The Red Clay: Part Ninteen ©

The banging on the door woke up Hali with a start; his heart raced his lungs gasped for a breath of air.
The pounding sounded like the beat of the drums from his dream.
Maybe that’s what it all was all along, a freaky dream.

He rolled out of bed and opened the door to find Adalia standing there with a worried look on her face.
She asked him where he had been, she was calling his phone and there was no answer then she said she got worried so she came down to see if he was ok.

Hali looked at the table next to the bed and could see the phone flashing, indicating that there were messages waiting to be heard.
He told her that after he left her he came straight home and passed out on the bed then had this crazy dream about being in Africa and there were warriors and lions chasing him.

She gave him a puzzled stare then asked him what had happened to his shirt.
Hali looked down at his shirt and it was torn, actually it looked more like it was slashed and there were five rips that went from left to right like someone or something struck out at him in his sleep.
Pulling the shirt off he could see five red lines across his chest underneath where the shirt had been torn.
They didn’t hurt and the skin wasn’t broken but there was something definitely there.

Adalia reached out and touched his chest where the red marks were and told him maybe he did it himself in his sleep.
He told her it wasn’t possible, there wasn’t anything in the bed sharp enough and he didn’t have any nails to speak of let alone sharp enough to tear his shirt in this manner.
His roommate was out of town at his parent’s place for another two days so someone else couldn’t have done it, the door was locked from the inside.
This was quite the mystery.

Adalia stepped closer passing her hand over his chest and around his neck then asked him why he didn’t tell her that his roommate was out of town.
He was fumbling with an answer when she bent closer and kissed his lips.

Jonas sat in his leather chair at the club drinking a brandy when Leonard Cohn walked in and sat across from him.
Leonard called a server over and asked Jonas if he needed a refill to which Jonas declined.

Seeing Leonard here made him uneasy, especially after recent events and was beginning to dislike his company more and more since the day his son was born.
Rumour had it that Prohibition was coming to an end so his partnership with Cohn will not be necessary anymore and he relished that thought of not having to deal with him or being in the same room with this man.

Leonard sat in his leather chair cradling his drink telling an idea to Jonas about expanding the business with the club by opening a number of them throughout Chicago and maximizing their profits.
Go where the rich customers were instead of waiting for them to come to down to the rough side of town.
With his connection and Jonas’ buildings throughout the business sector of the city they could get more wealthy clients.

This was not acceptable to Jonas and told Leonard he had to think about it especially with the end of Prohibition eminent.
A venture like that would be a big risk.
Leonard told him he had a point but that they could still make a lot of money with the gambling and the women they employed.

Leonard’s persistence was beginning to irritate Jonas so much he told his partner he didn’t feel well all of a sudden and not in the proper frame of mind but he would think about it then got up telling the other he was going home.

Leonard had sensed Jonas’ uneasiness when he arrived at the club and joined Jonas.
This is what he was hoping for.
Leonard likes having the upper hand with the people he does business with and recent events gave him something to hold Jonas’ attention and use to get his support down the road when he needed it.
Leonard stood up and told Jonas to go home and take care of himself, especially now that he had another mouth to feed.
He asked how his son was doing.

Jonas stared at Leonard regretting ever meeting and doing business with this man.
He told him the baby was fine as was his wife.
Leonard smiled and told him that was good news, he didn’t want his partner to be unhappy, especially right now that they will be expanding and needing his full attention and support.
As Leonard was turning to go back to his seat he stopped to hand Jonas a rolled up newspaper and told him there was a story on the front page that might interest him.
Leonard bid him a good evening and went back to his drink.

Jonas took the newspaper and walked out of the club to his car.
He sat in the front seat and unrolled the newspaper.
Right there on the front page the headline said, “Woman Found Murdered”.
The story went on to describe the body of a woman found floating in Lake Michigan.
The article stated that at first she was thought to have drowned but the lack of water in her lungs and the presence of ligature marks around her neck suggests she was strangled then tossed into the water to make it look like a suicide.

The article also said there was also evidence suggesting that she had recently given birth and the police were looking into what has happened to the child.
The police are asking the public’s help with any information that may lead to the identity of this woman or the circumstances of her death to contact police immediately.
Jonas read the article a couple of times before he rolled the paper up and put it on the seat next to him then started the car and drove off towards home.
All the way home Jonas was trying to think of a solution to his dilemma.
There had to be an easy solution to his problem and a way to sever his connection to Leonard.

A hundred yards before the edge of the swamp Hali passed the reins to Jeb then told him to keep pushing them all the way to the swamp and to keep going until they were safe.
He will try and catch up later then jumped from the wagon with a rifle and took up position behind some brush to try and slow down their pursuers.

He could see the riders in the distance coming quickly, there must have been a dozen riders, to many to stop but if he could slow them down enough for the others to get away then that would be enough.
Using an old poplar for cover he took aim and shot out the horse from under the lead rider causing the others to scatter in every direction.
Picking up the slack on the trigger he shot out the heel from one man’s boot and the ear off another before they all managed to get behind some cover.

Crouching as low as he could he moved off fifty back back and to his left changing his position so they wouldn’t be able to center in on his last position.
If he could keep them at bay until darkness came then he may have a chance to run off into the swamp and find the others.

He crouched behind a bush watching them slowly weave their way towards him.
Hali was doing his best to avoid any unnecessary violence but if he had to he would kill, he has before when threatened.
Slowly he moved back some more trying to stay ahead of them to make sure no one got behind him to cut him off from their retreat.

The sound of a breaking twig stopped him in his tracks squatting down low while listening for another sounds.
It was faint but he could hear it, it was like a soft displacement of sound close.
He remained there motionless for what seemed like and eternity until he saw what he was waiting for, a tall man moving towards him.
Gripping the rifle tightly in his hand he waited until the man was almost on top of him before he stepped up bringing the stock of the rifle up to the side of the man’s head knocking him to the ground.

A bullet sprayed bark from a tree next to him stinging his face before he turned to where the sound of the gun had come from.
He let go a shot doubling over another man who had been following the first one.
Hali took a quick look to make sure there wasn’t a third man before turning and running towards the swamp.

No sooner had he gone half way to his goal when four horsemen burst out from the woods on the side of where he was running too.
They were bearing down on him quickly and had no placer to run as he could also hear the other moving in from behind him.
This was it then,. no where to run or hide so he might as well make his last stand here.

The riders coming from the woods will get to him before the ones behind him so he should brace them first and then see what’s left after that for the others.
Throwing the gun to his shoulder he stepped towards his attackers and opened up on them just as their guns came up.
Dirt kicked up around his feet but he kept walking towards them firing with each step that he took.

He saw one man get knocked back into his saddle before a bullet burned Hali’s shoulder.
The riders were fifty yards away from him before a barrage of guns burst from the shore of the swamp knocking two men from their horses and killing one horse, leaving it’s rider motionless on the ground.

Hali ran towards his friends who were now laying down cover fire for him until he reached their position.
Falling to his belly with the others we took aim at one rider and emptied the saddle before turning to take a shot at another rider.

Hali ordered the others to get in the boat while he covered them.
Jeb picked up Dakarai and carried him to the boat.
Betty stayed with Hali laying down cover for the others despite Hali’s demand for her to move out.
When the riders broke and fell back to regroup, Hali and Betty took advantage of that moment to run to the boat with the others.
Along with Jeb, they each grabbed a pole and started moving out into the swamp before the riders could reach them.

The deeper the boat moved into the swamp the darker it got.
Not the kind of dark when the sun goes down but the kind of dark where death lurks.
The water was black with the smell of rot and decay emitting from it.
Trees towered up above them with some of their bony branches clawing at the sky other reaching down to pluck them from the boat.

For hours the pushed deeper into the swamps until Jeb told then that they were close to his cabin.
Pushing to a small island in the dark the boat thumped against a dead tree while Jeb jumped out to tie the boat tether to the dead log.
Together with Hali the both carried Dakarai into a crudely build cabin, Betty followed behind carrying their supplies.

They put Dakarai on a cot and Jeb lit a lantern for some light.
Hali looked at it and Jeb told him not to worry.
No one could find the cabin where it was and no one was going to go into the swamp at night; that’s when all the gators come out he said.
Hali went over to where Dakarai lay and knelt by his side.
Dakarai looked up at him and smiled before he closed his eyes and went to sleep.
He’ll be fine Hali thought to himself then stood up and walked over to Jeb and Betty sat.

Hali asked them what they were going to do now.
Jeb said they should stay there until Dakarai gets his strength back and then they could go to Baton Rouge.
Jeb had friends there and they would help them find a place to stay.
Hali thought about that for a few minutes and agreed.
Dakarai did need time to mend before the tried to leave and they couldn’t stay out here in the swamps forever either.

