by Ann Mullen
“Yes, I would love a tree, but someone has to stay with the children.”
“I’ll be glad to cut one down for you,” Billy said.
“I’ll cut it down for her if you don’t mind,” Eddie said to Billy.
“Okay, that works for me.”
“That sounds wonderful. Thanks, Eddie. I’m sure that my daughter wouldn’t let me go out in the dark, dangerous woods to do it myself anyway.”
“You can bank on it.”
“Neither would I,” Billy added. “It will be dark soon and you don’t need to be out in the woods, Mother Elk. You have children to care for.”
Eddie smiled at Mom. “Mother Elk, huh?” He looked over at Billy and then to me. “I like that name. It’s so fitting. She is the head of the herd, isn’t she? So, Mother Elk, I’ll be glad to help you decorate your tree if you want me to.”
“That sounds wonderful. Thanks, Eddie. We can do it tomorrow.”
“Unfortunately, if you don’t leave tonight, you might not get out of here at all,” Billy said. “If we get the snow they’re predicting, nobody’s going anywhere.”
The phone rang.
“Let’s go to the kitchen and set out some food, Eddie,” Mom said.
I walked back into the living room and picked up the receiver. I suspected that Captain Waverly was on the other end, and he was.
“How’s everything in Charlottesville?” I asked him. “I thought the Albemarle Police or the Albemarle County Sheriff’s Office would be handling this case.”
“We’re working together. We do that, you know. All surrounding law enforcement throws in together when we need more manpower, or when a criminal flees from one jurisdiction into another. That’s the way it works everywhere. We want to catch our man, and we don’t care who helps.”
“Oh, I see. What do you want from me?’’
“Did Wayne Avery confess to you that he was the one who set fire to Jonathan’s house?”
“Yes, he did, but you know as well as I do that’s hearsay.”
“What else did he say? Maybe you forgot something.”
“I didn’t forget anything, because there’s not much to tell. Look, Captain Waverly, I’m a little busy. I’m sure you can understand.”
“Yes, I can,” he responded. “When we catch Wayne Avery, I’ll need you to come in and make an official statement.”
“I’ll be glad to, but until you catch him there’s not much else I can do.”
“If he contacts you again, please call me.”
“I will, captain.”
As soon as I hung up the phone, it rang again. This time it was Sheriff Wake Hudson from the Greene County Sheriff’s Office.
“Why am I not surprised that it’s you on the other end?”
“I don’t know. Were you expecting me to call?”
“I’m always expecting to hear from you. Anytime something happens in this family, you’re always there.” I smiled. “Perhaps that’s a good thing.”
“I’m not going to beat around the bush, Jesse. I understand that Wayne Avery confronted you in the UVA hospital parking garage and confessed to setting the fire at Jonathan’s house. Anytime we have someone who confesses to a crime, and then that same type of crime is committed a short distance away, we have to believe they’re both connected.”
“Wayne Avery needs to be arrested, Sheriff Hudson. He burned Jonathan’s house to the ground and he needs to pay. He said that he wanted revenge against Jonathan, but he never expected anyone to die. A house can be replaced, but not people. He’s frantic. I’m sure he doesn’t want to go to jail.”
“It’s too late for that.”
“It is ironic that the man who died in the Ruckersville fire is the same man who had an affair with this kid’s mother. It kind of makes you wonder. These two fires have to be connected. I see that now.”
“If he calls you again would you please let me know, or either call Captain Waverly? We need to get this guy off the street, and any help you can give us would be appreciated.”
“You saved my mother’s life, Sheriff Hudson. I’d do anything for you.”
Chapter 13
Geneva came over to help Mom watch the kids. After a quick bite to eat, we gathered at Chief Sam and Sarah’s house to cut down trees for Christmas. Adam, Robert, Greg, Eli, and Jonathan were already there when Eddie, Billy, and I showed up.
