Jenna remarked, “That’ll sell…country’s Barbie and Ken.” Billie and Jenna laughed, but changed emotions when he got up and left again. As he was leaving, Maria started her show. One of her first songs was about an alcoholic killing his wife in a car accident. Chris made his exit during Maria's standing ovation. Billie didn’t notice him leaving, but Jenna did. She pointed it out beyond the fireworks. Jenna ended up witnessing a little bit more.
Chris came back just in time to go on stage. He was acting extremely different. Billie had watched him transform in to many different attitudes, but this was one she had never seen. He left the stage in a hurry. Then, Andy was last to perform. Billie weighed the pros and cons on speaking to Chris and concluded to relax and enjoy the rest of the show. Her work was never done.
Billie said farewell to Jenna. She had to fly back home for an assignment. Billie promised to keep in touch and notify her of a sudden or drastic change in her life. She was about to discover one. She went to Chris' room to see if he was stable. He was pacing. That was the first sign that something was wrong. Billie questioned, “Are you angry because of Maria's songs, the emotion brought up some issues for you?”
He admitted, “They did hit home a little. But, song lyrics are the last thing on my mind. Something really bad has happened that cannot be taken back. But, I can’t talk about it. You cannot be involved.”
Billie declared, “I am already involved.”
He instructed, “I would tell you, but you are going to find out by tomorrow anyway. Plus, we will be breaking up soon.”
Billie thought, “Why do you say that?”
He claimed, “I just know it. I don’t want to talk about it anymore. All I will say is it has been a great experience, the time that I have spent with you…even if we didn’t always agree on certain things.” He just stopped there. He had more to say, but was holding back. Billie couldn’t get him to open up more to her. He had her curious.
Her inquiries were over the next day. The house was deathly quiet. It was spooky. She went outside to see where everyone had gone. They were only having breakfast on the patio. She couldn’t find Chris and she couldn’t see Bobby and Kelly either. She asked Andy if he had seen them. He stated, “Bobby and Kelly went jogging. Chris left early this morning. He didn’t say where he was going or when he was coming back.” Billie decided to go look for him. Her first instinct was Lana’s cabin. Then, she thought about him going to a bar. She didn’t know which choice would be worse. Before long, she had run in to the Douglas'. They seemed to be in a rush to get back.
Billie asked them, “Where’s the fire?”
Kelly advised, “We have bad news, about Chris.”
Bobby pleaded, “Maybe I should tell her.”
Billie shouted, “Somebody tell me, what is it? Is he all right?”
Bobby admitted, “We’re not sure how he is at the moment. But, when we last saw him, he was being arrested.” Billie couldn’t believe it. She had not heard any police sirens. Now, she knew why Chris was acting so strange. She had to find out the reason behind it all. One thing was for sure, she knew Lana was involved. She wondered if he violated the restraining order. They weren’t sure if they should tell the others or not. But, they might need them to help get Chris out of jail.
Andy and Louise said they would do all that they could to help out an old friend. They went down to the police station. They found out about his early bail hearing. Andy and Bobby talked to some guards and found out why Chris was arrested. Andy cried, “This is terrible…two deaths in one week.”
Billie begged, “Who did he kill, Ben?”
Bobby declared, “They are charging Chris with First degree murder of Lana Howard.”
Chapter 2
Billie was in shock and in denial. She knew he was upset with Lana, but it never crossed her mind that he would kill her. Then, she started thinking about his gun and seeing it as early as that morning. She was unsure of what to believe. Out of everyone, she was the one who knew the most about him. She was with him after his divorce, and knew what he went through. He had been upset with Lana for a long time and was always talking foul about her.
Could she possibly think he would kill her? Maybe he was drunk when it happened. He was acting so strange the night before, or more so than usual. She had to find out his side of it.
She asked if she could see him. They told her he wasn’t allowed visitors yet. They also couldn’t attend the hearing. They continued to wait around to find out any news at all. After an hour, Billie suggested the others return to the cabin and she would let them know when he was out of the court room. They agreed, after some hesitation. Billie knew security was tight. She was a photo-journalist. They wouldn’t even let her in to investigate. She heard someone talking about what really happened, details of the case. Lana had been strangled to death. Ben, Lana’s boyfriend, was said to have an air tight alibi. Chris was sure to hang for this one, because the concert may not hold up as his alibi. Then, she remembered something, Jenna. She had seen Chris leave, but didn’t say much more about it. She tried to get in touch with her. When she did, Jenna said, “I didn’t know I’d be hearing from you so soon.”
Billie articulated, “This is an emergency. I need you to tell me everything that you remember about Chris from the night of the concert at the cabin.” Jenna’s memory was a bit rusty. But, luckily, she remembered. She told her that Chris was on a boat with Lana and Ben. It looked like an invitation to her. That’s all Billie needed to hear. Chris would not force himself on the boat. She thought about the letter, if he had given it to Lana, or was it only thoughts he had typed.
