Mountain Rough

by Kelli Callahan

  I guess breaking down the door isn’t out of the question anymore.

  I got back in my truck and drove it close to their house, but not close enough for Brandon to hear me. I grabbed my shotgun and made my way to the back of the house. I didn’t see anyone inside and I started to worry that Brandon had already left for the day. Thankfully, there were no neighbors for miles around, so I walked to the closed garage and confirmed his car was still inside. Breaking in was the only option. I went to the back door again and quickly hit the glass with the butt of my shotgun. The lock opened easily and I was standing in their kitchen a few seconds later. There was still no sound coming from the house, so I walked towards the staircase. When I got to the top, I could hear a light snore coming from one of the bedrooms.

  The son of a bitch is still sleeping—perfect.

  “It’s judgment day, you fucking prick.” I pulled the covers off and dragged Brandon out of his bed by his ankle.

  “What the hell? Susan? Red!?” His eyes opened wide when he saw me.

  “Yeah, it’s me.” I slammed the shotgun into the side of his head.

  I hit him harder than I intended and his eyes rolled back into his skull. He fell against the floor and was out cold. I wasn’t going to get any answers if he was knocked the fuck out. I pulled a chair over to the center of the room and hoisted him into it. I didn’t need to tie him up. I could keep him subdued with my fist or the butt of my shotgun. I sat down on the edge of the bed and watched a trickle of blood dripped down his face. It was nearly ten minutes before he started to stir. His body jerked and then his eyes opened. He looked around in a panic when his vision finally came into focus on me. He started to stand, but I hopped up and put a hand on his shoulder, keeping him in place.

  “You’re not going anywhere.” I towered over him and my eyes flashed with rage. “I think we need to finish the conversation we started yesterday.”

  “You’re a psychopath!” He struggled against my grasp, but I held him in place. “You’re going to do hard time for this! You can rot in jail for all I care, so do your worst.”

  “Do you really want that?” I raised my fist and prepared to strike.

  “Wait! No!” He shook his head back and forth.

  “Then you better start talking.” I released my grip and sat down on the edge of the bed with my shotgun leveled at him. “You used your power and influence to fuck over my father and I wanted to know why. You said it wasn’t about money…”

  “My family has plenty of money.” His head dropped and he looked at the floor. “More than we could ever spend.”

  ‘Yeah, apparently it bought you the highest office in Blue Ridge.” I narrowed my eyes at him. “You had everything you wanted, so why the fuck did you need to keep my father from fixing up the resort?”

  “Because of you, Red.” He lifted his head and snarled. “As long as that resort stood, you could always come back. There was always hope in my wife’s eyes when someone mentioned it—they might not have seen it, but I did.”

  “Did you think I would just ride into town and try to reclaim everything I left behind? I was done with Blue Ridge. I cared about Susan when we were teenagers, but she was in the past. I might be an asshole, but I would never take her away from her family.” I shook my head and sighed. “You had nothing to fear from me.”

  “That’s an easy thing to say, isn’t it?” He chuckled and his lip twisted into a smile. “So easy to pretend like she wasn’t your soulmate.”

  “She wasn’t.” I shrugged. “Yeah, I loved her once, but if I thought we were going to be together forever, I wouldn’t have left. I won’t deny that those old feelings came back when I saw her, but the instant I found out she had moved on, I knew it was a memory I couldn’t revisit—even when I found out she married you.”

  “Yeah, right.” Brandon continued to laugh. “Just like when we were in high school.”

  “That’s the difference between us. I did move on. Apparently you couldn’t do the same. I’m tired of talking about the past. I wanted to know what the fuck you did to my father.” I glared at him and pumped my shotgun.

  “I didn’t do anything!” Brandon’s eyes reflected panic and he started to sweat. “I swear, Red. I’m not a saint, I’ll admit that. I became mayor and I incorporated Blue Ridge Mountain. I quashed every permit he tried to get, but I didn’t kill him, if that is what you’re insinuating.”

  “So your plan was to choke him out, just like you did with the Thatchers? You just wanted the resort to fail?” My anger started to rise again.

