Welcome to Gayberry – 23
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23
Will and Jimmy dropped Mark and Randy at the sheriff's house. When they got out of the car, William got out too and opened the trunk. Mark saw the things the sheriff had collected from his home and began to tear up. He hugged the sheriff and thanked him for being so thoughtful and, together, they carried Mark's things into the house. Will said he would get his boys fed and be back in about an hour. When Mark and Randy walked in the front door, Aunt Flea was finishing setting the supper table.. Colonel Watkins was in a living room chair reading the paper and Dopie came running to greet his paw.
"Who is this handsome young man you have with you, Sheriff?" the Colonel asked. "His hair is as red as your own boy's and he's almost as handsome as Dopie."
Dopie came running to greet his paw, jumping up into his arms. Aunt Flea gave a fleeting look of disapproval, unused to seeing such physical contact between her nephew and his son.
"Dopie, you've said many times how much you wished you had a big brother like Billy Paul and some of your other friends" the sheriff said. "Well now's your chance to try it out. Mark will be staying with us, at least for a while and he has agreed to be your big brother."
"Yippee kiyi yay!" the boy shouted running to Mark and being swept up in his strong arms.
"Welcome" the boy said. "Paw, can he sleep in my room and everthang?"
"If that's what you boys decide on" the sheriff said, smiling to see how happy his son was.
"Well, good evening, Sheriff Gaylor," Tara Bedford said, breezing into the room with flowers for the center of the table. "Flea runs a much easier house than I ever did. I never allowed Mr. Bedford to be even one minute late for supper. Many the night some or all of them went to bed hungry. I just didn't allow it in my house. Of course, I ran a much tighter ship than Flea."
"I'm sure there were many nights Mr. Bedford and your boys wished they could starve themselves to death rather than hearing your screeching voice" the sheriff said, smiling at the woman.
The Colonel and Mark chuckled quietly, immediately picking up on the dislike between the two.
"Randy, be nice, dear, and watch your language please" Aunt Flea said. "Tara and I are still baking for Founders Day. We have some beautiful things for the bake sale. We are so excited. The mayor's wife is coming over later and we'll be doing pies late into the evening."
The sheriff and the Colonel exchanged knowing looks and the colonel gave a quick wink and smile to the sheriff.
"The mayor's wife" the Colonel said. "Isn't she one of the lovely ladies I met last evening at the Ladies' Aid Society Meeting?"
"Oh yes, Colonel, she was here" Tara Bedford answered. "She was the blonde wearing the mint-green dress. She is also a former Miss Gayberry who won just a few years after I did. I was the original Miss Gayberry – the first to wear the sash and the crown."
"I'm surprised they didn't change it to the Mayberry Dog Show that year" the sheriff quipped, drawing chuckles from the men and disapproving looks from the women at the table.
"Randy, you are not setting a good example for the young boys at the table and you know better" Aunt Flea said. "I won't have bad behavior at this table."
"You gonna send paw up to bed without his supper?" Dopie asked, laughing.
"I certainly would have" Tara Bedford said. "No doubt about it. "
"Mark, you look so familiar to me but I can't place you" Tara Bedford said. "I know I've seen you and it has been recently. I just can't quite sort it out."
"It happens to all of us Miss Tara," the sheriff said. "After we hit our hundredth birthday."
Again the men chuckled and the women shot disapproving looks.
"Might I assume you still have prisoners in your jail tonight?" Mrs. Bedford inquired.
"No, both cells are empty" the sheriff replied. "Not a creature was stirring – not even a mouse when I left this evening."
"But when I was there earlier, your deputy had arrested two men and they were in your cells" Mrs. Bedford said. "I recognized one as the drama teacher at the high school and the other as that boy that runs Folly's Gas Station. What in the world had those two done to be locked up?"
"Oh that" the sheriff said. "That was all a mistake" the sheriff said. "Some meddlesome busybody reported a crime to my deputy and he made an arrest. It was all a mistake. The deputy botched the arrest by rushing things and going off without a warrant. And it was a case of mistaken identity."
"A meddlesome busybody indeed!" Tara said huffily. "You had your cells full of prisoners this afternoon. I distinctly remember that."
It suddenly occurred to her where she had seen the handsome boy sitting at the table.
"You!" she said, pointing her finger at Mark.
Suddenly she began to cough violently. Her face turned bright red as she clutched her neck then began to turn blue.
"She's choked on her meatloaf!" the Colonel said. "Quick! Get her on the floor and move away! Mark, run your finger through her mouth and see if there's anything you can feel obstructing her airway!
"There's nothing in her mouth, Colonel!" Mark said. "Whatever is obstructing is down further. I need to get her flat so you can do a Heimlich on her."
The boy moved swiftly to get the woman flat on her back on the floor. The lady's face was still blue and her eyes bugged out. She looked frightened to death. Randy just pushed his chair away from the table and watched, half hoping the old bitch would choke to death. He figured her three sons would pay Aunt Flea for making a dry meat loaf that killed her.
"We have to get this blouse off her!" the Colonel said, as he ripped the blouse off the woman. "Get that bra off too! I need to hit her in the chest to try to dislodge whatever is obstructing her airway."There is no point in starting compressions until we get the airway cleared."
