. 06

The morning seemed to slow down the closer the time for Nick and Hana to arrive got. Patricia was peeking outside every five minutes because she thought that she heard a car door opening. Kenji didn't stop her but watched her with an amused expression on his face.

"Papa?" Ralph called as he watched Patricia make another trip to the window, "Why does mama keep looking outside?"

"She is very excited." Kenji replied, "I am going to teach her how to drive."

Ralph looked suitably impressed at the revelation and then looked back at Patricia who was once again back at the window.

"They're here!" she called excitedly as she ran to grab her purse.

Ralph, Marie and Kenji met them at the door. Kenji took one look at Nick's face and knew that he was bothered about something.

"Grampa Nick! Gramma Hana!" Ralph cried out.

"Hello Ralph, how are you?" Nick asked.

"Fine, papa is going to teach mama how to drive!"

"I know." Nick replied. "That's why me and your grandmother are here."

"Hello Ralph," Hana said with a smile. Marie was in her arms and playing with Hana's long hair. "We brought new reading books for you." she added.

Patricia's pending driving lesson was forgotten as Ralph took the bag containing the books from Nick's hands and carried them to the couch.

"Where is Patricia?" Hana asked looking around.

"She is getting ready for our lesson." Kenji replied still watching Nick. He waited until Hana had gone up the stairs before speaking to Nick.

"What is it?"

"Nothing to worry about just yet but there's talk of Lawrence getting out of prison even sooner than we thought." Nick replied.

"How is this possible?" Kenji asked shocked.

Nick shrugged, "apparently he's made some friends that are in high places."

"What are you thinking?" Kenji asked.

"I don't know yet but Kenji, watch your back. Paul's been keeping me updated on what's happening at school. There are groups like the one led by Andrew Kelley popping up all over the place but they aren't calling themselves t Klan although their beliefs are the same."

The conversation quieted when the men heard Hana and Patricia come into the room.

"Does mother know?" Kenji asked.

"Yes and so does Abby and Sally." Nick replied, "I'm leaving it up to you to tell Patricia."

"I'm ready!" Patricia said her voice filled with anxiety and excitement.

"I will talk to her about this soon." Kenji said as Patricia reached him.

"Talk to me about what?" Patricia asked.

"Nothing that needs our attention right now." Kenji replied as he put his arm around her to guide her to the door.

"Take you time." Nick told them as they walked out, "we plan to be here all day."

After thanking them, Kenji helped Patricia into the car and drove them to an empty parking lot, parked, got out and helped Patricia out of the passenger side and into the driver's seat. When she was settled in, the lesson began.

"Alright Kirei." Kenji said, "You already know how to start a car and to some extent on how to drive it but what you lack is the practical experience...."

"Yes." Patricia said, "I can't drive, we know that." she added anxious to get on with the lesson.

Before Kenji could say anything, Patricia had started the car and was trying to get it into gear.

"Kirei...."

Patricia tried to remember what she had seen Kenji do with his feet and got nowhere.

"Why am I not moving?" she asked exasperated.

"Kirei," Kenji said softly, "the brake is on and you are stalling the engine."

"What?"

"The brake is on and you are stalling the engine." Kenji repeated patiently.

It was a full hour before Patricia made any progress in getting from a stand still to moving a few feet before jerking to a stop.

"Kirei..."

"I can do this!" Patricia exclaimed becoming increasingly frustrated that she couldn't do something that had looked so easy.

"Kirei stop." Kenji said softly as he placed a hand on top of hers.

Patricia stopped, the patient tone of his voice having more of an effect than the touch of his hand on hers.

"Give me your hand." He commanded holding his hand out to her.

Patricia held out her hand to him closing her eyes as he began a slow massage of her hands that could have become sensual if the circumstances had been right.

"Close your eyes."

"Kenji...."

"Kirei, please close your eyes." he repeated. When she complied, he led her through a series of breathing exercises. The lesson didn't begin again until Kenji was sure that she had calmed enough to listen.

"You are just beginning and it will take you some time to learn this but you will learn."

"I know. I just wanted to be able to do it right away." Patricia replied, "It's harder than it looks."

