The Vigilantes
fiction
edward w pritchard
It wasn't until Billie Rae was stabbed through the chest with a curved hooked sword that Cyrus began to be scared. Billie Rae had been on his own since he was 4 years old and more than anyone Cyrus knew, Billie Rae knew how to take care of himself. At least Billie Rae had known how to take care of himself, for this morning at 9:15AM Billie Rae had been stabbed over on the South side of Dayton street.
Although Billie Rae had been found quickly, bleeding on the sidewalk, and rushed to the Hospital; modern medicine couldn't save him. Not even the new ER at the Summa med center on the North side could save Billie Rae, for the curved sword left an usual wound that bled and bled, and even at the emergency room in spite of a full staff of skilled ER Doctors, Billie Rae died.
Cyrus had lost a good friend and Cyrus suspected the old Chinese Lady who had been with the girl had a hand in Billie Rae's death by stabbing.
Billie Rae had jokingly told Cyrus about a week ago that the old Chinese woman was stalking him. She seemed to be everywhere he was, said Billie Rae. Cyrus doubted that for he had often tried to find Billie Rae, when worried about him, or if he needed him and Billie Rae could disappear and no one find him. Billie Rae had learned to be invisible at a young age, at least since he was four years old, that's how long Cyrus had known him. Billie Rae's Mother didn't take care of him and Billie Rae had to learn to adapt. For Billie Rae to survive on the near North side, he had to learn how to lay low, to be secretly and silently tough, and to vanish if the police, neighborhood gangs, wino's, or other bad people who would prey on a seven year old kid alone were near. Billie Rae hadn't been going anywhere in life, missing a lot of school, getting poor grades when showing up at all, and no-one would miss him. But Cyrus had lost a good friend, his only white friend, and it seemed wrong for anyone to die like that.
Cyrus worried after Billie Rae's death about himself for he had noticed another old Oriental lady following him. The old Chinese woman seemed to be everywhere Cyrus was for the last week or so.
End part 1
Part 2
Felix, His Eminence, Cyrus, and Billie Rae were walking to the new Dollar Store up off Tallmadge Ave a few weeks before Billie Rae's death. Felix who was 17, had just dropped out of high school and to celebrate he had come down to the Junior High to find a few of his old friends to go out with. Felix, whose Father worked nights and slept in the day, had lifted a twenty from his old man; and Felix wanted to treat his friends to some things down at the new Dollar Store, the first new store to open down here in a long time. No big deal just something to do. His Eminence was Cyrus' goofy cousin who he had to walk home with. Until this year Cyrus, who was a year older was supposed to protect Em [ Cyrus called his cousin His Emminence, Em] but in the last six months Em had grown about 6 inches and he was now a lot taller and bigger than Cyrus. Cyrus' Mom's younger sister was Em's Mother and she had given him that name and Cyrus' Mom still made him walk home with his cousin, Em. So EM was going to go along to the Dollar Store. Somehow on the way up to the store, Billie Rae had shown up, he hadn't been at school all week, but here he was, as if he somehow knew Felix was buying, which was unusual.
There was a pretty girl carrying a large, full, plastic, yellow Dollar Store bag coming towards them and they noticed her from a long way off as they walked down a side street heading West toward the Dollar Store. The girl was mixed race, maybe Spanish and Oriental and had nice legs, shorts and pink shoes and a pink short tee shirt. As she came face to face with the four young teenagers, Cyrus was a little intimidated by her because she wasn't afraid at all of them, even after Felix said a few things to her. Billie Rae and Cyrus were kind of quiet, just intently looking but Em said a few things and Felix, well he was always brutally direct with women.
There was a very small Chinese woman with the girl. She was very old, maybe over 80, but in pretty good shape. She was hard to understand, but she became agitated and was protective of the girl and there was no mistaking her message. She was waving her arms and screaming at the boys and seemed about ready to raise her arms and beat her chest like an early ape in a school science video, trying to scare the four of them off.
The girl stood her ground. She was squared off in front of Felix, ignoring the others and was glaring intently at him. Likewise, the old Lady suddenly stopped yelling and was studying each of the boys intently.
They were near the old Syrian Catholic Church in a quiet neighborhood, recently the temporary home of a lot of new Asian immigrants on a back street and no one was around. After an impasse of about a minute between Felix and the girl, Felix grabbed the girls shirt near her right shoulder and ripped at it. The girl made no attempt to cover up nor strike back but just stood there and glared in a very aggressive fashion. Now however the old Woman was flying around waving her arms like an old chicken.
Billie Rae and I took over and got us out of there. I didn't want my Mom to find out about this and I knew with Em around eventually she would. Billie Rae knew about the police around here from personal experience, He often said that anytime a police report was called in, if the kid was white he was the usual suspect.
On the Thursday, following Billie Rae's death Cyrus noticed a small Vietnamese woman following him after school. She was only about 4' 8" tall and had weird clothes on. Another woman maybe Chinese, or something like that was following also, with the Vietnamese woman, and Cyrus surmised the other woman was watching Em, who was walking home with Cyrus.
Friday, following Billie Rae's death there was an article in the paper about the stabbing of Billie Rae and the mysterious knife that he was stabbed with. Apparently, according to the detective on the case, the knife used was Chinese and was usually used for ritualistic revenge. It caused a deep wound that refused to stop bleeding.
Tonight about two weeks later as Cyrus went out for Pizza he noticed that Vietnamese lady following him again. As he returned home with the pizza box he glanced back at the Vietnamese lady and was glad to see she wasn't carrying anything. Over the next week every time I looked back an oriental woman was following me and I began to get scared about what me and my friends had done.
