Four hours on the road and I finally reached Snake Valley. I haven’t had anything to eat all afternoon and I ignored the ‘AllYouCanEat’ sign at the local diner heading straight for Lukes Cavern. It’s the seediest bar in town and had all that folks like me wanted. I walked into the bar through the revolving glass door as a stripper left with her client. She looked at me like she expected me to drool all over her and then smiled as I went on in.
The bar was exactly as it was four months ago when I left Snake Valley to attend my buddy Shawn’s funeral in Washington DC. Dim blue/red lights, some flickering, fat ugly bartender ordering a waitress to clean up table 7, and the center of attraction Gemini the blonde babe flirting with the lucky few. I sat on a stool close to the exit door and ordered scotch . It’s nice to have familiar faces around even if you don’t trust any of them.
As the hours passed the crowd thinned out, the strip show was over and only drunkards & junkies stuck to their chairs. I turned to my right to look at the clock and was sort of disappointed to see another pretty young thing in my face. She was about to say something when a burly young man grabbed her left hand and told her it was time to leave.
I didn’t say a word and nursed my drink. “I wanna STAY,” she said all the while looking at me.
“Beat it PUNK,” he roared. I stared at him and took a last swallow of scotch. His name was Butch. He ran sort of an escort service a couple of blocks away from the bar.
I finally said. ”Don’t want any Trouble.” I hadn’t completed my parole and had no intention of going back to the lock up. Besides I was past barroom brawls and fistfights. Butch threw his cigar down, firmed his grip on her and started to drag her towards the door. She stomped her feet on his cowboy boots and loosened her hand off his paws.
“Get away from me Butch or I will call the cops on you”
“Don’t come running to me when you run out of dough,” and he left with a frown.
A boozer to my right got up and stumbled out of the bar. My damsel gracefully took his seat. She looked at her nails, like nothing happened. I prepared to leave and called for my check. “
My name is Java, what do they call you?” she asked. For the first time I looked her top to bottom. She was dressed in a black number and looked like she was going to a formal ball.
“ They call me Trigger, Good-Night”, I answered as I got up to leave. She walked out of the bar behind me and caught up to my pace.
“ I am not one of those escort girls you know. I had purpose behind my trip to that joint. I need your help”, I was amused.
“ I heard you were a friend of my father Mr. Bloom”, she continued, “ he disappeared two months ago just a day before his public petition was about to be heard”, I was all ears.
“ He was a good friend, what happened?” , I queried.
“ He was fighting the Snake Syndicate to stop deforestation in the Valley. The Syndicate owns most of the filthy joints here. They wanted to build casinos and strip clubs and start a small Las Vegas desert of their own in Snake Valley”.
“ I will check it out, I promise, go on home now it’s late” I said as I mounted my Bullet.
The age-old spawn of Royal Enfield Motors, the small sturdy Bullet was just right for my frame and build. I turned the petrol lock & put in the ignition, one smooth kick and The Bullet was thumping. I rode off as she turned away. I saw her silhouette in my rear view mirror as it blended into the dark street.
It was 10 o’clock when I woke up. I stepped into the shower and saw my gruff face. Didn’t feel like shaving still, I dried off and put on my jeans and jacket. What was going on in the Valley I had no idea. All seemed normal, but that’s not necessarily a good thing. I went over to the diner I had passed yesterday – ‘Lou Bakers’. I ordered coffee & eggs and signed Lou to come sit at my table. He came over with my breakfast and slid into a chair opposite mine.
“ What’s up Trigger? Nice to see you out and about…”
“ What’s this I here about Bloom and the Syndicate?” , I asked him bluntly.
“ You don’t wanna go there. You know as much about the Syndicate as I do, let them do their thing. Anyways most of the businessmen here feel they are Pioneers and that they are doing the right thing”.
“ You like desert air Lou? What happened to Bloom.” I continued seriously?