A noise woke Hali up one morning and got out of bed then outside to find Jeb pulling some sort of traps out of the boat.
Jeb told Hali he got up early and went out to check some of the traps he had set up a week earlier and said that they were lucky.
Jeb pour the contents of a bucket on a makeshift table and a small mountain of crab like creatures were crawling around.
Jeb said the were called craw fish and were delicious.
Hali looked at them and thought that there wasn’t much meat on them but if they ate enough of them they may suffice.

A few dat later Dakarai was beginning to look better with the help of Betty.
Hali was beginning to think it was more Betty’s presence that was helping rather than the medicine he was giving him.
While Betty took care of Dakarai, Hali got up in the early mornings with Jeb then went out in search of foods and to learn a little about the swamps.
They were filled with plant life that he had never seen before and wanted to learn about their uses if he was going to be living here.

They pushed the boat along with long poles even over stumps that were hidden below the water surface making their way to where Jeb had placed his traps to capture more craw fish.
He also brought along bate to catch catfish, Jeb said it was the best fish anyone can eat out in these parts.
Jeb had warned Hali that there were alligators here and to always be on the look out as they could come out of no where and drag you under.

Hali had never seen an alligator but from what Jeb had told him about them, he didn’t want to either.
After checking the traps and collecting what little they had Jeb took them to a spot where they were going to set for awhile and hope to catch a couple of catfish for supper.
They sat there for a couple of hours without any luck.
Jeb said he couldn’t understand it, there was always fish here to be caught.
It was like all the fish had gone.

They decided to stay for a little bit longer hoping their luck would change when a movement caught Jeb’s attention.
Slowly he touched Hali’s leg and pointed with his eyes silently in the direction he had thought he saw something then reached for his rifle that was leaning up at the bow of the boat.
Just then Hali saw something move also and slowly picked up his rifle moving it into position.
They both sat there staring at the spot where they had seen something then in a swift movement Hali threw the rifle to his shoulder and squeezed the trigger.

The silence was interrupted by the thunder erupting from the gun waking up the swamp.
Putting the rifle down Jeb and Hali grabbed their poles then swiftly pushed themselves to where Hali had taken his shot.
When they got there they found a deer laying on a bank dead from a broken neck.
Jeb slapped Hali on the back and told him that it wasn’t catfish but it would do.
You didn’t find deer that much in the swamps any more so this was going to be a treat.

Hali hopped out of the boat into the water stepping out on the bank then picked up the deer to bring into the boat when out of the bushes a monster shot out with large snapping jaws grabbing at Hali’s legs.
The alligator must have been stalking the deer when Hali shot it, then found himself with a potential second meal in Hali.

Hali jumped back dropping the deer on the ground but he tripped over a dead stump landing flat on his back.
Seeing his chance while he was on the ground the alligator pounced at him but Hali got his feet up and kick at the massive head aside, barely escaping having the beast on top of him.
Pushing back he tried to stand but slipped on the wet ground and landed on his side this time.
The alligator turned its head grabbing the deer before slipping into the water.

Hali got up and watched as the alligator took off with their supper but he wasn’t going to let that happened then grabbed his knife from the boat and wadded in after the alligator.
Jeb was yelling at him to forget it but Hali told him that the deer was theirs and they needed it desperately then took off under the water to catch up the the alligator before it got to far to catch.

They lay in bed in each others arms.
Adalia fingers tracing the red marks on Hali’s chest.
Hali looked down on her hands and the marks then told her it was like a family crest.
She gave him a blank look and he told her that most of the men in his family were scared up mostly in the chest.
He said his grandmother said it was a sign of bravery because all his forefathers faced danger head on and never ran from it.

There was a story about his great grandfather in the Louisiana swamps where he swam out after an alligator because it stole a deer his great grandfather had killed and wanted it back so he went after it.
They say that he caught up to it under the water then wrestled for the deer and after a one hour battle it was over.

Adalia looked at him and asked what happened.
Hali looked at her and said they had a feast that night.
The alligator ate the deer and grandfather ate the gator.
Grandma got a new pair of shoes.

Jonas sat in his office at home sipping the hot coffee the servant had just brought in to him along with the morning newspaper.
The headline read “PROHIBITION OVER”.
There were pictures of people; politicians, judges and regular people alike holding up a glass filled with their choice of nectar having their first taste of legal alcohol in over ten years.
Jonas took another sip from his cup and turned page after page on his way to the business section but something caught his eye the seventh page in.

Leonard Cohen finished his dinner and ordered a brandy to aid him in the digestion of his meal.
He sat there staring at the drink in his hand.
Soon this will be legal and he will loose the main attraction to his clubs so it was essential he plan now to find to replace the loss of its allure and find ways to keep his customers flowing through the door.

Jonas was going to become a problem he thought to himself and he will have to be dealt with soon but for now he still needed him.
As long as he held something over Jonas’ head he could keep him in line until he could find a way to make him disappear and stake claim to all his properties.
Leonard asked the waiter for another brandy and his bill, it was getting late and he ought be heading on home he thought.

He collected his coat and hat at the cloak room then stepped outside onto the sidewalk.
The night air was cold and sharp as it burned his lungs when he breathed it in.
Looking left then right before stepping onto the street Leonard lowered his head to shield him from the cold wind and sprinted across the street to his car.
He opened the door and closed it quickly behind him then fumbled in his pockets for the key.
After starting the car he sat back in the seat to allow the engine to heat up then reached forward to wipe the condensation from the windshield.

That was funny he thought as he reached up with his handkerchief to wipe the condensation from the rear view mirror.
After the condensation was gone from the mirror sat back once more and stared through it but he couldn’t see anything because of the fogged back window.
As he looked through the mirror a shadow moved from the corner of the seat and into view.

“What are you doing here”?

Jonas put down his coffee cup and held the paper with both hands as he read the story below the headline “Man Found Shot In Car”.

Walker

The Red Clay: Part Eighteen ©

Hali was having lunch with Adalia when Harmon came over and asked if he could sit with them.
Harmon was one of Hali’s friends and worked in the university lab, Hali had given him the scrapings off of the statue and asked him to test it for him.
Harmon settled into his chair and asked Hali where he had gotten the sample he had given him.
Hali told him it was scrapings off of an African statue that had come into his possession and he was trying to find out what it was made of.

Harold told him that the computer at the lab said it had various minerals found in the soil from the part of Africa it came from and there was evidence of human blood.
There were a couple of organic substances that the computer couldn’t identify as well.

Hali sat there thinking as Harmon was reporting his findings to him.
So there was human blood in the clay, it could also be transfer from someone with a cut finger picking it up.
Maybe even some of the blood from the gas bar had gotten on it.
His mind drifted back to the gas bar, the blood was everywhere and the bodies were lying around like shattered jars.

Adalia’s touch brought him out of his trance.
Hali looked at her and smiled, he told her he was ok, just thinking.
He then thanked Harmon for checking out the sample for him and offered to buy him lunch but Harmon said he couldn’t stay because he had more things to do at the lab; he just came by to tell him about his findings.

Hali thanked him and told Harmon he owed him a lunch just the same next time he was free.
After Harmon had left, Hali and Adalia sat around talking about the weekend coming up.
They were planning a trip to see Hali’s grandmother in four months, right after he graduates and two months after that they were heading off to Africa and their calling, to help the children there.

After lunch Adalia had to get back to the store so Hali walked her to the commissary and headed of home.
His roommate wasn’t there so he turned on the TV and lay on the bed blankly staring at the set.
He looked to the night table and saw the statue sitting there and reached out for it.

His eyes opened to the sound of a distant noise.
It was dark as he looked around, he must have passed out.
Hali went to push up and his fingers touched the dry grass under him, he rose to the sitting position quickly and found himself staring out in a dark wilderness.
The sound of the drums was coming from his left so he slowly got up and looked around what should have been his room but was now somewhere outside he didn’t recognize, yet part of him did.

He started walking slowly in the direction of the sound but constantly alert to the sounds around him.
But for the moon in the sky there was no light anywhere.
There should be thousands of blinking lights from the houses and stores in his neighbourhood but this didn’t feel like home, yet it did.

He walked to the edge of some thick brush that looked like a tropical jungle in the dark and waded in towards the sound of the beating drums.
Onward he pushed through making a path where one had not existed before.
For thirty minutes he was whipped for his efforts before he came upon a clearing.
In the center was a crowd of people around a huge bonfire chanting and dancing around the pillar of flames licking at the night sky.

Trying to stay as quiet as he could, Hali moved along the clearing while still staying hidden in the brush so he could get a better look at what was happening.
As he got closer the sound of the drums grew louder and he could almost feel their beat in his chest as the sound rebounded off of him.
Getting within fifty yards of the crowd around the fire, knelt down and watched what looked like a village of African natives of one kind.
He didn’t understand what they were chanting.
Just then an old man walked out from the darkness to a stone platform and the crowd went silent then made their way to the alter.
The old man dressed in dark skins accented with feathers and bird claws looked like a witchdoctor.

