Chapter 2

Jerry peered over his shoulder at the girls. He couldn't help thinking how lucky Morry was. He had gotten off to a fast start, in effect leaving Jerry behind to mind the store.

Jerry plucked pebbles from the pie tin as he sat in the stream on his haunches. The little one, Joan, was sitting in the back seat of the Ford, nursing a quart of beer. Barb, who may not have been kidding when she said they were all alcoholics, had been guzzling beer right along, got sick, then passed out on the grass. It was just as well, Jerry thought; he'd really had eyes for Lisa. Besides, someone would have to act as a lookout; other people came up here from time to time.

He tossed smooth pebbles into the rippling water. The brisk wind made the hot day seem just right. He wondered if Morry was really making out back there, or whether Lisa was just a tease.

He jerked his head at the sound and dropped his pan in the water.

A deep voice said, "You be in big trouble, boy."

Jerry glared at the figure squatting on the opposite bank with a rifle in his arms. It was Teeger, the town constable, wearing his usual red-and-black check shirt, Levi's with ammunition belt and pistol, and knee boots.

"You," Jerry muttered. "How did you get up here? I didn't see your truck." Teeger always drove an old pickup truck with a screened dog kennel at the back; he used it for jugging town drunks on Saturday nights. Jerry was cursing inwardly at his rotten luck; it was only a week ago that Teeger had stopped him for speeding. He hadn't been speeding at all, but Teeger stopped him and gave him a twenty-dollar ticket on general principles. That was how Teeger got all his money. He put the bee to nobodies; if they didn't like it, they could hire a lawyer. Only Teeger knew they couldn't afford that. It was really something to see Teeger with hat in hand, all smiles, when he was talking to the president of Century Rocket-like he was talking to the Prince of Wales. Century's Harmon Wagner could speed all over town, and nobody batted an eye. Wagner was Jesus Christ in this town because he brought jobs to people who needed them badly.

"Never you mind how I got up here," Teeger said. He pushed his Stetson back with his thumb and shifted the weight of his shotgun. He was an ugly man with a pitted, bulbous nose, slitted gray eyes and a red neck. And he was big, twice as big as Jerry or Morry.

Teeger's jaw twisted from side to side in slow contempt as he glared at Jerry. "Boy, you just love trouble, don't you?"

Jerry flashed a glance back at the girls. Barb was still out, but Joan was staring at Teeger with curiosity. She didn't look frightened, though.

"Who them two girls?" Teeger snarled. "You up here with a couple young cunts in the woods. I'm gonna burn your ass for that ... Frey." His slack mouth made a mealy grin, apparently for what he thought was humor.

"We weren't doing anything, just panning for gold."

Teeger spat. "Gold, my ass. I bet you been fuckin' them two cunts up here all day. Anyways, what's in them bottles? Distilled water? Hah?" His red neck quaked with silent mirth. "Them kids is under eighteen. You bought that booze for 'em. Corruptin' the morals of minors, huh? Statutory rape. Your ass is in a sling, Frey. Where's your brother?"

Jerry's jaw muscles tightened. His heart had begun to pound. "He's back in town, cutting wood." It gave him a minute to think. The only thing Teeger had on him was the beer. He hadn't touched the girls. "Listen, Teeger, you better think twice before you try to get these girls in trouble. They didn't do anything, just came up here to try panning for gold. They drank a few mouthfuls of beer behind my back. Nothing I can do about that."

"Yeah, shit." He spat in the water. Once again Jerry frowned, wondering how the bastard had come up here without his truck. It was also odd that Teeger was on the other side of the stream. The only good thing was that he obviously hadn't spotted Jerry and Lisa.

"Listen, Teeger-"

"Shut up you punk kid. You call me sir. You hear? Sir, to you, kid." His yellow teeth flashed and he patted the wood stock of his shotgun.

"Listen, Teeger, these girls are Barb and Joan Winters."

"So kiss my ass."

"Winters is the new general manager of Century Rocket. They just moved into town last week."

Teeger's eyes narrowed; his cheeks wrinkled like stale prunes. "Who? Don't gimme any of your bullshit."

Jerry plucked the pan out of the river and stood up. He waded from the stream and went over to wake up Barb.

She roused, popped her eyes open, and first grinned at Jerry, then spotted Teeger. "Ungh," she muttered. "Who's he?"

"Teeger, the constable. He says you girls were drinking beer up here."

"No, we weren't," Barb said brightly. She sat bolt upright and looked completely sober and competent. "Jerry drank beer, but not us. We just came up here to look for gold."

"Oh, yeah?" Teeger's leer broadened. "What's your name?"

"Barbara Winters. What's yours, grandpa?"

