by Mary May
It was a tired and sad group that walked back into the estate the following morning. The house itself felt sad, like it knew that Sherrilyn wasn’t coming home and its heart was breaking, too. Edgar fixed breakfast that no one really felt like eating. They were all sitting around the table picking at their food and silent. The gloom in the air was so thick you could almost see it. Sabrina had come in from checking the mail and stopped and looked at the long faces and sad expressions.
“Oh, well, this just won’t do! Sherrilyn would have a fit if she knew we were all behaving like this! She would say, ‘Hey lighten up. Your old sour puss expressions is gonna curdle my milk!’” Everyone chuckled.
“You got that right, baby; she hated a gloomy gathering of people worse than anything, I think!” Catherine admitted. “I keep trying to imagine what is she doing now…in heaven. I know she can see and walk or run if she wants. I would bet she has already made fifty laps around the kingdom of heaven and has greeted everyone with a ‘Hey ya’ll!’”
Everyone laughed out loud at that thought-evoking statement. “I keep trying to imagine seeing Jesus for the first time…what that must be like,” Keelie offered softly. The group grew quiet, each one trying to picture what that would be like.
Gideon wished he could sit down and tell them how beautiful Sherrilyn looked now and how incredibly happy she really was.
“She had mentioned her father and a brother to me the other day. Where are they, and do you know of any other family she had? I’m sure they would like to know she has passed.”
Catherine shook her head. “Both of her parents are gone, and she hasn’t seen or heard from her younger brother in over twelve years. From what I understand, he got hooked on drugs and ran with a really bad crowd. When he refused to go to rehab, Sherrilyn’s father kicked him out of the house and that was the last anyone saw of him.”
Sabrina stood and started clearing the table. “Maybe he will see her obituary in the paper and come to the service. Someone from her blood family should be here if at all possible. I guess that’s something we had better get to thinking about, the funeral arrangements.”
Edgar spoke up for the first time since coming home. “Miss Sherrrilyn already had all the arrangements made, Miss Sabrina. There isn’t anything you need to do.”
Sabrina looked surprised…then sad. “She knew she wasn’t going to make it…didn’t she?”
Edgar slowly nodded. “She strongly suspected such and didn’t want to place any hardship on you or your mother with having to make the arrangements. All that was needed was to call the funeral home when…when the time came. I have already done this. I hope I didn’t overstep my bounds.”
Sabrina walked around the table and hugged him. “Edgar, you had as much right if not more than anyone in this room to make that call, and I really wish you would stop seeing yourself as an employee. You know you’re more than that…you’re family plain and simple, understand?” The gruff old man just stiffly returned her hug, patting her awkwardly on the back until Sabrina released him. “Well, we will have to work on the hugging, Edgar, but it was a good start!”
The morning of Sherrilyn’s funeral was cold but sunny. She had chosen to have a simple graveside service. Because of the chilly temperature, Sabrina decided to have Charlie stay with the neighbors until later that afternoon. The Blackmores were wonderful people with small children of their own for Charlie to play with.
Brother Eddie performed the service. It was one filled with the joy of Sherrilyn’s homecoming rather than the sadness of her death. “Sherrilyn Rose Lane Foster was a woman of many passions, and whatever or whoever she decided to love she did with every ounce of her heart and soul. No one would accuse of her of doing anything by half measures. I know that every heart here is significantly better from having known and been loved by Sherrilyn. I can only imagine the halls and corridors of heaven ringing with her laughter and her sunny smile. There is a heaven, my friends… the Bible promises us that there is, and Sherrilyn would tan my hide if she thought for one second that someone here wasn’t ready for that final trip and I didn’t give the them the opportunity to get it ‘right with Jesus,’ as she would put it. So I’m giving you this time to reflect quietly for a moment…Where will you spend eternity? You will be somewhere…Will you join Sherrilyn? If you’re not one hundred percent sure, please don’t leave here today without making it right; secure your place in the Father’s house.” The pastor stepped down and a young man and woman from the church stepped up and sang…
“Because He lives…I can face tomorrow. Because He lives…all fear is gone. Because I know who holds my future… and life is worth the living just because He lives…”
After the service Sabrina was one of the last ones to leave. She was waiting until they had buried the casket; she just wanted to be sure… of something, she really didn’t know what. She couldn’t leave yet. She was standing by the casket when she heard a very loud rumble roaring up the street next to the cemetery. A black motorcycle had pulled up and the rider was dressed in faded jeans and a black leather jacket. Sabrina watched as he swung off the bike and started her way. She wondered who in the world this man was. He slowly walked up the hill and Sabrina’s eyes widened when she saw how tall he was! His dark blonde hair was shoulder-length and swept off his face. She couldn’t see his eyes through the midnight black shades he was wearing; when he reached the gravesite he spoke softly.
“Ma’am, is this service for Sherry Lane?”
Sabrina nodded. “Yes, it is. I’m sorry, but the service just ended. Are you a friend of Sherrilyn’s?” She reached out her hand. “I’m Sabrina Blakely.”
