Chapter 17
Silas walked out to his truck with a heavy heart. To know that Shelby was fighting for her life was a feeling he never wanted to experience. Silas climbed into the truck and closed the door behind him, but for some reason, he could not bring himself to start the ignition. A dark and foreboding feeling consumed his soul, and for the first time in his life, he understood the fear a parent had when worrying about a child.
He closed his eyes, and suddenly the laughing and playful image of Shelby appeared in his mind’s eye. She had always held a special place in his heart, and he had imagined she was the daughter that he and Jen would have had if things were different.
“Dear Lord, please care for Shelby and help her in this time of need.” His heart ached and tears streamed down his cheeks at the thought of not seeing her bright and cheerful face again.
Brought out of his musings by the sound of someone knocking on the driver’s window, Silas turned to see an excited Doug Lloyds standing there.
Silas flipped the key in the ignition and then rolled down the window. “What’s going on, Doug?”
“You need to come with me out to Chuck Wilson’s place; there’s been a shooting!” Doug’s eyes were wide with excitement and fear, as he waited for a response from Silas.
“What shooting? Just what the hell happened? Never mind, get in, you can tell me on the drive there.” Silas could not believe what he was hearing.
Doug quickly ran around to the passenger side and climbed in, quickly closing the door behind him.
Silas turned on his emergency lights and quickly backed out of the parking space. Once they were out on the highway, Silas turned to Doug, “Okay, what happened?”
“You know how Chuck kept complaining about how someone was killing some of his younger stock and only taking certain parts and leaving the rest to rot? Well, he finally caught who was doing it.” Doug braced himself, unsure of how Silas would take the news.
Silas said a silent prayer that it was not who Chuck had accused from the beginning. “Go on…”
Doug swallowed then began, “He said he was out looking for any trace of who might be killing his young steers when Buck took off running toward the creek. He then jumped on that old ATV of his and followed him when he heard a gunshot. The next thing he knew once he topped the hill was he saw Buck lying on the ground next to a young steer. He said that’s when he noticed three young men standing by the wild blackberry bushes.”
“Crap, please don’t tell me they were from the mill,” Silas said with a sense of dread.
Doug looked at Silas and shook his head. “Yeah, they were.”
“Crap, I was afraid it was them.” Silas had tried to convince Chuck that someone else was killing his stock, but he knew it must be someone from the mill.
“What happened next? Please don’t tell me that Chuck was the one shot,” Silas inhaled deeply and waited.
“No, once Chuck realized what was going on, he jumped off his ATV and hid behind a tree. He said he called out to the men to surrender, but one of them fired a shot at him. Chuck said the bullet barely missed him, striking the tree. Chuck said he then fired off a shot and saw the man fall to the ground. The other two guys froze in place against the bushes, so Chuck ran down the hill toward them.”
“Shit, the damn fool could have gotten himself killed,” Silas said as he turned the truck onto Chuck’s driveway.
As they pulled up to the house, Chuck’s wife, Sandy met them outside. “He’s still down by the creek. He told me to take you there.”
“Okay, jump in,” Silas said as Sandy jumped in the back seat.
No one uttered a word on the drive out to the creek; each wondering what was waiting for them there. As they topped the hill and looked down at the creek bed, Silas felt a knot tighten in his stomach.
Lying on the ground was a partially slaughtered steer and Chuck’s dog, Buck. Then only a few feet away, Chuck stood over the body of a young man while guarding two other ashen-faced men. Silas inhaled a deep breath as he drove the truck over to the scene playing out before him.
Neither Doug nor Sandy uttered a word, as Silas turned off the ignition and pulled his side arm from the glove compartment. He then opened the door and stepped outside.
“It took you long enough to get here,” Chuck grumbled. In all the years that Silas had known Chuck, he had never seen such a look on his face. It was a look of pure anger mixed with heartfelt sorrow.
“Well, it seems like you’ve handled things alright without me.” Silas walked past the dead steer and dog, shaking his head in disgust.
“I didn’t take care of things fast enough. Look, the bastard killed Buck. At least, Ole Buck got a chunk out of his ass before he died.” Chuck may not have been the friendliest of men, but he cared deeply for his dogs, and most especially for Buck.
Doug stepped around the truck and stood over Buck’s lifeless body. “Damn, that’s a shame. He was a good dog.”
Silas knew they had some important business to handle, so he turned toward the two frightened young men huddled together against the blackberry bushes and said, “So, who do we have here?”
“They ain’t talking, Silas. I’ve asked them several times who they were and where they live, but they just look at me like a couple of damn fools,” Chuck said sarcastically.
Silas carefully watched the two young men, trying to see if they understood anything said to them or were just faking.
“I told you a while back that it was them people from the mill killing my stock, and look the dead one has what I bet is your gun, Silas.” Chuck motioned toward the lifeless body of the young man, lying on the ground.
Silas looked at Doug, and then he walked over to the body. Leaning down, he noticed the barrel of a handgun sticking out from under his outstretched hand. Not wanting to disturb any evidence, Silas leaned in closer and recognized the barrel of his stolen gun.
