BOMAW 10-12

by Mercedes Keyes

  He stared at the name for almost five minutes before he made up his mind to give it a try. Then he remembered the response he got from Jake when he asked for Shawn's number there and thought he better prepare a lie. Taking a deep breath, he dialed it with a little prayer.

  Gert answered, "McPherson's."

  "Hello, my name is Victor Prescott, uh - if you can tell me please, do you have older sons, one of them named Shawn?"

  "Who wants to know?" She asked on guard.

  "Let me explain ma'am, my wife, if you do have a son named Shawn, is with him now. Her name is Crystal, she left for L.A. with him and the rest of the family, and I uh, lost the number she gave me to contact her if I needed to. We have two boys together. Her mother is Sylvia, married to Shawn, if that is, he's your son. I've been going nuts trying to figure out how to contact them. I tried the phone book, praying I remembered your name, or your husband's, saw Bartho-..."

  Laughing Gert softened her tone interrupting, "Say no more, you've reached the right place."

  "Oh thank goodness! It was a gamble in the first place, but I can't figure how I lost that L.A. number."

  "I do that all the time, misplacing things, hang on a minute, I'll get that for you."

  "Thank you ma'am!" He gushed to her, and punched the air with his fist with a silent, 'YES!' because he got that number.

  A moment later she returned to the phone, "Here you go."

  "Ready ma'am." He wrote out the number as she read it off to him. "You are a sweetheart and an angel, what is your name, if I may ask it?"

  "I'm Gert, my husband's Bartholomew."

  "Yes, yes ... of course, I've heard your name being discussed before but couldn't for the life of me remember it when I needed it."

  "Heard me being discussed huh? Hope it was all good!" She queried.

  "Why certainly! Okay, I thank you, must call her now! Goodbye!"

  Excited about having the number, Victor wasted no time dialing it, however, it rang until the answering machine picked it up. Sighing, he hung up without leaving a message, deciding that he would try to get some sleep and then call again when it was time to get up. In fact, he would get up a bit earlier to have time to talk. Going back to bed, he smiled, so eager to speak with her. He missed her, he couldn't stand this time apart any longer. As far as he was concerned, he could have Jeanine, Omiyah and any other woman all day and night in his bed, but none, did it for him like Crystal. He thought about everything that had taken place since their separation, and his willingness just last week to confess all to her, admitting his part in where things went wrong, he still might - maybe. Hmmm, but he couldn't help but wonder, what would it mean to confess all to her? Would that then give her an advantage over him? He wasn't so sure he wanted that. Maybe, he would just work on being good. Just, do the right things, and try to be the kind of husband that ... his mind stopped it's thought due to the visual image of his father coming up. His father who did nothing, said nothing; went to work everyday, brought home his pay to his mother and basically, let her rule the roost. It was the only example he had to draw from and not a very appealing one. His mind fast forwarded into a fantasy of his life back with Crystal again, with him being the way his father was, and her, as his mother is - ruling the roost. Many scenes set up and played in his mind as he began to drift off to sleep, and right before he slipped into slumber unconsciousness, he muttered a, "Fuck that."

  A few hours later after the alarm clock went off, waking him earlier than usual, he took his shower first, fixed himself something to eat, and then went to the phone. Taking a deep breath, he dialed the number once more. It rang and finally, it was answered, "McPherson's?" Shawn answered. Victor groaned, "Uh, hi, it's Victor."

  Shawn held the phone and couldn't believe who he heard on the other end, "How did you get this number?" He asked briskly.

  "I want to speak with my wife! With Crystal, please tell her I'm on the phone."

  "I fuckin' brought her here to get her away from you, why the fuck would I tell her you're on the phone? Haven't you fucked her over enough?"

