Claire was acting like such
a child. What was wrong with this woman? Why was she constantly trying to get
my goat? She never used to be like that. Was it because of Billy? Had she
developed feelings for him and become jealous of me? The nerve of her! She
hasn’t even gotten rid of Carl yet and here she was going after Billy.
“They found the body of a
woman, and there’s no doubt that the hand belonged to her.” He rubbed his hands
together, blew on them, and sent a quick glance my way. He walked over and sat
down on the sofa beside Mom. “This is a very serious matter. They’re going to
have to lock this place up tighter than
Fort
Knox
because there’s a dead body on your property. I
explained to Sheriff Hudson that you have family coming to visit for
Thanksgiving. He assured me his men would not cause any problems.
Unfortunately, the crime scene tape will have to stay up, and there’ll be a
couple of deputies stationed here for a while. You might as well go ahead and
call Jack and anyone else who’s coming and alert them to the situation. Once
the press gets wind of it, it’s going to be a circus around here.”
“Do they have any idea who
the woman is?” Claire asked.
Cole responded to her
question before Billy had a chance to say anything. “No, they don’t. Right now
we’re still sealing off the area. We can’t do anything until the medical
examiner arrives. The forensics team will collect evidence and then the body
will be removed.”
Mom seemed to shiver on
that note.
“Are you cold, Mom?” I
looked at her and then at the fireplace.
Last month Billy had talked
Mom into letting him install an insert. “This will save on your propane bill,
plus, it’s cozy,” he had told her. There was nothing but embers burning and I
didn’t see any firewood stacked in the log holder. I looked over at Billy and
Cole.
“Will you guys help me
bring in some wood? I think we need to warm this place up a little.”
“Sure,” they both answered
and followed my cue.
We left Claire to watch
over Mom while we went outside to get the firewood. Cole and Billy stood beside
the detached garage where the pile of firewood was stacked, leaning their heads
together. The snow was blowing in my face as I stacked firewood into the crook
of my arm.
“Okay,” I yelled above the
wind and snow. “Let’s have it. What’s going on? Cole, I want the truth.” I
stood there, my arms full of firewood and a demanding look on my face. “This is
my family we’re talking about. I know how the police are. They’d better not
mess with my mom.”
It was dark outside and I
could barely see their faces. Yet, the glow coming from the woods where the
body was found was unmistakable. The sheriff was setting up camp.
“What are they doing back
there, camping out?” The loud, hostile tone in my voice made Cole step back.
“Just calm down, Jesse,” he
said, trying not to fall down in the snow. “I know you’re upset, but don’t take
it out on me.”
If I had been a spectator
watching this scene play out, I would’ve rolled over laughing. Here was a guy
the size of Paul Bunyan who was being intimidated by Little Red Riding Hood. It
had to be funny to somebody, but it wasn’t funny to me. I knew what cops were
capable of, and I was not going to let them drag my mother into this. They
would have to deal with me first!
“I’m not going to let
anything happen to your mom,” he said, stepping closer. “You can count on me.”
He reached out and folded his arms around my waist, pulling me close to him.
The scent of his after-shave drove me wild. I lost all train of thought. When
his lips touched mine, I forgot all about the world around me. I hadn’t been
near him for almost a week and my juices were flowing. I wanted more.
Billy cleared his throat
loud enough for our neighbors down the road to hear him, and then said, “We
have company, kids.”
Sheriff Hudson and two of
his deputies walked up. They were covered with muddy snow.
“Miss Watson...” the
sheriff began.
“You can call me Jesse,” I
said and batted my eyelashes. I was acting like a silly school girl, but it was
dark outside and nobody could see me. Unfortunately, the gods were not smiling
down on me. The minute I smiled, one of his deputies clicked on a flashlight.
“Oops, I’m sorry, ma’am.”
He quickly directed the beam of light in another direction. “I didn’t mean to
flash the light in your eyes.”
