Molly: House on Fire

by R. E. Bradshaw

  “And what is in this file that disturbs you enough to tell the judge who sealed it that it is now open?”

  “I did not know my parents were married and, therefore, had no knowledge of the divorce, either. I saw your name on both documents. I was wondering if you could fill in the gaps for me.”

  The judge leaned back in his chair, his eyes moving over Molly. “That was a long time ago. I’m not sure I remember much.”

  This guy was old, but he had much more on the ball than he was letting on. His body may have given out on him, and although he might want her to think so, Judge Whitehall was not senile.

  “Anything you can tell me would be greatly appreciated,” Molly probed.

  “Let’s see, now.” He stared up at the ceiling, thinking. “Sarah was a senior in high school, if I remember correctly. I was sad to hear she dropped out of school. She had a promising future, but then she hooked up with Evan Branch and he destroyed her life. She’d just turned eighteen, was pregnant, and your father was twenty or twenty-one, when they came to see me.”

  Molly interrupted. “What I can’t fathom is why he married her in the first place? It wasn’t to cover up the pregnancy. I was born only a month later, so it had to be public knowledge by then. He didn’t love her. He treated her badly and never paid a bit of attention to me, so why marry her? I know his mother would have objected loudly. I just can’t see his incentive.”

  “Money,” came the judge’s one word reply.

  Molly laughed. “What money? My mother was as poor as they come.”

  The judge leaned forward, a mischievous grin on his face. “Branch money. Old Man Branch caught wind of what Evan had done and said he’d cut Evan out of the will if he didn’t marry your mother, simple as that. He stood right here in this office and told Evan no grandchild of his was being born out of wedlock. Evan had no choice.”

  “But my mother had a choice. Why would she marry him under those circumstances?”

  “That was a different time, Molly. An unmarried woman with a child was frowned upon. I think Sarah thought she could tame him. Who knows why women fall for that sort? I’ve seen case after case where a woman would not testify against a man that beat her half to death. It boggles the mind, really.”

  “It didn’t help that he got her hooked on drugs and alcohol, and then supplied her with more than she ever needed. No food or clothing, just booze and smack. I can’t believe the law in this town was unaware of his habits.”

  Molly was dangerously close to accusing the judge of turning a blind eye, but he did not react adversely. He smiled, leaning back in the big chair.

  “Small towns, Molly. The scales of justice are often weighted with money and political influence. It starts at the lowest levels and by the time it gets to the courtroom, the law limits what a judge can rule on. I may have known that hands were being shaken behind closed doors, but I could not prove it. Had Evan Branch ever made it before me, rest assured, he would have spent many years behind bars.”

  Molly understood. She lived the double standard in this town. The law was applied in accordance to social structure. A dope using poor man was bound for prison. A wealthy farm boy was given a severe talking to and sent home to his momma. Lady Justice was not blind — she was peeking into wallets.

  “I’m sure things would have been different had my mother ever been willing to testify. Her complicity in the drug use made that improbable, along with the fact she was frightened he would kill us.”

  The judge narrowed his eyes. “Had he ever laid a hand on you, I would have arrested him myself. I told him that in my chambers. What went on between Sarah and Evan, I could not control, but as far as you were concerned, I did have the power to lock him up.” His expression softened. “You see, Old Man Branch and I went way back. My father was the Branch family lawyer and his father before him. I assumed that position at my father’s retirement. I know what people say about the Branch family and most of it is true, but Old Man Branch was a good man. The first time Evan nearly killed your momma, right after you were born, he brought Evan and Sarah to see me. He thought maybe I could put the fear of God and the law in Evan. I’m sorry to say, all it did was show your mother how powerless I truly was. I could not protect her, but I could protect her child.”

  “It must have worked. He never touched me,” Molly replied. “Still, I don’t understand why she married him and did not take his name. Even though he is listed on my birth certificate, I don’t have his last name. What was the point of a marriage?”

  The judge laughed. “Oh, now that was Drusilla’s doing. She was an incredibly manipulative woman.”

  Molly cringed. “I had the displeasure of meeting her once.”

  “Only once?” The judge chuckled. “Consider yourself blessed. Drusilla was the most odious woman I have ever had the misfortune to meet. She allowed the marriage under the condition that neither Sarah nor you take the Branch name, until your parentage could be verified. Of course, under the law they were married.” He chuckled again. “To my knowledge, no blood test was ever run. She just stated you were not Evan’s child and believed it.”

  “I look nothing like the Branch family. She could have had a point.”

  His expression darkened. “Things deteriorated so quickly for Sarah, your parentage was of little consequence.”

  Molly moved on to her second topic, the divorce. “I’m curious about the timing of their divorce. I noticed the date and Evan was still coming around, as if nothing had changed. He married another pregnant woman, but my mother never said a word. I was completely blindsided by a half-brother, yesterday.”

  “Yes, the Stovall girl. Evan got her pregnant, and as part of the deal her father made with Evan, he married her to get a big piece of land adjoining his property. He had to get out of the first marriage. I questioned Sarah from the bench, when the divorce was filed. I wanted to make sure she understood that neither she nor you were entitled to anything, if she signed that agreement. She said all she wanted was out and I couldn’t see keeping her tied to that man one day longer. I had hoped it was a step in the right direction for her.”