  “Yes—fuck!” Brandon snarled, but he was still scared. “I wanted the resort gone. I wanted to make sure you never came back to Blue Ridge. I had no idea your old man was going to die. I certainly didn’t do anything to make it happen quicker than God intended.”

  “Didn’t you, though?” I tilted my head slowly as I spoke. “He lived for that resort. It was what he devoted his life to. Even if you didn’t put him in the ground, you took away the one thing he loved because of some bullshit feud you carried from high school.”

  “I don’t think he’s telling you everything.” Mandy’s voice suddenly broke the tension and I looked up to see her standing in the doorway with a picture frame clutched against her chest.

  “Who the fuck are you?” Brandon turned his head towards her voice.

  “How did you find me?” I stood up, feeling startled by her presence.

  “You’re predictable.” Mandy walked up to Brandon. “But you—you’re fucking despicable.”

  “We were just discussing that.” I stared at her and sighed. “You need to go. I don’t want you mixed up in this.”

  “I’m already a part of it. I’ve been a part of it since I came to Blue Ridge. When I walked through the back door, I was as clueless as you.” Mandy walked up to me. “But I guess I wasn’t coming in here with blind rage.”

  “No…” Brandon’s eyes filled with tears.

  “Do you want to know why Brandon was so desperate to keep you away from Blue Ridge? I think this photograph will answer every question you have.” She turned it towards me.

  It was a family photograph and judging by the clothes and the baskets on the ground, it appeared to be taken around Easter. Susan was arm in arm with Brandon and they were holding Sally, who was only slightly younger than she was when I saw her in the supermarket. Looking at the three of them together raised no doubt that she was Brandon’s daughter. She had his face, but her mother’s eyes, and while Brandon might have been a sniveling brat, his daughter was a beautiful child. It wasn’t the three of them that drew my attention, though. Standing behind them, looking too cool for the photograph and life in general, was their teenage son. It was like looking into a mirror that reflected the past. He looked just like me when I was fifteen. I took the picture from her and clutched it in my hand, feeling my heart drop straight into my stomach.

  “Oh my god…” I looked at Brandon, who sank into the back of the chair.

  “He’s your son.” Mandy nodded, confirming with words what I already knew. “He looks just like you—minus the beard.”

  “Susan was pregnant.” My mouth fell open. “She was pregnant when I left.”

  “Yes!” Brandon sat up suddenly. “She was fucking pregnant! You deserted her here in Blue Ridge while you went out to find yourself in the world.”

  “I didn’t know…” I put the photograph on the bed. “I would have never left had I known I had a son.”

  “Now you get it.” Brandon nodded and sighed. “That boy might have your blood, but he’s my son. I raised him. I married Susan so she wouldn’t be ridiculed by everyone in town for being an unwed mother. I was the one who took care of him when he was sick, held him when he got his heart broken for the first time, and cheered him on when he looked like you tearing down the football field.”

  “That’s why you were so scared of me.” I shook my head back and forth. “You married Susan, but there was always a part of me here. All it would have taken wa
s one look for me to know he wasn’t your kid.”

  “Your father must have known, too.” Mandy reached out and took my hand. “This has to be the family matter he wanted to talk about with the attorney.”

  “My father never mentioned this to me.” I felt my stomach churning with bile. “I wonder how long he knew….”

  I was too overwhelmed with emotions to continue trying to get answers out of Brandon. I put the photograph on the bed, took Mandy’s hand, and started walking down the stairs. It finally made sense. Brandon was trying to get rid of the resort because he knew it was the only thing that would ever bring me back to Blue Ridge. He didn’t expect my father to pass away. It was an unfortunate side effect of his meddling. Without the resort, my father lost his will to live. Finding out he had a grandson had to be quite a shock. He clearly wanted to talk to the attorney about it, but he never had the chance to do so.