The witchdoctor raised a hand to the night sky and the moon seemed to get brighter lighting up the whole area with its warmth.
He then began speaking to the sky, calling out loud with conviction as if he was summoning the gods themselves.
Two hands he now held high to the sky, fingers stretched out, straining to reach farther to the gods, begging for an audience.

The wind rustled the jungle around Hali as it blew past him and through the crowd to the witchdoctor then straight up to the night sky drawing the clouds together above them.
Thunder clapped the night sky as a streak of lighting shot down striking a large boulder blinding all that witnessed it temporarily.
Even Hali had to look away from its brilliance.

When his eyes readjusted to the darkness he looked back towards the village and the people were kneeling at the base of the boulder.
Hali looked at the boulder and on top stood a tall warrior draped in a lion skin with the main around his shoulders.
He stood up there straight and ridged like a statue holding a long spear in his fight hand anchored to the ground, staring out towards Hali.

The warrior looked to the people before him then began speaking to the people and they slowly began to rise to their feet once more.
Hali couldn’t hear what he was saying.
Even though he didn’t understand the language these people spoke he had a compulsion to get closer to hear this man speak so he slowly moved out from the confines of the jungle and moved closer to the village only concealed by the darkness of night.

As Hali got closer he hear the villagers chanting “Thilivhali” over and over again.
Hali figured it was the warrior’s name.
The crowd stopped the chanting when he spoke.
The warriors words were gentle yet powerful which gave you a sense of comfort and pride.
Hali stood there listening to his words and ……. He understood what he was saying as if he spoke English… but how?

He told them that one day they would be free once more to run with the wind and the antelope.
Free to hunt with the lions and swim with the hippopotamuses.
Free to live in peace with the ones they loved.
One day soon all the suffering over the centuries will be put right and their souls will be free to wander.

Hali sat out in the darkness on his haunches absorbing what was being said by this warrior, Thilivhali.
That’s when he spoke to him.
The crowd turned and looked into the darkness right at Hali.

The warrior jumped to the ground from the boulder and started walking out towards Hali as he spoke to him.
“You are the one who is to set us free” he told Hali.
“You are of my blood, of our land”
“We are your forefathers”.
“We are of the lion”.
The warrior started to walk faster towards Hali.
Hali didn’t know what to do, should he run or stay there and try to explain his presence here?

Every second that passed was a step the warrior took closer to him.
Hali stood up on shaky legs and stared at the warrior and he closed the distance between then.
Thunder crashed in the sky above as lightning lit up the sky.
Hali looked at he warrior and saw something was happening to him.
With every step he took closer to him he leaned farther forward until he was within twenty yards of Hali and then he saw that the warrior was now not as a man but a giant majestic lion with a long flowing golden mane baring down on him.

Hali didn’t know what to do, a thousand thoughts rushed through his head.
How did he get to be here he thought and just them the lion lunged at him.
Hali stood there looking up in the air as he watched the lion stretched out in the night sky as it came down on top of him.

Jonas walked through the door of the North Side Social Club and was immediately met by a large man in a dark suit.
He was definitely sure that this was not an ordinary doorman but a gangster guarding the front door, that he was sure of.
The man told him that this was a private club for members only.

Jonas told the man that he was the landlord and was only stopping by to see how his tenants were and if there was anything they needed.
Jonas’ heart was racing as fast as his brain.
Just then the office door opened and a man in a tailored suit walked out followed by Leonard Cohn.

When Leonard saw Jonas he smiled and introduced him to the man, Mr Ross.
Mr Ross said that he had heard of Mr Beacham and all of it was good talk.
Mr Ross shook hands with Leonard Cohn then bid them both goodbye and walked out followed by the big mountain of a man.

Leonard invited Jonas into his office offering him a drink of whiskey.
Prohibition may be law but everyone had and sold whiskey at a huge profit.
Jonas tasted his drink and he could tell this was not any of that watered down whiskey everyone else sold but the best scotch that could be found.

Leonard asked Jonas what had brought him to his place of business on this fine day.
Jonas decided to tell him the truth and told Leonard he came by to see what he had done to the place.
Leonard thought about what Jonas said for a little bit then got out of his chair and picked up the bottlle of scotch from the bar and walked back to Jonas.
Looking at Jonas for a second he then reached out with the bottle and refilled Joans’ glass and told him that he had a proposition for him but he didn’t have to give him an answer today and only after he showed him around the place first.

Leonard put the bottle back in the bar then sat back in his seat behind the desk.
He then proceeded to tell Jonas that this was a private club for members only and that they only let in a select few that could afford to pay the thousand dollar a year member fee.
For that money all they got was the opportunity to walk through the door, what every they wanted was extra.
The club provided all sorts of liquor and women, of the best quality, not that cheap stuff you find in the speakeasies.


Jonas sat back and listened with intrigue as Leonard listed the available services supplied for the club’s membership.
He was sure that Leonard was going to ask him to become a member before he left and the thought was becoming appealing to him.

After their glasses were empty Leonard took Jonas for a tour of the club.
He had spared no expense to make this place look like a club you would find in a well to do part of town and not along the waterfront.
Leonard assured Jonas that it was safe for anyone coming here, in fact his silent partner guaranteed everyone’s safety.
To that, Jonas had no doubt especially after see the doorman.

As they walked around, Jonas couldn’t help but notice the new walls that had been built separating the open warehouse into sections of private rooms and open lounges with bookcases filled with books.
A bar stood in the corner of the lounge with male servers standing around waiting to be summoned by a patron.

Next Leonard took Jonas to the lower level where Turkish style baths had been installed for members to go and relax and next to the baths was a room where one can go and get a massage after a hot bath.

From there they went back up to the main floor where Leonard walked through another door that opened up into a area that had gambling tables scattered around the room.
Another bar was at the back but here the servers were scantly clad women who were also entertained on stage when not serving members.

The more Jonas saw the more he liked what he saw, especially the women.
There were a couple that caught his eye and excited him.
He still loved his wife Maggie but there was things he wanted to do that she wouldn’t let him.
She wasn’t making him happy lately either because she unable to give him an heir as of yet and he wanted to have children, a son to leave him this legacy.

Leonard led Jonas back to his office and re-filled Jonas’ glass once more then asked him what he thought of the business.
Jonas told him that it looked lucrative but wasn’t he worried about the authorities?
Leonard laughed and told Jonas that there were 5 judges and the chief of police himself was a member of the club so there was nothing to worry about.

Jonas told him that he was impressed and would like to become a member.
Leonard smiled at him and told him that he had a better offer for him.
Leonard told Jonas that he was looking for a partner in the business and he had some other business propositions for him to if he didn’t mind getting a little dirty.
Leonard told him that he understood that Jonas had property in Canada. on the Lake of the Woods to be exact.
Jonas nodded indicating that he did.

Leonard sat back in his chair and offered Jonas a partnership in this business and in the whiskey smuggling business if he let them use his property in Canada to smuggle in the whiskey from the lake there.
With all its inlets coming into the United States it would be ideal for smuggling in boats filled with whiskey.

Jonas thought about the proposition.
Up to now he stayed relatively safe by staying within the law to make his profits but he also knew that he could increase his profits ten fold if he took advantage of the situation.
Jonas asked Leonard what would happen if they were caught?
Leonard told him not to worry and if anything ever did happen to just say you didn’t know what was going on up there because you only go there in the summer months and the last time you were there everything was fine.

Jonas told him he would like a little time to think about it as it was a big decision and Leonard told him he fully understood and to take a week if he needed but for now he would like Jonas to be his guest at the club and he could have anything he wanted including a five thousand dollar marker at the casino, on him.

Jonas thanked him for his generosity and Leonard pushed a button on a panel at the side of his desk and a man walked into the office.
He told him to take Jonas to the back and to give him anything he wanted on the club’s bill.
Jonas got up, thanked Leonard Cohn and shook hands with him before he was led out to the back.
Leonard Cohn sat back in his leather chair taking out a cigar and lit it before he got lost in his thoughts.

In the casino, the man took Jonas to the cashiers booth and got him five thousand dollars in chips and told Jonas to enjoy himself.
He told him that if there was anything he needed, anything at all, he was to ask him personally and he would get it for him.

Jonas took the chips and went to the craps table.
He wasn’t much of a gambler outside of business and to him that wasn’t even a gamble, he was shrewd in his business deals and knew how to make his own luck.
He stood around watching at first and placed a couple of bets on a few tosses before it was his turn to take up the dice and to start throwing.

He tossed the dice and rolled a seven now he had to throw them again and try to catch them again and when the dice stopped spinning they showed a 2-5, he won.
For hours this went on and a crowd was now gathering around cheering him on.
A few were trying to ride his coat tail by betting along with him
Many had lost believing his luck would run out in the next turn only to loose their money instead.

