South River Incident (6 page)

“I’m sorry, Billy,” I said,
taking a deep breath. “The dogs have a bone.”

“What?”

“The cops are like a dog
with a bone. Give a dog a bone and he’ll chew on it, and then bury what’s left,
only to dig it up at a later time. I’m that bone. They won’t leave me alone.
Even if I don’t go to jail now, they can always come back later. They have my
watch, and they found it at a crime scene. It doesn’t matter that I’m innocent.
I look guilty. Cops can be tricky. They don’t let a little thing like the truth
stand in their way if they think they’re right.”

“I thought you liked cops.
At least you did when I first met you. I remember a time when you thought cops
were always the good guys. To you, they could never do wrong. What happened?”

“You happened, that’s what.
I learned from you that as long as you stay on the right side of the law,
everything might be fine, but if they even think for one minute that you’ve
done a dirty, you’d better watch out. They come at you with a vengeance. I
think murder would be classified as a dirty.  Don’t you? They will hound me
forever. They will never give up.”

“Yeah, there might be some
validity to your words. We need more information. We need a plan. ”

“I think the first thing on
the list would be to keep me out of jail,” I said. “That’s the main thing that
I care about at the moment.”

“But we can’t do that until
we find out if they plan to arrest you. That’s the key. We have to know.”

Billy turned the truck
around and headed back to Mom’s.

“And the only way to do
that is to talk to the police.”

“But...”

“It’s the only way we’re
going to know where we stand. Don’t worry, everything will be fine.  Trust me.”

“You always say that.”

“And don’t I always live up
to my word?”

“Yeah, that’s what scares
me.”

“If you have a better idea,
I’m willing to listen.”

“I guess running is out of
the question.”

“Look,” Billy said. “We’ll
have to go face them eventually. There’s no way of getting around it. If the
sheriff is back at your house, it’s because they have more evidence or they’ve
matched something to something. They wouldn’t come back without a trick in
their pocket. You know they came back to talk to you so let’s go see what they
want.”

“Wait a minute,” I said.
“Let’s talk about this.”

“Nope, I’m done talking.”           

Billy pulled into the
driveway and parked behind the police cars in the circle. He put the gear in
park, and then turned off the truck engine. He looked over and smiled at me.

“I just want you to know
that I am your friend. I’ll never desert you like that stinking rat did. I tell
you that on my honor as a true Cherokee. We are a proud people and when we give
our word, you can take it as the truth. Cole’s not the man for you. I hope you
know that by now.”

“If you’re trying to let me
know that I can count on you, relax, I’ve already figured out that one. I know
that you don’t think Cole’s right for me, but you’re going to have to give me a
little time to sort that one out for myself. Cut me some slack.”

Billy looked over at me and
said, “What are you talking about? You don’t make a bit of sense when you’re
scared.” He reached over and patted my hand. “There’s nothing to be afraid of,
Jesse. I’ll be right by your side just in case they take you off to jail.” He
laughed and then jumped out of the truck.

“Don’t say that I didn’t
try to talk you out of this,” I said.

“I bet they’re in there
right now and your mom’s serving them chicken.”

“Billy, you sure do have a
wild imagination,” I shot back. I climbed down out of the truck. My heart was
in my throat. “I still think running is a good idea.”

I heard him mumble
something to himself about me and my wild, crazy ideas as we marched up the
steps to the front door, ready to face the wrath of
Greene
County
’s best.

A
hot, crackling fire warmed the house and blasted us in
the face as soon as we walked through the front door. It was well past lunch,
yet the kitchen was abuzz with activity. Sheriff Wake Hudson and his deputy sat
at the kitchen table, engaged in what appeared to be a tea party while Mom and
Claire pranced around, catering to their every need.

“Jesse, Billy,” Mom said,
turning to greet us. “Come on in and sit down. We’re having hot chocolate. I
was just telling Sheriff Hudson and Deputy Hoyle about the time Jesse got in
that fight in high school over some boy... what was his name? You remember,
don’t you, Jesse? You gave the girl a black eye and got suspended from school
for three days.”

“Yes, Miss Watson,” the
sheriff began, “your mother has been delighting us with her stories about you.
You must have been a handful.”

“And you’re way out of
line,” I spat, removing my jacket and tossing it on the back of the chair. “You
have no right to come here and trick my mother like that. I’m sure there’s some
kind of law against this or some civil right that you’ve trampled on. You guys
just don’t have any ethics.”

“What are you talking
about, Jesse?” Mom jumped in. “He wasn’t trying to trick me. We were just
having a pleasant conversation.”

“That’s what you think,
Mom. You have no idea how he can twist your words and use them against you.” I
turned to the sheriff. “Why did you come here? What do you want from us? We
told you everything we know about this incident, which is absolutely nothing.”

“I came here to answer some
of your questions that I couldn’t answer before and to let you know how the
investigation is going.” He motioned for me to sit down. “Why don’t we talk?”

