr. Gershwin that Mayor Samuels and Mr. Longfellow had returned to Riverton.  The trucks had all been stopped and would remain so until Mr. Longfellow's cousin, the senator, gave his approval for them to continue.  The state police were there to insure the rights of the Rivertown citizens, help protect  and more were on their way during the overnight hours.  Mr. Gershwin had also sent a weather report along with his information saying that heavy rains were expected in the area for the next four days.  Mr. Li asked if they, Mr. Woods and Mr. Whittenburg, had any new news about the growing concerns spreading among their fellow citizens involving Gaston LaFeu's new group surrounding their properties.  Mr. Woods accepted a warm cup of coffee from Percival when he answered, "no, not from the mayor; however there is a rumor spreading among the men outside that one and possible even more than one of the men working for LaFeu now are former residents of our area.  We were told that young Charles there was an eye witness and could give us more details."  Horace Whittenburg leaned heavily on the cane he had used for years to assist him.  "There was one other possible witness of a few ghost" he said.  "Rufus sent word to me just before I saw you, Astar.  He was under town escorting a few of the families into the church when all of the commotion was going on at city hall.  After things settled down he went over to check on Gershwin, find out what had happened.  Gershwin said he would swear to almighty God that Louie Dobbs and Abram Lewis were among them." 
Percival looked at Charles and the others studying their faces. 
Horace went on to say, "don't make no sense as to why they would be stalking around here."
"Unless they were just looking for work like the rest of those guys in Hovington and Rivertown.  That LaFeu is one crafty monster; not a one of those fellows who worked for him knew what he was up to."
"Or so they claimed" Elbert non chalantly added.
"Well their stories were all the same; applied for construction work, road scouts, delivery positions, truck drivers and the like.  Most of them had never even heard of Rivertown before answering Mr. LaFeu's ads" Astar Woods defended them.  "All of them from Bridge Port and beyond trying to feed their families and keep a roof over their heads."
"Longfellow sure did take that glitch easy.  Just willing to let them all ride on out of town before he found LaFeu" Elbert stirred the conversation. 
"All but one" Percival spoke solemnly. 
Horace entered his voice into the conversation; he almost growled when he said the name, "Edison Saville.  How is she Percival?  Have you heard?"
"She wears a brave face Horace" Percival answered.
"Did they get to Bridge Port" Astar somberly asked.
Percival forced a grin on his face to ease the anxiety he was feeling before he said, "They did.  Hopefully we'll have a good word from them in the morning."  The room grew so quite that all any man there could hear was their own breathing.  Mr. Li is the one who said what they all were thinking, "we all first saw her years ago under similar circumstance.  Big mouth liar from other state attacking innocent people; trying to take what not theirs."  Charles looked at Percival; and for just a glimpse noted seeing how he had saw the same look on Penelope's face over the years when she had had enough conversation.  "Well I didn't notice Dobbs or Lewis" he stepped back into the conversation.  "But I looked right in Sid's face; looked him right in the eyes.  And not to make worry where we shouldn't but he recognized me too.  I'm sure of it.  As soon as I said his name he ducked his face the other way and tried to run out the door."
"So if you saw who you think you saw" Astar spoke.
"And Gershwin saw Dobbs and Lewis" Horace continued Astar's thought.
"Then we're dealing with people who could cause us a whole lot of problems" Elbert chided. 
"Problems" Mr. Li huffed.  "They could blow tunnels while we're in them.  That's more than problem.  Last time no one know tunnels exist but us."
"Has anyone seen them any place other than town" Percival asked.
"If they have they haven't said" Charles replied.  "Would be a good thing to know though wouldn't it?"
"Well think of it this way," Raymond Hunt decided to throw in his two cents worth of thought.  "If those boys are in that kind of outfit they might not know what they're getting theirselves into.  They could be just like that first bunch that came in; unaware and completely naive.  Now if they're trying to lay low and stay out of our sight and we call them out on it LaFeu could make life real bad for them; real bad.  But if we don't and LaFeu don't know they're from around here then they might just help us keep LaFeu out of the tunnels.  We really don't know what's going on in their minds."
"So much for that idea" Charles mocked his self this time.  "I called Sid's name out right there in front of everyone."
"You also stopped them from rushing the records office while Gershwin was in there all by himself.  Which I think it's high time somebody in this room said so.  Your father ought to be proud of you" he patted Charles on the back.
"But do we wait for Sid, Dobbs and Lewis to tell us" Horace cut straight to the point. 
