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knowin‟ Daddy will drag him off the fire every time.
“You got something to say to me sheriff?”
Justin Powers never looked up from the ledger he was fingering. The
oversized book looked small lying on the huge desk in the study where
sheriff Colter stood nervously as the houseman backed out of the room.
“Miss Lacee says she was within her rights.”
Sheriff Colter tried to soften the little woman‟s stance before the imposing
presence of the man hunkered over the book. Justin Powers went on about
his task of checking the figures laid out on the many pages. His every word
dripped with the threat of many people paying the price for his dislike of the
situation.
“So what do you expect we should do about this sheriff? My son says he has
been wronged by these people and you bring me word that they feel the
same way. Looks very much like we have stories that go in both directions at
the same time.”
The sheriff shuffled his feet on the polished hardwood floor as he searched
his head for an answer. Powers started tapping his finger as if counting how
1
long it took the sheriff to speak. Each fall of the digit on the polished surface
was a resounding thud in the icy silence. Sweat rolled from the sheriff‟s
armpits down his sides making him sway slightly as he adjusted to the
trickle. He ventured a statement that he hoped would close out the
countdown.
“I suppose I could find Judge Haynes and have him draw up some papers ”
The slow drumming didn‟t cease, sheriff Colter made another attempt at
appeasement. “ I‟ve already got young Mr. Powers‟ statement so it
shouldn‟t be any problem to get the warrant issued right away.”
The finger dropped to the desk for the last time and made a slow circle.
Justin Powers only shot a glance upward as he acknowledged.
“I trust you to do the right thing sheriff.”
Almost as if on cue the houseman was back and making a sweeping gesture
towards the door signaling the end of their conversation. Sheriff Colter
followed the tall slim figure through the hallway like one of the pets being
let out to do its business. Once out on the porch alone he could mop at the
sweat that was coating him like a second skin.
He already knew where to find the judge. He would be holding court at
Millie‟s, the local watering hole, lawbook in one hand, glass of whiskey in
the other. It wouldn‟t take any convincing, the name Powers didn‟t leave
1
anything open to question. Sheriff Colter knew he would soon be holding a
warrant for Miss Lacee‟s grandson, a thought that made his blood run cold,
he wasn‟t sure who he feared more. He knew that Mr. Powers could strip
him of his authority as sheriff and most likely make his life miserable in
many other ways, but the talk of Hell here and in the afterlife once Miss
Lacee gets done with you makes the possibility of public ridicule a winning
choice.
Sheriff Colter reflected on Jake Fowler and his run-in with Miss Lacee. The
bartender at Millie‟s had sent word about a disturbance and when he got
there the sheriff found Jake in a drunken stupor ranting and raving about
what she put on him; “I gave her them damn chickens back. I didn‟t know
they was hers anyway. She claims they was all dead but I know they was
alive when I left them on her stoop in that bag. Now they won‟t stop
screamin‟ at me. Don‟t you hear them!”
The bartender came up and gave the sheriff an update. “Him and some
others decided to raid Miss Lacee‟s place a couple of nights ago. Haven‟t
seen any of the rest, but he come in here this morning looking all wild-eyed
with this story about voices hollerin‟ at him.”
Jake had gone from drinking from a glass to sucking the whiskey right out of
the bottle. The sheriff reached for the bottle and the man shrieked. “don‟t
take that away, I‟m tryin‟ to make „em stop.” He gripped the bottle like it
1
was a rope that kept him from falling into a bottomless pit.
The sheriff enlisted the help of a couple of patrons to wrest the bottle from
the deranged man and bodily carry him to the jail where he could sleep this
off. Jake was rattling out sentences between his low moans. “The rest of „em
run off into the woods but that ain‟t gonna help. It‟s everywhere, don‟t you
hear it?” His question was almost a plea.
Once they got him into the cell he curled into a ball and wept softly. The
helpers shrugged their shoulders at the unusual occurrence and started their
way back to Millie‟s. The sheriff tried to concentrate on some papers but the
constant beseeching for mercy from the cell drove him from his office. He
figured it would only be a matter of time before the man drifted off into
oblivion. He‟d check on a few things around town and come back.
