𝑫𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒅 𝑩𝒐𝒘𝒊𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑪𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒏 𝑹𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒉

☆20☆

"He's out right in front of the courthouse, with his TV crew and everything! My, that man is crazier than a peach orchard sow!" Fred exclaimed.
"In front of the courthouse?!" David practically yelled. He was seething with anger. All this time, he thought Melvin actually had plans to leave the ranch alone. So was he just getting close with David so he could get closer to the ranch too? Was this all part of some plan Melvin had came up with or did he just wake up and thought that this would be a good day to turn on everybody?
"He's gettin' some pictures for a piece on the late new tonight. And I'm pretty sure he sent a whole posse of cameramen to your office."

"Son of a bitch!" Ed Earl spat loudly. "Good thing you got there before they did, I already had my name on television once."
David shook his head. He wanted to protect the ranch, yet, he was ashamed because he didn't want to be associated with a illegal brothel.

"You know, he even has all his little singers with him too." Fred told them.
"Of course he does." David scoffed.
"Wait until I get my hands on that low life..." Ed Earl growled to himself.
"Watch yourself, Ed Earl. Please, for the love of God and Mona, do not do anything stupid." David firmly told him.
"Everything's gonna be fine, David. Just leave that little shit to me."

************

"Howdy neighbors, good neighbors. Melvin P. Thorpe, the old watchdog himself, shinin' a spotlight on Gilbert, the little town with a big shame." Melvin spoke into a camera as he stood under a gazebo, which shaded him and his crew nicely.
Melvin started to explain to the camera how he had been threatened after his first show about the ranch. So, he had to lie to everyone saying he made it up and was so very sorry about it all. But now, he could go back to reporting on it.

Some people approached him and looked at him confused. They began to whisper amongst one another.
"Who's the fella in them trick britches?"
"One of them TV folks, looks to me."

"We're here at the Lanville county courthouse to ask some of the local citizens how they feel about the infamous, disgusting, sin-filled, Chicken Ranch runnin' wide open in their American home town...
Cut! All right now, stay with me, boys." Melvin walked over to his singers, which, were called dogettes. "And when I start the music, I want you Dogettes to start with me, brisk!"
Melvin turned towards the small crowd of people that stood before him, whispering and gawking at him.

"Good people of Gilbert, may I have your attention please? I would like to speak to you about a matter of great importance and concern." Melvin clapped as the audience stood and looked at him, most of them already paying attention anyways.

"Let's hear it, Melvin! Lay it on us!" Q camera person exclaimed.

He cleared his throat.

"I'm speakin' to you about nothin' less than your community's moral health! I'm talkin' to you about official blindness, official corruption, official malfeasance!" Melvin stomped his foot along with every syllable on the last "Offcial"
"He sure is wound up." Someone said in the crowd.
"Yep, I'm just waitin' for Ed Earl to get here. He's gonna kick that boy's ass, it ain't no big secret."

Melvin scowled as he heard them talking. He hated when people didn't take him seriously.
"You know, each and everyone of you, know what's going on in this town is evil, immoral, brazen, and even against the law!" He roared while jumping up and down on the gazebo. He pointed angrily at one of the members of his crew.

"Hit it! Texas, has a whorehouse in it!"

"Lord have mercy, on our souls!" The dogettes sang full of energy.

"Texas, has a whorehouse in it."

"Lord have mercy on our souls."

"Sin is running rampant like before the fall of Rome. Someone is permittin' you know what. And it must stop."
They started to sing the words "lovless copulation" as Melvin shuffled his feet, as he once did before in his first show. Ed Earl pushed through the growing crowd angrily.

Abruptly, Melvin stopped as he spotted Ed Earl. The others stopped too.
"Welllll....."Melvin threw him a wicked smile while squinting his eyes. He cocked his head to the side. "If it isn't the man himself."
Ed Earl walked up to Melvin with David following behind him, Fred was still trying to get through the crowd.

David grabbed Ed Earl's shoulder and pulled him away, thinking he might lose his temper and sock Melvin in the nose.
"Ah, of course you're here too!" Melvin snarled as he roughly grabbed David's thin arm, pulling him towards him.
"What in the ever-loving hell do you think you are doing?!" David hissed into his ear.

"David, you have to understand-"

"I trusted you! Were you going behind me this whole damn time?!" Tears of hurt began to form in his eyes.
"Well, not necessarily..." Melvin didn't say anything else regarding that. "Stop crying, David."

David yanked his arm out of Melvin's grip, only to be grabbed once again. Melvin turned to the crowd and lifted his hand in the air.
Ed Earl growled as he came up on Melvin.
"Get your hands off of-"

He was cut off by the sudden shove Melvin gave him, which made him fall to the ground. Everyone gasped, for nobody had ever put their hands on Ed Earl before.
For a few seconds, everyone watched Ed Earl silently as they waited for him to knock Melvin into orbit. But he just layed on the grass like that, eyes wide with shock.

"Everybody, I have met Mr. Bowie myself, and he has confessed all of his sinful interactions with The Chicken Ranch, in great detail to me before. Each and everyone of them." Melvin looked dead at Ed Earl as Fred ran over and began to shake his body.
"He says he especially loves the madame, Miss Mona!" He yelled, to see if he could distract Ed Earl. Ed Earl layed there still while Fred continued to try different ways to get him to snap out of it.

"Who happens to be the sheirff's lover!" He continued. Still, nothing.
"Oh fine!" He huffed before looking over at David as if nothing happened. "What do you have to say for yourself?"
"You're full of shit!" David spat at him. "And a liar!"
David was beginning to snap.

"This is the kind of man you're letting help protect your county!" Melvin tried to yell over David. "Ya'll voted for Ed Earl Dodd, who hired this man. But what's to be expected from David Bowie? We all know what he's like."
Melvin's eyes fixed a gaze on David, who looked at him with a look full of seething hatred while Melvin's gaze seemed as if it was begging him for forgiveness.

David thought about kicking his leg to make him fall, but he knew that would be right.
So he just shook his head a told him in a hoarse voice,

"Go to hell."

Before storming away.

He walked over towards Ed Earl and nudged him with his foot.
Melvin watched sadly after him for a few moments before snalling back into it all.
"Get up, Ed Earl." David said fewling hurt and not exactly heartbroken, but as if Melvin had put a crack in his heart.
"Huh?" Ed Earl asked dumbly, as Fred looked at David in amazement since he wasn't able to get him to snap out of it.

"What even- nevermind." David shook his head with a sigh.