the owner.”
“Who’s the owner?”
“Hercules, Incorporated. That big chemical plant down the way?”
“Oh. OK. So what can I do with this thing?”
“Well.”
It was a good question.
Zderko pressed. “I mean, you’re saying I could just throw it away, that’d be OK, but it’s against the law to treat it with
any kind of dignity?”
Burris mulled this. “No sir, I’m not saying you can’t treat it with dignity. You could treat it with all the dignity you want
and that’d be fine, but you can’t trespass here, because this land belongs to Hercules, Incorporated.”
A flock of grackles went by, racing for cover from the storm.
Said Zderko, “I can’t afford to buy a cemetery plot.”
“I understand.”
“I was just trying to do right by this animal.”
“I see that.”
“It sucks that it got carried all the way down here where it’s a complete stranger, far away from its home, and now I just
toss it in a dumpster or something. You know?”
Then Burris surprised himself. He said, “Sir, you see that little stick with the strip of yellow tape? Everything beyond that
stick belongs to the city of Brunswick. I’m not saying you’re allowed to bury anything out there. I
am
saying, whatever you do, don’t leave no plastic bag behind.” He glanced up at the sky. “And you better hurry. You hear me?”
“Yes sir. Thank you sir.”
“All right.”
It was like nothing Burris had ever done before. It was: I really give not a damn what you do with that sack of rotted meat,
provided you do it when I’m not around.
He got back into the cruiser and drove away. Glad that he hadn’t been too by-the-book there. If what’s called for is a little
tolerance, a little understanding, why not give that? It made him wonder, have I finally found the secret to being a successful
cop? Mercy, maybe I have. Forty years too late though.
Mitch was reading the Psalms:
Mine eye is consumed because of grief; it waxeth old because of all mine enemies. Why standest thou afar off, O LORD? why
hidest thou thyself in times of trouble?
He heard Patsy weeping in the kitchen. He thought of going to comfort her, but the rhythm of her sobs told him she was drunk,
and what could he say to her anyway? Hell had come into their lives.
Consider mine enemies; for they are many; and they hate me with cruel hatred.
He thought, we have to stand up to him. Now. Now’s the time to call the police. Is the bastard so arrogant and cocksure and
self-deluded that he thinks I’ll just sit here while he goes off to a poker party with my daughter and my own mother, while
he threatens the lives of my family, while he steals half my fortune? Oh Lord. It’d be so easy to nab him. One phone call.
Call that old cop Burris Jones who goes to our church. Or maybe Burris isn’t the best choice since he seems kind of slow and
dreamy and sad — but
any
cop. Just lay out the whole story. Tell them to grab Shaw right after he takes one of those check-in calls. Then they’ll
have plenty of time to look for that ‘Romeo’ guy. Probably his car’s got Ohio plates, so they’ll find him easy — but even
if they don’t, we can round up all my family and friends and put them under 24-hour protection and then what could the guy
do to us?
O my God, make them like a wheel; as the stubble before the wind. As the fire burneth a wood, and as the flame setteth the
mountains on fire; So persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm.
Not that they’d really carry through on those threats anyway. It was all a bluff. This whole deal was just two smartass kids
thinking they’d found themselves a pot of gold, except they weren’t professionals and they didn’t know what they were in for.
When Mitch stood up to them, the wind would be at his back.
Let them be as chaff before the wind: and let the angel of the LORD chase them. Let their way be dark and slippery: and let
the angel of the
“Who’s the owner?”
“Hercules, Incorporated. That big chemical plant down the way?”
“Oh. OK. So what can I do with this thing?”
“Well.”
It was a good question.
Zderko pressed. “I mean, you’re saying I could just throw it away, that’d be OK, but it’s against the law to treat it with
any kind of dignity?”
Burris mulled this. “No sir, I’m not saying you can’t treat it with dignity. You could treat it with all the dignity you want
and that’d be fine, but you can’t trespass here, because this land belongs to Hercules, Incorporated.”
A flock of grackles went by, racing for cover from the storm.
Said Zderko, “I can’t afford to buy a cemetery plot.”
“I understand.”
“I was just trying to do right by this animal.”
“I see that.”
“It sucks that it got carried all the way down here where it’s a complete stranger, far away from its home, and now I just
toss it in a dumpster or something. You know?”
Then Burris surprised himself. He said, “Sir, you see that little stick with the strip of yellow tape? Everything beyond that
stick belongs to the city of Brunswick. I’m not saying you’re allowed to bury anything out there. I
am
saying, whatever you do, don’t leave no plastic bag behind.” He glanced up at the sky. “And you better hurry. You hear me?”
“Yes sir. Thank you sir.”
“All right.”
It was like nothing Burris had ever done before. It was: I really give not a damn what you do with that sack of rotted meat,
provided you do it when I’m not around.
He got back into the cruiser and drove away. Glad that he hadn’t been too by-the-book there. If what’s called for is a little
tolerance, a little understanding, why not give that? It made him wonder, have I finally found the secret to being a successful
cop? Mercy, maybe I have. Forty years too late though.
Mitch was reading the Psalms:
Mine eye is consumed because of grief; it waxeth old because of all mine enemies. Why standest thou afar off, O LORD? why
hidest thou thyself in times of trouble?
He heard Patsy weeping in the kitchen. He thought of going to comfort her, but the rhythm of her sobs told him she was drunk,
and what could he say to her anyway? Hell had come into their lives.
Consider mine enemies; for they are many; and they hate me with cruel hatred.
He thought, we have to stand up to him. Now. Now’s the time to call the police. Is the bastard so arrogant and cocksure and
self-deluded that he thinks I’ll just sit here while he goes off to a poker party with my daughter and my own mother, while
he threatens the lives of my family, while he steals half my fortune? Oh Lord. It’d be so easy to nab him. One phone call.
Call that old cop Burris Jones who goes to our church. Or maybe Burris isn’t the best choice since he seems kind of slow and
dreamy and sad — but
any
cop. Just lay out the whole story. Tell them to grab Shaw right after he takes one of those check-in calls. Then they’ll
have plenty of time to look for that ‘Romeo’ guy. Probably his car’s got Ohio plates, so they’ll find him easy — but even
if they don’t, we can round up all my family and friends and put them under 24-hour protection and then what could the guy
do to us?
O my God, make them like a wheel; as the stubble before the wind. As the fire burneth a wood, and as the flame setteth the
mountains on fire; So persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm.
Not that they’d really carry through on those threats anyway. It was all a bluff. This whole deal was just two smartass kids
thinking they’d found themselves a pot of gold, except they weren’t professionals and they didn’t know what they were in for.
When Mitch stood up to them, the wind would be at his back.
Let them be as chaff before the wind: and let the angel of the LORD chase them. Let their way be dark and slippery: and let
the angel of the
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