Shattered Dreams

by Frank Hayes

  “Sounds good, Margie. Don’t usually come here to admire the artwork.” Virgil nodded toward the calendar on the wall.

  “Gee, Virgil, I thought you came because of my riveting personality and my insightful comments about the state of the world.”

  “Always that,” he said. “Adds to the culinary experience.”

  By the time she returned, he realized how hungry he was, calculating that he hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast. By the time she brought his coffee, he had wiped the last bit of gravy off his plate with the fragment of a dumpling.

  “Don’t eat the plate, Virgil. I’ll get you a piece of pie.”

  “I’m good, Margie. No reflection on your pie but I gotta get back. Can’t be gone too long.” When he stepped outside, he was surprised to see a coating of snow covering the world. There was little activity to be seen. Only two cars went by on Main Street on the walk back to the office. He figured a lot of people were back home hugging their families after Dave’s burial. The snow was making the world quieter. Once the cars passed the only sound was the crunch of snow under his feet.

  The one light he had left on in the office only made it seem more dark and lonely. When he opened the door a gust of swirling snow followed him inside. He glanced at the wall clock. It was a little after eight. The thought came to him that at the same time one week before, everybody was celebrating Christmas at the first-ever party at the ranch. He remembered how much Dave was enjoying himself and sharing the news about the baby with anyone who didn’t know. A week ago. It didn’t seem possible.

  After he hung up his jacket, he turned on the TV but saw nothing that interested him, so he scrolled through to the music channels until he found some jazz. Then he went to the holding cells, which were unoccupied, found a push broom and started to sweep. Half an hour later, he had swept out the cells and the office. Then he got a bucket and washed all the floors. He actually broke a sweat. The physical activity made him feel good. Finally, when he was finished with the cleanup, he got a cold can of soda out of the fridge and sat down behind his desk. He sat there listening to some jazz while he drank.

  A loud knock at the door some time later startled him out of a doze. He glanced at the clock then dragged himself out of his chair. There was a second knock before he reached the door. A cold blast of snow greeted him when he opened it. She stood before him, the snow blowing at her back.

  “I know it’s late but I saw the light. I was going to wait until tomorrow, but when I saw your light I thought I’d try.”

  “That’s okay,” Virgil said. “Come inside, out of the weather.” She stepped inside.

  Virgil realized as he closed the door that there was at least three or four inches covering the parking lot. “Can I get you something, a hot drink?” She had brushed the snow from her coat, then took off her woolen hat, which she held in her hands until Virgil took it from her.

  “Here, let me have your coat also.” She took it off, handing it to him. Virgil hung it next to his on the rack of hooks on the wall alongside the door. “Now, how about that hot drink. Find yourself a chair. I’ll be with you in a minute.” He went to the cabinet over the counter, took out a couple of packets of cocoa. A couple of minutes later he set a mug in front of her. “Figured on a snowy night hot cocoa was the way to go.”

  “Thank you. This is great.” She took a sip from the mug, which she held in both hands. He took a sip from his own cup as he slid into his chair.

  “Guess you are wondering why I’m here, especially after the brush-off I gave you on the phone earlier.”

  “Yeah, well, you sure got my curiosity aroused.”

  “Well, let me start by telling you, maybe I’m more than a little paranoid. Maybe this is just a waste of time.”

  “What are we talking about? Tell me what’s got you worried, then I’ll judge whether or not you should sit down with a professional, to start talking about your early life and all the people who abused you.”

  “If it comes to that, I’ve got a list that would choke a goat.” She smiled then took another sip from her cup. “Okay, here goes. After you left the other day I got to thinking and I remembered something Mrs. Stark said the last time she came to the office.”

  “Mrs. Stark, I don’t think I know . . .”

  “Mr. Stark, Michael, was Mr. Jessup’s partner. Remember I told you that I knew him but I didn’t know Mr. Jessup that well. I think he was the primary partner in the company. I met him, Mr. Jessup, on a few occasions, but Mr. Stark, well, he handled the accounting primarily for Sand and Gravel so I saw him pretty frequently. Remember, I think I told you he had an office in the building.

