Chapter 12
It wasn’t until the morning light was already filling the sky that Gideon finally fell asleep for a couple of fitful hours. When he opened his eyes, they met a sliver of sunlight cutting through the curtains.
He’d hoped God would speak to him again in a dream, but as far as he knew, his sleep had been dreamless. God was silent, and if He remained that way, Gideon didn’t know how he could face Nikki or the others.
If he’d never told Nikki about Eric or the totem poles, he could have done it all himself, and there would be no one to let down. It had been a mistake to bring her in. But as he thought back over the night, searching for a sense of regret, he couldn’t find any. It was a small mercy.
He gripped the edge of the bed, then pushed off. It was time to see how the town had woken to the change. Word would spread quickly. If he was lucky, it would be enough to transform the town, meaning his job was successfully completed, and he could leave with his head held high. Or they’d simply rebuild, and it would have all been for nothing.
As soon as Gideon turned onto Main Street, he saw the crowd gathered. It was still early, but over a hundred people were in the park.
A tall, heavyset man stood on a podium in the middle of the fray. Gideon pulled over to listen to what he was saying.
“You have every right to be angry,” the man said above the shouts. “We won’t let them get away with it.”
Phineas pushed through the crowd and climbed onto the platform. “The mayor is right, and we will stand in strength with our leader. It’s more important than ever for us to come together to resist those who would seek to destroy us through their horrible, reckless behavior. But we have nothing to fear. The gods will not be silenced.”
Gideon couldn’t help the roll of his eyes as the crowd cheered. “The gods, huh?” he mumbled.
Phineas continued, “We will bring those responsible to their knees. You have my word.”
The crowd erupted again with shouts of ‘death penalty’ and ‘torture’ for the responsible party. When the mob rules, commonsense goes out the window.
Gideon rolled his window back up. They’d have to trust God to keep them all safe from the mob.
He drove on to his dad’s place where he expected to find him sleeping, but he’d rather share the news before his dad heard it from the horde.
He rang the bell and waited.
“Coming!”
Gideon stepped back in surprise. His dad never came at the first ring.
“Gideon,” Joey said when he opened the door. “I wasn’t expecting you this morning. Why didn’t you just come in? You have a key.”
“I forgot it.” He looked his dad up and down. “You’re dressed.”
“Should I not be?”
“And you shaved.”
Joey shrugged. “I do now and then. I’m not a total slob, ya know.”
“I know. I just—” He had to tread lightly. He didn’t know how precarious this was. “With your arm the way it is, it must be hard.”
“Nah, there are plenty who get along with less. You coming in?”
“Sure.”
“I take it your friend Eric has left town?” Joey said as he slowly climbed the stairs.
“Uh, yeah. I think he left the day you met him.”
“Too bad. There aren’t many I like around town. I wish he would have stuck around.” He turned to Gideon when he reached the door. “He was interesting, you know? Not many around here are.”
“He was unusual.” Gideon scanned the apartment as they entered. “You cleaned up? ”
“I did what I could. You want a coffee? We missed the last one.”
The coffee was still dripping from a freshly made pot, and all the dishes were put away.
“Yeah. Uh, but what’s going on?”
“What’d you mean?” Joey limped into the kitchen and got a couple of mugs to fill.
“Did Eric say something?”
“Eric said a lot of things. Was there a particular anecdote you’re looking for?”
“I guess not. It’s good to see you doing so well.”
Joey studied Gideon as he handed him the mug, then he laughed. “You don’t know what to think of your old man, do you?”
“No. You’re different.”
“Oh yeah? Good or bad?” He went to the couch and sat. “The look on your face is hard to read.”
“I’m sure you can figure it out.”
“What can I say? Can’t live like a slob forever. You turned up in town when I was in a hole. I climbed out. End of story.”
“You’re not drinking anymore?”
“Don’t go overboard. There are some non-negotiables.”
“Right.” It wouldn’t be the first time his dad had made an effort only for it to blow up worse than ever.
“Why don’t you sit? You’re making me nervous.”
Gideon sat on the edge of the armchair. “You hear about the totem poles yet?”
“What about ‘em?”
“They’re gone. ”
“What’d ya mean?”
“They were cut down last night.”
“Huh. Strange.”
They both looked at the window when they heard muffled shouts coming from outside.
Joey pushed up from his seat.
“The town’s not happy about the change,” Gideon said. “They’ve probably got a parade of protesters going down the street.”
Joey set his mug on the coffee table and went to the window. “That’s no parade. They’re not moving anywhere.” The window stuck as he tried to open it. He shook it, then jammed the heel of his hand on the corners, and it opened.
