High Lonesome

by Coverstone, Stacey

  Joanna’s eyes bulged and she grabbed his arm. “Honey, don’t be silly. Of course she’s welcome. I’m just wondering why you invited that woman. She’s not a member of our community. She doesn’t know anyone, and the event will mean nothing to her.” She blinked back fake tears.

  “That woman has a name,” Scott said, trying to rein in his anger. He thought a vein might burst in his forehead at any moment. “It’s Beth. At least for the time being, her name is Beth. I invited her because she’s going through a very stressful time and she could use a night out to take her mind off of her troubles. If you were more sensitive, you might have suggested it yourself.”

  “You know how uncomfortable she makes me feel,” Joanna pouted.

  “You’re a grown woman. I can’t help the way you feel.”

  Joanna wasn’t finished. “If she comes tonight, how will we introduce her to people? What will my colleagues think? What will I say about her? Am I supposed to tell everyone she’s a woman you picked up off the road, and she has no idea what her name is or where she’s from?”

  It was Scott’s turn to roll his eyes. “You don’t have to say anything. I’ll make the damn introductions to your snobby colleagues. Besides, that’s precisely what happened. The way gossip travels in this town, everyone knows the story already, anyway. I never knew you could be so jealous and irrational. I’m not sure any of us should go tonight after all.”

  “You have to!” she exclaimed. “You promised, and you never break a promise.” She gripped his arm.

  He sighed and resisted the temptation to break up with her at that very moment. “I’ll go,” he finally relented. “But only because I promised. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a lot to get done around here. This conversation is over.”

  Joanna expelled a long breath. “Of course, sweetheart.” She wore a vexed expression, but tried to cover it with her most cheerful voice. “I have to get back to the office anyway. I just had a few minutes between patients.” She pressed her lips to his cheek. When she got no reaction, she said, “See you tonight. I can’t wait to see you in the suit! You’ll be the best looking man in the place.”

  Scott shook his head in frustration as she hurried to her car and drove away.

  He took a deep breath and stepped into the foyer, leaving the garment bag right where it lay. When he went to Willow’s bedroom, he found Beth fixing his daughter’s hair into different styles.

  “Hi, Daddy! Beth’s going to put my hair on top of my head for the party.”

  “You’re going to look like a princess,” he replied, flashing a genuine smile. “Willow, could I steal Beth away for just a minute? I need to speak to her.”

  “Okay. But just for a minute.”

  Beth stepped into the hall behind Scott, and they moved out of Willow’s earshot. “Before you say anything,” she began, “I really appreciate your inviting me to this hospital thing, but I’ve decided not to go. I think it would be better for you and Willow to spend the evening with Joanna.”

  His brow furrowed. “Don’t say that. I want you to go with us.” After a pause, he added, “Willow will be so disappointed if you don’t come along.”

  “I’ll explain to her. She’ll understand. It’ll give her an opportunity to spend time with Doctor Coleman. I think that’s important since she may become her stepmother one day.”

  His eyebrows shot up. “Who told you that?”

  “No one. She’s your girlfriend, so I’m assumed…”

  “Well, don’t assume anything,” he interjected. “I’m not even sure where Joanna and I stand right now. It’s become complicated since you arrived.”

  Beth shook her head. “Don’t involve me in whatever’s going on between the two of you. I’m not going to get in the middle. I have my own problems to sort out.”

  An emotional charge surged through him. “Surely you can tell how I feel about you. Out there on the porch just now…”

  “Don’t say another word.” She brought a finger to his lips to shush him. “I think it’s best if you and I stop spending so much time together. Neither of us wants to hurt each other. I don’t want you to betray Joanna, and I have a terrible feeling...” She met his gaze with deep sorrow.

  “Please,” Scott said. “I swear, hurting you is the last thing I’d ever do.”

  “I know you don’t intend to, just as I don’t want to hurt you. But we both know it’s bound to happen.”

  “We don’t know for sure.”

  “Don’t make this harder than it is,” she said.

  He plowed a hand through his hair. “Just say you’ll come with us tonight. We can talk about all the rest later.” At the dark expression on her face, foreboding rose like the tide.

