people in on this.”
“What about Professor, or don’t he count?”
“What gold?” Professor asked.
“Don’t get greedy, Slick,” Big Ed advised. “There’s plenty for all of us. You can’t leave Professor out. He’s one of us.”
“What gold?” Professor asked again.
“Show him, Slick,” LeRoi said.
Reluctantly, Slick opened the box and Professor climbed in the back to view its contents.
“My God!” Professor exclaimed. “This is a fortune! And because they’re coins and jewelry, it’s probably worth more than just the gold. I can’t even remember the last time a country minted its coins in gold. This is an heirloom!”
“I say we bury it now and get on with our mission,” LeRoi said.
“Nigger, I found it,” Slick declared. “I should be the one who says what happens to it. You the one that walked away from two more boxes just like this!”
“Get out of the truck, Slick. I wants a word with you.”
There was a moment of silence. “Why I got to get out of the truck?”
LeRoi growled. “Get out of the truck!”
Professor looked at LeRoi. “What’s going on, LT?”
“Stay out of it, Professor!” LeRoi warned. “This is between me and Slick!”
“What I do to you, man?” Slick questioned, making no move to get out of the truck.
“I’ve told you befo’ not to call me nigger! I hates that word! Whenever I hears it, don’t matter who’s sayin’ it, I see white skin and white thinkin’! The white man got you callin’ yo’self what he calls you when he don’t want to be polite! That ain’t me. I ain’t never gon’ be a nigger! If you don’t know me well enough to call me by my first name, call me Mister! Now figure out what you want done with the gold. Professor and me are going to scout for a road leading up to the ridge.”
“That’s fine with me,” Slick answered, unable to keep the smile off his face. “Me and Big Ed will take charge of it.”
“Let’s go, Professor,” LeRoi said as he started uphill into the forest. He knew that Slick was not a woodsman. If he hid something the size of the gold’s metal box, its location would be obvious to a practiced observer. Professor picked up his gun and pack and trudged after him.
They were in a heavily wooded area. As they passed through a clearing, a loud explosion echoed through the mountain gorges and a bright flash shimmered and turned into flames along the highway from Saint Die.
“What the hell is that?” Professor whispered, dropping to his knees as a precautionary measure.
“Côte d’Saar,” answered LeRoi, kneeling beside his companion. “It’s a little welcoming present that I left for our German friends. I was gon’ be sure that they couldn’t use none of Slick’s armory.”
Staring across the canyon at the distant flames, which were reflected on the wide, black surface of the meandering Saar, Professor nodded his head. “Looks like you did a pretty good job.”
“Yep,” LeRoi answered as he rose and continued uphill. They kept the winding road to their left as they climbed. The hill they were climbing was but a low branching arm of a curling spine of mountains that reached white fingers into the night sky. Even as LeRoi and Professor breasted the shoulder of the hill, they were still beneath the tree line. Their progress was slowed because the forest was not always able to provide cover. There were great stands where unregulated logging had left acres of snow-covered tree stumps. They skirted these open areas and stayed within the cover of the trees, but each time they would take the precaution to kneel in the underbrush and search their surroundings for movement.
During one such stop, after they had assured themselves that they were alone, Professor turned to LeRoi and said, “Why don’t we take a break here? We must have climbed a couple thousand feet.”
LeRoi nodded and moved deeper under the snow-laden branches of a big pine.
Professor followed suit and shortly they were
“What about Professor, or don’t he count?”
“What gold?” Professor asked.
“Don’t get greedy, Slick,” Big Ed advised. “There’s plenty for all of us. You can’t leave Professor out. He’s one of us.”
“What gold?” Professor asked again.
“Show him, Slick,” LeRoi said.
Reluctantly, Slick opened the box and Professor climbed in the back to view its contents.
“My God!” Professor exclaimed. “This is a fortune! And because they’re coins and jewelry, it’s probably worth more than just the gold. I can’t even remember the last time a country minted its coins in gold. This is an heirloom!”
“I say we bury it now and get on with our mission,” LeRoi said.
“Nigger, I found it,” Slick declared. “I should be the one who says what happens to it. You the one that walked away from two more boxes just like this!”
“Get out of the truck, Slick. I wants a word with you.”
There was a moment of silence. “Why I got to get out of the truck?”
LeRoi growled. “Get out of the truck!”
Professor looked at LeRoi. “What’s going on, LT?”
“Stay out of it, Professor!” LeRoi warned. “This is between me and Slick!”
“What I do to you, man?” Slick questioned, making no move to get out of the truck.
“I’ve told you befo’ not to call me nigger! I hates that word! Whenever I hears it, don’t matter who’s sayin’ it, I see white skin and white thinkin’! The white man got you callin’ yo’self what he calls you when he don’t want to be polite! That ain’t me. I ain’t never gon’ be a nigger! If you don’t know me well enough to call me by my first name, call me Mister! Now figure out what you want done with the gold. Professor and me are going to scout for a road leading up to the ridge.”
“That’s fine with me,” Slick answered, unable to keep the smile off his face. “Me and Big Ed will take charge of it.”
“Let’s go, Professor,” LeRoi said as he started uphill into the forest. He knew that Slick was not a woodsman. If he hid something the size of the gold’s metal box, its location would be obvious to a practiced observer. Professor picked up his gun and pack and trudged after him.
They were in a heavily wooded area. As they passed through a clearing, a loud explosion echoed through the mountain gorges and a bright flash shimmered and turned into flames along the highway from Saint Die.
“What the hell is that?” Professor whispered, dropping to his knees as a precautionary measure.
“Côte d’Saar,” answered LeRoi, kneeling beside his companion. “It’s a little welcoming present that I left for our German friends. I was gon’ be sure that they couldn’t use none of Slick’s armory.”
Staring across the canyon at the distant flames, which were reflected on the wide, black surface of the meandering Saar, Professor nodded his head. “Looks like you did a pretty good job.”
“Yep,” LeRoi answered as he rose and continued uphill. They kept the winding road to their left as they climbed. The hill they were climbing was but a low branching arm of a curling spine of mountains that reached white fingers into the night sky. Even as LeRoi and Professor breasted the shoulder of the hill, they were still beneath the tree line. Their progress was slowed because the forest was not always able to provide cover. There were great stands where unregulated logging had left acres of snow-covered tree stumps. They skirted these open areas and stayed within the cover of the trees, but each time they would take the precaution to kneel in the underbrush and search their surroundings for movement.
During one such stop, after they had assured themselves that they were alone, Professor turned to LeRoi and said, “Why don’t we take a break here? We must have climbed a couple thousand feet.”
LeRoi nodded and moved deeper under the snow-laden branches of a big pine.
Professor followed suit and shortly they were
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