“Well, I’ll be damned. This solves two cases, Doug. It looks like we have those responsible for attempted robbery of the grocery store, assaulting an officer of the law, as well as killing Chuck’s cattle. Crap, this won’t be good with the Feds involved.”
Doug looked down at the body, and then back to Silas. He knew what Silas meant by that statement, and he had to agree that it was not going to be good for anyone involved. “Do you want me to call the coroner?”
Silas shook his head, knowing what was ahead for the town once word leaked out of the shooting. “Yeah, and put a call into the Sheriff’s department and let them know we could use their Investigative Team out here for this one.”
Silas walked over to Chuck, who still had his gun firmly aimed at the two scared men. “So, what are we going to do with the two of you?”
The two men looked at each other but never said a word. “Doug, toss me your handcuffs,” Silas shouted.
Once Silas had the handcuffs, he walked over to the men and ordered them to put their arms behind their backs. It amazed him how they understood the order, but did not seem to understand anything else he had said. Once Silas had both men securely handcuffed, he walked them toward his truck. “Miss Sandy, I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to ride back to the house with Chuck. I need to secure these two in the back seat until a car from the Sherriff’s department arrives to transport them to the county jail.”
Silas waited as Sandy got out of the backseat. She then walked over to Chuck, who was leaning down looking at Buck.
“You were a good dog. We had a lot of fun, you, and me. You’ll be missed,” Chuck said as he patted Buck on the head.
Sandy placed her hand on Chuck’s shoulder, and then tenderly kissed him on the top of the head. “He was a good dog, and we’ll all miss him.”
Once Silas had the two prisoners secured in the truck, he walked back over to the dead man. “You’re one lucky guy, Chuck. It could’ve been you lying here.”
“You know better than that, Silas. There was no
way he could out-shoot me,” Chuck snickered. “I bet the rest of them assholes will think twice about stealing from me again.”
Doug walked back over to where Silas was standing. “Okay, the coroner and the Sherriff’s boys are on the way.”
“Good, the more we have involved in this investigation, the better. I’m sure this isn’t going to go well for all involved, as it is.” Silas looked at Chuck, who grunted his disapproval.
Sandy could see the concern on Silas’ face, and suddenly realized what he meant. “Silas, Chuck isn’t going to be in any trouble, is he?”
Not wanting to frighten her, Silas did his best to explain what they were facing. “According to Texas law, Chuck did nothing wrong. However, I’m sure the Feds and the media are going to want to make a big deal out of this, but I’m hoping I’m wrong. Chuck has the right under Texas law to protect his property from theft, as well as his right for self-defense. They were on his land, stealing his property, and they attacked him with a firearm. In an ordinary case, there would be no question. I just don’t know with the Feds involved what they could push for in a case such as this one.”
Sandy did not like what she was hearing. She looked at Silas, trying to read his emotions; however, what she saw in his eyes made her blood run cold. Her heart caught in her throat, and her body grew numb as the weight of his words sunk into her mind. “Chuck, I’m worried.”
Chuck stood and clutched Sandy in his arms. “Don’t worry, babe. I didn’t break any laws, so everything will be just fine.”
As Sandy surrendered to his embrace, Chuck glanced over at Silas with a look of doubt in his eyes.
“Sweetheart, why don’t you take the ATV back to the house? I’m sure this is going to take a while, and there’s no sense in you hanging around,” Chuck said as he gently kissed her on the forehead.
Sandy glanced over at the body of the young man and sighed. “I think that’s for the best. I’m not needed here anyway.”
Sandy turned and walked to the ATV, with an unmistakable look of despair on her face. She climbed on the ATV, glanced once more at the body of Buck, and then the young man. Her heart was heavy with worry at what the future held for them. She finally started the ATV and drove back to the house.
Once she was out of sight, Silas looked at Chuck, trying his best to hide his own concern. In all his years of protecting the citizens of Sandley, he had never faced something like this. Silas also wondered if it was possible to could keep things under control once the news leaked out. Silas had an unfamiliar feeling building up inside of him, and one that he had never felt before - doubt. Sensing the impending doom headed in their direction, Silas glanced out over the bubbling creek and said a silent prayer that everything would work out fine.
Silas was relieved to see the coroner’s vehicle, along with three Sherriff’s cruisers pull over the hill and drive down to the creek.
Deputy Bridges was the first one to park, and get out of his car. “I hear you had a little problem out here, Chuck.”
Deputy Bridges lived up to the image of the typical law enforcement officer. He was roughly six feet tall, with broad shoulders and a keen wit. Silas had always liked him and was glad to see that he had come to help with this case.
“Yeah, but they won’t be killin’ my stock anymore. Well, at least not this one for sure,” Chuck grinned as he pointed down to the lifeless body lying a few feet away from him.
Bridges glanced over at the body and shook his head. “No, it looks like his poaching days are over.”
Chuck nodded his agreement. “You got that right, Bridges.”
“Oh, damn, is that Buck?” Bridges walked over to where the dog lay motionless on the ground next to the steer.
“Yeah, but, at least, he got a chunk of the asshole before he died,” Chuck wiped a tear from his eye.