Mark moved into a position to start mouth to mouth as the Colonel ripped her bra off,exposing the woman's saggy breasts. Dopie had moved onto his father's lap, watching silently. Aunt Flea looked horrified and the sheriff tried his best to suppress a smile.
The colonel slapped her chest very hard with his right fist. Mark continued to make sweeps of her mouth and the upper portion of her throat. Nothing happened so he did it again with more force. As he hit her, a chunk of meatloaf flew from her mouth, hitting Aunt Flea right in the forehead.
Mrs. Bedford was gasping for air as her color very gradually began to return. Aunt Flea still looked frightened as she picked meatloaf out of her well-coiffed hair. Mark looked relieved. The Colonel had applied a cool cloth to her head and Randy was laughing uncontrollably. Dopie didn't know what to do so he started laughing like his paw.
"Colonel, you have saved my friend's life" Aunt Flea proclaimed. "You and young Mark and your quick thinking absolutely saved my friend. You knew just where to strike her chest and it was Mark got her out of the chair and positioned so that you could work on her. Both of you are heroes! I have no doubt she will be indebted to you for the rest of her life."
Tara was breathing normally now and her color had returned almost to normal as the men helped her to the sofa. Flea was fanning her and Tara insisted she was fine. She insisted she not go to the hospital and the doctor not be called.
"We have some baking to be done" she insisted. "We cannot let Gayberry down. We have pies to bake. We have an obligation and a duty and a Bedford has never shirked their duty."
Aunt Flea cleared the table and did the dishes by herself while Tara rested quietly. Dopie brought her a glass of water to which the Colonel added a shot of his liniment and she was feeling almost normal as the mayo arrived, saying his wife was finishing getting ready and would arrive shortly. The sheriff greeted the mayor and returned to the kitchen.
Randy introduced the Colonel to the mayor. The mayor eyed the man suspiciously at first, knowing he had fucked his frigid wife the night before, but the Colonel's charm soon had him won over.
"Dopie, don't you want to head on upstairs and get your bath?" the sheriff asked. "I think you've still got a little arithmetic and reading homework to get done" the sheriff said.
"Can Mark take a bath with me, paw?" the boy asked.
"Of course he can if he wants to" the sheriff said. "Or he can take one by hisself if he prefers. Just don't let Aunt Flea know about it if y'all bathe together. You know how she is."
"I'd like to take a bath with my new brother" Mark said as they headed upstairs.
Randy yearned to join his boys as he had already begun to think of them but he knew he had things to take care of. William had joined the men on the porch and all had lit up cigars. The Colonel had shared a shot of his liniment with the men and they were getting along well by the time the sheriff joined them.
"Is Mrs. Bedford doing all right, sheriff?" the Colonel asked.
"I'm afraid so" the sheriff replied. "Satan can't be killed by mere mortals. You and Mark should be in front of the firing squad for bringing that bitch back to life."
All the men shared a laugh.
"I think we all know why we're here tonight except for the Colonel" the sheriff began. "I had hoped to speak with him before our get together but time simply did not permit. It has been a very busy yet a very productive day. I hope we can all speak freely and frankly here without hesitation or shyness."
"Colonel, the mayor and I would like for you to inseminate our wives" William began. "For various reasons which are not germaine to this conversation, we have experienced difficulty in our sex lives. I have two beautiful sons whom I adore and would love to have one more before my wife's biological clock runs out. She is an attractive woman but she refuses to have sex with me. I forced her once and her very rich and very powerful father has threatened my life should I do that again. We know your record and your family history when it comes to producing boys and we feel the chances are significantly better than even that you will put a boy in both wombs. I can't speak for the mayor, but I have no emotional attachment whatsoever to my wife and you may do whatever you wish. I just want another son. You may feel free to fuck her in the ass and fuck her in the mouth and fuck her any way you like as long as you can dump a load in her snatch and knock her up."
"With regard to the mayor, he is aware you fucked his wife last night" William continued. "They have not had sex in several years and he too wishes to have a son. He has three girls and it is his lifelong wish to have a son to carry on the family name and for the sheer pleasures of raising a boy. I can tell you my wife is entering the most fertile period of her cycle within the next two days and the mayor has learned that his wife will be at her peak in four days. You may fuck both of them at your convenience as long as it takes. No one outside our group will know of this arrangement. We are willing to pay the rent on a store in which you can sell your liniment for a period of a month. When these two women come to you to tell you that you have knocked them up, you will instruct my wife to come to me and tell me. I will contact her father and tell him she has had an affair. At the very worst, you may need to come forward to him as her lover. I assure you he will keep it quiet as he avoids scandal at all costs. He is a businessman and his empire could collapse at even a hint of a scandalous affair. She is his only daughter and his only child. It will be imperative that he place her in a private rehab facility for the duration of the pregnancy so that she will not be able to get alcoholic beverages. When the mayor's wife comes to you to say she is pregnant. I suggest you encourage her to trick her husband. Advise her to sleep with him once so that she can claim he is the father."
"So, you gents are going to open a store and pay the rent for me for a month while I fuck your beautiful wives all I want and knock them up with sons in their bellies" he said. "Is my understanding correct?"
All the men nodded.
"Gentlemen of Gayberry, you have a deal" the Colonel said.
