I called an attorney in Jackson Hole, and he said he would get the paperwork ready for signatures. In the meantime, I was to take Noah to the jail to visit his mother and keep Jessica on track with us having custody. The day I took Noah to the jail for a visit, Jessica wasn’t interested in her son being there, she was more intent on finding out any info I had on Sonny Horton. She had been calling his cell phone to get bonded out, but he had seemingly disappeared. Jessica signed the papers my attorney had sent me giving me temporary custody without any questions. That concerned me. What kind of a mother doesn’t give a shit about her baby? So, I asked.
“Doesn’t it bother you to give me custody of your son?”
“Not really. You’re a cop, right? What are you gonna do, kidnap him? I trust you. Besides, if I can find Sonny, I can get out of here and take care of business,” she answered.
“And what business is that? Dealing?” I asked.
“I meant getting my son back and moving to California,” she said.
“Will Sonny be okay with you and Noah moving? I mean he is the baby daddy,” I said.
“No, he isn’t, where the fuck did you get that idea. Jared Lambert was Noah’s father,” Jessica said.
“But, the day I had to arrest you, you told me that… ” I argued.
“Dude, I was fucking high. I just need Sonny to get me bail money,” Jessica said with an evil laugh.
Jessica had continually lied to me through all of this. I knew I couldn’t trust her and if she did get bail from Sonny, she would be gone and so would Noah. I was attached to that baby boy, and her leaving wasn’t going to be an option. I had to work fast. I figured she was involved in Lambert’s murder. I just couldn’t put all the pieces together with the evidence I had gathered. I took Noah with me from the jail. Jessica didn’t even want to kiss him goodbye. “Fucking junkie,” I thought.
Dave and I spent a lot of time with Amber and Noah. Georgia decided it was best for Amber to be living with Dave and me. It was easier for Georgia and Amber preferred staying with us. Amber was beginning to read on her own now with our help, and Noah had started to walk. Dave had childproofed things in the trailer and had encouraged Noah to say papa and dada. To Noah, I was papa, and Dave was dada. I loved it. Of course, that prompted Amber to refer to me as daddy. In fact, she had come to call Dave Daddy Dave and call me Daddy Nick. Her grandmother, Georgia, also encouraged Amber to call us Daddy Dave and Daddy Nick. Even if it was only for a little while, Dave and I had created our family. We both were realistic and knew that having Amber and Noah couldn’t last forever.
Dave and I went to family court in Sinclair the week before Christmas. A CPS representative was there, and our attorney had driven down from Jackson Hole. The judge granted us temporary custody, ending our foster parent status. However, nothing changed. CPS would still be making unannounced visits to check on Noah and his living situation. The other thing was that Georgia had agreed to have Amber’s DNA tested for paternity, and as legal guardian for Noah, I had his DNA tested at the same time. While Georgia and Dave stayed in Onyx to run the café, Grandma Betty and I drove to Salt Lake City to have the DNA testing done for the kids.
A week later, I walked into the trailer after patrol duty to find Dave standing there with a piece of paper in his hand. “The DNA results came in the mail,” he said.
He was nervous, and so was I, but when we read it, we had proof that Amber and Noah were half-brother and half-sister. I had also given the DNA Center a copy of the DNA test results on Jared Lambert, which was collected by the coroner. The genetic tests stated that Jared Lambert was the father of both children. It was December 23rd, and this was a very nice Christmas present indeed. This news, however, took a backseat to the phone call I received, as Dave and I stood there talking about the ramifications of the testing.
I was still in uniform and hadn’t taken off my holster yet when my work phone rang in my pocket.
“This is Deputy Sloan,” I answered. Dave took the papers and went into the kitchen.
“Deputy Sloan, this is Officer Landsberg, Wheeling PD. Your name came up in the file of Natalie Weston,” the officer stated.
“Damn,” I thought, “This can’t be good. Natalie had been due for release the day before. It was already 9:00 p.m. Mountain Time, which made it 11:00 p.m. in West Virginia.”
“Yes, Officer Landsberg. I’m working on a homicide case here in Wyoming. Natalie Weston is a person of interest because of her association with the victim, Jared Lambert, and a man named Walter Eply from your area,” I told Landsberg.
