by Ann Mullen
“We’re not on your side, just yet,” I said. “We’ll have to check out Daisy’s story. Not that I don’t believe you, but I’d like to see that ticket stub from Skyline Drive and a copy of your airline stub. Perhaps you can fax that to us as well. If what you say is true and you can provide us with those receipts, then I’ll believe your story. No offense, but even the police require proof.”
“I understand your position,” Gabe replied. “You don’t know us very well, so I can see why you’d insist on proof. I’ll fax everything to you tonight. It might be late. I hope that’s all right.”
“That will be fine, Gabe,” Billy said. He held out his hand.
Gabe took his hand and shook it. He turned and looked at me. “I like your spunk, Jesse. As soon as I can get that information to you, I’m sure your opinion of us will change, and I’d rather have you on our side than against us. I remember hearing your mom tell the ladies that she could always count on you to get to the truth. She said you have no fear.”
“I don’t know if that last part is true, but she’s right about getting to the truth. When something gets stuck in my craw, I can’t seem to let go until I get it out… if you know what I mean.”
We talked for several more minutes before Gabe turned to leave.
“I’m sure we’ll be talking again,” Gabe said. “One last thing—I’m glad you came here today. Even if you’re uncertain about us, I think we can change your opinion. We’re going to need all the help we can get to get through this. Who knows, we might turn out to be good friends in the end.”
Gabe walked back down the hall and then disappeared into Daisy’s hospital room as we stepped into the elevator.
“I don’t think I’ll go as far as to say we could become good friends with these people, but I do like Gabe. I think he’s a good man and I believe he believes his wife. The fact that her brother tried to kill my mother will never sit well with me.”
Billy pressed the button for the ground floor.
“Do you think Daisy is innocent?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “Do you believe her story?”
“I’m just beginning to see a different side to this tale. I think Daisy did something foolish, told someone about it, and from there everything spiraled out of control. I think it’s a possibility that someone used Kansas to further his or her cause. Kansas was mentally off key and was a good target for someone who needed help to pull this off. Kansas would be the fall guy, and in the process, it would lend credence to a conviction against Daisy.”
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t you see, Jesse? If someone’s trying to lay the blame for the death of those women at Daisy’s feet, why not persuade her brother to get involved. He probably had no idea what he was doing. Suppose someone told Kansas that your mother was trying to hurt his sister and that he had to stop her. From what I gather, it wouldn’t be very hard to convince him. His mentality was like that of a child. He suffered brain damage from a suicide attempt.”
“He tried to kill himself over a woman. We didn’t explore that situation with Daisy. We know his girlfriend drowned in a boating accident, but we don’t know all the details. Maybe we should go back and talk to her about it.”
“I think we’ve pushed her far enough for one day. Let’s give her a little breathing room.”
“Okay, but tonight let’s give Gabe a call and see what he has to say about the woman in the photo.”
We walked out of the elevator and were walking down the hall when I got a glimpse of a familiar face across the lobby. I couldn’t place the face and when I looked back, the woman was nowhere in sight. I stopped and looked around.
“What’s the matter,” Billy asked.
“I just saw someone. I don’t know who it was, but I’m sure I know that face. I have that gut feeling thing going on.”
“I’m always running into people I can’t place. I either can’t remember their name, or they can’t remember mine. It happens often.”
“But this was different. I felt like she was watching me… like she was standing there just waiting for me. Now that was an eerie feeling. Let’s get out of here. I’m starting to get paranoid.”
“You have every right to be. After the trauma you suffered at the hands of Kansas Moon, I’m surprised you’re not on anti-depressants.”
“Been there…done that.”
“Yes, I remember,” Billy said. “I hope that being my wife has helped relieve some of those old anxieties.”
“Yes, it has.”
I kissed Billy right there in the middle of the lobby. I didn’t care who was watching. If some weirdo was out there following me, maybe she’d get an eyeful. I hope it made her jealous. Wait… no, I don’t. I don’t want some crazy nut case coming after me. I have enough of those chasing me in my dreams. I guess that comes with the territory. When you snoop around for a living you make a few enemies. People just don’t like having their privacy invaded. And that’s what a private investigator does. We creep around in the darkness and spy on people. I guess we’re no better than a peeping Tom, except we do it for a living and not because we get some sick pleasure out of it.
“Come on,” Billy said as he stepped back. “We can’t be smooching right here in the lobby. Let’s go to the car and do it.”
“Do what, you crazy old man?”
“You know you love this crazy old man, `ge ya. Come on. Let’s go make love in the car.”
“You’re out of your mind.”
“I can’t help it. You’re so sexy!’
“It’s these big boobs that turn you on.”
“I do like them,” Billy said as he put his arm around my waist and led me outside. “But I found you sexy before you had big boobs, and I’ll still think you’re sexy when they go back to their normal size.”
“Oh, stop! You’re making me depressed.”
“We can’t have that.”
We crossed the road and walked the flight of concrete steps to the upper level of the parking garage. Billy held my hand as we made our journey. As soon as we approached the 4Runner, I looked down and noticed that we had a flat tire.
