Daren's Story - Chapter 8

I was afraid the first time you left the house.

"We can't keep him trapped in the house." Danny said.  "He can't stay inside forever."

I knew he was right, but I was so afraid of what might happen if you did leave.  And my fears were not groundless.

The first time you were with your friend "G".  You were at his place when the two cops came in.  They both had their guns cocked and you told me the one I remember so clearly had his gun at your head.  Just at that time "G's" mother walked in.  I don't know what the entire conversation consisted of, but they ended up leaving.

The next time you were walking home from Regal Bowling Alley.  You had cut through Moose Park when the same two confronted you again.  Once more they had you down on the ground with their guns cocked.  The same one again with the barrel of his gun against your head.  Mr. Olsen (a former policeman who lived in our neighborhood) happened to walk by and asked what was going on.  Again, I don't know the extent of the conversation, but Mr. Olsen told them he knew you and would see you made it home.

I didn't know at the time, that when your dad left the house at night, he would follow some of your friends.  When they arrived at their destinations where drug parties were taking place, he would kick the door in.  This happened three times.  Each time he would say to those attending, "Tell those SOB's that are providing the cocaine, if they harm one hair on my son's head, I will kill then.  I've got a damn good gun and I'm a damn good shot and I'll blow their asses away."

Next, Danny was driving down 820 North Street, when he noticed the two policeman following him.  He pulled his truck to the side of the road and motioned for them to pull over.  They pulled up behind him and he got out of his truck and walked back to their car.  I don't know if they were shocked when he said "I just want you to know, I have a 357 Mag in my truck.  I carry it with me all the time and I'm a damn good shot.  If you every point your gun at my boy again, I'm gonna kill you.  Yes.  I will probably end up in prison, but you are gonna end up dead."

Each night, when Danny left his heavy equipment in Heber he would go through the same procedure.  He would place a piece of cellophane tape across the cap on his fuel tank.  If anyone hampered the cap, he would know.   One morning when he checked out his trencher, the tape had been broken.  He drained the fuel out before he started the machine to find that someone had poured sugar into the fuel tank.  Had he started the machine with the sugared fuel in it, the engine would have been ruined.  He knew we couldn't go to the Provo police, so he drove to Park City and talked to the county sheriff.  He told him everything that was going on.  The company your dad had the contracts with were headquartered in Park City.  The sheriff's office planted one of their own as a secretary in their office.

Your dad came home one night and said "Do you want to go watch the drugs come in?"

Looking back, I laugh at myself for saying "Yes."  What in the world was I thinking.  But I did, so we drove down to the Provo airport.  At that time, there were a lot of rushes, bushes and trees around there.  Danny pulled his truck off onto a little dirt lane that hid us from everyone.  He parked with the nose of the truck facing the runway and we sat there for what seemed like hours.  It was late and dark as we sat and listened to the sounds of the lake with the breeze blowing through the rushes.  Pretty soon however, a small plane landed and out onto the runway to meet it went a Provo police car.  So much was going through my mind, that I never asked Danny how he knew that drop was going down that night.  That would be the only time he confided in me until much further down the road.

He came home one night and asked where the CB radio was that we had given you the previous Christmas.  I told him it was still in the box in the bottom of his gun case.  He said he was going to use it.  I didn't question him, but I did wonder why, after all the time I had been with that man, he now would need a CB radio when he had never needed one before.

I would soon find out.

-to be continued-