The barbershop was abuzz with the latest gossip. “Hey sheriff, hear you got
a crazy man down at your place. Them damn fools oughta know better than
mess with that old woman. Everybody knows she can reach out and get ya‟.”
The talk was all the same as he made his rounds, with most folks feeling that
Jake was getting what he deserved. The walk back to the jail had him
wondering just how much of the talk was true, did Miss Lacee have some
special powers or was it mostly just the stuff of overactive imaginations. The
quiet in the jail was especially unnerving. He crept back toward the cell with
1
the intention of checking on Jake but not disturbing him from whatever kind
of sleep he had fallen into. He was not prepared for the sight of the man
dangling from the light fixture by the makeshift rope he had made from a
sheet. The eyes that stared out from the red face were still wide in horror.
Sheriff took a long minute to compose himself before he went into the cell.
On the off chance that Jake might still be alive he went about checking for a
pulse. The body was cooling and clammy to the touch. He took out his
pocketknife and sliced through the sheet sending the limp form crumpling to
the floor.
Even now, as he stood before the entrance to Millie‟s, sheriff Colter could
see those eyes. Word was that the undertaker had the damndest time closing
them during the embalming. Folks would long say that Jake went into the
ground with his eyes open. After that, there were very few run-ins with the
locals and anybody that lived on the dirt path leading to Miss Lacee‟s place.
Sheriff Colter could feel a chill run up his spine as he made his way in to
speak with the judge. Something in him knew there would soon be a struggle
that could play out in that same eerie fashion. The judge looked up from his
makeshift desk at his approach. “Afternoon sheriff, you here on business or
pleasure?” the judge hoisted his half-empty glass at the last word. After a
moment of sizing up the man before him, the judge formulated his own
answer. “I suppose this is an official call. What can I do for you?”
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The sheriff attempted to make his request sound like business as usual.
“Gonna need you to draw up papers for a warrant, Junior Lacee.” The name
pulled some of the color from the judge‟s reddened cheeks. “Seems Mr.
Powers wants him charged over young Master‟s horse.” The judge downed
the last of the brown liquid in his glass before he spoke.
“Seems pretty clear to most of us that boy was in the wrong.” He made the
statement in a hushed tone. The sheriff‟s stoic face and posture told the
judge that all that didn‟t matter to the case at hand. “Alright. I‟ll get on it
right away. I‟ll run it down to you before too late. Don‟t know what‟s gonna
come of this but we both know it ain‟t gonna be good.” The judge looked
slyly around to see if anyone else was taking note of their conversation.
Sheriff Colter didn‟t offer up his opinion on the matter. He had done what he
was send down to do and the rest was dirt that‟ll come out in the wash. The
wind seemed stronger as he stepped out of Millie‟s. there had been a slight
breeze on his way here, but now it was a steady swift flow.
_______________________________________________
Terry was helping Mama Lacee clear the dishes from the table. It was
always the same way, you get through eating you clean up the dishes. She
knew better than to ask direct questions but she always found a path to ease
1
her curiosity. Little girls like her had been told enough times that they were
supposed to be seen and not heard. Mama Lacee had went about finishing
her interrupted meals with stabs at the bottom of the bowl containing the
delicious bean soup Terry so loved.
“Maybe it didn‟t do yo‟ belly no good to stop and start eatin‟ like that, you
alright Mama Lacee?” Terry used her best little girl voice to make the
inquiry. The old woman humphed aloud and kept to her task of sorting the
dishes for washing. Terry took that as a no trespassing sign and was about to
give up her pursuit when Mama Lacee slammed the pot into the sink and
filled the kitchen with the quick jarring noise.
“There‟s always gonna be folks that will try you. You got to stay strong and
be ready.” Mama Lacee started to draw water into the pot. The screech of the
pump handle was like the cry of a wounded animal. Terry wasn‟t sure if the
words were directed at her or to the room in general. “you only ten but it‟s
time you know.”
