Bent Creek (18 page)

“Okay. Let’s all get a good night
’s sleep tonight.  We got a lot of work to do tomarry. Grabbing cold biscuits and cups of day old coffee, everyone went to their rooms.

Rachael lowered herself to the side of the bed and knelt down. She put her hands together.  “Oh Lord, I know I ain’t got no right to ask you for favors, but if you just git me through till spring
I promise I will never bother you agin. I know what we’re doing here ain’t exactly legal, but I promise we ain’t goin’ tah hurt
anyone and I’ll make sure to give a big donation to the church before we leave here.  Now, I’ll let you get back to bigger things. I need halp takin’ care of these people, Lord. I’m countin’ on you. Amen.

Taking the wagon, Jesse, Rachael and Old Joe went back to Black Mountain to take another look at Nevers
’ still. Walking around it, tapping on it and running his hands down the tubes, Joe let out a low whistle.  “This here is one purty sumbitch. Nevers sure did do a fine job on this still.  Ain’t seen one this good in yars. It would do fine fer our brewin’. He likely started out with somethin’ small afore he got into this one.”

It took two trips to get the still to Nevers’ house.  Jesse and Ben made a ramp out of old boards and the heavy boiler was pushed into the bed of the truck and carefully rested on a bed of leaves. Lily and Rachael held on to it as the truck made the bumpy trip down the trail. The tubes and coils came down pretty easy on the second trip. When the still was safely behind the false wall in the smokehouse, everyone gave a sigh of relief. Even though she was dead tired, Rachael fried chicken and made mounds of mashed potatoes. The look of appreciation on everyone’s face was enough thanks for her.  Tomorrow the still would be running. That would be her day of appreciation for all their hard work.

Joe Seminole pushed himself away from the table and wiped his mouth on his sleeve. “That thar wuz a right nice meal, Rachael. Right nice.  Y
a sure kin fry chicken good. I think I’ll go out tah the barn, take a chaw of tobacky and get some sleep. My bones is achin’.”

“Wait just a minute, Joe, we got tah talk,” Rachael said. “I need tah know if yer ready tah start brewin’ in the morning.  I’d like tah have one batch at least by Wednesday.” She put a pad of paper and a pencil on the table and sat down next to him.  I’m ready, now you jest tell me what tah do and I’ll write it down.”

“I gotta ponder on that, Rachael.  I can’t rightly recall everythin’ goin’ into the mix. I gotta ponder on it.”

Rachael put her hands on her hips.  “You jest better be funnin’ with me, Joe. You better ponder real quick.  You told me you made the best moonshine in these parts.  I’m countin’ on you.”

“I wuz the best maker, but that wuz half a life a go.  My mind ain’t as good. Ya got book readin’ maybe ya kin halp me out.”

“I don’t have a clue how tah do it and where in the hell am I gonna get a book on how tah make moonshine? Now what? Damn, I can’t believe this!” Rachael stomped her foot and Joe took off out the door.

“I had everythang ridin’ on him and now he tells me he can’t remember. This is jest great.”

“Now hold on jest a minute, Sister.  We got them notes that Nevers writ. You and me are jest gonna have tah cipher them out. Go get them, Lily,” Ben said.

After looking through the papers, Rachael pushed them across the table to Ben.
“See if you kin figure them it. This scribblin’ don’t make one bit of sense tah me.  It’s all smeared.” She stomped out the door and plopped down on the stoop.  Putting her head in her hands she began to cry.  Ben wheeled himself out next to her, the notebooks on his lap.  “Come on, Sis, don’t cry. It’ll be all right.”

“How do you know that, Ben Riley? Nothin’ ever turns out right for us. I wuz puttin’ my fai
th in that old coot and I shoulda know’d better. Alls he wanted wuz a way tah get down off that mountain and git a free meal.  I’m so mad, I could spit.”

“I’m tellin’ you it’s gonna be okay.  Look yonder,” he said.