Teeger's face flushed with anger. "Your old man the new manager of Century Rocket?"

"The new general manager," Barb snapped. Jerry had to admire her cool; she seemed Like a different person. From a sort of blowsy, scatterbrained girl she was suddenly Joan of Arc.

"Yeah? Well, I can check on that."

"You do that." She grinned up at Jerry.

"Just the three of us came here to try our luck," he said to her with a fixed gaze.

She said, "That's right. "Well, I guess we might as well head back to town. No gold in this dumb mountain."

"Is that right?" asked Teeger. He stood up, tall and rangy.

Barb jumped to her feet. "All I found up here is some guy who tried to spoil other people's fun. Wait'll I tell my father about this. He's Harmon Wagner's best friend. They play tennis together every day."

"Hmmph," Teeger muttered. "All right, I'm gonna let you all go for now. Get in your car and clear out of here, Frey. And don't lemme catch you up here again. You stay away from here, you hear?"

"What're you talking about?" Jerry asked. "This is Federal property. Anybody can come up here."

"Not any more, they can't."

"Who says so?"

"I says so," Teeger growled. He jammed his thumb into his chest. "Lots of nice folks in this town, and they don't like funny stuff goin' on around here."

"You're not a federal marshal." Jerry sat down and began to don his shoes and socks in a hurry. It had just hit him that they really had better take off fast. If Lisa and Morry showed up now, and Lisa still had her blouse off, things were going to get rough.

"I don't hafta be no marshal. I look out for the public interest. And when I get kids like you back in my town, the law is what I say it is."

"Okay." Jerry nodded to Barb, who was standing defiantly with hands on hips, a saucy expression on her face. "Let's go. Right away." He held his gaze on her and nodded vigorously.

She began to pout. "Why? He can't kick us out of here."

"Let's go anyway." He half pushed her toward the Ford.

Jerry stopped to pick up the quarts of beer, plus the empties.

"Yeah, don't you leave your goodies behind," Teeger drawled. "Might be used as evidence against you, huh?"

Jerry didn't reply. He got the Ford going and into gear. He spun the wheels on the dirt road.

In the rear-view mirror he could see that bastard shaking his fist and yelling something that sounded like, "You asshole, I'll get you one of these days. And you'll be sorry as shit."

"Oh," Barb snapped. "I hate him." She crossed her arms angrily.

Joan stuck her pretty little head over the seat. "Is he a cop?"

Jerry nodded. His nervous jaw and shoulders were working off the anger he had been forced to hide. His hands were white fists on the wheel.

Joan plucked at Jerry's shoulder. "You aren't scared of him, are you?"

"The only thing I'm scared of is he might find Lisa and Morry."

"Well, what're we going to do?" Barbara asked. "Even if he doesn't find them, they'll have to come out of there sooner or later." She began to giggle. "They can't walk home all the way from there. Lisa would be late for dinner, and my parents would raise the roof. They're real strict, you know. He won't tell our parents about us being up there, will he?"

Jerry wheeled the car around a curve, then began to slow down. He worked the brakes and slowly brought the car to a halt on the road. They were about a half mile away from the river. "I don't think he'll say anything."

Both girls chorused: "Why?"

"Because it was damned fishy he was up there without his truck. What's he doing up there anyway? He's supposed to be in town, protecting the rich people from us poor bastards. And how the hell did he get up there if he didn't drive? Something's going on up there, girls."

Joan held her hands over her mouth to suppress her mirth. "I guess so, when you figure how long Lisa and Morry were gone. That's a funny name. Is your brother's real name Maurice or something?"

"No. Morgan. That was my mother's last name before she got married."

Joan said, "Does that make you Jer-reese?"

He broke into nervous laughter; they were really sharp kids. "No. Jerrold. With a jay and two ares."

"Jer-reese, how're we going to get my big sister down from that old mountain?" put in Joan.

"I'm not sure yet. We could wait here for them. And if we do that, maybe all we'll get is Teeger walking down. The other thing is-" He broke off.

"What?" asked Barb.

"We could turn around and go back up. Teeger might be gone by now. He wouldn't expect us to come back. I think by now he's gone back to whatever he was doing."

"What if he's found Lisa and Morry?" Joan wailed.

"Could be," Jerry nodded. "But don't underestimate my brother. He knows all about Teeger, and he has a sharp eye."

"You're smart," Barb said. "Were you good in school?"

"Not too bad. But that's all over now. Let's go. We'll take a chance." He wheeled the Ford around on the dirt road, backed it up and straightened it, then drove slowly up the hill, hoping the noise of the engine and transmission would be carried off by the stiff wind.

They found Lisa and Morry just starting down the road to look for them.

