A Crying Shame: A Jesse Watson Mystery

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A Crying Shame: A Jesse Watson Mystery Page 12

by Ann Mullen

“It’s a good thing you have this rocking chair. Babies loved to be rocked,” Mom said. “Why don’t you give it a try?”

  She handed Maisy to me. I carefully took hold of her like Mom had instructed earlier and sat down in the rocking chair. Within minutes, Maisy was sound asleep.

  “See, that’s not so hard, is it?”

  “Gosh, Mom, you’re right.” I looked down at the little girl in my arms and tears came to my eyes. “How could anyone not want something as sweet as this? The idea of a person hurting a child makes me want to scream. You hear stories about child abuse all the time.”

  “What made you think of that? Oh, never mind. I forgot about your emotional state. Don’t go there, Jesse; it’ll make you crazy. Fortunately, this child hasn’t been abused. She’s been well-provided for; I can tell by the way she acts. She’s so content. One thing we can be thankful for is that whoever killed her mother didn’t harm her. It makes a person wonder.”

  “Do you think the father did it?”

  “I don’t know enough about the case to make an informed decision.”

  “I guess we need to find a place to put her clothes and the baby food.”

  “I already did.”

  I looked over at the kitchen table. “I didn’t even notice.”

  “I put the baby food in the cabinet by the refrigerator and I left her clothes in her diaper bags and put them on the floor by her crib. I figured you might want to empty out one of your drawers.”

  “Oh, that’s not going to happen.” I laughed. “I’ll have to go buy her a small chest of drawers, I guess.”

  “Why don’t we take one out of one of the bedrooms upstairs?”

  “That’s a good idea. I never thought of that.”

  “Your mind has been too preoccupied with destroying evidence.” She looked at me with that look she gets when she thinks one of her kids has screwed up.

  “Mom, you’ve got to promise me that you’ll never tell anyone about that. It’s a secret that you and I will have to keep, unless you want me to go to jail, too.”

  “The things we do for our kids…”

  “I don’t believe you think I was wrong in what I did, or you’d be lecturing me and trying to get me to make amends.”

  “I don’t want to talk about it. We have more important things to worry about than what I think.”

  I got up from the rocker, went over and kissed Mom on the forehead and then went to the bedroom to put Maisy back in her crib. I closed the bedroom door slightly, just enough to buffer any loud noises. As soon as I walked back into the living room, Thor came up to me, sat down in my path, and then looked up at me with those big eyes of his. He whimpered. I reached down and patted his head.

  “Oh, don’t be jealous, you silly dog.”

  Obviously satisfied with my show of affection, Thor turned, went back over to the fireplace and lay down beside Athena.

  That dog is just too smart, I thought to myself. What’s he going to do next?

  Mom was in the kitchen heating up leftovers in the microwave. It didn’t take long for the aroma to assault my sense of smell.

  “Yum,” I said. “That smells great.” I sat down at the kitchen table as Mom walked over and placed a plate full of food in front of me. “It’s awful late to be eating, but I’m hungry.”

  “You haven’t eaten much of anything all day. You need something regardless of what time it is.”

  I took a few bites, but couldn’t finish the food. My stomach churned and a second later, I was in the bathroom throwing up.

  “That certainly was pleasant,” I said as I came back to the kitchen and sat down. “My stomach is a bundle of nerves and this arm is giving me a fit. I wish I could take some drugs.”

  Mom went to take the plate, but I stopped her. “Leave it sitting on the table. That was the point, remember? We want the dogs to smell the food if the cops bring them in here.”

  I heard a noise at the front door and then someone pounded on it loudly.

  “Mrs. Blackhawk,” a voice called out. “Open the door.”

  Mom and I stared at each other.

  I got up from the table and walked to the door. I hesitated for a minute and then, against my better judgment, I forced myself to open it.

  “Did you find what you’re looking for, officer?”

  “We’ll be back in the morning,” was all he said as he turned to leave.