Rachael looked up to where Ben was pointing.  A thin trail of smoke escaped from the chimney of the smokehouse. “Either Joe is smokin’ meat or that still is up and a runnin’. Let’s go check it out.”

Rachael hurriedly pushed Ben’s chair across the yard. She opened the door to the smokehouse and pulled away the false wall.

“Well, howdy, Rachael. I waz jest comin’ tah fetch you. I come in here and seed all them supplies and it all come tah me. I got a batch a brewin’. Should be ready by mornin’.  Least wise a few drops is startin’ already.”

Rachael watched as a crystal clear drop of liquid formed on the tip of the spigot. It teetered there for a few minutes, dancing about as if it were afraid to fall into the deep vat. Finally it let go and Rachael caught it on her finger.  “Ben, taste this,” she said, almost putting her finger in his mouth.

“Hold on, Rachael, I need a little more than that to taste. Rachael sat down on the floor next to Ben and they both sat hypnotized as each drop fell into the vat.  After almost an hour Rachael dipped a metal cup into the vat and handed it to Ben. He slowly put it to his lips, letting the small amount of liquid play on his tongue before he swallowed it.

“Well, how is it, Ben? Is it good?  Please say it’s good,” Rachael pleaded.

Ben smiled. “It’s good, alright.  Plenty good.”

Rachael jumped up.  She grabbed Joe Seminole and planted a kiss on his bald head.  “Thank you, damn, this is great.”

Joe gave a toothless grin. “Hot damn, I reckon we be in business. Now ya two git and let me get to brewin’.  I ain’t had this much fun in yars. Ya jest keep the wood a comin’ and maybe a few more pieces of that chicken and that vat will be full by sun up.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

The Riley kids became a fine oiled machine.  While Ben and Joe tended to the still, Jesse cut wood.  Rachael washed the jars and filled them from the vat and packed them in the boxes. Lily was once again assigned to house duty, which she grum
bled constantly about saying that it didn’t give her enough time to spend with Violet. When there was no meat in the smokehouse to cure, Jesse would go into the forest and hunt for deer and rabbits.  Just in case anyone came, they had to make sure there was meat hanging in the smokehouse.  They would be eating smoked meat for a long time.

Joe fermented a barrel of peaches and produced a fine batch of peach liquor. When Rachael and Jesse took a sample to Clyde he ordered six cases on the spot.  Rachael knew he was excited about the latest shipment, but refused to show it so that he could get it from them for a good price.  They haggled for a while before coming up with the cost.  Rachael told Clyde they were also going to make apple brandy.  “Now are you gonna finally tell me who is halpin’ you making this stuff? Sure is a cut above what Nevers wuz givin’ me.”

“I can’t,” Rachael answered. “I promised I wouldn’t tell. If’n I do, the brewin’ will stop. Do you want that tah happen?”

“Aw, go on, keep yer secret.” Clyde grumbled.

With an empty truck and money under the seat, Rachael and Jesse started home. “I’ve been ponderin’, Jesse. Maybe we better let Nevers make an appearance so that the men up at Mabry’s stop asking me questions about him.  Every time I meet up with one of them they ask about him.  I think thar beginnin’ tah wonder what’s really goin’ on at the house. You know with us cartin’ lumber and stuff back and forth all the time. I don’t want them comin’ round.”

“How we gonna do that? We gonna dig him up?” Jesse asked.

“Don’t be so dumb, Jesse. We still got some of his clothes. I’m gonna put them on Joe and drive past the store. Jest let them get a glimpse of him. Maybe I’ll have Joe wave his hand out the winder.”

Jesse shook his head. “I swear, Rachael, I jest wish you would stop thinkin’.”

Old Joe wasn’t happy about pretending to be Nevers, but a promise of a few chaws of tobacco convinced him. Rachael sat him up on two pillows in the truck and climbed in the drivers seat. Putting Nevers
’ old hat on his head, she pulled his collar up close to his face. “Now lissen to me and lissen real good. I’m gonna drive by the store. If’n the men are outside, I’ll jest honk and you wave. If’n they ain’t, I’ll have tah go in. You don’t talk tah anyone or git out of the truck.”

