by Ann Mullen
“No, we’re not going to mess with the junk.”
He reached in the desk drawer and retrieved another disc, ejected the one in the hard drive, and slipped in the new one. “Give me two minutes and then we’re out of here.”
Five minutes later, we were outside the house.
I grabbed the wad of paper towels while Billy tried to get the sliding doors back onto their tracks. We were almost to the guard station when the security patrol car stopped in front of the Jeep. The guard got out and walked up to Billy’s window.
“Find anything interesting?” he asked.
Billy handed him a fifty-dollar bill. “We were never here.”
The guard took the money, got back into his car, and drove away. He was nowhere in sight by the time we exited the gate.
“How much do you think it would cost to get him to rat us out?” I asked. I looked back in the direction of the guard house.
“I don’t want to even think about it.”
“Where are we going next?”
“We’ll stop at my place. I need to get some paperwork. Then we’ll head over to the hospital to pick up Claire and the kids. How does that sound?”
“It sounds good to me. I’m ready to go home. Breaking into someone’s house takes a lot out of a person.”
A sudden wave of nausea hit me, and I broke out in a sweat. I felt dizzy all of a sudden. “Actually, I feel like I’m going to puke.” I started to gag. “Pull over fast, Billy. I’m going to throw up.”
Billy slammed on the brakes and slid to a stop along the side of the road. He looked at me with concern.
I flung open the door, leaned over the side, and started to gag. Nothing came up. I heaved again, and lost my stomach contents. “I’m sorry,” I said, wiping my face with my hand. “I don’t know what happened. All of a sudden, I just felt sick.”
His eyes lit up. “It’s true!”
I looked at him in bewilderment. I had no idea of what he was talking about, and knowing Billy as I do, it could be anything. “What are you talking about? What’s true?”
“Thanksgiving dinner at my house,” he beamed, “Mom pulled me aside and said that you had conceived a child that day. She asked me if I was the father. Considering the way we looked when she answered the door, she thought we might have just crawled out of bed. I laughed, and said we had. She congratulated me.”
There’s something about the Indian people I don’t think I will ever understand. They say weird things and make the most outrageous predictions. They seem to know everything that’s going to happen, and why it happened, even before it happens. But this had to be the exception to the rule. Sarah wasn’t an Indian, and there was absolutely no way someone can tell the day a woman gets pregnant.
I have to admit that pregnancy prevention has not been on the top of my list of priorities, but I do take the pill most of the time. And even though my sex life had picked up, I wouldn’t get pregnant if I missed taking one pill.
“You’re out of your mind,” I scoffed at him, trying to regain my composure. “I got sick because I’m stressed out. I have an anxiety disorder, remember? I’ve just discovered that breaking into a house can be very stressful. I’m surprised that I didn’t have a panic attack from the stress of it all. Besides, nobody gets morning sickness the minute they get pregnant. Not only that, it’s the afternoon. What a joke. You don’t know what you’re talking about. You can go back to your mom and tell her she was wrong. This is a joke.”
“The chief told Sarah you were, and he’s never wrong,” Billy said. He checked his side mirror and then pulled back onto the road. “I’ve just been waiting for a sign that he was right. And now I have it.”
“I’ll tell you what, if I’m pregnant, I’ll let you pick out the baby’s name all by yourself, and I won’t say a word about your choice.”
“That’s wonderful! I’ve already been thinking about it. It’s been on my mind constantly since Mom said something to me. I couldn’t say anything to you because I knew you’d say the same thing you just said. You already think my family has weird beliefs.”
“I never said that.”
“You didn’t have to. I know how you think. Every time I say anything about something my family has said or done, you get a strange look on your face. It’s as if you think they’re from another planet. But I cut you some slack because I know that once you get to know them better, you’ll understand them. Indians are different than most people. They have firm beliefs and they can’t be swayed by others.”
“I might get a strange look on my face sometimes, but it’s not because I think your family’s weird, it’s because I’m always astonished at how perceptive they are. Your family’s pretty fascinating. Sometimes they just amaze me with what they can come up with. I love them because they have such strong family values. That’s something you just don’t see very often. The whole world would be a better place if we could all be more like them, and get back to the basics of family life.”
“You don’t want to admit that the chief could be right.”
“You’re nuts,” I admonished him. “Get over it—it’s not true. I can assure you. I’m afraid that your dad’s wrong this time.”
This was one time someone else would wind up eating their own words.
Chapter 15
The drive to UVA Hospital from Stanardsville took us an hour and fifty-eight minutes according to the clock on the dashboard—twice as long as it normally would have. The wind was blowing with the determination and speed of a hurricane, and the snow was coming down harder than I had ever seen. It was a driver’s nightmare. The whole way there, Billy had a strange look on his face that made me wonder if possibly he had dipped into that bag of white powder in the Westover’s safe and was starting to hallucinate. He seemed to be obsessed with the idea that I was going to be a mother in the near future.
Boy, did I have a startling revelation for him. This time the chief had made a mistake. I let it ride for the time being, hoping he would forget the whole thing.
