South River Incident

by Ann Mullen

  “Of course it is,” he said. He reached out and put his hand on my shoulder. “Let me put your mind at ease. You have nothing to worry about.”

  “Then you must know who she is.” Billy got right in his face. “Otherwise, you’d be all over these people.”

  “And you are...?”

  “Billy Blackhawk, Private Investigator.”

  “Sir, I can’t go into that right now. I can tell you that we have our suspicions. We’ve been searching for a woman who fits the victim’s description for almost two weeks. We won’t know anything for sure until the autopsy is complete or until we get a positive ID.”

  Sirens sounded in the distance. Minutes later, a black SUV pulled into the driveway, led by a Greene County police cruiser.

  “Is that the M.E.?” I asked the sheriff. “I’ve never seen an SUV that long. It’s almost the length of two cars.”

  “From what I understand, it was custom-made. A regular hearse would never make it through these hills, especially in weather like this. If you’ll excuse me, Miss Watson, I need to have a word with him.” He looked over at Cole. “Deputy James, would you please join us?”

  “Yes, sir,” Cole responded, and left to follow his boss.

  “What was that all about?” I whispered to Billy.

  “I think your boy got caught with his pants down.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, he was smooching on you when he should have been doing his job. He let his guard down.”

  “Are you saying the sheriff doesn’t know I’m Cole’s girlfriend?”

  “He does now.” Billy saw the angry look in my eyes. “Don’t let it get to you, `ge ya. Remember, if you’re not the wife, you’re just the flavor of the month. A girlfriend doesn’t count for much.”

  “What an awful thing to say, Billy.”

  “I’m sorry, but it’s true. Cops go through relationships faster than the speed of sound because most women just can’t seem to tolerate being number two. Being second to someone’s job is degrading.”

  “It’s different with me and Cole.”

  “Sure it is,” he mumbled. He walked over to the stack of firewood.

  As Billy and I made our way up the steps to the utility room, Sheriff Hudson and the M.E. walked past. Cole and the other two deputies followed. I looked to see if he was looking at me, but he kept on walking. It was as if I wasn’t there. What was the deal?

  I began to sink into another one of my many phases of insecurities. I’ve always had a problem with self-esteem. Therapy helped, but I left my therapist behind a long time ago. I’ve tried to deal with my problems by myself, and have been doing pretty well. I would not let this make me crazy. If Cole was going to ignore me, then I could ignore the fact that we were supposed to be in love.

  “See, I told you... number two,” Billy said as he opened the door to the utility room. “You’d better get used to it.”

  “If you’re trying to light my fire, you’re doing a good job.”

  “I’m just telling you how it is.”

  “What do you know, Billy Blackhawk?”

  “I know that you think you and Cole are going to have a heavy-duty relationship, but you’d better get used to the idea that his job comes first. I’ve known him for a long time and I can assure you that there hasn’t been a woman in his life who meant more to him than his job.”

  “Until now,” I said with a grin on my face.

  Chapter 3

  Our argument continued into the living room. I dumped my firewood on the corner of the hearth while Billy placed his, one by one on top of the remaining embers in the stove. He slammed the doors shut.

  “How many times have I warned you about him? You just don’t listen.”

  “Yeah, well, Cole warned me about you, too.”

  Mom jumped up from the sofa and headed toward the kitchen.

  “Stop it! What is it with you two? Every time I turn around, you’re fighting. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were married.” She grunted and walked into the kitchen. “I’m going to fix a pot of coffee. There’s leftover chicken in the refrigerator if anybody’s hungry.”

  The room fell silent. Why was Mom angry? She had heard us argue many times. What was different about this time? I guess having a dead body in your backyard does something to a person. I cursed at Billy under my breath and walked to the kitchen.

  “I’m sorry, Mom. I know this thing is hard on you, but you know how we are. It wouldn’t be normal if Billy and I didn’t fight.” I looked at Billy with a smug grin on my face. “Besides, he knows he’s always wrong. It just takes him a little while to admit it.”