  I waved to them and flipped them off in my mind as they got in the Blazer and headed down the driveway. “And a good riddance to you, too, pal,” I said as I shut the door.

  “I wonder why they didn’t want to come inside,” Mom said.

  “Why would they,” I said, winking at her. “They’ve already searched in here.”

  “I guess they’re not as smart as I thought.”

  I went over to the kitchen table, picked up the plate and walked to the trash can in the kitchen. I scraped the food from the plate, rinsed it, and then put it in the dishwasher.

  “Yep, I guess they’re not so smart after all.” I laughed at the thought. I had barely gotten the words out of my mouth when I saw a set of headlights coming up the driveway. “Oh, no, I hope they’re not coming back.”

  Mom walked to the window and peeked out. “It’s not them. That’s Claire’s SUV and Cole’s behind her in his Jeep.”

  “Thank goodness. I was worried for a minute.”

  “You should be, Missy. I still can’t believe what you did.”

  I walked over to Mom and begged, “You can’t say a word, Mom. Cole will probably arrest me if he finds out.”

  “I’m not going to say a word. My conscience is clean.”

  “So is mine,” I responded. “I’m looking after my man. Billy’s innocent and we both know it.”

  Claire came running up the porch and into the house. She pulled something furry from her coat and placed it on the floor. I looked down and was startled to see Spice Cat.

  “Don’t say a word, Jesse,” Claire said. “I couldn’t leave the cat alone. I don’t know how long we’re going to be here.”

  “I hope you brought him some food,” Mom said as she walked over to the door and held it open for Cole.

  “Claire’s SUV is loaded down,” Cole said as he walked in carrying a duffel bag on each shoulder. When this woman packs, she doesn’t forget a thing.”

  “They need to go upstairs,” Claire said. She looked at me. “I guess we’ll have to put the litter box in the laundry room, huh?”

  “I guess so, unless you have a better idea. It’s not going in my room,” I said with a chuckle.

  Spice Cat made himself at home. He walked over to Athena and Thor and lay down between them. Neither one of the dogs stirred. All three of them were content. They were together again.

  Claire and Cole continued to bring the stuff in the house while Mom and I talked about the sleeping arrangements. Usually, if they stayed the night, Mom would have one of the rooms upstairs and Claire and the kids would share the other, so that’s how it would be. Cole could sleep on the sofa since he wasn’t going to be here for long.

  Once everything was brought inside and things settled down, Mom fixed hot chocolate for everyone except me. I opened a can of soda, hoping it would calm my stomach. We were sitting by the fire when the phone rang. We all stared at each other. We knew it was probably Billy on the line, or Russ.

  Fear rose in my throat as I stood and walked over to the phone to answer the call. I picked up the receiver and spoke. “Hello,” I said. My voice was barely above a whisper.

  “Hello, Jesse,” Billy said. “I’ll be home as soon as Russ shows up. I’ve answered all their questions and now it’s just a matter of waiting for Russ to show up and give me a ride home.”

  “He should’ve been there by now. He left here a while ago.”

  “There are a few inches of snow on the ground, so he’s probably caught up in traffic.”

  “I hate this.”

  “I know, Jesse, and I’m sorry. The cops are putting u
s through this for nothing.”

  “Maisy is here.”

  “How’s it going?”

  “I’ve learned a few things already. Mom and Claire are staying the night.” I looked over at the two of them and smiled. “Cole’s here, too. We’ll be fine.”

  “I’m glad you have their help, but when I get home, we will take care of her.”

  “Yes, we will.”

  “Did the cops return with their search dogs?”

  “Yes, but they left a little while ago,” I said. My heart started beating faster. “They didn’t find the shirt.” I wanted to tell Billy that they weren’t going to find the shirt, but I was afraid someone might be listening to our conversation.

  “Are you serious?”