The mayor then shook the hand of the man who had bedded his wife the night before and had now agreed to put a baby in her.
"I'm sure you've heard this before, Colonel, but you look just like Clark Gable" the mayor said. "You are one of the most handsome men I have ever met. I can see why my wife would want to fuck you. You also have a rich voice, much like a movie star."
That is when the sheriff realized he had found the perfect man to replace Tara Bedford as the emcee of the Miss Gayberry Pageant. What could possibly be better?
"Gentlemen, if you will excuse me for just a moment, I would like to run upstairs and check on my boys" the sheriff said. "I need to make sure Dopie gets his homework so that Miss Frump won't be on the warpath. She's a bit of a hellion!"
Randy walked up the stairs and paused outside the bathroom door. He listened and he could hear Mark softly speaking, telling Dopie the story of Jack and the Beanstalk. He tapped softly on the door and Dopie knew who it was.
"Come on in, paw," the boy said.
"Did you boys get your arithmetic homework done?" the sheriff asked, as he took a seat beside the giant tub on the closed toilet.
"Shore did, Paw" Dopie answered. "And I only missed one but we corrected it."
"Your boy's good at arithmetic, sheriff," Mark said. "I left the paper on his desk in case you want to take a look to make sure I caught everything."
"Thanks for helpin' him" the sheriff said.
Dopie was soaping Mark's smooth chest as the sheriff watched. Mark was even more handsome without his clothes than with them. He seemed to enjoy having the boy's hands on his naked body.
"I sure am glad to have a big brother to sleep with me" Dopie said. "It's somethin' I've always wanted. Paw, I asked Mark if he'd like to touch me and give me the tinglies. He said he's done it for Jeffy. But he said it wouldn't be fittin' for him to do it for me without askin you. Would it be all right if he gives me the tinglies, paw?"
Mark's face was turning red but the sheriff reached out with his big hand and ruffled the hair on both their foreheads.
"It's all right with me, son" he said. "I think anything brothers want to do is all right as long as it feels good to both of `em."
"Gee, thanks, paw," Dopie said as the sheriff left and closed the door behind him. Once outside the room, the sheriff paused, then went back into the bathroom.
"Dopie, did you show Mark your uncut willy? Mark's been circumcised and I ain't sure you've seena cut pecker before."
"I noticed it looked different, paw, but I didn't want to say nothin' that might embarrass him. You know we ain't never talked about that kind of stuff."
"That is in the past, son" the sheriff told his son. "We're bein' more open now. Stand up and let Mark get a good look at that little uncut meat of yours. We need to make sure he knows how to skin it back and clean under the foreskin. Mark ain't got no skin coverin' his dickhead so he may not know how to clean a uncut willy."
"I bathe with my little brother sometimes and I've helped him make sure his willy is clean" Mark said. "I've watched my paw clean his too, although he didn't seem comfortable much with me watching although I really liked it."
Dopie was standing in the tub in front of Mark, his soft, uncut meat inches from the older boy's face. Mark took the soap and gently skinned back Dopie's foreskin, lathering it up. As he did so, Dopie's little cock began to harden and was standing straight out from his little body.
"Oh, that feels so good" Dopie said dreamily as the older boy began to stroke his cock in a rhythm.
"Are you hard, Mark?" the sheriff asked.
"Yes, sir, I sure am"the teen replied.
"Stand up and let me see" the sheriff said. "But don't stop stroking Dopie. And don't stroke yourself. I'll tell you when it's okay to do that. Understand?"
"Yes, sir" Mark said, following the sheriff's orders.
"Do you want to kiss my boy?" the sheriff asked Mark.
"Yes, sir, I'd like that" Mark said.
The sheriff gave him permission and the handsome older ginger boy kissed the younger one without missing a stroke on the younger boy's hard little cocklet. Randy began to run his fingers through Mark's thick ginger pubes, realizing the boy was well into puberty but not yet really a man. He carefully avoided touching the boy's hard cock, just combing his bush with his long fingers and weighing the boy's nuts. When Randy started to gently handle the boy's nuts, he noticed that Mark spread his thighs as if to give the sheriff better access to his hole.
"I'd love to keep watchin' you boys all night but I got business downstairs" the sheriff said. "We'll have plenty of time to play and experiment now that you're livin' with us. Go ahead and take care of Dopie but I don't want you touchin' your own cock and I don't want Dopie touchin' it either. You ain't allowed to shoot a load till I say so. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir" Mark answered. "I completely understand.
"Good" the sheriff said. "I'd hate to have to take a strap to that pretty butt of yours, boy, but I won't hesitate to do it if you don't mind what I say,"
"I understand, sir" Mark said. "Is it all right to keep kissin' Dopie till he gets his quivers?"
"That'll be fine" the sheriff said. "I just don't you or him touchin' that pretty cut meat of yours till I say to."
Randy left the bathroom, closing the door behind him and went back downstairs, adjusting his hard cock in his khaki uniform pants. He rejoined the men on his front porch. They had all taken further rounds of Colonel Watkins' liniment and were feeling even more relaxed than previously.
"My Dopie sure is likin' havin' a big brother" the sheriff said. "They're havin' a bath together and little Dopie was askin' if it'd be okay for Mark to touch his little willy and give the tingly feelings he likes so much."
