by Karen Ward
CHAPTER 3
Jacob tosses another bale of hay up to his brother and pauses to wipe the sweat from his face. It's been nearly three weeks since that night in Casper but once again a hazy image of Jana Bowen flashes into his mind.
He hadn't really gotten a good look at her that night in the dimly lit hotel room. Hell, he had been so upset about Dani that nothing else really registered. He has the vague impression of medium height, long blonde hair, and stormy, blue eyes. He hadn't been able to determine her build because she had been wearing an oversize T-shirt and shorts. He does remember the shapely legs though. They were gorgeous and her sexy southern drawl still echoes in his memory.
He wonders where she is now and what she is doing. He had tried to contact her the next morning in Casper. Dani had wanted to say goodbye, but she was already gone. Oh well, he will always be grateful to the kind stranger that rescued his daughter from the uncertain fate that awaited her in that truck stop.
******
Dani is so sad, she really misses Jana. She was so disappointed that morning when she and her Daddy tried to call her and she had already checked out of the hotel. She had wanted her Daddy to get to know Jana because she really liked her.
She is so different from Cybil. She is really pretty too and so nice. Dani felt safe with her and she is sure that Jana would make a perfect Mommie for her but now she will probably never see her again.
Her Daddy just doesn't understand how lonely she is. Aunt Jenny is great, but she is not her Mommie and soon Aunt Jenny is going to have a baby of her own. Dani wants a Mommie like Jana. Sometimes it really sucks being a little kid.
******
I cannot believe the negative turn my life has taken now. I am pacing restlessly back and forth in the tiny confined space. If being physically attacked by Frank Gibbons at that restaurant wasn't bad enough, now I have been arrested ... for Frank's murder. I have been confined in this tiny jail cell in the small Montana town of Dillon for two days now. No one is listening to me. No one believes I didn't shoot Frank. How could this have happened? What in the world am I going to do? Think, Jana, think!!
Then it hits me...Jacob Murray. Well, he does owe me a debt of gratitude for rescuing Dani from that truck stop. Maybe he can at least recommend a good defense lawyer. The idiot the court assigned me couldn't fight his way out of a wet paper bag. I'll go to prison or worse if I depend on him. Yes, I will call Jacob Murray.
I bang my shoe on the cell bars to get the attention of the jailer. When the jailer appears I tell him, "I want to make my call now."
When the jailer hands me my cell phone I scroll through my past calls, select Jacob Murray's number and click send. I pray he will answer. It is very early on Monday morning ... at least I think it's Monday.
******
Jacob has just stepped out of the shower when his cell phone rings. He wonders who is calling him this early on Monday morning. It is only seven and he doesn't recognize the number on caller ID. He shakes the water out of his hair and grabs his phone,
"Jacob Murray."
My heart is pounding heavily and my voice trembles as I speak, "Mr. Murray, this is Jana Bowen. I'm sorry to bother you so early but I'm afraid I really need your help. I'm in jail in Dillon Montana."
All of Jacob's senses spring to high alert. "Jana, what happened? What are you being accused of?"
Voice cracking I answer, "Murder."
Jacob takes a deep breath, "Stay calm, Jana, everything will be all right. I'm on my way."
Jacob tells Jason where he's headed and why and that he doesn't know when he will be back. He asks him to please take care of Dani and not to tell her where he's going.
As he heads to the Cody airport he shakes his head. He must be crazy. He doesn't even know this woman and here he is running to her rescue. What if she is guilty? What if she really murdered the victim?
No, that doesn't make sense. A woman that drops everything to take care of a little girl she has never seen before is very unlikely to be a murderer. Dani really liked her too. She still hasn't stopped talking about her, about how nice she is. Yes, this is the right thing to do. He owes her this much.