A soft hand touched his shoulder causing him to turn and look into the deep blue eyes of the most beautiful women he had ever seen in his life.
She smiled and his heart skipped a beat, then asked him if she could get something for him to drink.
His tongue seemed paralysed in his mouth but he manage to cough out that he would like a whiskey then watched her walk away.
She look just as beautiful from behind as she did from the front.
While she was gone Jonas played a few more hands until she returned with his drink and that’s when he decided he wanted to take a break for a little bit.

He asked her what her name was and she said it was Veronica.
He then asked if she would join him at the table for a drink but she declined saying that she had to serve the other members.
Jonas nodded his understanding with a disappointing look on his face.
A look that the Nick, the man who brought him to the casino noticed from the back of the room.

Before Veronica could leave Nick was there asking Jonas if everything was OK.
Jonas said everything was fine and thanked him.
Nick looked at Veronica and asked her if she would like to sit with Jonas while he was here and he would find someone else to do her section for her.
She looked at Nick with a smile and said yes, she would like to sit there and talk to Jonas.
Nick told them to have a fun time then headed off back to his perch in the casino.

Jonas and Veronica spent the next few hours playing the various games in the casino, periodically stopping for a drink and a chat.
Jonas was enjoying her company, more than any other females company ever since he met Maggie.

As the evening progressed Jonas found himself leaving the casino with Veronica then down to one of the private rooms on the other side of the building.
Inside the room was decorated in the latest style and was kept very clean with clean sheets on the bed.
Veronica held the door open as Jonas walked in past her then heard the lock slip into place.
He turned to face her as she walked towards him wrapping her arms around his neck then kissing him full on the lips.

Taking her in his arms he kissed her back and as their burning lips heated up the beast inside him began to grow like it never had before.
In his forties now his hunger for women and sex only grew as the years went by and right now he wanted nothing more that to tear Veronica’s clothes off and ravage her body.
He grabbed the front of her dress and tore it apart then bit into her neck with a hungry mouth as she grabbed at the back of his head swimming in pain and pleasure.
Pulling the dress of her shoulders revealed her breasts to his mouth and he took each nipple between his lips biting and sucking each.

Her moans filled the room adding fuel to the madness building up inside him when he turned her around, bending her over the foot of the bed.
He raised her dress up then pulled her undergarments down then pushing his way in her from behind thrusting himself deep inside her with the first push.
She gasped against his initial invasion of her body sinking her fingernails into the bedding deeper with every thrust of his hard shaft.
Insane with lust Jonas pounded away at her against her moans and gasps that recoiled off the walls until he couldn’t hold himself any more and released his all filling her up until it flowed out and down her thighs.

There was a knock on the door as Leonard sat there in his chair.
He told who ever it was to enter and Nick walked in then sat in front of him to give Leonard his report on the night’s business but Jonas wasn’t as interested in the nights business as he was about Jonas Beacham II’s night.
He told him Jonas had won another ten thousand on top of the five thousand he had given him
Right now Jonas was in one of the rooms with one of the whores.

Leonard smiled at the news, it was a fair trade as far as he was concerned.
The profits will out weigh the cost but what impressed him the most was how easy it was for Jonas to get hooked into his scheme.
There was no chance for Jonas to refuse his proposition now, especially after tonight’s events.
If he did refuse, he could always blackmail him for his support but something told him he wouldn’t have to resort to that level.
At least not yet.

Before him stood the same doctor that had refused to help fix up Domingo until he was ordered by the general when they were in Cuba.
Hali told the docotr he was needed up the ways and to get his bag to come with them.
The doctor looked past Hali and could now see Betty standing behind him in the distance.

Doctor Wilks looked at Hali it was to late for him to be going out and he didn’t administer medicine to Negroes.
Hali remembered this man’s hate for him and Dakarai after he was ordered to help Domingo in Cuba.

Hali took a step towards Doctor Wilks and pulled out the gun from his pocket and pointed it towards Dr. Wilks.
He had no time to waste arguing with this man while Dakarai lay dieing back at Jeb's house.

The doctor looked at the pistol in Hali’s hand then back at him as he thought of his next move.
He told Hali he needed to get his bag and started moving back into the house with his hand still on the door when he suddenly moved to close it but Hali got his foot in the way and forced himself into the house.
A woman screamed from the other room and Hali looked to see a woman with her arms wrapped around two children.
Hali told her to be calm and that he was only there to get the doctor to help him with a wounded man.
He then turned to the doctor and told him to get his bag and this time, no tricks or he would be the one needing a doctor.

The doctor picked up his bag and led the way back out the door where Betty was waiting for both of them with the doctor’s buggy ready to take them back to the farmhouse.
On the ride back the doctor commented that Hali looked familiar to him but didn’t recognize him from the area.
The doctor didn’t remember their first meeting in Cuba and Hali wasn’t sure he should tell him now.
It took the about forty-five minutes to get back to the farm and inside they found Dakarai unconscious but alive.
He had lost a lot of blood.

Hali pointed to Dakarai and told the doctor to get to work and fix him up.
The doctor went to the bed then took off the bandages to get a better look at the wound.
A poultice of some kind had been put on the wound to stave off infection.
He had seen this before among the natives and in Cuba when he was there during the Spanish American war.

He asked for some hot water and a clean sheet if they had one to be torn into strips.
He then went to open his bag but Hali reached down first and opened it for him.
Inside Hali found the doctors tools and a small pistol in a pocket at the side of the medical bag.
Hali took the gun and passed the bag to the doctor after it was safe for him to have it, Hali could see the venom in the doctor’s eyes as he passed him the bag.

First the doctor cleaned around the wound with clean hot water and some of the strips of clean cloth then he took out a blunt knifelike tool from his bag and slowly pushed in into the wound in search of the bullet.
When he felt the bullet he started pushing it out of the hole in Dakarai’s chest.
Grabbing the bullet with his finders he passed it to Hali then cleaned around the wound again before he started wrapping the bandage around Dakarai’s chest.

After he had finished bandaging Dakarai he got up and asked Hali what was to happen to him now.
Hali looked at him thinking for a little while then told him that he could leave in the morning but for now he would have to wait and keep an eye on his brother.

Hali moved to the table but in constant view of the doctor where he sat with Jeb.
Jeb told Hali if he let the doctor go, he would only go and get the authorities then come back and most definitely hang all of them.

Hali had already surmised that might be the situation but he was not prepared to murder a man, even one of the doctor’s moral fibre.
A man who swore to save lives should not be looking at the color of others skin.
He then asked Jeb if there was a place they could go and be safe.
Jeb said he had a hunting cabin back in the swamps of Louisiana that was well hidden and hard to find.
The only way to get there was by boat and he had one out there they could use but he said he wasn’t sure if Dakarai would survive the move in his condition
It was also a dangerous place to go to with alligators, snakes and other creatures that lived to kill.

Hali didn’t see any other choice.
Even if he killed the doctor it was only a delay because his wife must have gone for help already and they would be out looking for them even now.
He told Jeb they would just have to risk it and in the morning they would head out for the cabin.

In the morning Hali went to the doctor and asked him how Dakarai was.
The Dr. Wilks told him that if the wound didn’t get infected he would have a good chance to survive and should be on his feet by the time he was to be hanged with the rest of them.
Hali pulled his gun out and pointed it at the doctor’s head and told him to stand up and head off for the door.
He lead him outside with Jeb following behind them then told the doctor he was free to go but when the doctor went for his buggy, Hali told him he was to walk back home.

As soon as the doctor was out of sight Hali ran back into the house and started getting Dakarai ready to go.
They would use the doctor’s buggy until they got to the swamp and then the boat to go deep into it to Jeb’s hunting cabin.
Using the buggy would get them quicker and hopefully avoid any more trouble with the locals.
As soon as Dakarai was better they could leave and explore this new land, but first Dakarai must get better.

They bounced along the road for about and hour trying to go as fast as they could but not to fast as to jar their patient too much.
They could now see the tree line where the swamp started and relief started to come over them until they heard a noise from behind them.
Hali looked back and could see riders racing towards them in the distance.
They had to be not more than a mile back and would more than likely over take them before they reached the swamp at this speed so he gave the horses their heads and raced off down the path towards freedom or death.

Jonas sat in his office blankly staring at the figures infront of him.
His partnership with Leonard Cohn had been a very profitable venture, he was making ten times more now than he used to but his good fortunes was not what was on his mind.
Over the last two years his profits might have increased, as had his family fortune.
Maggie was now pregnant and due at any moment but to make matters worse, he had managed to get Veronica pregnant as well and both were due about the same time.
He didn’t; know what he was going to do.

Someone knocked on the door and a servant from his house came in and told him the doctor was at the house and wanted him to get home as quickly as possible because Maggie was giving birth.
Jonas grabbed all the papers returning them to the safe right next to the leather satchel.
He then grabbed his coat and rushed out the door for home.

No sooner had he walked through the front door the doctor met him with a worried look on his face.
He informed Jonas that there was something wrong with the baby and his wife.
She had lost a lot of blood so far and the baby had not come out yet.
That’s when the midwife came out and called the doctor back into the room, closing the door behind them.
Jonas paced up and down the hallway for an hour before the door opened once more and the doctor came out.

