by Ann Mullen
“Show me some identification or we’re going to have to arrest you for breaking and entering,” the red-headed officer said.
I looked at his nametag. “Ah… Officer Whalen,” I said, trying to think for a minute. “My purse is in my car. I’ll go get it.”
“I don’t think so,” Officer Whalen said. He looked at the other officer. “Check it out, Spencer.”
Officer Spencer turned and walked out the door, leaving just the two of us waiting in the foyer.
“I have someone waiting on the phone. Do you mind…”
“Yes, I do,” he replied. “I guess you don’t realize how serious this is.”
“This is ridiculous!” I exclaimed. “My husband, Billy Blackhawk, owns this place and I have every right to be here!”
“Then why don’t you know the code?”
“Because he must’ve changed it!”
“And he forgot to tell you.”
“That’s right!” I was getting irate. I had an arsonist on the phone waiting for me and I didn’t know how long he would hold on. I had to get back to him before he hung up. “You don’t understand, Officer Whalen. I have this guy on the line and I really need to talk with him. You see…”
Officer Spencer returned carrying my purse in one hand and my gun in the other. “I hope you have a permit to carry a concealed weapon.”
“You went through my purse!” I accused him. “You can’t do that. It’s against the law!”
The two officers looked at each other and then gave me a sarcastic sneer. They’d obviously seen their share of liars and had been confronted by a weapon wielding psychotic, which is what they apparently thought I was. The officer carrying my purse tossed it to me and said, “It fell out of your purse. Now, produce your ID.”
I reached inside my purse and pulled out my wallet. I opened it and showed him my private investigator’s ID. “Here, see, I told you.”
“Please take your ID out of the wallet.”
“This is nuts.” I pulled the plastic card from the slit and handed it to Officer Spencer, along with my concealed weapons permit card.
He took both cards, looked at Officer Whalen, turned and walked out to his patrol car. I could see that he was talking into his radio. A few seconds later he returned and handed me back my cards.
“Make sure that you get the code so you can punch it in next time. If we have to come out again on a false alarm our captain won’t be too happy.”
“And how is Captain Waverly doing?” I asked, trying to be smart. “Please give him my regards.” I looked up and noticed that the green light was blinking. Then I realized that most alarms reset themselves after fifteen minutes… at least the one we have did. Then I saw Billy’s pickup truck pulling up to the building. “Oh, me,” I mumbled. “My husband’s here.”
“Good,” Officer Whalen said. “Perhaps we should have a talk with him and explain that false alarms are a waste of our manpower. The force has its hands full as it is without adding useless calls to our job.”
Officer Spencer handed my gun to me, butt first.
“Why don’t you do that, Officer Whalen? I’m sure he’ll appreciate your concerns. He’s a law-biding citizen. He understands how difficult your jobs are. I’m sure it would make his day that he had to come out in the snow to rescue his wife.”
The two officers turned and walked out the door. They stood outside and talked with Billy. I ran back to the phone and picked up the receiver.
“Hello,” I said, but all I heard on the other end was a dial tone. “Crap!” I slammed the phone down in its cradle. He must’ve heard the sirens and hung up.
The officers got in their cars and pulled out of the parking lot, their lights no longer blinking, as Billy walked through the front door. He had a frown on his face.
“I know,” I said as I walked up to him. “I can explain.”
“Are you all right?” Billy asked.
I was surprised for a second. I thought for sure that he was going to give me a lecture about being so irresponsible, which I so rightfully deserved, but he didn’t. His main concern was for my well-being. The first thing that came to mind was that he was a real keeper. Every woman should be as lucky as I am.
“I’m fine. I forgot about the silent alarm. The phone was ringing and I was trying to get to it before he hung up. Then the cops showed up… and I didn’t have the new code… and then the officer found my handgun. It wasn’t pleasant.” I was rambling,
“Take a deep breath and then tell me what’s going on.”
“You changed the code. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I forgot to. You rarely come to the office anymore.”
“I’m here now and I need the code.”
“It’s 1224.”
“That’s our anniversary! Why Billy, I think you’re such a sweet, sentimental kind of guy.”
“That’s me. Now tell me about the phone call.”
“First—you tell me what you’re doing here. How did you know I’d be here?”
“I figured that you’d be here. Sue Ellen called and said she had tried to call earlier, but didn’t get an answer.”
“I told her not to call you. I said I would call the house and make sure everything was okay. I also told her that you were probably busy with the children and couldn’t get to the phone. I called the house and Greg answered. It appeared that everything was under control, so I told him to tell you that I’d be back soon. I had an errand to run.”
“I know about your errand. Sue Ellen told me about the message on the machine. She said a guy called and wanted to talk with you. She also said that he sounded like a teenager. I put two and two together and here I am. It’s a good thing I showed up when I did. Officer Whalen said they were about to haul you in. He said that you were getting belligerent with them. Jesse, you know you can’t do that. People get arrested for unruly behavior. It just gives the police an excuse to slap the cuffs on you and throw you in the slammer.”
I had to laugh. “Your words are old-fashioned, Thunder Cloud.”
“And so are my ways. I like it like that, and you like me for being that way. Admit it.”
