Title: THE TWIST RANCH
Author: Brokeback Mountain
Pairing: Jack and Ennis
Rating: R
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: These characters belong to Annie Proulx; not me.
Summary: Ennis goes to work for Mrs. Twist after Mr. Twist dies.
THE TWIST RANCH (Part 1 of 2 parts)
He'd spent the day making the rounds seeing if any of the nearby
ranches were hiring. No luck. He'd try again tomorrow. Tonight
he'd get to bed early. Maybe he'd have better luck tomorrow.
He took a shower, brushed his teeth and was about to get into bed
when the news came on. A special news bulletin from Lightning
Flat. "Local rancher commits suicide. Despondent over only son's
death."
He stood, eyes glued to the TV. It couldn't be. Not that old
bastard. He'd never do anything like that. "Local rancher, John
Twist found this afternoon dead of a self-inflicted gun-shot wound.
Friends of the family said he was despondent over the loss of his
only child Jack Twist six months ago in a freak accident while
inflating a tire on his truck." The announcer droned on but Ennis
didn't hear any more. Two things crossed his mind. First, how they
could have gotten it so wrong. That old bastard didn't care at all
about his son. The second thought was that he hoped Mrs. Twist had
somebody there to console her now in her time of need.
He hadn't even thought about it, just got up the next morning and got
ready to leave. He stood for a moment in front of their shirts
hanging on his closet door. He reached inside and caressed the blue
denim, smoothed down the collar.
Minutes later he was on the highway headed north. There were three
cars parked at the ranch when he got there. Someone answered his
knock and let him in. "You a friend of the Twist's?" He nodded
looking around the room for Mrs. Twist. She was in the front room on
the couch, one of her neighbors sitting next to her, arm around her
shoulders. She stood up and came to him when she saw him walk in.
"Ennis, you came back." She took his hand.
"Yes, Ma'am; had to. Can't tell you how sorry I am," he said, hat
in hand.
"Come. Walk with me a while. "She took his arm and they walked
outside. There was a light dusting of snow but the temperature
wasn't that bad; nice for a leisurely walk.
When they were far enough from the house so that no one could hear
them, she began to talk.
"I s'pose you heard 'bout it on the news."
"Yes, Ma'am." he answered.
"You know what they said wasn't true. He didn't do it out of grief
for Jackie." She took a tissue from her pocket and wiped her
nose. "He got bad news from the doctor on Monday. He had a tumor.
He was going blind. Couldn't stand the thought of having to be taken
care of." She drew herself up and spoke clearly. "He was my husband
for 45 years and at one point I loved him dearly. But that was long
ago, and now, between you and me, I'm glad he's gone."
"Sorry 'bout that. I can see it though." Ennis softly agreed
They walked in silence for a bit then she spoke again.
"I'll be needin to find someone to run the place for me. Guess I'll
start askin 'round. My sister in Cheyenne wants me to come stay with
her but this is my home. I can't leave here. Jackie's here, least
in my heart he's here. That old rusted up bike over there by the
fence? That's his. Used to ride it all over the place whoopin and
hollarin; had more fun with that thing!"
Tears stung his eyes as he imagined Jack as a young boy riding around
the place with that big old grin of his.
"You got lots of neighbors, friends. Can't they help with the
place?" Ennis asked.
"They all got places of their own to run. Most of them don't have
Help; do it all on their own, like Mr. Twist did."
"I'd be happy to help out till you could find someone. I ain't
workin right now and it'd be nothin for me to do for you for a time."
Ennis offered.
"Why, Ennis. How thoughtful of you. I couldn't pay much..." She
smiled up at him.
"Don't need no pay, Ma'am, just a place to stay. I could stay in
the barn, if that's OK with you."
"No it certainly is not, OK. You'll stay in the house. In Jackie's
room. Not that little one at the top of the stairs. That was his as
a boy. He used one of the other rooms up stairs. Has a full sized
bed. You'll be more comfortable there."
They walked some more in silence before she spoke again. "You'll
miss your girls bein so far away."
"Miss 'em all the time. Junior is living in Cheyenne now and Jenny
in Casper. Don't get to see them much at all anymore."
"Unfortunately that's what happens. Children grow up, move away;
take a little piece of your heart with them that never grows back."
"True, true." Ennis agreed.
She stopped and turned to him. "You got nothin keepin you in
Riverton then?"
"Not really. It's where I live. I got my trailer, is all." he
answered.
"I just had a marvelous idea. Why don't you move here? Run the place
for me permanently? Full time? I can pay some, when the stock goes
to market." There was excitement along with tears in her eyes.
"You serious?"
"Yeah. Why not? I need someone to run the place. You said you
weren't working right now. It'd be perfect for both of us."
"Well...I don't know." Ennis had never made a snap decision in his
life.
It started snowing now so Ennis hurried her back into the warmth of
the house.
"Think about it now, and don't you dare leave here without tellin me
what you decide." She said as they returned to the mourning crowd
that had gathered.
Ennis gravitated over to the fireplace, away from most of the people
who were once again hovering over Mrs. Twist. The fire was high and
reminded him of thoughts of Jack; gone six months now. He still
couldn't believe it. How many times had they stood and gazed into a
fire, or sat side by side near one.? Not enough. His heart cried
out. Not nearly enough time spent together and now he's gone and
it's too late. A tear found its way down a dry cheek and he wiped
at it with the back of his hand. The noise in the background
blurred into a low murmur and he listened only to the sound of the
crackling fire. He could hear Jack's voice, "It could be like this,
just like this, always." and "Some times I miss you so much I can't
hardly stand it."
His head ached, but mostly it was his heart aching. His Jack was
gone. Gone and there would be no one meeting him in the mountains
with a hug and a kiss and a quick rub of groins together. He had no one
now. He was alone again.
A cool frail hand slipped into his, and he turned to see Mrs. Twist
there beside him.
