Redwood Nine: Season 02 Ch. 09

"I think they know you. Seems you killed a friend of theirs and they wish to discuss this with you."

Clive succumbed to the knowledge he was being set up and looked at Vinnie with a desperate plea for his life.

"Why, Vinnie? Why are you setting me up?"

"Actually, I'm not setting you up. Gianni, is setting you up, because you shot Marlene, that was a bad thing to him, you know that. Jimmy is setting you up, because he is always going to be pissed about the car and the disrespect you showed him, also very bad things. Me? I'm just following orders, like you were supposed to do. Nothing personal Clive, it's just business."

Clive looked at the nonchalant look on Vinnie's face, seeing how little his life was worth, when he heard the car door open and hands began dragging him out. He began screaming for help and to show him how futile his attempts were, the guys shouted along with him, making him realize his folly in trying to get help of any kind. Tears began running down his cheeks, as his mortality was now only a question of time and that amount was very short.

"Save the tears, you piece of chicken shit. Big man with a gun in your hand, shooting defenceless people and then trying again from a rooftop at the funeral. Oh yeah, we know it was you. Spotted that Corvette leaving the scene. Even the cops don't know who to look for, so before they even know to look for you as a suspect, justice will already have been served on your sorry ass. Now start fucking walking."

Clive refused to walk and was pushed to move, falling to the ground to avoid the inevitable demise to his life. Piney and Keith dragged him away, crying out to be spared, but it all fell on deaf ears. JT hung back and talked to Vinnie.

"You can go back and tell Jimmy this has been taken care of, or you can come and see for yourself and make sure."

"I'll wait here and just listen."

"Suit yourself, Vinnie."

JT cocked the slide on his pistol and walked away into the dense bush. Clive could still be heard screaming in the distance, until it suddenly stopped, making Vinnie believe they hadn't killed him, just fed up with his whining and stopped him. He listened for any sounds of a car approaching, but nothing stirred the air with sound, only the preparations of Clive's execution.

The charred remains of the tree, became the backstop that Clive was to be tied to. As a last show of humiliation, they made him strip naked, before his hands were tied back hard, stretching his chest tight. He was white with fear, his eyes wide with terror, as he watched the guys line up in front of him and take aim.

Vinnie stood in the serenity of the moment, until he was startled to react, as nine guns began firing repeatedly. He had no idea how many shots were fired, but a quick count of ten per man, said Clive was now a lot heavier, with all that lead in him. He got in the Corvette and looked into the dense brush, before starting it and driving away.

The guys let the quiet settle into the woods again, the frightened reports from animals quieting again. They looked at the bullet-riddled body, hanging limply from the tree stump and felt they had carried out what was expected of them. JT walked up and looked at the perforated corpse, then spat on it.

"People are going to learn, they don't fuck with the Sons of Anarchy."

That act brought them all to the same level, as they all felt the same and spat on the corpse. They hiked back out with Clive's clothes and went through the pockets, taking out anything that identified him. The money was pocketed and everything else was put to flame, destroying the last of Clive Brock's time on earth. The clothes would be deposited in a used clothing bin and put to a good use again, instead of destroying them. They started up and followed JT back down the hillside, leaving the remains of their initiation to serious crime, behind. Unknown to them, the coyotes had checked out their departure and were now investigating the smell of fresh meat prepared for them.

The ride to Bakersfield was one of reflection, as they thought on their deed. Justified or not, it was still taking a life and that was hard to get used to in most of their souls. Clay rode along smiling, not a shred of remorse for his part in it. Riding slightly behind Otto at the rear, no one could see he wasn't affected by the sin, instead, revelling in the thrill of it all. JT stopped in Bakersfield again and made the call to Jimmy, telling him it was all taken care of and said they'd talk soon. Jimmy only said thanks and hung up, smiling even wider about the accomplishments. His father would be happy, he would be happy and money would soon be coming in better than ever. He opined to himself out loud.

"I like these biker guys, not such a bad bunch of guys after all."

Jimmy got off the lounge and took his robe off, diving into the pool and cooling off.