“What on earth? I can’t believe I have a flat tire on my brand new car. Someone sure has a lot of nerve!”
Billy stooped down to examine the tire.
“It’s been slashed.”
“Are you for real? Someone slashed my tire right here in broad daylight. I don’t believe it. What’s this world coming to? Oh, Lord. I sound just like my mother.”
“I don’t think that’s so bad. Your mother is a fine `ge ya,” Billy said as he opened the back hatch and began to take out the car jack and spare tire. “I’m proud to have her in my family.”
“She’s proud to have you in ours. She tells me all the time how lucky I am to have you. She was sure I was destined to be an old maid. Then you came along and saved me from what was sure to be a life filled with emptiness and despair.”
“Sometimes you can be such a cynic.”
“I know. My mother taught me not to trust strangers. I think that’s what put me on the path to cynicism. I’m always looking for the evil hidden behind those fake smiles.”
“Now you’re blaming your poor mother.”
“Actually, it was her fear that someday one of her kids would get snatched up by a stranger and never be seen again that helped me to continuously be aware of my surroundings. Women, especially, should never let their guard down and they should always be on the alert.”
Billy jacked up the car and removed the flat tire. He replaced it with the spare and then said, “We need to get a new tire immediately. This is a donut tire and it’s not meant to be driven on for long. It’s only a temporary fix.”
“How soon is soon?”
“We should stop at Redman’s Auto and see if Daniel has one in stock.”
“Right now?”
“Yes, and the sooner the better. These tires are only meant to be driven on for about fifty miles. We might get a hundred m
iles out of it, but that would be pushing our luck. As I said, these tires are a temporary fix.”
“Oh man. I forgot to call Mom.”
“What?”
“I just remembered that call in the hospital. It came from our house. I checked Caller ID just before that old grouchy nurse made me turn off the phone. I’d better call home right now.”
I turned on the phone, waited for it to do its thing and then pressed the number one. The phone automatically dialed the house. As I stood and waited for someone to pick up on the other end, I looked up and saw the face of the same woman who had been staring at me in the hospital lobby. Without thinking, I slammed the phone shut and said, “There’s that woman I saw in the hospital, Billy. I’m going to find out who she is.”
“Jesse, don’t…” Billy started to say, but by then I was already out of earshot.
I threw the strap of my purse over my shoulder so that it crossed my body and kept me from having to carry it. I dug inside and pulled out my can of mace. I didn’t have my gun on me because we were going inside the hospital and they don’t take kindly to people entering a hospital carrying a gun, unless they’re a cop. All I had on me for protection was the mace, but in a pinch and aimed just right, the mace would serve the purpose. It would stop the perp in his tracks… or her tracks.
The woman had disappeared behind the parked cars and trucks.
As I rounded the corner in the parking garage, I came face-to-face with Billy.
He grabbed me by the arm and said, “What are you doing? Have you lost your mind?”
We heard tires squeal and looked up just in time to see the woman who had been following us fly by.
“That’s the woman in the hospital. She’s been following us, Billy.”
She peeled rubber and was out of sight in a flash. She was fast, but not fast enough.
“Write this down, Jesse.”
I did as he said. I opened my purse and took out a pen and a small tablet. Billy rattled off the license plate numbers and identified the car as a green, Ford Mustang convertible.
“When we get home I’ll find out who owns this car,” he said.
I stood admiring the car that just flew passed us. “Nice car,” I said. “I’ve always liked the Mustang. When I was in high school I dated a guy who had one, and I swore that one day, I’d have one of my very own. But that never happened.”
“It’s not too late,” Billy said.
“Ha… ha. I can see me now with two kids riding around with the top down and the kids strapped in the back seat. Child Services would be all over me. No thanks. Not to mention the fact that it wouldn’t be good for the kids. Have you ever ridden in the back of a convertible with the top down? The wind is so strong, you can hardly breathe. Imagine what it would be like for a little child. I’ll pass.”
“The car would be a fun car, not a family car.”
“Okay, I’m sold. Buy me one,” I joked.
“I’ll run right out and get you one,” he replied. “What color do you want? You choose.”
Knowing Billy as I do, he probably would. It seemed that his goal in life was to make me happy, a trait of his that didn’t go unappreciated. I am truly thankful to have a man so devoted to me. Men like Billy are few and far between. This, no woman would dispute.
“Thanks, but not today, dear. Let’s put that on the back burner for the time being.” I patted him on the back and then put my arms around his waist and said, “You’re going to spoil me.”
“That’s my job.”
We walked back to the car. Billy finished with the tire and as we pulled out of the parking space, it dawned on me that no one had returned my call. I was sure the phone had rung at least two times. That was enough for Caller ID to pick up on the call. Why hadn’t someone called me back?
I pulled out my phone and hit number one again.
The phone rang and rang. I was just about ready to close it up when someone on the other end answered. The voice didn’t sound familiar.
“Who is this?” I asked.
“This is Geneva,” the woman said. “Who is this?”
“This is Jesse. Where’s my mother?”
“Just a minute,” she said. “I’ll go get Sarah.” She placed the phone down and then yelled out Sarah’s name.