"Please say you'll stay. It will be like having a part of Jackie
still here with me." People were beginning to leave now he noticed as
he glanced around the room, then back into the tear filled eyes and
said, "When's the funeral?"
"Tomorrow afternoon." she answered.
"You sure about me permanent?" he asked.
"Oh yes. It was what Jackie always talked 'bout. You comin up here
to live. He talked about you a lot. It was his greatest dream. You
and him comin back here to live." She smiled a sad little smile.
"Would it be alright if I brought my trailer up here? We could find
someplace to hook it up."
"Absolutely. You could pick out any place you want for it. Oh,
Ennis. Are you gonna do this? You rally gonna do this for me?"
"You got someone to stay with you tonight? If I leave now, I can get
back and get everything in order and set out first thing in the
morning. Be back here in the afternoon."
She hugged him then and he couldn't stop the tears that leaked from
his eyes and dampened her hair.
"Yes. I have someone to stay with me tonight. You go on and promise
me you'll be careful. I'll see you tomorrow afternoon."
Ennis arrived the next afternoon and pulled his trailer into the
parking area which was already full with about 20 vehicles. Instead
of going in, he walked the place over, looking for a spot for his
trailer. He spotted the well-head and septic system and found a nice
level area near by. He went back and got in his truck and maneuvered
the trailer into place, close enough so with the extra extension cords and
sewer lines he bought that morning would reach. He got everything
hooked up, cleaned up and went on into the house. People were still
milling around, food was piled everywhere and flowers galore. He
realized then that he hadn't brought anything and felt foolish.
Wondered for a few minutes if he should turn around and go back into
town and pick somethin up when Mrs. Twist noticed him. She came over
to him, hugged him and thanked him again for coming back.
"I'm so glad you're here. I was afraid you might change your mind
and not come back." She held on to his arm.
He patted her hand and said, "Sorry I didn't bring nothin. I know
you're s'posed to at times like this. I just forgot. I could go back
into town..."
"Oh, Lord no. We got enough here to last weeks. You brought
yourself here. That's what I needed most." She assured him.
One by one, the people left and quit stopping by and life on the
Twist ranch developed into a routine. Ennis would come up to the
house each morning for breakfast and to check on Mrs. Twist. He'd
come back again for lunch and supper. During the day he worked the
ranch. Weekends he'd take Mrs. Twist into town for shopping, and on
Sunday for church.
The weeks melted into months and before they knew it, it was Spring
again. Ennis helped carry the dinner dishes into the kitchen and as
he was about to leave she stopped him.
"'Fore you leave, Ennis, I want to show you somethin." She took him
into the living room. "Come. Sit down by me and have a look at
this." She pulled out an old brown photo album.
Ennis sat beside her and watched as she opened it to the face of a
beautiful smiling blue-eyed baby at first birthday.
One candle in the middle of his cake, presents wrapped in bright
colored paper sitting on the table. It was those eyes though.
Jack's eyes. He'd know them anywhere. His breath caught and he was
wordless.
"He was two or three here, can't remember" she said turning the page;
fingers running lovingly across the photos. "He was such a good
baby. Never gave me a bit of trouble; almost never cried." She
turned the page again. More photos of a beautiful boy holding up a
toy plastic horse, smiling that smile. Each page the boy was a bit
older; more candles on the birthday cakes. He was speechless.
Thought he should say somethin but his words were nowhere to be found.
The last page had a 14 year old; tall, gangly boy, hair going in all
directions, blue-eyes sparkling holding up some piece of paper saying
AWARD on it. The paper was there too. It was for math. Top grades
in the school for math was awarded to Jack Twist.
"I just have a few more." She pulled out a large envelope in the
back. "These were taken about five years ago. My sister and her
family were up here one time when Jackie came up."
There he was. The Jack Twist he remembered. Smiling, with his arm
around his momma.
He could not put the photo down. He stared and stared.
"That's a good likeness of him. Do you have any photos of him?" she
asked.
"No, Ma'am." he had to clear his throat to speak. "We never took no
photos."
"Why don't you keep that one then. You should have at least one.
That one there of the two of us is best."
"I...I don't know what to say." He shook his head, eyes still
riveted to the photo.
"Some times have no need for words." She said, putting the album
back on the shelf where it was. "This stays right here. You're
welcome to come look at any time you feel like it." She smiled at
him.
"I...a...thank you. And thank you for this." he took the photo and
left.
He dug around in his junk drawer and came up with another thumb tack
and pinned the photo inside his closet door, above the shirts.
He dreamed about Jack that night. Thought it might have been because
of the photo. It was the first one he had ever seen of Jack. This
dream was different though. Jack was sitting there at the kitchen
table and he was talking to them but no words were coming out of his
mouth. He was trying to tell them something but they couldn't hear a
word.
He awoke with an uneasy feeling but went about his chores for the day.
When he came into the house for lunch that day, he found Mrs. Twist
crying, near hysterical, wringing her hands, carrying her bible.
"What's wrong?" He asked, taking her by the shoulders.
"I heard him! Ennis...The phone...I heard him." She was
incoherent, pointing to the phone.
"Who? Who did you hear?"
"Jackie! He was on the phone!"
He pulled her close and held her; smoothed her hair. "No, now; it
wasn't Jack; couldn't have been."
"It was. It was, I tell you. I know my own son's voice!" She was
shaking, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"OK now. What did this person say to make you think it was Jack?"
He sat her down at the table.
"He said, 'Momma. I need help.' That's all he got out and the line
went dead.
"It was someone else. Someone dialed the wrong number." he reasoned.
"Ennis. It was Jackie! I know it was," she insisted.
Just then the phone rang again. He looked at her. "You get it." she
said.
He picked up the receiver on the third ring. "Hello?" he said.