Vinnie enjoyed driving the Corvette back to Jimmy's place in Palm Springs, finding a good station and whistled along to the song. His life seemed to be improving and the move up, made him feel better about things, as well. One day, he might be the owner of a nice car like this and thought about Gianni's golden rule, learn to earn. He felt he had learned a valuable lesson today, that orders are given to follow and not disobey, as Clive's now prime example of that, rang in his head.

It only took five minutes and the body had been brought down to the ground by savage teeth, then those same pointed canines went to work tearing into the tender insides, where the rich organs lay. Blood stained mouths feasted on the epicurean delight given to them, feeling the nutrient-rich meal energize their bodies. It wasn't long before greed set in and members of the pack began tearing off pieces of the body for their own enjoyment, dragging them off to places unknown.

JT pulled into the compound and smiled at his brothers, as he held the gate for them. He rode down after locking it again and backed his bike to the railing. He stopped the engine and looked down the row of men looking back at him. His heart was filled with pride, at the honour his brothers had showed in avenging Jake's death, but his heart also felt the pangs of remorse, knowing they had taken that step willingly into becoming complete criminals, forever in fear of being found out for their crime.

He opened the door to the clubhouse and was about to go in, when a horn blew at the gate. He told the guys to go in and walked up to see who it was. He got halfway there and saw it was Wayne Unser and smiled, thinking all was friendly, but no like smile was returned. As JT opened the gate for him, he wondered what had soured Unser's disposition towards him.

"Hey Wayne, what's up, Buddy?"

"I need to talk to you about something and I want a straight answer. When I went down with the cart, I saw a guy coming out of the room and it wasn't you. Want to tell me who it was?"

JT could see Unser knew the truth, but wanted to see if the fragile relationship they had, was worth continuing. Lies would only end it for sure, especially if he was found out, so he pondered the truth and how much he should divulge to him.

"You're right, Wayne. Someone else was in there with us."

"And this person was?"

JT hesitated in telling him, knowing the name would spark off a flurry of more questions.

"Someone Marlene knows. I gotta ask you, Wayne, how much do you guys actually know about this case and who's involved?"

"We're just putting together all the leads from witnesses and whatever evidence we got. Honestly, we don't know shit and that pisses me off, specially knowing you know something and Mar knows something and neither of you two are talking. I want some answers JT and I want the truth. You owe me that much, at least."

JT thought on Wayne's words, weighing out the need to maintain their friendship and thought more on what to say. He also picked up on his use of Mar and knew she had wooed him well, after he left.

"Yeah, you do deserve to know about it, Wayne. I'm just not sure how much I can say about it, without putting myself in danger."

That made Unser think on what JT knew and how serious it could possibly be.

"Well, tell me what you think you can tell me. That's better than the nothing I got now. I'm not liking the sounds of this so far."

"Neither did I Wayne, but I had no choice. It's really fucking complicated and all I wanted to do, was find Jake's killer and have him brought to justice. Marlene does know who the shooter is. She told me and swore me to secrecy, to protect her live. If you run a background on her, you'll see she's married to Clive Brock."

"Yeah, we did and he came up clean, had an alibi that checked out, according to the cops down in Palm Springs."

"I suggest you dig a little deeper into his life and you'll find some interesting connections he has. I can't say who, because of the secrecy thing, but those connections made Marlene a sitting duck to get killed."

"What connections, JT? You talking mob shit here? 'Cause that's what it sounds like to me."

"Hit the nail on the head. Marlene was in fear of her life, not just because she was caught cheating, but also because of what she knows."

"Holy shit, JT. You talking about a mob hit on her and Jake?"

"The first time was Clive, the second attempt at the funeral, we weren't sure about. I talked to the boss myself and he assured me that it was all Clive and nothing to do with them. I asked him how to protect Marlene against any more attempts and he told me what I had to do, because the cops wouldn't even know where to start looking, by the time a bullet found Marlene and finished her off. So, can you see why I had no choice?"

"You saying that you got in bed with the mob about this?"

"Sort of, Wayne. I had to do what they told me, if I had any chance of protecting Marlene. It was either Clive, or Marlene that could live, so we chose Marlene to live."