"For now" Percival spoke up, "we plan for ourselves.  We trust each other.  We make decisions together and when the time arrives we all make that decision.  As of right now we control the tunnels.  We know them much better than those boys ever could.  Most of what they know existed were in and around town; not out here.  Besides, we've developed much further along and a whole lot more since they were in these parts.  If they find the old entrances they'll all be sealed.  We closed them off and rerouted those years ago; and we know how to keep the integrity of the path without giving it away.  So yes, it's my opinion that we wait.  We don't want to put their lives in danger no more than we would want to put our own.  But if they do happen to stumble upon the paths then we have to protect ourselves and our property the ways we know how."
"But they know about the safe rooms on the inside.  Those were some of the first defenses we built Percival.  I'm not that much older than you, I'm sure you remember when we first built them," Astar reminded the seated group.
"They know they could exist, yes" said Horace.  "But I'm sure they remember we're armed inside them as well."
Charles's mind began to race with all the information Astar and Horace were contemplating back and forth across the table.  "I agree with Mr. Lochlan.  They might remember some yes, but we have changed them quiet a lot over the years" he said. "And our boys are on the outside keeping an eye on the place.  So if they make a move we'll know it.  All we really need to do is follow our own good sense." 
Raymond agreed immediately with Charles.  "That's sounds good to me.  So far everything that's happened has been between LaFeu and Longfellow."
Elbert disagreed, "until today.  Everybody was in town today."
"Not exactly" said Charles.  "LaFeu wasn't."
"LaFeu's men were."
"Do any of you know Penelope's friend Isabella" Charles brought up what seemed to be a new topic.
"Of course" Percival answered first with the rest of the men following with similiar answers.
"Did you by chance meet her friend Matilda Dayhuff" Charles asked after their first round of answers.  This time only Percival and Mr. Li said that they had.  The rest of them had not.  Charles went on to tell the others about his introduction to Matilda and the conversation he'd had with her, Isabella and Penelope.  He made a strong point of interest concerning the information Matilda shared with them concerning the relationship she described between Madison Longfellow and Gaston LaFeu.  He also stressed that Matilda herself was supposedly privy to several conversations between Madison and Gaston where Madison was implying that Gaston was more than welcome to play the bad guy to whomever he chose as long as Mr. Longfellow could benefit from their arrangement; and never increminated for his funding to LaFeu.  At that point in Charles' story Horace Whittenburg entreated him and the others with information Charles's dad had gathered himself from friends of his in Pembrook.  Ms. Dayhuff's family were a highly respected family in their community and had never had as much as a rumor spread more than three houses away.  Most of them were quickly dismissed but then again most of them were such things as who could be having illicit affairs with their neighbors and who found out otherwise and was embarrassing apologetic later once the story had been repeated.  Horace believed Matilda could be trusted.  Charles believed they should rely on her rendition of Longfellow's relationship with LaFeu implying that that could very well be the case here in Riverton.  Mr. Li, Percival, Elbert, Raymond, Horace and Astar all agreed it was indeed something that should be kept in mind.  Longfellow would be covering up his own indescrepencies with LaFeu, as to not besmirch his senatoral cousin's good name as much as LaFeu would be looking for leverage against Longfellow, Riverton and Hovington; not to mention anyone else he had set his intentions on to swindle.  Percival leaned back in his chair then slung a question on to all of their conversations that no one there could give an answer to.  "So gentlemen, tell me.  How is it that such decent minded women such as Penelope and Matilda, who for the better part of their lives stay at home and mind their own business, get themselves out of a set of situations that they have never had any part in without getting theirselves hurt, or worse?"  They all sat in the quiet room listening to the clock on the wall tick away the seconds as they thought. 
"You know" Charles hesitated to say it at first but then thought better about it and brought up the next conversation, "Bryce mentioned something about his encounter with that Saville fellow that I didn't much like either."
"Which was" Astar Woods asked. 
"Said Edison was a real calm guy until he found out Penelope's name.  Then he got a real crazy look on his face and started getting mouthy with her."
Percival looked at Mr. Whittenburg when he spoke as if he were speaking only to him.  "I met Longfellow myself in Earl's office the night I arrived.  He didn't much seem interested in who she was or even who I was to be honest about it."
"LaFeu could've been, interested in knowing her name. Not to make you sore at me Charles but you were the one who decided to heckle her in our town meeting."
"The whole place was sitting full of LaFeu's men.  I wanted them all to know we knew her.  That's all." 
"Why would LaFeu's man be interested in Penelope" Elbert wondered out loud.
