Pushing Up Bluebonnets: A Yellow Rose Mystery

by Leann Sweeney

  Turned out, JoLynn Richter went home to Magnolia Ranch without even making the transfer to Methodist Hospital. She was transported by ambulance with Maxine by her side on Tuesday, two days after Ian McFarland's arrest. Just hours later, Ian was out on bail after being indicted for second-degree murder. Seems the preliminary autopsy results indicated Kent Dugan had been run over by a car at least twice, probably more. Some accident.

  I was busy writing up my case report for Elliott Richter late that afternoon when he called me. ''I was wrong, Abby, and I've apologized to Chief Boyd as well. I wanted you to know I've decided not to assist Ian in his defense. I simply cannot support him, not after what he did. In some twisted way, I suppose he thought he was protecting me. At any rate, I shouldn't have behaved the way I did in that police station.''

  ''You believed in your friend. That's not a bad thing. But he has money of his own, right?'' I stroked Diva, who was purring on my lap as I sat in my office chair.

  ''Plenty. Simone doesn't know I've refused to help him and I've convinced Adele not to tell her. At least not now. I understand he's hired a high-priced attorney.'' Richter sighed. ''You know what that means.''

  ''Bad-guy victim and high-priced defense attorney? I smell acquittal. But that won't happen for at least a year,'' I said. ''How is Simone handling this?''

  ''She doesn't know he found her pictures and stole her camera. That may come out in the trial. Maybe he'll tell her himself now that he's free. I've instructed him to clear off my property, though. I don't want him anywhere near JoLynn.''

  ''I don't think he meant for her to get hurt,'' I said. ''He was . . . jealous on several levels. Wanted her gone. At least that's my take.''

  Richter was silent for several seconds. ''Jealous? I never thought of it that way.''

  ''He was your friend, closer to you than any of your family. Until JoLynn showed up.''

  ''You are a very smart young woman. And another smart young woman in my family will be headed for school, despite being devastated by her father's arrest. I've convinced Adele to soften her approach with Simone, support the girl's dream rather than beat her down,'' he said.

  ''Good for you. Simone is very special. And how's JoLynn?''

  ''Making amazing progress. The young are so resilient. We have the physical therapists coming every day. But Ms. Norman's days are numbered. I'm working on patience and acceptance, but she's trying me, Abby. And she's chased Estelle off. That young woman was the hardest worker I think I've ever had.''

  You have no idea, I thought. He then gave me an open invitation to the ranch and I told him to expect me often, especially when Otto was cooking pork roast.

  Not long after I hung up, my doorbell rang and to my surprise, I saw Cooper Boyd on my security monitor. He was wearing street clothes, which seemed odd if he was in town to talk over the case with DeShay and Chavez.

  After I let him in, I opened my arms for a hug. ''I don't think I got to thank you for being such a great partner.''

  ''I'm the one who should be thanking you. You figured out Ian stole his daughter's camera, not to mention that he confiscated those pictures and told Kent Dugan JoLynn was at Magnolia Ranch.''

  ''You ever need someone to interview eighteen-yearold girls, I guess I'm your woman. I feel bad for Simone, though. Her father was the typical good-guy parent as opposed to her bad-guy mom. She adores Ian.''

  ''Maybe she'll adore him less when she realizes exactly what he did.''

  ''You mean when she has all the facts? Facts are important to you, Cooper Boyd,'' I said with a wry grin.

  ''Cut me some slack, Abby. I'm newly unemployed.''

  ''What are you talking about?'' I said.

  ''I quit. I'll go back to help my successor, but today I'm in town to hunt for an apartment. I've had no luck with the classifieds and decided I needed your help again. Got any ideas where I should start looking?''

  ''I have a former client who's a Realtor. Her name is Emma Lopez and I'd love to see her again. But you're skipping past the important part. Why did you quit?''

  ''I gave small-town police work my best shot, but this case? I realized I'm not done working the bigger crimes. I've been offered reinstatement in the Houston FBI office. They didn't want me to leave DC in the first place, but . . . never mind. Let's save my history for another time.''

  ''Sure. Come into my office and I'll look up Emma's number,'' I said.

  He took out his cell phone and flipped it open. ''While you're at it, I'd like to add Kate's number to my address book. I sort of forgot to get that important piece of information.''

  I rattled it off, thinking that this day had gone very well.

  Epilogue

  Kate and I visited JoLynn several times in the months following her return to Magnolia Ranch as did her good friend Roberta Messing. Maxine was gone after a few weeks and so were the therapists that her surrogate grandfather had hired. Knowing what Ian McFarland might say in court when his day came, Elliott Richter explained to his family that JoLynn was mistaken about Katarina, though she sincerely believed she was related to the Richters when she made the false ID. I was guessing they'd been reassured their piece of the pie wouldn't be affected by her mistake, because they all seemed a lot more friendly to her. And I also got the feeling Scott Morton was absolutely tickled the two of them weren't blood relations.

  Once JoLynn was nearly recovered—a few memory problems lingered, but that's all—I called and asked her if she'd do me a favor and take a little trip into the city with me. There was someone I wanted her to meet. She agreed and when I arrived at Magnolia Ranch, she looked better than ever. There was only a faint scar on her forehead and she seemed truly happy.