  “I sure am, but they said they were coming back in the morning. What happens if they never find the shirt? You know Thor, that shirt could be on the other side of the mountain by now.” I glanced over at Cole to see if that statement was convincing, and from the look on his face, it appeared to be. He was buying every word.

  “Once they test Jonathan’s clothing, they’ll realize that what we said was the truth. They won’t need to find my shirt, because they won’t have a case against either one of us. They still don’t have a body and only circumstantial evidence. In other words, they can’t place the gun in my hands.”

  “What do you mean, gun?” I whispered as I turned my back. “If they don’t have a body, how do you know he was shot?”

  “It was a metaphor, Jesse. I don’t know what happened to the guy.”

  “The blood they found was Carl’s,” I said.

  “Yes, I know. They also found another person’s blood at the scene.”

  A long silence hung in the air.

  “Jesse, are you still there?”

  “I’m here,” I replied as I turned back to face everyone. My mind slipped into the dark side as thoughts of terrible things to come flashed before me. “I’ll always be here for you, Billy. I love you. We’ll get through this together. Everything is going to work out. You’ll see.”

  I wanted Billy to know that I was behind him all the way, and that I was confident everything was going to be fine, but to tell the truth, I was scared. I knew that things just didn’t always turn out the way you wanted them to... no matter what. I prayed that this wasn’t one of those times.

  CHAPTER 11

  Billy agreed that everything would work out; don’t worry, he had said. Unfortunately, worry would be the only thing I could do until he returned home. I hung up the phone and went over to the fireplace to sit down. I was worn out.

  “What did Billy say?” Mom asked.

  “He said he’d be home shortly. He’s just waiting for Russ to show up.”

  “Russ should’ve been there by now,” Mom said.

  “That’s what I told Billy, but he said Russ was probably caught up in traffic because of the snow.”

  “What about Jonathan?” Claire asked. “They found bloody clothing at his house. That doesn’t sound too good.”

  “I don’t know,” I said. “I forgot to ask. I had my mind on something else.”

  “It’s a sad, sad day when something like this happens,” Mom said as she got up from the sofa and walked toward the kitchen. “What right do the police have to put a person through all this without concrete evidence? How many times have you heard about someone who’s been arrested, had their life turned upside down and their reputation ruined, only to find out later that they were innocent all along? I bet the jails are packed with people like this. I guess this is one of those little loopholes you’re always hearing about. It reminds me of some of those crappy medical insurance companies. They’re supposed to be there for you, but when you turn your back, they stick a knife in it. It makes you wonder how many people just sit back and take it.”

  “What are you going on about?” Claire asked.

  “I’m serious,” Mom said. “I have a friend back in Newport News who once told me that every time she filed an insurance claim with her insurance company, they always denied it. Later, she found out that they do that to all their policy holders. Every one of her friends at work said the same thing. It was standard procedure. They deny the claim and if the person doesn’t call and raise a ruckus, the insurance company gets out of paying. They’re liars and the ones who aren’t liars are cheats! They promise you everything, but all they do is take your money and give you nothing. Just try to get treatment at any hospital without that stupid little card. It won’t happen. If you don’t have medical insurance, you’re out of luck. Think about it. What do they do when a person comes in for treatment and they don’t have insurance coverage? Sometimes I wonder if they’d let you die right there on the ER floor if you couldn’t produce proof of insurance coverage.”

  “I think your friend has filled your head with a bunch of bull, Mom. It’s not like that.”

  Mom ignored Claire’s statement and continued with her tirade. “If the medical insurance companies are this bad, can you imagine how other companies treat people and get away with it? Look at the IRS. You don’t dare make a mistake with them. I saw a special on the IRS and how they were harassing people who owed them money. One mistake and you could spend your whole life trying to fix it. It’s pathetic, I tell you. It just ruffles my feathers that things like this happen.”

  “Where did all this come from?” Claire asked as she looked over at Mom. “What does the IRS and medical insurance have to do with the police?”

  “It’s all a racket,” Mom replied. “Even the police have their own game going.”

