"We don't know what will come our way before our lives are over. I could die in my sleep tonight."
Frank looked at his son. "Mark?"
Mark sat gazing across the table at his sister."What Sherry wants."
"Sherry, do you want us to help get your mother out of jail?" Frank asked her.
"Yes," she answered softly. "I'll pay you all back one day. If my bank account ever thaws out."
"I'll call Turner in the morning," Jan promised.
"Vote," Frank said. "Yeas?"
Frank, Mark and Jan raised their hands. "Nay!" Lisa said sharply.
"Three to one vote. Yeas have it."
Lisa jumped up. "I'm leaving! I won't have any part of this." She faced Sherry. "You're just using my brother to get what you want," she accused and stomped out the door.
Troy stood up to follow her. "Sit down and eat your supper, Troy. She isn't going anywhere. You have your truck keys in your pocket, don't you?"
"Yeah." With a grin Troy sat back down. Frank got up and went outside. They could hear him and Lisa yelling at each other but couldn't discern the words.
Frank brought Lisa back holding her by the back of her neck. "Set yourself down there and eat your supper. We don't waste good food around here."
"I'm sorry," Sherry said softly. "I didn't mean to cause a split in the family." She stood up to go.
Mark stood up to stop her. "You need to eat."
"If I eat when I'm upset I'll get sick. I'll eat later after I calm down. Please don't be late. I don't feel like being alone."
He kissed her. "I'll be over as soon as I eat."
****
"Call me as soon as you know how much?" Jan handed her husband a blank check with only her signature. It was from Blakely Farm Inc. and would require Frank's signature, too, before it was legal.
He folded the check and put it in his shirt pocket. "I've got to get those milkers washed. Kiss me."
Jan kissed him. "Umm, you taste good," he said.
"It's the toothpaste." She kissed him again and went out to her SUV. Frank went to the milk house. He was up to his elbows in water when Mark walked in. "I'm going to take your truck. You can drive mine. Here are my keys."
"My hands are wet. Put them in my pocket. I've got to get done here and get over for Sherry. I hope we aren't making a big mistake here. Anything involving Alison is iffy."
Sherry was waiting in the kitchen. "Did you eat breakfast?" he asked her. He didn't want her fainting on him. On the other hand he didn't want her to get sick because of her nerves.
"I had a breakfast bar and some milk." She turned the conversation to the hearing. "I wrote everything down that Mom must comply with before I'll take her in. She has to understand this isn't a free ride. Let's go."
Sherry was quiet as they traveled south on Route 322 toward Lewistown. But Frank noticed her tense demeanor. "It's going to be all right, Sherry."
"It has to be. One way or another. We only have so much control over our lives because there are other people involved."
"I'm glad you finally realize you can't plan your future exactly. Sometimes you have to go with the flow. This is one of those times." He reached over to take her hand. "I told you I'd be here for you. Count on it."
She gave him a fond smile. "I'll get through it. I'm not sure what adjustments I must make. I told Mark to give me some time with Mom. He isn't happy about it but he'll survive. He and Mom just don't get along. But she's the only mom I got."
They were a little early. The only person in the courtroom was a gray haired man at the defendant's table. Sherry walked up and introduced herself. "I'm Alison's daughter."
"The one whose house she wrecked? I'm her attorney, Kenneth Wright."
"I'm the only daughter she has." She went on to explain her reason for being there. She took a folded sheet of paper from the blazer pocket. "These are the conditions she must meet for us to pay her bail and for me to take her in."
He glanced over the list. "I don't agree with the requirement that she plead guilty to the charges. That's an impingement of her rights to a trial."
"Okay. Let's say that's negotiable. We can work around that. But the others must be met. I know Mom and I'm not giving her a chance to leave me holding the bag. I don't have a job so I can't afford to support her. She needs to get work and pay her own way."
The sheriff escorted Alison into the courtroom. She came right to Sherry. "I knew you wouldn't let me down, baby," she said as she hugged her.
