Chapter 55: That’s What Happens

“Lynn, our side of the family is not well off. We never have been. We’re farmers by trade. We grow soybeans mostly and a little corn. We have a garden where we grow squash, tomatoes, cucumbers, and spices. We always got by. Then Samuel won the lottery and began using the money to go after people who didn’t think like him. We were first. He undermined the local soy market and our crop ended up almost worthless. Our corn crop was mysteriously inflicted with a terrible bot infestation. If not for the garden, we would have either been starved out or died outright.”

“All because you didn’t think like him?” Lynn asked.

“That, and we wouldn’t allow an arranged a marriage between Lola and the preacher of Samuel’s church. That preacher took it as a major insult and moved away forcing Samuel to be the preacher of the church and everything sort of grew from that.”

Lola forcefully added, “Truth is we kinda thought the preacher was into little girls and boys and I was going to be his cover. He was a pig!”

“Douglas,” Lynn asked, “what if some of Samuel’s money found its way, legally, into your bank account?”

“Lynn, we really aren’t in this for any money. We came here to make you the offer we did and we prayed for the best.”

“OK, Douglas, give me your information. I’ll need your accounts as well so I don’t take down one of yours by accident.”

“Our accounts?”

“Yes.”

Douglas Crawford’s facial expression changed to one of abject fear and concern.

“Douglas, I’m not going to do anything to you or yours.”

“Lynn, I’m sorry, When Samuel first told us about the O’Dells, you were depicted as a sex crazed and slave trading crime family. It took all of the courage we could muster to come here. Our place at home is almost abandoned and by the time we get back someone else could have squatted on it, or Samuel could have taken it over. We left my wife Sara there and last time I called her yesterday, there was no answer.”

Lynn looked at Erin and something seemed to pass between them.

“Bosco?” Erin asked.

“Bosco,” Lynn replied.

Erin pulled her phone out from one of the very large cups holding her massive breast, an act that didn’t even get Douglas attention but impressed Clifford to no end. She hit a speed button and a few seconds later she said, “Bosco. Lynn needs you. Hang on.”

She handed the phone to Lynn, “Bosco, I need your contacts in Tullahoma to check on someone. We need to know if she’s safe and if not we need to know the situation. Hang on.”

Lynn held out the phone to Douglas.

“Douglas, this is a great friend of ours. Tell him your address and he’ll have someone check on Sara and then make sure if she’s safe that she stays that way and if she’s not, he’ll move heaven and earth to help her.”

Douglas Crawford took the phone and looking apprehensive about what information he was about to give out. He took a breath, looked at his daughters, and said, “Hello?”

“Douglas Crawford.”

“Sara.”

“Box 1234, Rural Route 5, Tullahoma.”

“I guess so.”

“Thank you, Mr. Bosco.”

“Oh! Well than Thank you Mr. Barker.”

“Yes, sir. Thank you.”

Douglas handed the phone to Lynn who was holding out her hand.

“Bosco, this is more important than anything. Make sure your man knows this. Thank you.”

Lynn disconnected the phone call, kissed the phone, and handed it back to Erin. Erin smiled and kissed the same spot on the phone before placing it back in her bra with a silly grin and smile.

“Mr. Crawford, it’s time for you to trust us. We’ve taken you into our home. You’ve had access to our most precious children. If it turns out that you are here to harm my family, I’ll tell you right now, you will not leave our home alive. None of you,” Erin’s beautiful face now had an expression like cold stone.

That brought a stunned silence to the entire room. Douglas finally understood what he’d brought his family into and suddenly wished he’d brought his wife. She’d like these people, especially Erin. Their senses of humor seems to run along parallel tracks.

Finally Douglas Crawford broke the self-imposed silence and said, “Erin, we aren’t here to cause you or your family any harm. You have to understand that all we’ve ever known of you was that y’all were an evil, corrupt, crime family. You seemed to have unlimited funds and you kept coming after Samuel. First you tricked his son into killing your daughter...”

“WE DID WHAT!?” Erin screamed.

Douglas quickly leaned back in the chair and was bracing himself for an attack.

“We didn’t trick anyone, dammit!” Lynn insisted forcefully.

“Lynn, calm down. I think I know where this is going. Go on Douglas,” I said, holding Lynn down in her chair and looking to Erin to remain calm.

“Samuel had us all filled full of lies about you and your family,” Douglas said. “You were heathens. You worshiped Satan. You ran around naked. He even told us that you weren’t a redhead, you were bald and had Satanic tattoos on your head. He said that was a sign that you were a Satan worshiper and a Neo-Nazi.”

Lynn began to chuckle. She reach up and pulled off her red wig. She stood there staring at the Crawford’s, who stared back, equally shocked at a revelation that seemed to confirm Samuel’s accusations.

“Douglas, I had cancer. The drugs that cured me permanently removed the hair on my head. And as to running around naked, we do. We live a nudist lifestyle, except when people come to visit. We attend the local Christian church every Sunday. We drive that big old bus over there and they welcome us. When you leave today, drive over there and ask them.”

Douglas Crawford took a breath and looked at his children. They looked at him for confirmation of his thoughts.

