South River Incident

by Ann Mullen

  Once inside Cole’s house, I settled into the recliner by the fireplace as they talked. Memories of each room and the intense lovemaking we had shared came flooding back. Suddenly, I felt empty inside. A deep sadness came over me. I knew things would never be the same. Once again I had let myself love a man more than he loved me. The pain was almost unbearable. I could feel the tears build up inside of me, but I made myself stifle them. I would not let Cole see me cry. I would not pour out my heart to a man who no longer wanted my love. Maybe he didn’t say that in so many words, but that’s how it felt.

  Cole offered Billy a beer. I waved him off when he offered me one.

  “No thanks,” I said. “All we’ve had this morning is coffee. I don’t think we need to be drinking until we get some food in our stomachs.” I looked over at Billy.

  “No problem,” Cole said. “Why don’t I fix us all a sandwich?”

  “Sounds good to me,” Billy responded.

  A few minutes later, Cole brought sandwiches and beer on a tray, and placed them on the coffee table. Billy started to dig in as I continued to sit rigid in my chair, hoping for some sign from Cole that all was well. But all was not well. Finally, I grabbed a sandwich and started eating, pretending that everything was okay. I refused to let Cole see that my heart was broken.

  I felt like I was on the outside looking in. Cole and Billy discussed as much about the severed hand and the dead body as each one would allow of themselves. When they reached the subject of my watch and how it turned up with the dead woman, sparks began to fly.

  “All we want to know is whether or not the watch was found near or on the body. Is that so hard to answer?”

  “I can’t tell you that,” Cole said. “I don’t know.”

  Billy went off. He jumped up from his chair. “You’re lying! You know everything the sheriff knows so stop lying to us! What kind of friend are you? Cole, you and I’ve been friends for a long time. We grew up together. But this is the end. You have a woman here who loves you and would probably give up everything for you, but instead of being there for her, you turn your back on her. And now you’ve turned your back on me. All of this for a job! I’m ashamed of you. You’re a coward! And you are no friend of mine anymore!”

  “Come on, Billy,” Cole said. “I swear that I don’t know anything about that watch. I can promise you this, whatever I find out, you will be the first to know. I am your friend. Please don’t let this get in the way.”

  Billy looked at me with anger so intense, I almost broke out in a sweat.

  Did I miss something? Cole had not lived up to my expectations, but I would get over it. Billy, on the other hand, was livid. I had never seen him this mad. He was on the edge.

  “What just happened back there?” I asked as Billy and I walked through the snow to get to his truck. He had me by the arm in a death grip ever since he had pulled me out of Cole’s house. I was almost afraid to speak.

  “He’s a worm, Jesse. Don’t you see that? He’s supposed to be in love with you but the minute things get rough, he bails out. He doesn’t deserve you. Not only that, but he doesn’t deserve my friendship. I’d write off this one if I were you. I know I am.”

  I hated to admit it, but I could see where Billy was coming from. He did have a point. I know that Cole was caught in the middle, but isn’t that the test of true love? When things get bad, don’t you always choose the one you love over adversity? Isn’t friendship important, too? I could see that Cole’s actions hurt Billy. They had been friends ever since they were kids. They trusted each other. Now that friendship had been put to the test, and unfortunately, I think Cole had failed. Did Billy just say that Cole didn’t deserve me? I must be hearing things.

  We left Cole standing in the doorway of his house. I didn’t know what was going on in his mind, but I hoped my heart would recover from his lack of devotion. I wanted to cry, but my pride wouldn’t let me.

  Billy slammed the truck in reverse and took off flying down the road.

  “Sometimes I just want to beat him to a pulp. After all these years he still hasn’t learned a thing. He never knows when it’s time to give up or time to keep on plugging away.”

  “What are you talking about?” I asked. “Would you please slow down? You’re going to kill us.”

  Billy let off the gas and began to slow down.

  “I’m sorry, Jesse, but Cole can be so stupid sometimes. He just sends me off the deep end. He doesn’t seem to take loyalty very serious.”

