Chapter 17 What’s One Day?
In the dark of early morning, a tall, bespectacled young man was standing just outside the locked gate at the end of Mr. Power’s long driveway in the plush suburb of Lethe Estates. He saw the Mayor’s limousine approaching, watched the gate open to it due to some electronic signal, and called out as it began to pass by. The vehicle paused and the Mayor lowered a rear window.
“Your Power’s new secretary, aren’t you?”
“Yes, Mr. Mayor, my name’s Prolong. I was wanting to see him because the police woke me up with a call and said that there’s some sort of trouble about the Leasing House demolition. I thought I’d better make myself available.”
“Yes, good thinking, we could use you.” The Mayor forced a quick smile, opened the door, and moved over to make room. “Get in and ride with me.”
A few minutes later in Power’s den, Prolong was hiding a yawn behind his hand while listening to his boss discuss things with Therion. Police Captain Brutality, Power said, had phoned him, waking him in his bed and asking for verification from the top that Chief Sordid was permitted to order the temporary arrest of the Hope family. The Captain had reminded Power that he had strict orders from ‘Central’ to guard the Hope and Grace houses and not to disturb their residents in any way. Though new to his job, Prolong already knew that Central was the authority that controlled and directed even Mayor Therion. Power, it now became clear to him, had telephoned the Mayor and had found that he too had been phoned by the police. Therion, who lived only a few streets away, had suggested he come over.
“So that’s how things stand,” Power said to Therion. “All I told Brutality to do was to freeze the picture, to do nothing until I had a chance to talk to you.”
“And you ordered this demolition?”
“Yeah, I gave Sordid the nod, even though I don’t see any pressing reason for it, but I didn’t tell him a damn thing about arresting any Heavenites.”
“Absolutely not,” agreed the Mayor. “What makes him think they should be arrested? He should just hustle them off Leasing’s property without hurting them or detaining them.”
“That’s right, that’s what I say.”
“I’ve got an idea to run by you,” Prolong put in, and the two older men almost started. They were used to assistants who always kept their mouths shut, and were only beginning to realize that this member of the new generation felt free to air his opinions. Miss Abject had had no opinions.
Prolong continued, “If you want Mr. Leasing to really suffer for his crimes, why not let the threat of condemnation just hang over him like the Sword of Damocles?”
“Like the what?” said Power.
“I just mean that he’ll suffer more by anticipating it, sir. No sleep, no appetite, afraid every night, and so on.”
“Yeah, maybe so. But catch up, buster, it’s not an option. I already gave Sordid the go ahead. Really, the only problem is to make sure Conformity Hope doesn’t get so pissed he calls for Heavenite reprisals.”
“Well, there it is, sir.”
“There what is?” Power said angrily and impatiently. He clearly thought this conversation with an underling was lasting too long.
“I just mean there’s no need to yank the Hopes out of that yard. Why take the chance of rousing Heaven’s ire? You know the family’s not going to stand there all day, so just withdraw the dozer, let them drift back into their house, and then put up a stout barrier around Leasing House so they can’t come back across the street. The demolition can proceed tomorrow morning. What’s one day?”
Power looked to Therion, who was nodding.
“Right. That’s how we obey Central,” the Mayor said. “Get on it.”
Power took out his cell phone and called back Brutality, asking him first to report on the situation.
“OK, I get it,” he said to the Captain. “Handcuffed but not in the cars yet. So let them go, and I mean now. No, I don’t mean taking them off the property. Just take off the cuffs and wait and see what they do. I’ll bet they scurry for home and don’t show their noses outdoors again for a month. As for the demolition, it’s postponed till tomorrow. Got that? Call me back in a minute and let me know what happens.”
He put down his phone and turned to Prolong. “Good thinking. Sometimes a little patience is all we need.”
“Thanks, sir. You don’t mind if I make another suggestion?”
“What?”
“Get the Leasings back into their house. No one’s ever been Relocated with their house still standing. If we were to haul them off in that truck right now, it’d look bad to the neighbors, like the City’s anticipating things too much.”
“The kid’s right,” Power said to Therion. “We gotta maintain consistency, gotta be all sad about losing them and not too anxious to get them away in the truck.”
“And if you also have their utilities restored, just for now,” Prolong added, “that would really indicate concern for them.”
The Mayor thought. “If they’re back in their house, can we get them out again tomorrow?”
“Sure we can,” said Power. “We don’t have to worry about manhandling them. They’ve got no Heavenite ties.”
The Mayor nodded. “All right, let them out of the truck and get their utilities back on.”
A few minutes later Brutality called back. Power listened to his report, and then said to Therion, “Conformity and his brood are still in the yard and say they won’t leave the property unless the dozer disappears. Brutality just ordered Axe to drive it away.”
“Good. The Leasings are in their house again?”
“Yeah. I guess Pastor Hypocrisy made a fuss about it, but it’s none of his damned business.”
“OK, that’s it for now,” said Therion. “And Power, after this, I don’t want any more operations of any kind within ten blocks of Hope House or Grace House.”
“But you do want Leasing House down tomorrow, right? Sordid says Guiles is such a stinking pile of goo that he’s hurting the City’s reputation in the neighborhood. He thinks allowing that house to stand will influence the neighbors in the other direction, toward the God lovers.”
“Yes, yes. Sordid’s got us in this now, so we’ll just have to see it through.”