  When the telephone rang, he heard Carmen answer it, and call out for him. His gaze was still latched onto Beth. “I’m in here,” he hollered.

  Carmen’s footsteps were heavy as she treaded down the hallway.

  “What is it?” Scott asked.

  Carmen glanced between the couple. “I’m glad Beth is here with you. That was Buddy Griggs on the phone. He wants you both to come to his office as soon as possible.”

  “Did he say anything else?”

  “Si. He says there is someone who has come for Beth.”

  Chapter Seven

  “There’s no need to be afraid,” Sheriff Griggs told Beth. “I just want you to meet this man and see if anything strikes a chord with you. See if you remember his face, his voice, the way he walks, anything at all.” He stood next to his secretary’s desk. Speaking in a quiet voice, he assured her, “I wouldn’t have called you in here if I didn’t think his story was compelling.”

  “What’s so compelling about it?” Scott asked.

  “He brought something with him that could prove he knows her. It’s an item he says belongs to her.”

  “What kind of item?”

  “Linda, show them.” Linda opened her desk drawer and showed them a small blue suede jewelry box. Cushioned inside was a silver locket in the shape of a heart.

  “What does this prove?” Scott questioned.

  “Linda, open the locket,” the sheriff said.

  Both Scott and Beth peered into the locket at the miniature photo tucked inside. “It’s so small, I can’t even tell who it is,” Scott complained.

  “The man in my office claims it’s his sister. He says the photo was taken two years ago. Look at it close. There’s a resemblance.” Beth held the locket up to her eyes and squinted. “Does the necklace look familiar to you?” Buddy asked.

  She shook her head.

  “Well, that doesn’t mean it’s not yours. I say, give this guy a shot. So far, the locket is all we have. Let’s see what happens when you meet him.”

  “What if I don’t remember this man? Will I have to leave with him?” She wrung her hands together.

  Buddy shook his head. “No way. I’m not going to let any ‘ol Tom, Dick or Harry waltz out of here with you. He has a photo I.D. on him, but I don’t want to tell you his name yet. I’m hoping he’s familiar to you. Maybe you’ll remember the necklace after talking to him. The photo does resemble you.”

  “I’d never allow you to leave with someone without absolute confirmation,” Scott stated told Beth, firmly. His resolve to keep her safe made her feel a little less nervous.

  “I just said I wouldn’t,” the sheriff repeated, frowning. “Are you questioning the way I’m handling this investigation, Scotty?”

  “Nope. I’m just assuring her that she’ll be protected. This could be the man who hurt her.”

  “My job is to protect and serve,” Buddy reminded him. “I’m doing both for the lady. Are you ready?” he asked her.

  “Yes.” Her stomach rolled like a wave as she followed the sheriff to his office.

  Scott took a step forward, but Buddy stopped him by pushing a hand onto his chest. “Where do you think you’re going?”

  “Inside with the two of you.”

  “No. You’ll stay right he
re. She has to do this on her own without any interference from you.”

  “I’m not going to interfere,” Scott protested.

  “You might be a distraction. You can keep my secretary company. She’ll get you a cup of coffee, won’t ya Linda?”

  “Sure will.” The legs of Linda’s chair scraped as she scooted out from behind her desk. “Let’s go to the back, Scott. I’ve got some cinnamon-vanilla decaf in the pot.”

  He smiled at Beth and gave her a thumbs-up before reluctantly following Linda to the back room.

  Sheriff Griggs opened his office door, and she walked into the small room. A thin man sat, with his legs crossed, in the hard wooden chair pulled up to the sheriff’s desk. At the sound of the door squeaking open, he rotated his head. When his gaze met Beth’s, his face lit up. He bounded out of the chair and rushed toward her with his arms spread. “Dawn!” he cried.

  Beth’s heart thundered with fear. She ducked behind Buddy, like a child. The sheriff stuck out his arm to stop the tall man from coming closer. “Take it slow and easy, sir. She’s been through quite an ordeal. You don’t want to scare her, do you?”

