A/N: This and the immediately following chapters involve many different people, with their own agendas that impact on the story. They are told from varying points of view in a sub-chapter separated by triple asterisks. To avoid confusion, and as far as the flow of the story allows, each sub-chapter will proceed chronologically and be headed by the date and time.
Timeline: 07:45 Friday, 20th April. School House, Junior High, Boys Dorm.
Jess was too preoccupied with preening himself over his successful handling of Ricky Horowitz to hear Ricky’s sour remark as he pushed through the small knot of classmates that had congregated just outside his bed space.
Jess grabbed his wash bag and towel and hurried out to be immediately encircled by the excited gathering waiting there for him, anxious for news of this magnificent bicycle. Jess revelled in all of this unfamiliar friendliness and being at the centre of their attention. He allowed himself to be delayed while he answered their questions and showed off the bike’s picture. Jess was so unused to being sought after and looked up to that it re-kindled his self-confidence. They all asked to test ride the machine after it arrived. Jess slipped easily into business mode and began qualifying them. He soon found that none could satisfactorily answer his direct question. 'Which of you has $700 in ready cash to spend on the bike.'
The group filtered away muttering to themselves about raising the money. By the time Jess had replaced the bike folder in his bed box he found the dorm still and quiet. He was the only person still there. He hurried along to the wash-room; with the lateness of the hour adding to his urgency. He decided against taking a shower to save time and after a quick wash and wipe down hurried back to the dorm.
The hall and stairway joined all floors and dorms. It was always filled with the intense noise generated by dozens of energetic, young, scholars going about their daily routines. This thoroughfare was never empty or silent, but the only sound now was that of the flat padding of his plastic flip-lops rebounding from the concrete steps. The silent emptiness was eerie. Jess wondered if the fire bell had sounded and he hadn’t heard it. He rushed to the front window on the half landing leading to his dorm to look out onto the front school yard where students assembled for fire drills. It was empty of people, but he did see the back of a dirty blue Buick glide slowly past the entrance gate. He stepped back from the window in shocked surprise in case Felix should see him. Then the sense of fear subsided to be replaced with a glow of confidence and he smiled.
‘I don’t need you Felix, not anymore if I ever did, I’m working with Greg now.’ He raised his fingers to his temples in a final, farewell gesture to the man who had haunted him for much of the past year.
Life was suddenly good. He had a future. He knew he could do trades. His life had opened up to reveal a future that was real and withn his grasp. This excited him, everything he could wish for was now possible. Refreshed and invigorated by the realisation he rushed up the final flight of stairs three at a time to finish dressing before heading downstairs, hoping he was still in time for breakfast in the cafeteria on the lower floor.
He passed several people coming back from breakfast. He noticed they looked at him strangely as he rushed past. He heard the muted sounds of a commotion coming from the cafeteria when he reached the first stage. It grew louder as he approached the double wooden doors leading into it and recognised Melissa’s strident voice shouting above the others. He could not distinguish her words but could tell she was agitated.
‘Strange,’ he thought. ‘What’s Melissa doing here, she’s in outside lodgings?’
Jess pushed open the double doors to allow the full volume of the noise to reach him. He noticed the two ladies behind the servery, worried and scared, each of them holding a large, metal, serving ladle in readiness to do battle should the need arise. The room was in uproar with the seat of the commotion centred in the far corner, away from the door. He saw people standing around and the slim figure of Melissa raised over them, delivering her accusations.
One of those inexplicable sudden silences descended over the throng as he stepped inside. It was as if they had stopped to catch their breath. Melissa saw him standing on his own, just inside the door and her shrill voice rose above the background noise that had recommenced once the mob had gained its second wind.
"There he is.” She screamed standing straight and tall with her arm stretched out with an accusing finger pointing at him.
Jess looked around in confusion, to see if there was somebody else standing behind him.
“He’s the Devil, here among us now. He’s joined Satan’s army and we must drive them out! Now!”
Melissa’s words shocked Jess, her face was twisted in hatred, her eyes large and unseeing. Spittle flying from her mouth in an opaque spray presented a spectacle that chilled him. He didn’t understand why she was attacking him and he stood rooted to the spot in shock. A loud surge of approval for her clarion call for action rose from those gathered around her. Jess became increasingly frightened as he stood still, inside the double doors. The mob appeared to draw strength from its own uproar further aggravated by Melissa’s shrill tones that rose over them all. All eyes were on Jess, there was no friendliness in any of them now. He saw only hostility towards him that intensified as the noise of the tumult rose ever higher and stronger in volume and anger.
