"Jesse look at this. According to these records, the Tanners have kept the taxes paid up on that land ever since they bought it. In fact the note was paid off before it was due. I wonder why the bank is trying to collect on back taxes?" Mark peered at his friend from over his glasses.
"I don't think that they are collecting for back taxes. I think the taxes were raised and now the bank is trying to control the land by paying up the increase and grab the land out from under them. Look at last year's forms. The taxes have gone from four thousand to twelve thousand since then. I think that's just a little too big of a jump from one year to the next." Jesse passed the papers he was looking at over to Mark.
"This doesn't make any sense. That land shouldn't have increased in value so much in such a short time. A few hundred dollars maybe, but not several thousand. Something isn't right here." Mark got up and made his way to his desk in the den.
"I'm going to call the land office tomorrow and see if there has been any new businesses or maybe a new community that might be trying to develop in that area. If someone wants that land and the couple aren't interested in selling it could explain a lot." Mark smiled at Jesse. He knew he was on to something and he planned to pursue it until he could find his son.
DM
Steve hadn't put on any shoes before he came to the creek so he just rolled up his pants legs and waded in. He missed being by the ocean. It was one of the things that helped him to think clearly and make tough decisions. As he waded around in the shallow clear water he tried to understand what had taken place the other day.
Emma and Isaiah had only taken the deed to their property. Why did the bank have it to begin with? If the land had already been paid for then it should have been in their possession. Steve made a mental note to ask about that.
As he continued to wade in the creek his thoughts wandered to his father. He hated not having a way to let his dad know that he was ok. He felt certain that he and Jesse were already well on the case. If anyone could find him they could.
To be honest Steve really didn't want anyone to find him. He didn't want to think about what might happen if the police stormed this place and demanded the old couple surrender. The last thing he wanted was for Emma or Isaiah to get hurt. He knew that, given time, he had a good shot at helping them sort this whole ugly mess out. But did he have time? Steve didn't know, and that thought lay heavily on his mind. The only thing he could do was to go back and maybe try to talk some sense into the couple before it was too late.
DM
Steve stepped back into the kitchen following the aroma of something delicious. The smell of apple pie made him realize just how hungry he was. One thing about it, since he had been here the food had been delicious. Steve was grateful that he could recognize everything that had been put before him; unlike some of his father's more creative efforts at cooking. Mark loved to try new dishes from various parts of the world much to his son's dismay.
"Something sure smells good." Steve tried to break up any tension that might still be hanging around from the morning's earlier conversation.
"Well, I bet you are hungry. Seein' as how you missed your breakfast this mornin' and fell into your supper last night. Let's see if you can stay awake for this one." Isaiah smiled at Steve letting him know that everything was ok between them.
"I don't think I'll have any trouble staying awake. I don't seem to be as tired as I was last night." Steve gave Isaiah a wink letting the old man know that he knew about the way he had pushed him.
Isaiah cleared his throat and gave Steve a sheepish grin. "I guess I should apologize for that. I want you to know you did a fine job holdin' up. I doubt any man could have done better. Given time I bet I might turn you into a fair enough farm hand."
The comment was said as a show of affection, but Steve could only grimace at the thought of waking up every morning to the daily grind of farm chores. He much preferred the spontaneity of a cop's life. You never knew from one day to the next what you would be faced with. He was good at handling the unexpected, well some of the time anyway.
The three sat and ate lunch leisurely talking about nothing in particular. After his second piece of pie and third glass of milk, Steve finally pushed back from the table and declared he couldn't eat another bite.
The rest of the afternoon was spent with Steve and Isaiah playing checkers and talking about the land and what it was worth. Isaiah told Steve how he and Emma had sacrificed and saved to pay off the property long before the note was due. He talked about the hike in the tax over the last year.
"If the land was paid for, how come the bank was holding the deed to the property?" Steve asked.
"It ain't the original deed. It was one that the banker man had printed up and filed sayin' that we was delinquent on our taxes. We paid our tax like we always do at the beginnin' of the year. Then them skunks come back and tells me and Mamma that we still owed them about eight thousand dollars. I just laughed at 'em and told 'em to get off my land. But they come up with this deed sayin' we was overdue and that the deed we had was no good any more. Said our late fees was being paid by some Ashton feller and he was going to buy up the property and that deed would prove he owned this land. So me and Mamma, we come up with a plan and we went to town and took that deed and now nobody can prove they own our land."
After Isaiah finished with his story, Steve sat for a long time looking at the older man absorbing what he had just been told.