They all smiled.
"I shouldn't have minded seeing that myself" the Colonel said. "I imagine it was a most pleasant sight, those two handsome boys together naked in a bathtub."
"From that, may we assume that you enjoy pursuits other than just the puss, Colonel?" William asked.
"You may indeed, Will," the Colonel answered. "There was a time in my younger years that my interests were considerably more narrow but as I have matured I have come to appreciate that there is much more beauty to appreciate if one keeps an open mind" the Colonel said. "I think perhaps the best analogy is the man who does not limit himself to eating only vanilla ice cream. Much pleasure is to be found eating chocolate, strawberry, and any number of other flavors."
"I couldn't agree more, Colonel, although I am afraid exotic flavors are not often easily available in smaller towns like Gayberry" the mayor added.
"True that, mayor, "William added. "But I am convinced there are many flavors to be enjoyed almost anywhere if one is willing to scratch below the surface to find them. Would you agree, sheriff?"
"I would indeed, my friend," the sheriff said. "Although I must admit only lately have I come to truly appreciate the variety of options. I have been remiss in my appreciation of some pleasures that have always been available to me in my neighborhood and even under my own roof."
The men sat silently, enjoying their cigars and their drinks and shortly Mrs. Dykes arrived.
"Good evening, gentlemen" she said.
All the men stood and greeted her. Randy looked for any sign that might give away the secret the mayor's wife thought she shared only with the Colonel. There was no trace of anything.
"You certainly look lovely tonight, Mrs. Dykes," the Colonel said.
"Why thank you, Colonel," the woman returned. "It's hardly a dress up event when we're just baking pies for the Founders Day Celebration."
"I'm certain you look lovely, regardless of the occasion" the Colonel said as Mrs. Dykes went to join the women.
"You're a smooth bastard, all right" the mayor chuckled. "I can see why women want what you're hidin' in them pants."
They all laughed.
"You are most welcome to watch if you'd like" the Colonel said. "That goes for you as well, William, and any others you'd like to invite to watch discretely."
"I think I'd actually like that" the mayor said.
"As would I" William added.
"Count me in, boys," the sheriff chuckled.
"You certainly have a physical presence, Colonel, and the voice of a radio announcer" the sheriff said.
"Actually I did quite a bit of work in radio when I was younger" the Colonel said. "I enjoyed it but I found it not to be terribly lucrative."
"Well, the mayor and I were speaking earlier today" the sheriff said. "We were discussing how Mrs. Bedford has emceed the Miss Gayberry Pageant for as long as we can remember. It is our feeling that it is past time for a change. Mayor Dykes and I agree a strong male presence would add to the show. Might you consider emceeing the pageant, assuming it is agreeable to our director, Mr. Churchill?"
"Why I would be honored to emcee the Miss Gayberry Pageant" the Colonel said. "It is work I have done in the past. I twice emceed the Miss Virginia Pageant and would probably still be doing it except for an unfortunate accusation by a lovely contestant."
"An accusation which was untrue, I am certain" said the mayor.
"Everyone assumed it was untrue until she bore a beautiful dark-haired son nine months to the day after the pageant. If the baby had a mustache, he'd have been a ringer for me."
All the men cracked up at that. Randy said he would speak with the director the following morning and Mr. Churchill could get in touch to arrange a script, fittings, and anything else necessary.
"I will warn you in advance that the man is a little `swishy'" the mayor said.
"That is not a problem for me" the Colonel assured him. "I am generous of spirit and will share the gifts I've been given with most anyone who appreciates them."
They all enjoyed a laugh as Aunt Flea came to the door to tell Randy he had a phone call. It was Deputy Arney. A call had come in requesting the sheriff come to Principal Whaley's home where an incident had occurred. It was reported there were injuries and an ambulance had also been requested. Randy told the deputy to meet him at the scene and he and William said goodnight to the others and took off at full speed.
"I had a bad feeling about this whole situation when we was there this afternoon" the sheriff said. "I didn't know what it was but it was just a bad feelin'."
"I understand" Will said. "I really did like Principal Whaley and he seemed like a good dad and a nice guy. But there was just something off about the whole relationship with the coach and his wife. That kind of thing rarely ends well and this may have been a powder keg waiting to blow."
"That's possible, but I'd've thought once that crazy ass coach was taken out of the situation things would calm down and everyone would be peaceful" the sheriff said.
"I've just got a sick feelin' in the pit of my stomach that maybe the coach wasn't the real problem after all" the sheriff said. "I may have sent the wrong person to Hell."
"Don't start thinking like that, sheriff," William said. "We both saw how crazy violent that man was. He was about to blow sky high at anytime. He was an asshole. No doubt about that. I think the only question here is whether he was the worst asshole in the whole situation. You took a very dangerous man off the streets. I agree with your decision. It may have been harsh and it was possibly premature, but you honestly did what you thought best for the citizens of Gayberry."
They heard the siren of the squad car as they arrived. The deputy had parked right in front of the house, the siren still running and the lights flashing. As the sheriff walked by the squad car, he saw the deputy sitting in the car, completely naked.
"Deputy," he barked, "Why don't you have any fucking clothes on?"