Behind the servery Mabel dabbed the emergency number into the keypad of the internal telephone. “Get security down to the cafeteria fast; we’ve got a riot on our hands.”
Fingers pointed accusingly at Jess from every direction in the room and with them came the jeers and catcalls.
‘Just got back from your sugar-daddy?’ ‘Feeling a bit sore are we this morning?’
‘Didn’t he give you breakfast before he let you go?’
Jess remained rooted to the spot in shock. For some unknown reason, he was the centre of this commotion, but he couldn’t think of a reason for it, or why Melissa should have turned on him with such vitriol. Somebody started banging on the tables, the jeers and shouts rose in intensity. Soon there was bedlam; people were standing and throwing pieces of bread at him.
Security guards rushed through the cafeteria doors drawing batons from their waist-bands. In their rush, they knocked Jess to one side and the unexpectedness of their arrival spurred him into action. He was scared and responded to his fear by fleeing out of the cafeteria, back up the stairs to his sanctuary on the top landing outside the storerooms. In this quiet solitude he caught his breath and tried to think things through. His newly found self-confidence remained in the turmoil behind him. He was alone once again.
The guards zeroed in on Melissa and hauled her from the room kicking, spitting and scratching; mouthing obscenities towards the Devil, Greg Mitchell and his acolyte, Jess White.
The uproar subsided immediately she was gone. Two more guards came into the cafeteria and with expert firmness cleared it of people. In three minutes the riot was quelled and the place empty, with only dirty dishes on the tables and pieces of bread on the floor remaining as evidence of the commotion.
“Phew, that was a close one, Phyllis, what was all that about. I wonder.” Mabel addressed her colleague behind the servery, hanging up the ladle on the rail in front of the range.
“it’s that little fellow, who just came in, it’s all because of him and what he’s been up to in the motel room with that English chap that’s staying there.'
"Go On with you, little Jess White, he’s one of the nicest of them all, always polite and smiling and from a hard working family too.”
Mabel sniffed and tossed her heavy ladle into the sink, “Be that as it may, but they’ve been seen doing it together in the motel.”
“Go on with you,”
“S’right, Wes Chandler saw ‘em at it through the blinds. Not the first time it’s happened by all accounts.”
“What, that sweet little fellow, butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth. I don’t believe it.”
“Believe what you like, there’s been all sorts of talk about him round here these last couple of days, all about him and that Englishman who knocked him down on Main when he came to town.”
“Go on with you?”
Mabel sniffed again, looked from left to right and then spoke with conspiratorial care as if to avoid being overheard.
“ I heard that Kyler tell that Melissa that it was a put up job. The accident.”
‘Get away, I wouldn’t believe anything that Kyler said if it came with a truth certificate from the Pope himself.”
“Please yourself, but Kyler said he heard that Danny Martin say this Greg Mitchell was helping out at a Summer Camp last year and picked up with Jess while they were there. He’s come back for him and arranged that accident so they could get together again with no questions asked. Danny’s supposed to have heard Jess White say he loved the Englishman and plans to go away with him. Flitting like.”
"Well I never did Mabe, you can never tell with folk can you. I’d have sworn that young Jess White was the sort of boy you wished would arrive at your door when your daughter brought her first boy-friend home."
* * *
Timeline: 08:15, Friday, 20th April. Bamptonville Community College
Kyler stood behind Melissa, but not too close, as she stood on the table hurling her accusations at Jess when the text came from Felix.
‘OUTSIDE NOW’
“What the hell does he want now, just when it’s getting interesting” he muttered and pushed his way violently between two guys standing behind him. Their angry shouts followed him through the fire exit to the back of the schoolhouse. Time was short before classes started and he ran around the building and across the school yard to the main entrance. The sun had not risen over the rooftops and the lime tree thirty yards down was in full leaf casting a deep shadow. Kyler hesitated a moment before he saw the Buick parked in the shade.
The passenger door opened and before he got in heard Felix’s angry exclamation.
"What kept you?"
"I came straight away, just getting interesting in there"’ Felix leaned towards Kyler to be sure he heard every word as the boy gave an account of the commotion in the cafeteria.
"And was he there. Jess I mean, was he there when it all happened?"
"Sure Felix he was there. Couldn’t have worked better if Spielberg had worked it. It all broke big time as he walked through the doors. He just stood there, then when the guards came in to break it up, he ran.”
"Ran! Ran where?"
"Out, I dunno, away from it all. He’ll be OK."
“He’d better be. We gotta get this Limey out of here one way or another ..."
"Oh, you’ll love this Felix. We started spreading a rumour through Melissa and Danny Martin….”
