Chapter 11

Later that evening Violet and Aaron were in the bedroom they shared jamming clothes into a paper sack. Phoebe frowned from the open doorway. Violet looked up from the half-filled sack to Aaron. "Is that all you've got?" He shrugged. "I'll buy you some clothes when we get home." Aaron picked up the sack and they turned to leave.

"Won't you even consider…" Phoebe started to ask.

"No." Violet brushed past Phoebe. Then she turned back. "Thank you. For taking care of me." Violet hugged Phoebe.

"I take care of any stray dog. Besides, you're relation."

"I never knew I had so many."

"Doesn’t it feel good? To be part of something so big? So caring?"

"So murderous?" Phoebe sighed as Violet walked on. As Aaron followed with his sack Phoebe ruffled his hair.

Violet walked out onto the porch. Then froze. The small front yard was filled with people. The road, next-door yards, nearby empty lots, were filled with people. Over a hundred men and women and children stared at her. They were separated into two distinct groups. Aaron, then Phoebe, joined Violet on the porch. "Word got around you were leaving," Phoebe said.

"Where'd they all come from?"

"Down out of the mountains."

"Why? Are they going to stop us?"

"No. They just wanted to see you."

Violet remained motionless. But Aaron walked past her down off the porch toward her car. The crowd parted to let him pass. Violet fell into step behind him while Phoebe remained on the porch. Violet looked from face to face as she walked through the silent crowd. Everyone stared solemnly back. Except the children, which made up most of the onlookers. Some laughed upon catching Violet's attention. Some smiled shyly. Some looked away in embarrassment. Violet spied the little girl she had seen before. The one with those huge wide-open eyes.

Joshua burst out of the mob to block Aaron's way. He scowled all around at the crowd. "Are you people going to let her just walk away? After all the work? All the planning? All the hoping?" Aaron started to go around him, but Joshua grabbed the paper sack and ripped it open, strewing its contents across the ground.

"Stop it!" Violet screamed. Joshua flung Aaron to the ground. "You animal!" Violet lunged around Joshua to Aaron. But Joshua seized her and drug her back.

Garth charged out of the crowd and attacked Joshua. "Go!"

Violet helped Aaron to his feet as the crowd made way for the two men fighting. It wasn't much of a fight. Garth was down after a few hard punches. Joshua turned back to Violet and Aaron. "You're not going anywhere."

"I'm not marrying her, Joshua!" Garth yelled from the ground.

"I'm sure we can find other willing prospects." Joshua grabbed Violet by the shoulders and shoved her into the face of a man in the Wheeler half of the mob. "How about him, Violet? Does Nolan look like good husband material?" Joshua shoved her into the face of another. "How about Jimmy here?" Another. "Johnny-boy?" Violet reacted with revulsion at each face. She twisted to get free, but Joshua had a firm grip.

A man stepped out of one side of the mob. "Let her go."

Violet cried out in pain when Joshua tightened his grip on her arms. "Think you can make me?"

A man stepped out of the other side. "Stop hurting her, Josh."

Joshua eased his grip. "Randy? Back me up here. You're my cousin." Another man stepped out, and another, followed by several others, from both sides. Taylors and Wheelers. Until Joshua and Violet were ringed by determined men.

Joshua ignored the Taylors and turned to face one Wheeler after another. "Joe? Dilly? What are you doing? We've got to stick together? We can't let this Taylor just waltz out of here and ruin everything." The noose of men tightened. Joshua released Violet with one hand and pulled out his gun. "I start shooting Taylors if you don't all back off."

One man stepped into his face. "How many bullets you got?"

Another man joined him in Joshua's face. "Think you got enough, Josh? To shoot Taylors and Wheelers?"

A third stepped up. "You kill anybody we'll make you wish you'd killed yourself first."

Joshua tightened his grip on Violet's arm while waving his gun. She cried out in pain. One man grabbed Joshua's hand to pull it off Violet. Joshua jabbed the barrel into his forehead. "You'll be the first to die if you don't take your hand off me." But one man after another grabbed Joshua. He raised his gun into the air and fired. Everyone released him.

Joshua continued firing straight up until he emptied the gun. Then his body sagged as he dropped his arm and released Violet. Without another word he waded into the crowd toward Phoebe's house, shoving people out of his way.

Violet looked around at the faces in the crowd she was in the midst of while rubbing the already-sore arm Joshua had throttled. Then she focused on the men who had stepped up to help her. "Thank you." Violet walked to Aaron and put her hand on his shoulder. "Let's go." As she urged him toward her car, a woman opened the passenger door for him. Aaron smiled at her when she helped him climb into the passenger seat and situate his injured leg. Violet looked back for Aaron's clothes that had spilled across the yard. They had already been gathered up and placed on the back seat of her car.

