Watson Manor
Eventually
Ronald S. Craig
Copyright © 2014 by Ronald Craig
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests or to contact the author go to:
www.roncraigbooks.com.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I wish to thank those that continually give support throughout the creation of this novel. Thank you, Laurie Nelson, Charlene Marquez and Rosalyne Bowmile, a friend and fellow author, and my lifelong friends. Their insight, ideas and encouragement have been a true and valued blessing to me.
A special thank you goes to my daughter and editor, Nicole Ebert, for her enormous contribution and countless hours spent working with me on this novel beyond the mechanics of grammar to enlightened plot enhancements.
**DEDICATION**
The Watson Manor Mystery Series is lovingly dedicated to my six grandchildren, Nathan, Eden, Gracie, Thomas, Avery and Lauren.
Chapter 1
Charlie Watson woke to a loud banging on the door of his semi-truck. "Damn you, C.W., the next time you block this driveway, I'm going to have your ass hauled away."
"Mornin' sweetheart," Charlie laughed. "If I didn't park here every couple of weeks, I'd surely miss your cheery disposition, not to mention the pleasure of having to wait behind those other rigs." Climbing out of the sleeper, he stuck his head out the window. "Where do you want me, Nathan?"
"You're hopeless," Nathan said. "Plant it in bay five. That's where I've got the old lady working today. It will probably take half the day to load you."
"The old lady, eh? So you mean it'll take 40 minutes and not the usual 30?"
"35 maybe. She's old but wicked on a forklift." Nathan looked up at Charlie laughing.
"Nathan, how's our quarterback doing?"
"Thomas threw twelve completed passes last Saturday. He was real disappointed you couldn't be there to see it. Your help has made a real difference. He still talks about his two weeks out west with you, 'Football Camp', he calls it."
"That's great, I enjoyed working with him last summer. He's a natural you know and I hope to see him play soon."
Charlie fired up his truck and backed the 53-foot trailer into bay five. He jumped out of his truck and walked over to where Nathan was waiting with a cup of coffee.
"I can sure use that coffee, thanks Nathan."
"Amy keeps asking when is Uncle C, comin' round again? And here's a surprise, Avery has another friend that wants to meet you."
"Tell Amy to keep watch for a package from El Paso. Sorry, I won't be in town for her ninth birthday next week, but tell her I'll come in a day early, my next trip." Charlie took a sip of his coffee.
Nathan smiled. "That will make Amy happy, and Avery?"
"As for Avery, I love her for the best biscuits in the South. But, I don't want one of her friends, I'm waiting for her to wake up and dump you. She's the only gal for me." They laughed.
"Can I tell them you're coming for dinner next time?"
"Absolutely. That is, of course, if Avery promises to stop trying to set me up. I'll call, if I can't make it."
"They'll both like that, I'll tell 'em." Nathan paused a moment then added, "You know she's right, though?"
"Right about what?"
"What's it been, Charlie, seven or eight years now?"
"This run? Twice a month for eight years."
"No, your divorce. It's time to crawl out of that bunker you've built around yourself."
"Seven. Avery put you up to this?"
"She cares about you… hell, we all do. We've had 18 years together, ups and downs yes, but there's still a spark in her eyes. I can't imagine my life without her."
"I do alright Nathan. This works for me."
"I know she ripped your guts out, but one night stands and just getting laid? Come on Charlie, get back on the horse. It's worth the risk, is all I'm saying."
"So…introduce me to the wicked old lady forklift driver." Charlie looked away and took another sip of coffee.
"Seriously, the guy's tell me about happy-go-lucky C.W. at the Branding Iron and that you rarely leave alone. My kids love you, Charlie and you're great with them. Don't you want your own?"
"Who is this man, and what have you done with my buddy Nathan?"
"OK, in terms you understand, get off the damn bench and back in the game."
"I'm not on the bench and definitely in the game."
"You're in a theater, playing a role and missing the real world. When you got hit hard playing football, did you get back up or hide in the locker room?"
"That's different! How'd I piss you off?"
"I'm not pissed off. Damn it, Charlie, I feel like your big brother and it's frustrating watching you waste your life. OK, that's it, I've said my piece. The schedule is tight on this load. It's going to a trade show on Friday in Long Beach. Can you hit our west coast dock by Thursday?"
"No problem. 1800 miles in four days gives me spare time to get married and have a family along the way."
"Did you hear anything I said?
"Yes, Nathan, I did." Charlie drank the rest of his coffee and tossed the cup in a trash can and went back and faced Nathan. "Thanks for giving a damn, I mean that. Sounds like I'm a family project. Give them a kiss and hug for me."
"I will, they love you man. I personally don't give a shit but I have to live with them." Nathan smiled and headed toward the office. He turned back and yelled, "Hey, I almost forgot; Anderson wants to see you."
"Thanks. Just what I needed, another dose of reality." He muttered to himself and gave Nathan an acknowledging wave.