Gideon joined him at the window and looked out at the crowd that had gathered underneath the window.
“See, this is why I lock my doors now,” Joey said.
“You get a lot of mobs stopping at the front of your place?”
“You never know.” Joey poked his head out the window and shouted, “What’d you want?”
“It’s that trouble-making son of yours,” someone shouted back.
Joey looked in at Gideon and snickered, “Trouble-making son? What is this Scooby-do?” He yelled back at the crowd. “What about him?”
“Our fight’s not with you, old man,” Phineas said. “We don’t want to cause you any trouble. We just want to talk. Send Gideon out. We know he’s in there.”
“If you don’t want any trouble,” Joey said, “what are you doing crowding around my home? ”
“He has to pay,” someone else shouted.
“For what?”
“Your son destroyed public property.”
Joey looked at Gideon. “Did you hear that? They think you did it.”
Gideon nodded solemnly. “Yeah. It was me.”
“Huh.” He turned his curiosity back to the crowd. “How’d you know it was my boy that did it?”
“Barb saw,” Phineas said. “She saw his truck parked in the square.”
“You sure about that?”
“Yes.”
“Give me a second,” Joey said, then pulled his head back inside. “Haven’t I taught you anything? I thought you were street smart. You should have been more careful.”
“We were.”
“We?” Joey raised an eyebrow.
“No. Just me. I don’t want anyone else involved.”
“I see.” Back out the window, he said, “Is this about those ugly totem poles?”
The crowd began to roar and chant with Phineas’s encouragement. It was hard to make out what they were saying. A few words and phrases made it through. Some were demanding Gideon’s head, others were commenting on the power of the gods.
Joey shook his head and looked at Gideon. “They’re frothing at the mouth.”
“I can see that.”
“And they say I’m out of my mind. ”
“We’ll come up there if we have to!” a woman yelled. “Either way, we’re going to make him pay.”
The group added their agreement.
“You want to hurt my kid because he cut down a few trees?”
“They aren’t just wood,” Phineas said. “They are the lifeblood of this town. Those gods provide for us. They’re angry. We cry out with words, but they will respond with action.”
Joey put a hand up. “Give me a sec,” he shouted above the noise and tucked back inside. “They’re pretty mad.” He snickered.
“I should go talk to them. I don’t think they’re kidding about coming in here. That’s the last thing I want.”
“Now, hang on a second. Let me have my fun before you go all serious on me and ruin it. This is the best thing that’s happened in ages.”
“Fun? You want to have your fun?”
“Yeah, I’ve been waiting for an opportunity like this my whole life, and I won’t let you spoil it. This town is nuts. And things have only gotten worse since the drought.” He put his head back out the window. “So let me get this straight. You’re saying it was these…uh…so-called ‘gods’ that brought the rain a few years back?”
“Yes!” several shouted.
Joey twisted his head toward the sky. “They brought rain how many years ago?” His lips screwed into a skeptical smile.
“When they’re appeased,” Phineas said, “they look after us. Gideon has sentenced us all to death. ”
“Sheesh, this guy should teach drama class,” he mumbled before raising his voice. “So, you’re saying those totems are powerful?”
“They were until Gideon destroyed them.”
“So, they’re dead? He killed your gods?”
“Those totems carried the power of the gods,” Phineas said. “That power is still as potent as ever. It does not need to be contained.”
“Dad,” Gideon said. “That’s enough. I’m going down there.”
“Stay where you are. I’m not done yet,” Joey said before turning his attention back to the crowd. “You’re telling me there are real life gods hanging around, and they have the power to destroy or to bring life?”
“That’s precisely what we’re saying,” Phineas said, and the others agreed.
“Excellent. So glad to hear it. With that in mind, you can all go home.”
“We’re not leaving without Gideon,” Phineas said.
“Do these all-powerful gods of yours know that they require your inadequate actions to defend them? That’s a tad presumptuous of you. To think they need you to do anything for them. If you want my son to be torn to pieces, so be it. Let your gods come on in and do it themselves.”
“Dad.”
“I’ve got this, son.”
Gideon edged closer to the window and could see the people were murmuring among themselves.
“Maybe they didn’t like those totems in the first place,” Joey said. “You ever think of that? Maybe Gideon was doing them a favor. Maybe you’re the ones angering the gods. Go home and let that sink in for a while. In the meantime, I’m having a nap, and if you guys get noisy out there, I’m calling the cops.” Joey yanked the window shut, then dusted off his hands. “There you go. Sorted. What’s next?”