I hugged him and said, “I love you just the way you are. Would you like to go upstairs for a few minutes of intense lovemaking? We haven’t had a chance to be alone in a while. I’ll settle for a quickie.”
“You’re too romantic for me.”
“How about this,” I asked as I pressed my body to his and then ran my hand up and down his back. “I want to kiss you and lie in your arms… for at least ten minutes.”
“We’ll talk about the phone call later,” he said, smiling. He picked me up in his arms and headed to the door leading up to the apartment where he was living when we first met. He reached the door, turned the knob, and then grunted. “It’s locked. Let me fish out the keys.” He put me down and reached into his coat pocket for them.
The phone rang.
“Hold that thought,” I said. I ran over to the desk and picked up the receiver and answered. “Hello, this is Jesse.”
“This is Wayne, again. I hung up when I heard the sirens. I waited a few minutes before calling you back. I was afraid you had called the police, but then I realized that they were at your door and not mine. What happened?”
“I forgot to punch in the access code and the silent alarm went off. Next thing I know the cops show up. That was a little spooky considering who I was talking with on the phone. We should meet and have a talk.”
“I didn’t set that fire in Ruckersville, and I didn’t kill those people.”
“That’s a little hard to believe considering you gave me the impression that you weren’t done. That you had other fish to fry.”
“It wasn’t me.”
“I can only attest to the time you were at the parking garage. I have no idea what you did after you left me. By the way, you shouldn’t go poking a gun in someone’s face. It’s not polite.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t know why I did that.
The gun wasn’t loaded.”
“But next time it might be.”
Billy walked over, stood beside me, and then hit the speaker button so he could listen in.
“What was that?” Wayne asked. “Is someone else listening?”
“Yes,” I said. “My husband, Billy, is here.”
“He’s that guy’s brother, isn’t he?”
“Yes, he is.”
There was a long silence, but Wayne didn’t hang up. Finally, when he spoke, his voice broke up. “I’m… so sorry… I didn’t mean for anyone… to get … hurt.”
“Well, someone did,” Billy raised his voice. “My brother died because of you! Your actions killed him—be it accidental or intentional. You will have to pay!”
“I’m willing… to pay for… what I did.” Wayne broke down and cried.
I looked at Billy, but didn’t say anything. What could I say? He was talking on the phone with the person who was responsible for his brother’s death. He had a right to be angry… and loud… and anything he wanted to be. I remained silent and let him have his say.
“You must turn yourself in to the police and suffer the consequences of your deed. You will be safe in custody… from me.”
“I’m ready to… pay for my actions. I can’t… live with… what I’ve done. All I wanted… was revenge. That bounty hunter… he killed my father. He sent… my father… back to jail… and my father… he hung himself while he… while he was locked up.”
“That’s not my brother’s fault.”
“But don’t you see… it was. My father…. he never hurt a… soul in… his life. He was… a good man.”
“So was my brother, Daniel. He was a good man. He had a family.”
I nudged Billy and then said, “Wayne, why don’t you come here and we’ll go with you to the police station to turn yourself in.”
“No… I can’t do that. I just wanted to say… that I was sorry. You seemed like a nice person the other night.” He sniffled once more and then stopped crying. “There’s no one left but me. My mother is dead and now my father is, too. I killed someone and now I must pay. I just wanted to tell someone the truth. Did you know they said my father beat my mother?”
“No, I didn’t. I’m real sorry about what happened.”
“My mother was having an affair, and the guy beat her up real bad when she tried to break it off. She told my dad, and they had a big argument. A neighbor called the cops. My mom was angry and she accused my father of hitting her. The police took him away. Dad got out on bail, but by then it was too late. Mom had taken a bottle of sleeping pills and died before he got home. The day of my graduation from high school, I was at my mother’s funeral. My dad had to go to court the following Monday.”
“He jumped bail and Jonathan was the one who brought him in.”
“That’s right. My dad killed himself in jail. Can you understand why I was so mad? Shouldn’t somebody be held accountable for what happened to my mother and father?”
“I don’t know what to say, Wayne. What you did was wrong. Two wrongs don’t make a right—that’s what my mother would say at a time like this. Why don’t you let me take you in? I promise I’ll make sure that you get to tell your side of the story.”
I looked up at Billy. I knew this was difficult for him to hear, but someone had to be rational.
“I just did, Jesse,” Wayne replied. “I told you the truth and now I’m finished. Mr. Blackhawk, I want you to know that I never meant for your brother to die. I know you’ll never forgive me for what I did, but I had to say I was sorry before it was too late. I know what it’s like to lose the people you love, and I’m sorry your family has to go through that kind of pain.”
“Wayne,” Billy said. “You need to come in.”
As if a light had gone off in my head, everything was coming together. Everything that Sue Ellen had told me now made sense. The guy from the Ruckersville fire was the one who had been having an affair with Wayne’s mother. Did Wayne go over to Ruckersville and kill those two people? It had to have been him. He had a motive. The pieces of the puzzle had now fallen into place.
“I’m willing to pay for what I did to your brother, but I’m not going to jail for a crime I didn’t commit. I didn’t set that fire in Ruckersville, and I didn’t kill those two people.”