It was too late. In the
blink of an eye, all five men around me knew I was flirting with the sheriff. I
thought Billy was going to puke, and Cole appeared shell-shocked. I could see
trouble ahead because of my bad behavior, but I would deal with that later. I
was more concerned with this nasty little incident than I was about a bunch of
men and their egos.
“Jesse,” Sheriff Hudson
said, smiling back at me. “I’m afraid we’re going to have to ask you and your
family not to leave the premises for the next couple of hours. The medical
examiner’s on his way and as soon as he’s finished, I’ll want to talk to all of
you again.”
“I hope you realize none of
us had anything to do with that woman’s death, don’t you? I mean, my dogs
might have dragged her hand home, but she was already dead. Isn’t that right?
Why would we call you if we were the ones who killed her? The thought is
ridiculous.”
“Of course it is,” he said.
He reached out and put his hand on my shoulder. “Let me put your mind at ease.
You have nothing to worry about.”
“Then you must know who she
is.” Billy got right in his face. “Otherwise, you’d be all over these people.”
“And you are...?”
“Billy Blackhawk, Private
Investigator.”
“Sir, I can’t go into that
right now. I can tell you that we have our suspicions. We’ve been searching for
a woman who fits the victim’s description for almost two weeks. We won’t know
anything for sure until the autopsy is complete or until we get a positive ID.”
Sirens sounded in the
distance. Minutes later, a black SUV pulled into the driveway, led by a
Greene
County
police
cruiser.
“Is that the M.E.?” I asked
the sheriff. “I’ve never seen an SUV that long. It’s almost the length of two
cars.”
“From what I understand, it
was custom-made. A regular hearse would never make it through these hills,
especially in weather like this. If you’ll excuse me, Miss Watson, I need to
have a word with him.” He looked over at Cole. “Deputy James, would you please
join us?”
“Yes, sir,” Cole responded,
and left to follow his boss.
“What was that all about?”
I whispered to Billy.
“I think your boy got
caught with his pants down.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, he was smooching
on you when he should have been doing his job. He let his guard down.”
“Are you saying the sheriff
doesn’t know I’m Cole’s girlfriend?”
“He does now.” Billy saw
the angry look in my eyes. “Don’t let it get to you, `ge ya.
Remember,
if you’re not the wife, you’re just the flavor of the month. A girlfriend
doesn’t count for much.”
“What an awful thing to
say, Billy.”
“I’m sorry, but it’s true.
Cops go through relationships faster than the speed of sound because most women
just can’t seem to tolerate being number two. Being second to someone’s job is
degrading.”
“It’s different with me and
Cole.”
“Sure it is,” he mumbled.
He walked over to the stack of firewood.
As Billy and I made our way
up the steps to the utility room, Sheriff Hudson and the M.E. walked past. Cole
and the other two deputies followed. I looked to see if he was looking at me,
but he kept on walking. It was as if I wasn’t there. What was the deal?
I began to sink into
another one of my many phases of insecurities. I’ve always had a problem with
self-esteem. Therapy helped, but I left my therapist behind a long time ago.
I’ve tried to deal with my problems by myself, and have been doing pretty well.
I would not let this make me crazy. If Cole was going to ignore me, then I
could ignore the fact that we were supposed to be in love.
“See, I told you... number
two,” Billy said as he opened the door to the utility room. “You’d better get
used to it.”
“If you’re trying to light
my fire, you’re doing a good job.”
“I’m just telling you how
it is.”
“What do you know, Billy
Blackhawk?”
“I know that you think you
and Cole are going to have a heavy-duty relationship, but you’d better get used
to the idea that his job comes first. I’ve known him for a long time and I can
assure you that there hasn’t been a woman in his life who meant more to him
than his job.”
“Until now,” I said with a
grin on my face.
O
ur argument continued
into the living room. I dumped my
firewood on the corner of the hearth while Billy placed his, one by one on top
of the remaining embers in the stove. He slammed the doors shut.
