Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Luggage (08/15/05)
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TITLE: Roadblock | Previous Challenge Entry
By Craig Frizzell
08/22/05 -
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“Now what?” he said.
“Looks like an accident,” Ben replied from the passenger seat.
As he slowed down, Roy glanced in the rearview mirror. The two cars carrying his other brothers came around the curve into view. As the last light of day faded from the sky, the small convoy came to a stop. Maybe it’s just a routine roadblock, he thought hopefully.
He rolled down the window as a deputy approached.
“Evenin’, officer.”
“Evenin’, Roy.” The deputy’s reply caused Roy’s pulse to quicken. It was friendly enough - too friendly, actually. This man had no reason to know Roy’s name. They were strangers here, just returning home from a business meeting. They had done nothing to attract the attention of the authorities. Even so, the deputy rested his hand pointedly on the butt of his revolver.
“Why don’t you and Ben step out of the vehicle, real slow. Might as well motion for the rest of your brothers to come up and join the party, too.”
A worm of dread began to form knots in Roy’s stomach. Memories of a tragic decision made one fateful night many years before broke free from the dark corners of his mind where he tried to keep them hidden. Surely that couldn’t be what this was about. The deputy’s voice interrupted his thoughts.
“You boys had dinner with the Highway Commissioner this evenin’, didn’t you?”
Roy felt a wave of relief. He still didn’t know what was going on, but it didn’t matter, as long as the sins of their past stayed buried.
“Yes, sir. We were finalizing the details of our road contract.” Roy and his brothers ran the family road construction business. With the economy in the tank, times had been tough over the past couple of years. But then, Roy and his brothers had the good fortune to land an exclusive contract that covered new highway construction over a four-state region.
The Highway Commissioner had treated them well enough, but he was a bit of a strange fellow. He had insisted on meeting with all of the brothers, even going so far as to require that they bring their youngest brother, Ben, along. At fourteen, Ben wasn’t old enough to work in the company yet. It had been hard to convince their father to let his beloved young son come.
“We got a problem, Roy. After you boys left, the Commissioner saw that some valuables were missing from his office. You wouldn’t know anything about that, now would you?”
Roy said, “Deputy, my brothers and I are honest men. I swear to you, we didn’t take a thing from that office. You can search our vehicles, and even our bags. If you find what you’re looking for, then the person who took it deserves whatever punishment you want to give.”
With a nod from the deputy, the other officers began to go through each man’s overnight bag. Roy’s confidence that the misunderstanding would be cleared up grew with each bag that was searched.
“I got it!” Roy turned at the officer’s triumphant shout, and what he saw caused his stomach to turn to acid. In one hand, the officer held an expensive looking silver serving carafe, and in the other, an overnight bag - Ben’s bag.
**********
“How could you do this to me, after the way I’ve treated you?” the Highway Commissioner berated Roy and his brothers. “It’ll be a long time before this boy sees the light of day again!”
“I can’t believe Ben would do this, but I can’t argue with the evidence, either,” Roy said. “Please, let me take his punishment. He’s just a kid. And his father has suffered so much. He lost another son, years ago. If he loses Ben, too, I’m afraid it might kill him.”
Roy’s offer to sacrifice his own freedom moved the Commissioner. “Roy, don’t you recognize me?” he said softly.
Recognition did come, then. The brother they had despised, the one they had left to die in the wilderness on a cold night so long ago, stood before them. With dread, Roy searched Joe’s eyes. What he saw, however, was not vengeance, but compassion.
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