End part 2
Straighten Out What's crooked
fiction
edward w pritchard
see The vigilantes
Part 3
I finally broke down and told my Mom what happened with the girl and the Chinese Woman and Billie Rae. It wasn't out of fear for myself, even though it was disturbing to have the Vietnamese lady following me around, or because I was worrying about Felix. I had been talking to Em about Billie Rae and our culpability in Billie Rae's death and what had happen to the girl and Em was remorseless. Even now looking back on that I am not sure why but his lack of remorse struck me deeply and it goaded me to take action.
My Mom called Felix 'Father, Mr. Davis. Later, Felix told me that his Mother and Father wanted us to talk to the Priest at the Syrian Catholic Church near where the incident with the girl happened. Mr. and Mrs. Davis wanted the three of us to apologize to the Priest for us defiling Church property. Felix was Puerto Rican, and the Davises were Catholic. Only the Mother went to Mass, and Mrs. Davis didn't attend church in our neighborhood and the Syrian Catholic Church was only distantly related to Felix' Mother's church. Still however, Felix' Mother and Father were both genuinely offended that what we had done had happened on Church property. Felix also told me that he was surprised that his Dad had not, at least, not yet threatened to beat him. I knew, and Felix, apparently didn't, that the only way anyone could now beat Felix would be with his consent. Felix was a very proud person. Once in fifth grade, Mrs. Martin had broke four wood rulers in a row across Felix' outstretched left upturned wrist and still Felix would not apologize for knocking Lon Newson down four steps in the gym, after Lon had said something insulting.
I would have preferred a beating, than my conversation with my Mother and my Aunt, Em's Mother about the incident with the girl. My Mother squared off in front of me and glared at me for a long time, maybe 2 minutes, although it seemed much longer. She didn't say anything, she just stood there looking incredulously at me. She works at the juvenile court as a bailiff now, but for 13 years, from when I was born My Mom worked at the detention center as guard. She is small like me, but she grew up near here, and she often had to take care of her younger Sister. I always heard she can be very mean physically at times. With me however, as I talked to her she seemed more shocked by what I done and refused to pardon me or rescue me, even after I told her my suspicions on Billie Rae's death. She arranged a meeting between me, Felix and Em with the Detective on the case of Billie Rae's death, who she knew, but other than that she told me I had to handle things.
My Aunt was not so hands off. She was very upset with me. She said very sarcastically that I was just like my Father, that I wasn't a leader and initially at least told me it was my fault Em was in trouble because I hadn't looked out for him.
End of part 2
Part 3
The Priest at the Syrian Church was short, shorter than me, and the Priest was very soft spoken and highly intelligent. He talked to each of us separately and then for a few minutes together. He had spoken to my Mother before he and I met. He talked to me but didn't say much. He made me tell how I felt about Billie Rae and basically explored with me why I hadn't protected the girl. He looked straight at me and said he thought it was in my nature to help her but somehow I hadn't. He said also that he agreed with my Aunt, at least in part, that I had let her down and Em, [ and that made me upset], by not protecting Em. He gave me a book to read called " The Rape of Nanking" and said that as far as he was concerned the matter between him, me and the Church was settled.
Felix, Em and I walked in front of that Church for about 10 days. I carried a picture of Billie Rae on a small pole, Em carried a small very heavy statue of Jesus, made of stone that the Priest had told him he needed to carry. Em struggled every step with carrying that statue and neither Felix or I was allowed to help him. The priest had told Felix he had to wear a torn pink girls shirt as we walked back and fourth in front of that Church and Felix dutifully did so.
Billie Rae's murder was never solved but the Vietnamese lady stopped following me shortly after we started parading in front of the Church and likewise the Chinese lady stopped following Em, and Felix told me the Philippine woman stopped following him.
Felix
I saw Felix about two Easters ago when I was on a long run before Easter dinner at my Mom's house. He was getting into his car at that same Syrian Church. He introduced me to his wife and the two little girls who were in identical yellow communion dresses. He told me I saved his life that day that I told my Mom about what happened with the girl. I knew he had went into the army shortly after that but I didn't realize that the Priest had been influential in getting him into the service because he didn't meet the normal criteria. He works over at the Tire center now on Talllmadge road near the dollar store and when I drive by he is always scurrying about and working very hard changing tires and competently running things, although he is obviously not the manager.
Em
Em is general manager at the dealership over in North Canton. I refer someone to him now and then to buy a car but I always call Em first and tell him that he better take good care of them or he and I will have to talk. That's funny because he's about two of me now and is always over at the gym lifting weights when he isn't working .
Billie Rae
When I was at Billie Rae's funeral which was very abbreviated because of lack of funds something happened to change my life. The policeman who use to pick up Billie Rae all the time on suspicion, had been at the funeral and drove me and Billie Rae's Mom home. After he dropped off Billie Rae's Mom he told me as we drove, he always hassled Billie Rae and he was the one who made Billie Rae the usual suspect because he wanted to check up on Billie Rae. The Policeman's son had died of an overdose and he had a few kids like Billie Rae that he watched out for when he could. He said he wasn't surprised that Billie Rae had died but that it made him real sad. We sat in front of my house before I went in and he asked me if I minded if he had a cigarette. That made a profound effect on me for it was the first time I saw an officer as a man. I later decided to be a policeman, which I am now. I found out years later that that Policeman often drove poor families who couldn't afford much to the graveyard, in situations similar to Billie Rae's funeral. He did that on his days off and he never took a fee and always wore his best uniform.
Me
I wouldn't smoke a cigarette, I am a runner; but I am a policeman. I care about the teenagers up on the North side of Akron and I have a reputation of being rough on them at times. Not physically but I expect a lot out of them and won't just let them drift along if I think they aren't living up to their potential. I am especially hard on young men who are disrespectful of women or don't stand up for those weaker than them. I am not afraid of much of anything anymore but maybe a little of my Mother who still works up at the juvenile court
end
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