"Cause when you left I was still in the floor naked" he said. "You never did tell me I could get dressed and I didn't want to make you mad cause I really don't want to do no more cocksuckin' or no buttfuckin'".
"You goddamned idiot!" the sheriff exclaimed. "Get dressed and get your ass inside. Or at least just put your underwear on. This is a crime scene and we need to get to work!"
The deputy was scrambling to get into his white boxer shorts as the men entered the open front door. The stained glass windows in the front door were shattered and glass shards were everywhere. A wooden baseball bat was lying amidst the glass shards, obviously having been used to shatter the windows. The living room and dining room appeared undisturbed but the large, modern kitchen was a mess. There was broken glass everywhere and the bloody body of Peggy Thoma lay still on the floor about three feet away from the still body of Principal Whaley. Mrs. Thomas was fully dressed in a tight stretch blouse in a leopard print which had blood running down it. She had on tight stretch black pants and stiletto heels. The back of her head was bloody and blood still appeared to be running from the wound. The sheriff thought she was dead and he moved to the other side, near the full wall of glass windows. At the top of the stairs which apparently led to a basement, was the lifeless body of Principal Whalen. The front of his head was bloody and it looked as if he had been hit in the front of the head. There was another baseball bat, this one a metal bat , lying near his body.
"Arney, go and radio the crime unit in Mount Pilot" the sheriff barked. "I want a forensic unit over here as soon as they can get here. I will need a group that can do fiber analysis, fingerprinting and blood spatter work. Tell them to make it quick. Looks like we may have a homicide."
The sheriff went running toward the door but doubled back to asked the sheriff if he could get dressed before he made the calls.
"Absolfuckinglutely not!" the sheriff yelled. "Get on that radio and get them here. Then you can fucking get dressed, you goddamned fool!"
The deputy took off and Randy, feeling that he had two bodies on his hands went over to take a closer look at the principal. The man was dressed only in white cotton boxer shorts and nothing else. There was a large amount of blood on his forehead and much had run down his face. As Randy knelt beside the lifeless body, Ben opened one eye. Randy was startled, as he had thought the man dead.
"Principal Ben, can you speak?" he asked. "Can you tell me what happened here?" The man tried to speak but his words were incoherent. He was mumbling, still stunned from the blow to the head he had apparently received.
Ben was trying to sit up and struggling to speak. William and Randy couldn't make out what he was saying.
Then they heard a groan from the vicinity Peggy's body had been in. Both realized it was the woman who had not been dead after all. William rushed to her side just as Arney came back in the house, reporting he had radio'ed for the assistance the sheriff has asked for.
"I assume you also called an ambulance?" the sheriff asked.
Arney went running back to the squad car, obviously to call for medical assistance.
The principal was managing to form words now, although his speech was still garbled and slow. He was squinting, apparently from the pain caused by the blow to his head.
"Are my boys all right?" he asked. "Where are my boys?"
"We don't know where the boys are, Ben," Randy told him. "We haven't seen the boys. Where were they when this all started?"
"Boys were downstairs...in bedroom...asleep" he said as he seemed to grow more conscious.
"I'll kill that worthless bitch if...if..."
"Take it easy, Ben," the sheriff said. "I'll go check on the boys."
The sheriff started down the stairs, wary lest an attacker still be in the area. What he found was a large, comfortable den with a large television playing. Across the room was a door, which he assumed led to a bedroom. The television was playing loudly and was the only light in the room. Suddenly the television went dead. Randy was startled at the sudden silence and even more startled when he turned his head to see Betty Jean wrapped up in a blanket and lying on a large overstuffed sofa.
"Don't worry about the little bastards, sheriff," she said in her sultry voice. "They're fine. Boys are always fine. Both of them are still asleep in their daddy's bed, all cuddled up and not knowing a thing about what happened."
"What did happen here, Betty Jean?" the sheriff asked.
"It's pretty simple, sheriff," she said. "Me and momma had been out to dinner. We just got home and Uncle Ben – or more like Asshole Ben – called. He said he'd been callin' all afternoon and that he really wanted to talk to mom. Momma said he'd left close to fifty messages just since he got home from school. He told her he was sorry for being so mean to us and he apologized and begged us to come back. He said he's been all petty about keeping the house so neat and he was cryin' and just beggin' mama and me to pack up and move back in. He promised her he'd never complain again. He told her he'd always been in love with her and now that dad was in prison she could divorce dad and marry him. She said he proposed right there on the phone. Momma told him she wasn't ready to do that cause she wasn't sure he was bein' truthful. But she agreed we'd come over to talk and we might even spend the night. She said he was real excited about that so we headed over here. So when we got here, mom started ringin' the bell at the front door but he didn't answer the door. Momma was getting a little bit made and eventually she took the bat and smashed the windows in the front door. Then she reached in and unlocked the door and we came on in. Momma was not happy, sayin' he was just a lyin' bastard' and how he was trying to trick us to get us over here. We went in the kitchen and he just appeared out of nowhere, hittin' momma in the head with a bat. She went down and started bleedin' all over the place.Is my momma dead?"
"No, Betty Jean," the sheriff answered. "But there was a lot of blood all over the place. So how did Principal Whaley get injured? He was hit in the head with a bat too. Did you hit him? Did your mom hit him before he injured her?"