The man reached out his leather-clad hand and took Sabrina’s in a strong grip. “I’m Devon Lane; I’m Sherry’s brother.”
Sabrina couldn’t believe it! Sherrilyn’s brother had come! “Oh, I was hoping you would come! I didn’t know how to reach you, but I had hoped you would see the obituary and come. I’ll leave you alone and let you have a moment to yourself, but please say you will come to the estate. I will wait by my car and you can stay here as you like then I will show you the way.” Devon studied Sabrina for a long second. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking behind those dark shades, but he finally nodded and turned back to face the casket.
Sabrina walked back to her car so thankful she had stayed. If she had left with the others, she would have missed him. She had gotten in her car and had settled in for a long wait when she saw Devon come striding back down the hill. He didn’t stay very long, she thought. She rolled down her window. “If you will follow me, I’ll show you how to get to her estate, okay?” Devon gave her a brief nod then climbed back on the bike and started it with a deafening roar and waited for her. Sabrina started her car. “Good grief! How he has any hearing left after riding that thing is beyond me!” she said to herself as she pulled away from the Mountain View Cemetery.
Gideon stood in the entry way watching for Sabrina. He had overheard the others saying she had stayed behind. He was worried, so he was pacing. He was relieved when he saw her car pull up in the driveway. Then he frowned when he heard a loud rumble that was coming up after her. A black Harley was pulling up beside Sabrina’s sedan. A tall man was swinging off the motorcycle and was approaching Sabrina just a little faster than Gideon thought was necessary. In a flash he put himself between Sabrina and the man just in case he needed to send him back to where he came from. When the man passed by, Gideon was surprised to find that the human was nearly the same height that he was! He felt his feathers bristle; he turned and kept right on the man’s heels. Sabrina was opening her door when the man reached for the handle and opened it for her then offered her a hand in getting out.
Sabrina smiled up at the stranger. “Thank you, Devon.” Devon tilted his head at her then waited for her to lead the way up the steps. “I can’t wait to introduce you to the others! They are going to be so happy to meet you!”
Gideon followed, his frown growing deeper by the second. Ju
st who was this guy? Why would they be so happy to meet him? Gideon wasn’t sure he liked this at all. It wasn’t often that he instantly disliked a person, but this was one of those times.
Sabrina opened the door and walked into the den where the family had gathered. They had decided not to have anyone over after the service. “You will not believe who showed up after everyone had left!” Sabrina stepped aside and Devon walked into the room. He made an impressive sight, to say the least, nearly six and half feet tall in black leather and black-as-night shades. Carl and Evan both came to their feet. Sabrina beamed at everyone. “This is Devon Lane…Sherrilyn’s brother!”
The room was silent for a few seconds; then Catherine stood up and walked over to Devon. She reached up and took his shades off and studied the face behind the glasses then smiled. Staring back down at her were the same blue/gray eyes that she had looked into for five years!
“Hi, Devon, I’m Catherine, Sabrina’s mother. It’s so good to finally meet you. I’m sorry it’s under these circumstances. Sherrilyn was my best friend. She used to talk about you with great affection.” Catherine then introduced Devon to the rest of the family. Devon spoke in that familiar Texas drawl that made Sabrina’s heart ache for her friend. They all went into the dining room and ate and got to know Sherrilyn’s little brother.
Devon was polite and answered most although not all of their questions. The ones he didn’t answer he deflected easily without offending anyone. He seemed very good at it. It was toward the end of the meal before Devon finally asked a question of his own.
“What happened to Sherry? How did she die? Was she sick?”
Catherine explained about Sherrilyn’s kidneys failing from the stress due to her being burned so badly.
Devon scowled. “Burned? When was she burned? Was she in a car accident?”
The group around the table looked at one another. Finally Carl spoke up. “Son, you don’t know what happened to your sister?”
Devon stared Carl dead in the eyes and slowly put down his fork. “No, I haven’t seen her or been in contact with her in over twelve years. What happened?”
Catherine and Sabrina both took turns telling the tragic story of what had happened to Sherrilyn.
Devon was so quiet that Sabrina even doubted he was breathing. You could see the muscles in his jaw start to clench. Finally he stood up. “I need a minute to myself, if you don’t mind.” He turned to Sabrina “Ma’am, is there somewhere I can walk around outside?” Sabrina showed him the paths around back and watched as he walked away, his long strides taking him out of sight in a matter of seconds…
Sabrina went back into the dining room. Everyone was still subdued and a little shocked over the arrival of Sherrilyn’s brother and the fact that he knew virtually nothing about his sister.
“I know Sherry said she hadn’t been in touch with Devon in a long time, but I somehow thought he knew what Lonnie had done to her,” Catherine said.
Sabrina shook her head sadly. “Why couldn’t he have come last week? Sherrilyn would have been so happy to see him again; I know it weighed on her heart not being able to have a relationship with him.” Everyone nodded and agreed.
“Didn’t you say he had a drug problem?” Evan asked Catherine.
“Yes, that’s what Sherry told me. Of course, that was a long time ago; he very well may be clean now, but you would think he would have come looking for her. She said they were very close growing up.”