"Ennis? Ennis, is that you? I need help, please..." the line went
dead.
He turned white, went rigid.
"It was him, wasn't it? I can tell by your face, it was him!" She
was shaking so she could hardly speak. "What did he say?"
He held the phone to his chest; couldn't put it down. He
pressed "O" for the operator.
"Information, what city please?" the voice came on.
"Operator, a call just came into this line. I need to know where it
came from. Can you do that?"
"I'm sorry sir but we don't have that kind of information available
to us. Please call. They may be able to help you.
He hung up the phone and dialed the new number. After several
minutes and talking to 4 different people the information came back
that a call did just come in to that number but it was untraceable.
He slammed the phone down.
"What did he say to you?" She asked again.
"He recognized my voice. Said 'Ennis is that you. I need help' then
there was a lot of voices and some noises, like a scuffle then the
line went dead."
"Oh my God. It was him, wasn't it?" She buried her face in her
hands and wept.
He paced the floor a few minutes then picked up the phone and called
Junior.
"Daddy! This is so nice hearing from you. What's going on? You
coming down for a visit?" Junior was happy to hear from him.
"Baby girl, something real important come up. I need to talk to Kurt's
daddy. Is he home?"
"Kurt's daddy? Well, yeah. He's here. What do you need to talk
with him about?" She didn't like the concern she heard in her daddy's
voice.
"It's really important, Junior. Can you get him to the phone for me?"
"Sure."
A few minutes of silence passed then Detective Bruce Willis answered
the phone.
"Afternoon, Ennis. What can I do for you?" He was a nice guy.
Ennis remembered him from the wedding. Tall good looking and bald as
a billiard ball; a friendly smile and could put away beer with the
best of them.
"You still working on those dead-file cases you was talkin 'bout last
year when you was up for the weddin?"
"Yeah, from time to time. I'm not on one right now though. What do
you need?"
"That DNA stuff you hear 'bout all the time. That real? You can
take somethin like ashes maybe and match it and see if it's the right
person?"
"Yes. That's real enough alright. What's this all about?" He was
curious now.
"We just got a call up here. Two calls from someone who's supposed
to be dead; got his ashes and everythin. I was wonderin if you know
how we can go about havin them tested with this DNA thing. See if
what is in this container is him or not."
"It's possible. But you'd need a source to match it to. A previous
specimen of DNA, or blood from a relative."
"Got his momma right here. She'd give a blood sample to compare it
to." he looked over at her and she shook her head 'yes'.
"Who is this guy, anyway? What's he to you?" Detective Willis asked.
"He's the son of the woman I work for. He was...special to me."
that was all he could bring himself to say.
"You got his ashes?"
"Yeah. Half of them. The other half was supposed to be buried in
Childress. Childress, Texas."
"You say you just got a couple of calls from him?"
"Yeah. He talked to his Momma first, said 'Momma I need help.' then
the phone went dead. We was talkin 'bout it when the phone rang
again. I answered; said 'hello'. He recognized my voice.
Said 'Ennis that you? I need help.' then there was a scuffle and the
line went dead."
"You sure it's not someone playing a mean joke on your?"
"It was him, alright. I know him good. It was his voice." Ennis
assured him.
"Alright. Let me see what I can come up with for you. I was gonna
take a few days off anyway and do some fishing but this sounds a lot
more interesting. Let me get a pencil and paper and get some
information from you. "
He took down all the important information and said he'd call back
the next morning."
They barely slept at all that night. Ennis stayed in the house by
the phone; sat there willing it to ring again. It didn't. They
dozed off in the chairs they were sitting in.
He woke up to the smell of coffee and the sounds of Mrs. Twist
puttering around in the kitchen. He went in to her and they sat
there, phone cord stretched out so the phone could sit on the table.
It was shortly after 9:00 when it finally rang. Ennis nearly knocked
it off the table grabbing it.
Detective Willis's voice came on. "Ennis? Got some information, you
are not going to believe!"
"What is it. Say it now." he was too anxious to be polite.
"I did some checking last night and this morning. It seems there is
no death records for a Jack Twist, anywhere. Not in Texas or
countrywide. I double checked. He ever go by any other name?"
Ennis repeated the information and question to Mrs. Twist.
"His momma says he never went by any other name. She's got the
newspaper clippin they sent her. Got his name right on it."
"Hmmm. Something don't add up here. Look. You still up in
Riverton?"
"No. Lightning Flat." he answered.
"I know where that is. Used to have a friend from up around there.
I'm flying up. Be there in a coupla hours."
"He's coming up." Ennis said to Mrs. Twist.
"I knew it! I knew he wasn't dead! A momma knows these things. I'd
feel it if he was dead. He ain't dead!" She put her hands to her
face and sobbed. He comforted him as best he could.
It was lunchtime when they got the call that Detective Willis had
arrived in town and gave him directions out to the ranch. Ennis was
standing outside in the parking area when the car pulled up.
They shook hands and went into the house.
"You say you have a newspaper clipping about the accident?" he asked.
"Yes. Right here." she answered and pulled the clipping out of her
apron pocket.
He scanned it quickly, noting the date and name of the newspaper was
hand written in on the side. He picked up the phone, punched in his
calling card number and waited.
"Hey Barry. Willis here, how you doin.? Say, I need a favor. It's real important
and I need the information like immediately. Can you check out a
newspaper article from Childress Texas, The Childress Tribune. Date
May 23rd. 1983." He waited a bit.
"No. This isn't another dead case. This one is current and
personal. Big time." He waited again. "OK, Barry. I appreciate it.
Call me back as soon as you hear from him. Number
is."
They sat and waited for the phone to ring. Detective Willis
fingering the newspaper article suspiciously.
"What is it?" Ennis asked. "Why you lookin at that paper like that."
"Don't look real to me. Looks like a fake. Feel this paper. Don't
seem like newsprint to me."
