Heart of a Runaway Girl

by Trevor Wiltzen

  “What’s going on, Auntie?”

  “I can’t say. But it looks like some good news is finally to come to this community.”

  “Because you talked to the DEA?”

  Mabel’s face fell. “So, you have been listening, you little scamp!”

  Kerry smiled mischievously. “Girl, you need to learn a thing or two about teenagers.” Then she crawled under the quilt beside Mabel and added, “But don’t worry, I can keep your secrets.”

  CHAPTER 40

  Friday, November 14

  On the day of the trial, after getting the boys settled with Consuela, Kerry raced Mabel to the Seattle courthouse. They arrived just in time. The court was calling Winston’s case.

  Kerry guided Mabel to the last seats at the back of the courtroom. Mabel’s leg was hurting, and her hands were still bandaged, but she felt a lot better with the stitches out. She scanned the courtroom packed with journalists. Lavi had warned her last week that this case was getting national media attention, but it hadn’t sunk in until seeing this. She recalled that conversation as she watched Lavi now, in a perfectly pressed suit, standing tall at the defense table, getting ready for Winston to come out. “Mabel, you got it. It’s good,” Lavi had said over the phone. “While the fingerprint evidence was a wash, the different DNA pulls were a match. First, Lee Wallach’s sem—um… you know… the sample of—”

  “You can say it,” Mabel had prompted. “The semen samples?”

  Lavi had laughed nervously. “I can’t say that to you anymore. But yes, that. It matched with a 99.8 percent probability it was him. Then the lab matched Don Sigmundson’s DNA to the dried blood under Karen’s nails. Isn’t that great?”

  Mabel had imagined instead what Karen must have gone through that night. The horror and terror that young girl must have faced. She didn’t want to ruin his good mood during the call, so she had said only, “That’s good it was a match, dear.”

  “Isn’t it? And only the second time this has been done in the country, Mabel. It’s a big thing. This will be in the textbooks, I bet. The first time this has been used on a case involving a rape and murder.” Mabel wasn’t too impressed by that, but Lavi was, and so she had just let him talk as her mind had drifted to what had happened since. Don Sigmundson was dead. Having armed himself inside a locked trailer on the remote drug farm, a standoff had ensued. But to the State Police’s surprise, the DEA arrived in force to expand the operation to include a drug search.

  During the ensuing three-hour standoff, Don asked for his girlfriend, Barbara, but the DEA negotiator wouldn’t allow it, worried about her safety. Instead, she got on the bullhorn, pleading with her ex-boyfriend to turn himself in. Less than an hour later, Don had turned the gun on himself.

  Mabel shook her head at all this violence. Then recalled the last thing Lavi told her. “Lee Wallach claimed to be an unwilling accomplice to the murder and that Don was its mastermind. No one believed him. I talked to my contact on the force, and he warned me that the charges might not stick — until your DNA evidence came in. When they confronted Lee with the new evidence, Lee broke down and admitted his guilt. Admitted everything, Mabel!”

  Mabel had smiled with relief. “That’s good, dear. I’m glad this is over with.”

  “I can’t thank you enough. I really can’t. It’s made me believe in the law again.”

  Mabel perked up. “I can tell. I’m glad for you.”

  “And don’t worry. I’m going to help you with that DEA case. I will.” Larson had been furious about the raid. The DEA arrested several skinheads, including the one who’d flashed a gun at Mabel, and Larson had hired a high-priced lawyer to get them off.

  “Yes, it’s not the end for him, but at least it was the beginning of folks standing up to him and his gang,” Mabel had said.

  Now Winston’s case was coming to an end, and here she was, a week later, back in the courtroom about to watch it happen.

  Her thoughts stopped as the atmosphere in the courtroom turned electric. Winston was escorted through a side door, wearing a shirt and tie instead of a prisoner’s orange jumpsuit.

  He walked tentatively over to Lavi behind the bench and seemed overwhelmed by all the attention.

  The bailiff called everyone to order, and the presiding judge took his seat. He put on his spectacles, then addressed the lawyers. “Mr. Arronson and Mr. Davis, I take it something very unusual happened between the arraignment and today.”