"Longfellow's man" Astar corrected his statement with the most recent turn of events.  "Longfellow now claims that Edison Saville is in his custody until they can get him back to where all of Longfellow's big shot lawyers can have a go at him."
"Or he's covering up for LaFeu" Raymond proposed.  
"She said that Longfellow called her 'boy' when he was making his way through the Plum Creek area.  Didn't recognize her as a woman from the distance they were speaking at" Horace added the detail.  "Now if Longfellow thought as much and LaFeu was scavaging the towns records looking for names that could have been a point of interest for them both.  Did Bryce say anything specific that Edison said to Penelope?" 
"No, just said that he looked like he recognized the name when she said it; like a light buld came on in his face" Charles answered.
Penelope's father sat listening without saying a word. 
"But she's in Bridge Port now right?  Away from the whole lot of them?  That's a good thing.  A good thing for her and Ms. Dayhuff; especially if what Ms. Dayhuff told Charles is true" Mr. Woods confidently expressed.  "We should be concentrating on Rivertown and the families who are here at the moment.  I'm sure Percival would agree."
"Yes I would" Percival spoke for himself.  "All at the same time that is another concern we should take into account for when we are dealing with LaFeu and Longfellow.  If Longfellow don't care how LaFeu treats people, especially women and children, as long as he gets the business dealings LaFeu offers him then we shouldn't stake too much in Mr. Longfellow's help for anything besides taking care of his own stuffed suit.  This all sounds like a three ring circus to me.  LaFeu's the ring leader; he has all of us in one ring juggling the people of Rivertown around.  He has Longfellow in the center ring with a mega phone and a bunch of clowns running around in their cars, and has a new bunch in the other ring waiting for the spot light to shine on them for a performance of shooting each other out of a cannon at the crowd.  I don't like it gentlemen.  And every man here would be a damn fool if they thought either one of them, Longfellow or LaFeu, is going to do anything other than help themselves to whatever they have planned for all of us."
Percival picked up his cup from the table then stood and went to the coffee pot sitting on the counter.  He saw the small soap dish Penelope had made years ago from pottering clay sitting on the corner of the sink.  The men at the table behind him were silent.
Back in Rivertown Madison Longfellow was sitting in the living room of the Martin's bed and breakfast talking on the telephone.  Clifton Grover and the man who had been at the city hall's office earlier in the day when Charles had prevented the break in, Mitchell O'Reilly, sat sipping an evening tea.  Longfellow returned the receiver back to it's resting place then asked, "so have either of you spoke to Mr. Saville this evening" he asked.
Grover answered, "I did earlier.  He's still fit to be tied though.  Want's out of that cramped little room."
"And Rivertown's finest are keeping him happy inspite of that fact" Longfellow looked at a small stack of papers he was holding in his lap. 
"Rivertown's finest won't even give him a light buld because he broke the first one.  I had to send a new buld and lamp myself so the man could see his own hand in front of his face" Grover replied snidely. 
"So they really don't have any likings with LaFeu and Saville" Madison asked to clarify.
"Likings?"  Clifton Grover grunted a laugh before he said, "Madison, if those boys of George Thatcher's had their way about it they'd throw Edison Saville under the jail and make him hunt worms out of the dirt for his supper.  He's lucky they haven't strung him up yet."
"What was his offense again" Longfellow asked.
"Breaking and entering and physical assault."
"So he got caught stealing and had a fight with the owner is that the idea?" Longfellow really didn't seem as interested in Edison Saville's condition as he did the papers he was reading in his lap.
"Not exactly but close enough" Grover commented. 
"And you, O'Reilly, at the records hall today, there was an intruder who was arrested before he could make off with the records?"
"Yes, one of your state lawmen made the arrest.  A Mr. Dales I believe the name was." 
Madison looked up from his papers, "Mr. Dales?"
"Robert Dales sir, took the would be larcenist into custody."
"Hm," Madison looked into the lamp shade in front of him trying to remember a face to go to the name.  "Dales?  What does he look like?"
"Medium sized fellow; graying blond hair, blue eyes, mustache beard, clean shaven jaws but long sideburns.  Has an old faded scar above his left eyebrow; wearing regular clothes, not a uniform."
"Our boys wear uniforms" Longfellow informed him.  "Are you sure you didn't let Gaston LaFeu's men walk off and escape" he voice sounded angrier.  Madison's question didn't phase Mitchell O'Reilly in the slightest.  "I'm sure.  As a matter of fact I watched Mr. Dales leave the building myself.  I also left one of my own men there to keep an eye on the place overnight to make sure no one went in or out of the building besides the local constables; and before you asked I made sure they got a real good look at the locals so they wouldn't get confused."