  Molly smirked. “She didn’t take a step at all. She stayed right there and let him come and go as he pleased.”

  “I learned from Sarah, years later, that he promised to leave her alone, give her some money, and help her get you out of that little shack.”

  It was Molly’s turn to narrow her eyes. “He never fulfilled a single promise to her. Evan Branch beat her down until there was nothing left and I had a front row seat to it all.”

  The judge fixed her with his eyes. “Right down to the fire that took his life.” He paused, giving Molly a chance to think he might know more about that too, but he left the topic and moved on. “I’m sorry for that, Molly, I truly am. I remember a very bright little girl, one who had witnessed too much, but was determined to survive. I see that I was not wrong in that assessment. I think it’s true, what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. You are living proof.”

  “What you see, Judge, is the result of a lot of helping hands, yours included. I’ve had my fair share of breaks.”

  “If only there were more success stories like yours,” the judge said, while concentrating on stopping the sudden palsied jumping of his right hand. He noticed Molly watching. “Damn thing has a mind of its own sometimes. This getting feeble is no picnic, but I’m thankful my mind is still intact.”

  “Your mind is much sharper than some sitting judges,” Molly commented, and then steered the conversation to her mother’s death. “What prompted you to offer my mother a job? Her recidivism was evident in her records. What made you take a chance with her?”

  The judge’s eyebrows rose. “You’ve seen her medical records?”

  “Just her intake and release notes from Berryhill. She followed a pattern for six years and then miraculously recovered. I’m interested in what changed.”

  “That’s a question for her doctors,” the judge said, finally able to stop
the tremors. “Sarah came to see me on a day pass, before she was released the last time. Told me she had a new doctor and she had finally kicked her old habits. She had been clean for a year and weaned off almost all medication. She still took a small dose of antidepressant, but she felt and looked wonderful. She had her GED and enrolled in a few business courses. She needed a job and a place to live in order to start her life over. I was glad to help. I always liked your mother.”

  “I’m sure she was grateful, as am I. Do you know if she was drinking, again?”

  “I know what people said, but no, your mother was not abusing alcohol or any other drug. I’m not sure how the alcohol got on her clothing, but there was none in her bloodstream. It appears she got hung on the fence, a tragic accident.”

  Molly stayed calm. “Yes, it would appear that way. Do you know what happened to her personal property?”

  “She didn’t have much and had no next of kin here, other than some cousins who had no interest. I had her little house cleaned out and donated anything useful to Goodwill. I’m sorry, Molly. I never dreamed you would come back and want to see it.”

  Molly saw the judge look at the clock on the wall. She had one last question. “Judge, what do you know about the Branch gold legend?”

  His eyes twinkled like a child’s. “People have been talking about that gold since the Civil War. That legend has persisted through generations. I know Jarvis Branch thinks it’s real. He’s been digging up that land out there for years. Swears his daddy told him and Evan, on his deathbed, the gold was real and he hid it ‘within reach of the littlest branch.’ The old man died before telling them which branch. That farm is riddled with streams and branches that change from time to time. That boy’s spent more money digging for gold than he’ll probably make if he finds it.”

  Molly thought about the strategy of her next question. She weighed it carefully and decided to ask, “Why would Jarvis Branch feel threatened by my coming here? I’ve never made any claims, nor do I intend to, against the Branch estate.”

  The judge laughed. “I’ve heard your car is worth more than the entirety of what remains of the once great Branch Empire. Land rich and money poor, old Jarvis is just paranoid as hell.”

  “I had forgotten how observant small town people are,” Molly said, with a wink.

  “You don’t pay any mind to that blow hard. He’s about stayed his welcome. Folks are tired of his bullying and underhandedness. Taking the Stovall farm was the last straw for most of them.”

  “You are the Branch family attorney. Didn’t you file the suit?”

  “No. I would take no part in his shady dealings and he knew that.” The judge was adamant and clear about his dislike for his client. “He went off to Raleigh to find a snake to do his dirty deeds. They had the case moved to Wake County. Stovall just ran out of money and gave in before he lost everything.”

  “His daughter’s suicide, what do you know about that?”

  “Now that was a sad day. They pulled Amber’s car out of the Neuse. They say it was suicide, but it could have just as easily been an accident. There were no skid marks and it appeared she drove right off that bridge on purpose. Who knows what really happened.”

  That was exactly what Molly was thinking. She strongly suspected Jarvis knew something about Amber’s death. She needed time to think and process all the information. There was a way to connect all the dots, Molly was sure. She just had to reason it out. She leaned across the desk, extending her hand.

  “Thank you so much for your time, Judge.”

  The judge pulled himself up with some difficulty, but managed to stand and shake her hand. She realized now, Winnie had gone in before her to help him stand.

  “I look forward to our appearance together, Molly. This time we will both be on the same side of the bench. It will be one of my proudest moments. You really have outdone yourself, young lady. Waitesville is proud to call you one of its own.”