“I have some bad news. Jessica Weston is dead,” he said very pragmatically in his official capacity.
“Dead?” I asked loudly. That got Dave’s attention, and he came into the living room and stood close to me clinging to my arm and trying to listen in.
“Weston OD’d on black tar that she and Eply were peddling here in Wheeling. We got a call a couple of hours ago about a shooting in a cheap hotel downtown. Eply was the vic in the shooting,” Landsberg told me.
“Any clues on the shooter?” I asked.
“The desk clerk gave us a description of a guy he saw going into the room before he heard the shots. Male, mid-20’s, brown hair, medium height. The guy was driving a new, black Dodge Charger, with dark tinted windows. Not a lot to go on,” Officer Landsberg said.
“You’re looking for a guy by the name of Sonny Horton. I’ll send you his ID on N-DEx[iii]. I talked to his mother a couple of weeks ago. She told me he was headed to Wheeling, probably to score some heroin,” I said.
We concluded the conversation, and I took Dave in my arms and tried to comfort him. I didn’t say anything, but Dave finally looked into my eyes.
“Natalie?” he said softly.
I nodded and let him continue to cry into my shoulder while I held him close. I felt a tug on my trousers and looked down to see Amber standing there with a look of confusion on her face.
“Daddy Dave, why are you crying? Are you sad?” she asked.
Dave wiped his eyes with the backs of his hands and reached out to lift the little girl into his strong, protective arms.
“Do you want me to do this?” I asked Dave sympathetically.
“Let’s all sit down on the sofa,” he said. He held Amber on his lap, and I sat beside him, stroking Amber’s back.
“Yes, Amber, I’m very sad. Your mommy has died. Do you remember your mommy?” Dave asked.
Amber looked up wistfully and shook her head. “Not very much. I remember that she was pretty and she had long hair,” Amber said.
“Yes, your mommy was very pretty, just like you, baby girl,” I said gloomily.
I was somewhat relieved that Amber didn’t remember Natalie. At her tender age of four, a year of her mother’s long absence had erased any memory Amber may have had of Natalie. We continued to talk with Amber to see if she was upset about hearing her mother was dead. I don’t think Amber comprehended death or that she would never see her mother again.
I asked Dave to get Amber ready for bed while I called Georgia and Grandma Betty to come down to the house so we could tell them the bad news face to face. This was going to be more difficult than telling Amber about her mother. I gave Noah his bedtime bath while Dave finished getting Amber showered and in her pajamas. I answered the knock at the door while Dave sat on the couch holding Noah. Amber ran to Grandma Great to hug her and also to hug her Grandma Georgia.
“What’s going on Nick? You sounded upset on the phone,” Georgia said.
“Have a seat, we have some bad news,” I started to say. There was another knock at the front door. It was Karl. He came in and sat next to his mother.
“This is about Natalie, isn’t it?” Georgia asked.
Dave watched as his mother slumped like all the air being let out of a balloon. Karl reached around her shoulders and hugged his mother to him.
“Yes, Mom, Natalie is dead. We just got a call from the Wheeling Police a little while ago,” Dave said with te
ars in his eyes. Even Karl shed tears over his sister being dead.
“Oh God, I knew this day would come, but I still am not prepared to deal with it,” Georgia said as she started to cry.
“Don’t cry Grandma,” Amber said as she climbed into Georgia’s lap.
“Dear Lord,” Grandma Betty said, “Does Amber know about her mother?”
“Yes,” I said, “We told her right after the call.”
“Oh honey, I’m sorry Amber,” Georgia said, kissing her granddaughter’s cheeks.
“It’s okay, Grandma, don’t be sad. You still gots me, and I will give you loves whenever you need them,” Amber said.
“Yes, I do still have you Amber and Grandma loves you very much. Better yet, you still have Daddy Dave and Papa Nick,” Georgia said painting on a smile as she thought about Amber’s situation. Amber was better off without her mother in her life. That thought had brought Georgia to the sober reality that she had been grieving over the loss of Natalie for years and her death brought finality to the long struggle.