  “Anyway, Mr. Jessup handled the housing development, that’s why I didn’t see him as often. That last day when Mrs. Stark came to the office to collect his personal belongings, I told her how sorry I was about the accident. I remember she looked at me in a strange way. Then she said, ‘Miss Allison, you don’t have an accident that kills you when you are driving along a road that you’ve driven so many times you could do it with your eyes closed.’ She said Michael was an excellent driver. She said from the moment the state police called to tell her what happened, she told them that it was no accident, but she said when he died after being in a coma for a month, she could tell they had moved on, weren’t interested.

  “I didn’t know what to make of it at the time. I guess I was kind of like the state police. I mean, I know that road well. Even a good driver can make a mistake. That road isn’t going to give too many drivers a second chance. Then when you came by it got me to thinking. Even then, I was going to let it go, until Mr. Zambrano came by the day after you came to see me. He was obviously upset, not himself, even almost seemed a little angry that I had spoken to you. I was really puzzled by his behavior. It was like he was almost grilling me about your visit.”

  “But why didn’t you tell me this on the phone when I called today?”

  “Here’s where the paranoia starts to kick in. A couple of times since that day, when I’ve been on my office phone or dialing an outside number, I’ve heard a click or what sounds like a click on my phone. I finally mentioned it to the receptionist because I never heard it before. She told me she didn’t know why my phone would be affected but that there was a technician who Mr. Zambrano had told her to let into my office one day after I had gone. He said the man was going to upgrade my computer. I think whoever that was put a tap on my line.”

  Virgil got up from his chair, picked up her empty cup, then brought the two empty mugs over to the sink.

  “Do you know anything about Mr. Zambrano?”

  “You mean not work-related?”

  “Yes, anything about his past life?”

  “Not really. He has always been real nice to work for and is totally involved in the business. Everyone likes him and he has really taken the company to new growth levels. He is really hands-on. We’ve never really socialized other than at some work-related functions, like the office Christmas party. I do know he’s from or lived for some time in Chicago. He made a comment one time when we ordered pizza for his birthday party that the pizza couldn’t compare to the pizza you got in Chicago.”

  “So that phone number you gave to my deputy?”

  “That’s my cell. I wouldn’t have closed you down so quickly today if you had called on my cell.”

  “Oh, that’s a relief. I thought it was me, I don’t handle rejection well.”

  “Somehow, I doubt that’s something you’ve experienced very much.” She brushed her hair back from her face with both hands. Virgil saw the mark on her left cheek, the one he had noticed at their first meeting, deepen when she smiled. Her eyes were as blue as he remembered. Virgil also remembered when they first met her hair was pulled back, now it hung free. He liked it better.

  “By the way, I heard about your deputy. I’m sorry. Sounds like he was a good man.”

  “He was. We are going to miss him. He was a good friend. Knew him pretty much all my life, left a big hol
e around here.”

  “I didn’t realize, again, I’m sorry. Well, I guess I better get home before the snow gets much deeper.”

  “Are you going to be alright? I mean, do you have far to go?” She had gotten up, walked over to the sink and rinsed out her cup and Virgil’s.

  “You didn’t have to do that.” Virgil joined her as they walked to the door. “I’m going to be here late, looking for stuff to do . . . quiet night.”

  “It’s nothing. As far as the weather, I’ll be fine. I’ll just take my time. I am only about ten minutes away.”

  He opened the door as she slipped on her hat and coat. The wind had died down. The snow was falling in larger flakes, confetti dancing in the night air. “It is really pretty, isn’t it?” She stood next to him in the doorway. He could feel her closeness.

  “Yes, makes the world look a lot different.”

  “So, you never said. Do you think I’m paranoid? Should I make an appointment to see somebody to discuss the trauma of my childhood?”