After she hung up the phone with Jenna, they were through in court. The judge set the bail at $500,000. Billie couldn’t afford that, not on her salary. She wondered if Andy and Bobby would just forget about it. She called them and let them know what she heard. They told her they would both pitch in on bail. They knew Chris would pay them back. Billie was thankful to Andy, but even more for Bobby’s help. He had a gracious attitude. Even towards someone who had just accused him of sleeping with his wife. He and Chris had just been in a fight and Bobby had already forgiven him. She hoped Chris' fans wouldn’t let him down.
She had to print up a report in Chris' defense, because she knew the others may make him look guilty as sin. She was ready to vindicate him, even before she had a chance to hear all of the evidence. There was no way of knowing what they considered fact and the truth anyway. She went back to ask if she could see him. They told her to make it brief. When he came out with handcuffs on and sat behind the glass wall, she couldn’t help but get tears in her eyes. He told her that it wasn’t that bad, “It’s just a bad dream.”
Billie insisted, “We are doing all that we can to get you out of here. Hopefully, you won’t have to stay overnight.”
He stated, “You are my first visitor and you will probably be my last.”
Billie informed, “I’ll let your mom know, if you want her to come see you.”
He admitted, “I don’t think I could handle that too well. I know that she will hear about it in due time. Maybe they will let me call her and tell her first. There is one thing that you could do for me. Bring my harmonica to me. It’s awfully quiet in here, and the tune is soothing.”
Before Billie had a chance to finish her conversation, some guards asked her to leave right away. She waved bye to Chris, as he watched in bewilderment. They escorted her to an interrogation room. Billie asked the agents what was going on with their sudden interest with her. They wanted to question her about Chris. She would have pleaded the Fifth Amendment, but she was not the one on trial. She did not want to incriminate Chris, so she tried to establish an alibi for him. They told her that Ben had already testified to seeing Chris with Lana. She knew Ben was not telling the whole truth. They told her about the letter Chris gave Lana, which made him look guilty. There wasn’t much more Billie could do, except put her foot in her mouth. What she had been informed to do was leave the state und
er an alias. It was a witness protection program. She was not an actual witness to the crime, but in as much danger as one. Under the circumstances, she qualified. She didn’t want to leave town, but she had no choice. She had to in order to get away from the real killer. Billie asked about her job. They told her they would take care of it. Her boss couldn’t know of her whereabouts either.
She was worried about getting fired. They told her she would get the chance to turn in her final report, as long as it wasn’t considered evidence. Before she started filling out all of the paper work, Billie asked, “Where am I being sent?” They told her Hawaii. How did they know? Of all of the states, how did they know to choose that one? She had been meaning to go there for so long, but the opportunity didn’t present itself until now. Her time with Chris was included. If he had not come along in to her life, she may have ended up in Hawaii a lot sooner. She wanted to go to Hawaii, but she also wanted to be there to give Chris moral support. She was afraid to leave him without knowing for sure if he’d get out alive. But, she had absolutely no choice.
Billie had Chris' harmonica sent to the jail house. What hurt the most about this whole deal was that she couldn’t say good bye or tell anyone where she was going. But, she left notes for Andy, Maria, and Bobby. She asked them to look out for Chris the best that they could. She also thanked Andy for his hospitality and kindness all week. The agents sent someone to pick up her things and carry her to the airport. Billie was thinking about her plans once she arrived there. She just had to go to Maui. She wondered if Ricky would be at his place, or if he went back to Nashville, since Lydia's funeral. That would be her unfortunate luck. There were many possibilities awaiting her.
The days flew by on the calendar, but to Billie, it was taking its time. She was going crazy over Chris' trial. It was almost as bad as the infamous Trial of the Century. She wanted to call Maria and talk to her. One day, she received a call from the agents that sent her there. They didn’t sound too hopeful. She wanted to know when she could return to Tennessee. They told her it would be at least another month.
It was almost July. Billie had seen just about all of the sights. She had not seen Ricky's beach house. She finally found a way to see it. It was private land, but she waited until it got dark before she went. She stood behind some palm trees to make sure the coast was clear. The beach was deserted, but she could see the lights of his house. She was about a thousand feet away from it. She tried to get a better look. She sat down close to the water and just gazed off in to the distance. For a moment, she looked up at the stars. Then, she heard a noise behind her. She turned around to see what it may have been, but saw nothing. She stood up and then saw someone in a trench coat. She wondered whether or not she should start running.
It was Chris. She asked him what he was doing in Hawaii, and in disguise. He replied, “I am here to get you back. After all, it was because of me that you ended up here in the first place. I had it all arranged.” Billie was thrilled to see him, but questioned why he had her sent there.
She asked, “You had me sent here? It is amazing how you had power while you were in jail.”
Chris responded, “It only takes money and a few connections. I am innocent. Ben was the one who strangled Lana. I knew that bastard was guilty from the first day that I met him. He used my letter to frame me. They found the second half that he did not know about and that cleared me. He gave himself away.”