  "You know what Shawn, you got nothing to do with us! It's not like you're her father or anything, she's not your daughter and our marriage and what happens in it is none of your business! Now tell her I'm-..." The phone was hung up on him. "Fuckin' hell! Fuck it, I can do this for the next half an hour." He muttered, re-dialling the number. But this time, the phone rang on and not even the answering machine came on. "Damn you! Who the fuck do you think you are!" Victor raged with little choice but to hang up and give in. "He thinks he's getting away with this shit, no way! Wait 'til they get back here, I'm fuckin' gonna tell him, asshole! She's my fuckin' wife!" Frustrated, he tried dialing Crystal's mobile phone but it was out of range and wouldn't connect. "This is pissing me off! He just moves in and takes over, I don't fuckin' think so." He steamed; because time wasn't on his side, he had to get ready for work. Arriving there, he started off in a bad mood; saying little to no one, only when it was necessary to speak, did he. The longer the night went on, the angrier he was at Shawn, even entertaining fantasies of getting into a fight with him. However, he knew that's as far as it would go, because he didn't want Sylvia angry at him. He wished that he could get a hold of her, she'd always been kind to him, listening to him, even though the last time they spoke it wasn't on good terms. Despite that one time, he thought that with her, at least she would give him a chance to speak with Crystal and not interfere with them.

  Lunch time rolled around again, he walked outside wondering if she would show up - Omiyah that is. Sure enough, she was waiting for him. He stood a moment in indecision with his hands in his pockets, staring at her as she sat in the car, gazing at him, waiting for his decision. She held up a hot take-a-way lunch for him, smiling, waving it like a carrot.

  "Fuck this, I'm no fuckers idiot." He marched to the car to eat, and whatever else might take place.

  Chapter 259

  Wisconsin... before dawn

  Shanna could hear the sound of her shower, lifting her head ever so slightly to check the time, it wasn't yet 05:00am, but Royce was up. He'd spent the night with her again, something that was quickly growing into a habit she noted. Sighing, yawning, she turned to her back trying to make up her mind would she be getting up to fix him breakfast? Sitting up, she decided that she would, tired or not. If he could be up this early after the night they had of lovemaking, then so could she. Looking around the room, to the floor, she searched for her gown, finding it, she grabbed for it, pulling it over her head to clothe her naked body.

  Standing, slipping her feet into her slippers, her mind automatically went into the night before. Jake had come over after working at his new house until late, his plan had been to shower there and head to bed, but noted that Royce was there, looking to be staying. Shanna tied the belt of her robe and walked from her room yawning again, into her kitchen. Her brothers had absolutely no tact whatsoever when it came to them looking out for her. She amended that thought, Derrick was the more considerate one, Shawn and Jake... no tact, no way! She didn't know who was worse in fact, because there were times that Jake would come on stronger because he couldn't be out done by how Shawn might handle any given matter, so he usually went that extra mile just in case it got back to Shawn, there would be no question of what he should have done. Jake had come in, noticed Royce there with no shoes on, just a t-shirt and gym pants on and had stood staring at him, rudely so - then asked right out.

  "You fuckin' moving in or something?!"

  Royce had looked up at him a bit stunned, but - he was starting to get the hang of things, he was starting to see, that if he was going to be with the McPherson baby sister, he was going to have to man up to deal with her older brothers.

  "And that has - what - to do with you? If my thinkin's right, Shanna's 30 something, divorced, on her own - you her father?"

  "If I make up my mind to be, damn skippy Barney Phife! You lookin' at her daddy, Jake - that's me!"

  "Jake! Do no s
tart! I'm a grown woman, and you're not my daddy! And as for him," She'd pointed towards Royce, "...his name is Royce Collier, not Barney Phife!"

  Jake had turned from Royce to Shanna, ignoring her correction on his name, to inform her, "If you think you're gonna be shacking up with him, you can think again, lil'sis!"

  "Jacob Patrick McPherson, now hear this, it is non of your business who I shack up with - or if I shack up at all!" Shanna blared, defending her right.

