Lyon
Chapter 108

Today was the crew’s annual random act of kindness day. I don’t know how random it is though since we had a few things we always did around this time of year.

Although I might not put much stock in Xmas per se, there was still a good percentage of the population who did. Every year for the past five or so, the sisters baked cookies and cakes and those little gingerbread men which they then wrapped in these cute little boxes for us men to pass out.

Then later in the evening, we’d take them around to the women’s shelter and the children’s ward at the hospital. We collected money to buy gifts for the children and made sure they had something to look forward to as well.

This year that shit meant a little more to me than in years past. The thought of those little kids, some of them not much older than Caitie, was hard to take.

This is just one of the reasons my crew is so well loved in our town, because we do shit like this for our people. It didn’t matter what they looked like, white, black or red. Everyone in this town was ours and we looked out for all of them the same.

I had baby duty while Kat bustled around in the kitchen making her special pies. At least I had baby duty until we were invaded by the mothers. Mom and her gaggle of hens showed up first thing in the damn morning and took over.

“Elena what are you doing here?”

“Son, that’s no way to talk to your mother and for your information, we’re here to help Kat with the baking.”

“Don’t you have an oven?”

“Yes, but it’s more fun doing it together. Come on Caitie, let’s go into the kitchen and grandma will teach you how to make her shoofly pie.” She confiscated my damn kid.

“Hey, we were just about to read the three little pigs, woman.”

“Oh Colt, you can do that anytime. Besides, you have her all the time grandma only gets to see her every so often.”

“Mom, you’ve seen that kid almost everyday since she’s been born, quit the bull. Hi Tina, hi Char.”

“Hey Colt, how goes it?”

“Uh huh.” I sniffed the air when the giggling started. Daniel isn’t the only one you have to watch out for these days, he’s turned Elena and her posse onto his shit and she can be just as bad as he is.

“Just remember the cookies and pies are to be given away. You three get the munchies, I hope you have something to eat in those suitcases you call purses.”

“Whatever do you mean Colton?” Tina tried to play the innocent card but she was about to bust from holding back her laughter.

“Drake know what you been up to?”

“He might not know for sure but he sure does enjoy the benefits.” Kat came out of the kitchen when the hooting and hollering started.

“I know that’s right, I think that’s why Daniel leaves it out where I can replace it. He does like the added agility.”

“For the love ofmom cut it out that’s just nasty.” I made my escape on that note. I sure wish my parents would realize it was not cool to share certain things with me, damn.

I could hear them in the kitchen yakking it up so I headed for my office, might as well replace something to do with myself since the babysitting gig fell through.

I called up Jared to see what he had going. Somebody had to have an a*s that needed kicking. Anything to get me the f**k out of here with Kat and her shit; f*****g women!

“Dude what we got going?”

“Nothing that I know of. I have to go chop down a tree for old lady Morris but that’s about it.”

“You decorating it too?”

“Nah, her grandkids are supposed to be coming over to do that.”

Today was the crew’s annual random act of kindness day. I don’t know how random it is though since we had a few things we always did around this time of year.

“Count me in.”

“I thought you had to take care of my goddaughter while Katarina cooked.”

“Change of plans, Elena and her crew are here and they’re high. I need out of this place like now.”

“I’d pay good money to see that.”

“Trust me bro, you don’t want no part of that shit. Where you getting the tree?”

“Where we always get them Colt. Out back in the woods behind your place.”

“Fine, I’ll meet you back there.”

“Give me ten before you head out.”

“No problem.”

I ventured into the henhouse to k**s my woman and my kid goodbye and from the silence that fell as soon as I crossed the threshold, I knew I really didn’t want any part of what they had going on in there.

“I don’t even want to know, please try not to corrupt my poor kid. Bye Caitie bear, daddy will be back soon.”

“Where are you going Colt, I thought you were going to help us?”

“That would be negative, Jared needs to get a tree for old lady Morris and I’m his wingman. Besides, what do you need me for, you’ve got your posse here to do cleanup. Elena, the flour is supposed to go into the bowl not all over my floor.”

“Where’s the fun in that? Caitlin likes when grandma makes a mess don’t you sweet girl?” Caitie could care less. She was too busy gnawing on a wooden spoon with who knows what stuck to it.

I gave her one last k**s, sucked Kat’s face off to the enjoyment of everyone in the room including my daughter, and left the madness and chaos behind.