Ennis felt it, "Don't read newspapers much. Wouldn't know what it's
s'posed to feel like."
"Well, my buddy Barry has a friend works in Dallas. Said he'd call
him. See what he could do."
"I 'spect we all could use some coffee." Mrs. Twist got up and
started it.
"You know of anybody who might want to do this fella any harm?" He
asked Ennis.
"L.D. Newsome." he answered without hesitation.
"Who's that?"
"Father-in-law." Mrs. Twist answered coming back to the
table. "Jack said often that he hated him. Often humiliated him in
front of his boy."
Detective Willis looked to Ennis.
"Said the same to me. Only person he ever said that about." Ennis
agreed.
"Would he have any reason to want to make Jack disappear?"
Ennis chewed on his thumbnail, said nothing.
Mrs. Twist sat coffee down in front of each of them, then brought a
third cup for herself and sat down. "Jack said L.D. didn't think he
was good enough for his daughter."
The phone rang then. Mrs. Twist answered it and handed the phone to
Detective Willis. "Hey, Barry, what's you got for me?"
Silence for a moment. "Your'e, kidding! You sure about that? Double
checked?" Pause "I owe big time for this one, Barry."
He hung up the phone and stared at the clipping again.
"The Childress Tribune, closed down 48 years ago. Hasn't printed a
page since."
The three of them stared at each other.
"What does this mean?" She asked.
"It means this here's a fake." he said tossing the clipping on the
table.
"But how can that be? Somebody can't fake a newspaper clipping."
She picked it back up. "Why would they?"
"To make you think somebody was dead, who wasn't!" Ennis said with a
growl, jumping up from the table, sloshing his coffee.
"But WHY? I don't understand. Why would they want us to think he
was dead if he ain't? And if he ain't; whose ashes I got in that
container?" She was frantic.
"Can you check it with one of those DNA tests?" Ennis asked.
"Yes. I already called a friend of mine in Cheyenne. He said he
needed us to bring the ashes in and a blood sample of a relative, if
possible."
"Let's do it."
The three of them drove into town, explained to Mrs. Twist doctor
that a sample was needed and he drew it for them. They dropped Mrs.
Twist off at the ranch and the two of them boarded a plane for
Cheyenne.
It was Ennis's first flight and he was worried but not nearly as
worried about the flight as he was about the thought that Jack might
be alive out there somewhere in far away Texas, needing him, and he
had no where to look. His first inclination was to dash off to
Childress, find L.D. Newsome and skin him alive till he told him
where Jack was. That was something he would keep in reserve in case
it came to that later.
They had a rental car waiting for them at the airport when they
arrived.
They drove directly to the lab gave the samples to the technician and
stressed how urgent the matter was; then drove to Detective Willis's
home.
They went in and waited for the phone to ring. Ennis was glad Junior
and Kurt were both at work so they had the place to themselves.
"You do this kind of work a lot?" Ennis asked, pacing around the
living room.
"Yeah. It's what I do. I work for a special unit on selected
cases. Cases nobody else can solve. Some times they're on-going
cases; sometimes they are cold cases." They were silent for a
time. "You know, this could take a day or two even. There are
different types of tests they do. Some, they get the tests results
back right away, some take a lot longer." He tried to prepare Ennis
for a wait.
He'd barely finished with his explanation when the phone rang. He
grabbed it. "Yeah. You sure? I'm not surprised. Thanks"
He hung up the phone. "You know this case gets more and more
interesting."
"What'd he say?" Ennis asked.
"Those ashes aren't human remains. Period! It isn't your friend."
Ennis plopped down on the couch. If it hadn't been there he would
have landed on the floor, his legs giving way beneath him.
"So what do we do now? Go to Childress?" Ennis asked, in a state of
shock.
"I'd say it's about time. Good thing we didn't unpack." He picked
up the phone again and dialed.
"Barry, got another favor." pause "Call your pal in Dallas back.
Tell him I need everything he can come up with on a L.D. Newsome out
of Childress. I'm heading for Childress right now. I'll call you
when we get there and Barry, a life may depend on this information,
it's that important. Thanks" He hung up and they headed back to the
airport.
It was late when they landed in Childress. They took rooms for the
night and turned in early. Ennis was numb from lack of sleep and
severe emotional distress. He did fall asleep after a time but woke
up several times during the night. By sun up he was eager to go.
They went to the local police station, explained that they were on a
case and expecting some information to come over the
police wire. Shortly the fax machine started chattering and page
after page of information came out of the little slot. The station
officer got busy so they took their papers and left. Devouring the
information back at their motel.
L.D. Newsom had been under investigation several times over the years
concerning everything from shady deals, to buying equipment that
might not be exactly "hot" but definitely "warm". One small item did
stand out for them though. He was questioned a few years earlier
about a competitor who suddenly, after a meeting with L.D., turned up
missing; his where-abouts still unknown.
"Well now, isn't this interesting?" Detective Willis said, leaning
back in his chair and handing that little tidbit to Ennis to read.
"You think he did this? You think he did the same thing to Jack?"
he said between clenched teeth.
"Looking like it, I'd say."
Ennis stood, walked to the window and stared out into the parking
lot. The world was still the same out there. It was only in here
that everything had changed. The anger boiled inside him; yet at the
same time he felt a little ray of hope.
"How do you make someone disappear?" he asked, coming back to the
table. "If he had 'em killed, why didn't he send ashes instead of
makin something up?"
"There are other ways of making people disappear," Willis
Answered; "Especially this close to the border."
"What's 'at mean?" Ennis asked.
"There are places across the border in Mexico that will do that sort
of thing?"
"Kill somebody, you mean?"
"Not necessarily. Mexico is a very poor country. A few dollars in
the right hand and the authorities will look the other way. I've
heard there are jails in some of the smaller towns that will
accept 'prisoners' without any paperwork. Hold on to them, long as
they're getting paid to."
