Morrison sat on one of the living room couches next to Marie. “Mrs. Whitaker, first I want to ask whether you are aware you don’t have to talk to anyone about the incident since you are Jessie’s wife, and the law gives you the same rights as the accused?”
“I told her,” Jessie squawked.
Marie felt better after coming inside and not having to see the blood-stained driveway. “I know I don’t have to testify if I don’t want to, but I didn’t see any harm in giving the police a statement. Besides, I did hit the man with a lamp.”
“You did?” Morrison said, surprised. The docile woman beside him didn’t appear capable of killing a bug much less hitting someone with a lamp. Any jury seeing her would immediately conclude there must have been extreme circumstances to cause her to react in that manner. And most D.A.s weren’t stupid and wouldn’t even consider taking a case to trial unless they were confident of a conviction.
“He was pretty rough on Jessie. Not saying he didn’t deserve it, but the man—Martin Townsend I believe—was out of control, enraged. I just . . . just had no idea that Jessie would shoot him though.” She gave Jessie a withering look.
“I’m sorry. I know this is difficult for you. I’ll be as brief as I can. I just want to get a picture of the chain of events, so I’ll know how the District Attorney is likely to handle this. Of course, D.A.s don’t much care about real guilt or innocence, just whether they can get a conviction.”
Marie frowned hearing this last comment.
“So I assume you heard a disturbance that brought you outside, at which time you saw a man beating your husband. And obviously Jessie wasn’t able to defend himself or you wouldn’t have . . . um intervened. Is that correct?”
Marie nodded as she focused her eyes on the crumpled Kleenex in her hand.
“What was your position at the time your wife hit the deceased, Jessie?”
“I’m not exactly sure. I was either face down on the concrete or on my hands and knees trying to make it to my car. I thought the guy was going to kill me. In fact, that’s what he was screaming. ‘I’ll kill you, you son of a bitch,’ or something like that. I was pretty scared, so it’s hard to remember exactly, but that’s pretty close.”
“You definitely thought your life was in danger?”
“Hell, yeah, I did. Look at my face.”
“I have. Believe me,” Morrison said and threw in a comforting smile he was sure Jessie understood.
“Unless they can prove you somehow lured him out here with the intent of shooting him, I don’t see any cause for concern at this point. I’ll talk to the police and get their reports and then speak with the D.A. I’ll call and let you know what they say, but I wouldn’t spend any time worrying about any charges. Not going to happen. Especially with your wife’s intervention.”
Morrison said the last hoping it might lessen Jessie’s berating, at least temporarily. Jessie was not his favorite client. He couldn’t bring himself to telling her that the D.A. could choose to charge her the same as Jessie or with a lesser charge since she had indeed been involved in the chain of events that led to the man’s death.
Plus, the deceased did not have a weapon.
State of mind was the key factor, both on the deceased’s part and the Whitaker’s.
“One more thing, Jessie. What was your relationship with the deceased? Was there any trouble between you prior to this?”
“Plenty.”
“Do I need to know about it now?”
“I caused a row at one of the restaurants in town after my daughter was kidnapped. The dead guy was in there with a kid who was involved in it.”
Wrinkles across Morrison’s forehead showed his concern. “I’m very sorry about your daughter. This ‘kid’ is under arrest I assume.”
“No, he’s not under arrest. That’s all in Jessie’s mind,” Marie said.
Jessie leapt from the armchair. “So you say. The little punk has you all fooled. Just shut it, Marie. I’ve heard enough out of you for one day.”
Marie stood up. “Careful what you ask for, Jessie. You just might get it.”
38
Telling Belinda
Bart looked at his cell phone to see who was calling. He almost dropped it trying to hit the “answer” icon but quickly calmed himself to keep from scaring the caller away.
“Danny, where are you?”
“In Florida, Mr. Phillips. Sorry to run off like I did, but I had to find Caroline and couldn’t wait. Hope I’m not in trouble.”