  “I am going to do some checking but I have a hunch you are seeing the world as it is. Now I’ve just got to see if your suspicions are in any way connected to the problem I’m trying to solve. In the meantime, if anything else happens or you need to get in touch, just call.”

  She took a step outside then turned.

  “You can reach me on my cell if you need to or even if you just feel like talking.” Then she turned away before Virgil could reply.

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” Virgil yelled after her. She turned when she reached her car and waved.

  Virgil realized as he was driving home that for the first time in the last few days he was starting to move forward. By the driveway turnoff, the snow had stopped. He almost hated driving through the untouched snow. When he reached the midpoint, he stopped his vehicle and turned off the engine. He got out. Clouds scudding across the night sky were breaking apart. Stars were emerging between the clouds, the moon trying to show its face. The fence rails were covered. The spotlight from the house stretched across the driveway to fall on the silhouetted barns. Virgil sucked in the crisp air. There was the lightest wind stirring the top layer of snow, some of it dancing in the headlights. A kind of calm invaded his soul. He was getting his balance back. It was time, literally and figuratively, to move forward. He got back into his car, turned on the engine, then drove down the driveway into the Currier and Ives winter scene.

  Chapter 32

  Clara sensed the change when she saw Virgil in the morning. He was sweeping the accumulation off the steps when she came into the kitchen. She could tell by his body language he was back. Full sun flooded the landscape but there was no melting. It even looked cold. She looked at the thermometer mounted outside the kitchen window. Virgil’s breath rising in small puffs had already told her what she would see. She watched him run across the driveway to the barn. By the time he came back twenty minutes later, she was flipping pancakes on the griddle. He was inside the door brushing the snow off his jacket.

  “Cesar will be over later. I took care of the morning for him.”

  “Is he okay?”

  “A little too much tequila,” Virgil said as he pulled up his chair. “Snow paints a nice picture.”

  “It certainly does,” Clara responded. “I wonder how the roads are this morning. I’d like to stop by the hospital to see Everett Jessup once more before I head back home.”

  “I would like to see his son.” Virgil took a bite out of his first pancake. “I’m also concerned about Mr. Jessup going back to his place. Whoever put him in the hospital might call again.”

  “Did he know who it was that attacked him?”

  “No. I saw him two days after he was brought to the hospital. He had very little memory of the incident but he said he had never seen either of the two men before. Ark said the fact that he had very little recall was to be expected after the beating he took.”

  “So you think they were looking for his son?”

  “Nothing else makes any sense, especially when it happened right after the news was released that it wasn’t Everett Junior’s body in that burned-out trailer. The way I figure it, they were after Everett. They knew it was his trailer. They assumed that was him in it. So they staged that whole meth scene. It was only later they found out that the man inside wasn’t Everett. That’s when they went looking for him at his father’s house. I’ve gone over it again and again, nothing else computes.”

  “Why are they after him?” Clara asked.

  “That’s the reason I need to find Everett before they do. He’s the only one who can answer that question. But as far as you going in to see Mr. Jessup, I’m sure that by the afternoon the roads will be clear. Anyway, Clara, you know we’ll miss you. It’s been a long time since Cesar and me had a mother.”

  Chapter 33

  The first thing Virgil did when he got into the office was to reach out to Kyle Harrison, his contact at the ATF.

  Their relationship had been a little bumpy at times but in the last year or so he and Virgil had developed a mutual respect. That call ended with Virgil leaving a message for a callback. Virgil’s next call was to the state police. Both a courtesy call and a request, this call bore fruit immediately. Virgil first thanked Major Travis for the increased patrols over the last couple of days then asked if it would be possible to help out with more coverage down in Redbud. He explained that until he got another deputy down there on a permanent basis, Alex was alone in the substation.

