The Last Mile (Amos Decker, #2)(116)

Eastland looked at Huey. Huey kept his gaze on McClellan.

“Are you suggesting that we, what, blow him up?”

Huey said, “That was fifty years ago, Mac. This is a different time. A far different place.”

McClellan slammed his fist on the table. “Our way of life was threatened back then and we took action. We didn’t let no damn sleeping dogs lie. Now we’re threatened again. And I say we have to take action. The world hasn’t changed that much. In fact, I see the pendulum swinging back to where it should be. You can see it all over the place. People want to take their country back. Politicians are saying it. Laws are being passed. Hell, Hugh, you see that from where you sit. People don’t want to take this crap anymore. And it’s about damn time. Hell, for future generations of Americans if nothing else.”

Huey looked out the jet’s window at the white clouds down below. “What we did back then was stupid. We were young and hotheaded. It was a mistake.”

“You don’t believe that,” said McClellan.

Huey looked at him. “Of course I believe it. I’m a lawyer. I’ve been a member of Congress for over three decades. I’m the chairman of arguably the most important committee on the Hill.”

“Blah-blah-blah,” said McClellan, waving his empty glass. “That means shit right now. Shit! So don’t pull that crap on me, Mr. High and Mighty.”

“I’m the CEO of a publicly traded company, Mac,” said Eastland. “This isn’t the 1960s anymore. Hugh’s right, we’re not young punks anymore with our brains in our ass.”

McClellan pointed a finger at them. “It’s attitudes like that that have led this country to the sinkhole it’s currently in. Bad things happen when good men do nothing.”

Eastland traded another glance with Huey.

Huey said, “We’ve always put things to a vote before, right?”

Eastland said, “Right.”

Huey said, “And I vote that unless the situation on the ground changes, we pull back and take no further steps.”

“I second that,” said Eastland.

McClellan glared at them for a long moment before saying, “You two have turned into a couple of real pansies.”

“We’re being practical, Mac,” said Huey. “And we’ve voted. Will you honor that vote?”

McClellan said, “I will. For now. But if the ground situation changes will you honor the fact that we will kill these sons of bitches?” When the two men said nothing, his voice rose. “Will you? Or you gonna take another vote and run away with your damn tails tucked?”

“If the ground situation changes we will act,” said Eastland, and Huey nodded.

“We will kill, you mean,” amended McClellan.

“If that’s what it takes,” said Eastland. “I’m not going to prison over this. It was too long ago, and I believe I’ve made up for it. We’ve done a lot of good in the world.”

“Amen to that,” said Huey. “A lifetime of service. It balances things. Even the things we did,” he added. “Fifty years of righteous living versus a few hotheaded acts that we regret now. I’ve helped many people over the years. My conscience is clear. God has forgiven me, I truly believe that.”

“I feel the same,” said Eastland. “I’ve given millions to charities. Tried to make the world a better place. I’ve even funded programs for black kids and Mexicans. Given them a helping hand. You know so many of their fathers are in prison. Very sad. But I’ve made peace with my past. I feel good about who I became as a person. Everyone makes mistakes when they’re young. As we did. But we’ve repaid the debt, so to speak.”

“Maybe you regret the past, I sure as hell don’t,” snapped McClellan.

“You need to stop talking like that,” said Eastland warily. “The climate has changed. You can’t be a police chief, even in Mississippi, and talk that way. You just can’t. You can think those things if you want, but for God’s sake, keep those thoughts in your head.”

“Sure, the PC police crap,” snarled McClellan. “Don’t tell me you’re turning into one of those pricks.”

Eastland said, “I’m telling you that the world has changed. I have several generals I deal with who are black. My CFO is black. I even have a close friend who’s black.”

“And I have black committee members,” added Huey. “And representing Mississippi I sure as hell have a lot of black constituents. Not that I agree with most of what they want, which are basically government handouts. But they’re there and they’re not going anywhere.”

“Bullshit, I bet you love ’em all right,” said McClellan dismissively. “Love ’em like they were white.”

“Of course we don’t,” said Eastland. “But we still have to deal with them. That’s the point.”

“We fought the good fight way back,” said Huey. “And unfortunately, we lost. We have to deal with that. It doesn’t change what we think, but it does have to change how we act. Otherwise I lose my seat and Danny loses his company. It’s a lot harder now, Mac. You know that. We have to account for that. We really do. But I do regret the killing. There were other ways to get our points across. We didn’t have to kill, not the kids anyway. I still think about that.”