by Ann Mullen
“McCoy wasn’t suicidal,” Billy said. “He seemed perfectly happy up until the last few days of his life. He was distraught about his marriage, but not enough to kill himself.”
“You don’t know McCoy as well as you think,” Savannah explained. “After he had his stroke, he became obsessive about having another one. He told me that he didn’t want to be a vegetable. He hated the idea of being bedridden and incapable of taking care of himself. Being incapacitated was his worst fear. I tried to convince him that he would be all right if he followed his doctor’s orders, but he made me promise I would end his life if he ever became an invalid. The day he died, I told him our marriage was over and I was going to file for a divorce, and I think that’s when he decided to kill himself by taking the pills. An autopsy will determine the truth of his drug use, and I have to know. I can’t go through life thinking I caused his death. It’s not fair. What am I saying? I didn’t feed him the drugs, so it wasn’t my fault.”
“Requesting an autopsy was a good thing to do,” I said. “It proves you want to know the truth. But what will you say if they accuse you of giving him the drugs? They could say you mashed up the drugs and put them in his food or drink.”
She hesitated for a second, and then replied, “I’ll tell them to prove it. They haven’t got a thing on me.”
“No,” Billy said calmly. “You don’t want to say that. You’re the one who had the means and the motive. You already said the drugs were yours, and you wanted a divorce. I’ve seen people convicted on a lot less evidence.”
“That’s crazy,” Savannah came back with. “Why would I want my husband dead? All I wanted was a divorce. I surely wasn’t going to kill him when a divorce would be much easier and less messy. I would say less painful, but divorces are never without hurt.”
“I don’t know about that,” Billy said. “A divorce can be pretty messy, especially for a celebrity such as you.”
“Show me the evidence is what Billy always says,” I added. “If you tell them to prove it, they’ll never let up. It ticks them off. Ask Cole.”
“Jesse’s right,” Cole agreed. “Nothing sets off a cop more than having someone tell them to prove it. You can think it, but don’t say it.”
“Hey, what are we talking about?” I asked, trying to lighten the mood. “The cops can’t blame you for McCoy’s drug use. You didn’t give him the drugs. Don’t worry about it. Like you said, it’s time to move on with your life.”
“I still have to deal with Andrea’s death. The cops think I planned the whole thing. I have to defend myself in court. How am I going to get through it? I can’t do it. My anxiety won’t let me. They have to understand I have a medical condition.”
“Sorry, girl, but the law doesn’t care. I know that sounds harsh, but the prisons are filled with mentally deficient people. You’re just going to have to stand up for yourself and get the job done. Be brave.”
“Easier said than done.”
“As soon as Jonathan examines those emails, I’m sure you’ll be vindicated,” Billy said. “You only corresponded with her a couple of times. It wasn’t as if you egged her on, or planned the whole thing. I wouldn’t worry about it.”
“I do worry. I know how things can get all turned around. I’m the victim here, but I’m the one who has to defend herself. It’s not right.”
“No, it isn’t,” I said, looking over at Billy. “We need to have a talk with Jonathan to see when he’s going to examine Andrea’s computer.”
Someone’s cell phone started playing a nifty little tune.
“That’s me,” Savannah said as she reached into the back pocket of her shorts and pulled out her phone. She looked at the screen and then excused herself, walking off to the other side of the porch. After a short conversation, she closed up her phone, and walked back over to the table. She had a big smile on her face. “You won’t have to bother Jonathan. That was Sheriff Hudson. All charges against me have been dropped. It seems that a police tech expert in Fancy Gap examined Andrea’s computer and determined that she faked all the emails, except the ones I said I sent to her. I don’t know how he did it, but I’m sure glad that computer guy knows his stuff. It doesn’t matter! I’m free!” She danced around.
Cole stood up, walked over to her, and put his arms around her. “See, you were worried for nothing. I knew you were innocent!” He kissed her, long and passionately.
