Making New Memories

by Karen Ward

  Laughing Dylan says, "That's the Paparazzi Sweetie. They follow Barry everywhere. It comes with being famous. They won't bother you while you're here."

  Jeff says, "Wow, I don't think I would like people following me everywhere. What do they want from him? Money?"

  Dylan answers, "Pictures mostly. They can sell a picture of him for a lot of money, especially if there is an interesting story behind it."

  As they pull to a stop in front of the house, Evelyn's mouth falls open. "Oh my, is this where we're staying? It's huge!"

  Jeff squeals, "Uncle Dylan, can we ride the horses?"

  Dylan answers, "I'll take you riding this afternoon as long as the weather doesn't turn bad. Are you guys ready for the tour?"

  As soon as the car stops, Eric and Damian come running out of the house. "They're here! They're here!"

  Grinning, Dylan gets out and introduces everyone. Then he grabs the suitcases and they head into the house. As soon as Evelyn steps in the house I greet her. I met her in Texas at Dylan's trial. Taking her hand, I introduce her to Melanie, Barry's wife, Virginia, Barry's mother, and Patricia, Melanie's mother, while the boys take Janie and Jeff up to Eric's room to play. Looking around Evelyn says, "This place is magnificent. I've never seen anything like it!"

  Melanie laughs, "I know just how you feel. The first time I was here I had just escaped from a very primitive camp in Idaho where we didn't even have running water and we cooked on wood stoves!"

  Evelyn asks, "How did you end up here?"

  Laughing again Melanie, holding her infant son, says, "It's a really long story that I'll tell you when we have more time. We all have our own stories but let's suffice it to say none of us were use to this opulence when we first came here. It grows on you pretty quickly. We are all just regular people not any different than you."

  Seeing the baby Evelyn's heart melts, "Oh, what a precious baby! How old is he?"

  Beaming Barry says, "Jonathan is not even a month old. He was born just before Dylan's trial."

  "I love babies. I would love to have a whole houseful more," says Evelyn wistfully.

  Wisely Barry says, "Who knows what the future will bring? I never expected to have a son of my own and look where I am now."

  ******

  The week passes really quickly. Evelyn really likes everyone she meets and is sad when the time to leave arrives. Goose has been around but hasn't made any effort to spend time with her and to be honest she is disappointed about that too. Oh well, what did she expect? She wasn't exactly nice to him back in Texas. What's the old saying, once burned, twice shy? She is going to keep her promise to Dylan though and look into the job opportunities in Cody. She has enough money saved to maybe start the little boutique she has always wanted.

  As they are headed back to the airport, Dylan makes a side trip to a nice neighborhood on the outskirts of Cody. Pulling up in front of a cute ranch style home, he says, "Come on. I want to show you this."

  When she walks in the front door, Evelyn is amazed at how nice the inside of the home is. It would be the perfect place for her to settle down. It has three nice size bedrooms all with walk in closets, a beautiful kitchen, and the master bedroom is huge.

  Dylan says, "Evelyn, this house is priced way below market and if you like it, I will buy it and you can make payments to me. The junior high is down at the end of the street and a ton of kids live in this neighborhood. What do you think?"

  Tears in her eyes she says, "Oh Dylan, I love the house but what about a job?"

  "You can open that boutique you were telling me about. I saw a vacant building on Main Street that is an ideal location. If you need more cash, I'll loan it to you and you can make payments to me. Please, I want you and the kids to be close. You can do this and still maintain your independence."

  Janie and Jeff have been very quiet during the conversation between their Mom and Uncle Dylan but now they both look at their Mom and say "Please Mom. We love it here."

  "Oh all right. We'll fly back, pack our things and drive the car back. We should be back in about two weeks."

  The kids are ecstatic running around and jumping up and down in the family room of their soon to be new home.