“How many times have I
warned you about him? You just don’t listen.”
“Yeah, well, Cole warned me
about you, too.”
Mom jumped up from the sofa
and headed toward the kitchen.
“Stop it! What is it with
you two? Every time I turn around, you’re fighting. If I didn’t know any
better, I’d think you were married.” She grunted and walked into the kitchen.
“I’m going to fix a pot of coffee. There’s leftover chicken in the refrigerator
if anybody’s hungry.”
The room fell silent. Why
was Mom angry? She had heard us argue many times. What was different about this
time? I guess having a dead body in your backyard does something to a person. I
cursed at Billy under my breath and walked to the kitchen.
“I’m sorry, Mom. I know
this thing is hard on you, but you know how we are. It wouldn’t be normal if
Billy and I didn’t fight.” I looked at Billy with a smug grin on my face.
“Besides, he knows he’s always wrong. It just takes him a little while to admit
it.”
Billy got up from the
hearth and slowly walked over to where we were standing. “She’s absolutely
right.” He put his arm around her shoulders. “I guess I’m just getting senile
in my silly old age.”
Mom brushed off his arms
and gave him a dirty look. “Don’t mess with me, Billy Blackhawk. I know what
you’re trying to do. You’re trying to make me forget what has happened here.
But I know what’s going on. Y’all know something and you’re not telling me.
They’re going to put me in jail, aren’t they?”
“No, they are not! That’s
not it at all,” I said. “Besides, why would they put you in jail? You didn’t do
anything. Just because you own the property doesn’t mean you had anything to do
with the crime.” I reached out to hug her. “Tell her everything is going to be
fine, Billy.”
“Everything is going to be
fine. Don’t you worry yourself one bit,” he said, as he led her to the kitchen
table. “Why don’t you sit down and I’ll bring you a cup of coffee. Then we can
talk about that dead body in your back yard.”
“Billy!” I screamed.
Mom burst into laughter and
then said, “Billy, you’re such a bad boy!”
We sat at the table for a
long time, discussing the day’s events. Mom was glad to hear that the police
didn’t suspect any of us, but was appalled at the idea of an actual dead body
on her property. Claire was her usual quiet, classy, above all, timid self,
until we heard a cry from upstairs. She bounced out of her chair like an angel
with wings and ran to comfort her children. A pang of jealousy gripped my
heart. One day I will have children that will require my immediate attention
just like her. But for now all I had were two dogs. And, actually, they didn’t
need me... they had Mom to take care of them.
As if to read my mind, Thor
ambled over and licked my hand. He had grown into a fine pet within the last
three months. He no longer was a little brown ball of hair with scarred-up
legs, but had developed into a hefty, muscular barking machine. His hair had
become curly, and his face was so adorable. Yet, his big, amber eyes conveyed a
tale of past abuse. For a while he had cowered down every time someone got near
him. But now he was getting acclimated to his new family, and he liked being
here with us. One day he would become the terror of
Dogwood
Valley
. He
would be the master of this land. I could see it coming.
“Thor has turned out to be
a good little dog, hasn’t he?” Mom beamed. “See, I told you. All he needed was
a good home and someone to love him. Somebody sure has treated him badly. But
now he has a good home.” She reached over and rubbed his back.
Mom had said that animals
were like people; all they need is love. Thor was a testament to that fact.
What was once an insecure, wimp of a dog was now the king of the hill. He had
his ego and his pride back. He no longer feared man. He could conquer the
world! Nobody would ever push him around or beat him anymore!
My thoughts went back to
Cole. He says he loves me, but there’s something missing in our relationship. I
still can’t seem to get that trust back we once shared when we first started
seeing each other. Maybe it had something to do with the time I told him a
piece of confidential information while under the influence, and he did his job
by reporting it to his boss. That really blew my mind. I tried to put the
incident behind us and start over again, but it’s been hard. I love him—I just
don’t trust him.
Mom looked across the table
at Billy and said, “Let’s have it.”
