by Ann Mullen
“Does it get stifling hot late in the summer?” I asked Billy. This would be our first summer here. I wondered how it compared to our summers in Newport News. Living on a peninsula, you’d think there would always be a breeze from the ocean, but that’s not so. We lived inland and the afternoons could be dry and blistering.
“In late August it can get a little warm, but it’s not bad. Most people don’t even run the air-conditioning until then.”
“That’s...” I started to say when the phone rang.
Mom snatched it up and spoke. “Hello,” she said, putting her hand over the phone to cover her voice. “If this is Carl, perhaps the two of you should leave.”
“Not on your life,” I said.
“No way!” Billy joined in.
For the next ten minutes, Mom gave Carl the tongue-lashing he deserved. Billy sat there in amazement, occasionally making remarks about what a tough cookie Mom could be. Finally, she handed me the phone and said, “He wants to talk to you.”
I buried the phone in my hand. “What did he say?” All I had gotten from her side of the conversation were yells and accusations. She had really let him have it. “What were his excuses?”
“The same bull all men use when they’re caught being bad boys,” she snapped. “She doesn’t understand me. It’s not my fault. I made a mistake... or the lie some of them have the nerve to use... it’s not true.” She sounded like she had first-hand experience. Had my Dad been unfaithful to my mom? The thought nagged at me as I put my ear to the receiver.
“What do you want, Carl?” I spit.
Mom got up and started clearing the table, making grunting and hissing noises the whole time. They were the same noises that Billy makes when he talks to me. The two of them were alike in many ways. They showed their displeasure with gestures or mumblings, and when they were happy or excited, they always wanted to hug you. I was just the opposite. When I was mad, I’d yell. When I was happy, I became quiet.
Carl whined in my ear. “Jesse, you need to talk to your mom. I tried to tell her that this was all a misunderstanding. We’re just having a little spat. Now she’s gone and blown it all out of proportion.”
“Who has, Mom or Claire?”
“Why, Claire, of course!” he said. He sounded like a wounded dog. “I’ve been working late a lot, and she feels like I’ve neglected her. She has even accused me of having an affair. It’s...”
I couldn’t listen to anymore of his lies. “Carl, get over it! Save it for your lawyer.” The next words out of my mouth were blissful to my ears. “Did I ever tell you about the dream I had of you and a bear? The bear eats you for dinner.” I laughed like a hyena as I hit the off button.
“You’re a bad, bad girl, Jesse Watson,” Billy growled.
“What did he have to say for himself?” Mom asked.
“The same things you said he’d say.”
Trying to bring peace back to our afternoon, Billy announced, “Men, they are such pigs.”
Billy’s so unique. He knows what to say or do at just the right time. Since the day I met him and found out that he was Indian, I kept seeing him sitting bare-chested on a horse wearing full-feathered headgear... dark skinned, with his long, braided ponytail hanging down his back. In my vision, his slightly aged skin on his belly hung over the suede loincloth he wore. That’s how I saw him. I never expected him to be so strong, loving, and have such a good heart.
“All right, ladies,” he said. “We need to discuss tomorrow.”
“What about tomorrow?” Mom asked. She finished cleaning up the mess from dinner and scraped the leftover food onto a plate. “Here, girl.” She laid the plate on the ground for Athena.
“Mom, aren’t you the one who told me not to feed the dog leftovers?”
“I thought about it and I don’t think it’ll hurt her once in a while. Dog food is so blasé.”
Not only could my mother operate a gas grill, but she also could critique the K-9 diet with an open mind.
“Mom, you are amazing,” I said.
“Attention, Ladies!” Billy interjected. “We need to talk about tomorrow. We need to decide what to do. I suggest we have the office calls transferred here. That way you can be at home with Claire and the kids, and still run the office.
“That’s a great idea,” Mom said. “What about you and Jesse?”
“We might have to go out of town on a job,” Billy replied. “It’s a short trip. We’ll be back by dinnertime.”
“Does this have something to do with Helen Carrolton?” she asked.
“Unfortunately, it does,” he responded. “You must remember that whatever I tell you has to be kept in the utmost confidence.”
“I know that,” she replied.
“No, I’m serious. You can’t tell anybody, not even Cole.”
“Sure, I understand.”
“Okay,” he said. “Jesse and I might be going to Poquoson in the morning. We’re pretty sure Helen Carrolton’s dead, and this isn’t something you can tell someone over the phone.”
“How do you know? What evidence do you have?” she asked.
“Enough,” was all he said.
Chapter 23
Mom could tell from the tone in Billy’s voice that he had something pretty incriminating, but she didn’t pursue the subject. “Then it’s settled,” she said. “But first, I want you to show me how you’re going to reroute your phone calls.”
“Sure,” Billy smiled. “It’s easy.” He grabbed the portable phone and began the process of explaining as I cleaned up the rest of our mess.
I had a lot going through my head and I needed time to think. What about Helen’s purse? How were we going to get it to the police in time to be able to tell the Carroltons about our discovery? What about that third print? What was I going to tell Cole?
“Why don’t we go for a walk, Billy?” I interrupted. “We need to talk.”