  Billy got up from the hearth and slowly walked over to where we were standing. “She’s absolutely right.” He put his arm around her shoulders. “I guess I’m just getting senile in my silly old age.”

  Mom brushed off his arms and gave him a dirty look. “Don’t mess with me, Billy Blackhawk. I know what you’re trying to do. You’re trying to make me forget what has happened here. But I know what’s going on. Y’all know something and you’re not telling me. They’re going to put me in jail, aren’t they?”

  “No, they are not! That’s not it at all,” I said. “Besides, why would they put you in jail? You didn’t do anything. Just because you own the property doesn’t mean you had anything to do with the crime.” I reached out to hug her. “Tell her everything is going to be fine, Billy.”

  “Everything is going to be fine. Don’t you worry yourself one bit,” he said, as he led her to the kitchen table. “Why don’t you sit down and I’ll bring you a cup of coffee. Then we can talk about that dead body in your back yard.”

  “Billy!” I screamed.

  Mom burst into laughter and then said, “Billy, you’re such a bad boy!”

  We sat at the table for a long time, discussing the day’s events. Mom was glad to hear that the police didn’t suspect any of us, but was appalled at the idea of an actual dead body on her property. Claire was her usual quiet, classy, above all, timid self, until we heard a cry from upstairs. She bounced out of her chair like an angel with wings and ran to comfort her children. A pang of jealousy gripped my heart. One day I will have children that will require my immediate attention just like her. But for now all I had were two dogs. And, actually, they didn’t need me... they had Mom to take care of them.

  As if to read my mind, Thor ambled over and licked my hand. He had grown into a fine pet within the last three months. He no longer was a little brown ball of hair with scarred-up legs, but had developed into a hefty, muscular barking machine. His hair had become curly, and his face was so adorable. Yet, his big, amber eyes conveyed a tale of past abuse. For a while he had cowered down every time someone got near him. But now he was getting acclimated to his new family, and he liked being here with us. One day he would become the terror of Dogwood Valley. He would be the master of this land. I could see it coming.

  “Thor has turned out to be a good little dog, hasn’t he?” Mom beamed. “See, I told you. All he needed was a good home and someone to love him. Somebody sure has treated him badly. But now he has a good home.” She reached over and rubbed his back.

  Mom had said that animals were like people; all they need is love. Thor was a testament to that fact. What was once an insecure, wimp of a dog was now the king of the hill. He had his ego and his pride back. He no longer feared man. He could conquer the world! Nobody would ever push him around or beat him anymore!

  My thoughts went back to Cole. He says he loves me, but there’s something missing in our relationship. I still can’t seem to get that trust back we once shared when we first started seeing each other. Maybe it had something to do with the time I told him a piece of confidential information while under the influence, and he did his job by reporting it to his boss. That really blew my mind. I tried to put the incident behind us and start over again, but it’s been hard. I love him—I just don’t trust him.

  Mom looked across the table at Billy a
nd said, “Let’s have it.”

  “The body is pretty mutilated. Sheriff Hudson thinks it might be the body of Mary Keen, the woman who has been missing. She was reported kidnapped, the ransom was paid, but she never made it back home. It’s pretty hard to tell from the corpse, but the diamond ring was a dead giveaway. Roy Keen, her husband, used to be a Greene County deputy until he was fired last month. Prior to all this, about six months ago, he gave his wife a huge diamond ring that raised eyebrows within the department. A deputy’s wife saw it and started asking all kinds of questions. Later, the ring showed up in a photo taken at a party, and eventually the photo got passed around.”

  My instincts kicked in. “Why was he fired?”

  “Don’t you remember, Jesse? It was in the papers and all over the news. He was involved in stealing drugs from the evidence room and selling them on the street. It was a black eye for the department.”

  “What you’re saying is the kidnappers received the ransom and killed her anyway? That’s pretty sorry.”