"Hold on, let me see if I'm getting this right. You talked to the head of a crime syndicate and made a deal with him, to save Marlene. This deal involves you and the guys to do something for them. This something is about killing Clive, am I correct so far?"

"You're correct, it does."

Wayne looked at JT, trying to surmise if he had anything to do with killing someone and remembered the depth of feeling JT had for Jake and realized it wasn't something he could overlook.

"Did you do it, JT?"

"Kill Clive Brock?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah, we did."

Wayne was stunned by the honesty of JT's confession. He looked at him and saw the pride on his face, but deeper in his eyes, was a hurt that was eating at his soul.

"And where is the body?"

"No idea now. I can guarantee you, that where we left him, he isn't there now."

"So, what happens to you now, with these guys?"

"What we always wanted all along. Marlene is safe from harm and no more threat to her life. They said they were in our debt, for taking care of it and they would contact me somehow and let me know what's what. As far as I know, it's all done and everyone goes home happy."

Unser looked at JT, then glanced down at the other bikes and knew the guys who rode them, were inside the clubhouse. He thought of how the townsfolk were taking to the club and accepting them. They admired the honour the club showed to those who had passed and the devotion to protect a person, even putting their own lives at risk. He thought on how the situation was now resolved and put to an end, saving them any more expense in investigating.

"So, what should I do about all this, JT? I'm a cop, I arrest bad guys. You're a confessed murderer and I'm supposed to what? Let you go?"

"Yeah, Wayne, that's exactly what you do. You have a body? A weapon? Shit, Wayne, you don't even know anything. All you got is my word to go on."

Unser knew that JT was right. Even using his confession as a starting point, he wouldn't be able to make a case that would stick. The cost would put the department in debt and the results would still, more or less, be the same.

"What am I supposed to do then?"

"Become the hero."

"What do you mean, become the hero?"

"What if we work together on this and I feed you everything you need to know to put it together. You say you've been doing this on your own time, so no one suspects anything. You tracked down some leads and they panned out. You say you know who the killer is and put out the call to catch him. Because Brock is from another part of the state, you have no jurisdiction to pursue it, so you pass it off. You leave out anything that points to me, or the club and you come off as the town hero, who solved the big murder in Charming."

"You really want to do that?"

"Sure as shit, I can't be the hero. Might as well be someone who deserves the recognition and in my opinion, that's you."

Wayne looked at JT in a new light. Who he was before in high school, even after the war, was not who John 'JT' Teller was now. He had to look at a man who had committed a murder and accept that he was going to make him look good for it. The whole idea seemed plausible, one that he knew with a bit of tweaking here and there, could definitely put him in favourable light with the chief.

"Okay, we'll do it your way, JT. Let's get together and work this all out, so I know how to put it together."

"What are you doing right now?"

"I'm on patrol."

"Join us for a bit in the clubhouse and you can get the whole story from everyone inside."

Wayne couldn't ask for more co-operation, to put an end to a case. What he was still finding hard to accept, was the guys he knew, weren't the guys he knew anymore and wondered now, who they really were. He went back into his cruiser and radioed in that he was busy with the investigation, running down a lead. He pulled through the gate and JT closed it behind him. Wayne looked in his mirror and saw the lock being shut and wondered what he was getting into.

JT led him into the clubhouse, where a thick layer of pungent smoke hung in the air. The guys turned and saw Unser and immediately panicked.

"Guys, guys, it's cool. Wayne isn't here to bust us for smoking pot. He's here to solve the worst crime in Charming history and we're going to make him a hero."

The guys sat stunned, wondering just what the two had been talking about all that time.

"I told Wayne about Clive and what we did to him. No, don't get all fucked up about it, just listen."

JT explained everything, the way he had to Wayne and the dawning of the idea took hold and the guys agreed to the plan. An hour passed and Wayne had written two and a half pages of notes, detailing the events as much as possible and leaving out anything that pointed to the club in any way. By the end, Wayne looked at the club, seeing their commitment to him, to make him shine in the department's eyes. No one had put that much effort into his career, or future before, making the outlaw club something he had to admire, despite the contradiction to his badge.

