Читать книгу Safety Harbor - Chuck Cooper - Страница 31

The sound of the motorcycles could be heard as the town’s bad boys, Jens Marsden and Roy Edgefield, descended upon Safety Harbor via Highway 101, that came through town and became Main Street. Through traffic was being diverted onto residential streets and directed out through the city limits to the other side. Jens and Roy had ignored the detour signs and now came riding into town heading directly toward a head-on collision with the parade, stopping everything in its tracks.

Daniel got out of his pick-up and went to talk reason with them. He didn’t know them and he didn’t know that the whole town of Safety Harbor did, in fact, know them very well.

“There’s a parade going on here, guys,” he began as if he didn’t know they were up to no good. “If you turn around and go back to the city limits, you can see where to go to get through town.”

“That so,” said Jens.

“Where’s your badge, buddy?” Roy challenged him.

“Look guys, we don’t want any trouble, but you are holding up the parade and we’d appreciate it if you would move your bikes so we can get on with it!”

“Not gonna happen,” said Jens.

It didn’t take long for Daniel to realize they were in a hostile mood and he would have to back off. Nate and Jeremy and several others began to move toward the front of the parade.

Nate called Carmelita from his float. “You’d better get down here. Marsden and Edgefield have blocked the parade and there’s a standoff. There’s going to be trouble.”

By the time Nate arrived, a crowd had gathered on the scene. He sensed, as he approached, that the situation was serious.

“Okay,” Nate said, “we’re all going to back off here and wait for Carmelita.”

“Oh, you’re bringing that woman cop into this so that she can settle a man’s fight?”

“She’s the law, Jens, and she’ll settle this,” said Nate.

“Like hell she will,” Roy piped up. “Let us through or we’re going to mow everybody down!”

Suddenly one of the blind students called out, “Uncle Roy, is that you?”

“No, it’s not me, kid!” he sputtered. “You’ve mistaken me for someone else!”

“Oh yes, it is you!” the little voice continued. “I know your voice. I’m Little Therese, your niece. You know, Momma works at the hospital. Momma and I know you. Are you in the parade too?’

Silence followed.

Suddenly Jens began to laugh at Roy. “You fool!” he said. “What do you mean, ‘It’s not me?’ What kind of a dumb answer is that? You got family in this shin-dig?”

This could have been the end of it, but Roy was humiliated and couldn’t let it go.

“You stay out of this, kid. It’s not any of your business!”

Suddenly Nate remembered that there was a Ruth Edgefield-Martin who worked at the hospital. She had come down to his boat with the local ambulance and attended one of his customers. Was that Therese’s mother? If so, maybe she could come down and talk some sense into her brother.

Nate called the hospital.

“Ruth, this is Nate Beard. Do you have a brother named Roy?”

There was silence on the other end, broken by a long sigh.

“What’s he done?” she asked.

“Well, Jens and he have just ridden their motorcycles into town. They’ve blocked the parade from going forward with their motorcycles and refuse to move. It’s getting tense down here. It must be your daughter who recognized his voice. I figured that maybe you could come down here and at least talk some sense into Roy and maybe Jens would follow on after. Carmelita is on her way. I just thought it couldn’t hurt if you were here with us to provide some back-up and support.”

“I’ll be down!”

“Thanks. And . . .”

“Yes?”

“Please don’t tell Lou. It will just upset him and there isn’t a thing he can do about it.”

“Okay. Sounds good.”

Ruth had never done this before so it came as a surprise to her supervisor, when she asked to leave her shift.

“Now?”

“Right now!”

“What’s going on?”

“I can’t say.”

“You have to say. I can’t let you off for no reason.”

“If you have to write something down just, say it’s a family emergency.”

“Ruth, what’s going on?”

“There’s trouble down at the parade. It’s my brother again and that no-good friend of his, Jens. They are holding up the whole parade. They are in a mood. I need to get down there to see if I can talk to him.”

“You go.”

“Thanks. I’ll be back as soon as I can. Oh, and don’t tell Lou. It’ll just upset him.”

“I understand.”

But it was not to be.

Father Callaghan said, “Something’s afoot. Look! The whole parade has stopped. What do you suppose is going on?”

“Well, the first time,” said Susanna, “it was the kids getting out of the bus. I can’t imagine that it’s anything to worry about.”

“Something is not right here, Susanna.”

“I agree with Frank. Let’s ask Ruth if she knows anything,” Lou said, punching his call light. “After all, I’m paying for this gadget. They have hovered so much that I haven’t needed to use it until now.”

It was not Ruth who appeared at the door.

“Where’s Ruth?”

“Ruth has a family situation she has to attend to,” said Shirley. “She had to leave for a while.”

“I hope it isn’t Little Therese. She’s in the parade and it’s getting very hot out there!”

“No, Little Therese is okay,” she said.

“What then?” Lou asked.

“Maybe it’s her own business, Lou,” said Wendell.

“Something is wrong,” said Father Callaghan. “I can feel it. You need to tell us if it’s important.”

“By all means,” said Lou.