"I don't rightly know" she said. "He was leanin' over her and he said she was fine and he told me to get a soda out of the refrigerator and come downstairs and watch tv."
"Betty Jean," the sheriff said, "that just don't explain how Ben got injured. He had a hard lick to his head too. Somebody had to have hit him in the head with that bat."
"I don't know" the girl answered. "Maybe he hit himself in the head with the bat to make it look like my mama did it. Mom said he was a tricky bastard and might try something like makin' it look like he'd been injured just to frame her."
"Your maw said all that?" the sheriff asked.
"Yes, sir, sheriff," she answered quietly. "She said that bastard would do anything to ruin our lives."
"Thank you, Betty Jean," he said.
The sheriff walked over to the bedroom door and opened it. He looked in to see both boys sleeping soundly. He walked to the bed to make sure and both boys were indeed sleeping, undisturbed by the turmoil upstairs. He covered the boys and left the room.
When the sheriff got upstairs, Peggy Thomas had come back to life with a vengeance. She was screaming and ranting about how she wanted Ben arrested for assault and attempted murder. She had smeared the blood all over her clothing and her body which made for a frightful sight. Ben still appeared stunned and unable to speak coherently and he seemed to have no memory of what had happened earlier. Physically, the man seemed fine. There had been no further bleeding but a huge knot and bruise were developing. He appeared able to ambulate without assistance and no neurological deficits were reported by the medical team who evaluated him.
Peggy Thomas was reported to have no severe wounds either, but she kept holding her head where all the blood was, complaining of a severe headache and she was demanding to be taken to the emergency room. She was screaming about how she wanted photographs taken to document the damage Ben had inflicted on her body and screaming that she would sue the principal, the school and the medical team if she didn't get her way. They eventually gave in and loaded her onto a stretcher, put her in the ambulance, and headed for Mount Pilot General.
Ben was now sitting upright in a chair. He was being very quiet and seemed content now that he knew his boys were fine. The sheriff and William were astounded when Betty Jean came upstairs and went to the refrigerator, taking several things out and fixing herself a sandwich.
"Betty Jean, are you all right?" the sheriff asked.
"Yeah, pretty much" she said. "Why haven't you arrested that asshole yet? He tried to kill my momma and you better take his ass to jail unless you want a lawsuit on your hands."
"Betty Jean," Ben said.
He was interrupted by the young girl.
"Don't you dare try to talk to me, you murderin' asshole. You tried to kill my momma and I saw the whole thing. The sheriff better take your ass to jail or they'll get slapped with the biggest lawsuit they ever even thought about."
Ben started to cry silently, large tears rolling down his face.
"Betty Jean, why don't you get your sandwich and we'll have the deputy take you on over to the hospital" William said. "I'm sure you want to be at your sweet mama's side."
"Thanks so much, asshole," she spat as she left with the deputy.
"I don't know why I can't remember what happened here" Ben cried. "The last thing I remember was being in bed with the boys. I have rarely done that, but the boys really wanted it tonight so I gave in. They were asleep and I had an arm around each of them. I think I was dozing off when I heard a crash. I remember hearing glass breaking. It didn't seem to wake the boys so I carefully got out of bed. I remember I only had on my boxer shorts. I didn't take time to grab my robe or anything. I remember closing the bedroom door behind me and quietly going up the stairs. From there it's just a blank. I heard Peggy telling you I hit her in the head with a bat but I just can't imagine myself ever doing that. It's true I was totally fed up with her and wanted her out of my life but I don't believe I would ever have hurt her."
"Did you call her this afternoon after we left here?" the sheriff asked.
"No, sir," he said. "When I told you I'd be happy if I never saw her or heard from her again, I meant it. I just wanted to be with my boys. Both my boys."
"I understand, Ben," William said.
"So do I, but there is a problem" the sheriff said. "She is accusing you of assaulting her and you have no memory of the evening. Ben, I don't have much choice but to take you in and book you. I' afraid you'll have to stay in jail for the time being."
"I understand" he said. "But what about my boys?" he asked, crying harder.
"Ben, don't worry about your boys" the sheriff said. "I'll take them to my place. They already know Dopie and Mark is there too. They'll be fine. I promise you that. I just hope your memory starts to come back or the forensic evidence gives us something. Will and I saw what goes on at that state prison when we took Coach there this morning. You may be an athlete but you're too gentle a man to survive that place. I promise you I'll do what I can."
"Do you have to cuff me?" he asked. "I don't want the boys to see me in handcuffs. Please."
"We do have to cuff you but we can let you say good-bye to the boys first" Randy said. "I know you don't like lyin' to your boys but tell them somethin' about being away for a while. I think they'll be okay staying with Dopie. Jeffy has stayed with us overnight before and Walt seems like a pretty mature kid for his age."
Ben began sobbing.
"Ben, please, you don't want the boys to see you like this" William said.
"Walt is a very tender child" the principal said. "He may look more mature than the other boys. He isn't. Please go easy on him. He's very modest and he's terrified of undressing in front of other boys. Please treat him carefully. I beg you."