“I believe you Lynn. I’ve seen enough of you and your family to know what we were taught for years was a huge lie. I’m sorry to have brought it up. Let me go out to the car and get the information I promised you. Better yet, Clifford, you go. Bring back the red three ring binder we were going over last night.”

Clifford Crawford shook himself from his being startled by Lynn’s revelation and stood to walk to the front door.

“Leave the door open when you go out or it will lock behind you,” Erin said with a slight chuckle.

Clifford left the room and I turned to Douglas, “Tell me what are you going to do next? Does Samuel know you are here and what you’re sharing with us?”

“No! If he knew he would have taken steps to stop us. He seems to have friends all over Tennessee since he got so much money.”

Clifford came back in moving at a fast pace and stopped at the table. He placed the three-ring binder on the table and said, “There are still a couple of really mean looking men out at the front gate. They now have their motorcycles completely blocking the entire driveway.”

“Bosco must have given them new orders,” Lynn said to me.

I addressed Clifford, “That’s some of our friends, Clifford. A few years ago we saved the life of the leader of a local motorcycle club and over the years we’ve become great friends and allies. Their leader was supposed to be my best man at my marriage to Lynn until she surprised me with Erin and we became a trio. They are the ones who are checking out Samuel in Tennessee.”

“Bikers?” Lola asked.

“Yeah, bikers,” Erin injected with more than a little disdain in her voice. “They have accountants and computer wizards as well as the fact that they are all former military. We’ve trusted them with our lives and they’ve come through. A short time ago one of their members got shot defending one of my places of business. Several women, members of Joan Crawford’s Church, broke in and started shooting up the place. Some didn’t get out alive.”

“Lola, these men are some of the best men I know outside of my husband,” Lynn added. “As a matter of fact, I’d like you all to stay for dinner and then afterwards, I’d like you to join us at a place I’ve owned for a long time called The Bar-Bar. I want you to meet some of the club’s members and them to meet you. If they are going to be going to Tullahoma they’ll need to know you.”

Douglas stepped into the conversation, since Lola and Clifford seemed to have slipped into an amazed silence.

“Well, I can’t say that me or mine have never been in a drinking establishment. But one of the things Samuel hates about us is our intemperance. We will, on occasion pull a cork.”

“Good! I assume you have a hotel?” Lynn asked.

“Not really. We didn’t know what to expect and we’re out of money except for gas money to get home. We were going to find a place to park and sleep overnight in the car, and we brought a little food with us.”

“It’s really that bad, Douglas?” Lynn asked.

“It is,” the old man said, making him look older.

“Well don’t worry about it tonight. Blossom, please call the Hampton Inn over by The Bar-Bar and get two double rooms. Place Douglas and Clifford in one and Lilith and Lola in the other. Douglas, you guys go over there and clean up come back here at about six. We’ll have a big family dinner and then we’ll go to the Bar-Bar and have a relaxing evening meeting the Brothers Motorcycle Club and talk about the information you’ve brought us. OK?”

The four Crawford all looked stunned. The two girls began to tear up.

“You’re really not evil. My God the horrible things we’ve been thinking about you. I’m so sorry,” quiet Lilith said, holding her arms tight around herself.

“You can only be as smart as you’re taught to be, Lilith. If you were taught that the sky was brown, you would be positive that blue was brown,” Lynn said.

“Hang on a second,” Erin said, pulling out her phone again. She quickly typed in a text and hit send. “There, now you can head out. The Brother’s will take you to the hotel.”

Clifford helped Douglas to his feet and the four of them left the house. They drove off towards the front gate intending to follow the bikers to the hotel. Blossom returned to the children in the ballroom. They were done with their studies and were playing Monopoly. None seemed to be taking over the financial world.

“Attention O’Dells! We are going to have guests for dinner and we will be eating in the formal dining room. You don’t have to dress up but you do have to dress. Questions?”

“Are these the people whose family killed Taylor Erin?” Penelope Erin asked seriously.

“Penelope Erin, they are a different branch of the family. Kind of like Phillip O’Dell is different part of the O’Dell family. These Crawfords are good people and we should all treat them that way. OK?”

All of the heads that could understand what Blossom had said, nodded in agreement and they went back to their game.

Just before 6PM Lynn’s phone rang. It was Bosco and the news from Tullahoma was not good.

“Lynn, Samuel burned down the Crawfords place. The house and all the out buildings are gone. They dragged Sara out and tied her to a tree and made her watch as they shot her dogs and burned the house and drove a herd of pigs through their garden. The family of Sara Crawford is in trouble.

“My guys got there as some of the men were stripping Sara’s clothes off. They didn’t know if they were going to rape the old lady or beat her or just leave her naked and tied to the tree. So, they shot two of the men from cover and that scattered the rest of the group. My guys have Sara. She is safe but in shock. When you get to the Bar-Bar tonight we’ll call my guys and the Crawfords can talk.”

“Are your guys in danger from the shootings?”

“No. Like I said, they were under cover and no one saw them.”

“Thanks Bosco.”

“See you in a bit.”

The call was disconnected and Lynn relayed the information to her spouses. Everyone was really angry. Lynn went back to looking over the Crawfords information, Erin was nursing infants and thinking over some plans. Blossom was teaching a group of children math and I was doing some prep work in the kitchen when the gate bell rang and Erin answered it.