"Who was it they locked up" Madison nearly demanded to know.
"Don't know" Mitchell replied calmly, "he refused to give them a name or tell them anything else.  Said he needed a good meal and a cot anyway.  Acted like he was in no hurry to leave what so ever."  Madison lifted his large body out of the chair and went to the window in the front of the room.  He pulled the curtains back from the window and looked out at the streets of Rivertown.  "Maybe that's what they're planning" he mumbled but spoke loud enough to be heard.  "Get a bunch all together in the small jail there then try something from the inside."
"Small jail" Grover chuckled after he said it.  "He's handcuffed to a rail on a wall in a closet.  A cast iron rail that's anchored to the foundation of the floor.  One hand short of ever reaching the door; and when I say cuffed I mean shackled, with an actual horse shackle.  That's how he sleeps, that's how he eats.  So if they gave him a companion to talk to through the wall he's probably wearing the match to the shackle he's wearing; attached to a very similar rail.  I tell you Madison, you might think these people aren't as smart as we give them credit for and maybe in some ways they aren't but they have a set of smarts about them that we don't need either.  This is the first town I've ever been to in my entire life that don't have a jail.  And when I asked the mayor, oh, wait, what's his name?"
"Earl" Madison answered.
"Earl, yes that's the one.  When I asked him why they didn't have a jail, do you know what he said?"
Mitchell replied, "no, what?"
"They didn't need one" Grover lightly laughed.  "They take care of things by talking to each other and if things get out of hand then they put them in the closet until they settle down enough to talk about it."
Madison walked back to the chair he had previously been seated in and sat down.  "Did he tell you why they do things that way?"  Madison didn't wait for Mitchell or Grover to answer him.  "The war!  Over half of the men here watched the boys they went to school with be murdered right in front of them.  They rest of them came to Rivertown years before that when they were children to keep from being murdered before they were old enough to kiss a woman other than their mother.  After things like that you appreciate life more.  You don't look for an opportunity to be shot at or thrown in a prison.  You wake up grateful.  You go to bed thankful.  You appreciate the people around you because you don't have bombs the size of tractors falling on your house while you're eating supper!"  Madison eyed Grover as if he was directing all of his anger toward him.  "These people aren't murders!  They're farmers!  They're factory workers, they're seamstresses, grocery store clerks.  For God's sake man, even the poor families here feed the poorer ones!  They don't leave them in the streets or camping in some debilitating old barn.  They used the money the would have spent building a jail to build a bunk house onto the church for people to sleep in if they were passing through without any means of getting a room or finding food.  That's why they don't have a jail.  They don't go out and round people up for profits!  They don't put them on some work crew or chain gang to build their roads for them!  They feed them, they give them jobs and a place to stay until they get enough money to go on with their lives."  Madison stopped talking to catch his breath then pointed a long finger at Grover as if he were threatening him.  "And when I see Gaston LaFeu again I'm going to make him pay for every single blade of grass that he's destroyed here!  Do you hear me?  He's going to pay for it!  If I have to take everything that man owns or ever had I will.  I may not care how he did his business before but when I made the deal with him for this new developement near Hovington I told him specifically not and I did mean not, to make an ass out of himself or me!  His brother should have sent him off to France to be blown away when he had the chance.  But what did he do.  Requested a special request from my family for the draft board so he didn't have to go.  Now look," Madison held up the papers he had been looking at earlier and waved them in the air.  "A quarter of a million dollars later between construction equipment, construction supplies, destruction of private property, destruction of state properties, not to mention the county properties and the hundreds of lives that he's put in danger or ruined; me and my family are having to pay even more man hour wages to stop him from waging a financial war on our lives.  And I'll tell you both one more thing" he sat up on the edge of his chair, "if what you told me is true Grover, about those two women who were found dead in the river near Rose Dale and Pembrook being his ex-governesses and those properties being theirs; I swear it to you, I'll swear it to God, and to everyone else that I know or who will listen to me, that I will find their families and pay for them to watch that man hang in court!  Do I make myself clear?!"
"Yes sir" Grover solemnly replied.
"Mitchell?!"  Madison wanted him to answer him too.
"I do indeed sir" Mitchell replied.     
"And while I'm on the subject after Edison Saville tells me what I need to know I might just throw him in prison for the fun of it."
"I'm sure Mr. Thatcher and his family would be more than pleased to help you" Grover confirmed once again so Madison would at least ease his mind from the worries that LaFeu had people in Rivertown convinced to help him fight Mr. Longfellow.  "As would many others who knew that young lady he hurt.  The people here are quiet fond of her and her family."