"Isaiah, just because you stole the deed doesn't solve anything. We have to get a lawyer to look into this. It sounds to me like a clear-cut case of land fraud. Please, come back to town with me tomorrow and let me help you. I can get my dad to lend a hand and maybe even get the charges dropped on the bank hold up. Since I can prove the guns were unloaded then maybe we can have the charges dropped from armed and dangerous to plain desperate." Steve grinned at the older man in hopes of winning him over.
"I don't think so, Boy. I appreciate what you're a tryin' to do for us. But I ain't going to no jail at my age. Ain't no one knows where we is. I plan to finish the rest of my days out here." Though the old man was being kind he was firm with his answer.
"Dammit, Isaiah. You don't get it. They'll find you and trust me you won't win. At least if we go back to LA together we have a shot at solving this thing without any one getting hurt." Steve's patience was beginning to wear thin and it showed in his response to Isaiah.
"Watch your language, young man! I will not let you use swear words in this house." Emma admonished Steve.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. But if you two don't come to your senses, when the police finally do find you, and mark my words they will find you, swear words will be the least of your worries." Steve stood abruptly and stormed out the back door.
Steve sat outside the rest of the afternoon fuming over the stubbornness of the older couple. He refused to come in for supper and it wasn't until Emma showed up with a wooden breadboard in her hand, threatening to tan his sitting down place that he reluctantly went to his chair at the table.
In spite of the fact that he was still angry with both of them he managed to put away his share of the meal and finished off the rest of the apple pie. Steve couldn't stifle his yawning while picking up some of the dishes and placing them into the dishwater that was ready for clean up. He remained sullen the whole time he wiped off the plates and other dishes putting them in the cupboard for the next day. Emma smiled to herself as she remembered how Robbie would pout when he didn't get his way.
Once the dishes had been washed and the floor swept, Isaiah once again drug in the big metal tub from the back room. Steve paid little attention as Emma started to fill it up with hot water. He went outside and down the path for the last time that night before turning in for bed. When he stepped back into the kitchen Steve was a little more than irritated to find that he was once again expected to go through the earlier routine of soaking and then sitting still while the ointment was applied to his sore muscles.
"I don't need to do this again." He argued.
"Hush up and get outta them clothes and sit down in this tub now! You don't know what you need." Emma stood firm and when Steve looked over at Isaiah he realized that the old man was just standing and waiting to assist his wife if need be.
Giving Emma a look that clearly indicated she needed to leave he continued to stand and wait for her to exit the kitchen. Emma huffed but left the room to let her over-modest guest have a few minutes to duck into the water.
"I'm coming back in two minutes and you better be sittin' in that tub soakin' when I get there!" She informed her equally stubborn young guest.
Steve quickly prepared to sit once again in the hot water. After he had settled back for the allotted time of soaking he closed his eyes and tried to think of what he could say or do to convince the obstinate couple that he was right about going into town and turning themselves in.
Fifteen minutes later he was forced to once again sit for the torture of the liniment fussing the whole time about the smell and the burning. Isaiah laughed as Emma scolded him for wiggling and acting like a baby. Finally she announced that she was finished and handed Steve a clean nightshirt and sent him off to bed.
DM
Isaiah sat on the edge of their bed taking off his boots. Emma puttered around the dresser pulling the pins out of her hair. She watched her husband from the mirror as she began to brush through the long gray tresses. She could tell something was on his mind. Years of living with the man had taught her that when he was ready to tell her his thoughts he would. She continued to brush her hair and as she did she braided it and made small talk hoping that he wouldn't make her wait too long. It wasn't to be and he held his troubles inside. Through with her nightly routine, she went to the bed and blew out the lamp. She laid next to her husband while her thoughts drifted through the days events. She thought about her son and about her guest. Her heart ached for both of them.
Back in his own room, Steve kept going over the conversation with Isaiah. He knew if he could convince the old man to go along with him that Emma would follow easily enough. She seemed to rely on Isaiah's judgement when it came to important matters about the farm, but Steve was running out of time and he knew it.
The last thing he remembered before finally drifting off to sleep was the conversation he had with Isaiah about Viet Nam.