"What'd be the point in that? They'd get out sooner or later then
there'd be hell to pay." Ennis reasoned.
"A lot of them don't make it out. It's pretty rough down there. And
if they did get out, how could they prove anything?"
He was right, Ennis knew it. A sick feeling came over him. Jack in
a filthy cell somewhere, locked up with whatever other poor
unfortunates happened his way. The bile rose in his stomach and he
thought for a spell he'd have to make a run for the bathroom. He
rubbed his forehead and tried to settle himself.
"Let me make a few phone calls. See what I can come up with."
Willis said.
Ennis paced the floor, smoked and waited, seemed like hours but in
reality, less than one. Willis came back into the room and
said, "I'm calling in a few markers. A buddy of mine lives in
Dallas. He would know how to check this out across the border.
He'll get back to us as soon as he can." He took a seat at the table
and uncapped some bottled water and drank.
"You know this Jack Twist a long time?"
"Since '63."
"No kidding? That is a long time."
"2l years this month." Ennis said. He came away from the window and
sat on the foot of the bed, ashtray in hand.
"We was just kids then. 19. Both out on our own, lookin for work.
Came together at a sheepherding job that spring up in the
mountains." He stopped then; lit another cigarette. He glanced up
at Willis; no signs of anything but interest. He was Kurt's daddy,
alright; didn't stand in judgment.
"There more to the story?" Willis asked.
"Yeah. Kinda personal though." Ennis never was much of a talker.
"Whatever you're comfortable with. I can tell how much you care for
this guy. He's lucky to have you to come looking for him."
Ennis shook his head, looked down and picked at the bedspread.
"I'm the lucky one. I'd never known anyone like him before. He was my
first friend. First one that ever even asked 'bout me; my family
stuff like that. To the rest of the world, I was just somebody to do
the work."
"What about Alma's momma?" Willis asked.
"Oh she was real nice. I met her when I come to Riverton. Heard
some rancher over there was hirin but when I got there the job was
taken. I was hungry and broke. I saw a sign in the window at a
Western Auto store there and went in and got the job. It was her
daddy's store. She was cashier there. They took me home and fed me
lots. Alma spent some time alone together and one thing led to
another and she said we couldn't do that until we were married and I
wanted to do it, so I said 'let's get married'. Next thing I knew we
was plannin a weddin. I heard 'bout the sheep herding job for the
summer and thought it would give us a little money to start out
with." He stopped again, overwhelmed by sad memories.
"After bein up on that mountain all those weeks with Jack...Things
changed. Should have known it, but didn't. Thought it would pass.
Guess he did too cause we both got married; had kids. Didn't see or
hear from him for four years, then I got a postcard from him. We
started seein each other on the sly coupla times a year. That was my
fault. He wanted us both to drop everything and go get us a place
somewhere. I couldn't do it. We argued 'bout that often. I was
just too scared. Scared of what people would think; what they'd do.
And, of course, I'd never leave my girls." He cleared his throat and
went to the window again. "Last time we were together, we
argued 'bout it again. I gave it a lot of thought and was just about
ready to decide he was right. My girls were grown, didn't need no
child support not more. I was free to take off and I sure couldn't
take all the loneliness any more. Couldn't tell him 'no' again."
The words were coming easier now. Willis cared. You could see it in
his eyes. He was a good person.
"I sent him a post card about our Nov. meeting. I was gonna tell him then
that I'd changed my mine and would go away with him; but it came back
marked in big red letters 'deceased'. That 'bout killed me. Thought
it must be a mistake. I called his wife, she gave me some story
about a exploding tire, smashing his face, killing him dead; havin
him cremated and sendin ashes to his folks. That's when I went up
there and met them." He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to ease
the tension.
"That's about it. The ranch I been workin was sold off and the new
owner brought in all new people to run it, over from Montana. I
been doing odd jobs 'round lookin for steady work when old man Twist
died. I went up to pay my respects and she offered me the job of
runnin the place."
"That's quite a story. Sounds like a movie to me." Willis smiled at
him, a comforting sort of smile.
"You think there's a possibility he's still alive?" Ennis asked, not
really daring to hope.
"A possibility, yes." he assured him.
They walked across the street to a little restaurant and had dinner.
Food tasted like cardboard to Ennis but he ate anyway. Anything to
try and fill that hole inside him that was eating away at him; that
ache that wouldn't go away. Back at the motel Ennis was just getting
ready for bed when Willis knocked on his door.
"Yeah?" Ennis asked opening the door that connected their rooms.
"Just heard from my friend; he's got a lead. We're meeting him
tomorrow in Del Rio. Already made reservations."
"What kinda lead? Must be good he's willin to take off like that."
"Don't know for sure. Said he found a place just across the border
from Del Rio. Place where they have those kinda jails I told you
about. He made some calls and found they have four gringos down
there, between the ages of 30 and 50. That's about all he had for
us. Thought you'd want to go on down and check it out."
"Yes. Can't we go now? Tonight?" Ennis wanted to run out the door
and head south.
"We need him along with us. He's got the contacts down there that
will get us in. You can't just go up to these places and ask if they
got someone you're looking for. Besides, he's got a badge. That
always helps."
Ennis let out the breath he didn't know he'd been holding.
"Try and get some sleep." Willis clapped him on the shoulder. "We'll
head out first thing."
That was one of the longest nights of his life. His bed seemed
filled with lumps and stones, no position was comfortable for him.
He paced the floor some more, smoked too many cigarettes and passed
out shortly before dawn.
A quick shower and shave and they were off to the airport. Breakfast
out of a vending machine and they were in the air again. Ennis
didn't care for this flying stuff but if it got him closer to Jack,
he'd put up with it.
Willis's friend, Texas Ranger Walker met them at the airport.