“That’s for a judge to decide, Wayne,” Billy said. “The two people who died in the fire in Ruckersville were shot before the fire was set. Do you own a gun?”
“Oh, God. That’s awful. Yes, I have my Dad’s gun, but I don’t have any bullets.”
I looked at Billy, stunned. This was a piece of the puzzle that I didn’t know about.
“Then you need to turn yourself in and bring your gun. If you’re innocent, ballistics on the gun will prove it.”
“Mr. Blackhawk, please tell your family how sorry I am for making them suffer. And I want you to know how sorry I am. I never wanted that to happen. Jesse, I want you to promise me that the police know that I didn’t mean for anyone to get hurt.”
“You can tell them yourself when you turn yourself in.”
“No, I’ve said my peace. I’ve done all I can. I said I’m sorry and now I will pay for my actions.”
A weird feeling in the pit of my stomach made me take notice that something terrible was about to happen. “Wayne!” I called his name at the same moment we heard the shot. The line went silent. “Wayne,” I yelled, tears flowing. “Oh, my God! Wayne!”
Billy and I stood there staring at each other.
I went to hang up the phone, but Billy stopped me. “Don’t,” he said. “They might be able to trace the call.”
I lay the phone down on the desk and cried in Billy’s arms. I would never forget this moment if I lived to be a hundred. A young life had ended too soon. Not only had a young life ended early, but that life had been filled with pain and anguish. I wept for his soul.
“I guess he lied about not having any bullets,” I mumbled.
“Come on, Jesse,” Billy said, tenderly. “We have to call the police and let them know what happened, and then we have to get you home.”
Billy reached into his coat pocket for his cell phone. He dialed the Charlottesville Police Department, asked for Captain Waverly, and then waited.
“His name was Wayne Avery. I know you hate him for what he did to Daniel, but he was just a kid. I don’t know what to think. I hate it that Daniel died, but…”
“I know, Jesse. It’s hard to separate right from wrong sometimes. It was wrong for him to seek revenge by burning down Jonathan’s house, which led to Daniel’s death, but I didn’t want him to die for it… I don’t think. I guess there is still a little forgiveness left in my soul.”
“You’ve got more forgiveness in your little pinky than I do in my whole body. I probably would’ve hunted him down and killed him if it had been my brother.”
“Not once you realized he was just a kid and he begged for forgiveness. I believe that he didn’t mean for things to go so terribly wrong. I see that now.”
“I was afraid of what you were going to do when you found him.”
“I was, too. I had much hatred in me. I don’t like that feeling.”
“I feel sick.” I let go of Billy, ran to the bathroom and heaved. What was left of breakfast was now a thing of the past. My nerves aren’t what they used to be, I thought to myself. I flushed the toilet, wiped my face with a wet paper towel, and then returned to the front of the office. I stood by as Billy explained what had just happened.
“I don’t know where he lives. Okay, I will. I’ll hold on. Just let me know when I can hang up the phone. I need to take my wife home. She’s a wreck.”
We waited as the police and the telephone company did their jobs. It didn’t take long. The captain must’ve said something to Billy, because he closed up his cell phone, and said, “They have an address for him. It won’t take them long.”
“Good,” I replied, not knowing what else to say. “Can we go home n
ow?”
“Will you be all right to drive? I know you’re upset. We can leave your 4Runner here and then I’ll get Jonathan to come back with me to get it.”
“No, I’m going to be okay,” I said as I watched Billy pick up the phone receiver and then place it back in its cradle. “I hate what just happened. Why does life have to be so hard sometimes?”
“I don’t know, `ge ya. It just does. We can only live our lives and hope for the best.”
We walked to the front door and peered out. The snow had stopped falling. “It looks as if it’s going to clear up,” I said. “Is that blue skies in the background?”
“If it is, it won’t last long. I heard the weather forecast on the radio on my way over here, and they’re calling for a foot of snow tonight.”
Billy locked the door behind us. We got in our automobiles and I followed him out of the parking lot. It had been a long day and it wasn’t over, yet. We hadn’t gotten down the road very far when my cell phone rang. I dug in my purse, but couldn’t find it. I felt around in the seat. “Ah, there you are.” I flipped open the phone and said, “Hello.”
“I did tell you that your mom and Eddie are at our house, didn’t I?” Billy asked. “And Robert sent over food from his restaurant.”
“I knew Mom was there, and I’m glad about the food. I’m sure we’re going to have plenty of company, and I don’t want my mother to spend all her time in the kitchen.”
“Hold on a minute, Jesse. I have a call coming in.”
I waited for what seemed like an eternity before Billy got back to me. We were almost home when he clicked back over. “You’re not going to believe this,” he said.
“Nowadays, I’ll believe anything.”
“Wayne Avery isn’t dead.”
“Good, he’s still alive! How bad is it?”
“Not bad at all considering he wasn’t even there when the police arrived, and there was no sign of a suicide as we assumed. There was, however, a bullet hole in the floor. So in other words, he either chickened out or he played us. It’s all a game to him. He’s jerking us around.”