“You do know Asher doesn’t have a police force, right?”
“It was the effect I was going for, son. Not the exact words.” He shook his head and returned to the couch.
“Of course.” Gideon cleared his throat. “Thanks for doing that. It was…surprising.”
“Your old man has a few tricks up his sleeves. Besides, I never liked those stupid totems anyway. They were ugly as sin. And those same people—” He pointed at the window where the crowd had already begun to disperse. “—tried to convert me to Christianity years ago. They’re nothing more than a pernickety bunch of lemmings.” He laughed. “You should have seen the look on some of their faces. Might be the first time they listened to a word I said.”
“Well done, Dad,” Gideon said. “I mean it. Thanks for your help. I couldn’t have done it without you.”
“There was no way I would let them get their hands on you. The only one who’s giving my boy a hiding is me.”
“You had it, then you lost it.” Gideon went to the kitchen and rinsed his mug.
“Don’t get all delicate on me now. You never could handle the hard stuff. Too sensitive by half.”
Joey rested his cup on his stomach. “So, what gave you the idea to cut those things down, anyway? I mean, you did some pretty harebrained things growing up, but I thought you’d grown out of it.”
“This town’s in enough trouble without them worshiping false idols.”
Joey scoffed. “You’re serious?”
“I am.”
“Since when do you care about this town?”
He wouldn’t bring his dad into it. Talking about God now would lead to more trouble. “Would it be easier for you to swallow if I said I was bored?”
“Yup.”
“All right then, I was bored.”
Gideon’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He looked at the text from Katrina.
“I’ve gotta go.”
“Where?”
“Katrina’s having trouble getting her car started.”
“I replaced the spark plugs a few months ago.”
“Yeah, she said that. I think it’s the alternator.”
“Will you do me a favor?”
“What’s that?”
“Next time you’re itching to cause some trouble, can you give me a call? I want in.”
“I’ll keep you in mind.”
Gideon pulled his hands back as the hood slammed into place. “That should do it,” he said to Katrina as he wiped the grease from his hands with a rag .
“You are a lifesaver. Here.” She handed him some money.
He waved it away. “Don’t worry about it.”
“I can’t keep paying you with food.”
“Yes, you can. I need to eat.”
“I’m going to miss you when you go. You are still planning on leaving? Right?”
“Yeah.”
“I don’t suppose there’s any way to change your mind?”
“None that I can think of, but thanks for the sentiment.” His phone rang. “I should get this. I’ll see you at the diner?”
“I’ll be there.”
He walked to his truck as he answered the phone. “Hey, Nikki.”
“Something’s happening.” She was breathless.
He jumped into his truck and started it. “I was in town earlier when everything erupted, but I thought it was all sorted. Has something else happened? Did they find out you were involved too?”
“What do you mean ‘too’? They found out it was you?”
“Don’t worry about me. Are you safe?”
“Yes, I’m fine. What happened in town?”
“They came for me while I was at my dad’s, but he handled it.”
“Your dad did?”
“Yeah. You wouldn’t believe it. He put them in their place. I wish you could have seen it.”
“So, they came after you? ”
“I thought that was why you were calling. They don’t know about you, Ty, or Gunther?”
“No, but tell me what your dad said to them.”
“Phineas was there working them up. They were shouting about the anger of the gods, and my dad told them to let the gods sort me out if they were so angry. Then he turned the tables, warning them that maybe the gods didn’t like the little home they had built for them and suggested they got me to chop them down.”
“The gods did?”
“Yeah.”
“I can’t believe that worked.”
“I couldn’t believe that was my dad.”
“And you’re okay? They left you alone?”
“Oddly enough. But why did you call? What else has happened?”
“You should come and see.”
“Where?”
“The church.”
“Oh, no.”
“It’s full, Gideon. The church is full of people. In a good way. I don’t know what’s going on, but it’s like the stronghold over this town is broken, and people are returning to God. It’s wonderful, but I don’t know what to do. I need your help.”
“You’d know better than I would.”
“But you’re the one who God called to save this place. I need you.”
He had to close his eyes for a second. She had no idea how hard those words pulled at him. “I don’t think God wanted me to start preaching. You grew up in church. What would your dad do?”
“He’d have a sermon ready to go. He was always studying and preparing. I do devotions one morning a week. That’s it.”
“Your Bible study.”
“Yeah.”
“Then pretend it’s a giant Bible study.”
“Okay, yeah. That’s not a bad idea, but can you please get down here? I’m freaking out.”
“I’m headed there now. Don’t panic. You’ve got this. God knew it was coming. I’ll be there soon.”