The Litter Of The Law

“Why are we going this way?” Pewter asked as she stared out the station wagon window Monday evening. “I’m ready to go home.”

“We’ve only been on the road for fifteen minutes,” Mrs. Murphy replied. “Plus you just ate fresh tuna. Don’t be crabby.”

“I’m not crabby!” Pewter snapped. “I just want to know what she’s doing, that’s all. She checked the roof work at St. Luke’s and now she’s heading west—the wrong direction. You know how she can get if she sees a friend or passes one on the road.” The gray cat referred to Harry’s conviviality; her human was always stopping to chew the fat with another local.

Also staring out the window, Tucker said, “She had to get to St. Luke’s before sunset. She wanted to recheck the roof work.”

“The roof work is fine,” Pewter spoke louder.

The three watched as Harry slowed, then turned in to the old gravel driveway to the three abandoned school buildings.

“Hey, there’s Brinkley.” Tucker stood on her hind legs as she saw her yellow Lab friend sitting in front of the faded clapboard building with paint peeling.

After parking, Harry stepped out, then opened the door for the animals, all of whom rushed to the big sweet dog.

“Hey,” Tazio Chappars called out as Harry stepped through the schoolhouse door, which creaked.

Harry looked around. “I’ve never been in here.”

“Few people have after 1965, I guess.” Tazio dropped her hand to pet Brinkley’s head. “What do you think?”

“Has character. Public buildings don’t anymore. Plus they look so cheap. Ugly boxes.”

“You’re talking to an architect.” Tazio laughed. “ ‘Ugly’ is too kind a word. And these three distinguished buildings were built for the underclass, for lack of a better word. We have beautiful examples throughout the state of what was built for the middle classes and the rich. Maybe builders had a better feel back then for space, light, warm materials. I don’t find reinforced concrete warm.” She smiled. “Hester railroaded me. Now I’m going to railroad you, girl.”

“Let me sit down.” Harry sat at one of the old-fashioned desks and took a deep breath. “I’m ready. Have at me.”

Tazio sat at the desk across from Harry, as she once had done with Hester. “You know so many people. Your people have been here since the Revolutionary War. They’ve worshipped at St. Luke’s since that time.”

Harry crossed her arms over her chest. “With a lead-in like that, this is going to be a biggie. I know it.”

“Uh, yes.” Tazio leaned toward Harry a bit. “I believe Hester knew she was going to die.” Tazio held up her hand, sensing that Harry was about to interrupt her. “She knew she was in danger. When she asked me to take on the fight—the project of bringing these buildings back to life—I said I would only do it if she led the charge. She agreed but then she made me promise before we parted that if something happened to her, I would carry on.”

“Dear God.” Harry’s hand flew to her face.

“It’s a promise I must fulfill. I, well, I just must.”

“Of course, Tazio. It’s a debt of honor, and think of how much she trusted you.”

“I do.”

“You told this to Cooper?”

“I did. Gives her not one more solid fact, but she did say it’s possible Hester knew more than she was telling. We’ll never know, but what I want to know is, will you work with me, Harry, use your contacts to help save the schoolhouses?”

Harry thought a bit, then replied, “I will, but you and I have to be clear about the future use of the buildings. That means involving other people, asking their opinions, and, well, I don’t want to put the cart before the horse. Let’s do the Halloween Hayride first. I see you’ve started on Frankenstein’s table.”

Harry looked at the red lights that accentuated the fake pools of plastic cut-out blood on the table and floor. Strangely cut lampshades cast ominous shadows with low light.

A flat table, straps across it, stood in the middle of the classroom. Tazio had moved some of the desks aside to make room for it. “This is the mad doctor’s operating room,” she stated with faux solemnity.

“Sure looks convincing,” said Harry.

“Good. I want to make this year special,” said Tazio. “This has to be the best Halloween Hayride ever. Raise tons of money for the library.”

“Who is going to be Frankenstein, or will he be a cutout figure?” Harry inquired.

“Buddy Janss volunteered to be the monster. Wesley Speer said he’d be the doctor. Has a lab coat, sort of, and clothes they wore back in Mary Shelley’s time.”

“Wesley Speer. Good for him.” Harry smiled at the thought of her fellow vestry board member being Dr. Frankenstein.

“I heard that Neil Jordan has sold one hundred hayride tickets in just a few days,” said Tazio. “That’s something. He must be twisting every arm he knows.”

“He can be persuasive, and it is a tradition. Also, in a sick way, the scarecrow and the witch deaths have kind of promoted the horror aspect, driving up sales.” Harry looked around. “Built solid, this schoolhouse.”

“All three of them have stood the test of time. One for the little children, then the middle school, and the last building was for the big kids. I went through drawers and found old test tubes and stuff. I’m going to set it all up, see if I can’t get some things smoking and bubbling and then backlight it.”

“Creepy and perfect. However, don’t let Brinkley in. That tail could be lethal.”

“I’ll put everything over his head. I learned the hard way, he can clean off a coffee table. He’d make a real mess in here.”

As though on cue, Brinkley pushed open the front door, letting in a rush of cold air. “I’m here. I’m watching everything.”

“What can you see?” Pewter said, marching in behind. “My eyes are a lot better than yours.”

Brinkley, a natural diplomat, replied, “They are. I wish I could see as good in the dark as you and Mrs. Murphy do.”

Harry walked to the door to close it. “Boy, that temperature drops with the sun.”

“That’s another thing,” said Tazio. “This old heating system works. I checked it out, cast iron. The boiler is enormous but solid cast iron. The boiler room was installed right about the time of World War One.”

Harry wondered, “Who would know how to repair the boiler?”

“Same company’s been servicing it since installing it in 1915. Couldn’t stand it—I hopped on my computer, and sure enough, the information is online.”

“That’s a piece of luck.” Harry smiled.

Tazio agreed. “It is. Harry, thank you for signing on. You and I will make a great team. I hope Hester’s looking down on us and giving a cheer.”

“Me, too, but she might be saying, ‘Not Harry!’ ”

Tazio smiled. “Not a chance. Well, I think we’ve got the ride in good order.”

“This ride scares me before I even get on the hay wagon.” Harry’s eyes widened. “It’s going to be spectacular.”

“Let me show you the little bathroom.” Tazio stood up.

The two walked to the door at the back of the large room. Tazio opened it.

“Water still runs.” Harry turned the faucet on and off. “The old towel dispenser still works, too.” She gave the white towel a tug and more came down as the used portion fed up into the metal dispensing box. “Gets me excited. The quality of the workmanship, the layout.”

They closed the door and walked to the front of the room. Harry, always curious, sat behind the large teacher’s desk, which was set on a dais so the teacher could view the entire classroom.

“You will now recite your ABC’s,” Harry ordered.

Tazio, before her, ran through them quickly, then shoved Harry from the seat.

“Harry Haristeen, what is twelve times twelve?”

“One hundred and forty-four,” Harry victoriously answered.

“I gave you an easy one,” Tazio teased as she pulled out the middle desk drawer. “Hey, look.”

Harry stepped back up on the dais. “Pencils, a hand sharpener, a wooden ruler.”

“Grandpa’s Tar Soap,” Tazio said, reading the advertising printed on the ruler. “And here’s an old piece of paper.”

Harry read out the name printed on the paper: “Walter Ashby Plecker.”

“If Walter’s name was in the teacher’s drawer, he must have been a bad boy,” said Tazio.