"What do you want, Chess?" Jill demanded.
"We've been lookin' for ya, gal," Chess said, again.
"Well, now you've found me," Jill said.
"Right." The big man looked towards Hannah and I, standing there behind the screen door, and then back at Jill. "Let's go have us a talk."
For a moment or so, it seemed as though Jill was going to refuse. Then she looked at Hannah and said, "I'll be right back."
As Jill started to head down the porch steps, sandwiched somewhat between the two men, Hannah had apparently had enough.
She said, "Stay inside," to me, and then she stepped out onto the porch, as well.
"Jill," she said, in a strong voice, and Jill paused, looking back at Hannah.
"Stay and do your talking on the porch," Hannah said.
"It's alright," Jill said.
"Nothin' for you to worry over, little lady," Chess said to Hannah. "Not your concern."
"It is my concern," Hannah snapped back. "Jill, do you want to talk to them?"
Nancy was back, slipping back up beside me, and then she, too, went out onto the porch, and I saw her pause, just behind Hannah, nudge her,
and discreetly slip something into Hannah's hand. Hannah took whatever it was, and kept her hand slightly behind her back.
I wasn't going to be left there, inside, not when Nancy was out on the porch, too. I moved to push the screen open, but Clare grabbed me
by the wrist.
"Stay here," she whispered.
I opened my mouth to protest, and Clare said, "No, Harlie!" in a furious-sounding whisper.
"I'll talk to them, Hannah," Jill was saying.
"We're going to wait right here," Hannah said, sounding ferocious.
The big man chuckled, as though Hannah was a source of humor to him.
"You're a feisty little thing," he said.
"If necessary," Hannah said, and the man laughed again.
Once the men and Jill had moved, on down past the stairs, and over to stand near to where Clare's car was parked, Clare came
out onto the porch, and I was right there with her.
At first the talking between Jill and the two men wasn't any too loud, and as the four of us stood there, watching, and trying to
listen, I said, in a louder whisper, "What do you think's going on?"
Nobody answered that, and I said, low, "She knows them! They're not from around here-"
"We don't know that," Hannah said, also quietly. "She might have met them since she's been here."
"No way," I denied. "They've tracked her all the way from Tennessee or something-"
"Harlie, stop," Hannah ordered.
"I think Harlie's right," Nancy said, in her own loud whisper.
"Shh," Hannah said, and we strained to hear.
The occasional heard word, such as broken and agreement that we managed to catch, now began to be louder. Much louder.
Jill was still looking sassy, and appeared not so very frightened. She had her hands on her hips, and was looking up at the huge man, Chess,
and talking right back to him.
At that point, though Jill's voice was raising, saying that she wanted them to leave, and leave now, Chess's voice lowered, and
we couldn't hear his words at all. The other man remained silent, his arms crossed.
Chess stood a step or so closer to Jill and I saw Clare sort of flinch and Hannah's shoulders tightened.
"I don't like this," Hannah said, under her breath.
"I'll go look for the guys," Nancy suggested.
It was then that I saw just what it was that Nancy had slipped into Hannah's hand. A small gun. A 9 mm. She must have slipped out and
retrieved it from under the seat of Evan's truck. Hannah's hands tightened around it.
I was suddenly frightened. The others must sense there was more seriousness to this than what I'd been thinking.
I'd just been appalled, more or less, thinking that this was another one of the annoyances of Jill. But, now I realized with a swiftness
that it was the four of us, well, and Jill, against two massive men, who could do alot of harm if they so chose.
"Or I'll go," I hissed, echoing Nancy's offer to fetch my brothers.
"They'd see you. No way to grab the jeep or saddle a horse," Hannah said.
"Well-" I began.
"Shh," Hannah said, again.
Chess had his hand, his giant hand, on one of Jill's shoulders. She shook it off defiantly, and for a moment I felt a surge of
admiration for her. Spunky.
Chess was saying something, very pointedly, to Jill, and had put his hand back on her shoulder again. Jill tried, again, to shake it off, but
didn't succeed. Hannah had apparently had enough.
"Jill!" she called out.
The other man and Jill looked toward Hannah, but Chess didn't. He kept his gaze on Jill's face.
"Come on in now!" Hannah insisted.
Chess leaned closer to Jill, and said something, very low, into Jill's ear.
"Jill!" Hannah hollered again, as if that would shake Chess up, and make him take his hand off of Jill's shoulder.
Chess straightened to his full height, and he did take his hand from off of Jill. But, instead of hurrying herself towards the rest of us
up on the porch, like anybody with sense would have done, Jill stood still, stiff, looking at the giant of a man. It was like as if she was frozen,
or something.
And then, with a quickness that shocked me, and Hannah and Clare, too, probably, Nancy went down the front steps
and right up to Chess, and stood, looking at the man.
"Around here, we don't force people to talk to someone if they don't want to," Nancy said, stoutly, and I heard Hannah's
sharp intake of breath.
"Nancy," Hannah said, almost to herself.
"Come on, Jill," Nancy said, and gave Jill's wrist a tug. Still not seeming quite right, still looking somewhat shell-shocked, Jill came
along with Nancy, back to the stairs. Chess and the other man followed along, and Jill paused, looking at them again.
"You've got it all wrong, little lady," Chess said to Nancy. "Jillie here wants to talk to us. Isn't that the way of it, Jillie? You tell
all these fine ladies how it really is, why don't ya?"
Nancy glared, and I sucked in my breath.
"You've done your talking," Hannah said. "Now, it's time for you and your friend to leave."
She sounded very firm, like she does when she tells Guthrie to change out of his jeans with all the holes in them, or tells me to have something
healthy for a snack.
Chess settled his gaze onto Hannah. Then he sort of looked around the yard and the front of the barn.
"Your men out, are they?" he asked, and I felt my heart pound at the implication of what he was seeming to be asking.
"They're only one scream or holler away," Hannah said, her eyes never leaving his face.
"Are they now?" he asked, and seemed amused.
"That's right," Hannah said.
From around the house Gus and Warrior came, Warrior running, and Gus following a bit more slowly, but both barking. I was glad to
see them. I'll admit it. I figured that Jethro had stayed with Guthrie, and Fat Clarence, I knew, was sleeping just off of the kitchen, where he'd been
since the downpour of rain had begun earlier.
Gus stood on alert, but Warrior growled, standing up near the top of the stairs, and the other man seemed a bit rattled.
"Dog bite?" he asked, speaking for the first time.
"He has before," I said, without thinking.
"Call him off," he said, and moved his hand to his side, where I saw the glimmer of a gun at his hip.
I reached out to grab Warrior, and haul him up closer to us.
"Let's go," Hannah said, not waiting any longer for the men to take their leave. Clare opened the screen door, and we all moved to
go inside, me first, because Clare shoved me in, then Clare, Nancy, Jill, and then Hannah. She shut the screen and then the wooden door,
and we all stood there, waiting for the men to turn and leave.
Only they didn't.
7