“Come on Michael let’s go” Urged Alfred.
“Well, OK, just let me say a prayer for my family at the chapel before I leave. Will you wait for me?” The young man asked.
“Yes sure, I tell you what… finish your prayer and meet me at the gate for that is where I left my horse. OK?” Alfred asked as the young man sprinted towards the chapel at the center of the cemetery.
Alfred walked towards the gate with a tormented heart. He was struggling with mixed emotions, feeling extreme joy to find the ‘kid’ alive, and extreme sadness to see him in such miserable condition. He was determined to do every effort to make that human being happy and safe again as he once was in his father’s house before that fateful fire. Alfred started to pray silently asking for help and guidance. Suddenly he sensed an inner kind of fear grip him for no apparent reason. He was nearing the gate and could see his brown horse at the distance, but an unexplainable force inside him, stopped him and made him proceed cautiously with his hand already on his sword. In a flash he whirled around when he heard several footsteps behind him. Two massive men were rushing towards him with swords gleaming in the setting sun. He managed to avoid one and as that fell to his right … the other struck Alfred’s unsheathed sword and fell back a few steps. Both men regained their balance fast and began to attack the lawyer at the same time. The fight went on for a few minutes and they were gaining on him. He got wounded in his shoulder as he got too close to one of them and knocked him down to the ground with the hilt of his blade. Suddenly, the two big thugs gave out a loud scream, turned tail and ran like frightened rabbits. Alfred looked around and saw Michael running towards him. Michael was so enraged, that he wanted to run after them, but Al held him back laughing, “Why did they run? You have no sword and you cannot even use one?”
“They think I am possessed!” whispered Michael sadly lowering his head.
Alfred laughed merrily, “Don’t be so sad. At least it worked well in our favor this time” He grabbed the arm of the young man and walked towards the gate, “the more important question now is who are these thugs. May be they attack people at night and later on, these attacks are blamed on you. I heard an old man at Georg’s barber shop__”
“You were at George’s?” interrupted Michael angrily.
“Yes, I did not want to go to any official office in the village to ask about you. I knew that George was a close friend of your Dad___” Al explained.
“George is now the Mayor of Miller.” Michael spoke furiously.
They both stopped. Alfred’s mind immediately began to recall all the discussion he had at the barber shop. As a man in a trance he spoke, “That…explains a lot of things… George never bothered to mention that to me.”
“By the way, no thugs ever dare get out at night to attack anybody. They are afraid of me” Michael added, “I think that is why George and Jacquard didn’t try to kill me. Because they told the villagers that I was possessed to put fear into their hearts…they used me as a bogeyman.”
“Never mind what they think or do Michael” Alfred said finally, “We shall get to the bottom of this. If this proves to be an attack set up by the respectable Mayor George, we shall certainly use it in court to dismantle all this gang of hoodlums. Do you think you can recognize these two men if you see them again?”
“Certainly… I know who they are__” Michael said emphatically.
Three days later, Sam and Alfred met in an Apple Orchard outside the city. They were taking a walk casually among the loaded apple trees.
“Are you sure this place is safe Al?” asked the worried Magistrate.
“Yes, Sam, it belongs to my late wife’s father. I actually brought my daughter here for safety. I also hired some extra guards to keep an eye on the place” Alfred said reassuringly. “As I told you at the office yesterday, my house in the city was rummaged while I was not there. I think the Jacquards’ goons are trying to deliver a message.”
“I warned you Al. I warned you that they shall find a way to hurt you” Sam lamented, “Now that they are going to feel directly threatened. They shall not stop at anything…where in the world do you have that…that m…man hidden?”
“Don’t worry about me Sam.” Alfred answered. “As for Michael, I trusted him to Father Gabriel at the St. Anthony Parish. Nobody will ever think of looking there. The important thing now is how to proceed with the legal process to get those people to justice. We owe it to __”
Sam stared at him incredulously, “Are you insane?” He blurted laughing, “Do you know what you are suggesting____?”
“I am not insane” interrupted Alfred, “the best approach is the legal approach. It shall take time, but it is the most assured way to get justice without violence”
“Alfred, you are crazy. Violence is upon us. Like it or not, they are going to use violence” Sam retorted. “You must get that through your not so brilliant brain. Other wise you and your new…charge…shall be long dead before the wheels of justice even grind to a start…Do you understand?”
“I told you don’t worry about me__” Alfred started to speak
But Sam cut him off violently, “I’m not worried about you…or about your beloved monster. I am worried about me…Me and my family is what I am worried about here. Unlike you, I don’t care to play the hero”
“Oh…I’m sorry you feel that way Sam. I didn’t mean to put you in any danger” Alfred replied. “Anyway you don’t have to be involved. I shall take up that whole case by myself. I am no hero, but I am sure I have a just cause and Providence is on my side.”
Sam felt crushed between his intense fear and his realization of what is at stake. The two men walked silently for a while, each immersed in his thoughts.
Eventually, Alfred stopped and said, “What if you can arrange for me to have an audience with Prince Gilbert? I am sure I can work out something with him”
“Gilbert? Why Gilbert? Why not Williams?” Sam asked.
“Williams is too attached to the Jacquards” replied Al, “he might not be as responsive. Gilbert is a more serious man”
“You are right” Sam said contemplatively, “but both of them are too busy now with the preparation for the looming war at the south border. It shall be too difficult to get either of them to agree to a meeting to discuss such a mat__” He stopped and gasped and then he shook his head regretfully, “this is too bad…Very, very bad. You realize that both of these men are going to be steadfastly against you. They need money…money and men for the war. Where are they going to get this…The Jacquard family of course! They are never going to do anything to antagonize them”
“Well my friend, when the obstacles are insurmountable” Al responded calmly, “the hand of the divine will certainly tip the scales for justice to prevail”
“Al, please,” Sam objected, “don’t get pontifical on me now. This is a serious problem of life and death”
“What do you want me to tell you? What do you think we should do? Gather an army of thugs and fight evil with evil?” Alfred argued, “I shall gather all the legal instruments I can find. I shall do what is right, because in my mind, if I do otherwise, I shall forfeit the justice Michael is entitled to…and that is something I shall never allow to happen. I shall not involve you, I promise__”
“Al, you have become so obsessed with that …that Michael of yours, that you are willing to jeopardize your life and mine…even our families safety, to achieve…what?” Sam asked angrily, “don’t interrupt me. I know what you promised. But it is no longer up to you. They shall certainly know that I helped you. Everyone knows that we are friends. I was the one who initiated all this investigation by my stupid curiosity.”
“Very well” Al answered with a grin, “Let me ask you again…what do you think we should do?”
Sam didn’t answer right away. He found a bench seat and sat there thinking. He knew that what he was about to say would be problematic, and he was trying to find the least disagreeable words. Al leaned on one of the apple trees close by trying to anticipate what his friend is about to say…
Finally, Sam pulled out a handkerchief and began to wipe his face to avoid looking Alfred in the eye, “Forget about that … that charge of yours. Let him… I mean…let him go disappear somewhere…is it not enough you have already pulled him out of that cemetery and…I mean___” He couldn’t finish his sentence. He stood up suddenly and dared the silent Alfred, “to me…that seems to be a perfect solution. Let God deal with the Jacquards … you were just saying that God will help…”
To be continued next week…