  The man shook his head in a dramatic fashion.

  “Okay, good. Let’s all just have a seat and talk.” Buddy motioned for the man to return to his chair before offering Beth a seat. He collapsed into the rolling chair behind the desk, folded his hands on top, and searched her face for any spark of recognition.

  She stared at the man who had called her Dawn. Rail thin with a wide gap between his front teeth, he wore a plain white undershirt and pants that looked to be a size or two too large. His hair was dark, like hers, but it was wild and unruly, as if he’d been sitting in front of a fan.

  The man leaned forward and spoke in a soft voice. “Do you remember me, Dawn? I’m your big brother, David.” He enunciated his words, as if she were hard of hearing.

  “I have a brother?” she asked.

  He grinned. “Of course you do, sweetheart. I’m three years older. I’m the one who gave you the pretty locket. The one the sheriff took from me.” The man tossed an exasperated look at Buddy and then smiled at Beth again. “I’ve missed you so much, ever since you went away.”

  “The locket is safe,” Buddy assured him. “Will you tell us your last name, sir?”

  “You already saw my I.D.”

  “Yes, I did, but I’d like you to repeat it for the lady.”

  The man laughed. “Dawn knows what my name is. She’s my sister.”

  “Please just state your last name, sir,” Buddy repeated. He was an easygoing man, obviously used to dealing with surly people. Beth glanced between him and the man who claimed to be her brother.

  David folded his arms across his chest. “San Nicolas is my last name.”

  “My name is Dawn San Nicolas?” Beth asked. “That doesn’t sound familiar at all.” Having nothing to lose, she began to fire questions at him. “Where do I live? Do I have a family? Am I married? How did you find me?”

  “You ask too many questions.” David’s hand flew to his head and his face contorted. “I’m getting a terrible headache.”

  Beth exchanged a questioning glance with Buddy, puzzled by the sudden odd behavior.

  “Would you like some aspirin?” the sheriff asked. “I can have my secretary get you some.”

  “No,” David replied. “I just want to take Dawn home, where she belongs. Can we go now?” He stood and shoved his hands into the pockets of his baggy pants.

  Beth noticed his twitching mouth. Unnerved by his nervous behavior, she was determined not to set foot outside the sheriff’s office with the man. “David...may I call you David?”

  He smiled. “Sure, but you always called me Davey, before you went away.” He sat down again.

  “Okay. Davey, can you tell me what happened on the day I disappeared? Where were you? Were we together that day? Did we have a disagreement?” She racked her brains to remember whether he was the man she’d been seeing in the flashbacks. Searching his face, she peered at his hands and let her gaze rake his body. He seemed too frail. The man in the flashbacks was strong and muscular and not as tall. This man’s hands were large, but soft.

  “Disagreement?” he asked. None of that matters. The important thing is I’ve found you now. When can I take her home, Sheriff?”

  “Begging your pardon, Mr. San Nicolas, but we need answers to her questions and mine before you can take your sister home. I’m going to need to see some official documents that belong to this lady that prove her identity, or perhaps another, larger photo. First things first. Let’s start at the beginning. Where do you live?”

  “Siesta Springs.” The man pouted like a child, refusing to look Buddy in the eye.

  Buddy’s jaw dropped. Beth wondered why. “How did you find out your sister was here in Ghost Rock?” he asked the man.

  “I saw her picture on TV.”

  “When was that? When did you see her picture?”

  “Yesterday.”

  “Did you drive here from Siesta Springs?”

  “No.” David drummed a finger on the arm of the chair. “I don’t have a car.”

  “But you have a driver’s license.”

  “Yeah. They allow me keep it in my wallet, but they won’t let me drive. I don’t have a car, I just told you.”

  Buddy leaned forward. His eyes narrowed. “Then how did you get to Ghost Rock? Siesta Springs is a good, say…fifty miles from here.”

  “I hitchhiked.” David tapped his foot on the floor, as if he was annoyed.

  Beth shifted in her chair. Her stomach churned with a bad feeling. Something wasn’t right. Glancing at Buddy, she scooted to the edge of the chair ready to bolt. It was a subtle gesture, but she saw him lift his hand, and she realized he wanted her to stay put and remain calm.

