A Crying Shame: A Jesse Watson Mystery

by Ann Mullen

Noise from upstairs echoed down the stairway. A dog’s bark accompanied the noise.

  “I guess the kids and the dogs are up,” Mom said. “I’ll start breakfast.”

  Billy went to the bedroom and came back with Maisy’s car seat. “Here you go,” he said as he set the seat down on the floor next to the sofa, but away from the fireplace. He helped me place Maisy in it.

  Athena and Thor hustled down the stairs, barked, and then walked over to Maisy. They sniffed around and then lay down next to her just like they had done yesterday. They were determined to be near our newly acquired bundle of joy. Thor looked up at me with those big brown eyes and whimpered.

  “Don’t you dare lick that child,” I admonished him.

  He laid his head down over his crossed paws and grunted as if to let me know that he would do as I said, but he didn’t have to like it. Dogs can be so strange sometimes.

  Claire and the kids came down the stairs and walked over to Maisy. Spice Cat slowly followed them. Benny and Carrie were excited to have a baby around. Spice Cat couldn’t have cared less. He pranced over to the fireplace, jumped up on the hearth, and laid down. The kids chatted with Maisy as if they understood every gurgle she made. It was the cutest thing to watch. Then Benny looked up at me and said, “Did you have your baby already?”

  We all chuckled at his naivety.

  “No, not yet, Benny. This is Maisy,” I said. “Don’t you remember her from last night?”

  “Is she going to be staying with us for a while?” he asked. Before I had a chance to answer, he looked at his mother and asked, “Are we going to live with Ant Jess and Uncle Billy?”

  “No, why do you ask?” Claire said.

  “Because we’re always here. I don’t mind if we do. I like it here.”

  “Thanks, sweetie,” I said as I bent down and kissed him on the forehead.

  “Me, too,” Carrie said. “I love Ant Jess and Uncle Billy. I’m almost five years old.”

  I laughed and gave her a hug. “You’re getting so grown up… both of you are.”

  “I’m going to be in first grade soon… real school… not like the one I went to when we lived with daddy,” Benny said.

  Claire looked over at me, but said nothing.

  “I won’t have to go to school on Sundays,” Benny continued. “We go to church on Sunday. Grandma says we have to, or the Lord won’t like it.”

  “I’m going to help fix breakfast,” Claire said to the kids. “You guys watch over Maisy.”

  “Okay,” they both said.

  Billy sat down on the sofa to keep watch over the kids while I went to the kitchen and offered my help. “What can I do?” I asked.

  “Do you know how to fix a decent pot of coffee?” Claire asked.

  “I might not be the best in the kitchen, but I can fix coffee.”

  Billy laughed out loud and then tried to cover it up, which only made matters worse. The next thing I knew, everyone was laughing, including Benny and Carrie.

  “I hear y’all laughing at me,” I said. “I won’t forget that.”

  “Oh, Ant Jess, don’t be mad,” Benny said. “Mom says you try, but you can’t help it. She says you’re an awful cook. That’s okay. I don’t know how to cook, either.”

  “At least, I have someone on my side.”

  Benny got up from the floor and walked over to me in the kitchen. He hugged my leg. “I’ll always be on your side, Ant Jess, no matter how mad my mom gets at you.”

  “I’m sure glad to hear that,” I said and glanced at Claire. “Sisters get mad at each other sometimes, but that’s okay.”

  “I know,” Benny said. “That’s what Mom says. She loves you, but sometimes you can be so ornery. You’re stubborn, too.”

  I glanced over at Claire and then winked at Benny. “Your mother is pretty smart.”

  Once breakfast was ready, we sat down at the table and devoured bacon, eggs and grits. When the kids finished eating, I placed Maisy by the sofa within eyesight, and let Benny and Carrie watch over her. Athena and Thor could serve as watchdogs, according to Benny. Spice Cat hadn’t moved an inch since he came down the stairs earlier. I figured it was time to bring up the subject of yesterday’s events. The kids would be so involved; they wouldn’t hear a word we would say if we kept it down.

