Jailbird

by Heather Huffman

  “But I already ordered pizza,” Gabrielle reminded me.

  “I know. I’m sure I’ll be hungry again later… I’m not passing up a chance at variety.”

  “She eats a lot now that she isn’t sick all the time,” Gabrielle informed Conrad. He chuckled; I made a face. Rachel took it all in.

  “Your daughter looks a lot like you,” Rachel commented when we were alone.

  “Only prettier. More graceful,” I amended. “She’s a good kid. I’m grateful Conrad took her in as his own.”

  “Who is her father? Why didn’t he raise her?”

  “Todd Winslow is her father,” I told her after a moment’s hesitation. Would Daniel want her if he knew?

  “Were the two of you dating before the night of the attack?”

  “No. I’d met him that night. A few friends got together after graduation…,” darkness settled over me. I didn’t think I’d ever feel comfortable recounting that night. At some point, I wished I could just purge it from my mind altogether… right along with the ten or so years immediately following it.

  “So you guys had just hooked up that evening?”

  “It wasn’t like that,” I shook my head. “It was getting late. I wanted to go home, he offered to drive me. I said I was okay, but one of the girls kept pushing me to go… Melanie… I could tell she thought I was nuts to not be jumping at the chance to get into a good-looking rich guy’s car. He just made me nervous, though. All the attention it was getting was embarrassing me, so I finally gave in and went with him.”

  “What happened next?” she prompted when more details didn’t appear to be forthcoming. I was lost in my own world, the images felt suddenly sharp as they played out in my mind.

  “He wanted to take a walk. I told him I wanted to go home. He was so insistent. We argued… I started to get out of the car and he grabbed me by my hair. I had such long hair back then. He used it to keep a hold of me….” I didn’t leave anything out. I told her every dark moment of that night.

  We were both startled when the pizza man knocked at the door. I paid him and then set the food on a small table, where it sat untouched as I finished my tale. She sat completely rapt as I told her about the trial, the kind nurse at the prison, the numbness that settled in after Gabrielle was taken from me.

  I told her about the alliance Mary O’Donnell and I formed to keep each other alive, and about the friendship that blossomed because of it. I gave her my side of the night I escaped and carried my story right on up to the moment I opened the door to find my brother had kidnapped a well-known reporter out of sheer desperation.

  Judging from the clock on the wall, Conrad had taken Gabrielle out for more than dinner. I hoped they were enjoying themselves. They were both victims of being related to me; they deserved a night off.

  “If your story is true…,” Rachel began only to be interrupted by me.

  “If? You think I have the wherewithal to make that up?”

  “Okay, well let’s suppose it is true… I would imagine Daniel Winslow knew his son had these tendencies. He probably paid the public defender to sabotage the case.”

  “That’s what Charlie thinks. He says the guy really screwed up on Mary’s case, too. She also inconvenienced an important family.”

  “And if Daniel Winslow was willing to orchestrate a cover-up, then I have to wonder how many girls Todd did this to before you.”

  “Charlie wondered that as well. I hope I was his first.”

  “I highly doubt that.”

  “Where would we even start to find out?”

  “By retracing his steps. College was probably prime hunting ground for him. LSU Campus Police could tell me their crime statistics from that period, too…,” it was Rachel’s turn to tune me out. The wheels in her head were turning quickly now. The Winslows were the kind of family people loved to hate. Conrad was a genius for bringing her here. If she could get to the bottom of this story, it would make her career.

  Of course, if she found nothing, she now knew enough to help the authorities find me. Opening up to her meant great risk.

  But I couldn’t keep fighting all of these fronts on my own. And I owed it to Gabrielle and to the baby I now carried to settle this once and for all. I couldn’t help chuckling when I thought of what Charlie’s reaction would be if I called and asked him to cooperate with Rachel Cooper after all of the ducking her we’d done.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “Charlie’s gonna love this.”

  “What?”

  “When I call him and ask him to talk to you. Poor guy.”