They both looked up. Mom had been engrossed in what he was saying. She seemed so eager to learn what Billy was trying to show her that I hated to butt in, but I needed to get some answers.
“Go ahead,” she said. “I think I have it now. Thanks, Billy.”
The three of us walked to the side of the house. As Mom walked up the steps to the utility room, she called out, “Hey, I think I’ll run up to the IGA and pick up a few groceries. Does anybody need anything?”
“Not me,” I replied. “What about Athena? Does she need any dog food? I think she might. Do you need some money, Mom?”
“Heavens no,” she said. “Your dad made sure of that. Just watch Athena while I’m gone.”
Mom promised to return soon, and then waved to us as she pulled out of the driveway.
Billy and I went for a walk. Athena ran ahead of us, wagging her tail as she sniffed along the ground.
“Why is it that dogs always sniff everything?” I asked. I really didn’t care. After talking to Mom about money, I realized I hadn’t been paid since Dad had died and I was trying to get up the nerve to broach the subject with Billy. He had been so good to me, I hated to ask him for my check, but I was getting to the point where I needed money.
As if he read my mind, Billy reached into the back pocket of his jeans, pulled out his wallet and said, “I’ve been meaning to give this to you, but I kept forgetting. You never asked for your paycheck and the only reason I remembered now was because you said something to your mother about needing money.” He handed me three deposit receipts. “I’ve been putting your paychecks in your bank account each week, minus your car loan, ever since your dad died. You had enough on your mind as it was. I figured you’d say something eventually, but you just never did, and then I forgot. I’m sorry.”
“How did you know my account number?”
He chuckled, raised his eyebrow and gave me one of those looks. “You forget what I do for a living. I can find out anything I need to know. Besides, I snooped in your purse a while back.”
“You dirty dog,” I joked.
Athen
a stopped and looked at me.
“I wasn’t talking to you, girl. I was talking to Mr. Nosey here.” I glanced at the deposit slips, totaling it up in my head. “Billy, there’s over twelve hundred dollars in deposits. That’s more than we agreed upon.”
“Are you going to argue about money with me all the time?” he asked, shaking his head. “You earned every bit of it. Take the money.”
“That’s fine with me. I’ll go along with whatever you think is right.” I folded up the receipts and stuck them in my pocket. I learned from past experiences that when Billy made up his mind, there was no changing it. We walked across the road and sat down on the rocks by the riverbank. Athena jumped in the water and started digging up rocks. I giggled when she stuck her head under the water and came up with a rock between her teeth. She pounced over to us and laid it down.
“Did you see that?” I asked as I patted her on the head.
Billy smiled.
“Athena, you’re such a smart girl.”
“Now what do you want to talk about?” Billy asked.
“For starters, what are we going to do about Helen’s purse? The fact that you even have it scares the crap out of me. What will you do if you get caught? I guess I’m just being paranoid.”
“As soon as we get an I.D. on that last fingerprint, we’ll get Daniel’s son, Greg, to turn it over to the Charlottesville Police Department.”
“How soon do you think we’ll hear something?”
“I’m hoping it’ll be today, but you never can tell. That’s why I said we might be going to Poquoson tomorrow.”
Athena ran back up to us and dropped another rock at our feet. After shaking the water off her coat and spraying us with a fine mist, she laid down at my feet. Dogs!
“I’ve been thinking about what you said about taking the Hudgins and Tom Dorey out of the equation. My idea of a serial killer just doesn’t wash. Don’t serial killers usually keep something of their victims as mementos? What would be better than a purse with the wallet inside?”
“Please continue,” Billy said.
“What about money and credit cards? You never told me what exactly was found in her wallet.”
“It seemed to be intact,” he stated. “She had a driver’s license, a Visa and Texaco card, two hundred dollars in cash, and a few pictures.”
“There, you see!” I exclaimed. “A serial killer would’ve kept all that stuff. Don’t you think? But...”
“How do you know so much about serial killers?” he asked. “Don’t tell me, let me guess... television?”
“You can learn a lot from television.”
“Ditch the small screen. If you want to really learn something, take a class at the university. They offer a good course in Criminology.”
“I might just do that,” I hissed. “Let’s get back to my questions. If a young adult committed this crime, such as our boy, Jay, he was probably scared at the time and didn’t think to take the wallet out of the purse when he tossed it. His goal was to get rid of the evidence as fast as he could.”
“That’s assuming he’s the killer.”
“Right,” I added. “What about the car and the body? Neither one has been found. Hiding a body would be easier than hiding a car.”
“Look around, Jesse,” he motioned. “You could dump a body anywhere and it might never be found, but a car is a different story. Why, you’d have to dig a hole and bury it to keep the police from finding it.”
Something was nagging at me, but I just couldn’t put my finger on it. Where was that car?
Billy answered the ring of his cell phone. “Hello... Caroline, what have you got for me? ... I was afraid of that... Sure... I’ll be right there.” He folded the phone up and hooked it back onto his belt.
“What is it? Did she get an I.D. on the print?”
“Yeah, it was Greg’s. She pulled up his print from the I-Dent-A-Kid file that the school system started some time ago,” he muttered. “I suspected it might be his all along. I knew we couldn’t get that lucky.” Billy stood up and brushed the dirt off his pants. “Let’s get back to the house.”