Already had a van rented. They threw they bags in and took off for
the border.
The little town was about 30 miles across dusty deserted roads from
the border. It wasn't difficult to find the jail. It was the only
large building in the little village. Tall adobe blocked walls
surrounded it, iron gate in front.
Ennis sat in the back and watched Walker speak the language fluently,
clasped the guards hand, leaving some folded up bills in his hand.
He smiled and opened the gates.
They drove in and the first thing that assailed Ennis nose was the
smell. Sweat, urine, feces, mingled with the smells of spicy foods
cooking off somewhere in one of the buildings. He noticed the iron
cages then, men with dead eyes staring at them. Calling out to
them. A language he didn't speak but the look of despair on their
filthy faces spoke volumes. There was no misunderstanding here.
These men were in hell.
He scanned the dirty cages, looking for his prize; his Jack.
Couldn't find him. This was hopeless.
They climbed out of the van that had stopped in front of the main
building and went in. The inside was another world. Clean as a
church, a fan overhead kept the outside stench at bay. A short heavy-
set man sat behind a large mahogany desk, way too big for him. His
uniform was neat and clean and he stood to greet them, his smile
showing a gold tooth in front as shiny as the buttons on his jacket.
Ranger Walker did the talking. Ennis didn't know what was being
said. It didn't really matter to him as long as they found Jack.
His hopes were already at his feet, thinking that Jack might be in
some place like this.
The man behind the desk kept smiling and nodding, speaking
occasionally back to the Ranger. The smile left his face when Walker
brought out his badge and dropped it on the desk in front of him. He
sputtered a few more sentences then got up and left the room.
"What the hell's going on?" Willis demanded before Ennis had a chance
to ask the same.
"Had to compliment the son-of-a-bitch on his facility, brag about all
the good things I'd heard about him and his family then told the
bastard I was here looking for someone. He knows I know what he does
here. He's no fool. He said he'd bring the gringos for us to take
our choice."
Ennis's heart was in his throat. He wanted to hope but was afraid to.
They waited for five minutes when the man returned, escorting three
raggedy looking men. One not much out of his teens, one white
haired, at least in his 60's, the third bushy redheaded man with
tattoos.
Walker looked to Willis and Ennis who both shook their heads no. He
said something to the man and they argued a bit. Then they were
motioned to follow and went through the building and out the back.
In the courtyard stood another iron cage; smaller than the others;
big enough for one man only. He sat there on the dirt floor hunched
over, head resting on arms crossed on knees.
Three quick steps and Ennis was standing at the front of the cage,
hands holding on the bars. "Jack? Jack?"
The ragged man inside lifted his head weakly; blue eyes blinking in
the sunlight.
"Open this fuckin door!" Ennis was about to come through, iron bars
or not.
Keys clanked in the lock, the door swung open and Ennis was inside on
his knees. "Jack? You with me?" He slapped at the down turned cheeks.
Head came back up again, "Ennis. You came to see me?" Head went
back down.
Ennis grabbed him then; great sobs broke from his throat. Everything
was a blur for a while. Willis and Walker pulling on them both, lots
of chattering going on. Then they were in the van. Willis giving
Jack a bottle of water, Walker explaining that he had agreed to not
report what he had seen in return for Jack's release into his
custody. A long conversation at the border with the guard once he
saw their extra passenger. More cash slipped into his palm and they
were crossing the border again.
They took rooms at a motel. There was no way they could take Jack on
an airplane looking like that. Ennis stayed with him, stripping him
and getting him into a shower. Walker and Willis went out to
purchase a new set of clothes for him.
Jack was clearly in a daze of some sort; speaking occasionally in
Spanish; his mind in a cloud somewhere.
When Walker and Willis got back to the room Jack was in bed, curled
up in a fetal position. Ennis was sobbing into the phone; talking to
Jack's momma. He hung up when they came in.
"How's he doin?" Willis asked.
"Not too good." Ennis answered, wiping the tears off his face with
the back of his hand. "Sometimes he acts like he knows me, other
times he's talkin in that Spanish."
"Listen, Ennis." Walker was speaking. "I know you want to rush
right home with him but I think you should take a few days. Bring
him to Dallas for a bit. I know a doctor there, runs a clinic. She
handles all kinds of shock cases. Takes on a lot of service men been
suffering from combat fatigue, stuff like that. I'd really like for
her to look at him."
Ennis sat on the bed beside Jack, ran a hand over the still damp
hair. Jack muttered something in Spanish.
"Can we wait till tomorrow to decide? See if he's better then?"
Ennis squinted up at him.
"Sure we can. Tell you what. I have to get back tonight. If you
decide in the morning to come to Dallas, call me. I'll make
arrangements for the Doctor to see him."
Walker left then and Willis went out and got them some take out for
dinner. Ennis had Jack up dressed in his new clothes and walking
around the room when he came in with dinner. They sat Jack down at
the table, tried to get him to eat. He nibbled a bit, mumbled
something in Spanish, looked around like he was lost. They were
finishing up when Jack turned to Ennis and said "Where the hell you
been?"
Ennis blinked "Right here, Bud" he answered.
"Why didn't you come for me? I waited and waited. You didn't
come!" He stared down at his half-eaten food. "Why didn't you come
for me?"
Ennis reached over and grasped Jack's arm. "They told us you was
dead. Everyone thought you was dead."
Tears glistened in the dark eyelashes. "Who told you that? L.D.?"
he asked.
"Lureen" Ennis answered.
Jack said something in Spanish, then in English said, "You shoulda
come for me, Ennis. I waited and waited." He got up and climbed
back into bed, curling up as small as he could get.
Ennis put his fist against his mouth and swore silently.
Willis got up, put a hand on Ennis's shoulder and said, "Give it
time. He's alive. That's what's important right now." He went to
his own room and left them alone.