  "Let's make something clear right now, Jake; it's not me that won't marry your sister, but your sister who won't marry me! I've made my desires known, would do it in a heartbeat! It's her!"

  Once more Jake's eyes went from him to Shanna, "That true?"

  Shanna stood with her head held high, "Sounds about right."

  "That's bullshit! If he's good enough to screw the night through, then dammit, tie the fuckin' knot! If I can get married, you can sure as hell bet, no sister of mine is going to be shacking up like some-..."

  "Get out of my house! Get - out - of my house! You're not gonna be tellin' me what to do with my life! I have one father, his name is-..."

  "I know damn well what his name is, you just wait until I tell him how you're settin' yourself up! I'm not gonna have it!" Jake blasted back at her heading for the door, and turning to Royce before he departed, "You best get a ring paid for there buddy, get ready to put it on her finger, because this shit ain't gonna fly here, Barney, can tell you that right-..."

  Shanna had slammed the door in his face before he could finish.

  Bringing her mind back to the present, Royce came out of the bathroom to the smell of sausage cooking, walking into the kitchen, coming up behind her, he hugged her tightly, emphasized with an audible, "Emm umm," kissed her temple and left to take a chair by the table to put his socks and shoes on, having both in hand. "You didn't have to get up, 'could've picked up something to eat in town."

  "Don't mind." She murmured, having so much on her mind.

  Slipping on one sock and then the other, he asked, "Heard from Shawn yet?"

  "Emmm, no, not really. Don't expect to 'till they're due back." She was frying his eggs, "Over easy?" She asked, holding one up.

  Looking back at her, he nodded, "That's fine." He added, having given many things quite a few thoughts over the last week; he'd made up his mind, that he was with her, to stay. Which meant, because of her fierce loyalty to her family, her brother's, despite last nights fight with one of them - that it would require a certain degree of commitment to them from him. It hadn't been an easy decision on his part, but a necessary one. While he had chosen to serve in law enforcements for a small town, that didn't mean that he was disconnected from the reality of what went on in it, in larger cities. He was not so green as to be blind. That had been one of the reasons he chose to serve in a smaller town, he'd hoped it gave him more leverage for staying clear, and clean of the corruption that existed in far too many precincts and divisions. He hadn't wanted to be in among those that broke the law and used it to gain for themselves. And now, here he faced a scenario that forced him to make up his mind on certain matters. Royce knew; if he would be willing to gamble, that if he put his all into investigating the disappearance of one John Sykes, it would no doubt lead him to Shawn McPherson's door - if, he put money on that, he had a feeling he would win. He knew it, because from that night, so long ago where he rushed in with other officers responding to the hysterical call of Sylvia Payne - to see what he'd done to one, Ray Olivetti - whose face had been a bloody pulp by the time he'd turned him loose; Royce gained first hand mental data on the possible profile of Shawn Everett McPherson. Ray Olivetti could have died - in fact, had it not been for Sylvia's intervention, Royce knew, that he would have died, that Shawn would have killed him. Which told Royce, he was a man - if provoked, was capable of killing.

  Shanna was his little sister.

  Her abusive ex-husband had a restraining order on him from the state in which they lived and had been married.

  She'd run home to her family from him for protection.

  He'd followed.

  He was now - missing.

  It didn't take rocket science to figure out why.

  Royce cut into his eggs as Shanna poured him coffee.

  "What's on your mind?" She asked, sitting at the table next to him.

  He wasn't so quick to answer because he needed to say this right, but say it, he did, "I'm thinking, you need to perhaps check on them - kind'ah - let them know, let him know - what's going on here."

  Shanna stared a moment, thinking, "You're not talking about last night, are you?"

  "No, I'm not."

  "What are you talking about?"

  "Chief's been profiling your brother."

  "My brother?"

  "Shawn. He's profiling him. Building a background profile on him surrounding his past. Getting a psychological background on him. He's..." Royce sighed, "...he's checking into his history - asking people around town about him - looking into his school records, talking to his teachers about him, his coach. Fellow students - things like that."