  “You should be in my shoes. Half the time I don’t know whether he loves me or just uses me for sex. Maybe he keeps me around for when he gets lonely. I can tell you one thing for sure—his job is his life. He uses that as an excuse to keep me at arm’s length. I’m lucky to be with him once or twice a week. I mean, how many times have you had a relationship with a woman that you didn’t at least talk to her on the phone once during the day, or go see her more than once a week? I feel like a doll on a shelf. He takes me down ever so often and plays with me when he’s in the mood, then he puts me back when he gets tired of me. I’m tired of it! I want a real man in my life!”

  “You go girl!” Billy laughed and slapped his leg. “I’m glad you’ve finally seen the light.”

  He drove back to my house at a much slower pace, which made me feel a whole lot better considering I hate riding with someone who drives fast. Actually, I’ve come to realize that I hate riding with anybody. If I’m not driving, I feel like I’m going to have a panic attack. I have to be in control. Perhaps I should pay a visit to a therapist and discuss this with him.

  “I think we have trouble,” Billy said, stopping the truck.

  Through the trees and around the curve I saw two Greene County police cruisers parked in Mom’s driveway. Billy put the truck in reverse and slowly backed up until he reached a spot in the road in which to turn around. He reached under his coat and pulled out his cell phone, punched a couple of buttons and put the phone up to his ear.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Be quiet, I’m calling your mom.”

  “What’s taking so long?”

  Billy silenced me with a wave of his hand.

  “This is Billy so don’t say a word. If the police are looking for Jesse, just say ‘I’m not interested, but thanks anyway.’ Then hang up the phone.” He waited a few seconds before he broke the connection.

  “They’re looking for me, aren’t they? What for? I didn’t do anything! Billy, what’s happening here? I know how the cops are...” I was quickly becoming hysterical. “The cops have my watch that they found on or near the dead woman—which had absolutely nothing to do with me except that it was mine. Yet, that one little piece of evidence could send me to the gas chamber... or the electric chair... or...”

  “Get a grip!” Billy yelled at me. “You’re losing it!” He grabbed me by the shoulders. “Chill out. Everything will be all right. I’m sure of it.”

  I tried to calm down, but I kept seeing visions of the time Billy and I were hauled downtown for questioning concerning one of our cases. A woman told the police that she killed her husband because Billy Blackhawk the private investigator she hired told her to do it. She said Billy said her husband deserved to be shot so she shot him. Later, she recanted, but not before Billy and I were put through the wringer. I was freaked out over that incident. You can go to jail for telling someone to kill another person. They call it conspiracy to commit. Memories like those tend to stay with a person.

  “I was just thinking about Rebecca Miller. Do you remember her?”

  “Of course I do. She was that crazy woman who almost got my butt thrown in jail. She was a nut case. What about her?”

  “I keep thinking that one day you’re not going to be so lucky. If she hadn’t recanted her story, you could very well be in jail right now. You weren’t guilty, but that didn’t mean a thing. If they would have pursued the matter, you’d still be trying to prove your innocence. In this case, that could happen to me. I didn’t do a thing
, but they don’t care. They have one little piece of evidence, and now they’re going to use it against me. I’m going to jail over this one. You can bet on it.”

  “No, you’re not, Jesse. You’re just freaking out. Everything will work out in the end... just wait and see.”

  “I’m glad that you’re so confident. However, it’s not your butt this time that’s in a sling.”

  “It might as well be,” he said, determined to make me feel better. “We’re in this together. If you go down; I go down with you.”

  “Oh, that makes me feel much better! At least I won’t be sitting by myself in a jail cell. I’ll have you as company.”

  “Jesse, you don’t even know what’s going on, yet. Stop worrying. You’re innocent. You have nothing to fear.”

  “I’m sorry, Billy,” I said, taking a deep breath. “The dogs have a bone.”

  “What?”