“Well, you’re not in any trouble, but you sure caused a lot. Not altogether your fault though.”
“I found Caroline.”
Bart almost dropped the phone again. “You did? Where? What part of Florida?”
“Canaveral Beach. We’re at the hospital. Caroline is okay, but the girl who was with her has a bad cut on her leg, so I brought her here. But now . . . we can’t leave.
“It’s hard to explain, but some guy who wasn’t with the kidnappers found out where Caroline was too and shot them but then he tried to shoot me but I shot him first and now the cops, I mean the police, are keeping us here asking all these questions, and I called you hoping you might could talk to them and, you know, help us get back home. I’m pretty tired and so is Caroline.”
“Whoa. Whoa. That’s quite a mouthful. One thing at a time. Was the guy who shot Bernard’s nephew and the others a little on the tall side and slender?”
“I don’t think he shot Slink. Looked like Slink slinked away, but he shot the other two. I saw ‘em when I went inside to get my phone, but not Slink.”
“Okay, but was he—”
“Oh, yeah, sorry. Yes, sir, what you said is right. Tall and slim.”
“We think we know who he is, or, well, I have an idea why he was there.”
“You do? Why? How did he find us?”
Bart took a deep breath and let it out slow.
“Are you there, Mr. Phillips?”
“Yes. Yes, I’m still here, Danny. Look, there’s been an awful lot happened since you left, and I don’t want to tell you about it over the phone. How were you planning on returning and when?”
“As soon as the police let us. We’re gonna drive back.”
“Has Caroline called her family yet?”
“No, sir, she’s too mad. She thinks . . . I suppose, well, I’ll let her speak for herself about what she thinks, if she wants to. But I don’t reckon she’ll be calling home.”
“I believe I know what she thinks, and, just between me and you, it’s very possible she’s right. But don’t repeat me on that.
“Okay, here’s what we’ll do. I’ll call the D.A. down there and try to straighten things out. I’ll have to promise him or her you won’t be a flight risk because I’m sure they have a lot of investigating to do. If that doesn’t work, I can get the FBI to call because Caroline’s kidnapping is a federal case and supersedes the case there. You should know in a couple hours if I got through. If not, call me back.
“Now listen. I don’t know what your plans are, but it wouldn’t be wise for you to take Caroline home, so we’ll need to meet somewhere when you get back here and I’ll take her home. When you took off and no one knew where you were and then some other things happened, the FBI originally thought . . . oh, crap, I’ll tell you all that later. Just stop at a service station outside the county and I’ll meet you there. Call me when you reach Macon, so I’ll know you’re close.”
“What else happened, Mr. Phillips? Nothing happened to my mother, did it? I left her a note, so how come the FBI—”
Bart heard the worry in Danny’s voice. “Forget those buttheads, Danny. I’ll take of them, don’t worry. And your mother’s fine. Did you say you shot the other guy?”
“Had to, Mr. Phillips. He shot at me and then Caroline jumped on him and gave me a chance to get to a gun that . . . well, I had a little gun and got lucky I guess. Anyways, he’s dead, although it sure made me feel bad afterwards.”
“You hav
e to do what you have to do sometimes and can tell me all about it when you get home. Call me when you leave from down there. Oh, one more thing. I’m headed to your mother’s now. I’ll tell her you’re okay.”
“How do you know I haven’t already called her?”
“I’m a D.A., smart guy.”
Bart disconnected and smiled. He liked the kid despite the fact he’d run off in the middle of an investigation. But loyalty to a friend was a pretty good reason to run off. Dang kid pulled it off too. Found both girls and took out a contract killer in the process. Not bad for a day’s work. “Doubt if I could do it,” he whispered.
He decided not to wait and called Belinda.
“This is Bart, Belinda. I just talked with Danny and he’s fine. He found his friend too. She and the other girl are okay, although one of them—the other girl—was slightly injured and is being treated at the local hospital. They’re in Florida. I’m gonna pull a few strings so they can drive back in what I hope are a few hours.”
