Saving Shiloh

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It's been a year since Shiloh

came to live with me and my family.

He used to belong to Judd Travers.

Judd treated him so bad...

... that Shiloh had marks all over

his body when I found him.

I used to think that Judd was gonna come

in the middle of the night and take Shiloh.

But things changed

after Judd's truck accident.

He even pet Shiloh for the first time.

Okay, darlings. Dinner's waiting.

Come on, Becky.

Strange thing about this world, though.

Just when you start to feel safe...

... something that you never imagined

can take you by surprise.

- Mommy, I want a bicycle.

- We can't afford one right now, Becky.

Maybe Santa will bring

you one for Christmas.

- Really?

- Sure.

- But that's still six months away.

- I can wait.

- There's no such thing as Santa Claus.

- There is too.

No, there ain't.

Ma, is Santa Claus real?

Well, must be someone

bringing all those toys.

I'll get it.

Hi, Judd.

Marty. Brought something

for your ma to cook up.

Sort of a thank you

for helping a neighbor out.

Mom. Mom, Judd's here.

And he brought you a present.

- A present? What is it?

- It's something good to eat.

Well, that's so nice of you, Judd.

Would you like to come in,

have a cup of coffee?

I reckon it ain't the right thing to do

without Ray being here.

- I think it'd be all right.

- Well, I'm fine right here.

All right, then.

- How you feeling?

- My leg's healing up right nicely.

Still have to shoot from my porch.

What is it?

It's a couple of squirrels.

They already bled.

Maybe Marty and Ray

can skin them later on.

- I touched a dead squirrel? Oh, my God.

- Dara Lynn.

I been eating them my whole life.

They bake a right tasty stew.

- I think I'm gonna throw up.

- Dara Lynn.

- You're the meanest man!

- Now, Becky.

- He is. He shot some pretty little squirrels.

- That's enough. Upstairs, both of you.

- But, Mom...

- Right now.

I'm sorry, Judd.

I don't know what's wrong

with squirrels.

- I been eating them my whole life.

- There's nothing wrong with them.

And I appreciate your thinking of us.

- The girls are just not used to it, that's all.

- Maybe you should teach them.

You're right, maybe I should.

Well...

...I better be moving along.

See you around.

- Bye, now, Judd.

- Bye.

I've never been so embarrassed

in all my life.

Well, at least you never brought

anybody a couple of dead squirrels.

Daddy, Judd is so disgusting.

He's all bruised up and he's so mean.

- Dara Lynn, that's no way to talk.

- You said so yourself, Daddy.

Well, then, I was wrong.

He's a neighbor, and a darn side better one

than he was just a sort time ago.

There's just too much bad talk

around town about Judd.

- Like what?

- Like he got off too easy for drunk driving.

Some people figure if they give him

a hard time, he'll move away.

And then what if he doesn't?

The meaner folks are to him,

the meaner he's liable to be.

Soon as he gets his leg all healed,

he'll be back to his old rotten self.

- Dara Lynn, what did I say?

- Can't we just leave him be?

I think he's changed.

Sorry.

When Doc Wallace passed away

last winter, it was real sad for everybody.

He was a friend and teacher

to our whole town.

I know how my friend Sam must feel,

because Doc felt like my grandfather too.

There we go.

- How's your Grandma doing, Sam?

- Well, she's having a hard time.

I mean, they were married for 47 years.

But she's got the store,

so that keeps her busy.

- What about you?

- I miss him.

- Yeah, so do I.

- I know you do.

He loved you a lot, Marty.

He saved Shiloh's life.

I'll never forget that.

Where'd you get that, Shiloh?

He was over in that part of the woods.

That's weird.

Some car just left here,

middle of nowhere.

We should tell the sheriff.

The sheriff's inspecting the car,

inside and out.

My dad said it belongs

to a guy from Bens Run.

- Well, why'd he leave it there?

- Who knows.

But the guy got into a fight

with Judd Travers in a bar just before...

...and now it turns out he's missing.

- What?

How come no one said anything before?

- They thought he took a trip or something.

- Yeah, he took a trip all right.

Look, we don't know

anything about this.

You can't go convicting a man

of a crime without evidence.

We don't even know where the guy is.

He might just be out of town.

Jeez, Marty. What will it take to

convince you that Judd's a bad guy?

I ain't saying he's good. Just doesn't seem

like the kind of guy who could kill someone.

That's what they always say about a killer.

"He was such a quiet guy, seemed nice."

Well, Judd sure isn't quiet,

and he definitely doesn't seem nice.

Judd couldn't have done nothing

to him, had a broken leg.

That's just it. The man's been missing

since before Judd's accident.

Today we're studying

the Sixth Amendment.

Now, in our country, you cannot be

convicted of a crime without a fair trial.

Marty, what do you think it means

to have a fair trial?

Well, I guess it means that someone gets

to defend themself the best they can...

...and then the jury decides the verdict

on the evidence they're given.

That's exactly right, Marty.

You'd make a good lawyer someday.

Well, I wanna be a vet when I grow up.

David's the one who wants to be a lawyer

because he likes to hear himself talk.

You guys.

- Are you sure you wanna do this?

- Yeah. You're not nervous, are you?

The police just questioned him

about the man from Bens Run.

Mom, you don't think that Judd

had anything to do with that.

If I did, you wouldn't be going.

He's probably not very happy

about all that gossip.

I just want you to thank him for bringing

the squirrels and come on back.

Should I tell him that I almost threw up

helping Dad skin the squirrels?

- And that now I'm vegetarian?

- You're very funny.

I'm serious, Mom.

You can cross the bridge.

Judd's never gonna hurt you again.

All right, boy, you stay.

Shiloh won't cross the bridge...

... because he remembers

how Judd was so mean to him.

He caged him and hit him so hard,

Shiloh ran away.

Hush up! What you barking at, huh?

- What you want?

- Ma wanted me to bring over the stew.

- Thought you ought to have some of it.

- It's real tasty, right?

Well, we don't actually eat much meat,

but Ma didn't want this to go to waste.

So y'all don't like it,

so you send it over here to me?

No, we like it fine.

We just wanted you to have some.

I had two helpings.

You did?

You tell your ma she can have

some more anytime she wants some.

Squirrel is always in season. I just

pick them right out of them trees there.

- I'll tell her.

- All right.

I got a new theory

about Judd's accident.

Man gets into a fight with Judd,

he goes missing.

- Judd killed him, then crashed on purpose.

- What?

Judd was trying to wreck

the evidence along with his truck.

- So he planned his truck accident?

- Yes.

Here's how I figure.

Judd and the man continue their fight

someplace else, and Judd kills him.

Maybe he didn't mean to, but he did.

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