  Billy looked at Claire and said, “What happened between you and Cole? Why wouldn’t you take his call last night?”

  She stood and asked, “How about some more coffee?” She walked to the kitchen and returned with the pot. She refilled her cup and stood there waiting for a response.

  “I’ll have some more,” Mom replied. “I just love the smell of coffee.”

  “I think I’ll have another cup, too,” I added.

  Claire poured more coffee and then set the pot down.

  “All right, out with it,” Billy said. “I know he must have done something pretty bad if all of you are avoiding my question. What did he do?”

  “He slapped Claire,” Mom blurted out.

  The three of us didn’t know what to expect from Billy. We sat silently and waited for his reaction.

  Billy looked at us in disbelief as if he couldn’t possibly imagine that happening. He got up from the table and went to the bedroom. He was gone for almost five minutes and when he returned, he had a weird look on his face.

  “If you went to the bedroom to yell, why didn’t we hear you?” Mom asked. “I’ve heard that when someone wants to vent, they usually go somewhere and scream.”

  Billy sat back down and said, “Actually, that’s what I wanted to do, but I figured it would scare the kids, so I left the room to catch my breath.”

  “Like I do sometimes?” I asked.

  “Yes, and amazingly, it works,” he replied. “Now we can talk. How long has this been going on, Claire?”

  “The first time was when he shoved me and I fell against the handrail on the porch.”

  “I knew it!” I said. “I knew something was funny when Billy touched your shoulder at the hospital and you flinched. I knew right then and there that Cole had hurt you! I even asked him about it and he said he had never touched you. I knew he had lied when I confronted you. The look on your face was a dead giveaway. That’s when he took you out on the porch last night.” I looked over at Billy. “Mom and I followed them outside and caught Cole in the act. He slapped Claire right in front of us.”

  “Jesse pushed me aside and kneed Cole in the groin. She really caught him off guard.”

  “Yeah, and then Mom tossed Cole’s duffel bag out on the porch. He was going to stay the night, because we didn’t know when you’d be coming home, but that changed when he hit Claire,” I added.

  Billy looked at Mom and said, “I’m proud of you for tossing that bum out. Anyone who would hit a woman is a jerk. I’ll have a few words with him later.”

  “To be honest, I think it’s the medication he’s taking that’s making him violent,” Claire said. “He didn’t act like that at first, but then later on, he complained about his pills and said they weren’t working. He said they didn’t help with the pain and they made him feel angry. I told him I’d take him to the doctor, but that just made him angrier. I didn’t know what to do, so I didn’t do anything. I should’ve insisted that he see a doctor. Maybe you can talk him into it, Billy. He’s a good man and I’m not going to desert him without trying to get him some help. If that doesn’t work, I’m finished with him.”

  “I can’t believe you’re going to give him a second chance,” I said. “Once they start, they don’t stop. You should know that by now. Look at how Carl treated you.”

  “I don’t believe that’s the case here,” Claire replied. “I truly believe he feels badly about what he did and he needs help.”

  “I’m sure he does regret what he did. They all do, every time. I’m telling you Claire, you need to dump the guy, get over him and move on with your life. You don’t…”

  “I’m sure you’ll do what you feel is best,” Mom said to Claire. “It�
��s not our choice to make. Whatever you decide, I’ll be right behind you all the way. However, if he hits you again and I find out, I’m going to hire someone to kick his rear end.”

  That statement caught all three of us by surprise.

  “I’m shocked that you would say something like that, Minnie,” I said. “You’ve obviously been hanging out with the wrong crowd.” I winked at Claire and smiled at Billy.

  “Oh, don’t mind me. I was mad. You know I wouldn’t do anything like that,” Mom said. “Next time I’ll hit him in the head with a frying pan.”

  We all started laughing. The tension in the room eased up.

  “Let’s change the subject for the time being,” Claire suggested.

  “I’m going to need some more coffee if this chat session is going to last all day,” Billy said. A big grin spread across his face.

  “I can take care of that,” Claire said as she picked up the pot and poured Billy some more coffee. “Your coffee turned out pretty good, Jesse. I’m surprised. This must’ve been some of Billy’s handiwork. Did he teach you how to make coffee?”