Terry was now sure who the words were for but she had no idea what they
meant. She came alongside Mama Lacee at the sink and matched the little
woman for height even at her young age. She was swirling the water in the
pot and Terry heard but didn‟t understand the low words Mama Lacee
chanted. The liquid spun in a lazy circle, catching the light and reflecting it
back into Mama Lacee‟s eyes. Terry looked down and for a second it seemed
that the reflection changed from the pair of faces peering in. Mama Lacee
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spat into the twirling water and the vision cleared and Terry could see the
sheriff standing on the steps before the local tavern.
Mama Lacee spoke to the image. “They plannin‟ something to try us.
Making theyselves feel better by callin‟ it legal. She spat again and the
sheriff was standing before the judge looking like his pants was full of fire
ants. He was twitching and sweating as he talked to the judge sitting at one
of the tables. “We‟ll see him back here with his piece of paper. He just doin‟
what they tell him. Caught up in the swell of them that make the big waves.”
Terry couldn‟t make sense of the statements but she knew that there was
something coming over the rise with a bad omen tagged on. She wanted to
ask a million questions of the little woman but felt it best to wait until she
could sort out just what this was all about. Mama Lacee looked to her as if
she could hear the little girl giving voice to all the whats and whys swirling
in her head. “You‟ll know more in time child, there‟s many ways to get to
see, this is just one.”
Mama Lacee stopped tilting the pot from side to side and allowed the water
to settle down to a flat plane. “It‟s just a mirror till‟ you give of yourself,
then things are revealed. The more you need what you give, the farther you
can see.” The advice was lost on the young girl‟s ears as she continued to
look into the pot.
1
______________________________________________
Justin Powers stood in the window of the library watching the field hand
working the Chestnut colt that belonged to his son. The horse was
admittedly skittish after the tail burning and had taken to rearing up at
anyone who approaches. The majestic brown horse was headstrong as a colt.
Maturity had brought with it a stubbornness that so reminded him of the lad
that first wanted no part of the animal. Young Justin had been more than a
handful since his mother died of the fever when he was eight.
It was a test of wills as the broad shouldered worker strained against the
leads to bring the horse down from his rising position. For a moment it
appeared that the handler was winning the contest when the proper
application of hoof to chest sent the man reeling away. The horse bounded
away in triumph as the handler thrashed on the ground in discomfort.
Powers turned back to the desk laden with papers, he had already started to
chart the direction he would take once the judge set the wheels in motion. It
stood to reason that the horse would never again be fit for his intended
purpose as a rider. So the next step comes in the form of an unfortunate
accident that puts the animal down and the high price he paid at the yearling
sale two years ago could easily be adjusted to equal if not surpass the price
of the land where the guilty party resides. Foreclosure would be swift and
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complete, and from there the plan moves forward.
_________________________________________-
Sheriff Colter tried to settle down and get some sleep but it seemed the
covers on the bed were conspiring to wrap him up in a further knot of
confusion. His thoughts trailed back to the judge‟s armchair prophecy about
nothing good coming from this. The well of his thoughts produced the
picture of Jake Fowler swinging from the light fixture in the cell. The wind
had blown hard that day too. As he sat up to rearrange the mass of bedding
making like a constrictor snake about his legs he could hear the low moan of
the wind as it whistled around the corners of the house. This wasn‟t a fight
he wanted to be part of. Justin Powers is a powerful man in his own right
but there was no way to measure the strength of the little brown woman with
the eyes of an eagle. Eyes that look like they can spot you anywhere.
He felt as if she could see him now wrapping the covers about his freshly
chilled body. It was like the wind was now blowing directly across his bed.
How can she make the wind blow so cold? It had to be her, her and those
powers. The sheriff tried to go back to sleep, but it was a fitful attempt as he
knew what he would be up against tomorrow when he served the papers on
Miss Lacee. There was no way for him to bow out of this, and run like the
scared dog he was. He was chained to Justin Powers by debt and fear, but
there was things he couldn‟t even imagine once he got on the wrong side of
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