  “It’s dangerous to hitchhike, Mr. San Nicolas,” he said, calmly. “There are a lot of crazies out on the roads these days. You could have been hurt.”

  “You can say that again.” A high-pitched laugh erupted from his throat as his wild eyes darted all around the room. “There might even be loonies hiding in your closet,” he whispered. “They hide under my bed at night. The voices tell me to kill the loonies.”

  The guy was nuts! Terror strummed Beth’s nerves like a madman playing violin. Buddy stood up quickly and strolled to the front of his desk.

  The man’s face grew dark. He grimaced. “Are you going to let me take Dawn home now? I’m getting real tired of this interrogation.”

  “Could you please stand up, Mr. San Nicolas?” Buddy requested. When he received an ominous glare, the sheriff placed a hand on his holster. “Beth, go out to the front. I want to ask this gentleman a few more questions.”

  No problem. She bolted from the chair and made a dash for the door.

  The man yelled, “No! Stay right where you are, Dawn!” When he reached into his pocket, she halted in her tracks, and Buddy drew his gun.

  “Put your hands up! Now!” The sheriff took a defensive stance and aimed his gun. Beth screamed. As the man tried to scramble out of the chair, Buddy barreled forward and shoved the chair with his foot, sending both San Nicolas and the chair hurtling to the floor. With Buddy towering over him and shouting for him to raise his hands, the frightened man broke into gut-wrenching sobs.

  Paralyzed by the swift and strange turn of events, Beth stood frozen and afraid to move. With his revolver trained on the man, Buddy leaned across his desk pressed the intercom button. “Linda, call 911 and tell them to get an ambulance over here right away.” He let up on the button. “Beth, go out front now.” He kept his gun leveled at the man who lay sprawled on the floor.

  “Okay.”

  When the door flew open and Scott burst in, Buddy told him to get her out of there. Scott threw his arm around Beth’s waist and ushered her out.

  “No!” San Nicolas cried. “Don’t take Dawn from me again.” He brought his knees up to his chest and coiled himself into a ball.

  “Stay
right where you are, Mr. San Nicolas. Help is on the way.”

  ****

  When the paramedics strapped the man into a straight jacket and administered a sedative, Beth asked if that was necessary. They assured her it was for his safety. He was sick and could be a danger to himself or others. She, Scott and Linda watched as the ambulance drove off with him in the back.

  Buddy stepped out of the office building into the sunshine. Removing his cowboy hat, he scratched a hand through his dark curls. “It sure is a balmy afternoon.”

  “So, what did you find out?” Scott asked him.

  “I just got off the phone with the Director of the Siesta Springs Psychiatric Hospital. Here’s the story. The fella’s name is David San Nicolas and his sister’s name was Dawn, but something unfortunate happened. She died in a house fire three months ago. The siblings were the only two in the house at the time. Somehow he escaped, but the fire trapped her in an upstairs bedroom. Blaming himself for not being able to rescue her, Mr. San Nicolas became severely depressed. When he refused therapy and tried to commit suicide, his family had him committed to the hospital. From what the director can ascertain, San Nicolas was watching television in the recreational room yesterday and saw Beth’s photo on the news, just like he said. The director assumes he had a psychotic break and really believed she was his sister. Another patient heard him say he was going to go look for Dawn, and several others even cheered him on as he escaped over the wall.”

  “That’s a helluva security system they’ve got over there at the hospital,” Scott replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

  Beth queried Buddy. “Do I look like her? His sister? It was hard to tell from the tiny photo in the locket.”

  “Close enough, I guess. It doesn’t matter one way or the other. In his mind, you were his sister, no matter what you looked like.”

  “It’s so sad. I hope he gets the helps he needs,” she said.

  Buddy cleared his throat and apologized. “I’m sorry for putting you in danger. The guy seemed perfectly normal when he stepped into my office. He had I.D. on him. I had no idea he’d escaped from a mental hospital.” He shook his head, looking embarrassed.