A minute later, Sarah picked up the phone and said, “Jesse, is that you?”
“Yes, it’s me. What’s going on there? Where’s my mother and what is Geneva doing at our house? She wasn’t supposed to come until this weekend. She’s a little early.”
“I tried to call you, but got disconnected. I called several times and a recording came on. Has your phone been off?”
The pit of my stomach churned.
“Sarah, where’s my mother?”
“You need to come home right now. Your mother’s been arrested.”
“Where is she?”
“I assume that she’s at the Greene County Sheriff’s Office. I didn’t recognize the deputy, but she had on a Greene County uniform and was driving one of their cars.”
“How are the kids?”
“They’re fine, Jesse. We’ve been…”
“We’re going to the Sheriff’s Office. Don’t let Geneva take Maisy anywhere until we get back and I have a chance to talk with her. I’ll call as soon as we find out anything.”
I slammed the phone shut.
“What’s the matter, `ge ya. Your face is pale.”
“Mom’s been arrested. We need to go help her.”
“Where’s she being held?”
“She’s at the Greene County Sheriff’s Office.”
Instead of making the turn that would put us on our way home, Billy continued through the traffic light on Rt. 29, heading toward the intersection in Ruckersville, and then on to Stanardsville.
“Let’s go get your mom out of jail,” he said with a slight chuckle.
“It’s not funny, Billy.”
“I snickered because it’s usually one of us who’s been arrested. I can’t picture your mom behind bars. She’s never done a bad thing in her life. Nu-da-nv-dv-na! There goes her reputation!”
“Insane, huh?”
“Very good, `ge ya. You’re getting better.”
I had to agree with Billy. My mother being in jail was like arresting the sheriff. It was insane. She’s the one who has a set of rules for us to live by, and she enforces those rules. Her word is law. Isn’t that how it’s supposed to work?
However ridiculous the idea of my mother sitting in a jail cell was, that image terrified me. Hardened criminals are in jails! My mother didn’t belong there! My anxiety level soared as I started to breathe hard.
“Oh, God,” I said. “Here we go again. Where’s my paper bag?”
Chapter 21
The drive to the Greene County Sheriff’s Office took us an hour and twenty minutes. The traffic had been backed up due to an overturned semi-tractor trailer in front of Sheetz gas station and had been rerouted via Advance Mills Road. The speed limit was twenty-five mph and slow going. Traffic was at a standstill most of the way.
By the time I got out of the 4Runner, I was livid and uncontrollable. My head felt as if it was going to explode. I don’t know what was worse—the anger I was dealing with because of my mother being arrested, or the fear I felt at the thought that someone might do her harm while in custody.
Billy had tried to console me. He assured me that Mom would be placed in a cell by herself.
“How do you know?” I asked.
“I know Sheriff Hudson. Trust me, Jesse. Nothing is going to happen to your mother. The sheriff will see to it.”
“Why do I have a hard time believing that?”
“You’re scared,” Billy said. “You love your mother and you’re worried about her. It’s only natural that you’re concerned. I’m sure she’s fine.”
“There’s been a mistake.”
“I’m sure there has been. Your mother’s done nothing wrong. Don’t worry. She’ll be back home before y
ou know it. Just you wait and see.”
“Yeah… why would they arrest Mom? She hasn’t done anything.”
“Has she been selling drugs?”
I looked at Billy as I grabbed the door.
“I know you’re trying to make light of the situation by joking, but I’m in no mood to laugh. This is serious.”
“I’m sorry, `ge ya. When we take your mother home and everything settles down, you will laugh about this.”
“I doubt that.”
We got out of the 4Runner and headed inside the Sheriff’s Office. We walked up to the glass partition that separated them from us.
The deputy behind the window pointed to the telephone on the wall.
Billy and I looked over at the wall and then walked over to the phone.
I picked up the receiver and said, “We’re here to get my mother out of jail. It seems that one of your deputies came to our house and arrested her while we were gone. So now, if you please, would you go get my mother?” I looked at Billy. “This is so ridiculous. I can’t believe they arrested Mom. She’s never…”
“Miss…”
“My name is Jesse Watson Blackhawk and I want to see my mother right now!” Tears streamed down my cheeks and my heart pounded in my chest. I banged on the glass with the palm of my hand.
The deputy jumped. Startled, he responded quickly. “Miss, you need to calm down. I don’t know who your mother is, but I can assure you she’s not here. As a matter-of-fact, all the cells are empty for a change. There’s no one here except me, a few other deputies and the sheriff. I can ask Sheriff Hudson to come out and talk with you if you’d like.”
Stunned was a weak word to describe how I felt. Shocked and confused, I gather my wits and said, “Yes, please ask the sheriff to come out here. I want to talk to him.”
“Hold the phone for just a minute,” he said. The deputy got up and walked out of the room for a second. When he returned, he said, “Sheriff Hudson will be with you as soon as he can. He’s on the phone right now. Why don’t you have a seat?” He pointed to the chairs along the wall.
I hung up the phone and then walked over to the chairs. Billy stood beside me.