“Oh, thank you, Bart, thank you. I was afraid to answer the phone. Afraid it would be more bad news. Thank goodness he’s okay.”
“Yes, you can cross that off your worry list. Imagine that. Finding those girls all by himself while half the country’s looking for them. Ha. What do you mean by ‘more bad news?’ ”
“Reverend Holcomb is here. I know about Martin.”
Bart’s throat tightened and his stomach felt a stab of pain. “Belinda, I’m at a loss to tell you how deeply saddened I am by this. I was on my way to tell you about it myself.”
“That’s thoughtful of you, but I’d much rather you find out what happened to Martin. I mean, I know Jessie Whitaker shot him but—”
“Don’t you worry. I’m going to find out exactly what happened and make damn sure Jessie Whitaker pays for it if there’s any way possible. You sound better than I expected. You must be heartbroken.”
“I’m just numb, Bart, and want to stay that way. It’s too much for me to handle right now. I appreciate the reverend coming by, but half my worries are over now that Danny’s safe. I’m going to drink some hot tea and go to bed. I’m exhausted.”
“I’ll bet you are. I don’t expect Danny and his friend to get back here before morning. He and Whitaker’s daughter are driving back together. Can you believe it? I’m going to meet them outside the county to avoid any trouble and take the girl home myself. I’ll check on you after that and fill you in on what I find out. How’s that sound?”
“That’s fine. You’re a decent man, Bart, and have always been a good friend.”
“I’m sorry, Belinda. I wish I could do more. Hey, something just occurred to me. Professionally speaking, it might not be appropriate for me to be with Whitaker’s daughter. Conflict of interest wise. Since Holcomb is right there, I’m gonna ask him to take her home. He ought to love that. Give him a chance to get on good terms with Jessie.”
“Danny doesn’t think much of Holcomb; I’ll warn you of that right now.”
“Oh, yeah, I’d forgotten about the church incident. Well, I’ll talk to Danny about that when he calls me back. They don’t know about the shooting, and I didn’t have the heart to tell him over the phone. Just that a lot had happened since he left. Since he and the girl are so close, I think it best they not be together when they hear the news. That’d be a lot of emotional baggage to work through, don’t you think?”
“Danny really took to Martin. I think he’ll be devastated when he hears the news. He loves that girl too though. Sort of like Martin and me in some ways. I wonder if she cares as much about Danny.”
“I gather as much, yes. Let me speak to Holcomb. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
39
Leaving Florida
“He said he’d call the big shots here and see what he could do. Maybe in a couple hours we can leave.”
Caroline lay curled up on an examining table in an emergency room cubicle. Her eyes blinked open, and she forced a weary smile. “Thank goodness. I’m too tired to keep answering the same questions. I wish we’d just dropped Brandy off and left.”
“I think they’ve had about enough of me just up and leaving. I know I have. Can’t get it out of my mind what other people are thinking or worrying. He said a lot had happened back home but wouldn’t tell me what it was. He wants to meet us outside of town, and he’ll take you home from there.”
Caroline jerked erect. “I’m not going back to that house. To that devil. I’m not.”
Danny left the chair and sat next to her. “My mom wouldn’t mind you staying with us, but your daddy would go nuts.”
“He’s already nuts. I could stay with Brandy, but she’ll be here for a couple days. I don’t know anyone else well enough.”
“You don’t have to decide now. Maybe we can think of something on the way home.”
Caroline yawned then leaned against Danny and laid her head on his lap. “Let’s don’t go home.”
40
Macon
Caroline and Danny drove in relative silence once they left Canaveral Beach. Caroline slept with her head on Danny’s shoulder. She insisted on driving after they stopped for gas and hamburgers outside Savannah. Danny told her about Martin being his father before passing out on the backseat.
The radio in the Taurus didn’t ease Caroline’s worries as the miles flashed by. Her only choice was to stay at home. At least until Brandy came home, which wouldn’t be for a few days, and she didn’t know whether that would really work out. She had a few thousand dollars in a checking account but Jessie would stop that pretty quick if she moved out. Maybe her mother would help her think of something. If she would stand up to Jessie, that is.