They spent the afternoon in the parking lot practicing and by the time they left, Patricia could slowly drive around the parking lot without jerking around so much. When she was tempted to go to fast Kenji slowed her down.

"Patience Kirei, the speed will come soon enough."

Hana and Nick had supper made when they came in; the house smelled of baking fish and steamed rice.

"Can you drive now?" Ralph asked.

"A little." Patricia replied.

"She did very well." Kenji said as he picked Marie up.

While Patricia and Hana finished dinner, Kenji and Nick talked.

"I think that it's a good idea that you're teaching Patricia how to drive." Nick said, "I've been thinking that I should teach Hana to drive as well."

"I think that is wise." Kenji agreed, "I want them to be able to get away if anything should happen but what of Sally? Maybe she should be taught as well."

"Will just bought a car and is already teaching her... Kenji I'm wondering if we should think about moving closer together. I know that we have at least another two years before Lawrence is released but I don't want to wait until he's free to pull something together, we need to have a plan in place."

"He will come back." Kenji murmured.

"I believe so and Sally and the children will be his first targets simply because he knows where they live." Nick replied.

"Dinner!" Patricia called from the kitchen interrupting any further conversation.

********

Becca looked out of her bedroom window regretting her decision to leave LA. She had been at her uncle and aunt's house for less than a week and was bored beyond belief. The only thing that buoyed her spirits was seeing that everyone- meaning everyone not white seemed to know their place. Aside from that, there was nothing to do except reading and church.

She called her father after three days and begged him to let her come home.

"No, you stay where you're at, you've cost me enough money and when you get back here....'

Becca tuned him out, she had heard that particular speech several times before she left and had counted her blessings that her parents didn't know about what had happened at school and the rumors about her. It would kill them to know that their sweet girl was anything but.

"Becca! Come on!" her cousin Nancy called, "we're going to be late!"

Becca groaned. She had no desire to go to the church social. She wanted to stay in her room and brood about Andrew. Like it or not, she still loved him and if he called right now and told her to get back to LA, she'd be on the next bus home no questions asked. However, that phone call wasn't going to come, not now, not ever. That she had lost him to another woman would have hurt but it was to what her relatives politely called a "darkie" who happened to be very married.

"Becca!"

"Coming!" Becca called back as she fixed her lipstick and grabbed a sweater even though she was almost sure that she wouldn't need it. The weather was already warm and humid making her usually full-bodied blonde hair look limp. Tired of fussing with it, Becca tied it back with a brightly colored scarf and left the room.

"It's about time!" Nancy said, "If we're late we'll have to sit with mama and daddy."

Becca didn't ask what would be so bad about that, she didn't care. The only thing that she cared about was that she had nine more weeks to spend with her cousin and that she had to rely on the mail for any real news of what was happening at home. They arrived at the park, located the table where Nancy's parents' were, help set out the food and took off.

Nancy it seemed was a social butterfly, she seemed to know everyone and everyone seemed to know and love her. She made a real effort of introducing Becca to everyone including the men that she found attractive. For Becca, the whole thing was a boring affair until she turned around to see a pair of blue eyes staring at her.

"Nancy! Who is that?" Becca asked.

"Him?" she asked dreamily, "is Robert Cole and don't waste your time. Every girl here has tried to get close to him and so far no one's managed anything more than a polite hello."

"Then why is he staring at me like that?" Becca asked.

"I dunno, maybe it's because he knows you came in from California." Nancy replied not liking the way that Robert was looking at Becca.

"He's cute." Becca said as she flashed a smile over at him.

"Yeah well...."

"Nancy! Do you like him?" Becca asked finally understanding her cousin's reaction.

"Sure me and every unattached girl here." Nancy replied glancing wistfully at Robert who was talking to someone.

"Does he know?"

"NO! And don't you dare say anything!" Nancy exclaimed.

"Why on earth not?" Becca asked.

"I don't know how things are done in California," Nancy said, "but here if a girl approaches a boy, she's considered fast if you know what I mean."

"Well I think that's stupid." Becca said stealing another glance at Robert.

"Alright everyone, gather around, its dinner time!" Nancy's father Bert called, "Robbie you want to say the blessing?" he asked.