  “The cops are like a dog with a bone. Give a dog a bone and he’ll chew on it, and then bury what’s left, only to dig it up at a later time. I’m that bone. They won’t leave me alone. Even if I don’t go to jail now, they can always come back later. They have my watch, and they found it at a crime scene. It doesn’t matter that I’m innocent. I look guilty. Cops can be tricky. They don’t let a little thing like the truth stand in their way if they think they’re right.”

  “I thought you liked cops. At least you did when I first met you. I remember a time when you thought cops were always the good guys. To you, they could never do wrong. What happened?”

  “You happened, that’s what. I learned from you that as long as you stay on the right side of the law, everything might be fine, but if they even think for one minute that you’ve done a dirty, you’d better watch out. They come at you with a vengeance. I think murder would be classified as a dirty. Don’t you? They will hound me forever. They will never give up.”

  “Yeah, there might be some validity to your words. We need more information. We need a plan. ”

  “I think the first thing on the list would be to keep me out of jail,” I said. “That’s the main thing that I care about at the moment.”

  “But we can’t do that until we find out if they plan to arrest you. That’s the key. We have to know.”

  Billy turned the truck around and headed back to Mom’s.

  “And the only way to do that is to talk to the police.”

  “But...”

  “It’s the only way we’re going to know where we stand. Don’t worry, everything will be fine. Trust me.”

  “You always say that.”

  “And don’t I always live up to my word?”

  “Yeah, that’s what scares me.”

  “If you have a better idea, I’m willing to listen.”

  “I guess running is out of the question.”

  “Look,” Billy said. “We’ll have to go face them eventually. There’s no way of getting around it. If the sheriff is back at your house, it’s because they have more evidence or they’ve matched something to something. They wouldn’t come back without a trick in their pocket. You know they came back to talk to you so let’s go see what they want.”

  “Wait a minute,” I said. “Let’s talk about this.”

  “Nope, I’m done talking.”

  Billy pulled into the driveway and parked behind the police cars in the circle. He put the gear in park, and then turned off the truck engine. He looked over and smiled at me.

  “I just want you to know that I am your friend. I’ll never desert you like that stinking rat did. I tell you that on my honor as a true Cherokee. We are a proud people and when we give our word, you can take it as the truth. Cole’s not the man for you. I hope you know that by now.”

  “If you’re trying to let me know that I can count on you, relax, I’ve already figured out that one. I know that you don’t think Cole’s right for me, but you’re going to have to give me a little time to sort that one out for myself. Cut me some slack.”

  Billy looked over at me and said, “What are you talking about? You don’t make a bit of sense when you’re scared.” He reached over and patted my hand. “There’s nothing to be afraid of, Jesse. I’ll be right by your side just in case they take you off to jail.” He laughed and then jumped out of the truck.

  “Don’t say that I didn’t try to talk you out of this,” I said.

  “I bet they’re in there right now and your mom’s serving them chicken.”

  “Billy, you sure do have a wild imagination,” I shot back. I climbed down out of the truck. My heart was in my throat. “I still think running is a good idea.”

  I heard him mumble something to himself about me and my wild, crazy ideas as we marched up the steps to the front door, ready to face the wrath of Greene County’s best.

  Chapter 6

  A hot, crackling fire warmed the house and blasted us in the face as soon as we walked through the front door. It was well past lunch, yet the kitchen was abuzz with activity. Sheriff Wake Hudson and his deputy sat at the kitchen table, engaged in what appeared to be a tea party while Mom and Claire pranced around, catering to their every need.

  “Jesse, Billy,” Mom said, turning to greet us. “Come on in and sit down. We’re having hot chocolate. I was just telling Sheriff Hudson and Deputy Hoyle about the time Jesse got in that fight in high school over some boy... what was his name? You remember, don’t you, Jesse? You gave the girl a black eye and got suspended from school for three days.”

  “Yes, Miss Watson,” the sheriff began, “your mother has been delighting us with her stories about you. You must have been a handful.”