When the road sign read “Macon 50 miles,” Caroline took the next exit and stopped at a Quick Trip service station to wake Danny and get coffee.
She opened the rear door and tickled his ear. He didn’t stir.
“Danny, wake up,” she cooed in his ear while rubbing his shoulder.
He stretched and rolled on his back. One eye opened and searched for her face. “Hmmm, wished your face was the first thing I saw every time I wake up. But closer.”
Caroline cuddled beside him and put a hand on his neck. “Is this close enough?”
Danny grinned. “Almost.”
Caroline cupped his face in her hands and kissed him gently. “How’s that? Better?”
“This must be Heaven.”
“Sorry to break it to you, baby, but we’d better come down from the clouds. We’re about an hour from Macon. I thought you’d better wake up a little before calling your friend.”
Danny sat up. “Good idea. Gosh, I feel like I’ve been run over by a truck.”
Caroline kissed him again. “Better?”
“Maybe a car?”
“Very romantic.” She grinned mischievously and took his hand. “Come on. Let’s get you awake.” She pulled him from the car and into the station. “Bathroom first, then coffee.”
“I’ve been thinking while you were asleep,” Caroline said after a sip of coffee. “I can’t see any other option but to stay home, unless my mother will help me.”
“You think she will?”
“If she can get her backbone up. You’ve seen how wild he is, but he treats Mom like dirt. I don’t know how she takes it.”
“I do.”
Caroline gave him a quizzical look.
“Because of you.”
She nodded and sighed. “Keeping both of us prisoners. Just how he likes it.”
Danny squeezed her hand. “Things have a way of working out. My mom says that all the time, and most of the time she’s right.”
“Your mom always looks so dignified. I think she’s beautiful. I call it ‘quiet beauty.” I can’t resist staring at her when I see her at church.”
“I’ll take your word for that. Hard for a guy to say that about his mother.”
“Men,” Caroline said with an exaggerated look of disdain.
“Why don’t you call
your friend now? We’re not that far from Macon.”
Danny handed her the phone. “Dial it for me, please. It’s the last number I called. Just hit redial.”
“Here, it’s ringing.”
“Mr. Phillips, this is Danny. We’re almost at Macon.”
“Hello Danny; thanks for calling. There’s been a slight change of plans. I’m not going to be able to take your friend home because it might be construed as a conflict of interest. You understand?”
“I guess so. You mean because of what we talked about before. That guy who followed me?”
“Yes, exactly, but some other stuff too. Stuff you’ll find out about when you get home. Too much to go into over the phone. I know he’s not your first choice but Reverend Holcomb agreed to meet you and take Whitaker’s daughter home. I wanted to keep your homecoming quiet, and he happened to be at your mom’s house when I called.”
The line was quiet.
“Danny, you still there?”
“I think I’d better let you speak with Caroline about that, Mr. Phillips.”
Danny handed the phone to Caroline and listened as Caroline first resisted ever speaking to the preacher again after the church incident but finally relented as the D.A.’s logic and insistence gradually wore her down.
“Holcomb will meet you in two hours at the Waffle House just before you reach the county line. Will that be enough time?” Bart asked Danny after Caroline had pretty much thrown the phone back to him.
“Should be. You told Mom I was coming?”
“I sure did. She was quite relieved, as you might guess.”
“Okay then, Mr. Phillips. Thanks for everything.”
“You’re welcome. Take care now.”
** *
Reverend Holcomb stood outside the Waffle House. He recognized Caroline as soon as she stepped from the car. He waved to get her attention but had the good sense to wait where he was and not approach Danny.
“I don’t like this at all, but I’m going along with it because I don’t see any other choice. I hope your mother isn’t too upset about you leaving.” Caroline wrapped her arms around Danny and laid her cheek on his shoulder. “But I’m sure glad you did.”
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