Wayne thanked every member of the club and stood at the door, before leaving.

"Hey, that funky shit you're smoking, as long as it stays in here and not out there, I got no problem with it, just so you know."

"Thanks Wayne, you're alright, man."

"You know JT, of all the people I know and work with, you guys are the nicest of the lot. Every cop I work with, wants to get ahead of the rest and they'll kick your ass to do it. All the ones I call friends, hardly have the time of day for me. I hate to say it, but you guys are still the best friends I ever had."

"That's their loss, Wayne. We know you're an alright guy. That's why we're doing this for you and not them. Maybe one day you make chief and they have to follow your orders and you sit back and chew them out, if they screw up."

"Yeah, wouldn't that be a hoot. Me, chief."

Wayne chuckled and walked out with JT to his cruiser. Before he closed his door, JT stopped him.

"You know, Wayne, stranger shit has happened here. You making chief isn't that hard to believe. Look at us. We were a bunch of nobody losers, before we met Jake and he helped us become who we are now."

"You think Jake would approve of what you did?"

"You know, I wondered about that. Honestly, knowing how honourable and respectful he was about things, he would have done what we did. That's why we did it. To us, we carried out the justice that he deserved, nothing more, nothing less."

"Maybe, JT, but it ain't right to take the law into your own hands. That's what the system is for. That's what my job is for."

"How long before you figured out what we knew?"

Unser was at a loss, knowing his side was still at the starting line and JT had crossed the finish line already.

"If it wasn't for Clive being a bad shot, we'd be attending another funeral. You know someone got past you at the hotel, Marlene could be dead. You can't protect her forever, so it was just a matter of time, before she took a bullet."

"I can't argue with any of that, JT, but it still ain't right."

"Right or not, Wayne, it's done. Marlene is guaranteed her safety, no more assholes shooting people up, no mob people looking to get into things. It was the best solution to all the problems this caused. I told you we had no choice, Wayne, you can see that, right?"

Unser had to think JT's logic over and had to agree, right or wrong, it was the best and only solution to the problem.

"Sometimes you guys are the best solution, sometimes you're not."

That was all Unser needed, to sum everything up for him. He had to agree to himself, that the outcome was the ideal solution to it all. Now, he had to put the story together and look like a hero. One thing he thought of, as JT closed the gate behind him, you never know who your friends are, until they show themselves.

JT went back in and saw the guys still in disbelief of what he had done.

"Guys, we need to have Wayne on our side. If you hadn't guessed it or not, we're wanted criminals. Only difference is, no one is ever going to be looking for us. We are officially an outlaw club now and no way we can ever go back to just being a bunch of riders, enjoying the pleasures of motorcycle riding. I look at Wayne as our 'Get out of jail free' ticket. I don't think he even realizes it yet, but he's now a part of the murder, by way of association. He knows who did it and isn't telling, making him an accomplice."

The guys understood what that meant, having someone on the force who was favourable to them. Anything coming their way and Wayne would be obliged to let them know, preventing them from getting caught at something. A deeper sense of admiration came over everyone, except Clay, who felt JT would never deserve his admiration. Not for taking away what should have been his and his envy of everything JT was and had.

The smell of cooking berries filled the kitchen with a glorious aroma. Marietta stirred the pot with a wooden spoon slowly, savouring the tantalizing smell. It seemed so simple a thing to do, to make jams and jellies. Mason jars were washed and ready for the hot, syrupy fluid. When Golden checked the consistency, she said it was ready and to remove it from the heat. They ladled it into the jars and then screwed the lids on tight, once it cooled down enough. The rest was poured into a large container to be used now, prompting many spoons to be dipped in it and tested for flavour. Marietta took her first mouthful and proclaimed it heavenly.

Distant rumbling meant only one thing when the sky was clear, the guys were home. Only Golden and Azure stayed behind, minding the stove and the pots of preserves that still simmered away, as the others went out to greet them. Moon and the others came from the barn and the crew was happy to see happy faces on every one of them. Hugs and kisses were shared, then the desire to share their culinary efforts had them going inside. JT hung back and called Moon to him.