Charlie didn't care much for Steve Anderson, the traffic manager. Anderson was tolerable until he was passed over a second time for a promotion. Charlie went into the front office where he was greeted by the receptionist.
"Hello, C.W., haven't seen you in the office for awhile."
"Hi, Cathy. I'm here for detention. Is the principal in?"
"Yes." She smiled. "Mr. Anderson is expecting you."
"I like the new curly hair look. Orphan Annie is it?"
"Thanks, you sure know how to flatter a gal."
"No really, I do like it. In fact, if I see ol' Daddy Warbucks around..."
"Mr. Watson, come in," Anderson called from his office.
"Hello Steve." Charlie entered the office and sat down. He always made a point to call him Steve, as he knew it annoyed him.
"Mr. Watson, I'll get right to the point. This company continues to run because of sound business decisions and good management." Anderson leaned back in his chair. "The records show that you had two late deliveries last year. I like to look out for the little guy, but I can't afford to carry you."
Charlie felt the anger growing inside of him. "Two out of a couple hundred local and cross country runs? That's hardly carrying me. What's your point, Steve?"
"My point, Mr. Watson, is your contract is up next month and there are several carriers begging for our west coast business. Carriers, I might add, that could dispatch another
truck if the one carrying our equipment broke down."
"You lost two days when my rig blew the engine," Charlie protested. "I paid through the nose to rent another while mine was in the shop. I give damn good service and haven't raised my rates in three years."
"In addition to a fleet of better trucks, Allied Trucking has offered some pretty healthy discounts."
"Discounts that will surely go up in smoke as soon as the economy picks up."
"Let me put it another way, Mr. Watson. If you're late again on this contract there won't be another."
Charlie stood up. "Well, I respect your many, many years of experience at that desk, but if you're done, I have a load headed for California…on time."
"I see we understand each other. Good day, Mr. Watson."
"It will be, Steve, in about ten minutes." Charlie forced a smile and left.
Nathan caught him on the way out. "How'd it go with Big A?"
"He knows this contract is critical to me and really enjoys having me over a barrel, chewing my ass from time to time," Charlie said flippantly.
"I'm sorry, C.W., be grateful, I work with that shithead every day. You only get exposure twice a month."
Charlie threw his logbook into the cab, venting his frustration. "Eight years of his crap!"
"I wish there was something I could do. You know I've got your back."
"I know, Nathan, and thanks. Dinner next trip with your family will be great."
"We're your family too. Think about what I said." Charlie watched Nathan as he walked away, mulling over what his good friend had said to him.
It had been easy to hide as C.W.; a handsome 29-year-old with a large frame, just over six feet tall at 220 pounds. The youthful features were hidden behind a beard and mustache. His medium-length, wavy brown hair always looked a month overdue for a trim and was worn the way it dried after a shower. Sky blue eyes softened his seemingly rugged exterior, but it was his boyish grin that gave him away every time. That grin belonged to a twenty-five-year-old. C.W.'s policy was to be happy, share a good time and not look back.
He was still thinking about Nathan's words when he drove up to his favorite diner. Though part of him was stirred by the idea of "crawling out of his bunker," and getting "off the bench," he had no interest in smashing into another wall.
Chapter 2
"Paul, you have to stop calling! There is no 'us'," Jenny said into the phone.
"But I love you, Jenn."
"We have very different ideas of what love is."
"Move back in. I'll be different this time, I promise."
"I've heard that too many times, Paul. Let it go."
"Please, give us another chance. Don't throw us away."
"I don't know what happen to the man I dated for nine months, but you threw us away six months ago."
"I told you, I was sorry and even went to counseling with you."
"You went one time. You have a problem and need to get help. I'm not going to be the receiving end of your temper flashes ever again," Jenny said with conviction.
"One more try? I love you and know you still have feelings for me."
"The only feelings left in me are fear. Don't call me again or follow me around."
"You think that restraining order is going to keep me out of your life?" His entreating tone transformed into. "Think again Babe. You belong to me and I have no intension of letting you go."
"Please, Paul, let it go; let me go."
"Not going to happen. Get your sweet little…"
Jenny slammed the phone down, shaking in the shadow of an all-too-familiar fear that he had cast into her life. She collapsed on the couch and wondered how she could have been so wrong about him from the beginning. She knew the rapid erosion of their relationship was not her fault. She had pushed counseling, not willing to give up on him if there was hope, regardless of how weak that hope may have been. His single counseling session and refusal to continue told her what his final, angry strike to her face confirmed: there was nothing to save.