“Maybe it took him a long time to find himself after the drug addiction.” Everyone looked at Keelie and considered her words.
“You may be right, Keelie. At any rate we owe it to Sherrilyn to offer Devon our support and friendship, in whatever capacity he will allow,” Evan stated.
Gideon followed Devon around the paths and down to the swan pond. The man stood there silently no emotion evident on his face until you looked in his eyes. They looked like the angry sea, swirling colors of blue and gray. Gideon leaned against a large boulder and crossed his arms over his chest and just waited. He usually had a sense about people but this guy…He just couldn’t quite put his finger on what was going on with him. He didn’t detect evil coming from him, but he didn’t feel goodness and light either. What he did sense, and this was more from instinct than anything else, was that Devon Lane was a man not to be messed with. He carried himself like a man that knew how to handle himself in a combat situation. Gideon wondered if he had a military background. He didn’t know how long Devon stood there staring out at the pond. It was long enough that his face turned red from the cold and the light was starting to fade from the sky.
Soon Gideon heard steps on the gravel and they both turned and watched Sabrina walking down the path. She was carrying Devon’s jacket and a thermos.
“Hey, you have got to be freezing out here.” She handed him his jacket which he put on, and she poured him a cup of coffee from the thermos.
“Thank you, you didn’t have to do that,” Devon told her.
Sabrina smiled. “I think I did… are you okay, Devon? I know you had a lot of unpleasant news thrown at you today.”
Devon looked down at her. “Honestly, I don’t know…it was bad enough reading about my sister’s death online, but to find out that the man we thought was going to take such great care of her actually tried to kill her? And I guess in the end he finally succeeded.”
Sabrina didn’t know how to respond to that statement. She couldn’t imagine what Devon must be going through right now. “I hope you will stay with us for a few days. We have plenty of room. We would all love to get to know you better, if you don’t have any other plans.”
Devon stared back out at the pond, although it had grown so dark Sabrina didn’t know what he was actually able to see. He finally replied, “Sabrina, it’s not hard to see that you’re a real sweet woman, and all of your family in there seem like really good and decent people.” He turned and looked back down at her. “I’m not a good man. I’ve got a lot of trouble following me and the last thing I would want is to add to my long list of sins by bringing trouble to you and yours. I’m really glad my sister had you to be with her… I would like to stay tonight, if you don’t mind, but I really think it would be best if I headed out first thing in the morning.”
Sabrina turned and they started walking back up the path to the house. “Tell you what; you can just consider this your second home. You can come and go as you please. How does that sound?” She beamed up at him, and Gideon watched as the magic of Sabrina’s smile took aim at the walls that surrounded Devon Lane’s heart and landed a direct hit.
True to his word Devon Lane was gone the following morning. The bed was made neatly and he had left two hundred dollars on the bedside table to cover his expenses the note had said. Sabrina was disappointed but not really surprised; she had a feeling that there was a lot underneath the surface of Devon that not many people got a chance to see. She hoped he would at least come back now and again to visit. Another thought crossed her mind as well: What if he wanted the title to the estate? If it wasn’t for Edgar, Sabrina would just hand it over to him lock, stock and barrel, but she had made Sherrilyn a promise to make sure Edgar got to live the remainder of his days out here in the estate. “Well, we will cross that bridge if we ever come to it,” she said to herself.
Gideon wasn’t exactly heartbroken to see the man leave. He felt something was going on with Devon that wasn’t good. He would prefer to keep anything not good as far away from HIS family as possible. They had suffered enough with the loss of Sherrilyn. Gideon followed Sabrina back downstairs where she made the announcement that Devon had left.
Carl looked up from his plate. “I spoke to him before he left. He said that you told him he could come back anytime and he would like to accept that offer once he gets a few things straightened out.”
Sabrina’s eyes widened. “Really, I didn’t expect that at all, to tell you the truth. I figured he would be gone and that would be the last we saw of him.”
Carl wiped his mouth and pushed back his plate. “I’m not sure what is going on with that young man, but like I said last night I feel like we owe it to Sherrilyn to help if we can.”
Sabrina sat down and started in on her plate. “I’m no expert on this, but he didn’t look like he was using to me…Carl, you’re the retired cop; you would know more about this than anyone else here. Do you think he is still using?”
Carl’s brows drew together in concentration as he considered what Sabrina had asked him. “Sabrina, it would depend on what he was using. He didn’t seem wired or jumpy, and he didn’t seem overly relaxed either. The best guess I could give you is that if he is using, it hasn’t been within the last few days.”
Sabrina chewed her French toast thoughtfully. After she had swallowed, she asked the other question looming in her mind. “Do you think he will want the estate? He is her blood relative; wouldn’t he have more rights to it than me or Edgar?”
Evan spoke up from his end of the table. “Not necessarily. Sherrilyn can will her property to whomever she wishes, and she willed it to you. I went over the paperwork with her. You are sole beneficiary to her estate, and that included her bank account and all of her investments.”
Sabrina lowered her fork and stared at Evan. “I’m sorry…what?”