"You have to follow my rules, Mom. I'm not going to let you off easy this time." Sherry turned and walked back to Frank who sat two rows behind the table.
After the preliminaries of the case were dispensed with, Sherry was called to the stand by Mr. Wright. He got right down to the meat of the matter. "Miss Winnette, in order to be released on bail, your mother must have a place of residence. Are you willing to allow her to live with you?"
"I am."
The judge looked puzzled. "Miss Winnette, you are the victim in this case. You want to allow Alison Winnette to live with you?"
"Yes, Your Honor."
"Why?"
Sherry took a moment to collect her thoughts. Then she looked the judge in the eye. "She's the only mom I got."
"I see. Mr. Wright, you may sit down. I'll ask the questions here. Miss Winnette..."
"Please call me Sherry. Mom is also a Miss Winnette."
"Very well, Sherry. I want to be certain that you realize the position this puts you in."
"I do, Your Honor. This isn't a get-out-of-jail-free offer. There are conditions Mom must meet. I wanted to insist that she plead guilty but her lawyer said that is a violation of her right to have a trial. So I'll go on to the next. She must be under house arrest and wear a GPS ankle bracelet so I can keep her where she belongs. She must get a job to support herself.
"I am unable to work right now and my bank account is still frozen because of what she's done. She must follow my rules. It is my house. In addition, I expect her to replace the items she destroyed. Mark Blakely is going to replace my windows but she must pay him back."
"You sound like a young lady who knows where she's going in life. Miss Alison Winnette, are you willing to agree to your daughter's conditions?"
"Yes, Your Honor."
"Fine. Bail is set at twenty thousand dollars. I am going to waive that and release you in the custody of your daughter. If you step out of line, you will be right back in jail. Is that understood?"
"Yes, Your Honor."
"Your Honor, I have a question. It's about this case but not this hearing."
"Go ahead."
"The police have my purse with my checkbook and driver's license. And my bank account is still frozen. Can you do anything about that?"
"I can order the police to release those belongings and for your bank account to become available to you. Anything else?"
"No. Thank you, Your Honor. For everything. May I leave the stand now?"
"Yes, you may. Miss Winnette, I hope you realize what a fine daughter you have. Whatever possessed you to do what you did?"
"I was mad beyond reason."
The judge just raised his eyebrows."It will take some time to do the paperwork but it should be ready by one o'clock. Sheriff, take Alison Winnette to your office and fit her with a GPS bracelet. And keep her there until I tell you to release her."
"May I go with Mom?"
"Yes."
Frank stood up. "I'm going to find a rest room. Then I'm going to McDonald's. What would you ladies like for lunch?"
"A chicken salad," Alison said.
"A cheeseburger, fries and a milk shake," Sherry ordered.
When Frank got to the parking lot, he took the time to call his wife. "That girl has a silver tongue," he reported. "She had that judge eating out of her hand. Alison will be released into Sherry's custody. You can use this check for something else."
They ate their lunch in the sheriff's office while a female deputy fitted a GPS brace
let around Alison's ankle. "I must know what route you will take home. Call it a test tracking."
Frank swallowed a bite of his cheeseburger and answered, "Route 322 north."
"I want to stop at the dollar store so Mom can apply for work," Sherry cut in. "And we need to stop at the bank for Mom's car."
Frank showed the deputy on a county map where Sherry lived. "I'll see that they get there safely. After that it's up to them."
At one o'clock the judge's secretary called down for them to go up to the judge's chambers for the paperwork. Alison signed an agreement to follow Sherry's conditions. "I won't plead guilty though."
"There will be a hearing on Wednesday at one o'clock for you to enter a plea," the secretary said. "The judge will meet with your attorney and the district attorney to see if an agreement can be reached. I'm sure your attorney will be in touch."
As soon as they were out on the street, Alison began, "You had that judge wrapped around your little finger, sweetie. You could have gotten him to drop the charges."
