Chapter 26
After the initial interrogation, Elijah went to the kitchen. Ayanna was there doing some schoolwork.
"Homework, huh?" Elijah asked rhetorically.
"Yea, I thought it might be good if I did some once in awhile. Amy has been getting on me about it. How's Mitchell Raymond doing?"
"Pretty well, he's a little small for his age though. At least that's what the Doctor says."
"That's good. I need to stop in and see him."
Elijah was looking around to make sure Bella didn't get any more information than necessary. "Listen. I think I got some information out of our guest. I want you to go in there and play 'good cop' now, see what you can find out. I pretty well got the 'bad cop' part covered without hardly trying."
"What's 'good cop'?"
"You know, be his friend. Have him tell you things he would only tell to his friend."
"Isn't that dishonest?"
"Why would it be? Do you hate the guy?'
"No. Not really."
"All right then. Even this kind of work is all part of war. Do you think you should go in there and say, 'Hey, never mind that I am a little girl, but I am super smart and want to know your secrets?"
"Okay. Got it." Ayanna got up from the table and went over to the drawer and got the chessboard.
Elijah chuckled, "Where did you learn that?"
"It works."
Ayanna balanced the chessboard and all of the pieces out to the shed. The Hexman was there sitting on the seat of the riding mower with his head in his hands.
"Hi, John."
He didn't speak.
Ayanna set up the chessboard on top of the mower. She was leaning over the front of the mower while she set up the pieces. "You play chess?"
"A little. I'm not real good."
"I thought you might be a little bored. I'm just learning."
"Who are you anyway?" John asked.
"I work here. Go ahead and move."
Ayanna purposely left her rook open to capture, but the guy didn't see it. He must not be that sharp. She said, "Why are you here, locked up to the mower?"
"The older black guy thinks I am trouble."
"Really? I don't know why he would think that. You seem really nice to me. Did you do something?"
"No. I was captured, going to be killed. . .and eaten. Then they bring me here and I am locked up. Can you unlock me?"
"Sorry, I don't have a key." The chess play continued. Ayanna was waiting on John to move. "I'll be right back."
Ayanna knew that John was the enemy. But she also felt that thoughts of her own past was another enemy that she would have to overcome during the interview.
She came back with a glass of water for John and some squirrel jerky.
"Thank you. That is very nice," John said. He immediately started eating the treat, and washing the salt down with the water.
"Do you have any kids?"
"No. . .Not anymore." John made his chess move.
Ayanna looked at the move. It was too bad to ignore. She had to take his knight just in case he was testing her.
John said, "I had a wife, and two children. A gang came and killed them. I ran away." John hung his head in sorrow and shame.
"Sorry, John. Then what did you do?"
"I joined the Order."
"The Hexmen?"
"Yes. They promised to get revenge on the gang who killed my family. We killed every single one of them."
Ayanna thought this was going to be the key question in the whole discussion and had to handle it appropriately. "Wasn't you afraid to go fight with the Hexmen and kill that gang?'
"No. We had a lot more people on our side. We were also better fighters. They gave us all training. Once you were considered a trained warrior, you got your second tattoo. I got my third tattoo after the battle. Our Tribe was the good guys. We killed bad guys."
"Were the Hexmen nice to you?"
"We were like brothers, but after I got captured the Chief will think I am against him, and he will try to kill me."
"The Chief is not nice?"
"The Chief is always threatening to kill us if we don't do what he says."
"Maybe you could talk it over with them. You know, like in court or something."
"It doesn't work like that."
"If the Chief would let people go, would they leave?"
"I know I would have, and so would a lot of others."
"Ayanna said. "So what do you want to do now?"
"I don't know. I can't go back. They will get me. I guess I have to run away, far away. Can we play this another time? I'm pretty tired. I can't sleep well with my back on this mower deck."
Ayanna went back into the house. Elijah was in the living room laying on the couch.
"I think we need to let him go," Ayanna said.
"Let him go? If it was coming from someone else, I'd say that sounds plumb dumb."
"No. There isn't much more to know. I did find out if we take out the Tribal Chiefs a lot of the warriors will run off."
"Really?"
"I'm sure of it."
"Here's what you do. You found the key while I was taking a nap and let him go. But let's do it tomorrow, and I can have the boys follow him."