  Chapter 15: Mandy

  Red didn’t try to resist when Sheriff Thompson showed up at the resort. He put his hands behind his back, allowed the handcuffs to be placed on his wrists, and then he was gone. When the week ended, I called Hannah and let her know I wasn’t coming to the beach. She was upset, but after she deserted me, I didn’t feel guilty. There were a number of charges against Red, and I wasn’t going to leave Blue Ridge until I saw it through to the end. I met with his lawyer several times, and she didn’t believe they had a good defense. Dozens of witnesses had seen what he did at Town Hall, and convincing a jury of his peers that he attacked Mayor Remington in his home didn’t seem like it would be tough to prove.

  “What can I do?” I sat across the table from Abigail as she looked through the documents from his case.

  “Pray?” She put a grainy photograph of Red at Town Hall in front of me. “This isn’t the best picture, but it will be hard to argue that isn’t him punching Mayor Remington in the face.”

  “What about the incorporation? What about all the awful things that Brandon did leading up to this?” I leaned against the table and sighed. “That has to mean something.”

  “It does, but you’re talking about a civil matter and a criminal matter. If they’re able to convict him on the criminal charges, the civil case will never see the light of day.” Abigail tapped the folder next to her. “It’s a shame too, because there’s a good chance we could turn the civil case into a criminal one against Mayor Remington if we had time.”

  “So Brandon gets away with everything and Red goes to prison?” I felt my blood boiling as I said the words out loud.

  “Even if he takes a plea bargain, he’ll serve time.” Abigail sighed. “What about his son? Maybe if we could prove that Mayor Remington drew Red into this, we could argue entrapment.”

  “No.” I shook my head back and forth. “Red doesn’t want Jacob involved in this. He’d rather go to prison than destroy his son’s life. Brandon is the only father he’s known. It wouldn’t be fair to tell him the truth now.”

  “Then we’re back to prayer.” Susan took the photograph and put it in her folder. “It’s the only thing we have.”

  Things didn’t look good for Red. The evidence against him built a strong case. I had tried to convince him to tell the truth, but he just wouldn’t have it. I could tell he was dealing with a lot of guilt knowing that he left Susan when she was pregnant. He was happy his son had a good life, even if he was raised by Brandon. I understood his motives, but I didn’t like it. He didn’t deserve to rot in prison because of what happened. He thought Brandon had something to do with his father’s death. He had no idea that the true reason for what he had done was because Brandon was trying to protect his family.

  “I HATE SEEING YOU LIKE this.” I reached across the table and took Red’s hand for a moment before the guard gave us a dirty look. “It isn’t fair.”

  “Life isn’t fair.” He pulled his hand away before the guard could interject. “I left Susan when she needed me most. I may not have known she was pregnant, but it doesn’t make what I did right. I drove her into Brandon’s arms, and he married her.”

  “You shouldn’t have to go to prison because of it. You would have done the right thing if you knew she was pregnant.” I put my hands on the table and resisted the urge to reach out again.

  “Well, it doesn’t matter now.” Red shrugged and held up his shackled hands. “My temper got the best of me and I’m going to prison to pay for what I did.”

  “I refuse to give up.” I shook my head back and forth. “I need you to promise me something.”

  “Yeah? What’s that?” He exhaled sharply and I saw a look of absolute defeat on his face.

  “Don’t give up—please.” I ignored the guard and grabbed his hands again. “I’m begging you.”

  “I do like it when you beg.” He smirked and squeezed my hands. “I just wish it was that easy. I wish we were back at the resort.”

  “We will be.” I felt tears welling up in my eyes. “That’s a promise, Red. Don’t you give up on this. I’m not Susan. You don’t get to just run away and leave me.”

  TWO MONTHS WENT BY without any progress on Red’s case. Brandon had managed to convince the judge not to grant bail because they considered him a flight risk. I stayed at the resort, practically living like a savage without the comforts of home. Every morning, I drove into town and waited until I could see Red. Some days they didn’t even let him have visitors, but I still went. The guards at the jail seemed sympathetic, and most of them knew me by sight when I appeared. When I wasn’t at the jail, I was working a part time job in the touristy area of town, waiting tables at a local establishment, mostly for tips. It wasn’t perfect, but it was something to kill time when I couldn’t see Red.