When Violet opened the driver door the crowd standing in the road before her parted. She paused to search the crowd. She located a forlorn bruised and bloody Garth. "Need a ride to Lexington?" Garth brightened as he walked to the car. Violet tilted the driver seat forward to allow him to climb into the back seat. "I hope it won't take you long to pack." Violet asked. She leaned close to whisper, "We need to get out of here before any of these good people change their minds."

Garth smiled. "I got all I need on me." He climbed in the back. Violet climbed in and started her car.

Joshua and Phoebe stood on her front porch watching Violet drive away toward Barboursville. Joshua looked disgusted. "I can't believe we're letting her leave."

Phoebe smiled. "They're together, aren't they?"

"She's just giving him a ride."

"Think so? You're awfully dim to be a police detective."

"But they're leaving!"

"Don't newlyweds deserve a honeymoon?" As the taillights of Violet's car disappeared into the night, Phoebe turned to go back into her house. "You men better get busy fixing up the schoolhouse." Joshua stared off into the dark Violet had disappeared into looking not quite as disheartened as before.

Violet drove through the dark lightless night like a madwoman. The sub-compact wound blindly on the narrow ribbon of road through the deep valley away from El Jay. She skidded off onto the meager gravel on the side several times. Looks of concern passed between Aaron and Garth.

"My arm is so sore!" Violet said. "Joshua grabbed me where Phoebe stabbed me about a hundred times trying to give me a transfusion." She glanced back at Garth. "Damn." The car nearly skidded off into the creek as she braked while rooting around under the front seat. She straightened up with a dirty rag and tossed it back to him. "Don't bleed all over my upholstery."

Garth caught the rag and wiped at the blood on his face. "Yes, ma'am."

Violet put both hands on the wheel and straightened out the swerves, somewhat. "I can't believe I'm getting out of here alive."

"You're not out alive yet, way you're driving." Garth said.

Ignoring the barb, she asked, "Do you think Joshua will come after us?"

"No," Garth said. "He's too outnumbered. By his own people, even."

Violet exploded into a smile. "I can't wait to get back. I've got to call Debra first thing. Let her know I'm all right. And I want to see Burgandy's tits." Violet glanced sideways at Aaron. "Her breasts. See if they're brown." Aaron cast a nervous look back at Garth. Violet noticed. "Don’t you two start that! Ganging up on me. I'll set you both out on the side of the road right now, you two start that."

They drove a short way in silence. Very short. Aaron spoke up. "What kind of place have you got? In Cincinnati?"

"A condo. It has two bedrooms. I'm using one for an office, but we'll remake it into your room."

"Can Phoebe show you how to cook possum?"

"There are no possums where I live, honey." Violet gave out a bark of a laugh. "Ha! I called you honey. I've been around Phoebe way too long."

"How about coon? Or groundhog?"

"There's no hunting where I live." Aaron sat back dejected. "But I enjoy getting out into the wild. Maybe we can turn some of my backpacking trips into hunting trips."

"I'd settle for scratch biscuits and gravy," Garth said.

"You are getting out in Lexington. Remember? Where at?"

"Just set me out on the side of the Interstate."

"If that's what you want."

"How about squirrels?" Aaron asked. "Have you got any squirrels?"

"Yes, but you can't shoot them."

"Why not?"

"Were you really going to marry me?" Violet asked Garth.

"Sure," he answered. "It was for a good cause. And you're not too plain. And you don't chew."

Violet laughed. "Women don't chew tobacco in El Jay. Do they?"

"My mother did."

Violet abruptly stopped laughing. "You're kidding me. Right?"

"How about rabbits?"

"Honey…damn…Aaron, I'll find you something to shoot, I promise." Aaron relaxed with a smile. She looked into the rearview mirror at Garth. "Do you have any cousins in Cincinnati?"

"Joshua."

"Forget him! Anybody else?"

"Nope."

"Is Garth coming to Cincinnati?" Aaron asked hopefully.

"I don't know a soul in Cincinnati," Garth said.

"You know us," Aaron said.

"Is this an invitation?" Garth asked.

"It's a free country," Violet said. "You don't need an invitation." Garth looked away out the window at the ridiculously close edge of the road the car was skirting. While Aaron sank back into his seat dejected once more, Violet looked from one to the other. "Okay, it's an invitation." Garth and Aaron both turned their lightened gazes on her. "Only fiancé I've ever had. I should get to know you better."

*THE END*