******
After I disconnect the call I hand the phone back to the jailer and tell him thank you. Then I sit down on the narrow cot in my tiny cell and think back over the conversation. I am very surprised Jacob Murray didn't ask more questions. It is even more surprising that he is dropping everything to come to Dillon to talk to me. I am not sure what I expected of him, but certainly not this. I am grateful though. It will be a relief just to see a friendly face. I pray that he will believe that I didn't shoot Frank Gibbons.
******
Jacob walks into the jail in Dillon Montana just before noon dressed in a dark grey business suit. The dark blue tie around his neck is choking him and he pulls at his collar. He hasn't worn a tie in over four years. How did he ever stand to wear these things every day?
His old high school friend, Sheriff Bill Hargess is sitting behind the desk. He looks up when he hears the door open and a huge smile crosses his face as he stands to greet Jacob. "Hello Jacob. How in the world are you? What brings you all the way to Dillon?"
"Hey Bill, it's good to see you. Boy, it has been a really long time. How is your family?" Jacob says smiling warmly as he extends his hand to his old friend.
"We are all fine, just fine. How is yours?" Bill replies.
"Dani's good. You know I lost Beverly four years ago."
"Yes, I heard about that. I'm really sorry for your loss. What can I do for you?"
"Well, I believe you have a young lady in residence here by the name of Jana Bowen, I'm her lawyer."
A stunned look crosses the sheriff's face. He had heard through the grapevine that Jacob had retired and wasn't practicing law anymore. But he says, "All right, I'll get her for you. Wait in the private interview room."
He opens the door to the interview room for Jacob then he grabs his keys and walks to the back of the jail. Unlocking Jana's cell he says, "Well young lady, I'm not sure how you managed it, but you are one lucky lady. Come with me."
******
Jacob looks up when he hears the door to the interview room open and immediately feels like he took a punch to the stomach. His breath freezes in his lungs and his heart rate doubles. Jana Bowen is absolutely stunning with beautiful long blonde hair falling in waves around her shoulders, creamy unblemished skin showing no signs of makeup, deep blue eyes the color of a stormy sky, a pouty mouth that makes him want to take a nibble, a fantastic body the shapeless orange jump suit can't disguise, and a dark bruise on her cheek.
He rises to his feet as I approach and extends his hand. "Jana, it's good to see you again."
As our hands touch, a charge of electricity streaks up his arm and straight to his nether regions. Wow, he has never reacted to a woman so strongly or so quickly. Jana's eyes rounded so he knows she felt the same zing when their hands touched.
******
I am floored. My heart is pounding and that little shock when our hands touched surprised me. It must have just been static electricity or something. Surely that kind of sexual chemistry doesn't exist. I certainly have never experienced anything like it before.
Jacob Murray is just as gorgeous as I remembered. His dark brown hair is a little longer now and that one curl is still falling across his forehead. My palm is itching to brush it back. His hair looks mussed like he has been running his fingers through it. The five o'clock shadow is gone but the chiseled jaw is still strong, and I don't see as much sadness in his chocolate brown eyes as that night at the hotel in Casper. His jacket is stretched almost to busting across his broad shoulders and his tie is skewed like he has been tugging on it. Put him in boots and jeans with a Stetson and he could be the star in one of those old western movies I used to see on late night television when I was a little girl.
I smile tremulously at Jacob, "Thank you for coming Mr. Murray. I really didn't know what I was going to do.
"
Jacob indicates the chair across from him stating, "Call me Jacob. We're friends after all. Why don't you start at the beginning and tell me everything that happened. Don't leave anything out."
I am confused so I ask, "I don't understand. Are you a lawyer?"
Jacob nods, "Yeah, I am ... a very good one in fact. Lucky break for you," he replies with a broad grin on his face.
My heart skips a beat when I see the smile cross his face. Wow! He is so hot when he smiles! I feel a slow smile slide across my face in response. "How's Dani? Did she recover from her ordeal at the truck stop?"
Smiling warmly, Jacob replies, "Dani's doing great. At least I don't think she has any lasting effects this time. She wanted to thank you herself and was disappointed when we couldn't find you. The gentleman at the desk said you had checked out earlier. Thank you again for taking care of Dani. You made quite an impression on her. She doesn't trust strangers easily."