I hugged everyone, and then asked Sarah and the chief if there was anything I could do for them.
“No,” Sarah said. “I’m just so glad everyone showed up for the tree cutting ceremony. I love this part.”
“What ceremony?” I asked as I looked at the chief and then back to Sarah, waiting for an explanation.
“I guess Billy didn’t explain,” she said. “When we go out and gather trees for Christmas, we say a prayer.”
“I can handle that,” I said, and then looked over at Jonathan. “Where’s Lu Ann?”
“She had some work to do,” he replied. “But I’ll be seeing her tonight. I’m going to take a tree over and help her decorate it. I might even spend the night, so don’t expect me back until tomorrow.”
“From what I’ve heard, it’s supposed to snow up to our eyeballs. You might get stuck at her house and not be able to get back for a while.”
“Worse things could happen.” He smiled. “I have a Humvee, Jesse. I can go pretty much any place I want to.”
“You know, Uncle Jonathan,” Greg said. “If you need a place to live for a while, you can always come stay with me.”
“Thanks, Greg,” Jonathan said. “I might just take you up on that.”
I smiled at the thought. That would be perfect. At least, Greg wouldn’t be alone.
“Saddle up, folks,” the chief demanded. “We’re ready to go.”
Without many words spoken, everyone got into their vehicles and followed Chief Sam and Sarah’s pickup truck into the woods.
I was surprised when the road led to a massive growth of real Christmas trees a mile into the back side of the Blackhawk property.
“Wow!” I said as I crawled out of the pickup truck. “There must be a hundred Christmas trees here!”
“Dad comes out and plants about twenty or so every spring to compensate for the ones we cut down,” Billy said.
He walked up and put his arms around me.
“He’s been doing it for years. He likes having this ceremony. He looks forward to it every year. It’s his chance to have a brief prayer with his family to celebrate the start of the winter months.”
“Your father likes to celebrate a lot of stuff.”
“It’s the way of the Cherokee. We are grateful for the land we live on and the air we breathe. We celebrate the many things God gave us, like fresh air, blue skies and much, much more.”
“Yes, I’ve been a part of many of those celebrations.”
“Saturday, we will celebrate Daniel’s life. You might find it a little different than most funerals.”
“Like how?”
“We dance and sing and eat lots of food.”
“That doesn’t sound too much different from some of the funerals I’ve been to.”
“Then in a week we’ll celebrate Christmas.”
“So, the party’s still on?”
“Of course,” Sarah said. “We’ll say a prayer for Daniel at the party.”
“Come on,” the chief yelled. “It’ll be getting dark soon.”
“That’s one of the things I don’t like about winter,” I whispered to Billy as we followed the chief. “The days are too short.”
“The short days don’t give you enough time to get into much trouble,” Jonathan said as he walked up next to me. “I heard about the police coming to the office today. I bet you freaked out.”
“Yes, I almost did, considering I had Wayne Avery on the phone confessing that he burned your house down. He hung up when he heard the sirens in the background. He called back about the time Billy showed up, and then he pretended to shoot himself.�
��
“I heard.”
“That really irks me. He sounded so innocent, and then he goes and pulls a stunt like that. And he’s such a liar! I’ve had enough sadness in my life for one day. Thank you, very much.”
“I guess you know that the fire in Ruckersville was probably connected to the fire at my place.”
“Yeah, I heard.”
“Did you know that the two people who died in the fire in Ruckersville weren’t found in the hallway trying to escape? Nope, they were shot in the head execution style before the fire was set.”
“I heard,” I said, looking at Billy.
We stopped in the middle of the path and waited for Chief Sam to say his prayer. Sarah put her arm around Greg when the chief began. The very last sentence was dedicated to his son, Daniel, and he spoke of the day we would all be together again. There wasn’t a dry eye around.
Chain saws buzzed and it wasn’t long before each truck was loaded with a tree or two. In our case, we had two. Billy wanted one for our house and one for the office. Eddie threw Mom’s tree in the back of his pickup truck.