  Ted Davis, the prosecutor, replied first. “Yes, Your Honor. The defense has brought forward new evidence, and the State no longer believes Winston Washington committed the crime as charged.”

  The judge looked interested. “So, do you have another suspect?”

  The prosecutor replied, “Yes, Your Honor. The evidence offered by the defense implicates a new suspect. Two of them, in fact, but one of them is now deceased. The prosecutor’s office is currently preparing the new charges for the one remaining suspect.”

  “I take it you’re sure this time?” the judge admonished the prosecutor.

  A few people in the courthouse laughed out loud, and Mabel felt a thrill. She looked over at the prosecutor, whose shoulders sagged a little.

  Kerry giggled and hugged Mabel as they looked on.

  “Well, then,” said the judge, turning to Winston. “Mr. Washington, do you understand that the charges against you have been dropped?”

  Winston didn’t respond until Lavi whispered in his ear. “Yes… yes, Your Honor,” he stammered out.

  “Excellent. The State, I am sure, will apologize for the manner of your incarceration.”

  Winston addressed the judge. “So I’m free to go?”

  The judge nodded.

  The bailiff started to speak, but shouts of joy from Winston’s family and friends drowned out his voice. Lavi shook Winston’s hand before family pulled the young man into their arms. The journalists stood up as one and with microphones and tape recorders in hand began to crowd around the defendant. Winston looked about as happy as Mabel had ever seen him.

  Lavi pulled away from the group and then introduced himself to Kerry and said to her, “Your aunt is an extraordinary person.”

  Mabel blushed. “Thank you so much for what you did for that boy.”

  “It was all you, Mabel. You did it.”

  Mabel’s emotions burst. The case was finished. She just laughed, not knowing what to do. Then she hugged Lavi, who, unused to such affection, awkwardly patted her shoulder in return.

  When she released him, he asked her, “Are you sure you don’t want to talk to the reporters? This is an exceptional case, getting lots of attention, as you can see.”

  Mabel shook her head, more than happy to go back to being a waitress. Winston was free, and that was enough for her. “You do it, Lavi.”

  “All right then,” Lavi said. “But don’t go far.”

  The bailiff called for everyone to clear the courtroom. Winston, surrounded by family, friends, and reporters, started to walk out through the press. “Don’t you want to talk to him, Auntie?” Kerry asked her.

  Mabel looked at Winston as he passed and then back at Kerry. “That’s okay,” Mabel said. “Let him enjoy his time with his family.”

  “But you did so much for him.”

  “It’s not what you get for yourself that matters, dear. It’s what you do for others.”

  “Oh, Auntie,” Kerry said, taking her arm. “If you’re not going to brag, I can at least teach you how to relax.”

  Mabel smiled and brought her in for a hug and a kiss on the top of her head. “I’m willing to learn, but I’m afraid I’ve got two boys about to be teenagers and won’t have the time to relax. So how about this? Why don’t you teach me how to deal with that?”

  Kerry chuckled, “That I can do. I’m not leaving yet, I still got ten months before university.”

  “Then let’s make the best of them.”

  CHAPTER 41

  Sunday, November 16

  Mabel was still s
ore from her leg injury and getting used to the physical routine of work again, but nothing would have stopped her from attending Wade’s funeral. The service was held at the Blue River Community Hall down by the beach along Long Lake.

  The Edmonston preacher’s schedule delayed the funeral a week, and though he didn’t know Wade personally, he did a fine job. Many folks from around the community had attended — and fortunately, none from Larson’s gang.

  After the service, the friends and family drove up the few blocks to the Blue River cemetery on the town’s edge. The river flowed nearby, and though not yet frozen over, ice spun in its currents. It was a cold day with a thin blanket of snow covering the town, the trees, and the tops of gravestones. As the mourners gathered around the gravesite, their warm breath flashed into cold mists that sparkled in the sunshine. As if there were angels here, Mabel thought. She dabbed at her eyes and held her boys and Kerry close to feel their warmth. Then she imagined how tough it was for Sarah right now. Wade’s spirit was no more, and his cold and lifeless body was about to be buried in a casket.