  “That’s what it looks like.”

  “How much was the ransom?”

  “It was fifty thousand dollars. What difference does that make?”

  “That’s a lot of money for a deputy, especially for someone who has been out of work. Where did he get the money to buy the ring?”

  “He sold drugs!” Mom snapped. “Gosh, Jesse, even I could figure that one out. He’s a criminal!”

  “If it was all about money, why didn’t the kidnappers take the ring?”

  “That’s a good question,” Mom added.

  We sat there contemplating the situation.

  “If this is the Keen woman, the only problem we have is that she was dumped on our property, right, Billy?”

  “Let’s hope so. Unfortunately, the cops have a way of screwing things up or making a bad situation worse. Una-ye-hi-di the wa-hya!”

  “What?” Mom looked befuddled.

  “Fear the wolves.”

  “Oh, that’s a pleasant thought,” I mumbled. “I think what Billy’s trying to say, Mom, is that once the cops sink their teeth into you, they don’t let go until they come away with some meat. Even if we’re not the guilty party, they’re still going to gnaw away at us.”

  “That sure doesn’t sound very pleasant. It’s just not fair.”

  “No, it’s not fair,” Billy said. “That’s why I don’t get along with them. They take good people and turn their lives upside down. This bit about innocent until proven guilty is a farce. In the eyes of the law, you’re guilty until you can prove yourself innocent. What starts out as an open and shut case turns into a witch hunt and innocent people get hurt.”

  “What else did you find out from the sheriff?” I asked.

  “It wasn’t from the sheriff that I learned anything,” he said, raising his eyebrows. “I overheard one of the deputies tell another that Roy probably had something to do with it. He also made a reference to the police not being called in until after the ransom was paid. And they wondered if Roy had actually paid a ransom. I find the whole scenario a little strange myself. It just doesn’t wash.”

  “That does add some spice to the pie,” Mom added. Her face lit up like a Christmas tree. She seemed to be coming to terms with the situation now that she didn’t have to worry about going to jail.

  However, I found it strange that she would make such a comment. She never used to talk about people, let alone make silly remarks about them.

  Billy has been a big influence on Mom and is probably responsible for some of her attitude changes. He was the one who talked her into going to work for him so soon after Dad died. He told Mom she had to face reality, and start a new life without Mack. She deserved a little happiness. Mack would want it that way. It was those words that helped bring her out of her blue funk. She settled into her new role as office manager nicely: answering the phone, arranging appointments with clients, and refereeing the arguments between the two of us. She did a good job running Billy’s office, and he did his best to convince her to stay, but when Claire came along with her marital problems, Mom left us to resume her role as homemaker and caregiver. Claire and her two kids, Benny and Carrie, moved in with Mom shortly thereafter.

  A few minutes later, Claire returned downstairs with a cigarette in her mouth and a nasty attitude. “Y’all need to keep it down a little. I’m trying to get the kids to sleep.”

  “I’m sorry, honey,” Mom got up from the table and went to her.

  “They had just about fallen asleep when Jesse raised her voice and startled them. Maybe she can keep the noise down for a few minutes...”

  I had just about had it with Claire’s crybaby ways. I know she’s going through a divorce, but she doesn’t have to act so hateful. Life goes on.

  “I guess the noise won’t be a problem once you move into Billy’s house,” I uttered under my breath. “You’ll have all the peace and quiet you want. You won’t hear anything for miles... maybe just the sound of wolves, or a bear going through your trash.” I knew I was being mean, but I couldn’t help myself. She’d been so hateful lately, she deserved a little ribbing. Besides, it wouldn’t hurt for her to know what she was going to be up against. If she was unhappy with a little bit of noise, wait until she moved out in the country. The silence would drive her crazy. Without Mom around to keep her company, she would be lost.

  She sat down at the table and said, “I’ve been meaning to talk to you and Billy about that. I think there might be a problem.”

