Side by Side

71

Edna Utz watched as Lucy fed Elijah his cereal and talked to him. “That’s a good little man,” the old woman said.

“Guuud,” Elijah agreed, grinning.

“Thank you,” Lucy told her. “I don’t know what we’d do without your help.”

“Don’t be silly,” Edna replied. “We’re happy to help.” She waited until Lucy had put another spoonful of cereal in Elijah’s mouth before adding, “But it would be best if you didn’t tell anybody we helped you, dear.”

“Why?”

“Because we’d be burned out, dear. It isn’t much of a store, but it’s all ours, Ed’s and mine. We’re a bit too old to start over.”

Ed came back into the apartment from the store, closing the door behind him, then bolting it. “I called the number,” he told Lucy. “I got one of those ‘All circuits are busy please try your call again later’ messages.”

“That happens sometimes,” Edna said.

Ed shrugged. “I’d best drive these kids home,” he told his wife. “Her daddy must be worried sick.”

But Edna was thinking. “It’s funny,” she said. “Well, not as funny as it is odd. Ed called the fire department number over an hour ago when it started. You’d think they’d have been here by now.”

Lucy felt a growing unease. “How far is the fire station from here?”

“Six or seven miles,” Ed said. “But some fire out in the woods when it’s this wet might not have got their total attention, especially if there was a house burning somewhere else.”

Lucy caught the nervousness in Edna’s eyes.

“It’s a volunteer department,” Ed explained. “But they get the job done.”

“Call them again,” Edna told her husband. “Ask them what the heck’s holding them up.”

Ed lifted the receiver and put it to his ear. He pressed the button down several times, then replaced it in the cradle.

“Somebody on it?” Edna asked.

“Of course,” Ed said.

There was an explosion outside and the lights went out.

Elijah started to wail. In the sudden darkness, Lucy put her arms around him.

A vehicle roared around the building and bright headlights blazed in the windows, filtering through the closed blinds.

A loud voice hollered out, “Utz, sounds like you got a baby in there!”

Ed yelled out, “That you, Smoot?”

“You know it is. Send out the gal and her baby and we’ll get out of your hair.”

“Well, Smoot. Why don’t you just come in here and get ’em?” Lucy saw Ed move, and knew he was reaching for his shotgun.

“Hell, Utz. Senile as you are, you might shoot me.”

“I might.”

“My boys are out here with me,” Peanut yelled. “One out front and the other right here. Make this easy on yourself. This ain’t about you. That gal murdered my Buck and Dixie in cold blood.”

“He’ll kill you both,” Lucy whispered to Edna.

“Well, he’d have to do that anyhow since we know.” She patted Lucy’s leg reassuringly. “You just let my Ed handle this. He was in Korea.”

Ed taunted, “You won’t be the first murdering heathen I’ve sent to hell in my life, Smoot. You don’t scare me.”

“No hurry,” Peanut yelled back. “We’ve got plenty of time to nee-go-see-ate. Plenty of it.”

“I’m a patient man myself, Smoot. Lead don’t rust.”

“Terrible people,” Edna whispered to Lucy. “Just awful.”

Lucy clutched Elijah to her and prayed.

“Goodness, I should get out another gun or two.” Edna said it as if she’d forgotten to bring salad forks to the dinner table.