Trent Reedy - Divided We Fall

“Oh, come on, Schmidty, I’ll be lucky if that old rust bucket even starts. It has no balls.”

“Yeah, but it ain’t been on the news like your bright red Blazer. You might trick a few reporters by switching vehicles. More important, I have to fix up your truck in case you’re messing with your girl in there some night and another crazy shooter shows up. You may think you’re invincible, but at least let me help make JoBell safe.”

I hated arguing with Schmidty. Worse, I hated when he was right.

—• You’re listening to Weekend on National Public Radio. I’m Renae Matthews. By calling a special weekend session of the Idaho state legislature, Governor Montaine has demonstrated his strong support in his own state government, and his skill at quickly passing legislation. Montaine’s Freedom from Drones Act goes into effect at the end of the month and outlaws the use of unmanned aircraft in Idaho airspace except by the Idaho military and law enforcement communities, and then only with a warrant and for very specific reasons. The American Civil Liberties Union has long advocated for such privacy measures, but an ACLU spokesperson says she worries about the implications of this law in light of the Idaho Crisis. For more on this story •—

—• here in the Coffee Corner, a popular café here in Daniel Wright’s hometown. I’m with retired farmer and lifelong Freedom Lake resident Herb Rebley. Herb, thank you for agreeing to talk with us.”

“I didn’t. I’m trying to enjoy my morning cup of coffee. You just sat down at my table and put that camera in my face.”

“Oh. Well… Can we ask you a few questions about Daniel Wright?”

“You can ask whatever you want.”

“How long have you known him?”

“Known him all his life.”

…

“And what can you tell us about him?”

“What do you want to know?”

“What kind of person is he?”

“Good.”

…

“Why do you think he fired on the protestors in Boise?”

“Don’t reckon I know that he did. You don’t know either.”

“I see. Well. Is there anything else you’d like to say about this?”

“I’d like you people to leave us alone, to stop asking so many questions, and to leave Freedom Lake.”

“Back to you, Tom.” •—

—• here at CBS have had a look at Wright’s FriendStar page and found at least one post in which he bragged about receiving an expert rifle marksmanship badge at Army basic training. So we know he is an excellent shot, certainly capable of shooting many people at Boise. He also has a number of violent action movies in his Amazon wish list, including fantasies like The Avengers III and more realistically violent movies about the military and war. Has Daniel Wright embraced a culture of death? What bearing did this have on him at the Battle of Boise? •—

—• This exclusive KREM 2 video footage was recorded earlier from the KREM 2 Eye in the Sky. Here you see Daniel Wright opening the door to his vehicle. Now, please excuse the crude picture. The shakes and sparks you’re seeing are the result of Sheriff Nathan Crow, who fired eight shots to destroy our cam drone. This video was recovered from the wreckage, and our computer experts reconstructed it digitally. The sheriff’s office hasn’t returned our phone calls for •—

—• Most people we’ve talked to have had only good things to say about Wright, saying he’s a nice, clean-cut athlete and something of a cowboy. But some of Daniel’s classmates, who spoke to our reporters on condition of anonymity, said that everything might not be as perfect as it seems. There are reports of a rivalry between Wright and his classmate Travis Jones, who is rumored to have a crush on Wright’s girlfriend, JoBell Linder. Travis at least frequently posts on JoBell’s FriendStar page. Travis, thank you for taking the time to speak with me. Is it true that you and Miss Linder have had a secret relationship? Could Daniel Wright’s jealousy have had an effect on his actions in Boise?”

“Absolutely not! JoBell and I are friends.”

“But the rivalry between you and Daniel Wright—”

“Danny and I are friends. We’re both starting wide receivers on the football team. I threw a block to help him score a touchdown only last Friday. You people need to leave us all alone.”

“But, Travis, if I could just ask… And he’s stormed off in an angry rage. As you can see, emotions are running high all over town. April Lindelson, ABC News, Freedom Lake, Idaho. •—

Later that afternoon, JoBell called and made me delete about everything I’d ever posted online. Then she walked me through closing out my FriendStar, Shout Out, Amazon, and about every other online account I ever had. She said the news was using all that stuff to make me seem bad. At least I didn’t have to delete my playlists. Still, the whole process took forever.

After I’d practically gone Amish, I left the shop in Schmidty’s stupid brown Stratus, driving across the grass through back lots to come out on a different street. The car smelled like a nasty old ashtray, but switching vehicles threw the media off for a little bit, until their curiosity about any vehicle leaving the shop made them catch on. I tried to outrun them, but when I laid on the gas in the pussy four-cylinder Stratus, the engine would whine real loud as the car made a pathetic attempt to speed up.

“Come on, you piece of shit!” I slapped the dusty dashboard as I headed toward Becca’s, whipping tight corners on streets I knew better than the media did. When I finally reached the highway that led out to Becca’s farm, I thought I’d be free, but they followed me out there too, snapping photographs as they passed me in Schmidty’s weak, slow, worthless car. Finally, I lost them on Becca’s gravel driveway, closing the gate behind me and leaving my pursuers back on the road.

Becca’s family owned a ton of land, the perfect place to take a break from all the cameras and reporters. Years ago, her dad had bulldozed a berm in the back wooded part of the property and set a plank up with an empty fifty-gallon barrel under each end. All we had to do was stick a few bottles and cans on the plank and we had the perfect shooting range.

When I arrived, JoBell was getting ready to shoot her dad’s awesome semiautomatic Springfield Armory M1A Scout Squad rifle that he’d bought back before assault rifles were outlawed. The thing had a twenty-round magazine and fired a 7.62-millimeter round, the same type of bullet used in the Army’s M240 machine gun. Becca and Sweeney sat on a log about a dozen yards behind JoBell. Becca had disassembled and was cleaning the parts of her dad’s.45. We were just missing Cal, who was at work at the lake.

I stood off by myself, leaning against a boulder. I knew what my friends were trying to do in insisting we come out here today, and I was grateful that they cared, but as much as I loved shooting and rodeo, I doubted their efforts to get us back to our normal lives were going to work.

“What’s the matter, Wright?” Sweeney said. “You love shooting. We thought this would cheer you up.”

“Would you all shut up?” JoBell shouted back at us, keeping her rifle aimed downrange. “I’m trying to concentrate.”

Becca smiled, but didn’t look up from her work. “Like you need us to be quiet so you can shoot.”