"Robbie" turned out to be none other than Robert the object of Nancy's and now Becca's desire.

"Sure Bert!" Robert called back as he bowed his head to pray.

Becca bowed her head but watched Robert through half open eyes and decided that maybe her coming to South Carolina wasn't such a bad thing after all.

*********

Lawrence had a new right hand man. This one he had checked out before giving him the position. Duke Lewis was smart but not as smart as the last right hand man had been. He would be incapable of doing what Carl had done and Duke would follow orders. It still galled Lawrence that Carl had managed to escape with not only his life but with a notebook containing everything that they had discussed. His only consolation was nothing to link him to any of the murders that he sanctioned. They were suspicious but there was no proof of his involvement. The list that Carl had was only a list of people that Lawrence wanted to visit when his term was up. He had never used the words kill, hurt or murder but even so, anyone with half a brain knew exactly what he meant.

It was time to start planning for day he walked out of the prison as a free man, two years would pass quickly and he wanted to be ready. He had more than enough places to stay while in the south, California was going to be the problem. There was no way in hell that Sally would let him stay with her but that was alright, he was going to visit her anyway. The last time he had spoken to her was when she called to let him know that his father had died. If she was expecting him to express any kind of remorse or sympathy then she got a rude awakening when he told her "good riddance, one less to visit."

He chuckled at her shock and the sudden hang up. When made his visit to her, maybe he would screw her first. It wouldn't be fornication; she was still his wife until he signed the divorce papers that lay in an envelope under his mattress. When he first received the papers, he had been furious and then he calmed down. There was no way in hell he was signing those papers. , he would tell her that in person when he was finished with her.

The way he saw it, Nick Alexander was going to be his biggest problem and if there was any way to eliminate him before parole he would do it but Nick was too high profile and besides and he wanted to do it himself. Lawrence smiled to himself as he imagined Nick begging and pleading for his life as his blood ran from him. However, there was another issue, the lawyer that put him away was living with Sally. Lawrence found that out from Doc before he met his demise. He was going to receive a visit too, maybe he would make him watch the visit with Sally and of course, there were the kids to consider. He wondered how hard it would be to get them back onto the straight and narrow.

Lawrence mentally ran through the list of inmates that he knew were going to be soon paroled and wondered which of them he could trust to be his eyes and ears in California. The issue was going to be getting him there and then finding a place for him to live as well as providing the money for him to live on. He tucked it away as something that needed further thought and headed for what he called bible study which wasn't a lie as far as he was concerned. They read the scripture, said a beginning and closing prayer and even sang a hymn or two.

"Lawrence, you ready to start?" Duke asked.

"Give me a minute will you? As a matter of fact, why don't you get started with the opening prayer?" Lawrence asked knowing that it would make the big man happy.

"You got it! And Erwin is looking for you."

"Huh... I wonder what he wants." Lawrence muttered to himself. Out of all of the guards, Erwin J. Little was the one who could help him the most because he had family in California. Of all of the guards, he was also the one who was able to resist the charms of Lawrence Goodman no matter how much Lawrence and his men kissed his ass.

"Where is he?" Lawrence asked.

"By the laundry and he says for you to come alone."

"Alright, go on and start the meeting." Lawrence said, "And if I'm not there in twenty minutes send someone to see what's going on."

Five minutes later, Lawrence was on his way to the laundry to meet Erwin. He found the man leaning against the wall smoking a cigarette.

"Bout time you got your sorry ass here." Erwin said.

"My apologies..."

"Shut the fuck up Goodman!" Erwin growled, "Your high and mighty manners don't work with me. I know who and what you are and I also know what you want from me."

Lawrence held his tongue; he needed Little's help and tried to smooth things over.

"Little...."

'Close your fucking mouth and listen up." Erwin said blowing smoke into Lawrence's face. "I don't like you." he said. "You hide behind your phony act instead of being what you are, a crazy son of a bitch but I like the way you think."

"Now wait a god damned minute!" Lawrence snarled.

"Ah there he is!" Erwin drawled as he took another puff of his cigarette, "the real Lawrence Goodman appears."

"What do you want?" Lawrence asked.