“Come give Grandma Great a hug, Amber,” Betty said. Amber moved toward her great-grandmother and climbed onto her lap and squeezed her hard. “Your mommy is now living with Jesus up in Heaven.”
“Mom!” Georgia said. Grandma Betty had crossed the line with that remark.
“I’m just trying to give her a little comfort,” Grandma Betty said.
“And filling her head with that crap,” Georgia rebuffed her mother.
“Georgia, I raised you better than that. You learned the Bible stories when you were little, and it didn’t do you any harm,” Grandma Betty responded without getting uppity.
“I know. I’m sorry, Mom, I’m just upset,” Georgia said.
“I’ll call the Wheeling coroner’s office in the morning and make arrangements for Natalie’s body to be flown to Salt Lake. I think Simpson’s Funeral Home can take care of getting her to Sinclair for some kind of service,” I said.
“I’ll talk to the Bishop when I get home. We’ll have the funeral at the church,” Grandma Betty said.
“Do you think that’s appropriate? I mean everyone will know how she died,” Georgia said with a worried look on her face. I had taken Noah from Dave and was walking around with him laying his little head on my shoulder. I was trying to get him to go to sleep.
“Of course it’s appropriate,” Karl piped up. “Natalie was a member of this family and a part of this community. We owe her our last respects.”
“You’re right,” Dave agreed. “We need to show our love for Natalie and give her a proper goodbye.”
“Before you go home. We do have some very good news to share. We got the DNA tests back on Noah and Amber. Jared Lambert was the father of both kids. Noah is Amber’s half-brother,” I said with a much-deserved smile amongst the sadness.
Amber, ever alert, sat up straight on Grandma Betty’s lap. “Noah is my brother? Really and truly?” she asked.
“Yup,” Dave said, “Noah is really your little brother.”
Amber slid from Grandma Betty’s lap and was dancing around my legs while I was trying to get Noah to go to sleep. She was so excited about having a little brother that I just had to laugh, and, of course, that brought Noah out of going-to-sleep mode. Everyone else became a little more jubilant at this news. Georgia and Grandma Betty gave us hugs and kisses and left Dave and me to get Amber and Noah to go to sleep. Karl stayed for a little while, and he and Dave talked quietly while I put the kids to bed. I was glad that Amber and Noah were finally asleep because I had a surprise waiting in the cruiser.
Dave and I had found a 12-week-old, neutered, black lab up in Alpine. Luker had picked up the pup on one of his rounds north and dropped the dog off at the jail for me. Now we had to get the dog in the trailer and keep him quiet through the night.
The next day was Christmas Eve. We had the trailer decorated with a tree and decorations everywhere. I had even hung twinkle lights around the outside eaves of the trailer, but with strict instructions from Dave that the lights had to come down right after New Years. He had this thing about white trash, leaving their Christmas lights up all year.
Amber was excited for Santa, but she was worried because we didn’t have a chimney for the jolly old man to get into the house. Dave explained that we would leave the front door unlocked for Santa to come in and leave the presents. When the little girl got up on the morning of Christmas Eve, she was greeted by a black lab pup who was set on licking her face and wrestling with her.
“Is this my doggie?” Amber asked.
“Yup. Daddy Dave and I got him for you as a Christmas present,” I told her.
“Oh boy, is it a girl or a boy?” she asked.
“It’s a boy. What are you going to name him?” Dave asked her.
“Um, let me think,” Amber said in a very adult manner. “How about… Oh, I know, Licorice.”
“That’s an excellent name, Amber. Good job,” Dave said, giving her a high-five. He spent some time showing Amber how to feed and water him, but getting housebroken would be an ordeal.
Georgia had made plans to close the café after lunch on Christmas Eve and stay closed for Christmas Day. I, however, had to work the graveyard shift. That worked out great because I could play Santa and get all the presents under the tree while the little ones were asleep. Dave got up and went to work as usual while I stayed home with the kids and made arrangements to get Natalie’s body back home for her funeral. Georgia had stayed up all night writing a very touching obituary about Natalie’s short life.
