“Going somewhere, boys?” asked Ghost.
“Get out of my way, old man,” said one of the men.
“Old man,” smirked Gaspar. “You’re calling my friends old? Maybe a little age and experience would serve you well. You’re trying to convince others of your good deeds, yet you enjoy hurting old women. That’s a pathetic excuse for a man.”
The men looked at one another, then back at Snow, who lifted his hands in exasperation. He walked closer to where they were standing, bending over the railing of the truck.
“Get rid of them,” he snapped.
“Why don’t you get rid of us?” said Jean, now standing in the back of the truck behind the man.
“Who the hell are you?” he said, lowering the microphone.
“Me? Oh, me and all these men are the sons of the woman you used the cattle prod on yesterday. If you need clarity, she was about five-feet tall with white hair. Not to be confused with the woman in that store over there that you had your men beat.”
“I gave no such orders,” he said, smirking at Jean.
“Yeah? Well, I’ve decided I don’t like what you’re selling.” Jean lifted the man, gripping him between his thighs and under his arms, and tossed him over the railing and onto the pavement of the Square.
The eruption of laughter and applause infuriated Snow as he stood, brushing the dampness and dirt from his linen trousers.
“I’ll have you arrested,” he snapped.
“Oh. Please do. Here, let me call the police chief,” said Jean, dialing the number. “Caleb? Yeah, man, how are you? Good, good. Listen, Caleb, if you’re near the Square, we could use some help. A man named Snow would like us arrested. Yep. I tossed him out of his truck. He went after Mama and Miss Ruby with a cattle prod and had a lady named Winnie, yep, the one in the convenience store, had her beaten. Cool.”
“Who the hell are you?” demanded Snow.
“Well, now, hold on. I’m granting your wish. The police chief is on the way, and I’m sure he’d like to speak with you directly about your accusations. And, of course, we’d like to speak to him directly about you laying hands on our mama and her friend.”
“That old woman wouldn’t get out of my way.”
“That old woman is our mother,” said Alec, charging toward him. Snow literally screamed like a little girl, evoking more laughter and applause. “But it wouldn’t matter whose mother she was, you don’t hit women, especially old women who deserve your respect.”
“You won’t stop this. None of you will stop this! This park will be torn down, and I will have my condos.”
“I don’t think so,” said Gaspar. “You see, this is a national park. A historic national park. Those trees are more than three hundred years old, which means you can’t touch them. The city will stop you, the state will stop you, and more importantly, the federal government will stop you. Protective agencies will step in and stop you, and if that doesn’t work, we’ll stop you. I think you’ve seen that we can, and we don’t care who you are.”
“I’ll have my development. This park will be torn down, and I will use those same trees you’re trying to protect to build my condos and office space. That should send a message to everyone here that I cannot be stopped. I will get this land one way or another,” he said, standing firm. Nine just chuckled, shaking his head.
“Not in this lifetime.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
By the time the police chief arrived, Snow had magically disappeared with his truck, election posters, and bullhorn. He obviously thought doing things the old-fashioned way would somehow endear him to the community. It would not, and it did not.
“This guy has been a thorn in my side,” said Caleb. “He’s been trying to push through his plans to the city commission for weeks now. The first few meetings, the council members just laughed at him, telling him there was no way to do what he wanted on protected land. Then he was just annoying, showing up every week. They finally stopped putting him on the agenda, which really pissed him off. We thought we were rid of him, then he suddenly decides to run for mayor.”
“He’s not even from here,” said Gaspar.
“Nope. He’s not, but he’s had a residence for almost two years, which makes him eligible. But you saw how the folks here responded. They hate him, and they hate what he’s trying to do. I don’t get it. There’s no way anyone is going to allow this to happen. What does he hope to accomplish?”
“We’re trying to figure that out now. All of that is good information to have,” said Jean, “but he was hated in Beaumont, the Everglades, and Hot Springs as well, and yet his builds were all completed. How? Were they illegal?”
“I can’t explain it, y’all, but anything you can do to help would be good. He’s been refused the right to the Square so far, but he’s not giving up.”
“It’s historic. Protected,” said Ghost. “How could he possibly get his hands on it?”
“How does a man get his hands on protected wetlands?” asked the chief.
