by Wendy Byrne
When Jillian was alone she tended to allow the overriding fear to take over. But around Mama Iris or Sam she felt hope. While being self-reliant had always been her goal, she figured that in predicaments like this self-reliance might be over-rated.
By the time the game was over, Jillian felt different. She’d laughed and joked and screamed and cheered along with the rest of the crowd. For the first time in days she’d felt normal. More than that, she felt that she fit in.
“I’m going to head to the bathroom before I drive home,” she said as she moved down the stands. “Thanks, ladies. I had a lot of fun tonight.”
Groups of kids were talking together. A couple of them stopped her with kind words for Travis. One girl separated herself from the other cheerleaders and came up to talk to Jillian.
“I’m Olivia.” She held out her hand to shake. “I’m so sorry about what happened to Travis. I know he didn’t do it.” She lowered her voice. “Even when some of the other kids would drink, Travis never took a drop. There’s no way he did anything wrong.”
She wanted to correct the girl and let her know murder was a little more serious than drinking, but stopped herself. “I appreciate that.”
Just as she said the words, something caught her eye to the left. She glanced in that direction, and her heart sped up.
Jeremy?
Was she going crazy? Was it actually him?
“I wanted to go see him, but I wasn’t sure I could. My mom said she thought they only allowed adults there. Do you know if I could visit? Maybe I could ride there with you some time.”
Jillian barely heard the words as she searched the crowd for another sighting of the boy. Finally she spotted him again. Her fingers shook when she pointed to the far side of the field. “Do you now that boy? The one in the dark green jacket?”
Olivia glanced in that direction. “He doesn’t look familiar, but he could be from Pinecrest High. I know some kids from there, but not a lot.”
“Thanks. And if your parents say it’s okay I’ll see if I can take you with me some time to visit Travis.” She didn’t wait for a response as she ran towards Sam. The team was trotting off the field toward the locker room when she caught up with him.
“I think I spotted Jeremy.” Her breath and heart pumped wildly inside her chest. If he was here, it had to be for a reason.
“Take over, Steve.” Sam shooed the boys into the locker room, along with the assistant coach. The boys murmured, but he ignored them and turned to Jillian. “Where?”
“He was by the fence.” She pointed to the general vicinity, then jogged alongside him as he headed in that direction. “He had on a green jacket.”
Sam’s head swiveled as he glanced up and down the perimeter of the field. “Wait. I think that’s him. Jeremy,” he shouted. Without another word, he sprinted in that direction.
It took every ounce of stamina she had to stay a couple of lengths behind him. Once Jeremy spotted Sam, he took off and jumped into a waiting car which sped away. Sam ran after it for several yards until he finally gave up.
He jogged back to Jillian. “I’m not sure it was him, but whoever it was they made a quick exit. I didn’t even get a plate number.”
“If it was him I have to wonder what he was doing here.”
***
“Are you sure you’re going to be okay? I wish you’d stay with Mama Iris. She would love to have a female around.” Sam had followed her home in his truck but still felt uncomfortable leaving her alone. Would Jeremy come here to look for her? What about Travis’ warning? With everything going on, staying seemed like the right thing to do.
“I’ll be fine. I don’t like the idea of some kid making me leave my home.”
“Except he hangs around with some pretty bad kids. I’ve got to wonder if he was with Carlos, or somebody worse we don’t know about.”
Which was something he didn’t want to contemplate especially with her alone in this desolate location surrounded by trees. The nearest neighbor was a half mile down the road. He thought through ideas on how to get her to let him stay.
“I’m pretty paranoid these days. It might not even have been him.” She unlocked the front door.
“Let me come in and look around to make sure.” He followed her inside without waiting for an answer.
After the initial adrenaline rush when she’d spotted Jeremy, she’d started to withdraw from Sam and make excuses to minimize his involvement. It was her trademark way to keep him and others at a distance. He didn’t understand why she had such a need to be so self-reliant, especially considering the circumstances. Maybe it had something to do with her failed marriage as well as her parents’ tragic accident.
“See.” She gave him a quick, uneasy smile. “Everything’s fine.”
He ignored her ploy and walked through her home until he was satisfied everything was in order. Despite all that, he couldn’t shake the weird vibe making his neck prickle. “This night has been a little too exciting for an old man like me.”
“Speaking of which, I forgot to congratulate you on your win. What a great way to start the season. Travis will be thrilled, but probably still bummed about missing it.”
“Mama Iris swears he’ll be on the field by the end of the season.” He chuckled.
“I can only hope she’s right.” Wearing a pair of worn Levis, blue tennis shoes and a sweatshirt with Valley High emblazoned across the chest, she could easily pass for one of the students.
He grasped her arm forcing her to look at him. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to spend the night alone.”
She hesitated for a second. He could almost see her weighing the pros and cons inside her head. “To be honest, I was hoping you’d offer. You can always stay in Travis’ room.”
“Sounds like a plan.” He couldn’t believe it had been so easy.
Chapter Twenty-four
Where was he?
The music had come to a grinding halt and darkness surrounded him. At first he thought maybe his eyes were closed, but then he realized he could see indistinguishable shapes and forms around him. He blinked as he tried to clear his head.