"Get in!" Jerry whispered hoarsely. He reached across Barb's lap and flung open the door. In doing that, his arm brushed across her tits, and Barb peered at him with a smirk.

Lisa and Morry piled into the front seat in a hurry. Lisa sat on Morry's lap to make room. Jerry drove the car around and started back down.

Morry eyed Jerry. "What the hell is all this? When we came back you were gone, and I mean gone."

"Teeger was up there," Jerry muttered.

"Teeger? I didn't see him. Where the hell was his truck?"

"Who's Teeger?" asked Lisa.

"You remember when we both thought we heard a twig break, Lisa? That must have been Teeger prowling around. My God, if he'd found us all hell would have broken loose."

Lisa frowned. "I don't understand. Who is he?"

Jerry wheeled around a curve; he could see the trail of brown dust in the rear-view mirror. "Local cop. He was up there for some reason, and I can't figure out why. Never saw him there before."

Morry tensed. "What did he say to you?"

"Harped on about drinking, minors and all that."

"Oh, fuck him," Joan said. Everyone was suddenly silent. "Fuck him," Joan repeated.

"I second it," said Barb. "He's a dirty old man, Lisa, a regular skunk."

Lisa said, "It's a good thing he didn't find us. Morry and I were stark naked in the deep grass."

Joan said, "How many times did you do it?"

"Stop that, Joan," Barb said. "I hope you guys aren't getting the wrong impression. Joan talks like that to act smart. She thinks that makes her more grown up."

Jerry said, "Anyway, let's forget it. I don't think anything'll happen if we all keep quiet." He peered at his watch; it was five thirty. "I'll take you girls home. Where do you live?"

Lisa said, "Up at the end of Elm."

"Where that new house was being built?" asked Morry.

"That's it," Barbara put in. "Our parents had an architect design and build it, starting six months ago. But it's really not very fancy. Has only seven rooms and a rec room. I guess that makes eight. Jerry keeps saying he's poor, but we're not really rich. Dad was just a mechanical engineer before he got this new job. The house we had in Spokane wasn't as nice as the new one. Hey, why don't you guys come over after dinner? Our parents are going out again. They go out a lot. And they usually don't come home until way after midnight."

Lisa said, "They're out almost every night. Dad says it's politics. He and Mom have to go to all the right parties with executives and their wives and all that. What a drag. When there's a party at our house, all they do is sit around and get stoned on gin. I used to listen at the top of the stairs in our house in Spokane. The men all brag about what they did in business, and the women act like they all went to finishing school and are fresh off the old southern plantation. Twitter, twitter, what a pain."

"They're shitheads," Joan offered.

"Oh, Joan," Barb sighed. "Quit trying to shock everybody. These guys are with it, so forget it." She eyed Jerry as the car careened onto the road leading to town. "Coming over tonight? Come about seven. Our parents will be gone by then."

Morry answered, "You bet your boots we'll come. Won't we, Jerr?"

"You sure it'll be okay?" He looked briefly at Barbara. "I mean, I know there aren't many houses on that street, but if we drive up, your neighbors'll know someone's there. They'll probably watch your parents drive off, too. In a town like this you can't make a move without someone watching."

Barb nodded. "You can say that again. Just park your car way down the street, go into the woods on the left side and come around to the back from the hill. Nobody'll see you, and we'll-draw the shades. Or we could all go down to the rec room in the basement. No windows down there. Besides, that's where the bar is."

"But won't your parents know you've been taking their booze?" asked Morry. Creases of worry began to line his brow. With the lush Lisa on his lap, many things may have worried him. She wiggled around a lot.

"They water the whiskey," Joan volunteered. "Anyway, our parents don't entertain much at home anymore. They go out."

"Okay, we'll be there." Jerry turned the corner on Madison and drove toward Elm. "Shouldn't I drop you girls off here? Maybe you better walk to your house."

Barb nodded. She kissed him on the cheek before she got out. So did Joan. Lisa and Morry embraced each other. The boys drove off.

"Oh, my God," Morry muttered. "Is she something, Jerr. I never met a girl like her before."

Jerry lit a Camel and steamed a cloud. "Don't get too excited. You don't want to fall for her. You know what happens with girls like that. They have their fun, then they marry some guy who's going to Stanford."

He nodded slowly. "What a piece of ass, though. She's wild, man. How did you make out?"

"I didn't. Barb got soused. I was trying to make her when old farthead showed up."

"What in blue Jesus was he doing there? He doesn't have any jurisdiction there."

"I know, and that's what bugs me. Goddamn it, we're going to find out what he was doing there. You don't suppose he hit on a vein, do you? I mean a strike?"

"Aw, hell, that couldn't be. That place is so mined out, you could dig down a thousand feet and not even get a chip of mica."