“The body is pretty
mutilated. Sheriff Hudson thinks it might be the body of Mary Keen, the woman
who has been missing. She was reported kidnapped, the ransom was paid, but she
never made it back home. It’s pretty hard to tell from the corpse, but the
diamond ring was a dead giveaway. Roy Keen, her husband, used to be a
Greene
County
deputy
until he was fired last month. Prior to all this, about six months ago, he gave
his wife a huge diamond ring that raised eyebrows within the department. A
deputy’s wife saw it and started asking all kinds of questions. Later, the ring
showed up in a photo taken at a party, and eventually the photo got passed
around.”
My instincts kicked in.
“Why was he fired?”
“Don’t you remember, Jesse?
It was in the papers and all over the news. He was involved in stealing drugs
from the evidence room and selling them on the street. It was a black eye for
the department.”
“What you’re saying is the
kidnappers received the ransom and killed her anyway? That’s pretty sorry.”
“That’s what it looks
like.”
“How much was the ransom?”
“It was fifty thousand
dollars. What difference does that make?”
“That’s a lot of money for
a deputy, especially for someone who has been out of work. Where did he get the
money to buy the ring?”
“He sold drugs!” Mom
snapped. “Gosh, Jesse, even I could figure that one out. He’s a criminal!”
“If it was all about money,
why didn’t the kidnappers take the ring?”
“That’s a good question,”
Mom added.
We sat there contemplating
the situation.
“If this is the Keen woman,
the only problem we have is that she was dumped on our property, right, Billy?”
“Let’s hope so.
Unfortunately, the cops have a way of screwing things up or making a bad
situation worse.
Una-ye-hi-di the
wa-hya
!”
“What?” Mom looked befuddled.
“Fear the wolves.”
“Oh, that’s a pleasant
thought,” I mumbled. “I think what Billy’s trying to say, Mom, is that once the
cops sink their teeth into you, they don’t let go until they come away with
some meat. Even if we’re not the guilty party, they’re still going to gnaw away
at us.”
“That sure doesn’t sound
very pleasant. It’s just not fair.”
“No, it’s not fair,” Billy
said. “That’s why I don’t get along with them. They take good people and turn
their lives upside down. This bit about innocent until proven guilty is a
farce. In the eyes of the law, you’re guilty until you can prove yourself
innocent. What starts out as an open and shut case turns into a witch hunt and
innocent people get hurt.”
“What else did you find out
from the sheriff?” I asked.
“It wasn’t from the sheriff
that I learned anything,” he said, raising his eyebrows. “I overheard one of
the deputies tell another that
Roy
probably had something to do with it. He also made a
reference to the police not being called in until after the ransom was paid.
And they wondered if
Roy
had actually paid a ransom. I find the whole scenario
a little strange myself. It just doesn’t wash.”
“That does add some spice
to the pie,” Mom added. Her face lit up like a Christmas tree. She seemed to be
coming to terms with the situation now that she didn’t have to worry about
going to jail.
However, I found it
strange that she would make such a comment. She never used to talk about
people, let alone make silly remarks about them.
Billy has been a big
influence on Mom and is probably responsible for some of her attitude changes.
He was the one who talked her into going to work for him so soon after Dad
died. He told Mom she had to face reality, and start a new life without Mack.
She deserved a little happiness. Mack would want it that way. It was those
words that helped bring her out of her blue funk. She settled into her new role
as office manager nicely: answering the phone, arranging appointments with
clients, and refereeing the arguments between the two of us. She did a good job
running Billy’s office, and he did his best to convince her to stay, but when
Claire came along with her marital problems, Mom left us to resume her role as
homemaker and caregiver. Claire and her two kids, Benny and Carrie, moved in with
Mom shortly thereafter.
A few minutes later, Claire
returned downstairs with a cigarette in her mouth and a nasty attitude. “Y’all
need to keep it down a little. I’m trying to get the kids to sleep.”