The doctor told him he had bad news for him.
He told Jonas his son was dead and his wife was barely holding on, she had lost a lot of blood and was going through a lot of pain.
He said he gave her something for the pain and she would probably be going in and out of consciousness for the next few days with fever.

Jonas walked passed the doctor and into the bedroom.
Maggie was lying on the bed with her eyes half open and looking like she was lost to the world.
As he sat on the side of the bed, he saw the small bundle wrapped on the table, a son, his son.

Maggie tilted her head up as he took her hand and asked him how the baby was.
He told her the baby was fine and she should just get some rest for now while he took care of everything.
She lay back on the pillow and went to sleep.
Jonas got up and went to the door, pausing for a second to take one final look at his son before exiting.
In the hallway Jonas told the doctor to send him his bill for his services.
The doctor told Jonas that he will call the coroner to have the infants body picked up if he liked.
Jonas told him he needn’t worry about that that he will just call the undertaker to make arraignments.

The doctor nodded, expressing his condolences one more time and told Jonas he will be back to check on his wife.
Jonas told him told him he didn’t have to but if he liked he could send a nurse over to stay for a couple of days with his wife until she got better.

The doctor thought for a few seconds then said he knew who to send and that he would be by in the next week to check on her himself and would bring his bill in at that time.
Jonas told him that would be just fine and asked one of the servants to walk the doctor to the door.

Jonas walked to his study and sat there sipping on a brandy while thinking about this night’s events.
That’s when his servant came in to tell him that there was someone at the door asking for him.
Jonas went to the door and Nick was there waiting for him to tell him he was needed back at the club.

Jonas told him he couldn’t go anywhere now as his wife was still ill and his baby had ..he was to busy at the moment.
Nick told him he understood but said it was important and it might even make him happy if he came with him, it was Veronica; she was going into labour.

This was the last thing Jonas wanted to hear on this night.
His mind was racing as he slowly got to his feet, taking his coat of the rack to follow Nick.
Just then his eyes lit up as if a light had been switched on in his head.
He told Nick to go without him and he would drive himself there in a short time, then turned to the butler and told him he was going out.
He said he would back later then walked back to the bedroom where his wife lay passed out on the bed.
He quickly went out the door without anyone seeing him and into a cab that had waiting along the road.

Before going to the men’s club Jonas told the driver to take him to one of the foundries he owned.
When he got there he told the driver to wait a few minutes while he ran in.
Inside he went to the back where the kilns were where he tossed something into one of the large blast furnaces then walked back out to the cab.

The whole drive to the club was eerily silent.
As soon as he got to the club Leonard was there waiting for him holding a box of fat cigars and offered Jonas one congratulating him on the birth of his son.
Jonas just stared at him blankly and told Leonard his son was dead.

Leonard looked puzzled and told Jonas that his son was not only alive, but loud from the moment her was born and Veronica was in fine shape to.
Jonas realized what he now meant and walked off into the back where the private rooms were.
Nick stepped next to Leonard and whispered something in his ear; understanding came across Leonard as he watched Jonas walk into the back.
Leonard asked Nick if he was sure?
Nick told him the doctor was upstairs in one of the rooms with one of the girls and could go ask him himself if he liked.
Leonard smiled; it wouldn’t be necessary.

Leonard walked into the room where Veronica lay and she smiled as soon as she saw him come in.
He grinned a little at her.
Then he heard a baby’s cry in the corner and walked over to the crib to meet his son for the first time.

Veronica told him that the baby looked just like him, he had to agree with her.
She then said that he would need to find a place for them to live because she couldn’t raise his child in this place, a brothel.

His child he thought.
He wasn’t going to leave his son in this place and he wasn’t going to have this woman raise his son.
All she was to him was entertainment.

Jonas went to Veronica and told her that she had nothing to worry about and his son, his son would be raised in the proper environment with everything made available to him.
Veronica smiled at his words and told Jonas that they would make a great family together.
Jonas told her that they would be a family then told her to rest before he walked out to talk to Leonard, his partner.

Maggie woke up with a fright and called out for Jonas.
Jonas was by her side immediately as she begged him for her baby.
Jonas calmed his wife down and told her everything was fine then got up and went off to the corner of the room then came back holding a baby gently putting it in her arms.
“Here is your son” he told her.

Walker

The Red Clay: Part Seventeen ©

Bonjour grand-mère

I hope this letter finds you well.
I write to tell you about school and my life since I left you four months ago.
After leaving Louisiana heading for school I found myself at a crossroad.
One lead back top California the other went onto the desert leading to Las Vegas Nevada.
As you know, I am not one to gamble or waste my money but it was as if I was meant to turn right.

In the desert I stopped at a place to get some gas, something to drink and it looked like the dust storm was picking up and I thought it would have been better stopping to let it settle down instead of risking it and maybe having an accident so I opted for what I thought would be the safest choice.
.
From the moment I stepped into the gas bar my life changed, I was reborn into a world that was more nightmare than dream.
While at the gas bar a horrible gun battle ensued and many people were killed.
I am fine so you don’t have to worry.
They were violent men, such violence I had never seen in real life.
I think it wasn’t the ferocity of the violence that scared me it was the fact that these people welcomed it so easily and didn’t care if they lived or died.
They seemed drugged in their lust for violence.

One man on his dieing breath gave me a satchel filled with money and a small statue, then I ran away from that macabre hell.
I did the right thing and went to the police and reported all that happened just in case there was still someone alive, which I doubted from what I could tell.

A couple of months later I received a package containing a cheque for the money that was in the bag and the small statue.
I have since deposited the money in the bank and I still have the statue here.

The other day I took the statue to one of my professors and showed it to him to see if there was anything he could tell me about it, like where it came from.
He was shocked to see it at first and didn’t want to touch it.
He told me some story about curses and warriors but I don’t believe stuff like that as you well know.

In other news, I have met someone special, Adalia.
I have never felt this good about some before.
Yes I know you heard me say that with the last one but this is different.
We both like almost the same things or we are heading in the same direction.
She is thinking about coming to Africa with me when I go there.
I know you will love her when you meet her in person.

School is going well and I can’t wait until it’s done so I can come home to see you after graduation.
I wish you would come and see me graduate but I know how you feel about leaving dad’s and grand pere’s graves alone.

Take care
Je t’aime

Hali

Bonjour Mon petite garcon

I was happy to receive your letter and pleased to hear you are well even after your ordeal in the desert.
I am also happy you have finally found someone that you believe is the one to walk into the future with side by side.
Through the years our family has survived because of the strong men and woman that came together to keep you name alive, a proud and honoured name.
I can’t wait for you to bring her here for me to meet when school is over.
I wish I could be there to watch you graduate but as you know I am to old now to travel around the country and yes, I can’t leave those I so love behind.

Your adventure in the desert though frightening was also intriguing as is the information you learned though your professor.
Your grandfather told me of a similar story that happened to your family a hundred or so years ago about a curse that was put onto a slaver who attacked their village killing many and taking the rest to be sold into slavery, as you know, you are a descendant from slaves

It is said that Thilivhali, the one you are named after was given a small statue that was made with the blood of a dieing witchdoctor mixed with the clay from the village your great great great grandfather came from to give to the man who did them wrong so that he could suffer the same aggonizing pain that he had inflicted on the and to burn is the fires of hell slowly, forever.

That story was said to have been passed down from person to person originating from Thilivhali’s mother who was told this by Thilivhali himself when he found her and his sisters in the jungle after the raid on their village.
Thilivhali was killed in the battle against the slavers while trying to free his wife whom was taken by the leader of the slavers and no one ever saw the statue agains.

I don’t know if the statue you have is the same one but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was.
From what you have said, it seems you were destined to go into the desert and retreive the statue to complete the task that it was sent on.
That may be your destiny.

I have to let you go now, your nephew, Jebedia brought me a bucket of crawfish today and I have to prepare dinner.

I can’t wait for you to finish and come back with your lady so I could see you.

Au revoir

Je t’aime, votre mère grande Mary


Hali read his grandmother’s letter a couple of times and thought about the story that has been passed down all these years.
He wasn’t a superstitious person but weirder things had happened and what would the odds that the statue he had was the same one as the one in the stories.

Honestly, a statue made of blood and clay by a dieing witchdoctor, how much more dramatic could it get.
He sat there thinking for a bit when an idea came to him.
Hali went and got the statue and set it on the table and then got his medical kit out of the closet and using the scalpel he shaved some of the clay off of the statue and put in into a sandwich bag.
He was going to take it to the lab at the university and have it analyzed to see if there was any blood in the clay.
That should put an end to any guessing about the statue.

Jonas was in the club when a business associate of his found him sitting and reading the business section of the paper in one of the large leather armchairs.
Many of his friends were investing all their money in companies, speculating that they would make lots of money if the company took off and with the way industry was taking off in this time and age they were raking it in then reinvesting in the same companies.

