The Next day, Fred, along with the mayor and a couple of of Ed Earl's friends, C.J. and Rufus.
"I've had calls from four preachers, six deacons, and the presidents of two garden clubs!" David heard one of them shout. It was probably the mayor, or Ed Earl, but he was in deep thought, still, about Melvin.
"I don't know why I let people talk me into serving as mayor of this incorporated sand trap anyway! And where the hell is Ed Earl?!"
Guess it was the mayor.
"He'll be along." Rita, the lady who was answering the phone calls replied.
"Well he better!"
Deputy Fred sat down. "My wife couldn't believe what she saw last night. They bleeped him out, but she read his lips on every 'hell', 'goddamn', and 'shit' !" He explained to them.
The mayor looked at him for a moment before one of the men said angrily, "They's some folks gettin' up a petition to close The Chicken Ranch."
"All we wanted to do was keep it quiet. Now, thanks to Ed Earl it's the hottest thing on the air since The Gong Show." C.J. said.
At that moment, Ed Earl came into the room as Rita finished up a call with someone.
"Mornin' Sheriff" She greeted.
"Mornin' Rita." He replied.
"Here's your calls." She handed him some paper.
"Reckon you fellas are waitin' to talk to me." He spoke casually.
"They sure are!" David finally snapped back into reality as Rufus hissed as Ed Earl.
"Ed Earl..." David sighed. "You do not know how much trouble you have caused."
"Dad-gum it, Ed Earl!" C.J. hollered as him and the mayor followed him into his office. "If you ain't a pluperfect fool!"
Ed Earl was not at all worried. He acted as if it was a normal day.
"You may be right." He admitted calmly. "I got a dozen messages here from outraged citizens tellin' me we got a whorehouse in Lanville County. Only been one here for about 150 years."
"Ed Earl, now, you can set up speed traps to catch tourists. You can look the other way when the wrong kid swipes a car to go joyriding. Hell, you can even let Miss Mona run her ace out there! But there's one thing you can't do, and that's broadcast gutter talk on TV!" The Mayor shouted.
"I didn't know they was takin' pictures." Ed Earl replied, still calm.
"Well what did you think the cameras were for?!" C.J. exclaimed in disbelief.
"Damn it, C.J. You pious pissant!" Ed Earl growled, now he was getting mad. "I don't have one-tenth the trouvle from Miss Mona that I have from you for one of your all-night stag parties over at the Legionnaire Hall!"
"That ain't fair, dang it!" C.J. frowned as he croaked.
"There's just one thing to do." The Mayor sighed aggressively. "And that's close the place down before we sll go to hell in a hand basket."
"Close it down!" Ed Earl's voice boomed. Fred leaned into his office. "She was just fine as long as she was bringin' in money and makin' civic contributions, but the moment her luck ran sour you want to run out on her. Run out on her like rats from a burnin' barn!"
"That's just it Ed Earl." C.J. said. "Who's gonna put out that fire?"
"Look, if you won't close her down, at least tell her to lay low for a couple of months!" The Mayor told him.
"Yeah, just until the heat wesrs off a little bit." C.J. continued.
"Give it two months. What's two months?" He tried ro convince Ed Earl.
"I'll do things my own way. I'm gonna make up my own damn mind!"
If there was one thing Ed Earl didn't like, it was being told how to do his job.