The councilwoman shook her head irritably. “And how many guns did they take from Aspen Hill residents? We already had a decent patrol and roadblock system going, and they dismantled it and deprived us of our ability to defend ourselves. In exchange for what? Even days after his arrival Ferris still hasn’t done anything about the atrocities I’ve reported to him that have been going on in the refugee camp, or about the bandits following this thug Razor who’ve surrounded the town and are attacking and robbing anyone they encounter. In fact, if what they did to the cousins at their shelter holds true then Ferris and his men are just interested in taking what little we have. Soon they’ll be going door to door.”
For his part Anderson flailed around for an answer. “It’s a transition period. Once things settle down they’ll impose order. But I’ll talk to Ferris and get him to do something about the refugee camp and this Razor fellow.”
Catherine pointed at the men in the cells. “You see that? That was the work of two residents of Aspen Hill who’d just lost everything to FETF, and probably watched the entire town help Ferris empty their shelter of all the things they needed to survive, to the point where they were literally driven out of town. And they still cared enough to stop a group of thugs right outside our borders from continuing their attacks. They also willingly gave from what they had back when we were asking for donations, while FETF gives you what they’ve taken from others at gunpoint and calls it helping. If you ask me I’d prefer a town full of Halssons and Smiths over a dozen Ferrises bringing “aid.”
“You think I wouldn’t?” The Mayor demanded, although he looked a bit guilty. He was the one who’d organized the townspeople helping FETF empty Trev and Lewis’s shelter. “Whatever we like this is how it is. We just have to make the best of it.”
Catherine looked over at Matt, who was standing uneasily over by the cells trying to pretend he wasn’t there. He looked away from her questioning eyes and she sighed. “I suppose you’re right. Although the cousins weren’t the only ones to leave yesterday. Charles Mercer and his family vanished sometime in the afternoon while the town was so hard at work emptying cousins’ shelter. Word is the Mercers kept a good bit of the stock from their store for themselves once they realized how bad it was. They probably didn’t want to have it stolen from them by Ferris so I’ll bet it’s gone with them. And it’s likely others who were similarly prepared to survive the winter will be leaving in order to keep what they have, going out into the wilds and exposing themselves to bandits and worse and depriving Aspen Hill of some of our best people and supplies we desperately need to survive. Where does that leave the town?”
“I don’t know!” Anderson burst out, suddenly angry. “I’m just doing the best I can here, when I’m not getting voted down by the entire town or taking orders from FETF administrators who just walk in like they own the place. Meanwhile all the blame falls on me.”
In the face of the Mayor’s obvious misery Catherine relented a bit. “You weren’t the only one out there emptying Lewis’s shelter,” she said with a sigh. “It’s just, well… I almost wish it was bandits who’d taken over our town. At least we could fight back.”
“Are you threatening Federal agents, Councilwoman Tillman?” a cold voice from behind Matt asked.
Matt whirled in time to see Ferris sweep into the room, flanked by two FETF soldiers. For her part in spite of her surprise Catherine recovered quickly. “Consider it a complaint about the way you’re running things, Administrator,” she said stiffly. “For you this may be just an assignment but for me this is my home. I have my friends and family to think of, as well as my duty to Aspen Hill as a member of the City Council.”
“Duly noted,” Ferris said, equally stiff. He walked over to stand beside Matt staring through the bars at the three bound men. “These are our highwaymen, patsies of this criminal “Razor?”
“That’s right,” Matt said. He briefly explained Trev coming to him about the bandits they’d captured, as well as adding his own confirmation to his friend’s statement about the big guy at the end being one of the ones with Razor who’d robbed them yesterday on their way into town.
The entire time he was talking Ferris frowned at the three, and when he was done the administrator spoke. “Your friends Trev and Lewis are not here to testify against these men.”
Matt shifted uncomfortably. If he didn’t want Catherine knowing where the cousins had gone he doubly didn’t want Ferris himself having even a hint of it. “No, they aren’t.”
“Very well then.” Ferris turned to the pair of soldiers with him and pointed at the two bandits in the lefthand cell, neither of which was the big guy who’d robbed Matt and the others that morning. “Let these men go.”
Anderson stiffened. “What? They were caught robbing people just outside our town!”
“They’re accused of that, an accusation made by people who refuse to personally come and testify,” Ferris answered. “This is still a nation of law and order, Mayor, and without witnesses to a crime we can’t charge them.” He pointed at the one who’d robbed Matt, April and her family, and Trev, sitting alone in the other cell glowering at them. “That one, however, has a witness against him, and I’m satisfied with the testimony.”
Catherine stepped forward. “If you let these two go they’re only going to rob more people!” she protested.
The administrator looked bored. “And if evidence of their crimes is found they will also be punished.” The soldiers had finished opening the barred door and were ushering the two men out of the cell. As the first one emerged Ferris caught his shoulder, pinching the cloth of his shirt between finger and thumb as if holding a dead mouse. “You. Tell this Razor that I’d like to talk to him. He has my assurance he’ll be allowed to leave afterwards.”
“Yeah okay,” the guy said, fidgeting nervously.
Matt did his best not to seethe as he watched the two men practically bolt for the door, escorted by one of the soldiers. That was an obvious threat to the town Ferris was letting out, all because he didn’t believe Trev and Lewis, or Matt himself for that matter. It was bad enough that Trev had woken him up after only a few hours of sleep to deal with this, but now he got to watch as his work going out to the canyon camp and bringing the criminals back to town was two-thirds of the way undone.
“If you don’t mind me asking,” Matt said once the two men were gone, “what are we going to do about Razor?”
Ferris’s eyes thinned. “We aren’t doing anything, Mr. Larson. While I appreciate your civic mindedness in bringing these men to my attention, the last thing I need is some gung ho vigilante running around causing problems. Leave this so-called Razor to me.”
Matt wasn’t satisfied with that answer. “He threatened my family. He threatened the town! Am I just supposed to twiddle my thumbs and hope he doesn’t do anything?”
“It’s my job to make sure he doesn’t carry out those threats, which I’ll do,” the administrator replied. “As for you, maybe you should spend less time taking the law into your own hands and more time worrying about surviving the winter.” He smiled condescendingly and gestured towards the door in an obvious signal for Matt to leave. “In case you haven’t figured it out it’s going to be a hard one, and FETF can’t do everything for you.”
Or anything, it looks like, Matt thought somewhat resentfully. But Ferris was at least right that the best thing he could do was go home and put his efforts to taking care of his own family, finding them the food they needed and defending their house.
He left without another word, more than ready to go back to bed.