Joe pulled Neve
rs’ hat down over his eyes. “I heer ya, Rachael. Ya done told me that three times.”

Rachael drove slowly by the store and no one was sitting outside on the bench. “Damn. Wouldn’t you know it, I have to go in.” She pulled the truck over to the side of the building, in plain view of the window and went in.  Three of the men from the hollow were gathered around the potbelly stove even though it wasn’t lit. They turned when she entered.

“Well, hey there, Rachael,” Mr. Mabry greeted her. “I ain’t seen you in a coon’s age. What you been up to? Is that Nevers I see sittin’ out thar in the truck?” All three of the men turned and looked out the window.

“It sure is.  He can’t come in.  He ain’t able to walk very good. He still ain’t doin’ good, that fection went clear into his belly. His toes all busted open.  Tah beat that, he’s got pleurisy and he coughs all the time. Nevers has me and Jesse workin’ our fingers tah the bone. Jesse’s doin’ all the trappin’ and I’m takin’ care of everything else. We got a smoke house now. We’re gonna sell meat and hope tah make enuf money to halp out my family this winter.”

“Well, no wonder you ain’t round much.  I reckon you didn’t hear that them gypsies are back in Bent Creek.  They been campin’ down by the river. Thars two truckloads of em this time. They come in here tuther day like a swarm of beetles on a corn crop. I had tah watch them reel careful but I jest know’d they probably stole somethin’ afore they left.  We sent for the sheriff tah go down and chase them off.  I sure hope he did. I been stayin’ in my store all night to keep em from robbin’ me agin. They come around here agin thar gonna get a butt full of buckshot.”

Rachael tried to hide her irritation. “No, I didn’t know that they were back. I sure hope they move on soon.  I better get Nevers’ chaw and go a fore he starts honkin’. Maybe ya oughta throw in a couply boxes of them shotgun shells fer me jest in case them gypsies come out our way.”

Rachael hurriedly paid for her purchase and quickly left as two of the men got up and started toward the door.  She ran across the lot and jumped into the truck. Rachael backed up and took off before the men were off the porch. One of the old men scratched his head. “Whew, she done took off like greased lighten
. Wonder what’s her big hurry?”

“Dammit, dammit, dammit,” she said, beating on the wheel. “I know’d it wuz too good tah be true.  Jest as soon as we get everythin’ goin’ good, here comes trouble again.  Dammit.”

“What ya goin’ off about, gal?” Joe asked.  “What kinda bee you got in yer bonnet now?”

“Them gypsies are back. That means that Jimmy and Emma Jane are probably with them.  We got tah get home and fast.” She stepped on the gas and the old truck let out a loud backfire and took off down the road.

It was too late. When Rachael pulled up the road she noticed that the bolt had been cut and the gate stood wide open. Four men stood next to the two old trucks parked in the yard. There were several women inside of the trucks.  Emma Jane and Jimmy were standing on the porch with Jesse and Ben blocking the door.

Rachael jumped out of the truck and ran up the steps. “What are you doin’ here, Emma Jane?  What do you want? You ain’t got no call tah come round here.”  She looked at her younger sister with pity in her eyes.  Emma Jane’s hair was tangled and dirty. She wore a faded blue dress that smelled of perspiration.

“I come fer my baby. I know that you got my baby and I want it.”

“It! Is that what you call a baby…it!  You and Jimmy don’t even care what you had, do you?”

“I ain’t that dumb, Rachael. I know it’s a girl. Ben and Jesse won’t let us in.  I done heard a baby in thar, so don’t you be tellin’ me it died. That’s a lie.”

“You left her, Emma Jane. Lily has been takin’ care of her and she’s gonna keep her.  So you and yer kind jest go on and git the hell outta here,” Rachael said, angrily. One of the men standing by the truck pulled a shotgun from the front seat and started toward the porch. It was Ben who stopped him, with a rifle of his own that had been hidden under the blanket laid across his lap. The man backed up and put the gun in the truck.