“I can’t wait to help your mother decorate her tree,” he said to me. “She’s a wonderful person, and I enjoy her company so much. It gets mighty lonely when you don’t have anyone in your life.”
“I know something about that!” I said. “I’m glad my mother has such a nice person like you around, Eddie. I know she’s been awfully lonely since my dad passed away. She has us, but it’s not the same.”
“It’s a shame to have to be by yourself,” Eddie said. “My wife died three years ago and I’ve missed her every day since.”
“I hope that you and my mom will find comfort in each other. You both deserve to be happy.”
I guess I had finally warmed up to Eddie. If he made my mother happy, that’s all that mattered to me. I no longer tried to find things wrong with him, but instead, tried to see him for the good person that he is… and I quit comparing him to my father.
It was so cold outside you could see your breath. I shivered the whole time, and was so glad when we were ready to leave. I was chilled to the bone. We packed up and headed home. When we reached the fork in the road, we split off and each went their separate ways. Eddie stayed behind us.
“We need to hurry up, so Mom and Eddie can leave. I know she wants to go home and put up her tree. I’m just surprised that she went home this morning, came right back, and is going home again. She can’t make up her mind what she wants to do.”
“Sometimes a person has to get out and breathe. You do it. I do it. So, why can’t your mother?”
“I guess you’re right. How long do you think she’ll stay away this time?”
“Not long,” Billy said. “But she has to go home tonight because your sister, Claire, is coming tomorrow to stay with her until the funeral. I told your mom they could stay with us, but I think she wants to give us a little privacy.”
“That’s fine with me. Did Claire say whether she’s bringing the kids with her?”
“No, she’s not. They’re going to stay with Carl.”
“I thought he’d be dead by now.”
“Now, `ge ya. Be nice.”
“I can’t help it. I despise that man.”
“He is the father of her children.”
“Regrettably.”
We pulled up into the driveway, and then Billy backed the truck up into the garage. We got out and unloaded one of the trees, leaving the other one in the truck to be taken to the office. Billy carried the tree up on the front porch and leaned it against the wall.
Eddie parked his truck, and the three of us went inside. The minute I walked in, I heard the dogs barking and a child’s cry.
“I hear someone calling my name,” I said as Geneva walked up.
“Where’s Eli?” she asked.
I looked at Billy and Eddie, and then said, “I guess he went home.” I took off my coat and hung it on the rack by the door. I was tired and didn’t feel like listening to her whine… which seemed to be something she did frequently.
“He was supposed to come back here and pick me up.”
Athena and Thor came up to us and pranced around. I petted Thor on the head and then rubbed Athena’s back. Seconds later they were out of sight. Spice Cat lay on the floor by the sofa, purring.
“I can take you home,” Billy said. “You only live a minute away.”
“I don’t know what I’m going to do with that man,” she said as she shook her head. “Sometimes I think he has Alzheimer’s.”
“Let’s hope not,” Mom said as she walked into the living room carrying Maisy.” She handed her to me. “Maisy has a tummy ache.”
“How do you know?”
“Because she told me.”
“She doesn’t talk, yet. All she says is ma-ma and da-da.”
“That’s right, she doesn’t, but she points and makes noises. She pointed to her tummy and cried, so I gave her a drop of that stuff you have for babies. She’s still a little weepy, but she’s going to be all right.” Mom leaned over and whispered in my ear, “She has gas.”
“Don’t we all?” Geneva asked. “Eli is the worst. He farts all the time.”
Eddie and Billy burst out laughing. Mom was embarrassed.
I didn’t think anything of her comment. It wasn’t unusual for Geneva to spout out whatever comes to mind. I ignored her and kissed Maisy’s cheek.
Maisy wrapped her arms around my neck and then laid her head on my shoulder. She was in the comfort of her mommy’s arms. She was happy.