“That’s a real shame. Buck was a good dog.” Bridges shook his head, as the rest of the officers approached, with the coroner following closely behind.
“Chuck, why don’t you come over here, so we can talk? Silas, would you mind helping Rollins transfer the prisoners to the cruiser?” Bridges looked at Chuck, letting him know to follow.
Silas smiled as he saw the excited look on Deputy Rollins face. Rollins had only been with the Sherriff’s department for a little over six months, so this was all quite exciting for him. “Sure, come on, kid. I’d like to get them out of my truck, as soon as possible. Doug, why don’t you help with the body?”
Doug looked at Silas with a broad smile, “Sure thing, Chief. I’m on it.”
Silas was walking toward his truck when another vehicle came rushing over the hill. “Who the hell is that?”
Frank was sitting at his desk when the report of a shooting involving three of the residents that lived at the mill came over the police scanner. When he heard the call for officers to go to the Wilson place, and that one Latino male was dead with two others under arrest, he knew what he must do.
Frank immediately knew who it was because he was sure they were the ones he suspected to have assaulted Silas that night at the grocery store. He had hoped he could have proven it sooner by finding enough evidence, but that was a moot point now.
Frank pulled up next to Silas’ truck and quickly jumped out. “I came as soon as I heard the news. I heard there were three of my people out here. Is that them? I heard one of them got shot.”
Silas walked over to Frank and prevented him from getting any closer to his truck. “The two who are still alive are in my truck, and about to be transported to the jail. The coroner is examining the other one. He wasn’t quite as lucky as these two were.”
Frank looked over at Silas’ truck and noticed the two young men sitting in the backseat. He then looked over to where the coroner was examining the body while a couple of the other deputies were marking off the area.
“What happened here?” Frank was not sure if he wanted to know.
“I’ll tell you what happened. They’ve been killing my young stock, and taking a small amount of the prime meat then leaving the rest to rot, or eaten by the scavengers. Well, they made the mistake of doing it today because I heard them and caught them in the act. My dog, Buck rushed them so that one shot and killed him,” Chuck pointed an angry finger at the man lying on the ground.
Frank looked over at the large, black lab lying motionless on the ground and felt a tug at his heart. “I’m sorry for your loss Mr. Wilson. I know how difficult it is to lose a beloved pet.”
Chuck glared at Frank with hate burning in his eyes. “I wouldn’t have lost Buck if you hadn’t brought those people to our town! They’ve been nothing but trouble since they got here. They stole our jobs; they cause problems for the school, and now this. Hell, now we know who attacked Silas. I looked at the gun that asshole used, and it looks just like the one Silas has carried for years. I guess there’s a reason you didn’t warn the townsfolk that they were armed now, correct?”
Frank glanced at Silas and was about to respond when Chuck continued. “I want you to know one thing, if any more of them step even one toe on my land they’ll end up just like that one!” Chuck pointed toward the dead man without breaking his gaze with Frank.
Silas at realizing this conversation was going nowhere constructive stepped forward and stood protectively between the two men. “Chuck, I know you’re upset, and you have every right to be. This whole situation has been upsetting for everyone in town, and everyone’s nerves are on the edge, so before things get out of control, I think you need to calm down, alright?”
Chuck stood rigid, unwilling to compromise, as the muscles in his jaw clenched tightly.
Frank glanced at Silas, understanding the look on his face. He had to agree with Chuck about how it had been difficult on the townsfolk to adjust to the new arrivals. He also knew that some of the people from the mill were not the most model citizens. Granted most were decent people, who wanted a better life than the ones they
left behind, but some needed deportation immediately as they were dangerous individuals.
“Mr. Wilson, I understand your anger, and, to be honest, I’d feel the same if I were you. I’m sorry for all the aggravation and heartbreak this has brought to your community, but I’m only doing my job.” Frank knew his words were empty. How many horrible things have men done in the name of doing one’s duty?
Chuck was about to respond when he noticed the look of sincerity on Frank’s face. He glanced at Silas, who nodded his understanding.
“Chuck, you have every right to be upset. I know this has cost you money, as well as worry. Yes, it’s my gun, and I’m sorry he used it against you. I didn’t announce it was missing because I didn’t want to cause a panic. Everyone’s nerves have been on edge, and I worried someone might get a little trigger happy at hearing the slightest noise at night.” Silas knew his words did not improve things, but he did not know what else to say.
An uneasy quiet passed between the two men as each evaluated what it all meant to the future of the town. Chuck finally broke the silence. “I know you did what you thought was right and I hope this won’t cause too many problems for the town. I just couldn’t let them continue to kill my stock. Besides, you saw all the tattoos on them. Those weren’t hungry teenagers looking for food.”
Silas knew Chuck was right, but he also knew this was going to start a firestorm of media attention that none of them was ready to face. “Don’t worry yourself about this. You did what you had to do to protect your property. Why don’t you go on to the house? I’m sure that Sandy needs you there with her after all of this. I’m confident that Bridges wouldn’t mind dropping you off at the house on his way out.”
Frank and Silas watched as the coroner ordered the body put on a gurney, and then put into the van. Each knew what was about to descend upon the small town of Sandley, and they both wondered how it would end.