"Shut up, Mom. I'm not trying to get you off the hook nor was I trying to wrap the judge around my finger. I was telling the truth and don't you forget it. You signed an agreement to abide by my rules. You better walk the line or you'll be right back in there. I'm not in the mood to put up with any bull."
Frank's cell vibrated while he was waiting in the parking lot at the dollar store. He took it out and looked at who was calling. "Hello, Mark."
"I've been trying to call you since noon. Your phone's been off."
"I know it. I was at the courthouse. That girl of yours should become a lawyer. She got Alison out without paying a penny in bail. Alison's in Sherry's custody and Sherry's not in a mood to take any bull from her. She told her off good and proper on the way up 322. The kid's got potential."
"That means Alison will be living with her. For how long?"
"I don't know. Probably forever."
"Oh, no! I'm not putting up with her the rest of her life."
"You and Sherry are going to have to work that out between you. Leave me out of it. Here they come now. Sherry made Alison go into the dollar store and apply for work. We have to go by the bank for Alison's car. The judge issued an order for Sherry's purse and keys to be returned. I'll talk to you later."
Frank called Jan from the bank parking lot to let her know they were getting Alison's car. "I didn't want you to report it stolen."
"I'll be right out. I need to talk to Sherry." In a few minutes she came out the back door. "Sherry, your bank account has been unfrozen. Now you can write checks or withdraw money."
"Thanks, Jan."
"Don't thank me. Thank the judge."
"I already did. He was real nice to me."
Alison was already in her car. "If you're coming with me, come on. I have to go to the bathroom."
"I think you'll want this." Frank took the garage door remote from the dash of Mark's truck.
"Thanks. Thanks for everything." She put the remote in the blazer pocket. As soon as she got in her mother's car, she gave it to her. "Better take care of it so it doesn't get lost."
"How'd you get it?"
"Jan took it out of your car on Friday."
"What else did she take?"
"My guitar."
Mitzi greeted Sherry, mewing for attention. "So, you have a kitten now," Alison said as she followed her daughter into the breezeway.
"A stray. She's been good company." Sherry opened the door to the kitchen and Mitzi ran in ahead of her.
Alison looked around. "Things have changed. You have a fridge. Do I hear the furnace running?"
"You do." Sherry turned to face her mother. "The people you have been ridiculing are the ones who have stepped forward to help. Frank had a blank check in his pocket this morning ready to pay your bail. The heating oil bill went to Blakely Farm. Frank and Mark hauled the refrigerator that was given to me by one of the bank employees where Jan is manager. Mark bought the groceries because my bank account was frozen. Think about that. I'm going to the bathroom upstairs."
When she came back down Alison was nosing around the kitchen munching on potato chips from the bag that was on the table. "What did you do with my things?"
"They're upstairs in the room that used to be mine. I'm going to change clothes. I put your blazer in the closet upstairs."
"I'm going to change, too, as soon as I get my suitcase from the car." Alison headed for the garage.
She wasn't in a hurry to go back to her mother so she took the time to make a fire in the fireplace. She knew Mark wouldn't be satisfied with the way things were and neither would she. It would work temporarily.
Once the kindling was burning good, she put wood on it and went back to the kitchen where she got a pie tin from the kitchen cabinet and dumped some chips in it. "I don't have any dishes since you broke them all. Maybe I can stop at the thrift store on Wednesday. I have to think about it."
She set about making coffee since she hadn't made any that morning. She liked the permanent filter in the new coffeemaker Mark purchased. "Do you want to make supper?"
"What do you want?"
"I laid a pound of ground beef out in the fridge. Use your imagination." Sherry sat down at the table to nibble on her chips. "Mom, who's my father?"
Chapter 27
Alison was looking through the pantry to see what else she could find. "You really don't want to know that."
Sherry stood up. "Yes, I do. I'm nineteen. Don't you think it's time you leveled with me? I have a right to know."
"Take my word for it. You won't like it one bit."
"It's not a matter of if I like it. It's time you start treating me like an adult."
"All right. But don't say I didn't warn you. Your father is Frank Blakely."
