accidents resulting in personal injury. And federal law just changed a few months ago that required coalmining companies to file what are termed recertifications for all their property and operational aspects. Unfortunately for me, I'm the judge who has to review all of it.' He pointed at a delivery truck pulling into the small alleyway that led to a parking area behind the courthouse.
'Unless I'm much mistaken that's another load of boxes filled with said recertifications. It's been a boondoggle for mining lawyers, but I get paid the same regardless.'
'Monotonous work, I imagine,' said Stone.
'You imagine correctly. We're also the repository for land deeds, surveys, rights-of-way, easements and the like, which also come to the court boxes at a time. But on a more personal level folks come to me with legal questions or counseling from time to time and I try to do the best I can.'
'Being neighborly,' said Tyree.
'That's right. It is a small town after all. For example I helped Abby Riker get the restaurant and other property put into her name after Sam died.'
'Sounds like you keep pretty busy.'
'Yes, but I find time to do some hunting and fishing. And I like my walks. My walks take me all over. Beautiful countryside here.'
They paused for a moment as a mother and two kids walked by. Tyree tipped his hat to her and rubbed the heads of the kids while the judge gave them all a gracious smile.
After the family had passed Stone said, 'Well, I better be going.'
But Mosley said, 'Where are you from, Ben?'
Stone's gut clenched. It wasn't what Mosley had said, it was the way he'd said it. Or had he just become overly paranoid? 'Here and there. Never had much inclination to put down roots.'
'I was the opposite of that, at least for a while. I called Brooklyn home for the first thirty years of my life. After that I spent time in South America and then Texas, near the border. But I've never seen any place as pretty as this.'
'How'd you end up here?' Stone asked, resigned at least for the moment to play the casual conversation game so as not to make the judge suspicious.
'Complete coincidence. Drove through on my way back to New York after my wife died, and my car broke down. By the time it was fixed a few days later, I'd fallen in love with the place.'
'And lucky for us he did,' said Tyree.
'The town has reciprocated,' said Mosley. 'It certainly helped me get over my poor wife's passing.' He added, 'Are you going for a walk too?'
'To Abby's actually. She has some work out at her house she wants me to do.'
'A beautiful place that is, A Midsummer's Farm.'
'Is that what she calls it?' Stone asked.
Mosley nodded. 'A variation on the Shakespeare play. A dream, you see. I guess in a way all of us up here are living a dream, isolated as we are from the rest of society.'
'Not such a bad thing,' Tyree noted. 'The rest of society isn't all that great. Divine is just what it sounds like, at least it is for me.'
Mosley passed by them and continued on down the street.
Tyree took off his hat and swiped his hair. 'Well, you have a good one, Ben. Don't work too hard.'
Tyree went inside the jailhouse and Stone continued on his way to Abby's.
Or A Midsummer's Farm.
Or a dream.
Or a nightmare.
CHAPTER 17
AS STONE PASSED DOWN the main street of Divine, he quickly observed that the shops seemed prosperous and the customers happy-looking. It was hard for him to reconcile this image with that of broken-backed, gnarled-handed, dirty-faced miners with the coal-caked lungs having breakfast in Rita's Restaurant. And then his thoughts refocused on what he'd seen on the TV.
As he glanced through one storefront window he saw it. Ubiquitous for so many decades, it was now rare to find one anywhere, at least one that worked. Yet Divine apparently was a bit slow in following the rest of the country's lead.
He slipped inside and looked at the payphone on the wall and then at the sign behind the front counter: 'Appalachian Crafts.' The store's shelves bulged with sculptures made from wood, stone and clay. On the walls were paintings and photos of mountains, valleys and little tin-roofed shacks clinging to the sides of hills. Behind the counter a large, red-faced woman was pecking keys on her computer.
She looked up and smiled. 'Can I help you?'
'I just wanted to use the phone. Do you have change for a five?'
She gave him the money and he retreated to the rear of the store and loaded the quarters in the phone's slots. He dialed the one person he knew had a truly untraceable phone number: Reuben. This was because he didn't have a phone in his own account but rather used minutes of piggybacked phone time from hundreds of different people. Stone had always assumed it had been something Milton had shown him how to do.
The big man answered on the second ring. He nearly shouted when he heard it was Stone. After telling Reuben that he was fine and that he would not under any circumstances tell him where he was, Stone asked him about the investigation.
'Guy named Joe Knox from CIA has talked to everybody but me. Real bulldog apparently. He knows you and Carr are one and the same. He knows you're on the run. If they find you you're not going to trial, Oliver.'
'That had already occurred to me, Reuben. How is everyone holding up?'
'Okay. Alex is being a shit about all this, though.'
'He's a federal agent, Reuben. He's caught right in the middle.'
'Well, he did tell Annabelle to burn the letter you left behind. I guess I should give him some points for that.'
'Tell him I appreciate that. I really do.'
There was a brief pause and then Reuben said, 'Oliver…'
'I'm not going to tell you that I did it, Reuben. That would do no good at all. I just want you to know that you were a better friend than I deserved. All of you were. And I'll be watching the news. If it even looks like any of you will be harmed because of this, I'll turn myself in.'
'Listen to me, we can take care of ourselves. They can't touch us. But if you turn yourself in to the cops, CIA will swoop in, scream national security, and your ass will disappear.'
'Let me worry about that. And I know it doesn't do you justice, but thanks for everything.'
Reuben started to speak but Stone had already hung up, replacing the receiver with a smack of finality.
He glanced up to see the shopkeeper staring curiously at him. He had been speaking so low that there was no risk of being overheard.
'Call go through okay?' she said pleasantly.
'Just fine. Thanks.' She kept staring at him so he finally said, 'You have some nice pieces.' Pointing to a painting on one wall, he added, 'Who did that one?'
The woman's face fell. 'Oh, that would be Debby Randolph.'
'She's talented.'
'Yes.' She added quickly, 'I'm Wanda. Haven't seen you around here before.'
'I just got here. Came in late last night with Danny Riker.'
'Danny?' she said, startled. 'Heard he'd left town.'
'Well, he's back, but I think it's just temporary. So how's business?'