  “We have rules and procedures to follow,” Cole said, adding his two cents’ worth. “It’s not a game to us; we take our job very seriously.”

  “I’m sure you do, Cole,” Mom said, walking back over to us. “But don’t you think sometimes you carry it a little too far? You know Billy wouldn’t hurt a soul. What’s wrong with those people?”

  “This situation would be handled the same way regardless of who the suspect is. I know Billy better than almost anyone, but when something like this happens, we have to follow the law.”

  “I hate to say it, but this all started because of Carl,” Mom said as she glanced over at Claire. “What man in his right mind would go to this length to get back at his wife? You know that’s why he did what he did. There has to be a reason, after all this time, for him to come here and take his children. It’s been almost a year and not once has he come to visit them or even called to check on their well-being. He didn’t even send Benny or Carrie a birthday card on their birthday. The only time he ever called was to fuss at Claire. Eventually, he stopped doing that once she filed for a divorce. He had to have known that he would be heading for a fight by taking the kids. There has to be more to it. Maybe he had another motive. Let’s think. If we can come up with a reason why he came here to start with, then maybe we can figure out where he is now.”

  The room was quiet as we waited for Mom to finish releasing her anger on the ills of evil-doers.

  “That was a terrific monologue, Mom,” I said. “You should become a victim’s rights spokesperson. I’ve never heard you talk like this. Most of what you said is correct. People are constantly getting shafted by big business, insurance companies and many others. The list is endless. If you ever decide to do charity work, I know just the place for you to become a volunteer.”

  “And where might that be?” Mom asked as came back over and sat down beside Claire.

  “There’s a halfway house in Charlottesville that protects abused women and children. They always need money, clothing, and any kind of help they can get. I read an article about them in the paper. The paper didn’t say where the place is; it only gave a phone number.”

  Cole stood and excused himself. “I need to use the bathroom.”

  Yeah, I bet you do, I said to myself. You’d better leave the room, or you might just get an earful.

  “I think Mom has enough to keep her busy without becoming involved with people
like that,” Claire said.

  “People like what, Claire?”

  “Oh, you know, people with problems we don’t want to get involved with. They aren’t our kind.”

  “Oh, you mean people who need help in protecting themselves from bad people? Are you telling me that it’s okay to turn a blind eye to women whose husband or boyfriend beats her… beats her children?”

  “Hold on a minute,” Mom interrupted. “Where is this going, Jesse?”

  “Why don’t you ask Claire to show us her back? How did you get those bruises? I know you must have bruises if you fell and hit the handrail on Cole’s porch. However, I have my doubts about that accident. You’re not that clumsy.”

  “What happened to me is…” Claire said, looking straight at me with angry eyes. “I’d appreciate it if you’d mind your own business.”

  “Cole said you fall down all the time. He thinks you need to go to a doctor.”

  “What?” Claire looked at Mom and then back at me. “Cole said I need to see a doctor?”

  “That’s right. He said you were accident prone and that you need to see a doctor. He’s worried about you.”

  Claire’s eyes bulged, her face turned red and she looked as if she wanted to hit someone. “I can’t believe he had the nerve to …” Claire stopped in mid-sentence when Cole walked back into the room. She jumped up from the sofa and walked up to him. “How dare you tell Jesse that I need to see a doctor! If anyone needs professional help, it’s you. I said I wouldn’t say anything this time, but since you had the audacity to tell such a blatant lie, I think it’s time we cleared the air.” She turned away from Cole and looked at us. “Cole and I had an argument over you, Jesse.”

  Cole grabbed Claire by the arm and said, “Maybe you and I should have a talk outside.” He led her to the front door, grabbed their coats off the rack and went outside.

  Mom and I just stared at each other for a second. Finally, I decided I’d had enough. There was no way I was going to let this pass. I wanted to know what had really happened to Claire, and I wasn’t going to find out by sitting and waiting for Cole to tell me the truth.

 

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