“Rumour, what rumour … I never said nothing about no rumours?"
Kyler placed his hand on Felix’s shoulder. "Nah we just thought of it. It’s beautiful and you’re gonna love it. We got Danny Martin set up to say he saw Mitchell and Jess get together at last year’s Summer Camp and they planned the bump so they could get together again here with no questions asked and he heard Jess say he loved … Let Go! What you doing? I can’t breathe?"
Kyler screamed in surprise as Felix grabbed him by the throat and squeezed.
"You stupid dumb faggot, you did what? How many times I gotta tell you to leave the thinking to me ..."
"Let ... me go ... I can’t breathe” Kyler croaked.
"Let you go. Let you go, I should squeeze the life out of you, ‘cept I need you."
Felix let go of his throat by pushing Kyler forcefully away from him. The boy hit the car door with a dull thud. He gulped air through his mouth and massaged his throat with his fingers.
"What’d you do that for?"
“ You just put the whole she-bang in jeopardy that’s what you did you dumb ass. You just added more people into this; people who can turn State’s evidence if the time comes to it. More people we might have to take care of later. You said they met at Summer camp. What was this Limey businessman doing at an American kids Summer camp? How’d he come to get there? It can be checked out. Keep it simple. It was going well enough as it is. Stupid, stupid, dumb faggot.’ Felix spoke while slapping Kyler with the flat of his hand
"Only trying to help Felix." Kyler’s upset now became contrition as he put up his arms to shield himself from the onslaught.
Felix stopped berating Kyler and sat quietly looking through the windscreen.
Kyler cowed beside him looking up with pleading in his eyes.
“Sorry Felix, we thought it would help ..."
“Never mind that now, what’s done is done and I’ll deal with it if I have to. You don’t do anything without my say so. Got it?"
"Got it Felix, sorry."
"OK, I’m off to Lincoln now to meet Charlie Vaughn. He’s there today and the production team get there tomorrow. It’s the New Springtide, just this side of Lincoln at Newlyn. Do you know it?"
"Yeah, I think so Felix."
“Think so ain’t good enough," Felix roared smashing his fist on the steering wheel.
"You gotta know exactly where it is. You drive out there tomorrow morning; time yourself there and back. Make sure you know how to get there without even thinking about it. Timing’s everything. How’s your car?"
"Car’s good. No problems.”
“Make sure it stays that way. Check it over, gas, tyres, oil, battery, screen washers. You gotta be top line for first thing Sunday morning."
"It’ll be good, what am I doing ..."
"I’ll tell you tonight. When I get back from Lincoln with the shooting schedule. Meet me with the other two at the Truck Stop at 8.30. I’ll give you the details. Which is the best driver out of Leon and Billie-Joe?”
"Billie-Joe, why?"
"When I say best I mean safest and most reliable. You sure it’s Billie –Joe?”
Kyler nibbled his lips before giving a not very confident reply.
“Safest? I’d say Leon.”
"Leon, that’s what I thought, Now you got another job. You keep both them boys clean until after Sunday. No booze and no drugs, Got it?”
Kyler nodded meekly. “Got it Felix.”
“Good, now tell me about Jess, you haven’t told me yet he’s said he’d do the shoot.’
"That’s because he hasn’t told me yet.”
"WHAT! What’re you saying, he still hasn’t told you. Have you asked him? What the hell you been doin’?” Felix’s hands reached for Kyler’s throat again but the boy twisted away and fended off the attack.
"Every time I ask him he says he’s keeping his options open. He don’t want to do it anyway. He’s said that enough times."
"But he ain’t got no choice and if he don’t know that yet, you ain’t done your job right, so get at it. Without Jess this whole enterprise collapses like … like a card house," Felix was panting now and spittle dribbled from his mouth. He wiped the back of his hand aggressively across his mouth.
“You find that boy and you get him to agree, Got it?”
“ But Felix, I can’t make him if he don’t wanna do it and he’s no good for a shoot anyway with all them bruises on his legs.”
" Bruises, bruises, we’re taking care of ‘em. We’re dubbing a soundtrack over the video shoot and they’ll all be part of a beating he got for not being a good boy before ...” Felix emitted a thin laugh. “Nice touch don’t you think? I thought of it. Charlie Vaughn liked it and has his scriptwriter putting something together. That’s it for now. You get Jess to agree and call me when he does Got it?"
“Got it Felix” Kyler opened the door to get out and Felix leaned across to call him back.
“One last thing. I’ve got you an assignment tomorrow night, Keswick Roadway truck, driver from Milwaukee. He’s had you before.”