  Sarah and Pete held a solemn vigil at the grave’s head. While Sarah softly cried, Pete looked silently on, seeming to have aged years in the last week. His son had been his only child, and any hoped-for legacy Pete had wanted to pass on was being buried in front of him, the true legacy of his work with Larson. Mabel’s heart reached out to them both.

  As the preacher settled in at the front of the gravesite, Mabel thought about Dan’s latest warning: Larson had threatened vengeance upon the person who had tipped off the DEA and sworn that the community would pay if the culprit didn’t come forward. Although Dan warned Larson to leave it be, Larson was holding firm. And while Dan had not yet asked what Mabel’s role was with the DEA, she wondered how long it would take Larson to figure it out — he was no fool.

  “Let us pray,” the preacher said, starting the service.

  Mabel bowed her head and prayed.

  CHAPTER 42

  Sunday, November 30

  Two weeks later, the Sheriff pulled up as Mabel was leaving her house to start her Sunday shift in the diner. The temperature had dipped below freezing, and she could see her breath. She gazed out over the forest to the snow-capped mountains and smelled the fresh scent of pine in the air, feeling good to be alive. She invited Dan to come back inside, but he hung back by his car. “Got to talk to you in private,” he said.

  Mabel gave him a strange look and let her front door swing closed.

  Dan took off his hat and held it with two hands, respectful like. “Got word from the jail. Buster called,” Dan said and then cleared his throat. “That Lee Wallach feller. He, um… had agreed to turn State’s evidence against Larson.”

  Mabel was pleased by the news. “I really hope that doesn’t affect Lee’s sentence. He’s being tried for Karen’s murder.”

  “Well, about that…” Dan said, slapping his hat against his leg. “Something else about him. It’s… well, somebody murdered Lee Wallach this morning. Another inmate. A skinhead.”

  Mabel gasped. “H-he’s dead?”

  The Sheriff nodded. “A Larson man got to him.”

  Mabel was stunned. She looked off at the mountain that only moments ago seemed so unchangeable, immovable, resolute, and yet that too was a lie. Snow and rain chipped away at its face every season, and someday all this land would be changed — like this case. Her troubled gaze fell to her shoes. Nothing was sensible about Lee Wallach’s death. With Lee on trial, Karen’s family might have learned why he had killed her, but now, they’d never know. She had no idea what God’s plan was in all this.

  Dan said, “I’m sorry. He deserved to go to trial for what he did to you.”

  “For what he did to Karen,” Mabel corrected. “Karen was murdered.”

  “I know. But I didn’t know her. I know you.”

  Mabel let it pass. He meant well.

  Dan went on. “I talked to the Staties, and they don’t know who tipped off the DEA and neither does Larson. But he’s looking. And he’s staying true to his threat.”

  Mabel remained silent.

  Dan scrutinized her for a long moment and then seemed to struggle with what he was going to say, until finally, he asked, “Was that you? That got them involved?”

  “I’m glad someone did it.”

  Dan stared at her for a moment and then nodded and put his hat back on. “Me, too.”

  Mabel blinked several times, not expecting that of Dan. “I thought that…”

  “I know I ain’t the best Sheriff, but I don’t want to see the drugs around here no more than you do. It’s not good for this community.”

  Mabel smiled. Dan was finally starting to come around.

  “If you need anything, Mabel, just ask.” He tipped his hat and backed up.

  “Aren’t you going to come into the diner?” Mabel asked. “You came all this way… you might as well get some pie.”

  The Sheriff hesitated then shook his head. “Nah, got a job to do,” he said gruffly. Then he got into his cruiser and headed off on the highway to do his rounds.

  CHAPTER 43

  Tuesday, December 16

  Mabel was talking to Kevin when the door chimed twice, signaling a customer’s arrival. She looked over and gasped, thrilled to see who it was.

