Page 28 of Stone Blind

“Baby, you have no idea,” Helen said, getting out of the truck. She held the jar of peaches and pickles under her arm as she went towards the door of the building she suspected.

Yield wanted her to wait and explain what she was doing, but he was having too much fun watching the crazy woman work. As bright as an orange jacket in the woods, Helen walked up to the door. She knocked, and to his amazement, a woman answered. Helen showed the woman the jars and passed them to her. The lady accepted them with a head nod and Helen pointed down the street away from Yield’s truck. Empty-handed, she returned to the truck. She took her phone and sent a text.

“In five, we go back to the door and toss in two and pull the door wide to let the kids run out first,” she said.

“We have the right place?”

“We have the right place.”

“The peaches and pickles?”

“I told her Rochelle was in the truck ready to make a delivery of the rest of it, but she sent me to make sure we had the right place,” Helen said. “She is headed to the rear door to accept the delivery of the invisible truck I told her was coming around back.”

“Dear Lord,” Yield said.

“Yeah, say another prayer, Preacher’s Boy, because things are about to get hot. Let’s do this,” she said.

Chapter 9 -Dog

Neither Yield nor Helen made a move until they spotted the top of the fire engine coming over the rise of road. In tandem, they exited the F-150, carrying two cans each of smoke and tear gas. As they reached the front door, Yield tested the door with his hand, knocking with the old Shave and a Haircut rap with his knuckles, bringing a Neanderthal with no neck to the door. He caught the man off guard by punching him in the throat and pulling the pin on the tear gas. He stuck the can in the man’s hand as he sputtered.

Helen bent low, rolling into the building a can of smoke followed by a can of tear gas. For good measure, she yelled out, “Going high!” which led Yield to duck as she did a three-point type of toss from an invisible mid-court line into the space. Coughing, sputtering, and crying could be heard as kids ran out, followed by half-dressed adult men.

Police officers arrived, going for the adults first. A van driven by Pear pulled up, collecting frightened children who ran out of the building into her wide embrace. The officers who weren’t making arrests of people coming out of the building stormed inside the structure, stopping at what they saw. Helen didn’t need to see it, she didn’t want to, but she did want to see the woman who answered the door the first time.

“Where’s that Heffah?” Helen said aloud, walking past the playground towards the kitchen. She spotted movement in the pantry and pulled her weapon. “Come on out, sweetheart, time to play a game.”

The woman came forward. Her eyes radiated hatred, and Helen didn’t give two shits. Any woman who peddled child flesh deserved a bullet as far as she was concerned.

“What are you, FBI or some shit?” the woman asked.

“No, a hell of a lot worse,” Helen replied. “Help me, help you. I can make your sentence go a lot easier if you tell me where the other two Fields of Flowers are in town so I don’t have to go hunting.”

“And why the fuck would I do that? These people will kill me,” the woman said.

“Sis I will kill you and not lose a night of sleep. I can pull the trigger right now and end your shitty existence and no one, I mean no one, will call me out for doing it or express concerns about you no longer being alive,” Helen said. “So, easy or dead, your call.”

“You don’t have it in you to shoo....fuck!” the woman screamed as a bullet pierced her upper thigh.

“The next one goes into your head. Talk so I can get home in time for dinner,” Helen said as Yield came into the room along with Pear.

The woman, clutching her leg, offered up the other two warehouses. Helen made note of both and called for medics to come care for the woman. She hoped the information was accurate and not a waste of time.

To Pear, she asked, “Hey, can you do two more today?”

“Two more what?” Pear asked, looking at Helen in shock.

“She gave the location of the other two warehouses, and we can shut down the Fields in greater Milwaukee,” she said.

“Maybe, but we need an idea of size, and hell, I’m at a loss here, Cranberry. How did you find this so fast?”

“I’m working with one of the best trackers in the business, so I can’t take all the credit,” she said, offering Yield a smile.

He once more found himself impressed that she didn’t take all the glory when all he’d done was basically drive her around. Cranberry made the call, she found the clues, she followed her nose, and she located what they sought. She also closed down a Field with minimal loss of life.

He too was curious, “Pear, can we do it?”

“Scout it out, call it in, and let me know,” Pear replied.

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