"Ben, we will treat him with the utmost care and that's a promise" William said. "None of us wants to face the fact that our boys are growing up. I remember when my older son, Johnny, started hitting puberty, how I wanted to slow things down. I was excited to see my handsome son maturing and growing pubes and his body developing. There was a big part of me that also realized he was in the process of becoming a man. That's tough on a dad. Very tough. Just know he'll be taken care of and handled carefully."
Ben washed his face and cleaned the dried blood. William went downstairs and packed a bag for each boy. When he got back, Ben was still downstairs. Randy said it would be no problem finding room for two more boys at his house, explaining that Mark was at his house and the Colonel was visiting as well.
"I don't know if you'd be interested at all, but I'd love for you and Mark and Dopie to just stay here if you'd like" Ben said." I'd feel much more secure with someone here, especially the sheriff. I wouldn't be surprised if, while I'm in jail, that crazy bitch might come back and burn my house to the ground. You and the boys could use the pool and the hot tub any time you like. I have people come in to clean the pool and mow the lawn so there wouldn't be any upkeep. Of course, if I am in jail for a longer time, we might have to make different arrangements, but we can cross that bridge when we come to it."
William brought a sleepy Jeffy and a sleepy Walter up the stairs. William was carrying two small suitcases.
"Change of plans, boy," Ben said cheerily. "The sheriff has agreed to stay here with you boys while I'm out of town. The best part is that he'll be bringing Mark and Dopie with him so you guys can all use the pool and the hot tub and the exercise equipment."
Walt went over and put his arms around his dad's neck.
"This was sudden, dad," the boy said. "You didn't say anything about going out of town."
"It came up very suddenly" Ben told them. "I'm sure you'll be fine. I want you boys to do anything the sheriff asks you to do. He's a dad and a good dad. Mr. Wlliam and Billy Paul may come over and swim with you guys. I want you all to have fun and not worry about me or anything else. I'll try to get back before the races on Saturday. Come here, Jeffy, and give me a hug, then you boys get back to bed. I love you both!"
William took the boys back downstairs sand got them back in bed. Both were asleep almost as soon as their heads hit their pillows.
"Deputy, I'm going to need you to stay here while I take the prisoner in and book him" Randy said. "There are two boys sleeping downstairs. You might want to go down and watch television so you can be close in case they wake up. They are not to be told anything about Ben's arrest at this time. You stay put here until I get back. Is that clear?"
"Yes, sir," the deputy said.
"Are you fucking sure that's clear?"
"Yes, sir," he said. "I heard every word loud and clear."
"If you leave these premises, I will wring your neck, deputy," the sheriff said. "That is a promise."
The principal stood up after the boys were gone back to bed. He put his hands behind him.
"What are you doing, Ben?" the sheriff asked.
"I know you have to handcuff me" he said. "Go ahead."
"Ben, sometimes I just have to follow my gut in this job." The sheriff said. "My gut tells me you did nothing wrong. Now, the evidence may prove me wrong, but for now, while I have to take you in to the jail and keep you there, I ain't treatin' you like a common criminal. I will not allow any reporters near the jail and I will keep this as quiet as I possibly can as long as I can. If I do eventually learn that I'm wrong, you will have Hell topay. For now though, no handcuffs."
"I understand, sheriff," Ben said. "And thank you."
The principal only had on a pair of athletic shorts.
"Can we get you some more clothes?" the sheriff asked.
"No,sir," he said. "The truth is I hate wearing clothes. If I didn't have to, I never would. If you think to grab a shirt and some pants when you come to work in the morning, that will be great. But I'm good for now."
They got into the Buick and transferred Ben to the jail. As he would be unattended for several hours, the sheriff made sure he used the bathroom before he left him alone.
"The idiot deputy will be back here once I get home to the boys, but for now you'll be alone" the sheriff said.
"No problem, sheriff," he said. I'm pretty tired and will probably go straight to sleep."
The men got back into the Buick and headed for Randy's house .
"I just don't believe that man done a damned thing to that crazy bitch" the sheriff told William. "Especially after hearin' that nutjob daughter tell her story."
Randy recounted what Betty Jean had told him downstairs when they were alone.
"Next thing you know, she'll be claiming you tried to fuck her while y'all was downstairs" William said. "I think we better all be extremely careful until this gets resolved."
"I think you're right" the sheriff said. "I wish it wasn't so late. I'd suggest we go get Billy Paul and Jimmy and head back over and enjoy the pool or the hot tub."
"That would be fun" William said. "But it's almost 10:30 and I know you have a busy day tomorrow."
"Right" the sheriff said. "But we could plan on somethin' tomorrow night. I know this is a busy week but what if we try to put together our first Explorer Group meeting tomorrow night. We could do it at Ben's and the boys could swim and we could hot tub. We could even do a cook out and the boys would have fun. It would divert Jeffy's and Walt's attention away from their father's absence and it would give the two of us a chance to talk about the weekend. We have a shitload of planning to do in the next three days."
"That sounds great" William said. "We could get a lot done. Jimmy and Mark can help us and help out watching the boys. I meant to tell you about a kid Billy Paul told me about. It's a new kid at school. The kid is from somewhere in Central America so he's a handsome little dark-skinned boy. Billy Paul told me on the way home tonight that the kid just got his first two hairs on his pubes. I remembered what we were told about how much the governor likes that. Do you think we might invite him to the Explorer Group?"