  He had always had a good working relationship with the state police but knew it was a delicate balance. Not too many years back, there had been a push among some members of the community to disband the sheriff’s office and just rely on the state police to save money. Then Hayward had a growth spurt, with the huge expansion of the hospital into a regional care facility, along with the surge down in Redbud, which resulted in the need for the substation. So the idea of the state police being the only law enforcement group in Hayward died a quick death. Too many people wanted to see the law regularly driving the streets of Hayward or knowing that after going into their homes each night that there was someone a phone call away who could be to their house in minutes if needed. Virgil was relieved to know he was getting the extra coverage but he knew this fix was only temporary.

  Shortly after his phone call ended, he got a call back from Kyle Harrison. Virgil knew that Kyle had a lot more resources at his disposal than he did.

  “Hey, Virgil. What’s going on?”

  “I was wondering if you could check on the background of someone for me. His name is Zambrano. I think he came here about four or five years ago. He either owns the Mesquite Sand and Gravel Company down in Cielo outright or is a partner. Anyway, he came to our neck of the woods from Chicago, James Zambrano.”

  “Zambrano, I’m not familiar with the name. I assume it’s spelled like it sounds. I’ll do my best, Virgil. Give me a day or two. Everything okay with you? I really liked Dave. I know this is a bad time and I know how close you guys were.”

  “It’s been tough but I try to remember what my father told me. You’re never going to ride the horse that threw you if you don’t get back in the saddle. That’s what I’m trying to do now, get back in the saddle.”

  “We all have to learn that lesson. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you need help.”

  “Thanks, Kyle. I appreciate that. My next move is to find out if there’s anyone who would be interested in a job replacing the previous deputy who died doing his.” There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line.

  “You know, Virgil, I might be able to help you in that regard. Sometimes we get candidates who look really good but for whatever reason they change their mind. I’ll get back to you on that, along with that other thing.”

  Virgil waited a little bit to finish the last of the paperwork that was left from the night before then put in a call to Dif and Jimmy asking them to come in before Simon’s shift was over. His next call was to the hospital to chec
k on Mr. Jessup.

  “Mr. Jessup is gone, Sheriff.”

  “What do you mean gone?” Virgil asked.

  “Gone as in released. He was discharged this morning.”

  “He’s on his own? I mean, he just walked out?”

  “Oh, no. A woman came and picked him up.” Virgil asked to speak to the doctor but Sam wasn’t available.

  A little while after he hung up the phone, Dif and Jimmy walked into the office together.

  “What’s up, boss?” Dif asked.

  “I figured we ought to talk about some things today so we are all on the same page,” Virgil said.

  “Before you say anything, Edna and I had a talk. We both agreed that for the time being or as long as is necessary, I’ll be available full-time.”

  “Me too, Virgil,” Jimmy added. “I can pick up more time too.” Virgil looked at the two of them.

  “You know . . .” He was searching for the right words, when the door opened.

  “Well, if it ain’t the brain trust.” Rosie stood looking at them from the doorway while taking off her coat. Dif was the first to find his voice.

  “Rosie, what are you doing here?”

  “Man, that dementia must finally be kicking in. Don’t you remember, I been working here for over fifteen years. By the way, you are sitting in my chair.” Dif quickly jumped up. “Did any of you figure out how to make coffee while I was gone?” She glanced over at the empty pot.

  “Rosie, seriously, what are you doing here? I mean, I didn’t expect—” Virgil didn’t get a chance to finish.

  “Virgil, stop. I know where you are going with this. You think I don’t know how you all feel about me, how you felt about Dave. But life goes on, Virgil, you know about that. We all do. Dave is dead and buried but I am not about to jump in the grave with him. He wouldn’t want that. I know there are going to be some really tough days, some days when I don’t even want to get out of bed, but he’d want me to move on for myself and for this baby that he loved. I’m not going to do that if I sit home crying. That isn’t going to bring him back. That isn’t living. So I’m going to be coming in here like always, making coffee that people can actually drink, seeing that the paperwork is taken care of, and hopefully keeping you guys on track so this little girl I’m carrying is going to grow up in a nice, safe town.”