I nod and take a deep breath before continuing, "She told me about the accident and her fear of policemen. I'm sorry for your loss. I'm glad Dani is okay. She is a sweet little girl."
I pause for a few seconds, take another deep breath then start my story. "Well, from the time I pulled away from the hotel in Casper that morning, I had a feeling I was being followed. It took several days for me to identify the vehicles that kept showing up everywhere I stopped. I am pretty sure it was two different ones.
"One was an old blue pickup, Chevrolet, I think, probably a 1970's model. The driver was a scraggly looking guy, long hair, beard, but I couldn't manage to get a good look at him. I just had an eerie feeling that I knew him. He turned out to be Frank Gibbons. The other car was a dark four door sedan with really dark tinted windows. The driver was clean cut, dangerous looking. I am reasonably sure I have never met him. They kept showing up everywhere I stopped for almost three weeks staying just far enough away that I couldn't get a good look at either one of them."
A sharp knock sounds at the door and the sheriff sticks his head in and says, "I thought you would want to know, the ballistics report just came back, the bullet that killed Frank Gibbons matches the gun registered to Ms. Bowen that was found at the scene."
Jacob responds, "Thanks, Bill."
As his gaze travels back to Jana he notes all of the color has drained from her face and her breathing is shallow and fast. She looks panicked. He reaches out and takes her hand. Unexpectedly, the charge streaks up his arm again. He takes a deep breath, steeling himself against the feeling, and reassures, "Jana, it's going to be okay. We are going to beat this."
I am shaking my head ... my heart is pounding with fear. "No, you don't understand. They are going to say I had a motive to kill Frank, and I did!"
Cautiously Jacob asks "Did what?" His heart speeds up and his nerves are on edge.
"Have a motive! But I didn't shoot him! I swear!" Please God, let him believe me!
Jacob sighs with relief and nods his head in understanding, "All right, let's go back to when and where you knew Frank Gibbons."
I tell him everything. I start with my divorce and how lonely I had been when I first met Frank. I told him how Frank had been clean cut then, nice looking, seemingly hard working and charismatic. I explained how he had swept me off my feet ... how he talked me out of my money, then about how he left and never looked back. I even told him how my self esteem had been destroyed and my heart was bruised but not broken. I explained how after a while I felt only relief that he was gone, that I had gotten out of the relationship when I did and so easily with only the financial loss. Determined not to leave anything out, I told him how I changed my cell phone number and how I tried to make sure I couldn't be traced when I left Texas because of the threats Frank had made toward me. I told him how I had never wanted to see Frank Gibbons again. When I finish my story I somehow feel lighter, cleansed, relieved.
I look into his chocolate brown eyes and see warmth in their depths, understanding. He asks, "So you think the prosecution will say because he took your money and broke your heart, that you had a motive to want him dead?"
"Yes." I state my heart pounding with dread.
"What kind of threats did he make?" asks Jacob.
"Frank told me over and over that I belonged to him, only him, and he would kill me if I was ever with another man," I feel my eyes fill with tears. "I believed him."
"And you haven't talked to him or heard from him since he left you in Texas two years ago until that night at the restaurant?" asks Jacob.
"That's correct. I hadn't seen him or heard from him since he left me in Texas. He had changed so much in his appearance that I didn't even recognize him until he spoke to me in the restaurant three nights ago."
"Tell me what happened at the restaurant," requests Jacob.
"Well, I was sitting in a booth toward the back of the building. I had just finished my meal and was paying my check when I saw him come in the door. He walked in and came straight to my table. I was frightened when I realized he was coming toward my table. I reached into my purse to feel for my 9MM Glock and remembered I had put it in the console of my car after I left the gun range in Bozeman that morning. I was petrified."