"The same thing you do." Erwin replied, "to save the white race from the niggers, homos and Jews but my question to you is this, what are you willing to do to meet that goal?"

"What do you mean?" Lawrence asked.

"I'm not the only one who feels as you do." Erwin replied, "But we're not ass kissers."

"I don't..."

"The hell you don't but then again its how you've managed to keep your little group going isn't it?" Erwin asked

"Again, I ask what do you want?" Lawrence repeated.

"Nothing really, I just wanted to let you know that I'm on to you and that I have the warden's ear."

"Are you threatening me?" Lawrence asked.

Erwin smiled but didn't answer as he put out his cigarette.

"I happen to know that you ordered that government man to be killed." Erwin replied still smiling. "I even know who beat him. All I have to do is go to the warden. Don't get me wrong, he agrees with your politics to a degree but believe me when I say, you'll hang if I tell him everything that I know."

The longer the conversation went on, the more Lawrence understood what was happening. In spite of his having the same views, Erwin Little was planning to blackmail him. Rage built up in Lawrence, to him, Ernie Little was no better than the very people he was trying to save the white race from.

"So it's blackmail." Lawrence said softly.

"Don't even bother to hand me that bullshit about you not having any money," Erwin said, "I know for a fact that all of the men in your group give you any cash that they get from home."

"How do you know all of this?" Lawrence asked as he tried to decide on what to do. Giving Erwin money was out of the question. He would need every penny that he could get his hands on for his visit to California.

"Don't matter how I know." Erwin replied, "I want ten dollars a week..."

Lawrence laughed, "Are you serious?"

Whatever Erwin thought that Lawrence's reaction was going to be, amusement wasn't it.

"Ten... dollars a... week?" Lawrence asked still laughing as he calculated how much of the twenty minutes he had left.

"What's so fucking funny?" Erwin asked.

"That you really thought that I would agree to your stupid demand." Lawrence replied as in one quick move, he slipped a knife down his sleeve and stabbed Erwin J. Little in the chest. "You're no better than they are." he hissed as he pushed the blade in deeper.

Five minutes later, Duke himself came looking for him his eyes widening as he saw the dead body of the guard lying on the ground.

"Is he dead?"

"Yes he's dead." Lawrence calmly replied, "Now go get a couple of the others and we'll carry him over to the colored's barracks."

An hour later, the body of Erwin J. Little was lying behind the cellblocks where one certain black man who Lawrence despised lived. The man had done nothing to earn Lawrence's hate other than being black but there was more to it. Lawrence hated the confidence with which the man walked around the yard and the way he met his gaze unafraid. He also hated the way the man tried to encourage the inmates who could read and write to teach those who couldn't. But most of all, he hated hearing the man say that things were going to change for the better and they had to be ready.

"Be ready to hang!" Lawrence muttered under his breath as they made their way back to their own cellblock.

A black inmate discovered Little's body and immediately reported it. Because of where the body was located and because Little had been very vocal about his views and had on more than one occasion punished a black inmate unfairly or for no reason at all, suspicion immediately went to the blacks. Unfortunately for Lawrence, that while the warden shared some of his views, he also believed in separate but equal hence the investigation.

It was then that Lawrence realized that Erwin had lied about how close he was to the warden. Inadvertently, Erwin had made Lawrence dirty his hands long before he was ready to. Lawrence thought about having one of his men bear false witness against the blacks but decided against it, he had already acted rashly once and had no desire to compound the problem. Now all he could really hope for was that the warden would let it go.

Later that morning, Lawrence looked up to see the black prisoner that he hated openly staring at him. The stare was a challenge of sorts, it seemed to be saying, "Come and get me you son of a bitch!" the man smiled and then nodded at Lawrence before going on his way. Lawrence didn't know what the man's name was and up until now, he hadn't cared.

"Duke, find out that nigger's name."

"I already know what it is." Duke replied.

"Well?" Lawrence asked.

"Jacob Lincoln, he used to be a preacher and a teacher." Duke replied.

"Used to be?" Lawrence asked.

"Yeah." Duke replied, "He's here because he murdered one of the men who set fire to his house, his wife and kids were still inside."

"How is it that you know so much about him?" Lawrence asked.