  “You’ll do that?”

  “Please don’t make me wish I hadn’t,” my hand protectively rested on my stomach as I held her eyes with mine.

  “I won’t betray you,” she promised. “I’m not the monster your brother thinks I am.”

  “He doesn’t think you’re a monster. Knowing him, he likes you and is racked with guilt over it.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “If liking you got me or Gabrielle into trouble, he’d never forgive himself.”

  “Good to know,” she seemed to be chewing on that little tidbit. “Do you have a way I can get a hold of you if I need to?”

  “Charlie and Conrad both know how to find me. You’ll forgive me for not wanting to give away too much more information just yet.”

  “I get it. The fewer that know the better. My team will work on chasing down some of these leads. I’ll let you know if I find anything interesting.”

  “Team?” it made me nervous to think she’d be sharing information with anyone else.

  “I have a couple of interns that help me out in return for college credit. Don’t worry, they won’t ask why they’re being sent. They just want a shot at the network when it’s all said and done. They’ll be relentless in chasing down the answers.”

  I nodded, still a little unsure but running out of options. A tentative knock at the door broke our conversation again. After a quick check out the peephole, I let Conrad and Gabrielle back in. She was still carrying a bag of popcorn and a soda, so it was a safe bet he’d taken her to the movies. The smell of the popcorn reminded me I’d talked through dinner and my stomach started growling.

  “You guys must have really been chatty for Mom to miss dinner,” Gabrielle informed Rachel. I grumbled something about respect and helped myself to a cold piece of pizza since they’d forgotten my doggie bag.

  While Gabrielle filled Rachel in on the movie, Conrad slid me a brown paper lunch bag. I assumed it contained a couple of driver’s licenses for me to use so we could check into motels more frequently again. That was a relief. What I didn’t expect was the rattle of keys in the bag. I peeked inside and looked back at him with confusion.

  “I’m taking the horses back with me in the morning. Kevin should be here by six with a trailer. There’s a really ugly El Camino parked out front. It’s yours for as long as you need it.”

  “It is ugly,” Rachel agreed quickly.

  “It was the best I could do.”

  “It’ll be perfect,” I hugged his neck. “Thank you.”

  “Awesome. A car!” Gabrielle cheered.

  “I think you should go back with Conrad,” I silenced the room with my gentle pronouncement.

  “You just can’t wait to get rid of me, can you?” she accused.

  “You know that’s not true. I just worry about you missing so much school. This is a miserable life, sweetie.”

  “I want to stay with you,” she insisted.

  “You actually might want to keep her close until you see how Daniel reacts. I’m not the biggest danger out there,” Rachel interjected.

  “You’re right,” I relented. There were times it felt this was never going to end. All I really wanted at this exact moment in time was to be back in Charlie’s arms again.

  Harsh as it was, there was simplicity to prison life. Eat, sleep, work hard, and try to be invisible. Things were convoluted out here, and getting more so every day. S
ometimes it felt like my brain would explode if my life developed one more layer of complexity.

  The phone rang and I wanted to weep when I recognized the number.

  “Hey babe,” Charlie greeted me with concern thick in his voice.

  “What’s wrong?” red flags went up in my mind.

  “Sheriff Taylor just left.”

  “Is everyone okay?”

  “Cara and I are fine,” he promised quickly. “It’s Elena. He’s worried about her. Apparently she’s moved in with Daniel Winslow.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  “What?” I might have shrieked a little. My mind raced, trying to figure out what that could mean for us.

  “He thinks she went to stir up trouble for you and got sucked in by the promise of marrying into that kind of money. Being the mayor’s wife is more prestigious than the Sheriff’s daughter.”

  “What did Jim say?” I ignored the questioning looks I was getting from all around me.

  “He believes me, about what happened that night between you and… Todd,” Charlie spit out the name as if it left a bad taste in his mouth. “He was the friend I had looking into the Winslows. He doesn’t trust Daniel. He’s worried sick about Elena. She won’t even return his calls, though.”