Billy finally managed to find a space in the hospital parking lot where we could park without fear of sliding into another car. Fresh snow continued to fall on already packed-down ice as we forged our way to the entrance of UVA. Billy refused to let go of my arm as we made our way to the elevator.
“Billy, I’m fine. You can let go of my arm.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I just didn’t want anything to happen to my baby.”
“It’s not your baby, because I am not pregnant! Would you please get a grip! I don’t want to hear another word about it. This is ridiculous. Sometimes I wonder where your mind went.” I hadn’t realized I was talking so loud until I scanned the faces of the other people in the elevator. They were staring intently at me, waiting for more. I lowered my voice and turned my back to them. “Don’t you dare mention this foolishness in front of Mom or Claire, and I mean it! Promise me you’ll forget all about this crazy idea you have in your head. Give it a rest.”
His gaze drifted.
The people behind us whispered.
“Promise!” I demanded.
He avoided eye contact when he said, “I promise.” Then out of nowhere, he wheeled around to his captive audience and said, “But she can’t ignore the truth for long, can she?”
The small group of nosey busybodies clapped and cheered.
As soon as the elevator door opened, I made haste.
Billy caught up with me, grabbed my arm and turned me around.
“Jesse, I promise to behave myself. I won’t tell anyone until you say it is all right for me to do so.”
I was still angry with him when we entered Mom’s hospital room, but I knew he would not bring up this ridiculous fantasy of his because he made a promise—and Billy never breaks a promise. What was I thinking? We hadn’t been in the room two seconds when he blurted out his tale.
“I think Christmas would be an ideal time to get married,” he said as he rushed to Mom’s side. “We can’t wait too long because
Jesse’s going to have a baby. A child needs two parents.”
My jaw dropped to the floor. “You are a dirty dog! You broke your promise!”
“Is it true, Jesse?” Mom gushed. “Are you going to have a baby?”
“No, it’s not true!”
“Then why did you make him promise not to say anything?”
“This has gotten totally out of hand!” I shrieked. “Mom, I hate to break your heart, but...”
“Chief Standing Deer says it’s so,” Billy said, indignantly.
“Well, I can say one thing for you, Billy Blackhawk: you sure don’t waste any time. A couple of days ago, Jesse was dating Cole. Now the two of you are going to get married and have a baby. Is it contagious?”
“Hey, my clock ticks, too,” Billy said, making a feeble attempt at a joke. He couldn’t hide his joy.
“I’ve made it a practice all my life to mind my own business and stay out of my children’s... until now,” Mom said. “I’m going to ask just one question. Do you love each other?”
“Yes,” we both said.
“That’s wonderful! Let’s make plans!”
I guess it was the fact that Mom had wanted me to have a husband and a family ever since I was out of diapers that made her accept Billy’s tale as fact. She trusted him; his word was worth something. She had told me that more than once. Not only were Billy and I going to get married, we were also going to have a baby. Mom was thrilled. As she would have said if given the opportunity, “It’s about time Jesse found someone to marry her and give her babies.” I could hear her words.
Another wave of nausea hit me. I choked it down and tried to maintain some semblance of normalcy while the two of them pretended I wasn’t in the room. I was glad that they were ignoring me. The last thing I wanted to do at this precise moment was to throw up.
The date of our upcoming nuptials was being discussed by the time I got it together and finally yelled, “Stop!”
Both fell silent and turned to me with the stunned look of a cat catching its tail in a swinging door.
“Now wait just a minute, Missy,” Mom said, adamantly. “There’s a baby to think about. The proper thing to do is get married before the baby comes. You two are still planning on getting married, right? Why wait any longer?”
“Is this a joke?” I asked. I threw my hands up in the air and turned around in a circle. “Forget about this baby thing.” I looked directly into Billy’s eyes and said, “If you want to get married at Christmas, then I’m ready, and it has nothing to do with having a baby. I think Christmas would be a great time.” The fact is, I was ready to marry Billy anytime he wanted. I had decided that the moment he slipped the ring on my finger. I knew then that it felt right between us. We were meant to be together!
A tenderness passed between us as Billy replied, “I’ll marry you today if that’s what you want. I’m ready anytime you are. Just say the word.”
“Oh, Billy,” I whispered. A tear slid down my cheek.
Mom gave us two seconds to savor the moment before she said, “Great! I hear they have tests that can tell if you’re pregnant within a couple of days of conception. You take the test and find out. In the meantime, I’ll call Sarah. I’m sure we can plan a fine wedding.”
“You’re as crazy as he is, Mom.”
“I don’t want to hear another word,” she demanded. “Jesse Watson, do you plan to marry Billy?”
Claire walked in the room and joined our conversation, before I had a chance to answer Mom’s question. “What are y’all talking about?”
I was sure that Mom would never discuss this matter with Claire unless I gave her my permission, and I wanted this discussion to come to an end for the time being.
“We were...”
“Jesse’s pregnant!” Mom raved.
“That’s wonderful!” Claire hugged me. “When’s the blessed event, and who is the father?”
Her words hurt. That was the final clue for me that she had feelings for Cole. The expression on her face begged me to say it wasn’t his. I could have used that moment to finally get one up on my sister. It would be the ultimate victory—but what would be the point? If I was pregnant, Mother Nature had proven to me over a week ago that Cole could not possibly be the father, and if the truth be told, I was glad.
