Eventually, they accepted it. Now it was just a matter of how it would be done. He thought they’d have to head into Eureka, watch the cops from afar, observe their patterns, but his mother had already done that. She was miles ahead of them. Always.
“You’ll approach from the west across the inlet that separates Arcata Bay from South Bay. Head over to Fairhaven. Everything you need is waiting for you there. I’ve already made the arrangements for a boat and fuel canisters to be ready.”
“Already? Mother, there has to be another way,” Jessie said.
“There isn’t.”
He shook his head. “You’re not thinking right.”
“I’m the only one thinking.” She took a sip of bourbon. The bourbon sloshed in the glass. “I know you don’t understand now but you will. You all will.”
Jessie stepped forward, closing the gap between. He jabbed a finger at the ground. “There are kids that depend on those supplies. You want them to go hungry?”
“They will anyway, Jessie. You can’t stop that. Whether we do this or not. Right now they are living in a false bubble of security. They are hanging on every word that comes out of Dan Wilder’s mouth. But what they don’t realize is that he will soon start rationing out supplies to people. It will happen. That stock will dwindle and when it does there will be outrage. But not now. That’s because they think help is coming. It isn’t. Hell is coming and the sooner you all wise up to that, the better you will be able to survive it.”
He shook his head.
“Jessie, listen to me. These are the same people who put you away for three years. Why are you now growing a conscience? Have they ever helped us? No. These people have pushed back, made our lives a living hell in these hills. Even the Stricklands would agree with that. And if we don’t do it, you can bet they will.”
“So this is how you justify it.”
She attempted to place a hand on him but he pulled back. “Listen to me, boy. You don’t have to like what you need to do, but we exploit the situation and use it to our advantage. So swallow what little empathy you have and take your brothers and get this done. It must be done today.”
He fought her on it. Threw out every excuse not to do it. He even offered to attempt to get Alby out of jail another way but she wouldn’t listen. Once she had her mind set, it was concrete. Immoveable.
Late that afternoon, as the sun was dipping behind the trees, they headed out on ATVs.
Jessie pushed the thought of what would happen to all these people from his mind. He’d even begun to justify it. It would speed up the process. Bring about the change that would point the finger at the Stricklands, see an end to Dan Wilder, and bring home Alby. Before leaving, Jessie had asked her how she’d gotten Alby to agree. Her response was simple. “He knows you and this family are the future.”
Whether he said so or not was unknown. He’d find out soon enough.
If this worked as his mother said it would, it would lead to a different town, a different county, one which she could manipulate. He knew that’s why they were doing this. It had little to do with Miriam, Alby, or the Stricklands. Oh, she could pretend to be mother of the year but he knew better. All of this had been brought about by her, beginning with Ryland. He just hadn’t figured out why him and what her angle was. But he would.
With so many residents to take care of, local police were confined to patrolling homes throughout the town, leaving their travel to Fairhaven uninterrupted.
The small, unincorporated community had 177 people living close to a shipyard. It was located roughly two and a half miles west of Eureka, a thin strip of land that extended from north to south. It was used by the Navy more than the locals. It had a fishing factory, an airport, and homes dotted throughout.
On the other side of the inlet, at the back of the Bayshore Mall was the Chevron oil and gas plant, and a large swath of marshland, trees, shrubs, and walking trails. The police certainly wouldn’t be expecting anyone to travel across the water in the dead of night.
His mother had told them not to worry.
The cops would be busy that evening.
After making it to Fairhaven, they were to head to a soil and fertilizer plant, a huge property by the banks of the water, and to wait there until they were met by a man named Israel. “You know this guy?” Dylan asked.
“Never heard of him,” Jessie said.
They’d parked the ATVs between two huge eighteen-wheelers. Jessie kept glancing at his watch, waiting for the sun to melt into the horizon and for darkness to cover them.
Lincoln was on top watching for cops while Zeke was down by the water observing the Bayshore Mall.
“You know, you need to stop arguing with her and just go with it,” Dylan said.
“Why?”
“It’s easier that way.”
“That’s because you all say nothing. Maybe if you backed me up things might be different.”
Dylan tossed his cigarette on the ground and crushed it below his boot. “We’ve always had your back, but dad isn’t here anymore to give her other options.”
He shook his head and shouted to Lincoln. “Any sight of him?”
“Not yet. No police either.”
“There won’t be.” Fairhaven was too small. No one gave a shit about the peninsula. He looked out across the water, thinking about how they would do this. She’d told him what part of the mall had the supplies. Their job wasn’t to get inside, just to ensure the place was set ablaze.
It didn’t take long for Israel to show up. A black guy arrived on horseback with two others, both carrying rifles. He hadn’t met them before, and Jessie
