As the man vanished from view, along with the lantern, the truck stopped. Still visible in the moonlight, the driver, a swarthy fellow in work clothes, opened the door, jumped to the ground, and trotted around to the back of the rig.
In the instant before he disappeared, the light caught something that chilled Joseph’s blood. Tucked into the driver’s belt was a deadly-looking pistol.
Joseph was staring after the two men when Buck nudged him. His friends were on the move. Pulling him along with them, they rounded the gatepost and crept through the shadows into the yard.
Keeping low and close to the bushes, they could see the two men untying the ropes that held the canvas over the load. From somewhere beyond the house, Joseph’s ears caught the barking and baying of the dreaded dogs. He froze. But after a few seconds he realized that the barks weren’t coming any closer. The dogs were probably penned or chained. He forgot about them as the canvas fell away to reveal stacks of wooden boxes, all of a size for a man to carry. Some of the boxes were plain. Others were embellished with a black stamp, like a brand. The two men began unloading them from the flatbed and carrying them into the barn.
“Hot diggity!” Buck muttered under his breath. “I know what that is! It’s booze! Hauled down from Canada, I’ll bet. There must be fifty thousand dollars’ worth on that truck. Maybe a hundred.”
“How do you know so much about it? ” Joseph asked in a whisper.
“I listen to the cowboys talk. It’s against the law to have booze these days. But folks are bringing it into the country or brewing homemade hootch in stills—and the ones that don’t get caught are getting as rich as kings.”
“Well, we won’t be getting rich,” Joseph said. “You saw that gun. If we get caught, we could end up dead. Come on. Let’s get out of here.”
“If I could get my hands on just one box, I could make a bundle,” Buck said.
“That’s crazy,” Cully hissed. “Joseph’s right. Those men could kill us. Let’s go.”
Joseph was about to lead the other boys back through the gate when he became aware of a sudden silence.
The dogs were no longer barking.
“Run!” He grabbed his friends. They burst out of their hiding place and sprinted for the gate. But the two huge mastiffs were already loping around the corner of the barn. Snarling and drooling, they closed around the terrified boys, not attacking them, but cutting off their escape.
“What the devil?” The broad-shouldered man Joseph had seen earlier strode out of the barn. The lantern he carried shed a circle of light around the three boys who clung together, shrinking from the dogs.
“Well, what have we here? And what am I going to do with you?” The man’s face was shadowed but his calm, cold voice struck fear into their young hearts.
“Please, mister.” It was Joseph who spoke. “Call off your dogs and we’ll go. We didn’t mean any harm. We were just curious.”
“I’d say you were too curious for your own good.” The man gave a low whistle. The dogs backed off a few paces and settled onto their massive haunches. “How about I give you a choice,” he said. “Either I can let these dogs have at you, or I can put you to work. What do you say?”
The boys exchanged furtive glances. Their agreement was a given. “We’ll work, sir,” Joseph said.
“Fine.” With a command and a hand gesture, the man ordered the dogs back. They settled next to the barn door, alert for any reason to strike.
“Tell us what to do,” Joseph said.
The man nodded. “You boys look strong enough to help unload these boxes. Get around behind the trailer. When my friend, here, hands you a box, you’ll carry it to the stack in the barn and then go back for another one. Clear?” He paused long enough for the boys to respond. “Then, unless you want to be dog meat, get to work.”
The inside of the barn was lit by a single lantern, hanging from a hook on a long chain. The truck driver stood on the flatbed, handing each box down to a boy, who lugged it to a growing stack in the rear of the barn. As expected, the boxes were heavy. Staggering under the weight, the three friends trudged back and forth. Their arm and shoulder muscles throbbed, but they knew better than to complain or even speak a word to each other. They were lucky to be alive.
The man in the fedora stood watching from the shadows. Joseph could sense his gaze every time he passed, but the man said nothing.
At last, after what seemed like a long time, the last box was unloaded from the flatbed and placed on the stack. By the time the truck started up and headed out of the gate, Joseph and his friends were so tired they could barely walk. They sank onto the floor of the barn, where they huddled together, rubbing their sore arms, too scared to speak.
Still wearing his hat, the man stepped out of the shadows and walked into the circle of light. For a long moment, he stood looking down at the boys. At last, Joseph summoned the courage to speak up.
“We’re done with the work, sir. Is it all right if we go now?”
“Soon, after I’ve finished with you.” His expression was unreadable in the shadow cast by his hat brim. “Tell me your names. You first.” He nodded at Buck.
“Buck Haskell.” His voice quivered.
“Now you.” Singled out, Cully muttered his name.
“And you.”
“Joseph Lars Dollarhide, sir.” Joseph willed himself to hide the fear he felt. “Now can we go?”
“Not until I say so. First, I want to pay you all for a hard night’s work.” Taking his wallet out of his hip pocket, he slipped out three crisp bills and handed one to each of the boys. Joseph stared at the bill. Ten dollars! More spending money than he’d ever had in his life. Buck and Cully were equally amazed.
“Wow, thanks, mister!” Cully said.
“Not at all. You earned it. But before you leave, we need to have a little talk.” Pulling up a nearby wooden crate, he sat down. “First of all, you boys need to understand that you weren’t invited here tonight. You sneaked onto the property. That’s trespassing. It’s against the law. Nod your head if you understand.”
The boys nodded. Were they about to be turned over to the sheriff?
“You did something else tonight that’s against the law,” the man said. “I’m guessing you know what’s in those boxes you helped unload.”
“It’s booze,” Buck said. “I already knew that.”
“I’m assuming all three of you know that—and that you also know it’s illegal to have it stored in this barn.” His voice lowered to a hoarse whisper. “Here’s where our talk gets serious. If you tell anybody about tonight, I’ll be in trouble, but so will you. Knowing what it was, you chose to help unload that illegal liquor, and you got paid for it. That means you’ve broken the law. If anybody finds out, you boys will all be headed for the state reform school. You’ll be locked up, away from your families, for years. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir.” Joseph felt vaguely ill. “Don’t worry, we won’t tell a soul. And we’ll never come back here.”
“That’s your choice,” the man said. “But here’s another thing. I could use some smart boys like you when I’ve got a shipment coming in or customers showing up. If you wanted to earn some money, you could be my messengers and lookouts, or help unload the product, like you did tonight. Would any of you be interested in a job?”