  “I can take credit for that,” Billy said. “I am a good teacher.”

  “I was hoping that you’d teach her how to cook,” Mom said. She caught herself and then looked up at me. “I’m sorry, Jesse. I didn’t mean for it to sound like that.”

  “That’s okay, Mom. I’ll be the first one to admit that I’m a terrible cook.”

  “I need to say something,” Claire said, becoming serious. “We have a situation on our hands. I’ve had some time to think this out and I want to run it by you guys. We know that the blood on Billy’s shirt was from a deer. Anyone in their right mind would know that Billy wouldn’t do something so terrible, but even if he did, he’s too smart to leave evidence lying around. Give me a break! Besides, that doesn’t matter anymore, because Jesse burned the shirt.”

  Billy looked at me and I looked over at Mom.

  “Don’t give me that look, I didn’t say a word,” Mom said.

  “How did she know if you didn’t tell her?”

  Billy said nothing.

  “I have a terrific sense of smell, remember?” Claire said. “I smelled burnt plastic the minute I walked in the house. I just didn’t say anything. Now that I see you two covered it up, I only have one thing to say: Mom I’m surprised at you. You really have been running around with the wrong crowd.”

  Another moment of silence filled the air until Claire let out a chuckle.

  “Forget it. Like Jesse said earlier, let’s move on. Carl was stupid to snatch the kids, and we were probably more stupid for going after him, because I now firmly believe he was doing this to get me back. Before he pulled his little caper, I got a letter from him right before Christmas and he begged me to give our marriage another try. He pleaded with me to drop the divorce. He also called shortly after I got the letter and tried to convince me that he would be a perfect husband if I came back home to him. He even cried and for a second, I almost believed him. I didn’t tell Mom about the letter or his call. There was no need to bring it up, because, unfortunately for him, his act of redemption was a day late and a dollar short, as Dad would’ve said if he was here.”

  It was the mention of Dad that brought tears to our eyes. The hurt was still there and obviously still very strong. I guess you never get over the loss of a loved one.

  “Mack was a good man,” Mom said, wiping away her tears.

  Billy reached into his pants pocket, pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to Mom. She smiled a loving smile at him as she took it.

  “If he’d been here last night, Cole would’ve gotten what he deserved. Your father would’ve kicked his butt!”

  “Grandma, you said a dirty word,” Benny yelled from the living room. “You need to go to church!”

  “You’re absolutely right, Benny; I most certainly do.”

  Claire reached into her pants pocket and pulled out a letter. She handed it to me and then turned to Billy and said in a hushed voice, “I have an idea and before you blow me off, I want you to give it some serious thought. It might be the solution to our dilemma. Let Jesse read the letter and she’ll realize what I have in mind. I’ll let her explain it to you. I think she’d be better at it than I would. We know this thing with Carl’s not over. The police found blood at the scene and signs of a struggle. Carl’s boss reported him missing and to top it all off, the cops found Carl’s car abandoned at the airport. Now you tell me if you think it’s over. Do you think the police are going to just drop their suspicions about you and your brothers? They don’t care about not having a body; they have just enough circumstantial evidence to keep you busy at the police station for a long, long time. They have their ways of intimidation. Your life is only going to get worse. We have to do something, so keep an open mind.”

  I unfolded the letter and began to read. After reading all three pages, it only took me about two seconds to figure out where Claire was going.

  “Carl is slightly dyslexic,” I said. “Sometimes, but not always, he gets numbers or dates mixed up. Claire told us about his problem when she decided to marry him, because she didn’t want us to make a big deal of it. Carl wrote this letter to Claire right before Christmas and it should have a date of December the fifteenth, but the date on it is January the fifteenth. He mixed up the months. Today is January the seventeenth, which makes it look as if this letter was written a couple of days ago, at a time when he’s supposed to be missing or dead from foul play.”