  Above the door, the Christmas lights framed Winston in twinkling blue and white light, but he looked as lost as he had at the arraignment. She hadn’t expected to see him again.

  “Winston! So good to see you. Anywhere is fine, Luv.”

  He just stood there in his winter jacket, not meeting her eyes. “I ain’t looking for something to eat. I’m here to talk to you.” She waited till his brown eyes lifted, and she saw his pain. Without a word, she guided him to a booth in the back — the one where he’d sat with Karen all those months ago.

  They sat down together, and he spread his hands wide on the table and just stared at them. She reached out and said, “I’m so glad to see you.”

  Winston’s eyes swam with regret. He cleared his throat and pulled his hands down and said, almost in a whisper, “I just wanted to thank you. For what you did. Mr. Arronson, my lawyer, told me.”

  Mabel was about to brush off the compliment, but since this was Winston, she said, “I’m not used to getting thanks, dear. I just… I think looking out for people is the right thing to do, and no thanks are needed.”

  He said slowly, “I heard you were almost killed by those two. And that’s something I don’t get. I lied to you about some things. So why did you put yourself in danger for me?”

  “Because you didn’t do it.”

  “But how could you know that?”

  “I looked into your eyes,” she said. But she could tell it wasn’t enough for him, so she added, “I have a gift. I can read people.”

  Winston blinked several times and then looked down at his hands again and thought about what she said.

  “You’re a good person, Winston.”

  Winston winced. “No,” he said. “I’m not. I was a drug dealer. I’m not good. And…” He paused, swallowing hard, and then added, with a sense of guilt and recrimination scarring his voice, “I didn’t… I didn’t even follow her that night. I… I didn’t stop her from getting into that truck.” He sighed. “I keep thinking about that night over and over again, and I wish I had done something different. But I didn’t, and it’s all my fault she’s gone.” He wiped his eyes to stem the flood of tears, but they only came down stronger. He glanced around, embarrassed.

  Mabel tried to console him. “That’s because you survived. You’re feeling the guilt that all survivors face. It’s not your fault.”

  “I should have done more,” he replied, grasping the table’s edge with both hands like he wanted to tear it off, but when he couldn’t, his anger dissipated, and he sank back into the vinyl seat, defeated.

  She reached out to touch him. “You did. You gave her hope.”

  Winston’s tears came again, and he hung his
head. Mabel moved into the seat beside him and gave him a long hug as he sobbed into her shoulder. She waited till he was spent, exhausted.

  “So, what are you going to do now?” she asked gently.

  Winston shrugged. “I’m done with that life I led. But I… I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

  “Maybe you should go to school again? You’re a smart man.”

  “I don’t know about that. But I’m definitely getting as far away from here as I can.”

  His words saddened her. “Someday, this community is going to be whole again,” she told him. “Larson and his gang won’t always be around, and this will be a good community to live in again.”

  “Larson has a lot of powerful friends. I can’t see that ever happening.”

  “He has a few enemies, too,” she offered.

  He shrugged, not believing someone could dethrone Larson. Then he grabbed a napkin and blew his nose. “My mom is waiting for me in the car. I just wanted to talk to you before we leave for good.”

  “Oh, your mother’s in the car!” Mabel was delighted to hear this. “Please, bring her in. I just baked an apple pie, and it smells delicious. I want you both to join me.”

  Winston cocked his head back. “Really?”

  “Winston,” Mabel said, “I want you and your mother to feel at home.”

  Winston shook his head. “Not in this community. My skin will never make me equal here.”

  Mabel recognized his truth, more aware than ever that she did not understand his view but needed to. “Someday, I hope, enough of us will understand,” she said. “And there will be change.”

  CHAPTER 44

  Saturday, January 10, 1987

  Aharsh winter carried on into the new year. Mabel’s injuries had healed but her nights were troubled by a recurring nightmare that brought her back to the sawmill and her frantic escape from Lee and Don. Often, she’d wake up in panicky starts and suffer moments of wide-eyed terror before realizing she was safe in her own darkened bedroom. Then she would remind herself they were truly dead and tried to take some solace that Karen might now rest in peace.