The next morning was pretty much the same. Jack spoke some in
Spanish, some in English; clearly confused. They decided that a
trip to Dallas was in order. Ennis called Mrs. Twist and filled her
in on their plans and promised to bring Jack home as soon as
possible. She was tearful and disappointed but grateful for this
miracle that brought her son back to her.
The trip to Dallas was uneventful. Jack was silent throughout the
entire trip. An earlier phone call had set up the appointment for
Jack with Walker's friend. Walker met them at the airport and drove
them straight to the clinic. They did a complete physical on Jack
first, before the psychologist could see him. Ennis and Willis
waited impatiently in the hall; Ennis pacing back and forth or
staring, statue like, out the window at the end of the hall. Finally
the nurse called them into the Doctor's office. The doctor sat there
reading reports. He stopped when they came in and motioned for them
to sit. They sat down in chairs in front of his desk.
"This is very strange; very strange indeed." He took his glasses
off and rubbed his eyes. "I had them run this twice to make sure
there was no mistake."
"Say what you got to say." Ennis couldn't sit any longer and stood,
facing the doctor.
"Well, to cut to the chase, you're friend has been drugged. I'd say
over a long period of time; several months. On the good side of
that, it's a common enough drug that we can neutralize it with a
series of injections."
"He gonna be alright then?" Ennis was gripping the back of the chair
he had been sitting in.
"It might take a while, but yes. I have every reason to believe
he'll be just fine once we get the drugs out of his system. Do you
know why he was given these drugs?"
"No we don't." Willis chimed in. "But we're gonna find out."
"When can we take him home? His momma's waitin to see him back in
Wyoming." Ennis was so relieved.
"I still recommend at least one or two counseling sessions. I don't
really think there's anything wrong with his mind but he is
confused. We talked a little and I think it would be in his best
interests to stay here at least a day or two. Help steady him some,
understand what has happened to him."
A rap on the door and Ranger Walker stuck his head in. They motioned
him on in. The doctor repeated what he had told the others. Walker
was pleased. "This is good news, then." He slapped Ennis on the
shoulder.
"Yeah. 'Cept they want to keep him here a coupla days to talk to a
counselor." Ennis said.
"That don't sound too bad." he smiled reassuringly. "I got a few
questions I'd like to ask him, myself."
The doctor made arrangements for the proper drugs to be administered
and the three of them waited.
"How long will it take?" Ennis asked.
"Don't know. He's been on this drug for quite a while now. I'd say
his mind will start to clear immediately; but not completely. It
will take a while for that."
They sat and watched through a window as the counselor began
questioning Jack. He knew his name, address in Childress and the
address in Lightning Flat. He knew who the president was and he knew
his parents names. He seemed stable for the moment. The counselor
asked him another question, "What about the name Ennis Del Mar?"
"He brought me here." Jack said, sitting there looking around the
small room.
"He's outside. He'd like to come in. Is that ok with you?"
"Sure. If he wants to," Jack answered.
"He has two friends with him. They brought you here with Ennis. Is
it ok if they come in to? They have some questions they want to ask
you."
"Fine," he seemed quite comfortable.
The three came in and sat down. Ennis pulled his chair up across
from Jack's.
"Hey, Bud. How you doin?" he asked both hands jammed into his jacket
pocket to keep from grabbing him. He took his hat off and perched it
on his knee.
Jack stared at him; frowning.
"Jack Twist?" Walker approached, put out his hand. Jack took it for
a second. "My name is Walker. I'm a Texas Ranger. I have a few
questions I'd like to ask you if you're up to it."
"Sure." Jack answered glancing idly about.
"How did you come to be in Mexico? How did you get there?" Walker
asked the question they were all wanting to know.
Jack thought about it for a minute then answered. "Don't know. I
was driving...then I woke up down there."
"You don't remember anything else?" Walker asked.
"I remember him." he pointed at Ennis.
"That's good. He's the one got us looking for you." Walker answered.
"You came lookin for me?" Jack asked, staring at Ennis.
"uh huh. You called your Momma. I was there."
"You answered the phone...I remember."
"How did you get to a phone?" Walker asked.
Jack was staring at Ennis; not looking away. "They said I smelled bad;
took me inside to take a shower. Saw the phone. When he wasn't
lookin, I made the calls. He wouldn't let me talk though. Said we'd
both get in trouble."
"Momma OK?" he asked Ennis.
"She's fine; anxious to see you." Ennis answered eyes never leaving
Jack's.
"Can we go now?"
"I think its best you stay with us a day or two." The doctor said.
"Wanna go home. Now." He insisted.
"Jack." Ennis reached over and put his hand on Jack's knee. "Just
over night, OK? I'll stay here with you."
"Why I gotta stay? I'm fine."
The doctor answered that one. "You've been drugged. We're giving
you something to neutralize it. It's going to take a series of
injections. It would be best over a week or 10 days but we'll see if
we can get you stable enough to fly back home. You can take the rest
in capsule form."
"My head hurts." Jack said rubbing his forehead.
"That's one of the unfortunate side affects of this procedure. We
can get you some Tylenol. What you need most is rest." The doctor
said.
"I got more questions first." Ranger Walker said, coming around in
front of Jack, forcing him to face him. "Do you know who would want
to make you disappear?"
"Newsome." Jack answered, staring at Ennis.
"Did you have a fight with him?" Walker asked.
"No; didn't have to. He hated me from the beginning. Said I wasn't
good enough for his girl; offered me money to leave town."
"How long were you married?" Walker asked.
"Since '64; that'd be 20 years now." Jack answered.
"So why, all the sudden, would he want to get rid of you?"
"Probably 'cause I told him I was gonna divorce Lureen. Move back up
to Wyoming. He said never been a divorce in his family and wasn't
gonna be one now. Didn't know what he meant. Guess I do now." Jack
gladly took the Tylenol capsules the doctor handed him with a glass
of water.