“Where’s Ethan?”
“He’s asleep,” Mom said. “He’s an infant. All they do is eat and sleep for the first few months.”
“And poop,” Geneva added.
It was all Billy and Eddie could do to keep from busting a gut. Billy excused himself by saying that he had to go check on Ethan, and Eddie grabbed Mom by the arm and led her down the hall to the den.
“Did I say something wrong?” Geneva asked. “I didn’t mean to offend anyone.”
Poor woman. I guess she just didn’t realize that most folks don’t like to have conversations about bodily functions in the presence of mixed company. I learned that from my mother. Yet, I tried to show compassion for the woman.
“Don’t worry about it,” I said, knowing there was no point in trying to change her. It was too late for that. “I’m starving. I didn’t eat much earlier. I’m going to put Maisy to bed and look in on Ethan, and then I’m going to get something to eat.”
I walked out of the living room. When I looked in the nursery, Billy was standing over Ethan’s crib, looking down at him. I walked over to Maisy’s crib and gently laid her down. I pulled her blanket over her and then turned and walked over next to Billy.
“He’s fine, `ge ya. I’ve already checked. I put my hand on his back just like any mother would do. Fathers learn quickly.”
“I’m going to fix a plate. Would you like something to eat before you take Geneva home?”
“I had something while you were out breaking into the office.” He chuckled. “Then I had a bite before we went out to cut down trees. I’m stuffed.”
I leaned over and kissed Ethan on the forehead, and then kissed Billy lightly on the lips.
“I’ll be here when you get back. We’ll have the house all to ourselves. I’m sure we can find something interesting to do with ourselves.”
“Hmm, I’m sure we could,” Billy said as he leaned over and kissed me on the neck, sending chills all over my body. “We’ll pick up on this later... I hope. You never know, since there’s usually always someone here other than us.”
“Tonight it’s just going to be you and me, kid... and the kids, the dogs, and the cat. That’s okay. We have a lock on our bedroom door.”
“Fortunately.” Billy winked at me.
I turned and walked out of the room. I walked down the hall to the den and asked Mom and Eddie if they would like something to eat.
“We’ve already had
something,” Mom said.
“Then why don’t you take some food home for later?”
“No, thank you. There’s plenty of food at my house.”
“I’m surprised,” I said. “I would’ve thought that the cabinets would be bare since you’re here most of the time.”
“I have to keep some food in my house. You never know when I might actually stay there for a few days.”
We both laughed.
“You can move in here permanently, if you want to.”
“I don’t think so, Missy. I like my privacy.”
“I know, Mom,” I said as I turned and headed to the kitchen. I passed Geneva on the way. She was standing outside the nursery looking in.
“She’s such a beautiful child,” she said. “Sometimes when I forget what my son looked like, I look at her. She’s the spitting image of Brian.”
“I didn’t know Brian very well,” I said. “But just by looking at Maisy, I’d say you’re right.”
“He was a wonderful son. I don’t know what he saw in that woman. Vicki was mean and hateful. She tried to keep my son from me, and she did keep my granddaughter from me. God will punish her for being so evil.”
I changed the subject. “Have you had something to eat?”
“Actually, I haven’t.”
“Then let’s go raid the refrigerator.”
We walked to the kitchen.
As I opened the refrigerator door, Geneva got a couple of plates from the cabinet. I stood there with the door opened. The refrigerator was filled to capacity. I took a plate from Geneva and started pilling food on top of it. I backed away and said, “It’s all yours.”
Geneva piled a little bit of everything on her plate, and then sat down at the table across from me. We ate in silence.
We had just about finished our meal when Billy walked in and said, “The kids are asleep for now, but I’m sure Ethan will be up again before the night is over. I’m just glad that Maisy sleeps through the night… most of the time.”
I got up, walked over to the sink, and looked out the kitchen window.
“It’s dark already,” I said. “The days are too short for me. I love the long days of summer.”
