Red Circus: A Dark Collection by John L. Campbell

Author:John L. Campbell
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Wild Highlander Press
Published: 2011-09-25T18:00:00+00:00

The dismissal bell rang at 2:40, and within minutes Jasper High students began streaming out of the big, two-story building, splitting into thirds; walkers, bus riders and those headed to cars in the student lot. Cecil Hamilton’s cruiser sat across the street under the spreading limbs of an enormous elm tree, the sheriff behind the wheel sipping a coffee. His radar gun was on, and he was presumably clocking drivers in the 20 mph school zone, but the volume was turned all the way down and he paid little attention to the red, digital readout.

It was early January, the kids just back from Christmas break, and the entire school preparing for the state championship. The Spartans had finished the regular season undefeated, first in their division, had crushed the opposition in the playoffs, and were a week away from the biggest game of all. David had managed to not only play extremely well and break several records, but he had also avoided injury, something Cecil (and especially Patricia) worried about. There was increasing talk about teenage concussions and contact sports, and it was looking like the long term effects were potentially pretty severe. So far, thank the Lord, David hadn’t taken any severe hits, and besides, the coach and the paramedics at every game kept good tabs on their boys, pulling them at the first sign of trouble.

Best of all, both an admissions recruiter and the offensive coach for the University of Mississippi had visited the house over the holiday break. It had been a very good meeting, and David was excited about the possibilities. Hamilton had to admit he wouldn’t mind his son being a receiver for the Rebels, and after that, who could say? He’d rather see his son in the NFL (or even complete a college education) over pinning a county star to his chest, though there was no doubt he’d make a fine deputy.

The students were bundled up against what passed for a cold day in Mississippi, and the frequency of letterman’s jackets was causing Cecil some frustration. Finally he saw what he was looking for. Whom, to be precise. They exited the far right doors and strolled into the high school lot, two boys, both seniors, the bigger, dark-haired one wearing just such a letterman’s jacket. Jeb Hutchins, son of Jeremiah Hutchins, owner of Cold River Mill and Lumber. He was a defensive tackle on David’s team.

The boy with him, big but not as big as Jeb and not a football player, was Donny Maxwell, son of Earl Maxwell, Terrell County’s First Selectman. Donny had a wild scruff of red hair that flew about in the January breeze. And he wore glasses.

The boys headed towards Donny’s bright orange Dodge Challenger and piled in. Hamilton saw them each light a cigarette, and then they pulled out, gunning the muscle car’s engine as it idled past a group of girls. Half the girls waved, half flipped them off, but all were laughing. Donny and Jeb came from well-off families, and both boys were popular.

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