“You’re talking about the Bill of Rights, Mr. Raymond. But yes, you are correct in that.”
“Well, those federal cops come up to my house, just struttin’ like they was the Lord God Almighty. I was out back in the field, tendin’ to the garden—God knows there ain’t no work in the mines no more.
“I heard my wife screamin.’ Chilled me. I had a pistol hid in the shed out back; grabbed that on my run to the house. One of them cops had hit my wife, knocked her down on the floor, dress all hiked up past her hips. Them federal cops standin’ around, laughing at my wife’s nakedness. Then one of ‘em kicked her. I shot him in the stomach and he went down. Just then my brother Rodney—he lives right across the road—come in the house just as the other cop was pointin’ a pistol at my head. Rodney shot him and then we whipped the other two in a fair, stand-up fistfight. Did a pretty damn good job of it, too, wouldn’t you say so?”
The judge looked at the badly mauled ex-federal cops (both of them had resigned prior to this hearing). “Yes, Mr. Raymond, I would say that is the truth.”
“Well, judge, you see, ‘bout a year ago, me and about forty-fifty other boys around here joined up with the Rebels come out of Tri-States after the government stuck their goddamn nose where it don’t belong—as usual. I understand from radio broadcasts the Rebels are comin’ out of the Smokies like ants toward honey—so we figured this was as good a time as any to make our move.
“So, judge, you ain’t got no more federal police in this county. We got ‘em locked up over in the jail. The boys that was the law before the government federalized the police is back as the law. And me and mine and my friends is gonna bow out of the lawkeepin’ business and let them that knows a little something about it tend to it. But we’ll keep our guns, just in case.
“Now, your honor, I’m gonna take my wife, my kin, and my friends, and we’re gonna leave this courtroom. I don’t expect to be back ‘cause I don’t expect to break any laws. Especially the new law that we’re going to put in effect in this county. And you know what that law is, don’t you, judge?”
The judge lost his temper for the first time that morning. “Ben Raines’s law, Mr. Raymond—the law that was used in the Tri-States? The law of the jungle.”
“Well, I could stand here and argue with you, judge; but I ain’t gonna. I will say the Rebels’ law is not the law of the jungle—it’s more… a common sense law. But I don’t expect a lawyer or a judge to understand that. You people are like lice: if a dog don’t get the first one, he ain’t gonna get another.”
“I resent the hell out of that analogy!” the judge snapped at the miner.
“I don’t care,” Mr. Raymond said calmly. “It’s true. You’re not interested in really punishing the guilty; you’re not interested in what is right or wrong. Not even before we come under a police state. I’m not gonna argue about it. Your kind of law of fancy words and deals and blamin’ crime on society is over. And I think it’s time—past time.
“So, you better retire from the bench, judge. You better do that before the Rebels get here, ‘cause I understand they pretty damned tough, and they don’t take a whole lot of truck off folks. ‘Specially folks that backed the police state and the federal police and Lowry and them kind. So we’ll see you around, judge. You take care, now—you hear?”
The Joint Chiefs met in the New Pentagon in Richmond. None of them could conceal their delight at the Rebels moving out of the Smokies.
“Raines’s Rebels are kicking ass up in the Kentucky, I hear,” General Rimel said. “Hartline lost over a thousand men the first day.”
“Yes, the fool tried an assault on three bridges, a simultaneous attack. All Raines’s people did was pull back and suck the troops across the river, then they closed the flanks around them.” General Franklin shook his head in disgust at the stupidity of that move; but he could not hide his smile.
“Let me correct that, General,” General Preston said. “Hartline wasn’t there. I don’t believe he would have made such a move.”
“You’re right,” the Marine agreed. “Hartline was in Richmond, I forgot. Well, anyway, that’s a thousand mercs we won’t have to deal with.”
“Affirmative to that,” Admiral Calland said. “I’m just praying nothing happens that will pull us into this fight.”
“What the hell could happen that would do that?” General Rimel asked. “Raines has given his word that he isn’t interested in toppling the government, per se. All he wants is to return to Tri-States and be left alone. He isn’t going to attack any of our bases.”
“I just have a bad feeling about it all,” Calland replied. “You know—all of you—that I’ve felt for some time Lowry was not really behind it all. That someone is giving him orders. I can’t shake that feeling.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know. I just don’t think Lowry has enough sense to mastermind this. My God, you’ve all talked with the man. He’s just as big a fool as Logan was—maybe more so. All that talk about him being the brains behind Logan. I never did believe it. Somebody else is behind all this. I
“Again,” General Franklin leaned forward, “I ask who?”
“I don’t know. I got a bad feeling about it, boys. A bad feeling.”
“You dirty, low-life bastard!” Sabra hissed at Hartline. “It isn’t enough you’ve ruined my marriage. Now you have to rape my daughter. You son of a bitch!”
“Relax, Sabra-baby,” Hartline grinned at her. “I just wanted to have a little taste, that’s all. It was tight, I have to admit.”
“Goddamn you!”
When she again looked up, she was indeed looking up, the side of her face aching where Hartline had slapped her.
“Sabra-baby, how would you like me to take little Nancy down to the local barracks and give her to some of my men?”
“You wouldn’t!”
“Oh?”
“You can’t be that vile.”
“Would you like to watch her take two at once?”
Sabra put her face against the carpet and wept from fury and frustration and helplessness.
Hartline kicked her in the butt. “Get up and go take a bath. You’re meeting the vice president tonight. And when you get cleaned up, call Jane Moore, have her meet you here at seven. She’s giving Al Cody some pussy tonight.”
The woman slowly rose from the floor. She faced Hartline, no fear for herself in her. “I despise you, Hartline—you must know that.”
“I know lots of things, baby. But you just go on playing your little games. You’re not going to hurt me.” He cupped a breast and gently squeezed it. “I’ll screw little Nancy anytime I want a nice tight cunt. And there ain’t a damn thing you or anybody else can do about it. Hell, I might even let you watch the next time. Oh, and Sabra- baby? I went over to the studio this afternoon; got me a little peek at your Friday night news script—the little story on me? I made copies of it and took them over to the Bureau. It didn’t take them long to break the code. You’ve been a very naughty girl, Sabra-baby. I’m going to have to think of some way to punish you for that. I’ll give it some thought. I’m sure I’ll manage to come up with something suitable.” He pushed her toward the bathroom. “Now go wash your cunt like a good little girl.”
He was laughing as she stumbled toward the bathroom, the room blurring from the sudden tears of rage in her eyes.
“I have a plan,” the familiar voice said. “Oh, my, yes. A very good plan. I think I know a way to rid ourselves of the president and Ben Raines at the same time. And,” he held up a finger, “get the military back on our side—all at the same time. It’s so simple I’m ashamed I didn’t think of it before.”
Lowry leaned forward, interested. He glanced at the wall clock. Plenty of time before he was to meet Sabra