"Sounds great" the sheriff said. "I've never been around any of the Latin kids but I'd like to meet a few."
"This boy, I think his name is Pepe" William said. "Billy Paul likes him a lot. He was adopted by a Gayberry couple who apparently had been unable to have children. Billy Paul says he's a nice kid and very well-behaved. I can get their number from Billy Paul and call the father tomorrow if you'd like."
"Sounds great!" Randy said. "That will give us Dopie, Billy Paul, Jeffy, Walter, and Pepe to start with. We can start with that group and add as we want to."
"I'll line up the food tomorrow" William said.
"I've far better uses for your time and talents, my friend," the sheriff said. "I can have Aunt Flea take care of that. I'll have her do the shopping and have the deputy deliver the food to Ben's. I would like very much if you could join me for a meeting with Mr. Churchill in the morning regarding the pageant plans. Why don't you bring Billy Paul and Jimmy to breakfast and we can get going immediately after we eat."
"Sounds great!" William said.
Will parked the Buick and they headed inside. The house seemed quiet and they tried to be quiet so as not to wake Aunt Flea. As the two men got to the top of the stairs, they could see the mayor in the very dim light, sitting on the floor of the hall and peering through a crack in the guest room door. There was a soft sound of springs which was instantly recognizable. They walked up behind the mayor and Will put his hand on his shoulder. The mayor jumped but was silent. He pointed into the room and as their eyes adjusted, they saw the Colonel bouncing up and down on the mayor's wife. The mayor went back to beating his meat as he watched, unable to take his hand away as he was close to a climax.
"Let me help you out with that, mayor," William whispered.
He assisted the mayor into a position where he was lying on the hall floor, with his upper body raised slightly while Will got between his legs and began to lick his hard, stubby cock. The sheriff quietly squatted behind the mayor, allowing him to lean back into his chest. The mayor continued to watch his wife get pounded as William went down on his cock and held it all the way in his mouth. Will's lips were at the mayor's thick pubes and Randy could tell his buddy was working his throat muscles on the mayor's hard cock. The mayor was breathing quickly and in no time, he grabbed Will's head, holding it tightly to his crotch. The sheriff knew the mayor had fed Will his load and the three quietly got up and made their way downstairs as the Colonel continued to pound Mrs. Dykes.
"That was super, William," the mayor said. "I don't remember ever cumming so hard."
"I'll accept that compliment mayor," Will said. "Thank you for feeding me such a large and tasty load."
The mayor made his way quietly out of the house and across the street to his bed even as his wife was continuing to be energetically fucked by the Colonel.
"My God, that Colonel sure can fuck!" the sheriff said quietly.
Let's see if we can get your two boys out of here without waking the house." Will said.
They crept back up the stairs and into Dopie's room. Dopie and Mark were asleep under a light sheet. Dopie had his head under Mark's outstretched arm. When the sheriff pulled back the sheet, it turned out both boys were naked and Dopie had his hand resting in Mark's thick pubic bush.
"Goddamn!" William whispered. "That boy is fucking gorgeous.
The sheriff smiled at him as he gently shook Mark awake. He told the boy to get dressed and that they were going to his Uncle Ben's to spend the night. The boy took the sheriff at his word and asked no questions as he quietly got dressed in jeans and a tee-shirt and slipped penny loafers onto his sockless feet. As Randy began to pack a bag for the boys, Mark proceeded with getting Dopie into a bathrobe and put slippers on his feet.
"Is that sufficient?" Mark asked the sheriff.
"That's perfect, son" the sheriff said, giving the boy a hug. Mark picked up Dopie who was still really sleeping soundly and started down the steps with the two men behind him.
Just as they got to the door, a light came on and he heard the most irritating voice in the world.
"Where are you taking your son at this time of the night, sheriff?" Tara Bedford asked.
Randy motioned for William and the boys to go on to the car and he walked back over to Tara, who was now joined by Aunt Flea.
"Need I say again that what I do or my son does or my friends do is absolutely, positively none of your fucking business, you meddlesome old bitch!"
"Language, Randy!" Aunt Flea chided. "Little ears."
"The little ears are gone, Aunt Flea" Randy said.. The only thing left is a big fucking mouth who don't seem to understand that she ain't welcome here in my house. Ain't this bitch ever goin' home?"
"Oh, Randy, dear," Aunt Flea said. "You're just a little tired and a mite cranky. You have no idea how hard we worked tonight baking beautiful pies for the Founders Day Bake Sale. We haven't even had time to start sewing Tara's dress. She found some of the most gorgeous baby blue tissue lame' I have ever laid eyes on. It will be so beautiful. She will look like she's floating in a cloud. A beautiful, blue, sparkling cloud."
"Fuck her and her cloud!" the sheriff said. "We'll have five or six extra folks for breakfast in the morning. You need to set the dining room table so we'll all have room, I don't know what you're plannin' to serve, but I hope you'll have another big ass slice of that dried out meat loaf for Mrs. Bedford to choke her motherfucking ass on!"
"Watch you language, Randy, dear," she trilled. "We never know when little ears are just around the corner."
He slammed the door so hard the glass rattled.