Cole’s declaration of Savannah’s innocence seemed off to me—as if he had his doubts before—but I didn’t make a remark. I looked at both of them and said, “I’m so glad it’s all over. Now you don’t have to worry about going to jail. You can move along with your plans to adopt Kaleb. That’s going to be exciting. Having a child changes everything for the better. You’ll be happier than you’ve ever imagined possible.”
“I don’t think that’s going to happen,” Savannah responded. “Jeanette’s trying to extort money from me. She wants me to pay for Kaleb. Can you believe it? I offer to take the child off her hands, and now she wants money—a lot of money. I told her to forget it.”
“You can’t give up!” I exclaimed. I got up from the table and walked over to her. “You can fight her. Get your lawyer to threaten to take her to court. If she’s as ill as you say, she won’t be able to go up against you.”
“Jesse, I just don’t have any fight left in me,” she replied. “After all I’ve been through, I don’t think I could stand to battle it out with that woman. She’s not the easiest person with which to deal. Plus, she still has all that money her daughter stole from my husband. She could hold out for a long time, while I spend every dime I have in court. I’m just beginning to get my life back together.”
Why was I not surprised? I knew Savannah wasn’t serious about adopting Kaleb right from the beginning. The only reason she even came up with such a preposterous notion was to save her image. Her career meant more to her than anything. She didn’t care about the child’s welfare. And now she was a free woman. Why bother?
I stepped back and said, “Do you have any idea what’s going to happen to that child now that both of his parents are dead? The state’s going to step in and take him from Jeanette. She’s old, she’s sick, and she can’t take care of him. They’ll put Kaleb in foster care. That’s what they do with kids nobody wants. Can you imagine what his life’s going to be like? He’ll grow up knowing that his family didn’t want him.”
Savannah didn’t say anything. She seemed to be mulling it over.
Billy got up from the table and walked over. “If you’re afraid to take this on by yourself, don’t be. Jesse and I will help you. We’ll do whatever we can to make this happen for you and Kaleb. We’ll be by your side the whole way.”
“I’ll help, too,” Cole added. “I’d do anything to make you happy.” He kissed her again.
A smile came to her face as she said, “I can’t believe y’all would do this for me.” She looked over at Billy. “Okay, tell me what to do. I want to adopt Kaleb. He needs a good home, and I can give him one. I don’t want some stranger raising my husband’s son. If I can just get past the fact that his mother is Andrea, I’ll be okay. I’ll have to work on that.”
Stunned is the only word that came to mind. I couldn’t believe my ears. Savannah was actually sincere about raising Kaleb as her own. Nobody can fake the look she had on her face. Every time I turn around, she does something that takes me by surprise. I hated to admit it to myself, but perhaps I had been wrong about her.
“Are you serious?” I asked. “Because if you are, you’re going to be taking on a big responsibility. Kids are a lot of work. They’re not like a puppy. You can’t put food down for them, and let them out a couple of times a day. You have to take care of them, and they’ll consume you. You’ll spend more time on your child than you do on yourself. Everything you do from now on will be based on what’s good for your child.”
“I don’t understand, Jesse,” Savannah interrupted. “You try to talk me into it, and now you’re t
rying to talk me out of it. What do you want from me?”
“I want you to do what’s right in your heart. If you can love this child, give him a home. If you can’t, walk away. It’s up to you. Kaleb comes with a lot of emotional baggage.”
“I made up my mind the day McCoy died,” she said, teary-eyed. “I just didn’t know how to handle the situation. Now that I have friends to help me out, I’m not so scared anymore.”
“Okay,” I said. “Let the process begin.”
“I’ll call a friend of mine,” Billy offered. “He can tell us what to do. He’s an attorney who specializes in family law and adoptions. You’ll get custody of Kaleb in no time.”
“Will you call him right now?” Savannah asked, shocking me with her eagerness. “If Jeanette’s so sick, who’s taking care of Kaleb? Is he going hungry?”
“I’ll make the call this instant,” Billy replied, pulling out his cell phone. “I’ll have to tell him everything.”