His fingers touched grass. What the hell?
Travis tried to move his legs, but they didn’t work. He could feel them, which was good, but they felt weighted down, like somebody was holding them immobile. But he didn’t have the sensation of somebody’s hands on his body. Even moving his fingers required extraordinary effort.
In contrast to the party, it was quiet out here in the grass. Voices filtered to his ears, but he couldn’t make out what they were saying.
Making a silent pledge to never ever talk to Lexie again, he once again tried to move his legs. His reward was a slight movement with his big toe. He supposed that was progress. At least he now knew he wasn’t paralyzed.
He couldn’t help wondering what time it was and how long he’d been here. While he wanted to call out, a sense of fear prevented him from doing so.
Jeremy.
He’d come to the party with that kid that scared Travis to his bones. Not only did he look mean and rough, he acted the same way. He’d seen him around before, but had taken care to avoid him. He’d heard enough rumors to know the guy was nobody to mess with.
So why did he remember talking with him, even laughing? That didn’t make sense.
Where the hell was Lexie? After what seemed like hours, he managed to swivel his head to the right to look for her. His breathing seemed off but he couldn’t figure out why. A sense of urgency made him believe he needed to get the hell out of wherever he was. With a whole lot of effort, he lifted his arm toward his face. Relief flooded through.
Somehow he made it to his car. Weird, but he was in front of Lexie’s house. How’d he get there? And where were his keys? And why did he feel this overwhelming sense of fear for his mom?
Travis came awake. Had it been a nightmare or a memory? Was his memory gradually coming back in bits and pieces?
What had awoken him? He blinked and tried
to focus in the darkness of his room. Someone was with him.
Shit.
A vague outline of a man became more visible. Still feeling a bit groggy, he suppressed the urge to yell, hoping he was still dreaming.
“Travis, we need to talk.”
“Do I know you?” When Travis reached for the call button, the man yanked it out of reach. What the hell was happening? This dude couldn’t walk into the hospital and kill him, could he?
“Doesn’t matter if you do or don’t. I need information.”
The guy stalked closer. Fear inched up Travis’ back. “I don’t remember anything.” He tried to sound kickass, but knew he failed.
“That’s not what I hear.” Despite the fact he couldn’t see him in the dark didn’t keep the creep factor from setting up inside him.
“You heard wrong.”
When the guy sat on his bed, Travis fought the urge to strike him. Knowing he was as weak as a girl, he realized it wouldn’t do anything but maybe get him another beating.
“Hmmm….let’s see….your mother is alone a lot, I’ve noticed. In fact, it’s pretty isolated where she lives. I bet if she screamed absolutely no one would hear.”
Travis’ insides turned to mush. “Leave my mother alone or I’ll—”
“Big talk for a kid who’s stuck in here, don’t you think.”
He couldn’t believe there were no nurses around. Geez, they were in and out every few minutes, and now nothing? This guy had to know their nighttime schedule or he wouldn’t seem so confident.
The guy moved fast, bringing his hand to cover Travis’ mouth. With his nose still packed, Travis couldn’t breathe. He tried to twist away, but the guy was strong. Dizziness started to settle in as he fought to pry off the guy’s fingers.
His lungs struggled to suck in oxygen, but it wasn’t happening.
Time to panic.
Just when he thought he was going to pass out, the guy let go. “Your mom sure is a beautiful woman. In fact I was at her house the other day. She was downright friendly.”
Travis gulped in air, as if stocking it up in case this guy tried to cover his mouth again. The threat and the voice sounded familiar. Was this the guy from that night? “What…do… you…want?”
“Information.”
“I told you—”
The guy came in close and grabbed Travis’ broken nose. Shooting pain rocketed from his eyeballs to his toes. “Now, Travis, I thought we were making progress.”
His eyes watered as excruciating pain sent him to hell and back. “What?”
“I need to know where Lexi is.”
“I don’t know.” When the guy made a move as though he was going to touch his throbbing nose again, Travis blurted, “I swear to you.”
“I know she snuck in here the other day. What did she tell you?”
“Nothing. She wanted me to run away with her.”
“And?”
“That’s it. I told her I was too out of it.”
“Where did she go?”
“She didn’t tell me.” Travis would rather die than tell him anything about her maybe going to see his mother.
The guy came in close and grabbed the sides of Travis’ face. Cigar smell mingled with his bad breath. “You look like you’re lying. Are you lying to me, Travis?”
“I don’t know where she went. She was scared. That’s all I know.”
The guy let go and leaned back. Thank God.
“I’m pretty sure you’re holding out on me, Travis. And that fuckin’ pisses me off.” His face was inches away when he spoke again. “When I’m not happy, you’re not happy. Get my drift.”
“Ah huh.” Couldn’t an annoying nurse come in to ask if he needed a sleeping pill or something, even the bitchy one would be okay. Where the hell was the police officer who was supposed to be outside his door?
“I guess you’re waiting for the policeman to come to your rescue, but he’s screwing his nurse girlfriend in the supply closet.” He glanced at his watch, then laughed. “I probably have another ten minutes or so. But even if he finishes early, I happen to know the guy is married with a couple of kids. That information comes in real handy in my line of work.”