"Son of a bitch" the words came through clenched teeth, Ennis's eyes
going to slits.
"Easy now, Ennis," Detective Willis came over and put his hands on
Ennis's shoulders.
"Can I go lie down now? I'm really tired." Jack asked.
"Just a few more questions," Walker insisted. "Why were you kept by
yourself in the back and not out front in the cages with the others?"
"I was, first night. Three cell mates raped me. Everyone was
Hollering; raised a real fuss. They decided to put me out back
where the others couldn't see me. Anything else? I'm really tired."
Nervous glances were exchanged all around. Ennis came out of his
chair, seething, but no where to vent his anger.
The doctor broke the silence first. "Yes, you certainly can. I've
had a room already prepared for you. I think they need another blood
sample from you then you can sleep as long as you like. How does
that sound."
"Great. Just need to lie down."
A nurse came in and escorted him off to a room. When he was out of
the room the doctor spoke again. "I'll get some tests run make sure
he didn't pick up anything down there."
A few hours later, Jack woke up to find Ennis sitting beside his bed
staring at him.
"Why you lookin at me like that?" he asked, moving his bed into an
upright position.
"Just can't believe you're alive." he shook his head.
"A course I'm alive. You really think I was dead?" His head was
clearer now, the reality of his situation sinking in.
"They sent your folks a container; s'posed to be your ashes. Said
you was cremated. Even sent a newspaper clippin, sayin you died in
an accident." Ennis leaned closer and squeezed Jack's arm. "We
thought you were gone." his voiced cracked with emotion.
"Guess they figured I was a goner for sure," Jack shook his head.
"We gotta do somethin 'bout it, Jack. Can't let them get away with
what they did to you."
"Ennis, I wanna go see my folks. I wanna be done with all this.
Can't we just let the law take care of the rest?" His sad eyes
pleading; he was still so tired.
"I wanna find the bastard and rip his guts out with my bare hands,
but if you want to leave it to the authorities, then that's what
we'll do." It was a hard concession for him to make but he was more
concerned at the moment with having Jack back than he was with
revenge.
"Can we leave in the morning? I really want to get out of here."
Jack asked.
"Doc's running some blood tests. See if you caught anything down
there. Once he gives us the OK, we'll take off for home."
"Good. I just want to get out of Texas. Get back to Wyoming where I
belong." He leaned back and crossed an arm over his eyes.
"I got some stuff I need to tell you. Are you up to some news?"
Ennis asked.
"Good news or bad news?" He turned to face Ennis.
"Got some of both. I guess the bad news first. That alright with
you?"
"Go ahead. I'm listening."
"It's about your Pa. He's gone."
"Gone? You mean he's dead?"
"Yeah, Bud. I'm afraid so."
"His heart finally give out?"
"Nah. He got some bad news from his doctor. Said he had a tumor and
was going blind. Couldn't handle it I guess, and went out to the
barn and shot himself. Sorry." He rubbed Jack's arm back and forth.
"He's really gone? Can't believe it! Always thought he'd live to be
100."
"You OK?"
"Yeah; why wouldn't I be? He was the meanest man I ever knew. I
won't be shedding no tears over him. That's for sure. How's Momma
takin it?"
"Pretty good, I guess. Well as can be expected. She's got lots of
friends helpin her out."
"Good. I'll be there shortly to take care of things. When did all
this happen?"
"Last year. I went up to see her. I'd been up before. After they
told us you was...gone. Sent me back my last postcard marked
DECEASED in big red letters on it. That's when I called Lureen to
see what happened. She told me you had an accident, described it and
all. Said you'd been cremated and half your ashes was buried in
Childress and half sent up to your folks. Said you wanted them
scattered up on Brokeback. I went to see them, tell them I'd take
the ashes up to Brokeback but your dad said no."
"I'm not surprised."
"When your dad passed, I went up to pay my respects to your Momma.
Figured she'd be sellin the place off and movin but she said she was
plannin on stayin; offered me the job of runnin the place for her."
He stopped to see how Jack was reacting to the idea.
"She did? I know she'd never leave the ranch. Her folks are buried
close by in the family plot. She'd never leave them."
"Well, I took the job. I pulled my trailer up there and I been
runnin the place ever since."
Jack turned to him then, with the first smile on his face that Ennis
had seen. Not an all-out smile that Jack's so good at. But a smile
none the less. Something his heart had been aching to see since that
first awful moment when they found him in that cage.
"You runnin my ranch?"
"Uh huh. That OK with you?"
"It's been my dream now for more than 20 years. Just about give up
on it ever happening though."
"Figured I'd like to stay on, if that's ok with you?"
Jack took hold of Ennis's arm and pulled him close.
"Don't know if I can afford you." He pressed their lips together in
a short sweet kiss.
"I'm cheap. Just one of those kisses a day is all I need."
"Well, I don't know about that. We may have to do some negotiatin on
that." He caressed the side of Ennis's face. Traced the jaw line with
a finger tip; let it wander across the slightly parted lips.
"I'm all for negotiatin or anythin else you might have in mind." His
tongue came out and drew the finger tip in.
"I need you, Cowboy." Jack sobbed and lurched sideways into Ennis's
arms.
"I'm here, Jack. I ain't goin no where; never again! We been given
a second chance here and I ain't gonna screw it up this time. I
promise you that." He held Jack tight and pressed kisses into the
dark hair.
"I thought I'd never see you again! I thought they were gonna kill
Me," he sobbed.
"It's alright. You're safe now. And tomorrow I'll take you home."
"What about all this legal stuff?" he sniffed.
"We can do it over the phone, or fax it. Whatever they need, but
tomorrow I'm takin you home. That's a promise."
"Home. It sounds so good. It's all I ever wanted. You and me at
home. A place of our own."
THE END (end of part 1 of 2 parts)