I pause while I take another deep breath then continue, "He sat down across from me and I finally recognized him when he spoke. I nearly choked on my tea when he said hello. I asked him what he wanted and why he was following me. He said he wanted me back. He said he wanted to renew our relationship. I told him I wasn't interested. He argued with me telling me how much he had missed me and how he realized he is in love with me. I told him again I wasn't interested and rose from the table to leave."
"What happened next?"
"He grabbed my arm. I jerked free and screamed no! as I ran outside. I know everybody in the restaurant had to have heard me. Anyway, he caught me before I could get into my car. He grabbed my arm and threw me against the side of the car. He had me pinned with his body and was kissing me, touching my breasts. I kneed him in the groin and tried to get away. He grabbed my arm again and hit me across my face. I f ...f...fell to the ground. He was coming at me again. He looked angry like some kind of a maniac. Somebody yelled at him, yelled his name, I don't know who. He was distracted so I jumped in my car and fled. I didn't know what had happened after that until the state patrol pulled me over the next morning and I was arrested for murder."
Jacob watches the emotions play across Jana's face as she speaks. He sees the terror, the revulsion, the relief. "I see the bruise on your face. Is that where he hit you? Has anyone gotten photos of that yet?"
I nod dejectedly. "No one has taken pictures."
"Do you have any other bruises?"
I show him the underside of my upper arm where fingerprints are clearly visible.
"Do you have a license for the Glock?" he asks.
"I have a concealed handgun license from Texas. They, the police, told me Frank was shot with my gun. I didn't even know it was missing from my car."
"Did they test you for gun powder residue on your hands?" he asks.
"Yes, I tested positive."
Jacob's eyebrows shoot up. "Because?"
"I stopped at a practice range in Bozeman that morning. I feel sure they have a record of my being in their establishment. It was called The Bullet Trap. When I left, I put the gun in the console of my car. I planned on cleaning it that night."
He nods, smiles and says, "All right, I think I have everything I need for now. Sit tight and I will try to get bond set so we can get you out of here. And Jana, have a little faith, it's going to all work out. You'll see."
"Thank you Jacob. I really appreciate your help." I return his smile.
The sheriff escorts me back to my jail cell and says as he locks the door, "He's good, you know. If anybody can get you out of this, Jacob can."
When the sheriff leaves me in the cell I pray what the sheriff said is true.
Jacob leaves the jail and goes to the prosecutor's office where he gets copies of all the evi
dence they have gathered so far in the case. It appears the guy was shot with a 9MM Glock that was registered to Jana Bowen out of Texas. Her fingerprints were on the gun as he expected. No other prints were identified but smudges like someone might have handled the gun with gloves were found. She also tested positive for gun powder residue on her hands as she had said. No eye witnesses to the shooting were found. A few people inside the restaurant heard the shot but no one saw anything. He did find reports from customers at the restaurant that told of Jana's argument with the scraggly man inside the restaurant but no one seems to have witnessed their encounter outside.
He then heads to the Clerk's office where he posts Jana's bond and gets the necessary papers to have her released into his custody. He had to speak personally to the judge and get permission for Jana to leave the state with him.
Jacob returns to the jail around five with the appropriate paperwork to get me released. A photographer takes pictures from every angle of the bruises on my face and arms. The Sheriff furnishes me a shapeless jumpsuit to wear ... at least it is not orange! Then Jacob and I leave the jail together. As soon as we get in Jacob's rental car, he removes his suit coat and the tie from around his neck. He breathes a sigh of relief and smiles at me. He rolls back his shirt sleeves revealing his tanned, muscular forearms. He says,
"Whew! I can't believe I use to wear those things every day. It is sheer torture."
We head to the restaurant where the shooting took place. He examines where the body had been lying comparing every detail to the police report. It all happened toward the back of the parking lot where no one inside would have a view from the restaurant windows. He asks me where my SUV had been parked that night. I indicate a spot closer to the building but still out of the view of the windows and a good distance from where Frank Gibbons was shot. After he is satisfied with what he has seen, we head for the airport in Butte Montana.