  I didn't tell her where we were going, just said it was a surprise. JoLynn felt very connected to Kate and so that's where our conversation turned on the two-hour drive.

  JoLynn stretched out her legs and settled back. ''Kate's got a new guy, doesn't she?''

  ''What makes you say that?'' I said.

  ''Every time we talk, even though she's all about help

  ing me heal emotionally and all that stuff, she seems, well, happier than when we first met.''

  ''I have to agree,'' I said, setting the cruise control.

  ''And it's a guy, right?''

  ''Being twenty, you'd think like that. But you're right, it is a guy.''

  ''I'm twenty-one now,'' she said. ''Come on. Tell me, Abby.''

  ''You remember Chief Boyd?''

  ''Of course. He quit right after I got home from the hospital. I thought having to find out all my secrets, all about Kent and Ian and the wreck, made him tired. I mean, he's old.''

  I laughed out loud. ''He's in his forties, JoLynn.''

  ''That's old. Are you saying Kate's with him?''

  ''They're dating,'' I said.

  ''See? You said dating. That's an old word.''

  ''Then I'm old, too,'' I said.

  ''I hope Cooper's cool. I made a huge mistake hooking up with Kent and won't be that stupid again. Kate deserves a great guy. She's beautiful and so, so smart. One thing she told me has really stuck. She said, 'When we know better, we do better.' ''

  ''Sounds like Kate,'' I said.

  The rest of the drive I quizzed her about the Richters and how she was getting along. I was surprised to learn she felt sad when Simone went off to school. They'd become friends. Then JoLynn said she was looking forward to getting her GED so she could go on to college, too.

  When we pulled in front of Shauna Anthony's house, JoLynn still had no idea why we were here. Like Cooper once said, there is something to be said for the element of surprise.

  The visit was no surprise to Shauna, however, and the iced tea and shortbread cookies were again laid out.

  Once we were all sitting down with our tea and our cookies, Oliver close to his mistress as usual, I said, ''Do you remember this lady, JoLynn?''

  ''I—I don't think so.'' She squinted at Shauna.

  ''Well, I remember you,'' Shauna said. ''Yo
u were about this high.'' She held her hand three feet off the ground. ''And you were scared to death.''

  JoLynn covered her mouth, eyes wide. ''Oh my God. You're the police lady.''

  ''I am so thrilled to see you all grown-up, young lady. I'm sorry no one ever adopted you. I should have taken you in myself.''

  JoLynn smiled. ''Someone's adopting me now. Mr. Richter's started the legal process to make me his daughter.''

  ''That's the best news I've had since I woke up and found out I was still alive this morning,'' Shauna said.

  JoLynn didn't seem to know whether to laugh at this joke, so I took the lead and said, ''I'm stealing that line, Shauna.''

  ''Tell me this. Do you remember what happened that night?'' Shauna said. ''It sure has troubled me all these years.''

  JoLynn didn't even blink. ''The shrinks in foster care said I blocked it all out. I don't remember—though the longer I sit here, the more I remember how nice you were to me. You bought me a candy bar—a 3 Musketeers.''

  Shauna's tired eyes brightened. ''That's exactly right. Isn't that odd you remember something so small and yet you blocked out the big things—like who left you there at the bus station.''

  ''Let me tell you, that candy bar was the best thing that happened to me in a long time, Officer Anthony. I never forgot how good it tasted and no candy bar has ever tasted that good since.''

  I watched them interact, feeling good, but I was looking for something else, some kind of recollection on JoLynn's part. Did she recall why she'd been left there that night? Or was she telling the truth, that she'd blocked it all out?

  A half hour later we left, both of us with cookie-filled Baggies. We were spending the night in Houston and I planned on taking her out to dinner with Jeff, Kate and Cooper so we could celebrate JoLynn's return to good health.

  But on the way to my house I couldn't keep quiet another minute.

  I said, ''Your father loves you very much. I hope you'll always remember that.''

  JoLynn's head turned sharply in my direction. ''Are you talking about my new father?''

  ''No. You could fool Shauna and everyone else with your faulty-memory story, but not me.''

  I looked at her from the corner of my eye. She seemed terrified.

  ''Your secret is safe,'' I said. ''You need to know there are angels on your shoulder. Tiny, invisible versions of the angels at Glenwood Cemetery.''

  ''What do you know about me, Abby? Who have you talked to?''

  I regretted saying anything now. I couldn't tell her I'd spoken with her biological family. ''Let's just say I have this feeling you remember what happened before you were dropped off at that bus station.''

  ''I can't talk about that. Not even to you,'' she said.

  ''I understand. Answer me this, though. Why did you go to the cemetery every week?''

  ''Because after I learned the Richter story, I wanted to be loved as much as Katarina was. If I was close to her every week, maybe I could become what she was— someone's beloved child.''

  ''You are that, JoLynn. You are that.''

  I saw a tear slip down her cheek and I reached over and squeezed her hand. ''I'm not a big believer in secrets. Mostly because my job is to uncover them. But don't be afraid. I've been trusted with one secret I'll take to my grave.''