"What about moonshine? You think he's got a still up there?"

"I dunno." He sat back dreamily, thinking of Lisa. "Oh, Jesus, what a body, and she knows what to do with it."

Jerry flicked his smoke away. "You know, I think maybe they all do, including little Joan."

Morry's eyes widened. "You're kidding. She is a nifty little piece, you know that? And lippy. Wouldn't that be wild?"

Jerry shook his head. "I don't know. I just don't know." He chewed a fingernail. "We don't want any trouble."

When they got home, the trouble was waiting for them. Pa, decked out in a new blue suit, shirt and tie, was drunk on gin. He sat in the tattered easy chair in the living room, holding the bottle with both hands and glaring at them.

"Where the hell you two been all day?"

Morry stared at the old man. He was overweight, wrinkled and bleary eyed. "Where did you get the new duds?"

"And the bottle," Jerry added. "You didn't hock Mom's watch, did you?"

The old man waggled a finger at them. "You shut up. I ask the questions around here. I got my ways to get money. Never you mind how. You two kids thinks you're so smart. Goin' to that fancy high school. When I was a kid I quit in sixth grade and got me a job like a man. You two assholes can't even get a job. 'Cause you're yellow. Afraid to work. Well, lemme tell yah, all your high falutin' talk won't get you nothin'. And I'm plenty sick of feedin' you leeches." He waved his red hands as soon as he had taken a swig and set the bottle on the floor. "Get outa my sight. No man ever had two worse sons."

Morry nudged Jerry. "Let's go."

They went upstairs into their room.

"I don't like it," Morry said. "He keeps drinking more and more, and I can't figure out where the money's coming from."

"I know. On top of that Ma has started acting like Queen of the Nile because she's supporting all of us. You know what's down there, don't you?"

"Yeah, another TV dinner. All a working woman can get-right?"

"She wouldn't want to get dishpan hands and shock the ladies at the plant."

"Not with her degree in home economics from Washington State."

"Why do you suppose she married him, Morry? Why didn't she marry some college guy? And why can't she get a better job than machine cleaning?"

Morry shrugged. "She isn't exactly a beauty."

The bedroom door twisted and the door flew open with no knock. Mrs. Frey stuck her head in the door. She was dressed in a black cocktail, sheath and had her hair piled high on her head.

Both boys gasped.

She grinned. She wasn't shockingly ugly, but was faintly cockeyed, and her mouth was far too big. Her face was colored with lipstick, rouge, eye shadow and mascara. They had never seen her like that before.

"Boys, your father and I are going out to a little party with friends tonight. Your supper is in the oven." She slammed the door.

Jerry listened for a moment to be sure she was on her way downstairs. "Goddamn it, we've got to get out of here."

Morry put his hand on Jerry's shoulder. "You can do it. You're eighteen. Go ahead. Go to San Francisco. We always wanted to do that."

"I'm not leaving without you. You'll be eighteen in nine months. I can stand it for nine months. But, Morry, then what? So we get there. All we can get is probably dock stuff, and that could be rough. If you don't have a high school degree, that's it. In fact, you're supposed to have a fucking, college degree if you want to wear a tie. Even then, the place is so jammed with college guys looking for work, nobody works."

Morry slumped down on the bed. "Ah, shit. Who cares? We can't stay here much longer. The place is driving both of us nuts. We'll find a job, any kind of job, and go to night school. I could lie about my age, maybe forge a driver's license. We could get high school degrees at night school."

Jerry's shoulders sagged. He heard his parents getting into their run-down Plymouth. "Buddy, we don't even have bus fare to try it. It would take weeks to find a job. At least. How we going to live in the meantime?"

Morry's eyes blazed with anger. "How the hell does Pa do it? Where's he getting his money all of a sudden? You know how Ma is about a buck. She pumps every nickel she can into her savings account."

"Well, fuck both of 'em," Jerry muttered. "Let's go eat. Nothing like a little veal and chemicals to keep you going."

"Shit, the only good thing about this town is that the Winters girls moved in. Listen, we're going to have a ball tonight."

Jerry bit his fingernail. "I hope so." He peered at Morry's expression. Hope. He wasn't a bad looking kid. Well built. His face was a little crude, but you could see he wasn't stupid. For his own part, people said Jerry was good looking. Because he was tall and slender, had a thick head of chocolate hair and brown eyes. He couldn't visualize himself lifting boxes on a dock. If there were just some way he could lay his hands on a chunk of money. That was all he needed, a start. A little shove to get him going.

Jerry smiled as he gripped the doorknob. "How we going to do this?"

"What do you mean?"

"Who gets Joan?"

"You do." Morry grinned.

"Drop dead," Jerry laughed.