“I don’t care. Tell him what you have to. I have nothing to hide.”
Billy turned and walked into the house, out of earshot.
“Except for your newfound relationship with Cole,” I said to her. “I don’t think we need to broadcast that. Folks can be ugly sometimes. I know I have been, and I want to apologize for my behavior. I haven’t been a very good friend.”
“Some of the things I’ve said and done lately would test anyone’s friendship,” Savannah confessed. “I haven’t been the best friend, either.”
“Friends don’t lie to friends,” I threw in.
“Never again,” she promised, hugging me.
The only problem with promises is that people have a hard time keeping them. Would Savannah hold true to her word, and be the friend she once was, or would she revert back to her lying ways? I guess only time would tell, and I was willing to give her that time.
The three of us walked back over and sat down at the table. Cole ate his food and Savannah and I drank beer while we waited for Billy to return. After what seemed like an eternity, and a whole beer later, Billy walked back out on the porch and asked Savannah, “Are you willing to give Jeanette any money?”
“Not a cent,” Savannah replied, sternly. “Let her live off the money her daughter stole from my husband. There should be plenty of it left.”
Billy spoke into his cell phone. “Did you hear that? Okay… I’ll tell her. No… that won’t be a problem.” Billy closed up his cell phone as he walked over. He sat down at the table, picked up his beer, and then turned his face up to the sun as if to take in the warm rays.
“Don’t make me wait,” Savannah demanded, anxiously. “What did he say? Is he going to help me get custody of Kaleb?”
“He’s going to call Jeanette today,” Billy said, lowering his face to eye level. “He said he’d get back with me after he talks with her.”
“I hope he has better luck than I did. She can be a most difficult person. Talking to her is like talking to a brick... you get the picture.”
“Luck has nothing to do with it. The man’s a tiger. He’ll get your child for you. And he works fast. He doesn’t play around.”
“My child. That sounds strange. I’ve never had a child before.”
“I wouldn’t go out and start buying any toys just yet,” Billy added. “But if Ollie Atwater is your lawyer, you stand a pretty good chance of getting what you want. He’s the best there is when it comes to family law. He’s never lost a case, and I’m confident he’s not going to start with yours. Put your faith in him. He won’t let you down.”
“I sure hope so. I don’t want to the first case he lost.”
“You won’t be,” Cole interjected. “I’ve heard of him. He’s ruthless and he’s not above using intimidation. They call him the crying lawyer because he’s been known to make an opponent cry if it serves his purpose. He’s a jackal. He’d do almost anything for his client.”
“When will we know anything?” Savannah looked back at Billy.
“He said he’d call me as soon as he’s had a chance to talk with Jeanette, so I’m guessing it will be soon.” Billy’s cell phone started ringing. “I’ll bet that’s Ollie,” Billy said, pulling out his phone.
“That was quick!” Savannah said with joy. “He sure works fast!”
Billy looked at the screen, and then said, “Sorry. It’s Jonathan. Will you excuse me? I have to take this.” He got up from the table and walked away. A minute later, he was back. “We have to go,” he said, looking at me. “We have something urgent we have to attend to. Come on, Jesse.”
The two of us said goodbye as we headed to the front door.
“I’ll call you on your cell phone the minute I hear from Ollie,” Billy told Savannah. “Don’t worry. Everything’s going to work out.”
As soon as we got into the truck, I asked Billy what was going on. His reply caught me off-guard. “The gun was the same one used in the drive-by shooting of Bruno’s wife. The striations on the bullet are a match to the bullet they dug out of Francine Michaels. Jonathan said he’d tell us the rest when we get home. We’re meeting him there.”
“Does that mean we’re not stopping at my mother’s house?”
“We can’t. We have a plan to put into action. He won’t get away with his wife’s murder. We have to make sure of it.”
We were off to correct a wrong, and there would be more of this tale to come.