"You're lying!"
"I am not lying."
"He was already married to Jan..."
"So. The only reason he married her was he got her pregnant before me."
"No!" Sherry cried. "That can't be true. Frank would never cheat on his wife."
"He did exactly that. Mark Blakely is your half-brother."
"Nooo! That can't be." Sherry was backing away toward the bathroom door. "You're lying."
"I told you that you really didn't want to know."
Sherry darted into the bathroom, slammed the door and locked it. Alison could hear her throwing up. Then all she heard was sobbing inside. "That takes care of Mark Blakely," she said with a satisfied smirk. She turned on the radio so she couldn't hear her daughter and began to make a meatloaf for supper. She put it in the oven with two potatoes. "A salad," she said to herself. "A perfect meal."
When the potatoes were tender and the meatloaf done she knocked on the bathroom door. "Sherry, supper's ready."
Not a sound came from within. "Sherry?" She knocked louder. "Sherry!"
No answer. She looked at the clock. It was six-thirty. Sherry had been in the bathroom for more than three hours. She would give her until seven o'clock. If she didn't come out by then she would...what? Call Frank?
****
The Blakeys had just sat down to supper when Frank's cell phone rang. He got up to answer it.
"No cell phones at the table," Jan reminded him.
He unplugged the phone from the charger. "Sherry." He put the phone up to his ear. "What's up, Sherry?"
He listened a couple of seconds. "Oh, it's you."
"Alison?" Jan asked.
He nodded. "Why?" A look of anger came over his face. "You did what?" Another pause. "You stupid bitch! I'll be right over."
Mark was on his feet. "What's wrong?"
"Sherry locked herself in the bathroom and won't come out."
"Why?"
Frank headed for the door, grabbing his truck keys on the way. "Alison told her I'm her father."
"Are you?" Jan asked but he was already out the door with Mark close on his heels.
Frank beat Mark to the truck and climbed in the driver's side. Mark ran around to
the passenger's side. Frank already had the truck moving backwards as Mark flung himself inside. Frank stabbed the truck in drive and slung gravel from the tires as he shoved the accelerator to the floor.
"Are you?" Mark asked.
"Am I what?"
"Sherry's Father."
"Hell no! Do you think I'd have let you sleep with her if she was your sister? There isn't even the remotest chance. I never had sex with Alison. I've never been that hard up."
Frank hadn't even shifted to park when Mark jumped out of the truck and ran for the breezeway door. Alison opened the kitchen door and he ran past her without even looking at her. Frank paused to say, "I'll deal with you later. Sherry first."
Mark pounded on the bathroom door. "Sherry! Sherry, unlock the door. Sherry! If you don't unlock this door I'm going to break it down." He slammed his shoulder against the door but it didn't budge. "It looks easier on TV."
"They have breakaway doors. Maybe both of us..."
"Just stand right where you are." Mark put his hand on his father's shoulder for balance and pulled his knee up to his chest. He put all his power and weight into it as he slammed his foot against the door right beside the knob. With the sound of splintering wood the door swung open and Mark brought up against the sink.
He turned to where Sherry sat on the floor in the corner, her eyes closed. He dropped to his knees in front of her. "Sherry. Sweetheart." He patted her face.
She opened her tear swollen eyelids. "Hello, brother."
"I'm not your brother."
"Mom told me."
"I don't give a damn what she told you. She lied."
Frank put his hand on Mark's shoulder. "Let me."
Mark got up and stepped aside. Frank knelt before Sherry.
"Hi, Dad" Her voice was thick from the tears she'd shed.
"I'm not your dad. I don't care what your mother told you; it isn't even possible. Listen, honey. I've never had sex with your mother. I've never thought about having sex with your mother. I don't even like your mother."
Sherry gazed at him like she didn't comprehend what he was telling her.
"It's all right, sweetheart. You didn't commit incest."
"Incest!" Alison eyes widened as she met Mark's gaze. "You were sleeping together? I swear I didn't know."
No Plans for Love Page 25