“What’s next?” I asked as we walked up to the house. “Are we going to go get the purse?”
“I’m going,” he said. “I don’t want you with me when I have it in my possession. No need for both of us to go down.”
“But you won’t get caught, will you?” I was worried.
“Not me!” he exclaimed. “But just to be on the safe side, I want you to stay here until I get the purse back to Daniel. He’ll take care of getting it to the authorities. Don’t worry. I can handle it.”
“Call me the minute you’re finished.”
I spent the next hour in a tizzy. Mom had gone to the grocery store and hadn’t returned. My imagination was working overtime. How long could it take to buy a few groceries? Then I thought about Dad. What if something happened to Mom? I was about ready to get in my Jeep and go looking for her when she pulled up into the driveway. I met her at the door.
“Where have you been? I was worried sick,” I cried.
She looked at me as if I had lost my mind. “Calm down, Jesse. I’m fine. I ran into Cole at the grocery store. He asked about you.” Her arms were full of bags. “Here, grab these and I’ll get what’s left out of the van.”
I took the bags and set them down on the kitchen counter, then walked back out to the porch and down the steps to the van.
“What did you tell him?” I asked. Knowing my mom, there’s no telling what she might have said.
She handed me one of the two remaining bags and shut the van door. “I didn’t tell him anything you wouldn’t want me to,” she confirmed. “I told him about our cookout today, and about Claire and the kids coming. What’s the matter with you, Jesse? You’re a nervous wreck.”
“I’m sorry, Mom. It’s just that I was worried about you.”
“It’s because of what happened to your dad, isn’t it?”
My eyes welled up with tears. I felt like a little kid again as Mom patted me on the back. “You have to get over this worry, honey. Your dad had a bad heart. Me? I’m healthy as a horse. I’ll probably outlive all my kids,” she joked. “Come on in the house and let me fix you a cup of tea, or better yet... a shot of whiskey. You look like you could use one!”
“Are you offering me whiskey?” I groaned as I wiped the tears away with the back of my hand. “What are you doing with whiskey?”
“Oh, your dad took a nip or two every once in a while,” she said. “I have all kinds of alcohol.”
I helped her put the groceries away, and listened to her ramble on about how she and Dad would fuss over him taking a drink.
“I told him it was bad for his heart, but he wouldn’t listen to me. He said his doctor said it was okay, so it must be okay. What do doctors know? Huh?” She reached down into the cabinet beside the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle, while I got out two glasses and set them on the counter.
She put one back and said, “None for me. You know I never touch the stuff. I tried it once and it made me gag. It’s the nastiest tasting liquid I’ve ever put in my mouth... and that includes the time your brother peed in my face when he was a baby.” She giggled. “That was a trip!” She poured a small amount and handed it to me. “Your dad says to gulp it all down in one swallow. That’s probably because it tastes so bad.”
I did as she said, and she was right. It was awful. I thought I was going to choke to death as I said, “Whew! That’s nasty! How about one more? My nerves are shot.” The second one went down a lot smoother. “That’s enough. I don’t think I could get another one down if I tried.”
She put the bottle away.
“Where’s Billy? I was hoping he’d hang around until Claire got here.”
“He had to leave,” I said. “But he promised to call later.” The alcohol was starting to kick in and my nerves were settling down. “I think I’ll give Cole a call. Do you think he’s home yet? I didn’t see him go by.”
“Perhaps he took Turkey Ridge Road home,” she suggested. “He told me it was a shortcut. Or, did he say McMullen Road was the short cut to his house? I don’t remember.”
I walked over to the wall phone in the dining area and dialed his phone number. I was really starting to feel pretty good. Maybe there’s something to this drinking, I thought to myself.
“I guess he’s not at home,” I said. “He didn’t answer the phone.”
“He could be outside,” Mom replied.
“He might be. I think I’ll run up to his house and see if he’s home. I’d like to talk to him.”
“Jesse, you can’t do that!” she snapped. “You’ve been drinking.”
“I’m just going up the road. I won’t even be on the main roads,” I retorted. “I’ll even take my cell phone, if it makes you feel better.”
“I don’t like it!” she announced. “I don’t like it one bit! Why don’t I drive you? You shouldn’t be driving in your condition.”
“No, thank you!” I fussed. “If you’re that determined, I won’t go.”
“Good!” she huffed.
In the middle of our discussion, the doorbell rang.
Mom sashayed over to answer the door.
“Cole! I’m so glad it’s you!” she said, ushering him inside. “I was just telling Jesse she couldn’t drive up to your house. She’s been drinking! Perhaps you can explain to her the dangers of drinking and driving.”
Oh, Lord. Here we go again.
“I said I wouldn’t go, didn’t I?”
“Drinking and driving is dangerous and it’s against the law,” he agreed with Mom. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve helped scrape bodies off the road, because someone had too much to drink. It’s not a pretty sight.”
“Okay. I get the picture.”
Mom walked over to me, gave me a hug and said, “Don’t get mad, honey. We’re concerned about your safety. Aren’t we, Cole?”