Jonas wasn’t fond of investing all his money on one thing just in case something went wrong and he lost everything.
He didn’t like taking the risks his friends did and always wanted to control his money not leaving it for someone else to control.
Up to now his approach had rewarded him very well, true it wasn’t as much as his friends were making but he was safe from loosing his capital.

Leonard Cohn asked if he could join him and Jonas welcomed him to the chair next to his.
Mr. Cohn was a businessman whom Jonas has had some dealings with in real estate.
There was a rumor that he also dealt with the local mobsters in some illegal business but those were only rumors and most of those we whispered by the competition.
They were discussing the current state in the world when a man ran in calling out that WAR had been declared in Europe.
Someone walked over to the mantle and turned on the radio and sure enough, they were saying war was declared in Europe against the Germans.

Within an hour of everyone hearing the news the club was empty but for a few people.
Jonas and Leonard being two of them.
Leonard told Jonas that this was an opportunity to make a lot of money from the war.
Jonas was thinking the same thing.
He had a lot of money invested into the iron works foundries and they would be needed if the United States entered the war driving the price of the stocks sky high.

Leonard changed the subject and told Jonas that he had come to sit with him because he had a proposition for him from one of his friends.
Jonas looked at Leonard and remembered how shrewd this man was in their previous dealings.
Jonas told him that he was open for business as long as there was a profit to be made.

Leonard told Jonas that he had a friend who was looking to rent some warehouses and some businesses that were in building owned by Jonas.
Leonard took out a piece of paper from the inside of his pocket and passed it to Jonas.
Jonas looked at the paper and recognized some of the addresses written on it as properties he owned along the waterfront.

Jonas’ brain was quickly thinking of what to say and how to approach this proposition.
He told Leonard that yes these were his properties and some were empty and for rent if anyone was interested but he would need to know the nature of the business going into his property before hand.

Leonard smiled at him and told Jonas that his friend was willing to pay double the asking rent.
Jonas looked at him and knew right then that whatever Leonard and his friend were up to, it was illegal and probably very profitable.
Double the rent was probably not enough but pushing for more might bring him more trouble at this moment but letting them get in and established would be more to his advantage.
He told Leonard that he could tell his friend that he just rented some properties and could stop by his office to sign the leases and put down the first six months rent.

Leonard smiled at him again and reached into his inside pocket and pulled out an envelope.
Laying it down on the small side table by Jonas he told him that there was a years worth of rent in the envelope and there was no need for a lease or for him to meet his friend.
He would be running the businesses for his friend and if Jonas had any concerns he could discuss it with him any time.

Jonas was hoping to meet up with Leonard’s friend; it never hurt to make new acquaintances, especially in the business world but that could wait to.
He asked Leonard when they planned on moving in and Leonard told him that they will be sending in workers to look at the place next week and to move in what was needed to make that place ready for their needs.
Jonas nodded his head acknowledging what he heard and told Leonard that he could stop by and get the keys from his office any time he was ready.
Leonard stood up, shook hands with Jonas and left the club.

Hali shot out of the bushes without making a sound and raced off toward the group of men at a dead run with Dakarai on his heels.
Even from this distance he could see Jeb’s eyes bulging from the rope around his neck squeezing the life out of him.
His would be executioners didn’t see Hali and Dakarai coming on them like two missiles in the dark.

Hali swept past the man standing over the woman and without breaking stride struck out with his hand hitting the man in the throat then plowed into the men holding Jeb knocking them down and releasing their grip on the rope holding Jeb suspended in the air by his neck.

Hali was back on his feet and was striking down on the men he had just knocked down.
He quickly ran to Jeb and cut his bonds with his knife before turning on the men once more that were stunned by the sudden attack but now beginning to get off the ground.

Dakarai was following in behind cleaning up in Hali’s wake.
He began by clubbing the man Hali struck in the throat by breaking the man’s neck with one powerful blow of his walking staff.
Then stepped into the crowd gathering around Hali and swung the stick with deadly accuracy.

A man ran up behind Hali poised to stab him in the back with his blade when Dakarai’s staff came out of nowhere breaking the man’s arm before coming around once more to reunite the attacker with his ancestors.

Just then a shot rang out and Hali turned to see Dakarai stager back against the same tree that just a few minutes earlier had Jeb as a decoration.
A man holding a pistol then swung the gun around to take aim at Hali but by then Hali had slipped his hand under his shirt and was now brandishing the new pistol Domingo had given him.

The gun leaped in his hand once, twice and the man stumbled back a few steps dancing on his toes before he fell flat on his back.
Hali swung the gun around stopping the rest of the men dead in their tracks like frozen statues in the night.

One man made a move towards Hali and he shot him through the stomach dropping him on the ground at their feet, the rest begun raising their hands not wanting any part of the fight now that they were on the loosing end.

Hali told them to pick up their dead and wounded then to get off of this place and never come back because if they did, he would follow them back to the homes and kill them in their sleep.
The men moved around picking up their dead and wounded before running off into the night.

When Hali was sure they were safe he ran to his brother Dakarai as he lay next to the tree.
Tearing open the tunic he could see that Dakarai was hit in the chest above the heart.
Hali quickly took off his shirt and began tearing it in strips.
At the same time his eyes scanned the area to make sure none of them were still in any danger and also looked to see where Jeb was.
The woman had crawled over to Jeb and was helping him to his feet.

Jeb came over and knelt by Hali’s side and asked him how bad Dakarai was, Hali told him it was bad.
Jeb told him that they should take him inside the house and try to fix him up there.

Hali asked Jeb where the doctor was.
Jeb looked down a little and told him that the doctor didn’t call on the Negroes even for double the money.
Hali held a look of shock at Jeb’s words before he went back to working on Dakarai’s wound making sure it was bandaged up with some herbs to hold back infection
When he was satisfied he looked at Jeb and asked him if he could have his wife watch Dakarai while Jeb took Hali to the doctor’s house.

Jeb told Hali Betty wasn’t his wife, she was his sister and that the doctor wouldn’t treat a black man.
Hali dismissed what Jeb said except the part of Betty being his sister.
Betty was a beautiful woman, tall and slender with bright brown eyes.

It only took seconds for Hali to come to a decision he didn’t have much time to think. Dakarai was hit hard and needed medical attention.
His herbs would keep him from infection and fever but the bleeding needed to be stopped and for that he needed the skill of a doctor.

Betty led the way through the dense swamp.
It was dark, even with the moon high above in was dark here, the darkest place he had ever been.
The air smelled of things long dead and the sounds that reached him were of creatures that could only bring death to live in such a place.
Hali had to stay close to Betty so that he wouldn’t loose her because it was so dark.

After about an hour they came out of the swamp and Betty told Hali that the doctor’s house was just across the meadow and pointed towards the distant glow of a light.
They walked across the meadow and stopped behind a bush where Hali told Betty that this was as far as she could go, he would go to the doctor’s house from here.

Hali moved from behind the bush and quietly made his way to the front door of the house
He could hear voices from the inside and one was getting louder as he got closer to the door.
The door swung open and there standing before Hali was a familiar face.

Jonas was sitting at his desk tallying the books for the year when he came across rental properties and saw the address of the properties he had rented out to Leonard.
Six months had passed since Jonas had rented his properties to Leonard and his silent partner and started wondering how or what business they were running out from there.
He didn’t really care as long as he got his rent money, so why was it bothering him right now.
He let it go from his mind and continued his book keeping until he had finished; it had been a good year for his investments.

When he was done he walked to the safe and opened the door and placed the ledger next to the satchel.
He stood there looking at it and then reached in and took out that hideous statue he hated so much.
He couldn’t understand what compelled him to keep it but he couldn’t throw it away for some reason.
He put it back in the safe and closed the door.

Jonas looked at the clock on the wall and saw it was 5 pm and decided he would stop by the club for a few brandies before going home to Maggie.
Things at home were not what they used to be of late either; Maggie had become more distant in the last couple of years.
When he was home they didn’t talk much unless she was asking for money to buy one thing or the other.
Maggie had expensive tastes, especially when it came to jewelry, always wanting to look as good if not better than some of the new high society wives she has been spending time with lately.

There was more, they weren’t having as much sex as they used to and Jonas was beginning to wonder what was wrong.
He was also starting to think about children, he would want to have an heir to leave all of this to but he wasn’t sure that Maggie could give him children.
She hadn’t gotten pregnant as of yet and they have been together for ten years now.

Jonas walked out of his office and to his car.
He started driving towards the club when the properties he had leased to Leonard came to mind and he decided to take a little detour then drove off towards the waterfront district.
Jonas pulled in front of one of his buildings and saw that they had given the outside a fresh coat of paint and a sign above the door said North Side Social Club, members only.