  Dylan is grinning with satisfaction as he loads everyone back in the car and drops them at the airport. At the entrance to security he gives his sister a warm hug and says,

  "I love you Sis. I'll see you in a couple of weeks. Let me know if I can help you in any way"

  ******

  Ever since returning to Wyoming from his trial in Texas, Dylan has been spending every spare minute researching Benjamin Reynolds. He has read every newspaper article, every file he has found on the internet, and even had Pinky dig for unpublished files hidden on the internet. After all the research he is more convinced than ever that Benjamin Reynolds was murdered. He just has to figure out why and by whom.

  Dylan and Skye are going to LA on Monday to officially file charges against Richard Thomas for the rape that took place after the rock concert. While they are in the city, Dylan wants to do some research into Benjamin Reynolds' death but first he has to tell Skye about the research he has already done. He is not looking forward to the conversation because he's not sure how she will feel about his looking into it without telling her. The trip to LA is going to be trying enough for Skye because it will be her first trip back to LA since she left nearly four years ago and the Paparazzi are sure to be a nuisance.

  It has been three weeks since Dylan has spent time alone with Skye and he would like nothing better than to recreate their last encounter. However, the conversation about her father has to be his first priority. He calls her before dinner, "Skye, I need to talk to you. Will you go for a walk with me after dinner?"

  "Of course Dylan, but you could just come to my room," I offer hopefully.

  "Believe me, I would like that a lot, but I'm afraid it would be too much of a distraction. I really need for us to talk first then maybe we'll go back to your room."

  Worried, I say, "You sound serious, should I be worried?"

  "No, I just need to tell you something before our trip on Monday."

  "All right, I'll be waiting."

  ******

  After Dylan puts Damian to bed he puts on his parka and gloves and heads to the house to pick up Skye. She opens the door when he knocks ready for their walk. Taking her hand in his they head off toward the river. Nervously he says, "Skye, I've been doing some research since I got back from Texas and I believe that your father was murdered."

  Shocked at his words, I ask, "Why do you think that? The police seemed quite convinced that he committed suicide. Don't you think that they looked at it from every angle?"

  Picking his words carefully he says, "Actually, no I don't. I think they took the butler's statement and never looked at the facts. I think if they had, they would have come to the same conclusion that I have."

  "All right, why did you want to talk about this tonight?"

  "Well, I am hoping we can do a little nosing around while we are in LA. One of the questions I have is what happened to all of your father's things after he died?"

  "Well, I packed everything in the house and put it in storage. It should still be in the storage unit. When I left for Montana the only thing left in the house was some of the furniture."

  He says, "I would like to go to the storage unit while we're in LA. Maybe even ship the stuff here so we can go through it."

  "There is a lot of it. Is there somewhere here to put it?"

  "We can probably make room in the barn. I really would like to have time to thoroughly examine all of your father's papers. Maybe he left some clues about what he was working on. Also, I would like to check out the butler. Maybe we can find information in the papers about who he is. After your father died, did the butler continue working?"

  "No, he left almost the next day. I wasn't comfortable having him in the house."

  Smiling Dylan says, "Good, are you ready to go back to the house now?"

/>   Returning his smile I ask, "Are we going to talk some more?"

  Grinning now he says, "I don't know about talking but I'm not ready to leave you yet."

  When we walk in the house and we head straight to my room, closing and locking the door. He helps me out of my parka and sheds his own before pulling me into his arms. "I've missed you Skye." He lowers his head and tenderly nibbles at my lips.

  Frustrated I demand, "Kiss me Dylan!"

  Smiling he says, "I like nibbling on your lips. You are so sweet."

  I pull on his head and open my mouth delving into the warmth of his mouth kissing him hungrily. Moaning he pulls me down on the bed and hungrily returns my kiss, his hands impatiently caressing my back. Grabbing the edges of my sweater he pulls it over my head. His eyes feast on my breasts before he pulls his own sweater over his head and lies back down on the bed next to me.