“Word around the Valley is the Syndicate warned him plenty before burying him in the forest,” he looked around the diner, “if you want to give him a proper funeral that’s not a good idea either”.
“ What does the Sheriff have to say about all this?” , I asked.
“ He is going by the book , has environment officials scouting the forest. The Syndicate has bought enough land from the Government to setup shop and destroy the forest. There is not much opposition and Bloom fought a lone & fruitless battle.”
“You expecting any trouble for Bloom’s daughter,” I had to ask?
“Not if she has learnt anything from all this,” replied Lou.
I got up and shook Lou’s hand. There was no way of fighting the Syndicate. They were everywhere, had their hand in every pocket. I took off to see Java assuming she stayed at her father’s home. I had to somehow convince her to let it all rest and maybe get her to leave town. As I heard the beats of the Bullet my heart pumped blood faster and wild thoughts of vengeance & fury crept up my mind. I had to keep my head together.
The quaint brown house looked nice to come home to. I parked in the driveway and knocked on the door. Java wasn’t home. I walked in and saw a broken chair and furniture strewn about. There were signs of a struggle. I checked all the rooms. There was the familiar cigar on the floor as I recalled Butch’s ugly frown. That seemed the most likely event and I went over to my ride. I pulled out a Revolver from my saddlebag and stuffed it in my jacket. Next stop – ‘Red Corner’, Butch’s joint.
I hadn’t been there before and I was ready for anything. The Bullet roared into the street and I was parking in the alley behind Red Corner within 30 minutes. I walked in as the jokers tried to impress the girls accompanying them. My eyes looked all around as I hurried into the room searching for Java. I saw Miller and Speed, Syndicate leaders talking to Butch at a table opposite the bar. Butch was part of the Syndicate and I was hoping they weren’t part of this. I slid into a small table for two and spied on the three at the other table. Butch was loud and demanded the girl for himself. Speed seemed to have made up his mind about Java’s existence.
I moved away from my table and drifted upstairs to the guest rooms even as I saw Miller and Speed leave behind me. Upstairs a bouncer stood outside a closed door. “Java!” I walked on up to the guy casually. He tried to grab my jacket, I moved out of his reach and punched him on the side of his face. He was bleeding, but not knocked out, so I helped him with a kick while he was hunched over. I pushed the door open and saw Java sobbing in a couch with her face buried into the cushion.
I whispered, “Hey, Java, we are outta here?” She looked up startled and smiled while tears continued to roll down her cheek. She was about to get up when I felt a hard cold butt at the back of my head. I was all over the floor when I turned to look up at Butch’s fist coming down on my face. I rolled over and reached for my Revolver. Too late as Butch had one in his hand.
“You better have a damn good explanation you Moron” he roared.
I stood up and glanced over at Java curled up on the sofa with her feet pulled up close, like a small child.
“We’re leaving town, we don’t need to do this,” I said directly.
“You should have kept your nose out of the Syndicate’s business, now you are gonna pay you bastard,” Butch snarled.
The bouncer was getting to his feet and Butch looked over my shoulder towards him. I pounced on Butch. He was strong but I had his right wrist twisted enough for him to scream for help. Java grabbed a chair and smashed it on the bouncer’s head. ‘So that’s how she broke the chair at her place’, I thought as Butch tried to kick me out of his way. The gun went off and Java screamed and stepped back. I got up on my feet with blood on my jacket. Butch was dead.
I grabbed Java by her arm and took her towards the fire escape. We got down the building right into the alley where I had parked my Bullet. I mounted the bike as Java looked all around her. I kick started the bike and pulled her up on the pillion seat. She said something about her home. I was ready to fight the world for her. I rode out of the Valley instinctively though and she relaxed with her small head resting on my shoulders. As we sped past the milestone announcing city limits I felt her body shiver against my back. I wriggled out of my jacket and passed it to her without slowing down. She put it on and pointed to a chapel by the road.
Copyright Ujjwal Dey 2004