Walker

The Red Clay: Part Sixteen ©

Hali walked out of the bank and stood on the sidewalk staring at the balance in his bankbook barely believing his eyes.
He had never seen that much money before in one place at one time and to think that it was all his to do with as he pleased.
The first thing he needed to do was relaxed and gather his thoughts before he let his excitement get the better of him.

Back at his room he sat by his desk with a piece of paper writing down what his debts were so he could pay them.
His plan was to leave the money in the bank for now and use the monthly interest to pay off any debts he had, this way he doesn’t spend any of the money he was gifted.

He picked up the satchel and was putting it in the closet when he remembered the statue.
Hali opened the bag and took out the little box with the statue and then put the satchel in the closet for now.
He took out the statue and stared at it once more and then decided he will go see the professor and see if he could tell him anything about the statue.

On the way to see the professor his cell phone rang and it was Adalia asking what he was up to for lunch.
He told her he had a date with a lady from the commissary but he could try and get out of it for her.
She laughed at him and said she would see him at the cafeteria.
Hali told her that he would meet her at her work and that they were going to eat somewhere else for a change, his treat.

At the university he made his way to Professor Jones’ class office, he knocked on the door and entered but there was no one there.
Walking around the room Hali looked at the pictures on the wall, they were of a man with various tribesman of Africa.

Just then Professor Jones came in carrying a coffee in one hand and a bundle of papers in the other.
Professor Jones was surprised to see Hali since he hadn’t seen him in over a year, not since he finished his course.
They shook hands and the professor indicated towards the pictures with a nod and told him they were taken thee years earlier in Kenya.

He told Hali that next year he was going to the Ivory Coast to look into the history of the slave trade.
Hali told him that he would be going to Gabon next year as well to work with the Peace Corps; they might see each other there.
The professor told him that would indeed be a surprise bumping into a familiar face where there are none.

Then the professor asked him what brought him to his office, surely not his exploits in Africa.
Hali told him that he had an African statue given to him and wanted to know if there was anything that he could tell him about it.
The professor told him that he would be more than happy to help him out and asked to see the statue.
Hali took the small box out of his backpack and passed it to the professor.

The professor took the box from Hali and took the lid off of it and looked at the statue.
The second his eyes fell upon it and its recognition registered in his head he quickly put it on his desk and pushed back away from it.

The professor was obviously scared of the statue and Hali saw it in his eyes.
Hali asked him what was the matter.
The professor looked at him and asked where he got the statue.
Hali told him it was a long story but a dieing man on his way back to school gave it to him.
Hali asked him why the statue scared him; it was only clay.

The professor moved a little closer to his desk and told Hali that this was not just any clay statue you find at a souvenir shop, this was the real thing and not only was it real but it was made by a witchdoctor.
He told him that he has done a lot of reading into various tribal cultures and he seen sketches of such a statue.
It was supposedly molded out of clay and the blood of the artist and supposedly to carried a curse with it.

Hali was surprised with the professor and told him as much.
He didn’t think that the professor would be superstitious.
The professor told Hali that he wasn’t but he had seen some things in his time over there that he couldn’t explain and the same in Haiti when he had gone to visit there.
He pointed out the color of the clay to Hali and told him that there is no red clay like that in Africa, that’s blood in the clay and probably the witchdoctor’s blood.
Hali looked at the statue and its color, could it be blood?

The professor then told Hali about a story he heard when in Kenya about such a statue.
It was said that a witchdoctor made a statue such as this one with his own blood as he lay dieing and gave it to his young apprentice to give it to the one he wanted cursed.
Legend has it that the apprentice crossed all of Africa chasing this man and to make matters worse he had stolen the apprentice’s wife.

Hali asked the professor if the apprentice caught the man that took his wife?
Yes he did but he was killed and the woman lost to him but he managed to free all the other prisoners with his selfless act.
The people of Africa still tell the story about the young lion who fought the devil until his death so his people could live free.

Hali told him that was an intriguing story but still just a story and didn’t think that a statue can be cursed to kill a man.
He reached over and put the cover back on the small box then placed the statue back in his backpack.
He thanked the professor for the information on the statue and the story.

The professor told him that he was happy to help but not to be to quick and laugh at some of the old ways because he might be surprised one day when he sees something he believed not possible.
They shook hands and Hali told him that he will remember what he said and maybe see him in Africa if not sooner then left the university to go pick up Adalia for lunch.

Hali wasn’t superstitious but had heard stories from back home in Louisiana about voodoo and other strange happenings.
Some said that witch doctors had the capability to take possession of a person’s soul and make his body do what the witch doctor wanted him to do.
His grandmother knew the old ways to; she was good with herbs and extracts from different plants and had taught him that there were potions that could be created to put a person in a trance for as long as that person took the potion.
Curses and the like are just exaggerated stories and fates of luck, usually bad luck.

Hali found Ada sitting in the garden next to Diego’s grave.
He walked over and sat next to her with his arm around his mother and the both sat there quietly remembering the good times they had together in Hispaniola when he was a child and there was only the four of them.

“You’re leaving,” she said.
He told her that they were leaving in a couple of days and heading for America to see what it was like there.

They were silent for a few minutes, Ada knew this would be the last time she saw her son.
Once he got to this new land he would get lost in it as his father used to get lost in the jungle behind their little village.
The Village, that was a long time ago, a lifetime had passed since then but she remembers it like it was yesterday.
As a little girl she used to lie down on the grass and stare at the stars and wonder if that was all the sky that there was?
Was there more someplace else?

Since then she had learned that there is more sky and stars but not all stars lead to happy times but some shine brighter than others, her eyes drifted over to Diego’s headstone.
Now she was going to loose her son, the last connection to the past but it was his destiny and future.
Taking his hand she asked him to go for a walk through the garden with her and they both walked down the path together.

Hali stood on the deck of the ship looking at a place called New Orleans, he had never heard of this place before but it was the closest he could get to where Jeb lived.
Domingo secured them passage on this vessel; they were friends of Diego’s family and had a ship they used to bring trade goods to Mexico.

It was hard leaving his mother and the others behind, he doesn’t know when he will see them again, if ever but this is something he had to do.
There was a yearning in him to go out and see the world and help those along the way who needed help.
Besides, he wasn’t alone, Dakarai was with him.
Dakarai looked upon this new land and could almost see his future out there over the horizon.
He was glad to be here with Hali to see this new world and what it had to offer.

As they walked down the muddy street they looked around their surroundings and the people, lots of people all running around in a hurry to be somewhere.
Neither one of them spoke English very well but they were surprised that French was a popular language here and they managed to find a place where the could hire a coach to take them to Baton Rouge where Jeb lived.

When they found the place they needed to go to get tickets for the stage, they walked in and up to the counter.
Hali smiled at him and asked him if there was a stage going to Baton Rouge.
The clerk told him that there was one leaving in two hours.
Hali asked him how much and paid for two tickets.
Before he had left Spain, Domingo had given them some American money he had acquired.
He thought that it would be easier for Hali if he didn’t have foreign currency.

They walked out front and waited for the stage with a couple of other people.
They were not used to this many people around, even in Spain they lived in the country so there weren’t that many people but here, the streets and sidewalks were bustling with people and wagons.
Just then the stagecoach pulled up in front of the office.

People gathered at the door and were let in one at a time until Hali and Dakarai got to the door.
Their tickets were taken and were told they had to ride on top on the coach.
Hali looked into the coach and could see two open seats and told the driver that there was room in the coach but the driver told him that his kind rode on top not in the coach.
Hali looked at Dakarai and slowly started climbing to the top of the coach.
He didn’t want any trouble so he opted to avoid it for now and climb up to the top of the coach even though they did pay the same fare as those sitting inside.

Jonas walked through the mansion, it was big and will be the biggest place he had ever lived in and it was all his now.
When he opened the safe in his father’s office he found papers for all his legal holdings and some not so legal.
Inside there was also a satchel filled with money, gold from various countries and a small statue, ugly little thing.

With all this money he could now live the life of leisure and get away from New York, it was to big for his liking.
As soon as his father’s will was settled he packed up what little he had and moved.
He had bought this mansion in Chicago to get away from any connection to his father and any shady business he was involved in, fearing any backlash because of his father’s sudden demise.
All he wanted was someplace to be with Maggie and spend his father’s money carelessly in peace.

Over the next few years they made a name of themselves by fixing up their new home and inviting the right people over for parties and elaborate dinners.
They also attended many of the Balls and events hosted by many of the city’s well to do people.
The rich and famous knew how to spend their money and did it often.

Desperately wanted to be in the same group as some of his new friends were in and spent his money are blindly as the other but he lacked one thing they had and that was a steady income.
His inheritance was quickly being depleted and he had to find a way to replenish what he was spending.
He started looking into the real estate business and decided to buy properties around the city for a cheap price and rent out accommodations for high rents to get a quick return on his investments.