  "Why?! Why is he digging about my brother?! He's got no right! He's got nothing on my brother!" She stood on the verge of hysteria.

  He'd pretty much predicted this would be her response, "Calm down Shanna..."

  "Don't you tell me to calm down! What reason has he got to be looking into his past!" She demanded, hot and riled.

  "John Sykes hasn't shown up yet - his family insists - that you've had something to do with his disappearance. They're claiming now, that your father attacked them."

  "My father? What?!"

  "At court, in Ohio - they claimed that Bart attacked him and broke his arm."

  Shanna stood, glaring down at Royce. "That whole family is a bunch of cowards and liars!"

  "Regardless, they insist that he came here, looking for you. That the very last word they got from him, was that he was in a hotel here, he spoke with his brother, Andrew. The chief has gone around, looking into it, it's confirmed that he had indeed checked into two hotels. Ran out on one, checked into another one - closer to you Shanna, right at the highway here, the Super 8. Records show, he checked out of that one 03:20 in the morning. Chief's got all of that so far."

  "That means he went back - because he didn't come here!"

  "So you say, but a man determined is not going to check into a hotel closer to the target of his search, only to turn around and leave without making contact. For him to move closer to you Shanna, indicates that he knew where you were, why would he find you, then up and leave? The chief's gathering all the information he can find on John Sykes and the times he was here, and he's gathering information on Shawn. Your father. Your family, and what I'm telling you is this - call them up, let them know what they'll be coming back here to."

  "Obviously you're in on it, trying to set my brother up?! My family?!" She asked, panicking.

  "Dammit, Shanna! No! I'm not setting anyone up! I'm on your side! I love you Shanna! And what I'm telling you, is to show that! If I didn't love you, think I'd be sharing what I know about the Chief's digging, with you?"

  "I'm not stupid, you're trying to set me up! You're trying to get me to do something dumb to catch me out! My brother has done nothing! My father has done nothing! I don't care what your chief finds out!"

  Royce stood facing her, "You're wrong about me! I'm on your side, I'm on his side, Shawn's. And whether you think you should or not, you're gonna have to trust me!"

  "The only men I trust are McPherson's! I should have never gotten involved with you!" She screamed at him.

  "Dammit Shanna, what do I have to do to get you to trust me? What?!"

  "You say you love me? Then you be loyal to my family! To me, to my brother's! Anything happens to my brother, I will never forgive you for that!" Tears of desperate anger welled up in her eyes.

  Grinding his teeth, facing her, he felt that he knew what he had to do, to deal with her, to bring her around to what he wanted, "Yo
u want that kind of loyalty out of me Shanna? You're gonna have to trust me then, you're gonna have to give me some of the things I want. You want me to go that far? You give something up to me..." He walked up to her, grabbed her by the arms, "... I want you Shanna, I want you the way a man wants a woman when she's worked herself deep into the deepest part of him. You want all from me, my loyalty, protection for your family, but - you're willing to give me nothing in return!"

  "What can I give you, I have nothing to give you." She cried, her hands pressed to his chest.

  Royce searched her face, her eyes, her lips, taking his time, holding on to her. "You know what I want Shanna, you know what I want."

  She stared up at him, incredulous, "Now? At a time like this? What could you possibly want?"

  "You! You want my loyalty? You give me in return! If you're my wife, then of course my first priority and loyalty, is to you."

  "Marrying you means, that I would have to trust you."

  "Exactly, I want that from you. Loyalty, should come both ways. You want me to stand by you, but you keep me on the outskirts - refusing to let me in."

  "I can't just - up and - marry you, just like that!"

  "I'll give you time - that's only fair. But I want you as my wife, none of this, dropping in for a few nights. It's not the kind of life, I want, what I want, I want with you. Which means, you're going to have to trust me one day."