They'd met about a year earlier. It took little time for Paul to be over the moon about Jenny. At 5'7" with a slender build and shoulder length brown wavy hair, she turned his head from across the room. However, it was when he looked into her warm brown eyes and received her friendly, open smile, that he caught a glimpse of the depth of her beauty. She had the gift of making everyone she met feel important and welcome in her life. Blessed in her childhood, she was surrounded by people that she loved and that loved her. Jenny lived her life wanting, almost needing, to share that love at every opportunity she was given. Paul had been drawn in by that need and, eventually, became overly dependent on it, reaching the heights of jealousy and paranoia at her mere smile at another man.
He always found her new phone numbers, rendering the process of changing it for the fourth time just as useless as the restraining order she filed, had been. She longed to find the love and family she'd known as a child and knew that leaving town was the only chance she had to find it. She reached for the phone and dialed.
"Laurie, have you got a minute?"
"Hi, Jen. That's what are big sisters for?" Laurie could hear the fragility in her voice. "Is it Paul again?"
"Yes. Is the offer of your guest room still open?"
"Like you even need to ask… I've been throwing it at you for about a year now."
"I thought he'd back off, but it's gotten worse. I can't live this way anymore."
"I've been so scared for you, Bob wanted to fly out and have a serious talk with Paul."
"I get it now, and you were right, getting away from it is the answer."
"I'll relax when I see you, here, in one piece. I still can't believe you stayed with him after the first time he hit you. But, you've always been the optimist, little sister; hanging on to the last thread of hope."
"I know Paul is the exception, not the rule for men. Look at your Bob, a winner right out of the gate."
"I can't deny that. You got the looks though. You just need to take your big heart off your sleeve and put it back in your chest. No, I couldn't be more wrong, that's a real quality that defines you, Jen."
"My curse, love first, hurt later?"
"Your blessing and gift. You couldn't change it, and I don't think you should try to."
"Laurie, how did you know Bob was the one?"
"When it's the real thing, you don't need to ask. There is simply no other option but to be together. So how soon can I give you a hug, little sister?"
"I need to let the school know I'm leaving, and go see mom. Within a week, I need to leave here as soon as possible."
"You can stay with us as long as you need to. You may even learn to like Palm Springs. Love you, little sister."
"I love you too. I'll call you when my plans firm up."
*****
Jenny went to school early the next day and gave her letter of resignation to the principal. He could see that she hated giving it to him as much as he hated receiving it. She told him she was sorry but, because of extenuating circumstances, she couldn't give more than a week's notice. Jenny humbly asked him to be discrete about her leaving, secretly not wanting it to get around for fear of it getting back to Paul. She called her mother and told her she was coming for the weekend, packed an overnight bag and drove to Little Rock that Friday afternoon after her last class.
The following week was very difficult for her. She had a few very dear friends in town and saying goodbye was painful, especially since she could not tell them she was leaving. The biggest challenge had been her students. Jenny was very close to them, almost a maternal attachment. Jenny was decisive and never wavered once she resolved to do something but, for the first time, this decision pulled on her heart. As the bell rang Friday afternoon, she felt a strong urge to tell her students she would not be returning, but hesitantly kept quiet as it would have been too difficult and she still needed to keep it as quiet as possible. She tried to feel satisfied with the thank you cards she'd written to each
of her students the night before, leaving them on her desk to be given to them on Monday. Pulling her classroom door shut and not looking back, she went to the teacher's lounge to wrap up her exit forms.
"Jenny, I just heard you're leaving us," Stan said, entering the lounge.
"Oh no. How did you find out?"
"It slipped. I was in the front office this morning talking to Principle Meyers, he told me to keep it to myself, and I have."
"I hope so, this has been hard enough. Yeah, Stan, I've loved teaching here… wanted to adopt half of my 8th grade class." She smiled.
"God, I can't imagine West Helena Middle without you. I'm thinking teaching was actually only your part time job, though." Stan pulled a chair beside her. "You've served this school in a lot of other ways too."
"I wore a few hats, but there are some great teachers here to pick up the extra group activities."
"Right, Jenny. Able bodies, yes; but we'll need some heart transplants to fill the real void." He gave her a grin. "So, drop-dead gorgeous and retiring at 25… going for a modeling career?"
"26, actually. Thanks, but no runways in my future. I need a break, get away for a while."
"Does this have anything to do with that lousy boyfriend of yours?"
"You know about him too?" Jenny couldn't mask her surprise.
"I hear things and when I see bruises. Well, a lot of us here care about you and would like to take him on a one way trip behind a barn somewhere."
"I'm sorry. I've tried to keep that mistake away from here."
"Jenny, you deserve so much more, and I hope you find it. Have to say though, I was looking forward your debut in a swim suit issue," he said smiling. "Have to run, piano lessons for my 6 year old. Seriously though, you'll be really missed, Jenny, I mean that from beyond my male libido." Jenny laughed as he added, "Good luck. Let us hear from you."
"Thanks again Stan, I'll miss you too. Now let's not keep the world from the newest concert pianist." It was draining her as she realized how much she'd miss those special friends.
Watson Manor Eventually (Watson Manor Mystery Series Book 1) Page 1