  “And you’re way out of line,” I spat, removing my jacket and tossing it on the back of the chair. “You have no right to come here and trick my mother like that. I’m sure there’s some kind of law against this or some civil right that you’ve trampled on. You guys just don’t have any ethics.”

  “What are you talking about, Jesse?” Mom jumped in. “He wasn’t trying to trick me. We were just having a pleasant conversation.”

  “That’s what you think, Mom. You have no idea how he can twist your words and use them against you.” I turned to the sheriff. “Why did you come here? What do you want from us? We told you everything we know about this incident, which is absolutely nothing.”

  “I came here to answer some of your questions that I couldn’t answer before and to let you know how the investigation is going.” He motioned for me to sit down. “Why don’t we talk?”

  I took the chair at the head of the table where Dad had always sat. Billy sat down in Mom’s chair across from me. These seats signified authority, and right about now someone needed to assume that position. It was obvious Mom and Claire had no idea of what they were dealing with, but I did, and so did Billy. One wrong word could be disastrous.

  “Exactly where did you find my watch? And are you aware that I reported the watch missing to the owner of the Rising Sun Restaurant over a month ago? I’m sure you’re also aware...”

  He glanced over at Billy and said, “I believe that restaurant is owned by your brother Robert, isn’t it Mr. Blackhawk?”

  “What’s that got to do with anything?” I spewed.

  “I was just trying to get the facts straight, Miss Watson.”

  “You can cut the crap, sheriff. By now you know everything there is to know about me right down to my bra size. Please give me some credit. Where was my watch found?”

  “The victim was wearing it. Her name is... was... Mary Keen.”

  My stomach dropped. Why was this woman wearing my watch? Most importantly, how did she turn up dead in our backyard? The situation reminded me of that old saying about being in the right place at the wrong time or the wrong place at the right time. It didn’t matter because I was right in the middle.

  “The medical examiner has confirmed her identity,” Sheriff Hudson continued, overlooking my rudeness. “She was the wife of Roy Keen, an ex-deputy from our department. He called us to report that his wife had been
kidnapped and he had paid the ransom, but she was never released.”

  “The whole thing sounds a little fishy to me. Didn’t he notify the police before he paid the ransom?” Billy asked. “What kind of idiot is he?”

  “I’m afraid not,” Deputy Hoyle spoke for the first time. “If he had, we might have been able to help. The FBI would have been called in on the case and the outcome might have been different. We didn’t know until it was too late. By the time we were called in, the deed had been done.”

  Deputy Hoyle was another typical Greene County Deputy, he resembled a Marine. He had a muscular frame enhanced by a head full of short, brown hair and a powerful face. When he smiled, I could see the muscles in his jaw flex. If his strength could be measured by the tightness in his form, he was a strong man. The thought of being gripped in a headlock by one of those arms, especially if he was mad, made my neck hurt.

  “All this sounds a little fishy to me, too,” I said. “I have a feeling you don’t suspect any of us because I don’t see an arrest warrant. You know the watch found on the victim is mine, yet you haven’t carted me off to jail. What gives? Does the trail lead back to someone else or are you just waiting until you think you can place me at the scene of the crime?”

  My mind was going a mile a minute. If the sheriff thought I was involved based on the evidence he had, I would be in handcuffs. Then I thought about the journal I’d been keeping since I went to work for Billy. Considering all the crap Billy and I seem to get into, it didn’t take me long to figure out it would be in our best interest to keep a record of our activities. Someday it might come in handy. I think today was that day.

  “Give me a time of death, and I’m sure I can account for my whereabouts. I keep a journal.”

  All eyes fell upon me. I’m sure this was news to Mom and Claire, but the look on Billy’s face was priceless. He was stunned. I told him a while back that I had never been one to keep track of anything, let alone write stuff down. To me, paperwork was a waste of time. I did it because I was required to do it at work. However, working with Billy had given me a whole new perspective. Paperwork was essential, and having it in writing was the only way to go. Your word is no longer worth the time it takes for you to give it.