  Frowning I run my hands over the scar on his shoulder where the mountain lion clawed him. Lifting my head I gently trace the scars with my lips my hair trailing across his chest. Moaning he pulls me on top of his body. He moves his hands up my sides grasping my breasts brushing his thumbs across my nipples still encased in my lacy bra. He watches her eyes and sees her pupils dilate with his touch and the nipples pucker begging for his lips.

  I push up on my arms to allow him to unhook the front closure of my bra and pull my breasts toward his waiting mouth. Staring deeply into each other's eyes, he raises my breast to his mouth and gently suckles while rolling the other nipple between his thumb and finger, plucking it gently.

  "Oh Dylan!" I moan as he flips me to my back and covers me with his body. Lowering his head he hungrily kisses me while he continues to gently pluck my nipples. Moving down my body he takes one nipple, then the other into his mouth suckling hungrily. He moves his hands down my body to unfasten my jeans and pushes them down my legs. He slowly moves down my midriff to my stomach kissing me, licking, and dipping his tongue into my navel.

  He stands beside the bed and removes my boots and socks and then he pushes my jeans and panties to the floor. He takes my foot into his hands gently massaging the arch, and then sucks on each one of my toes watching each expression that crosses my face. He gently grazes his teeth across the pad of each toe relishing each gasp and moan passing my lips.

  Then he begins kissing his way up my legs paying attention to the back of my knees, licking my inner thighs and then burying his face in the curls of my sex. Breathing in my essence he parts the folds of my sex with his fingers and worships me as no other ever has. Using his fingers he penetrates my warmth then he lowers his head and repeats the action with his tongue. Clawing at the sheets I start to buck so he anchors me to him with his arms and sucks gently at one special spot. When I crash over the threshold into ecstasy he inserts his fingers back into my warmth to feel me ride the waves of ecstasy while he watches my expressions as I climax.

  When I finally drift back to earth, Dylan is smiling warmly down at me sucking on his fingers. He lowers his head and gently kisses my lips letting me taste myself. Softly he says, "I love you Skye."

  With tears in my eyes, I smile up at him, "Oh Dylan, I love you too." He pulls the covers around me and pulls me close to his side holding me until I fall asleep. Then he quietly puts on his sweater and parka and heads back to the barn and another cold shower.

  CHAPTER 10

  On Monday morning Dylan and I take Barry's private jet to LA where we rent a car and head to the police station closest to the area where I was kidnapped and raped ten years before. I approach the man at the desk and tell him I need to file a complaint. He calls a detective and directs us back to a private office where we meet Detective Long. I relate my story in a quiet, calm voice. Patiently listening until I relate the entire story the detective asks, "Ms. Reynolds, why did you wait ten years to file this complaint?"

  Flustered by the question, I look at Dylan. He says, "Detective Long, Ms. Reynolds was emotionally devastated by the attack and has only recently been able to even talk about it. Add to that the fact she recently identified Richard Thomas as the primary perpetrator of the crime this is the first opportunity she has had to make the complaint."

  "How did you receive treatment for your injuries without this being reported? Hospitals are required to report suspected sexual assaults," the detective asks.

  Dylan speaks again, "Ms. Reynolds is the daughter of Benjamin Reynolds. I'm sure you realize what kind of publicity a story like this would have generated at the time. Mr. Reynolds didn't want the publicity so he had her treated at her home by trusted medical personnel. I am not disagreeing that it may have been a mistake not to report it at the time, but that does not change the fact that it did happen. We should probably tell you that Ms. Reynolds confronted Mr. Thomas with her accusations and he did not deny them. He is currently in custody awaiting trial for embezzlement and murder in Amarillo Texas."

  The detective asks, "He sounds like a really upstanding citizen, but I ask you again, if he is already in custody on more serious charges, why file the complaint now?"

  I answer, "I am filing the complaint because he was one of six men that raped me. I haven't been able to identify the others but I am certain he is the one that drugged me. I want you to question him about the other five. I don't want them walking around free any longer perhaps attacking other women."