By the time that Dave and Georgia had closed the café for the Christmas holiday, the snow had started to fall, and the wind was blowing. Amber hadn’t said a word all morning about her mother, and I guessed that she probably wouldn’t. Noah was busy dismantling the pots and pans in the lower kitchen cabinet. I let him play. He seemed to like the clinking of the metal lids as he hit them against one another. Grandma Betty had taken Noah for a checkup with the pediatrician in Sinclair, and the doctor pronounced him healthy if a little underweight. Considering that he had been in a trailer with his mother smoking around him, I wasn’t surprised.
Dave had increased his feeding times, and he was happy to eat his peas and carrots. He didn’t much like the fish, but then neither did I. He was happy to have Cheerio’s scattered on his tray, and he liked diced chicken. He was a good baby, which made it easy for Dave and me to take care of the little fella. Noah was very much a daddy’s boy and wanted to be with Dave all the time. Amber, on the other hand, was papa’s girl. She could twist me around her little finger. This was going to be a fun Christmas even with the planning of a funeral going on.
Georgia had followed Dave to the trailer, and the two hurried in from the winter storm that was brewing all around. I had looked at the weather reports, and the whole State was under a winter storm warning. It was going to be a rough night to be out on patrol, but I was prepared. I read the obit that Georgia had written and handed it to Dave. His eyes teared up, but he loved what his mother had written about Natalie.
Grandma Betty had been in charge of wrapping all the gifts and keeping them hidden at her house from the prying eyes of one snoopy little girl. It took me a while to think of a Christmas present for Dave. He didn’t wear jewelry, and he didn’t dress in flashy clothes. I settled on getting him something he had been talking about since I had graduated from POST and that was a new Berretta 92 pistol. He had pointed it out more than a few times on our shopping expeditions to Walmart. Grandma Betty helped both Dave and me pick out some girlie things for Georgia and Georgia, in turn, helped us pick out a new housecoat for Grandma Betty. The kids were easy, toys and clothes. Karl was also easy, tools. His girlfriend, Sandy, was a little more difficult until Dave remembered that she liked tattoos, so we got her a gift card to Black Ink in Sinclair.
Dave, Georgia, and I did some more planning for the funeral that afternoon until I decided that I would need to get a little sleep before my graveyard shift. The snow con
tinued to fall, and Georgia left us to get home before the road up to her house got too hard to navigate. Dave fixed us a nice light dinner and settled Amber and Noah on the sofa to watch Frosty the Snowman on TV. Licorice had settled in with Amber on the floor. Thank God, the dog was likely going to be easy to have around. With the snow and the lights of Christmas, Dave and I took some time to go into the bedroom for a quickie. We were used to having sex at least once a day, and we had missed yesterday because of the bad news. It didn’t take but a few minutes for us to get one another to climax. Maybe it wasn’t the best sex we’ve had, but we loved one another and needed to be together, no matter how brief.
Before I left on patrol, I chained up the tires on the cruiser. This part of the county didn’t get much in the way of snow removal, even on the main highway. The snow was coming down heavily, and the wind was blowing it into large drifts. There were many times during winters past that the roads were closed and you had to take your chances if you attempted to drive. A lot of folks in these parts just took to snowmobiles to get around in winter. It was looking like this Christmas was going to not only be a white one, but a ‘stay hunkered down’ Christmas. Dave brought me out a Thermos of hot coffee before I left on my shift.
Deputy Simon’s had been out on patrol before me, and he reported that all was quiet, no accidents, no slide-offs, and no drunk drivers. Good, I could handle this kind of quiet. I stopped at Grandma Betty’s house first and loaded up all the presents for the family that she had so painstakingly and beautifully wrapped. I could see that Amber and Noah were going to be opening a lot of presents in the morning after I got home.
I pulled into the Gas-N-Go to fill up, and the store was closed. Good thing the gas pumps operated 24 hours. I headed north on Highway 30 towards the Idaho State line. There was one big rig pulled off the side of the road chaining up when I pulled up behind him. The long-haul trucker was grateful for the help and went on his way.
At about 2:00 a.m., I swung by the house and loaded all the presents. Licorice didn’t bark when I came in the front door. Dave was still awake and helped me place the presents under the tree. He showed me the cookies and milk that Amber had left for Santa, so I was obliged to eat and drink. I sat for a few minutes and wrote a note for Amber.
Waiting for You Page 14