"What were their names again" Madison asked.
"Lochlan, their surname is Lochlan."
Madison looked at Mitchell then back to Grover, "It wouldn't happen to be Percival Lochlan's daughter now would it?"
"As a matter of fact it is.  Her name's Penelope."
"Yes" Madison said as the memory of meeting Percival in Earl's office resurfaced in his mind.  "I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Lochlan just the other evening when we first arrived.  In Earl Samuel's office wasn't it?"
Grover confirmed, "yes it was.  Tall fellow, broad shoulders, dark blond hair, dark eyed,  surly look on his face with arms the size of an oak tree.  Looked more like a logger than a business man.  Was quite proud of the fact Penelope was his daughter as I remember it." 
"That's who Saville jumped in Charles Samuels garage" Madison clarified one more time. 
"As the story was told by more than one person, yes.  Bryce Thatcher and Ms. Lochlan were there on an errand for Charles when they or rather when Penelope caught Edison trying to break into the place." 
"People here sure talk odd about her" Mitchell injected himself into Grover's conversation.  "Almost like she's a ghost or something.  Noticed it a few times today at city hall."
"What do you mean" Madison asked.
"I'm not sure" Mitchell studied Longfellow's face then Grover's as if they would help him explain the phenomenon.  "It's just the way they all mention her."
"Maybe they're just guarding their talk because of all the outsiders in town" Grover suggested.
"Could be" Mitchell yielded to his offer.  "Still though, it's extraordinary the way every where I've visited today her name came up.  The diner, city hall, even this evening when we were in the grocery store buying food for the pantry here."
"Were the people eyeballing you as if you were involved" Madison asked.
"No, no that's not it at all" Mitchell insisted.  "I'm just not sure how to describe it."
"Wouldn't that be a slap in the face afterall" Longfellow snorted then rambled on, "LaFeu and his outfit hurting all of these women and inditing us as their sponsors.  My god, my father would disown me and have me hanged in the middle of the state capital for the likes of such shame!"
"My wife would divorce me on the spot if she thought such a thing were true" Mitchell said, "with her father's blessing; who would put it in every newspaper he owned."
"Which reminds me" Grover tried to steer the conversation towards something other than Gaston LaFeu to calm his employer Madison Longfellow.  "Has anyone been in touch with Arnold LaFeu, Gaston's brother?  We need to make sure we freeze his accounts as well before he ditches them all off into another safe hold for his own profit.  No telling what kind of scam the two of them have going on there."
"Ah, well said" Madison took the bait and followed Grover's lead.  "I have and I have people there as well keeping an eye on him and his family.  They don't make one transaction in or out of those banks of his that I won't know."  Before Madison could explain anything else the phone on the table rang.  "Longfellow here" he answered.  "He's where?  No, no that's alright.  See what you can find out.  I'll be here all night but I'm not leaving here for some wild goose chase like last night.  I need to sleep.  If you find him bring him to me immediately."  He hung up the receiver.  "Grover this is what I need you to do.  I need you to find out who this Robert Dales is and who he supposedly arrested this evening.  Then I want you to talk to that guy and win him over to our side.  Write him a check if you have to, tell him it will only clear if he helps us and it will only clear with both mine and his signature.  If he won't talk to you about LaFeu then don't waste a dime on his dinner.  Let Rivertown feed him.  Then I want you to find our state men, they're at the hotel there, talk to Mr. Jeffers.  Have him form a search team to scour the barns and sheds between here and Hovington.  LaFeu didn't go out of town.  I know he didn't.  He has too much money to lose here if he does.  Which means he's hiding around here somewhere.  Now if these people here aren't helping him he's hiding somewhere on one of their places.  Jeffers can produce the right paper work to obtain a legal search right.  Tell him I want every square inch of this county searched until he's found.  That was Lourdes on the phone, he said that no one had seen LaFeu since he ran out of there days ago.  Even the men who were suppose to be working for him in Hovington are leaving.  Lourdes is going to do the same there as we're going to do here.  We need to work fast to find him before he finds his way out of here through the woods or hurts anyone else.  Rivertown might not be helping him now or up to this point but if he keeps attacking these people the way he has been they're liable just to believe him as not the next time he says I'm the one pulling all of the strings and him and his men are just doing what I order.  Now, get over there and find Jeffers.  Let me know when he leaves the hotel." 
Grover stood up, grabbed his hat and coat from the coat rack near the door and left.  

Reading Index for Boris and Penelope