Chapter 19
Jonathan was waiting for us when we got home. His face was flushed, and he seemed to be distracted. He reeked of perfume, the smell floating through the air as he paced the floor. He had a glass of bourbon in his hand. The dogs barked and circled him as he made his way back over to the counter for another drink. The house smelled of spaghetti sauce mixed with perfume. The gun was in a plastic bag sitting on the counter.
“Where’s Helene?” I asked, walking over to the stove. I lifted the lid of the large pot, and took a whiff. “Yum… yum. This is going to be good.”
“She took the kids to Crumpler’s Market to get some French bread. I offered to watch them while she ran out, but I guess she thought I was too distracted. She should be back any minute.”
I stepped closer to him and took a whiff. “Is that White Shoulders you’re wearing?”
“I’m such an idiot,” he replied. “I can’t believe I could be so stupid.” He downed the glass of bourbon. “I should’ve known better.”
“You do,” I said without emotion.
“What’s the problem, brother,” Billy asked as he walked over to him. “Calm down. It can’t be that bad. Whatever it is, we can fix it.”
The dog’s barking was starting to get on my nerves, so I walked to the laundry room, opened the back door, and then called them. They took off into the yard like the wild dogs they were. When I got back to the kitchen, Jonathan and Billy stopped talking.
“You don’t have to stop because of me. I know what you did. You had sex with that woman. Where did you do it? In the lab?” I was guessing.
Jonathan hung his head.
“Oh, no, you didn’t!” I came back.
“I did.”
“How could you do that to Lu Ann? If she finds out, it’s over. She’ll never marry you.”
“Are you going to tell her?”
“Are you nuts? I’m not going to be the bearer of that kind of bad news. That’s your job. If she learns of your indiscretion, it won’t be from me.”
“I can’t tell her. She’ll dump me. I love her.”
“You should’ve thought of that before you dropped your drawers.”
“So... that’s why you suggested…” Billy stopped.
“Suggested what?” I asked him, and then looked at Jonathan. “What’s he talking about?”
“I was the one who convinced him to have a ballistics test run on the gun before he turned it in. I just wanted to see Deanna one more time. I was wrong. I’m sorry.”
I looked over at Billy. “I knew something was amiss when you told me you had m
ade a mistake by not turning the gun over to the cops immediately. You rarely, if ever, make mistakes when it comes to your work.” I looked at Jonathan. “He made me think it was his idea, but it was yours… all because you wanted one last roll in the hay.”
“I didn’t plan it,” Jonathan said, coming to his own defense. “I just wanted to see her.” He looked at Billy and said, “I promise I’ll never do that to you again.”
“Promises,” I mocked. “I’ve heard that one today already.”
“You couldn’t help yourself,” Billy replied. “When it comes to women you have no control. You made a mistake. It won’t happen again, will it?”
“Bull!” I said. “Stop making excuses for him. Men always do that. They say they can’t help themselves—because they’re men. That’s malarkey. I’m a woman, but I don’t use that as an excuse to shop until I drop. Get over yourself, and take your punishment.”
“You have no idea how much I wanted to slap myself in the head for what I did, but it was a little late for that.”
“Not so,” I said as I raised my hand back and slapped him as hard as I could across the face. “That was for Lu Ann. I feel much better now. How about you?”
Billy and Jonathan were stunned into silence. Neither one of them expected anything like that out of me. I even surprised myself. I never use violence to solve a problem, but if there ever was a time it was warranted, this was it. “You’ve been punished,” I said. “Now move on, and fix this problem. Do what you have to do to make it right.”
“Thanks,” Jonathan said with a smile. “I needed that.”
Billy chuckled.
“If you weren’t a head taller than me, I could’ve delivered a more painful blow.”
“You did just fine,” Jonathan replied, rubbing the side of his face. “I made a terrible mistake, and I don’t want to lose Lu Ann because of my stupidity. How can I possibly fix this?”
“Just tell me that you used protection, and that Deanna’s on the pill.”
“Ah…”
“Well, that’s just dandy. Not only are you going into this marriage with a black mark against you, but you’re also bringing the possibility of an STD with you. What’ll you do if she turns up pregnant?”