“I’m not going to have a baby,” I protested. “I am, however, going to marry Billy on Christmas Eve.” I turned around and looked at Billy. “That is, if he agrees.”
He bounced off the corner of the bed and flung his arms around me, lifting me off the floor. “It works for me, `ge ya!” He kissed me gently on the lips.
That was a first. Billy and I had never displayed any kind of physical affection like that in front of anybody. It felt odd and it felt good. I hugged him as tight as I could and smiled over at Mom. I knew this was going to make her happy, too.
“I expect you and Sarah to make our wedding a special event.”
“You can count on us!” Claire said. “I’m sure Mom and Sarah can use all the help they can get, and I would love nothing more than to be a part of my sister’s wedding. I can’t wait!” Claire’s outburst was jolting. She became a jittery, nervous little butterfly, running around the room and making lists in her head about what they were going to do. She definitely had feelings for Cole. Maybe nobody else noticed it, but I did. I’m a woman... we can always tell. Her behavior was a sure sign that she was covering up how she felt about him by fixating on something else. She never was very good at deception.
“Claire,” Mom spoke. “We can discuss the details later.” She turned to Billy and me. “Then it’s settled. The two of you will get married on Christmas Eve. Where do you want to hold the ceremony?”
“It will be on Blackhawk land.” Billy’s eyes met mine. “This will be the first Blackhawk marriage on my family’s land since the chief married our mother... a white woman. Now I will do the same. None of my brothers and sisters were married on this land. I didn’t even marry Ruth on this land. It just turned out that way. They all wanted a wedding in a civilized church. But this woman is different.”
“I am different,” I held onto to him. “Nothing would please me more than to be married to you on Blackhawk land.”
Talk about perfect timing. Cole walked into the room. “Hi, everyone,” he said. He walked over to Mom’s bed and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He held out his hand to take hers. “We took Laura Westover in for questioning. I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but she has an ironclad alibi.”
“I’m telling you the truth. The woman I picked out of that picture was the one who was in my house.”
“Like I said, she has an alibi. She was with her husband at the time. He swears to it. He says they were together the whole day. We’ll check it out some more, but I don’t want you to get your hopes up.”
“That’s a lie. If Mom says it was Laura, it was Laura.”
He looked at me with disgust and repeated, “She has an alibi.”
“Do you believe her?” Claire asked.
“No, I don’t, but my hands are tied.”
“It’s her word against mine and she has somebody to back up hers,” Mom sighed. “There’s nothing else we can do about it. It’s over.”
“We’re going to keep working on the case,” Cole said. “But I can’t...”
“Forget it,” Mom replied. “She’s the one. There’s no need to look for anybody else. You said she has an alibi so that’s the end of that.”
“I don’t think so,” Billy joined in the conversation. “Why did she break into your house? What could she possibly be after?
“That’s what we’ve been trying to find out,” Cole said. “It has to be connected to Mary Keen’s murder. They were friends as you can see from the photograph.”
“I don’t know,” I added. “That smirk on Laura’s face doesn’t convey that to me. If I had to guess, I’d say they were mortal enemies. Better yet, I’d say that was a look of jealousy.”
“I agree,” C
laire said. “That look could only be the look of jealousy.”
“You can be friends with someone, and still be jealous,” I sneered. The minute those words were out of my mouth I wished I could have sucked them back in. I was overcome with guilt. I love my sister, but I’d always been jealous of her. The feeling of guilt didn’t last long. In its place, a serene sense of comfort settled over me. I was no longer jealous of Claire; I felt sorry for her. She had everything she could possible want, but she wasn’t happy. I wondered if she was ever truly happy. Her marriage was over, and she was living at home with her mother. How sad is that? What am I saying? That used to be me!
“That may be true,” Claire turned to me. “I’ve come to the conclusion that most of the time, it was unfounded.”
“I agree.” I wanted to soften the attitude I had developed over the last few months. I realized I had been wasting too much emotion on an issue that shouldn’t have been one. My relationship with Billy made all that nonsense seem so trivial.
“That’s good,” Claire retreated.
Billy had stood by and listened to our drivel long enough. Getting bored with the conversation between Claire and me, he turned to Cole, accosting him with determination. “We need to know what you have on this case. It’s obvious Laura Westover is a threat to the safety of this family. There’s evidence that she was in Jesse’s house. We found a woman’s glove on the property, and signs of entry.”
“And I guess you never reported it, huh?” Cole barked.
“That’s because we weren’t even sure it was a break-in at my house.” I looked at Billy and then corrected myself. “I mean our house.” There! I had said it. It was out in the open. We are a couple.
The room swayed as I fell to the floor. The last thing I remembered when I woke up on a gurney in the middle of the hospital hallway was an intense feeling of heat and nausea.
“She’s coming around,” I heard someone say.
A strong scent of ammonia lingered in my nostrils. “What happened?”
“You passed out,” Claire said, patting my hand. “But you’re going to be fine. You just had a little fainting spell. It will pass.”