  “Someone said you were still here. I had to come see for myself.” I heard a voice behind me and I turned to see Susan, the woman Red was once in love with.

  “I am.” I nodded and sighed. “I’m not sure we are allowed to talk. Red’s lawyer said any communication between us and the victim and his family would hurt his case.”

  “Can you take a break? I’d like to talk.” She looked down at the floor for a minute. “I won’t take much of your time.”

  I wasn’t sure what to make of Susan, but I agreed to talk with her. I hoped I wasn’t jeopardizing Red’s case, or setting myself up for a cell next to him. I was distrustful of her, to say the least. The fact she hid her pregnancy, never told Red’s father in an attempt to find him, and instead married someone she didn’t love—at least at the time—didn’t sit right with me. I had never been in that situation before, but I couldn’t imagine myself just giving up, even if Red wanted to leave. I would have fought to keep my family together, give him the option of raising his son, and if he still wanted to run, then I would have done everything in my power to raise the child on my own.

  “I’ve been talking to Brandon about the case. He’s finally moved past anger.” She pulled out a pack of cigarettes and lit one up.

  “Oh, he’s the one that is angry?” I glared at her. “He fucked over Red’s father. He participated in—possibly even perpetuated—a lie that went on for nearly sixteen years. Why? So he could have the woman of his dreams?”

  “You don’t understand.” Susan exhaled a stream of smoke and her hand trembled slightly. “Blue Ridge isn’t a progressive town. If I would have started showing without a wedding ring on my finger, I would have been an outcast. My family would have disowned me, the church would have exiled me. It would have ruined my life—and my son’s chance of having any sort of future.”

  “Did you ever think about talking to Red’s father? Didn’t you think that maybe he would be in contact with his son at some point and could let him know the situation?” I continued to glare, feeling my anger building.

  “God, you’re so naive.” She took another drag off of her cigarette. “Red’s father wasn’t a saint. He was a cruel bastard. He treated Red’s mom like shit. After she was gone, all of that fell on Red. I wasn’t the only one Red was running from when he left B
lue Ridge.”

  “Maybe that’s true.” I shrugged and shook my head. “But there had to be another way.”

  “What would you have done? Would you have locked him down in a marriage he didn’t want? Forced him to live in Blue Ridge where the only good memories he had were the ones he shared with me—if they even meant that much to start with. Brandon loved me. He loved me from the moment he saw me. He stepped up and agreed to marry me after Red was gone, because he didn’t want me to suffer after I got unceremoniously dumped by the man I loved.” She leaned against the wall and sighed. “Everything was perfect until we found out Red was back in town. It started to stir those old memories. It brought the skeletons in my closet out to dance in the streets.”

  “Yet here we are.” I folded my arms across my chest. “Red is in jail. His son still doesn’t know who his real father is. This time Red won’t be running from Blue Ridge. He’ll be leaving in handcuffs on his way to a state prison. Is that really the last memory you want?”

  “No.” Susan took another drag and shook her head. “I don’t want that. That’s why I came to talk to you. Brandon’s moved past anger, like I said. I’ve been working on him, trying to convince him that this trial is not going to help anyone. Once Red takes the stand, who knows what he will say. If he reveals that Jacob is his son, then our world will crash harder than his.”

  “I’d like to say you don’t deserve it, but I’m not sure I’d be able to say it with a straight face.” I narrowed my eyes at her. “Why are you here? What are you proposing?”

  “I’m proposing time…” She dropped her cigarette and stepped on it. “Just a few years.”

  “You want Red to go to jail for a few years?” My face twisted to a scowl.

  “No, I just want him to leave. While he may want a relationship with Jacob, it wouldn’t be fair to our son. If the truth comes out, Jacob will suffer. His friends will look at him differently. He’ll lose his grandparents. I’m pretty sure they suspect something, but they’re happy living in ignorance, especially now that they have Sally who is one-hundred-percent their granddaughter.” She sighed and leaned forward. “Brandon will make this go away. The charges will disappear, the judge will get a nice contribution to his reelection campaign, and Red can go back to the life he had before he returned to Blue Ridge.”