DM
It was hot and his skin felt clammy and sticky. He strained his ears trying to distinguish the rustling noises off to the right of him. It was so quiet that all he could really hear were the mosquitoes buzzing close to his ear. He knew if he moved he would more than likely be shot down. All his senses were on high alert hoping that the sound would come again. Muscles cramped, as the young soldier remained motionless. The jungle all around him smelled of rotten vegetation and death. He swallowed hard, concentrating on keeping perfectly still, knowing the slightest sound would give away his position. Suddenly a movement to the left of him caught his eye. He wanted to scream 'NO!' But to do so would mean guaranteed death. One of his comrades was breaking cover. Steve shut his eyes tight but the scream that came from the fallen soldier vibrated through his head. He concentrated on breathing. He knew if he could continue to breathe steadily that he would stay in control. Suddenly there was a burst of gunfire. Steve looked up just in time to see a unit of Viet Cong firing into the bush where he and his platoon had been holding up trying to out wait the snipers that had already taken out four of the soldiers. Getting into a low crouch the young man began to fire onto the enemy as they continued to advance on the beaten down soldiers. Right in front of his eyes he saw J.D. go down. He had been so close that the blood had splattered on Steve's face and helmet. Before he could stop himself he began to scream No. Over and over he screamed.
Steve felt himself being picked up and held fast. Haveing no idea who was restraining him, he began to struggle in fear of becoming a prisoner. It took several minutes of Isaiah fighting him and hanging on before Steve realized that he was no longer in the hot jungles of Viet Nam. No longer could he hear the rapid gunfire coming from the battle. The screams and cries of anguish faded away. The only sound that could be heard were the night sounds coming from the open window and the soothing words that were being spoken by Isaiah and Emma and his own laboured breathing.
Isaiah held the younger man close waiting for him to calm down a little. Steve swallowed hard trying to get a grip but the nightmare had been too real. It took several minutes before he had the will or the strength to push away from the older man, but as soon as he did he was over taken with a chill. His bedding and clothing were soaked with sweat and damp hair was clinging to his scalp. Emma retrieved a dry nightshirt and Steve quickly changed. Isaiah insisted that he be put in his and Emma's bed. Steve protested but soon lost as Isaiah insisted and Steve was too exhausted to argue.
"I'm sorry, Boy. It's my fault you had that dream. I thought after what you told me this mornin' I had me a pretty good idea about what you boys went through over there. I was wrong. Hearing you scream out like you did I guess nobody could know unless they lived through it. I wish I had left well enough alone." Isaiah was feeling guilty about Steve's nightmare.
Steve put out a hand, touching the old man on the arm. "I don't want you to blame yourself for a bad dream. I still have them sometimes."
"But if I hadn't made you tell me about what it was like over there then you wouldn't have been havin' that nightmare." Replied Isaiah.
"No that's not necessarily true. Sometimes yes things trigger them. But a lot of times I just have them. I get over it. They don't last long or linger. Please, don't blame yourself. I'm fine." Steve could see the doubt in Isaiah's eyes but was relieved when he nodded his head.
"Ok, Boy. But I won't be bringin' it up again. Anythin' I can do for ya?" He asked
"Yeah. You and Emma can go back to LA with me tomorrow." Steve knew he was talking at a wall. That's why Isaiah's response was such a surprise.
"We'll talk about it again in the mornin', Boy. Right now you best be gettin' to sleep." With that he reached over and blew out the lamp.
Isaiah continued to sit with Steve waiting for him to drift off. Usually he couldn't go back to sleep after having a dream like this. However, the older man's presence seemed to remind him of his father, giving him enough comfort tosurrenderinto a deep slumberwith more pleasant images to fill his dreams.
Isaiah finally got up and went to the other bedroom. He found his wife sitting on the side of the freshly changed bed holding a pillow in her arms with her face buried in it. Sitting down next to her he put his arm around her shoulders. For a long time Emma sat and just let her pent up emotions out. She cried for her son and for the young man that lay in her bed. She cried for the fact that her son didn't make it home and for the fact that Steve brought a piece of it back with him. For a long time the old couple just sat, side by side, and comforted each other with their presence. After a long time Isaiah reached and pulled his wife around to face him.
"I want to talk to that boy about goin' into town tomorrow. I think maybe we ought to listen to what he has to say. I don't want you livin' like a fugitive the rest of your life."
Emma looked at her husband and nodded. "Why have you changed your mind? I thought you was dead set against lettin' the law take care of this."
"I was. But that young man in there needs his own papa. He won't leave unless we agree to go with him and let the law handle this affair. It's my fault that he had that bad dream. I pushed him into tellin' me about what life was like over there for them boys. He didn't want to, Emma. I made him. After listenin' to him I realized that we owe it to Robbie to do the right thing. We owe it to that young man in there." Isaiah sighed as he gathered his wife into his arms.
Softly she said to her husband as she snuggled into his embrace. "You know whatever you decide I'll do. I just want what is best for you and for that boy. If you think we should go with him then that's what we are goin' to do."
The two old people lay down and soon went to sleep. The next day was going to be a busy day for all of them. Busier than any of them could even imagine.