“I swear that’s all I know. She has an aunt or something who lives in Portland I think, but I don’t think she went there.”
“You’re not holding out on me, are you, Travis?” He grabbed Travis’ jaw.
“I’m not.” He gulped. “Please leave my mother out of this.”
The guy’s teeth showed brightly in the dimly lit room. “That all depends on you. I suggest you keep quiet about everything, especially what went down today.”
“Sure.” He’d say just about anything to get this guy to leave. Above all he needed to think about how to keep this creep from his mother.
***
“Travis, are you sure you’re all right?” Jillian didn’t like the way he looked or the way he was acting. “Your nose is bleeding a little and it seems more swollen. Your eyes are puffy too.”
“Gee, Mom, good morning to you too.” He shifted in his bed and jumped when he heard the door open. “Coach, I didn’t know you were coming today. You two should have driven together.”
Sam winced. “We did. I was parking the truck.”
It had seemed normal last night for Sam to spend the night and it hadn’t been the least bit awkward this morning. But now skirting around the issue in front of her son, Jillian felt guilty, despite the fact they’d done nothing together, except have some coffee this morning.
“Did we win last night? Of course nobody around here knew anything about the game.”
Sam rocked back on his heels and folded his arms across his chest. “We kicked their butts 35 to 6.”
“Cool. Man, I wish I could have been there.” His lips trembled as he spoke.
“Mama Iris swears you’ll be back before the end of the season and she’s always right about that stuff.” Sam shook his head and smiled. “She says she psychic. Even though I don’t believe in that stuff, I gotta say she’s right most of the time.”
“That would be so cool.”
“I did bring you some more books like you asked.” Jillian was anxious to erase that uneasiness in her son’s smile. “Sam and I were thinking that your memory lapse is similar to what happens when GHB is given to somebody. It doesn’t stay in your system very long so that when they did the drug test it wouldn’t have shown up.”
“But I didn’t drink—” Travis frowned. “Lexie gave me a water bottle, but I’m pretty sure it was sealed.”
Her heart pounded inside her chest. “Yes, it’s a long shot. And any evidence is long gone, but it could explain your memory problems. This could change the judge’s mind about what happened when we go into court on Monday.” Jillian tried not to be too optimistic, but with all the bad stuff that kept happening, this seemed like a reason to hope.
“This Monday? Gee, I didn’t know it would be so soon.”
Sam spoke. “It doesn’t prove you didn’t commit murder, but it does lend credibility to your claim about not remembering. The weapon they found in your home not matching the murder weapon puts more of a hole in the State’s case. Nobody knows how the judge will react, but it seems like a step in the right direction.”
Jillian smiled. “By the way, Olivia is very pretty.”
“Ah Mom…she’s just a friend.” Travis flushed. The normalcy of the moment felt so good to Jillian. “You remember that girl I told you I met in summer school? It was Olivia. I mean, she didn’t have to re-take English during the summer like me. She was helping out the teacher or something.”
“Well, I think she likes you.”
“She’s like the most popular girl in the school.” Travis glanced at Sam as if pleading with him to run interference. He didn’t. “Awkward, Mom.”
She laughed, allowing her mind freedom from worry for several glorious seconds. “She wants to come see you.”
“Like her parents would let her come see a
criminal.”
“You can’t assume everybody will judge you.”
“Come on, Mom, get real. If the situation was reversed there’d be no way you’d let me hang out with somebody from juvie.” The sad look on Travis’ face tore at her heart.
“One worry at a time, Travis.”
Travis cleared his throat. “Mom, could you get me a pop out of the machine down the hall?” When she started to protest, he held up his hand. “I know you don’t like me drinking it, but this place is like the Sahara. I need something.”
Sam reached into his pocket. “I can—”
“No, Mom. You need to get it.”
Jillian could take a hint. “Sure, I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
***
“Have you been staying at my mom’s like I asked you to?” The kid seemed more fidgety than Sam had ever seen him.
“Well...” Sam wasn’t sure how he wanted to answer since he couldn’t tell from the expression on Travis’ face where he was going with the information.
“I’m worried about her. Even though the idea of you two, like you know, sleeping together, kind of grosses me out, I’m worried about her being alone in that house. It’s isolated and you know she’s vulnerable without me there. You could stay there just as a friend. Like sleep on the coach or something.”
Shit. “You said that to me before but now you seem a little more panicked. Did somebody threaten her?” He had a hard time keeping track of the conversation when Travis started in one direction and ended up in the opposite. First he thought he was going to have to explain how he’d spent the night and tell him nothing had happened, but now fear took the top priority.
“Ah…nothing like that. I’m nervous I guess. She’s not used to being alone, and…well…”
“Don’t try to bullshit me. You’re not very good at it.” Sam grasped the kid’s arm and could feel the tremor against his fingertips.
“Maybe she could stay with you for a while.”
Under more pleasant circumstances it would have sounded like a good idea, but this was different. “How do you figure I’m going to accomplish that and not tell her anything?”