  “I’ll go get her,” I stated, surprising even myself.

  “What?” this time it was Charlie’s turn to shriek. “Absolutely not.”

  “Well I’m not going to sleep at night wondering if he’s hurting her. Someone’s got to get her.”

  “Then I’ll do it,” Charlie argued.

  “No, you have to fight Julie. You have what you need to win. I’m already a ghost. I can slip in and get her without anyone realizing I’m there.”

  “I forbid it.”

  “Really?” I didn’t know if I wanted to laugh or scream. “Let’s not be like this. Please, Charlie.”

  “No, you listen to me, Neena. I’m begging you to stay away from that man. Elena got herself into this. Don’t risk everything to save her.”

  “Do you really feel that way?” I asked softly, wondering what had happened to the gentle and loving man I married just a few short months ago.

  “No,” he sighed after a long pause. “Not really. But I don’t think it has to be you.”

  “Why don’t we see if she’s even in danger before we start drawing straws?” I suggested.

  “You’re right.”

  “Of course I am,” I teased. “Hey Charlie…”

  “I don’t like that tone.”

  “I need you to do me a favor and answer any question Rachel Cooper asks you.”

  “Have I stepped through the looking glass?”

  “Conrad kidnapped her and turns out she could be quite helpful…”

  “Conrad what?”

  “Kidnapped her, but it’s not as bad as it sounds.”

  “Could you two please stop breaking laws faster than I can defend you?”

  “I’ll pass along the message.”

  “So you want me to cooperate with Rachel Cooper?”

  “I think it’ll help.”

  “At this point, I’m willing to try just about anything. Although, I’m one step away from packing you and Cara up and skipping the country with you; I hope you realize that.”

  “I’ve always wanted to see Italy.”

  “That depends on what their extradition laws are. I’ll look into it.”

  “Hey Charlie…”

  “Yes?” he sounded old. Old and tired.

  “I love you.”

  “I love you, too, baby doll.”

  There were three very expectant gazes locked on me when I hung up the phone. I quickly filled them in as much as I really could with Gabrielle one of the gazes. Judging from the look on Conrad’s face, he agreed with Charlie over my offer to go get Elena. His head looked like a cartoon character getting ready to explode.

  In light of his mood, I did my best to suppress a giggle at that mental image. Lucky for me, Rachel had distracted him by saying she’d have one of her interns check out the situation from a distance before anyone did anything rash. That made the most sense to me. I wished I had interns to dispatch.

  Conversation eventually died down and we all found a spot to crash for the night. Rachel and Gabrielle shared the bed. I kicked back in a recliner and Conrad played the gentleman’s role and took the floor. I don’t think any of us got much sleep and I’m pretty sure we were all still awake when Conrad’s phone rang.

  It was Kevin, calling to find out where to meet us. I told him to wait for us at the rest stop out of town and quickly dressed to go fetch the horses from the woods where we’d left them tied. Gabrielle went along with me; there was an odd nostalgia about it being our last ride.

  I didn’t remember Kevin from my childhood. He was one of Conrad’s friends from the casino. He didn’t look all that Coushatta to me, but he must have been at least a little to have been granted his card. It really didn’t matter much as long as Conrad trusted him.

  As I watched the two friends talk, I realized just how little I knew about Conrad’s life. I’d drug him into mine, but didn’t know much about his. Guilt washed over me anew. I was getting really tired of feeling guilty.

  I took some measure of comfort in the fact that I’d learned all about Gabrielle’s life. We’d spent so many hours together that were filled with her stories, I felt like I had a pretty good picture of what her world looked like. Of course, maybe that meant I had a pretty good picture of Conrad’s, too. I doubted he spent much of his non-work time away from Gabrielle.

  Which made me wonder what he was doing now that she was with me.

  “Are you even still awake over there?” Conrad waved in my direction.

  “Barely,” I smiled back. “You all loaded and ready to go?”