***

The back of my place is nothing but woods after you get past the swimming pool and recreation area. I’d cleared it out a bit, cutting down most of the grass and rotted trees so that it looked more inviting I guess you can say, as opposed to something out of a backpacking horror flick, but it was still pretty dense in some parts.

It was nothing like my old place but I guess having surrounding land and a backyard said family home more. I heard Jared before I saw him and from all the cussing going on, I think the tree was winning the battle.

Last year while the guys were helping me clean up back here, we’d found the pine trees and they’d decided that here is where they’d be getting their Xmas trees from now on. I had no problem with that.

There were more than enough back there and if it saved them a couple bucks each year, why not? Even Elena had gotten hers here this year and she’s the pickiest person I know. One of the guys thought we should sell them for a profit but I had a better idea. Why not give them away?

So that’s what we did this year and that’s how Jared ended up back here trying to get one for old lady Morris who lived alone and whose family only came around the holidays.

“Dude, that’s the sorriest looking tree I’ve ever seen what’re you doing?”

“What’s wrong with it?”

“What’s wrong with it? Don’t you see all those bare limbs in the middle?”

“Shit, I didn’t notice. Dammit, why didn’t you tell me it was brick outside?”

“How would I have known that? I was in the house all morning and since you mention it, I’d like to get back there sometime before next year, so lets get a move on.” He looked up at the tree that he’d been about to cut down as if trying to replace its redeeming qualities.

“Forget it dude, let’s go.” We walked around back there for a good while before we finally found one that I thought looked respectable enough.

“This one.”

“That shit’s huge Colt, what’s she gonna do with that? She only needs a little five footer.”

“Count me in.”

“Nah, this is good. It’s only about seven feet and look at it, it’s healthy looking.” I helped him cut it down and bind it up before we started heading back.

We headed for his truck with me bringing up the rear. He stopped short and almost got me in the gonads.

“Dude.”

“Sorry Colt.” He bent down close to the brambles and I was about to ask him what the hell he was doing when he stood and looked around.

“What’s up bro?”

“Were you back here in the last day or so?”

“No, why?” He pointed to what looked like footprints and matted down grass but I still didn’t quite grasp what he was getting at. As much foot traffic as had been through here in the last few weeks there was bound to be tracks.

“Somebody was back here bro and in the last day or so.” I didn’t bother asking him how he knew that shit, that was his thing. That little gift has come in handy a time or two in the past and I never questioned his knowledge. I knew f**k all about it so I let him take the lead.

“Maybe one of the guys came out to get their tree.” Though they usually told me when they were going to be out here or they usually came by the house first it’s possible.

“Nah bro, Zack was the last one and I helped him get his two weeks ago and we came in over there.” He pointed in the opposite direction from where we now stood.

I started following the pattern he pointed out with the naked eye and pretty soon I could see it. It’s not something I would’ve picked up on my own but the way he explained shit as he went made sense.

“You see these right here, they were broken off just in the last day or so; they haven’t started to turn as yet. That could be partially due to the weather but I don’t think so, and look here. Here’s where the person was standing.”

We’d put the tree down when he started his bloodhound routine and now we were standing in the spot where he thought someone had been. I was starting to get that kick in my gut again when we turned in the little copse of trees where he’d stopped.

The bush around the base of one of the trees was matted considerably more than the rest around it but I still wasn’t sure it wasn’t from the guys tramping through here.

“How sure are you that this is new?”

“Colt” The tone of his voice made me uneasy and I looked up at him. He was staring in the direction of the house and I knew I wasn’t going to like where this was going.

I stood next to him and looked in the same direction. It was a direct line to the back of my house, which was more glass than anything else. You probably couldn’t see anything from back here unless you had binoculars, but if you got close enough you would be able to see into the house.

My b***d ran cold in my veins and my first thought was to run and get my woman and kid the f**k out of there. I started to do just that but Jared’s hand on my arm stopped me.

“Wait bro. Let’s see what else we replace back here. It’s not easy to walk through the woods without leaving something behind.”

“F**k that Jared, I’m getting them out of here now.” He was already off nosing around, following the tracks, stopping every once in a while to study shit closer.

We found a trail of sorts or more accurately, Jared found a trail that led onto the property from the road that ran behind it. No one ever used that road because it led to nowhere for a few miles. In fact I doubt many people even knew it was there.

The only thing that kept people off of my land was a little barbwire fence, which I now saw had been cut.