I took the chair at the
head of the table where Dad had always sat. Billy sat down in Mom’s chair
across from me. These seats signified authority, and right about now someone
needed to assume that position. It was obvious Mom and Claire had no idea of
what they were dealing with, but I did, and so did Billy. One wrong word could
be disastrous.

“Exactly where did you find
my watch? And are you aware that I reported the watch missing to the owner of
the Rising Sun Restaurant over a month ago? I’m sure you’re also aware...”

He glanced over at Billy
and said, “I believe that restaurant is owned by your brother Robert, isn’t it
Mr. Blackhawk?”

“What’s that got to do with
anything?” I spewed.

“I was just trying to get
the facts straight, Miss Watson.”

“You can cut the crap,
sheriff. By now you know everything there is to know about me right down to my
bra size. Please give me some credit. Where was my watch found?”

“The victim was wearing it.
Her name is... was... Mary Keen.”

My stomach dropped. Why was
this woman wearing my watch?  Most importantly, how did she turn up dead in our
backyard? The situation reminded me of that old saying about being in the right
place at the wrong time or the wrong place at the right time. It didn’t matter
because I was right in the middle.

“The medical examiner has
confirmed her identity,” Sheriff Hudson continued, overlooking my rudeness.
“She was the wife of Roy Keen, an ex-deputy from our department. He called us
to report that his wife had been kidnapped and he had paid the ransom, but she
was never released.”

“The whole thing sounds a
little fishy to me. Didn’t he notify the police before he paid the ransom?”
Billy asked. “What kind of idiot is he?”

“I’m afraid not,” Deputy
Hoyle spoke for the first time. “If he had, we might have been able to help.
The FBI would have been called in on the case and the outcome might have been
different. We didn’t know until it was too late. By the time we were called in,
the deed had been done.”

Deputy Hoyle was another
typical Greene County Deputy, he resembled a Marine. He had a muscular frame
enhanced by a head full of short, brown hair and a powerful face. When he
smiled, I could see the muscles in his jaw flex. If his strength could be
measured by the tightness in his form, he was a strong man. The thought of
being gripped in a headlock by one of those arms, especially if he was mad,
made my neck hurt.

“All this sounds a little
fishy to me, too,” I said. “I have a feeling you don’t suspect any of us
because I don’t see an arrest warrant. You know the watch found on the victim
is mine, yet you haven’t carted me off to jail. What gives? Does the trail lead
back to someone else or are you just waiting until you think you can place me
at the scene of the crime?”

My mind was going a mile a
minute. If the sheriff thought I was involved based on the evidence he had, I
would be in handcuffs. Then I thought about the journal I’d been keeping since
I went to work for Billy. Considering all the crap Billy and I seem to get
into, it didn’t take me long to figure out it would be in our best interest to
keep a record of our activities. Someday it might come in handy. I think today
was that day.

“Give me a time of death,
and I’m sure I can account for my whereabouts. I keep a journal.”

All eyes fell upon me. I’m
sure this was news to Mom and Claire, but the look on Billy’s face was
priceless. He was stunned. I told him a while back that I had never been one to
keep track of anything, let alone write stuff down. To me, paperwork was a
waste of time. I did it because I was required to do it at work. However,
working with Billy had given me a whole new perspective. Paperwork was
essential, and having it in writing was the only way to go. Your word is no
longer worth the time it takes for you to give it.

“The time of death hasn’t
been established,” Sheriff Hudson said. “The M.E. stated that she was dead
before she was dumped in the woods. How long she was out there, we don’t know.
We can only guess. She was last seen alive on November 8th by one of her
girlfriends. The rest is still being investigated.”

“In other words, I’m not
cleared yet?”

“You are not a suspect.
Your story concerning the watch checks out.”

Sheriff Hudson seemed
sincere, but I still could not bring myself to trust what has been laid out in
front of me when it involves the police. Billy planted that seed when we first
met.

“Well, then,” I stood up.
“You’ll excuse me while I go about living my life. It was nice to meet you
Deputy Hoyle.” I smiled at him. “I’m sure I’ll see you again. If you don’t
mind, Billy and I have some things to do.” I looked at Billy.

“I’m right behind you,” he
replied, getting up from the table.  He made a flowing gesture with his arm.
“Lead the way.”

I looked over at Mom and
said, “I have some packing to do if I’m going to be ready to move after
Thanksgiving.”  I made sure the sheriff heard me just in case he came back and
I was gone.
I
didn’t want him to assume I had run off. Heaven
forbid!

Claire’s face lit up. “Does
that mean that you’re going to do it?”

“Yes, I am. I think it’s a
great idea as long as Billy agrees.”

“Then,” Billy said, turning
to me, “it’s a done deal.”

I guess our departure ended
the hot chocolate party. Sheriff Hudson and his deputy bid good-bye to us as
Billy and I retreated upstairs to my room. Mom and Claire remained in the
kitchen. Thanksgiving was tomorrow and things had to be done.