“I’m sorry, honey,” Mom got
up from the table and went to her.
“They had just about fallen
asleep when Jesse raised her voice and startled them. Maybe she can keep the
noise down for a few minutes...”
I had just about had it
with Claire’s crybaby ways. I know she’s going through a divorce, but she
doesn’t have to act so hateful. Life goes on.
“I guess the noise won’t be
a problem once you move into Billy’s house,” I uttered under my breath. “You’ll
have all the peace and quiet you want. You won’t hear anything for miles...
maybe just the sound of wolves, or a bear going through your trash.” I knew I
was being mean, but I couldn’t help myself. She’d been so hateful lately, she
deserved a little ribbing. Besides, it wouldn’t hurt for her to know what she
was going to be up against. If she was unhappy with a little bit of noise, wait
until she moved out in the country. The silence would drive her crazy. Without
Mom around to keep her company, she would be lost.
She sat down at the table
and said, “I’ve been meaning to talk to you and Billy about that. I think there
might be a problem.”
“Why talk to me? I don’t
have any say in the matter. That’s between you and Billy.” I got up to get
another cup of coffee, which I knew was the last thing I needed. My stomach was
still queasy from a lack of a decent meal and the presence of a dead body. Yet,
I had to do something. I didn’t want to have to look at Claire’s face while she
talked about her moving plans. I had made up my mind I would keep my feelings
to myself and stay out of it. I filled my coffee cup and stood at the counter,
stalling.
“Come sit down, Jesse,”
Billy demanded. “From the look on Claire’s face, I think this might well
involve you.”
I picked up my cup, walked
back to the table and sat down. I couldn’t possibly imagine what her move had
to do with me unless she wanted me to help carry the boxes. If that was the
case, she could write off that idea. I wasn’t about to help her. The only way
she was going to get anything out of me was by sending a big apology my way.
Lately, she had hurt my feelings one time too many.
Claire snubbed out her
cigarette and lit another one. She was obviously nervous about something. She
had been chain smoking for a while.
“I know, I know,” she said
as she glanced up at us, going from one to the other. “I smoke too much, and
I’ve been a real witch. I’m sorry. I’ve had a lot on my mind lately. This mess
with Carl has been real hard on the kids. They don’t understand. All they know
is that they miss their father. As much as I hate to admit it, I still have
feelings for him. I’m working on that.” Tears welled in her eyes. “I’ve been on
edge for a while and I’ve taken it out on you.” She looked over at me. “Can you
forgive me, Jesse? You seem to have everything you want and I guess I’m a
little jealous.”
You could have knocked me
out of my chair. I couldn’t believe Claire would ever be jealous of me. She’s
the one who has always had everything go her way. She’s had it all: money, good
looks, great kids, beautiful house, happiness, and a steady man in her life.
Then it dawned on me that maybe her life wasn’t all it had been cracked up to
be. I never thought Carl was good enough for her. I knew he would never treat
her the way she deserved to be treated. He was an asshole. He couldn’t help
himself.
Billy reached over and put
his hand on her shoulder, his voice soft and caressing. “It’s all right if you
need to cry, Claire. Go ahead and let it out. We understand and we want to help
you get through this hard time.”
Billy never ceases to amaze
me. He’s so loving and sensitive. He has qualities I would never have expected
in a man like him. He’s the size of a bull elephant and has the same demeanor.
He’s 6’3’’, weighs about 186 lbs. (he says), with a long, braided ponytail down
his back. His hair is so black it looks like it’s been dyed that color. But I
have noticed a few strands of gray recently. At least he still has hair. At
forty-eight years old (the last I heard), all men get fat and bald, don’t they?
But Billy must have good genes because he hasn’t reached that point. He told me
once that he works out some, so I guess that accounts for his muscular body,
strong-arm appearance and butt-kicking attitude when he walks in a room. It’s
so intense it gets everyone’s attention. Nobody would dare mess with him if
they were in their right mind.