He started with one housing unit and then another.
Since the great fire 30 years earlier a lot of construction had happened and there were many buildings that were quickly falling upon receivership and Jonas took advantage of this.
He bought many properties for the money which was owed and in most cases well below its worth.
As time went on Maggie showed to be an asset with her past background.
Her ability to get city officials in precarious positions opened many doors and eliminated much of the red tape that would otherwise had impeded some of Jonas’ endeavors.
Maggie was just as hungry for the high life as her husband was and she didn’t mind a little scandalous behavior to get it.

As the years went by he kept and eye on the world around him and he noticed the buildup of weapons in Europe and followed his fathers footsteps and invested in some of the foundries that were involved in the manufacture of steel and a couple of weapons manufactures.

When he wasn’t looking for ways to make money Jonas spent his time in some of the various men's clubs in the city while Maggie tours the shops with the wives of some of the same people Jonas was with at the clubs Jonas did business with.
They used this as a way to gain information of what was happening in the business world.

Germany was making significant advances in weapons development and war was in the air according to many people.
This posed an opportunity for many businessmen to make money investing in weapons development and sales.

That summer Jonas bought a house in Canada at the Lake of the Woods area where many of his friends had bought lavish houses to summer in.
This will turn out to be one of the best investments Jonas had ever made.
Life for Jonas and Maggie was all coming up roses but dark clouds were gathering in the distance that might one day bring their house of cards crashing down by the weight of their manipulating.

Jonas was straightening up his home office when he opened up the satchel before he put it back in the safe.
The satchel was the only thing he owned that was personally his father’s from even before he was born.
Taking out the small statue he looked at it more carefully, it was crude in its shaping, like the artist had rushed the job.
He didn’t know its significance but he couldn’t throw it away either for some reason, it’s like it was always meant to be his.
Walking over to the mantle, he placed it on top then returned the satchel to the safe and locked it up.

After making sure his desk was cleared off of any papers showing is business affairs he walked towards the door but as he walked he looked at the mantle and the statue looked as if it was watching his every move.
He walked downstairs where Maggie was waiting for him so they could go out to dinner and maybe to take in a show at the theater.

The coach rumbled through the wilderness as it headed towards their destination, Baton Rouge.
They had not seen Jeb since Cuba and that was a little over a year now and Hali hoped he was doing well.
With what he had seen so far, blacks where not treated the same as white people, even the foreigners were treated better than the ex slaves of this country.

It was a two-day drive with two stops to change horses.
They arrived in Baton Rouge on the evening of the second day and went about trying to find out where Jeb lived.
Any white person they asked ignored their inquiries and kept on walking but they managed to find a white youth who said he knew who Jeb was and where he lived.
He even offered to take them there because it was outside of town and a little tricky to find it at nighttime.
Hali thanked him and followed the boy as he led the way out of town and into the dark countryside.

They were about five miles out of town when the boy stopped and sat down saying that he was tired to rest for a bit.
He asked Hali where they were from and if they were related to Jeb.

Hali told him that they were not related with Jeb but were friends and they fought together in Cuba.
He told him that they were from Hispaniola originally but had just arrived from Spain.

While he was talking to the boy, Hali heard noises coming from the bushes behind them.
He had casually while talking to the boy turned and looked at Dakarai but he could see in his brother’s eyes that he had been alerted by the noise from behind them.
Just then six men burst out from the bushes.
The boy jumped back amongst them and told the men that Hali and his traveling companion were unarmed, assuring the highwaymen of an easy victory and rushed in on Hali and Dakarai all at once.

Hali was well trained in the art of fighting by some of the best teachers Diego could find and some of them were pirates.
There was even a man from the orient that spent a year with them showing him how to use his hands as weapons.
Dakarai had his staff and had proven lethal with it in the past.

It was Dakarai that was first to react meeting the attackers head on; he let go with a battle scream that shocked their assailants putting them off guard long enough for him to strike the biggest one in the head with his staff then spun around on one foot swinging the staff in a wide arc over his head then coming down shattering the stunned man’s shoulder.

Hali brushed off a blow with an open palm then swiftly sliding his hand up the arm of his attacker until he got to his mans chin and twisted it ‘back and up until he heard the neck snap.
Hali was kicking a second man in the groin before the first one had hit the ground, then rained hard punches on the side of his head until he collapsed on the ground next to the first one unconscious.

Dakarai had broken another man’s leg and was bearing down on a third one when the man put up his hands and started to back away.
The last robber pulled out a knife and faced Hali with it in his hand.
Hali produced his own blade from under his shirt and they both slowly moved in at each other.

The man moved like a cat and swiftly shot in and out slashing at Hali with his razor sharp blade.
They circled around each other, looking for an opening or a mistake, anything that would give them an edge for a killing blow.

Dakarai stood there watching when he saw the boy off to the side and rushed him.
He didn’t put up much of a fight and Dakarai held him there on the ground as the other two battled.

The robber feigned a rush causing Hali to shift his guard then he moved in and carved a line across Hali’s chest.
A smile grew on his face when he saw the blood seep through Hali’s shirt.

Hali looked down at his chest then back at the other man.
This wasn't just some street ruffian, he knew how to fight with skill not brute force like the others and had to fight him the same if he was going to survive this.
Now that he has tasted blood Hali knew he would move soon to finish the kill or to inflict a little more damage.
The chances were that he would try the same trick again since it was so effective the first time and that’s when he will have his chance.

They circled some more and his attacker feigned another rush and Hali shifted his guard once more but this time he moved to his left and forward just as his opponent rushed in past him.
Hali’s knife shot up and into the others armpit to the hilt.
They both stood there for what seemed and eternity before Hali withdrew the knife from the man and stepped back away from him.

Blood was gushing out of the wound as the man stood there teetering on his feet before he collapsed to his knees then the ground rushed up to his face.
Hali stuck his knife into the ground a couple of times to clean the blade before he put it away then walked over to Dakarai and his prisoner.

Hali could see the fear in the boy’s eyes as he walked towards him; a sure thing turned bad for him and his friends and was now probably wondering how long he had to live himself.
How many unsuspecting people had he lured here for these men robbed and murder?

Hali coolly walked over to him and told the boy to stand up.
As soon as he was on his feet Hali punched him in the face hard sending the boy reeling to the ground.
Blood gushed out of his broken nose as he lay there on the ground.
Hali told him to get up but the boy hesitated and anger grew in Hali and snarled at him to get up and as soon as the boy was on his feet again, Hali hit him again sending the boy once more to the ground.

Hali stood over him and asked the boy if he knew where Jeb lived?
The boy nodded his answer and Hali reached down and pushed him down the road towards where he said Jeb lived.

About a mile down the road they left it to walk into the forest.
The boy said that Jeb lived in the woods and there was no road to his place just this small path.
As they walked down the path something caught Hali’s attention and they all stopped to listen.
They could hear faint screaming voices in the distance.
Hali pushed the boy onward at a faster pace towards the noises they had heard.

The reached the edge of a clearing where they saw a group of people standing around holding torches lighting up the night.
The boy said they were the clan, a group that hated Negroes.
Just then two more came out of the house dragging Jeb between them, a woman ran out of the house and attacked the men holding Jeb but one of the others went over and beat her to the ground.

They took Jeb to a tree and the boy said they were going to hang him by the neck from there.
Hali wasn’t going to let this happen.
The boy wished him luck and started to walk away but Hali grabbed him by the shirt and told him that he wasn’t going to leave that way but he was doing to run across the front of them and into the woods on the other side.
The boy protested saying that they would kill him if he were caught.
Hali told him that if he ran fast enough they wouldn’t catch him shoved him out.
The boy looked at where he had to run and crept as close as he could without being seen before he burst out at a full sprint for the other side of the clearing.

He could hear men yelling at him to stop and a bullet went whizzing by about three feet to his left but that only made him run faster.
He could here them chasing him as he entered the woods on the other side, crashing through the thick brush as it whipped his body, punishment for his past deeds.

Two men ran after the boy leaving about eight to deal with between the two of them and Jeb as soon as he was freed of his bonds.
They moved out of their cover and crept slowly towards the group of men standing by the tree.
Hali knew it would be hard for them to be seen because the men would be blinded by the torches they held in their hands and they were busy with Jeb at that moment.

Jeb stood there with his hands tied knowing that life as he knew it was over.
He had fought for his freedom, had fought for his country and now he was going to die because he was black.

A rope was thrown over the limb of the tree as its noose came down and dangled infront of Jeb's face before it was slipped over his head a pulled tight
Its rough fibers burned the skin around his neck as a group of men started hoisting him upward.
He felt his feet leave the ground, desperately his legs thrashed around searching for solid ground to stand on as his brain became a burning inferno of pain and fear.

The woman ran up from the ground and crawled under Jeb’s legs trying to give him something to stand on but one of the hooded men kicked her in the stomach then dragged her off to the side where her tore her dress open.

As the noose grew tighter around his neck Jeb looked over and could see Betty laying on the ground, her dressed ripped open with a man standing above her opening his pants.

Walker