BEDFORD -- On a tree branch near a lake hidden somewhere inLawrence County, a fishing line hangs in a bunch.
The line hanging there belongs to Michael S. McKinney. He leftit one of the many times he went fishing there. His friends noticedit Wednesday as they stood by the lake and talked about old times,drinking beers and smoking cigarettes deep in the woods. They hadjust come from his funeral.
"This is purely Mikey," his best friend Justin Gilbert said."With a cooler of beer and some nightcrawlers."
Nearby, Brian Mickish chimed in. "You don't even need thenightcrawlers."
Four days ago, McKinney's family called Gilbert and told themeverything they knew: McKinney had been killed and a police officerwas somehow involved. Gilbert started making phone calls himself.Later, as he stood by the lake, he had just finished burying hisbest friend. Mickish and about 10 others -- members of the old highschool gang -- joined him there. It had been a while since they allhad gotten together, they said.
McKinney's death brought them all back this week -- back fromtheir jobs and back from school. They came back from the thingsthat had drawn them apart since graduation because suddenly therewas one of them they would never see again. After the funeral, theyall met at Gilbert's house and trekked out in a caravan to the oldstomping grounds.
To remember Mikey.
LOOKING BACK
McKinney moved to Bedford two years ago. Before that, he livedin the neighboring town of Oolitic. That's where Gilbert and manyof the others live.
That's where they say it all began, in the basement of the housewhere McKinney lived for 14 years. On any given holiday or weekend,the yard would be lined with cars.
Wednesday evening, the cars came back. The new owners let themsee it again.
"I haven't been here since," Gilbert said.
The gang knocked on the door. The owner sent them around theback of the tan house -- it used to be red -- and let them in.
Gilbert looked around.
"Wow, that's really different."
There was new carpet. There were new pictures on the wall -- asoldier instead of IU and Notre Dame memorabilia. Holidaydecorating was in progress, but it was still cleaner than it hadever been before.
"The door even works," Jeff Tillett said. "That's bull."
The gang used to try to hit golf balls into the pool. One timeMcKinney accidentally broke a window.
"Sometimes he wasn't the greatest golfer," Alex Luchauersaid.
The house was always the meeting point for the gang, evenMcKinney wasn't home.
"His parents kept his door unlocked," Luchauer said.
They talked about all of this as they stood outside thinkingabout McKinney.
"We're going to start spending more time together," Tillettsaid. "It's going to bring us closer."
FINDING EACH OTHER
Gilbert looked up.
"Time to face my fear."
He was about to climb a 13-story fire tower. The last time hewas there it was at night -- when you can't see the ground beneathyou.
And he was with his friend -- who started shaking it.
"He knew I was scared of heights," Gilbert said. "It took me 10minutes to get up the damn thing."
The top of the steel tower is an eight-by-eight room. The gangcould see all of Lawrence County from there.
And the sign at the bottom prohibiting alcohol didn't deterthem.
"We got really drunk," Gilbert said.
Usually, they would go up there just to talk. Wednesday afterthe funeral, they talked about McKinney.
"Mikey always knew when it was time to be serious or when to befun," Tillett said. "He was always there to ease the moment. Thatwas Mikey."
The gang would go to places like the fire tower because therewas nothing else to do in town.
"All of our stuff was just to be friends and hang out," Mickishsaid. "We just found each other and hung out. We didn't even needalcohol."
TIME TO GET TO FISHIN'
McKinney couldn't stand to eat fish.
"I always thought that was funny," Gilbert said.
That's because McKinney loved to go fishing. Of all the mediareports that talked about how McKinney only got upset when he waswatching sports, Gilbert said something was left out.
"They failed to mention if he got a little fish," Gilbert said."It was always a contest."
McKinney liked to compete, but he also enjoyed the surroundings.He'd skip school to go fishing sometimes, his friends said, comingback the next day with tan lines where his sunglasses had been.McKinney loved everything about the woods -- almost.
"He was terrified of snakes," Gilbert said, pointing next tohim. "He ran from that spot up the hill in five seconds."
For some people, it was the first time they had been to thatlake. Not all of McKinney's friends were fishers, but Gilbertintends to make sure they start.
"We're gonna get to fishin'," Gilbert said.
They'll do it one man short. But, like the fishing line bundledup in the tree, there is plenty to remind them of him.
"He's probably got some lures hanging around here."
LAST BASH
At the end of the day, a few of them stopped at a spot nearMcKinney's old home. They used to go camping there. Not with tentsand campfires -- more like with trucks and beers.
It was where Gilbert and McKinney were first taught to shootguns. There were a lot of good times there.
McKinney brought them all out there once right before theygraduated from high school. They were all about to leave forcollege. He was about to pledge Delta Chi.
"Everybody was getting ready to go in completely differentdirections," Luchauer said. "He just wanted to make sure that weknew that he cared."
After that, they left together.
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