  Billy’s eyebrows lifted. He glanced back and forth at us as he pondered for what seemed like an eternity. “Oh, I get it now. According to this letter, you think you can go back home and look the place over, maybe find some miracle evidence that’ll lead you straight to Carl, and the police won’t say a word about your presence there. Why would they? You have a letter in your hand which clearly states that your husband wants you back and you’ve come to see if he’s back home. You were considering the idea of the two of you sitting down and discussing the possibility of getting back together. Forget it! It’s not going to happen. They’ll lock you up in a heartbeat. Until Carl shows his face, his house is considered a crime scene. You can’t go anywhere near it.” Billy got up from the table and walked over to the fireplace. “Tsi-wo-ni-hu! Tso `le `sti!”

  “What did he say?” Claire asked.

  “I have no idea. I’m only married to the guy; I don’t always understand him.”

  “Whatever his words were, I’m sure he was trying to tell us that he thinks the whole idea is preposterous. I have to agree. Claire you can’t go to Carl’s house. You two have been separated for a long time. It doesn’t seem right.”

  “Why? Legally, it’s still my house, too.”

  Billy walked back over to the kitchen table. He looked down at the three of us and said, “I want a solemn vow that the three of you will have nothing to do with this crazy idea.”

  We stared at each other for a minute and finally Claire said, “It was just an idea. You don’t have to go postal on me. If you want us to drop it, we will, but I think you’re making a mistake.”

  Billy looked at me and then to Mom.

  “Billy Blackhawk, you know I’m not going to go snooping around some place I’m not supposed to be. That’s your job… and Jesse’s.” Mom looked at me and then back to Billy. “You can count me out.”

  “I am satisfied that you speak the truth,” Billy said. “Unless you have other planned adventures you’d like to discuss, I’m going to forget about Carl for the time being and try to help Brian. Jesse, you and I can discuss the shirt later. What’s on the agenda for today, ladies?”

  “I’m going to stay home, relax, and wait for our discussion.”

  “We’ll probably hang around the house and enjoy the peace and quiet,” Mom said. “You go do what you have to, Billy. If you need us, you know where we’ll be.”

  “I have an errand to run, but I’ll be back in about two hours. Stay safe until I return. Thanks for
a wonderful breakfast.” Billy kissed Mom and Claire and then came over to me. “I want you to behave yourself. I won’t be gone long.”

  “Take my cell phone,” I said as I went to my purse. “Hurry home. I’ll miss you.”

  Billy kissed me and then grabbed his keys. “I have to go see Brian, but when I get back, we’ll discuss Claire’s idea again.” He turned and walked out the door.

  Mom, Claire and I stood with our mouths agape.

  “Do you think he’s reconsidering my idea?” Claire asked.

  “I think so,” Mom replied.

  “You two don’t know Billy. He’s stalling us. He thinks that if he gives us a little hope that he might change his mind, we won’t go through with our plans. Boy, have I got news for him. I think you’ve come up with a terrific idea, Claire, but I don’t think you should go alone. I think the two of us should do it. Mom can stay with the kids.”

  “She can’t handle all three of these kids at one time,” Claire said. “Taking care of an infant in itself is a full time job.”

  “Actually, I could do it,” Mom said.

  “We could enlist the help of Billy’s mom,” I added. “I’m sure she would love to come over and spend time with the children.”

  “Oh, I’m sure that would make her day,” Claire said, sarcastically.

  “Let’s give her a call,” I said. I went to the phone and as I picked up the receiver, Billy walked back into the house. I was snared like a rabbit in a trap and my guilt was written all over my face.

  “What have you got up your sleeve, `ge ya? Who are you calling?”

  “I was about to call your mother to see if she wanted to come over for a visit.”

  “I’m sure she’d love to visit, but if you have ulterior motives, you can put the phone down,” he said. “I’ve given Claire’s idea some more thought and I think she might have something. We need to discuss a plan of action.”

  “We already have,” I said.

  Billy looked at me with a creased eyebrow. “You were going to sneak behind my back, weren’t you?”

  “I probably would’ve called you before we carried out our plan.”

  “Why don’t I believe you?” Billy asked as he walked over to me. “Tell the truth.”