  Detective Long says, "All right Ms. Reynolds, I'll send someone to question him but don't hold out too much hope that he is going to give up the names. Most crimes like this are never solved. I would like to say on another note, I am really sorry about your father. He was a brilliant director. I always wondered why he would have killed himself."

  Dylan offers, "We are not exactly sure he did. We are looking into it ourselves. Is there any chance you could let us see the police report that was completed at the time?"

  Detective Long says, "I guess I could pull the report and let you look at it. If you want to wait it will take a few minutes to access the archive. Computers are wonderful tools, don't you think?"

  A few minutes later the detective brings a lap top into the room and sets it on the table. "Here you go. Just close the lid on the laptop when you are finished. It will automatically close the file."

  Dylan quickly jots down the URL and pages through the file scanning for pertinent facts. It appears the investigating officers did a fairly thorough investigation initially but then once the coroner declared he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound the investigation was closed and no leads were pursued.

  Dylan takes notes about all of the promising leads that were not pursued and then he and I close the laptop and leave the office.

  We head next to the storage facility where I stored all of the contents of the house. When we open the door to the storage locker we are shocked to see the mess. It looks like someone has rummaged through every single box.

  "Damn! It looks like someone beat us to it," says Dylan.

  I am confused, "Who would want to do this?"

  Dylan says, "My guess is someone who thinks your father left clues behind."

  Dylan places a call to Detective Long to report the break in. After sending him a picture via text the detective sends out a team to investigate. After the police take a series of pictures they sweep the contents for fingerprints.

  Detective Long says, "Well, Mr. Drake, it appears you may be on to something with your suspicions concerning Mr. Reynolds' death. We rarely have complaints about robberies at storage units. I'll get in touch with you if we turn up anything about this crime. Ms. Reynolds once you have an opportunity to go through this, if you determine anything identifiable as missing please contact us. I'll have to have some concrete proof before I can reopen the investigation into the death itself but this certainly does point that direction."

  Looking at me, Dylan says, "Let's find someone that will box this mess up and ship it to the ranch. I don't' see any point in going through it here. I'm sure any of the easy to find stuff is already gone. Any clues
that are left will be buried."

  As Dylan locks the door back, he examines the lock and sees the tell tale signs that someone had picked the lock. He hopes some clue is left because he is sure now Benjamin Reynolds was murdered.

  ******

  Since it is nearly three o'clock, Dylan and I head to a restaurant in the area for lunch. I have been amazed that so far, the Paparazzi has left us alone. Unfortunately, that is short lived. As soon as we step out of the car in the restaurant parking lot I am recognized and the flashes start. Dylan quickly takes my arm and leads me through the throng into the building. I think I handle the intrusion well grateful to have Dylan's arm to cling to.

  Once we are seated Dylan asks, "Are you all right? You aren't having a panic attack or anything, are you?"

  Smiling shakily I reply, "I'm all right. I'm glad you're here though. I still don't think I could handle them alone. I really don't understand why they are still interested in me. I haven't been in LA in over three years."

  Smiling Dylan says, "It must be your extraordinary beauty and your unbelievable sex appeal."

  Blushing, I retort, "Flattery will get you nowhere Mr. Drake."

  Laughing Dylan says, "Do I hear a challenge in that statement somewhere?" Dylan's cell phone rings.

  "Drake" he says.

  "Scoot, Stump here. I'm sorry to bother you man but I wanted to let you know that Pinky and I are headed to DC. We have been summoned to the Pentagon. Evidently something big is brewing. Oh, and Goose went to Texas. Evelyn wanted somebody to drive the U-Haul for her. He should be back by the weekend."

  "All right, Skye and I will head back as soon as we finish lunch. Who is going to watch Damian until I can get back to the ranch?"

  "He's going to stay over at the house with Eric. Talk to you soon," answers Stump.

  As he disconnects the call Dylan says, "Well, I was hoping to stay overnight but we need to head back. I guess my response to your challenge will have to wait."

  ******

  A few days after returning to the ranch Dylan receives a call from Detective Long. "Drake"