Billie informed, “I know what was in the first letter, what was in the other one?”
He admitted, “I only told her, how I was over her and was getting on with my life. Just telling her it was as much of my fault as hers for our divorce. I am looking ahead and I’ve stopped looking behind. I had accepted her with Ben. It looks like that was the only thing that I was wrong about through it all. I mainly did all of this so I wouldn’t lose you, Billie.”
She whispered, “I’m just glad you are out of jail.” She didn’t know what to stay about his last comment.
He begged, “Does this mean we can get back together?”
Billie declared, “I don’t think it can work again.”
He then said, “Has anyone ever told you that you think too much?”
Billie added, “You know, I used to look for a man that had the same IQ that I had. You never really qualified until now. I was going to say that I did love you, but we are not in love with each other. Do you understand?”
He bargained, “I understand perfectly. I’m no good since I have been arrested and put in jail. You’ve always told me that I am a good guy, but I do bad things. Am I down to my last life? What do you say when it is over? Don’t know if I should say anything at all.”
Billie instructed, “You just told me about looking ahead, I think it is time for you to do that. Get a fresh start.”
He argued, “Maybe that’s not what I had in mind. I came here to take you back to California with me.”
Billie replied, “Not to sound like a witch, but over my dead body."
He snapped, "Nice choice of words."
Billie didn’t know why he had to be so bitter. But to him, he was being the same way.
Billie tried to walk away, but Chris grabbed her arm. He said, “I just wanted to make sure you were okay. It’s the first time I haven’t known what comes next in a few months. It was always you, you came next.”
Billie acknowledged, “Chris, I am sorry. Especially for all of the time you spent in jail. Even for all of the times you thought you just didn’t matter to me. But, things happen. Things that are unfinished have a way of changing on you when you’re not looking. I mean, you want to go back to them, you want to relive them. But, they are either untouchable or gone. It’s nobody’s fault. I want you to know something. It was the last thing that I remember before I left Nashville…how horribly painful it was for me to leave you. I thought it would kill me. Every hour seemed like a year. I don’t know why I didn’t get on a plane and come back to you, witness protection be damned. I don’t regret any of it. For all of the pain and foolishness it brought to us both. But please try to forget about me.”
Chris grunted, “Put yourself in my shoes, I've been through too much to be given a virtual Hallmark card right now.” He obviously was not taking the split well. Or he was pretending. The soft approach was not working. He was only making jokes. So, Billie had to come up with another idea. She tried to convince him that she found someone else. She made up a story and he said, “Don’t let him fool you.”
She claimed, “I’m not going to let you fool me. You really have some nerve coming here to take me back with you. How prehistoric.”
Chris played it cool for a while and tried to pull one over on her. He estimated, “I know how much I’ve hurt you in the past and I understand if you want to hurt me back.”
She announced, “I don’t really care much to bother.”
He predicted, “This new guy in your life is capable of hurting you much more than I ever could.”
Billie agreed, “You are right. He is very dangerous. The most dangerous thing about him is the way that he makes me feel.”
Chris vowed, “If it’s danger you want...”
The brutal side to Chris was surfacing. He may have been innocent of murder, but he was about to be guilty of rape. Billie tried to fight him off of her. He was very strong; apparently he had been working out in jail. She didn’t know if he was intending to hurt her or not. Someone must have known how she felt because suddenly, he was being pulled off of her. It took some strength to do it, but it wasn’t from Billie. Chris took off running, before he was able to be confronted. Billie was so shook up that she fainted.
When she woke up, she was in a hospital. She asked a nurse what happened and how she got there. They couldn’t recall who brought her in, since they didn’t ask for his name. She had to know who it was that saved her. Billie decided to label the mystery man as her hero.
Chapter 3
Once Billie was back to her normal self, she returned to the scene of
the crime. Next to the ocean, Billie felt small. Insecurity, doubt, and foolish pride were washed away in the presence of the sea. Hours passed and calm refilled the fragile vessel of soul, healing the broken ties from Chris. Billie walked, reminiscing about Bobby and her severed, short lived courtship with Mr. Brady. Far off, there was a movement. She noticed a dark speck steadily moving up the beach. It was growing larger, finally detectable. It was a man on a horse. Not just any man either. Was this pure coincidence? She was prepared for anything, but was frightened of his approach and the first impression she had to make. He came to face her, towering over her and said, “This is a private beach.” His voice seemed to be many things; an accusation, a caution, a promise, an invitation? His dark eyes flashed at her beneath his gentle eyebrows. She decided against the strong approach. She didn’t want to sound like a crazed fan, or embarrass herself in front of the one and only Ricky Todd. She wanted him to think she was an ordinary person and not someone in love with him. Before she had the chance to say one word, she was saved by the bell.
Somewhere in My Heart (Tennessee Series #2) Page 3