  “Just about. Don’t do anything too crazy without calling first,” he instructed as he wrapped me in a big hug.

  “Wouldn’t dream of it,” I assured him.

  “And I mean mine and Charlie’s definition of too crazy, not yours.”

  “Spoil sport,” I accused. “Are you taking the horses back to Charlie?”

  “Not yet. I’m going to stash them at the Coushatta Ranch for the time being.”

  “I don’t want to get anyone in trouble.”

  “No one will even notice them.”

  “When this is all over, I want to hear about your life for a change.”

  “Okay, sure,” he seemed taken aback by my statement.

  There were goodbyes all around. I thanked Kevin profusely. Gabrielle and I waved at the truck until it was well out of sight.

  “We’re going to go stop my grandfather from hurting that girl, aren’t we?” Gabrielle asked the second they were out of sight. I looked at her. Everything in me screamed to load her into the car and high tail it to the far reaches of the globe. Somewhere far out of the reach of men like Daniel Winslow. He was bigger than me, he was richer than me, he was scarier than me.

  I longed for the peaceful days of afternoon picnics and games of tag and the rush I felt when Charlie’s hand brushed mine. I wanted to be there when Cara celebrated her birthday. I wanted to celebrate Gabrielle’s. I wanted to paint a nursery with Charlie and spend our evenings piled up on the couch trying to figure out baby names.

  I thought of my parents, on vacation with no idea someone hated the thought of them enough to do the worst. I thought of me as I had been, young and stupid and fresh out of college. Sometimes evil finds us no matter how idyllic our lives seem up until the moment it strikes.

  Whatever her intentions had been, Elena had no idea what kind of spider’s web she was stumbling into with Daniel Winslow. But I did. I looked at my daughter. I could teach her to run for cover. No one would fault me for it—self preservation was a natural thing.

  Or I could do something really crazy and teach her to stand up for what’s right. Even if that meant protecting a brassy blonde who’d made your life miserable.

  “Mom?” s
he prompted when my mental debate carried on too long.

  “Yeah, we’re going to go save the goofy bimbo from herself,” I sighed heavily. Charlie was going to be really mad at me for this one. “Get in the car.”

  “Yes,” she smiled and jumped in. Our meager belongings were already stowed behind our seats.

  It was astounding how quickly the time flew by with bench seats and an FM radio. None of that compared to the glory of the heater, though. As happy as I was to be done with being on the trail, I’m sure the horses were even happier to be eating grain for lunch today.

  I don’t know what possessed me to do it, but I rolled right on passed the Alexandria exits and followed Highway 49 on south. We stopped to eat around Lafayette then picked up Highway 90. Gabrielle might not have known where her father’s family lived, but as we rolled into Thibodaux she began to question my sense of direction. I didn’t have an address, only a description I’d heard many times over the years. Unfortunately, decade-old memories without street names attached to them weren’t getting me much of anywhere.

  “Where are we going?” she asked warily as we passed the same moss-laden cypress tree and food mart for the third time.

  “Aw hell, I don’t know,” I pulled into the store parking lot and rested my head on the steering wheel. “I thought it made sense but now I’m wondering if maybe I was just stalling rather than facing Daniel Winslow… I don’t know what I’m doing anymore, sweetie. I am just so tired…”

  “Well, why did you think you were coming here?”

  “I guess I was hoping to find an old friend of mine. She lives not far from here.”

  “Have you tried looking her up in the phone book?”

  “I don’t have a Thibodaux phone book.”

  “I bet they do in there,” she pointed at the door of the food mart. I pursed my lips in thought. She had a point.

  “You’re pretty smart kid, you know that?”

  “I get my brains from Conrad.”

  “Ouch.”

  “Can I have a dollar to get a soda?”

  “Verbally abuse me then take my money; some job Conrad’s done raising you,” I teased as I handed her the money. I asked the cashier if I could look at his phone book while Gabrielle mixed regular, cherry & Diet Coke into one 44-ounce surprise.