The door on the left to
Claire’s room was open. I looked in and then smiled back at Billy. “Aren’t they
cute?” I asked.

Carrie and Benny were
asleep on the foldout couch. They looked peaceful and without a care in the
world.

“They’ll have their own
room soon,” I added.

“And you won’t have any
reason to be jealous of Claire.”

“What are you talking about?
I’m not jealous.”

“Don’t try to kid a kidder.
I know exactly how you felt about Claire moving into my house. You were
jealous.”

“You never offered to let
me live in your house, and I work for you.”

“You never asked.”

As soon as we walked into
my room, the first thing I saw was Athena and Thor asleep on my bed. They were
happy as they could be.

“No wonder you rats were so
quiet,” I spat at them. “Get your dirty butts off my bed, you maggots.”

Immediately, they jumped
down and cuddled up in the corner. After licking their bodies in the most
disgusting places, they finally fell back into their usual mode of daytime
napping.  That’s what dogs do. They eat, drink, go outside to pee, run around
for a few minutes, and then come back inside for an hour’s nap. Then they get
up and start the routine all over again. This goes on all day long.

I sat down on the bed and
looked up at Billy. “Are you sure you don’t mind if I move into your house? Now
that I know Claire wants to stay here with Mom, it’s only right for her kids to
have a room. I can find another place to live if you’d prefer.”

“I want you to move into my
house. I would have offered before if I’d thought about it. This will work out
great. You’ll have your privacy and Claire and the kids can stay here with your
Mom without being overcrowded. It’s a perfect setup.”

I got up from the bed,
walked over to the window and said, “The snow’s melting. I can see it dripping
off the trees.”

Billy came up behind me and
said, “Yeah, it’s almost up to forty-five degrees outside. Some of the snow
will melt and tonight when the temperature goes back down to the twenties, all
of this will become ice. It’ll be worse than ever. You won’t be able to keep a
car on the road.”

I turned to him and then
looked around the room. “I guess the sooner we do this, the better it’ll be for
everyone.  I’m pretty excited about having a house to myself... if I can afford
it. Between the car payments you already take out of my check and the added
expense of rent, I’ll probably be broke all the time. But it’ll be worth it.” 

When I first went to work
for Billy, I had car problems. He helped me out by arranging for me to purchase
an automobile from his brother Daniel, and then financing it himself. The auto
was a two-year-old, red Jeep Grand Cherokee, with more bells and whistles than
I knew how to ring or blow. I loved that car. I took the extra money I made
(Billy pays me extra according to how dangerous the job is and how far I’m
willing to go) and applied it to the balance. I’ve had the car six months and
it’s almost paid for.

A little while back, I had
a very bad experience in it, and since then I’ve shied away from driving it
unless I absolutely have to. I’m still working on that phobia. However, that
one bad experience netted me enough money to almost pay off the car. But
sometimes I wonder if it was it worth it.

“We haven’t even discussed
how much the rent is going to be yet. What are you worried about?”

“I guess I’m not really
worried about the rent. I’m sure you’ll be fair. I’m more concerned with the
fact that we haven’t had a big-money case since Helen Carrolton. Poor Helen—her
parents did pay us well, but I wish the outcome would have been different.”

The memory of Helen
Carrolton was still fresh in my mind; painful memories that I still had a hard
time dealing with. I will never forget the sadness I felt when her little red
car was discovered with her body in it. I made myself brush my thoughts of her
aside.

“We need a big case so we
can make some big money. I haven’t had a decent bonus in two months.”

“If you need money, Jesse,
just say so. As for a big case, I think we’re sitting on one. Unfortunately,
you might be the client.”

“There isn’t any money in
this one, pal.”

“Yeah, but think of all the
fun we can have.”

“Are you... what’s that
word? 
U-love-no-tizy...”

“Not bad!” he laughed.
“You’re getting better.  No, I’m not crazy; I’m just facing facts. This isn’t
over yet.”

I didn’t want to think
about it. If Billy says it was not over—you can bet it’s not over. I knew I was
headed for trouble.

I walked away from the
window and began going through my dresser drawers. I grabbed a handful of
clothes and tossed them on the bed.

“Is there any furniture in
your house? I wonder if Claire might want me to leave the bed for the kids. I
better go talk with her.”

Billy has known me just
long enough to be able to tell when I was getting uptight. He walked over,
placed his hands on my shoulders, and began to massage my tense muscles.

“It can wait. You need to
relax.”

I could have stood there
forever. The motion of his hands, and the way he dug his fingers into my flesh,
soothed the savage beast within me. If a person could fall asleep standing up,
I would have. The worries of the day seemed to disappear.  My head dropped
forward as he ran his fingers up and down the back of my neck. 

“Oh, Billy, that feels
good.” I had just gotten the words out of my mouth when Claire barged into the
room with a surprised look on her face.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t
mean to interrupt.”