  “Why talk to me? I don’t have any say in the matter. That’s between you and Billy.” I got up to get another cup of coffee, which I knew was the last thing I needed. My stomach was still queasy from a lack of a decent meal and the presence of a dead body. Yet, I had to do something. I didn’t want to have to look at Claire’s face while she talked about her moving plans. I had made up my mind I would keep my feelings to myself and stay out of it. I filled my coffee cup and stood at the counter, stalling.

  “Come sit down, Jesse,” Billy demanded. “From the look on Claire’s face, I think this might well involve you.”

  I picked up my cup, walked back to the table and sat down. I couldn’t possibly imagine what her move had to do with me unless she wanted me to help carry the boxes. If that was the case, she could write off that idea. I wasn’t about to help her. The only way she was going to get anything out of me was by sending a big apology my way. Lately, she had hurt my feelings one time too many.

  Claire snubbed out her cigarette and lit another one. She was obviously nervous about something. She had been chain smoking for a while.

  “I know, I know,” she said as she glanced up at us, going from one to the other. “I smoke too much, and I’ve been a real witch. I’m sorry. I’ve had a lot on my mind lately. This mess with Carl has been real hard on the kids. They don’t understand. All they know is that they miss their father. As much as I hate to admit it, I still have feelings for him. I’m working on that.” Tears welled in her eyes. “I’ve been on edge for a while and I’ve taken it out on you.” She looked over at me. “Can you forgive me, Jesse? You seem to have everything you want and I guess I’m a little jealous.”

  You could have knocked me out of my chair. I couldn’t believe Claire would ever be jealous of me. She’s the one who has always had everything go her way. She’s had it all: money, good looks, great kids, beautiful house, happiness, and a steady man in her life. Then it dawned on me that maybe her life wasn’t all it had been cracked up to be. I never thought Carl was good enough for her. I knew he would never treat her the way she deserved to be treated. He was an asshole. He couldn’t help himself.

  Billy reached over and put his hand on her shoulder, his voice soft and caressing. “It’s all right if you need to cry, Claire. Go ahead and let it out. We understand and we want to help you get through this hard time.”

  Billy never ceases to amaze me. He’s so loving and sensitive. He has qualities I would never have expected in a man like him. He’s the
size of a bull elephant and has the same demeanor. He’s 6’3’’, weighs about 186 lbs. (he says), with a long, braided ponytail down his back. His hair is so black it looks like it’s been dyed that color. But I have noticed a few strands of gray recently. At least he still has hair. At forty-eight years old (the last I heard), all men get fat and bald, don’t they? But Billy must have good genes because he hasn’t reached that point. He told me once that he works out some, so I guess that accounts for his muscular body, strong-arm appearance and butt-kicking attitude when he walks in a room. It’s so intense it gets everyone’s attention. Nobody would dare mess with him if they were in their right mind.

  The dam burst. Claire broke down sobbing, rocking back and forth in her chair, and progressively losing control of her emotions. Billy tried to comfort her while I sat quietly, feeling like a rat. I had been pretty mean to her in the past couple of weeks.

  Slowly, Claire regained her composure and looked at me through teary eyes. She cleared her throat.

  “Jesse, you know I’m a city girl. I’d never make it out in the middle of nowhere by myself. I have to think of the kids. There’s nobody around for miles except Billy’s family, and I can’t bother them every time I need something.” She turned her attention towards Billy. “I’m sorry, Billy, but I can’t move into your house. I appreciate your offer, but I just can’t live alone in the wilderness with two kids. I wouldn’t know how. Mom and I discussed it and decided it would be best for the children if we lived with her. That’s what we’d like to do.” She hesitated before looking at me. “If you don’t want to do it, Jesse, just say so. We won’t get mad.”

  “Do what? I don’t even know what you’re talking about,” I responded.

  “If we’re going to continue to live here, I think it would be best if I had a room to myself and the kids could share a room. So we came up with a suggestion, but we need to run it by you.”