  Molly said, “Thank you,” and left the judge’s office, without saying anything about how ludicrous his proclamation was. Waitesville would never be proud of Molly. There would always be an asterisk by her name. She heard Reba McEntire singing in her head, “I might have been born just plain white trash.” It made Molly laugh. With a quick goodbye to Winnie, she left the office, still chuckling when the door closed behind her.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Molly stood in front of the Dobbs County Library, remembering the first time she saw the wide gable, its heavy trim forming a perfect triangle, supported by round columns and Corinthian capitals. The classic entablature and transom windows around the thickly corniced door were an attempt to recreate the façade of a Greek temple, Greek Revivalism at its best. Molly knew that now, but as a child, she only knew this building was a fascinating setting to delve into the magical land of books. Inside, Molly knew she would smell book dust and musty pages mingled with the warmth of hardwood floors, the aroma held by old libraries around the world. It was a familiar odor for a former student who spent hours in many of those libraries, discovering the secrets they held. Molly loved libraries.

  When she left the judge’s office, Molly called information and was connected to the main library on the other side of town. It replaced the old facility in the early eighties, but Molly learned the records she sought were housed in the Greek Revival building from her past. The old library had been converted to a local history museum and housed the microfiche copies of the local newspapers, which was what Molly was interested in. She remembered to stop on the way for cash, knowing copies cost money and the Black Card probably was not accepted.

  She pulled the door open and there it was, the smell of knowledge. The worn hardwood floors gleamed with fresh polish. The long wooden checkout desk, where young Molly carried her books, still stood just as it did when she was barely tall enough to see over it. The librarian, Mrs. Engelhard, would smile at her and ask how she liked her latest reads. Along with Nona, the librarian helped steer Molly in the right direction, pointing out classic authors, like Mark Twain, Lewis Carol, Louisa May Alcott, Charles Dickens, and E. B. White. Molly was an advanced reader and a challenge for the women to keep her curious mind occupied, a task they seemed to relish.

  Behind the desk today, a thirty-something woman, dark hair pulled back into a loose twist and reading glasses perched on her nose, was studying a text so intently, she finished reading a sentence while greeting Molly with what sounded like a well-rehearsed speech.

  “Welcome to the Dobbs County Historic Library collection. Is there something I could help you find, or would you like to look at the exhibits?”

  The woman looked up finally, peering at Molly over the reading glasses. She was attractive and smiling, until her expression changed to shock. Molly saw the familiar misidentification written all over her face and almost laughed. If there was a lesbian in a crowd, Molly could identify them, just by their initial reaction upon seeing her. This method had about a ninety percent accuracy rating in Molly’s experience. She actually believed it was more accurate, but the closeted ones skewed her results. Leslie was an anomaly, with no reaction at all. Molly needed to disrupt the woman’s star struck fantasy by introducing herself. She walked over to the desk, smiling, trying not to look like a lesbian icon.

  “Hi, I’m Molly.”

  The woman stuttered out, “You’re not —”

  Molly cut her off. “No, I’m not. My name really is Molly.”

  “Wow, I thought — well, I don’t know what I thought, but wow. I guess you get that all the time.”

  Molly grinned. “Yes, I do.”

  “Especially when you smile like that. It’s the dimple, I think.” The woman paused, sliding the reading glasses from her face. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t embarrass you. My name is Shauna. Could I help you find something? I’d be happy to give you a tour.”

  Molly was thinking this woman would definitely like to give her a tour, fulfill some fantasy in the stacks with a stand-in for the woman of her dreams. A di
fferent day, another library, Molly might have played along, but she was on a mission and for some reason, Leslie popped into her head. That rarely happened, thinking of one woman while another prospect was in front of her. Molly had to wonder if she was mending her ways, or just preoccupied with the latest challenges, both with Leslie and the now six murders she was investigating. Molly had no doubt that Amber did not drive her car off that bridge, anymore than her mother hung herself on a fence.

  “I’d like to look through some old newspapers. Specifically, the years just before and after 1983 and 1991.”

  “That’s going to be on microfiche. Follow me. I’ll help you find what you need.”

  Shauna led Molly to a room at the back of the building.

  “They kept the children’s books in this room,” Molly said, setting her briefcase on the heavy wooden library table in the middle of the room.

  “You’ve been here before?”

  “Yes, when I was young. I left Waitesville when I was ten years old.”

  Shauna’s expression changed. She was reasoning something out in her mind and when she settled on the answer, she spoke. “You’re that lawyer from Durham. I heard about you.”

  Molly reached into the briefcase for a notepad and a pen. She smiled at Shauna. “Oh really, and what have you heard?”

  “That you’re here to get Joey out of jail.”

  Shauna knew more. Molly could tell by the way she shied away from eye contact, now. Molly moved over to one of the microfiche viewers, saying, “I’m sure that’s not all you’ve heard.”

  Shauna went to the file cabinets lining the wall, avoiding an answer, by asking, “Did you say years before and after —”

  “Let’s do ’82 to ’84 and ’89 through ’91.” Molly gave a wider range than she was actually looking for, just to be a bit clandestine about her search.

  “Okay. There’s only been one paper since 1980, so that makes it easy.” Shauna opened several drawers, while Molly watched.