Redemption (38 page)

“
Oh God!” Overton cried, his shoulders wilting. “Is this the way Callie wanted it?”

“
Yep. All part of her plan.”

“
But why?”

Daniel squatted and pulled up a strip of browned grass. “Ground’s soft, so it shouldn’t take long. Get to work, Sheriff. I don’t want to be out here when the eye’s gone.”

Overton gave up, tears forming and trickling down his face as he chopped at the ground, digging near the base of Senator Sellers’s headstone. The ground was heavy, and so was his heart.
I loved that woman more than life itself ...

“
Knew you could dig,” Daniel said from his perch on the hood of the Jeep. A few raindrops fell, lightning streaked the sky, and thunder rolled and shook the ground. “God’s rollin’ the bones again, snappin’ His fingers.” He cleared his voice and sang, “So you better be ready when His anger rolls on judgment day.” He laughed. “Think I’m gonna be a hymn-writer when I grow up. Yeah. I just
know
I could scare a few souls to Jesus. How’s it goin’?”

Overton didn’t reply, turning over another muddy scoop of dirt.

“
They’re usually about six feet down, right? Looks like you’re halfway there.” A lightning bolt blazed through the sky. “Damn, that was pretty!”

Blisters formed on Overton’s hands, eventually breaking and bleeding. His shoulders and back ached, but he didn’t stop digging.
It’ll be all over soon
. He looked over at Daniel between shovelfuls.

“
Almost there?” Daniel asked.

Overton shook his head. Then, for some reason, he laughed.

“
What’s so funny, man?”

Overton laughed some more. “Nothing.”

Daniel slid off the hood. “C’mon. Something’s funny.”

Overton, now around four feet down, smiled up at him. “I was just thinking that how all my life I wanted to be buried at Fairlawn.”
And now I get my wish.

“
No shit?”

Overton deposited another lump of heavy dirt over his head. “No shit.” His blade struck something solid.

“
You there?” Daniel asked.

“
Yep.”

“
Well, clear it off and open it up!”

Overton set the shovel to the side and eased down to his knees, sweeping as much dirt and mud as he could from the casket. He dug his fingers under each side until he found two latches, lifted them, and opened the top third revealing the nearly skeletal remains of Senator Jimmy Lee Sellers, Sr.

Overton glanced up and saw Daniel, a white-black man lit by lightning, the wind blowing his curly hair back. “Now what?”

“
Damn,” Daniel said. “Great-Grandpa looks like shit.” He dangled his legs over the edge and pointed the gun down into the hole.

Oh God, this is it.
“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want,” Overton mumbled. “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He restoreth—”

“
Yo, Sheriff, move back.”

Overton looked up. “What?”

“
Move aside, man.”

“
Huh?”

“
Move aside, Sheriff. You might get shot.”

Overton scrambled to the other end of the casket. “I don’t—”

“
Understand, I know,” Daniel interrupted. “You’ve done your penance, but don’t interrupt me now.” He stood and took aim. “This is for Jeremiah Poindexter, my daddy who never knew me. This is for Callie Poindexter, my grandma who always loved me. And this is for me, Daniel Poindexter, who ... who ... who thinks you are the
ugliest
white man I have
ever
seen.”

Daniel fired three shots, blowing the Senator’s skull to dust.

He tossed the gun and a stack of notebooks bound by a ribbon into the space where the Senator’s head used to be. “Let some future archaeologist figure
that
shit out.” He smiled at Overton. “Well, close it up, man.”

Overton dove to the other end of the casket and slammed the top shut, chuckling to himself.
It isn’t true what they say: you
can
kill a man twice.

“
What you laughin’ for?” Daniel asked.

Overton wiped some mud from his face. “Nothing. Nothing at all.” He reached up a hand. “Might need a little help getting out of here. Your grandma’s cooking, you know.”

Daniel gripped Overton’s wrist and pulled him out of the hole with ease. “Don’t you even be mentionin’ food right now. I’m starvin’ like Marvin.”

The wind and stinging rain whipped, flayed, and ripped into Overton’s face.
I have never felt more alive in my life!
“We better fill it back in.”

“
Yeah,” Daniel said, and he began kicking dirt into the hole. “Wouldn’t want Great-Grandpa to get cold.”

They filled in the hole as the rain thickened and the wind roared. “Wish the Jeep had a hard top!” Overton yelled.

“
What for?” Daniel asked. “This is baptizing weather, an’ you are a mess! You need to be baptized, Grandpa!”

“
What’d you call me?”

“
I called you Grandpa! You’re still marryin’ my grandma, right?”

Overton caught his breath and picked up the shovel, rushing to the Jeep.

Daniel got in the passenger side. “You didn’t answer my question!”

Overton started the Jeep. “I’m going to have to think on it!”

A gust of wind rocked the Jeep. “Well, don’t think too long! I hear Joe Graves wants Grandma real bad!”

Overton shifted into first and spun the back tires, mud flying in every direction, some of it hitting Daniel in the back of the head.

“
Hey!” Daniel yelled.

“
Hey nothin’!” Overton growled. “Joe Graves isn’t good enough for your grandma!”

“
Yeah he is! He’s got all kinds of land!”

“
Well,” Overton yelled, the wind blowing at their backs, “Joe Graves can kiss my hairy white ass!”

September 15, 1999

from the Snow
Beacon
:

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