Blinded by the Trees

by Kira Chase

  Johanna watched Kate’s changing expressions as she talked. Something big was coming down. Kate’s eyes narrowed and she let her breath out in a large whoosh.

  “We’ll be there shortly, George.” She snapped her phone shut. “You’ll never believe this,” she said excitedly. “George has the murderer in custody.”

  Chapter 17

  Frankie’s jaw dropped. “I don’t believe it.”

  Selma sat clutching her heart. “How could she do that?”

  Johanna sat quietly. “I sensed all along that she was somehow involved or knew who had murdered Cody.”

  Kate picked up the notebook. “Her mind went back and forth between Brenda and Eve. This is creepy.”

  George shifted his body in the chair where they were seated in the large conference room. “She wrote the passages as though she, Eve, was watching everything Brenda did.” He flipped through a page and began reading.

  “‘I was angry what Brenda had done to her son. How could she carve up that beautiful face that had been born out of the love between her and my brother Joe. I hope Clyde beats her senseless. She deserves it. Cody had promised to get me away from this hell, but Brenda was jealous. Everybody is always taking things away from me. Clyde has never tried anything with me in all these years we’ve been together. I think he’s secretly in love with Brenda. He’s always treated me like a child. When I first met him I tried to get him to have sex with me, but he refused. No, all he cared about was Brenda.

  ‘Now he won’t care about her anymore. Now he’ll want me. He never liked Cody until Cody was old enough to help him rob the houses and drive the van. Cody refused at first, but Brenda talked him into it. She can talk him into doing anything. What a bitch! Cody didn’t feel good. He was sick all night and refused to deliver the stereo to one of his school friends, but Clyde told him he’d better do it or else. Brenda said she’d go with him. I know Cody would have rather had me go. I’m the only one who’s nice to him. That’s why he wants to get me out of here and away from Brenda and Clyde.’”

  Selma shuddered. “That poor boy. She must have switched personalities back and forth and he never knew who he was dealing with. I wonder if he knew she wasn’t his mother.”

  “We’ll never know,” George answered softly. “But it wasn’t until about a month before his death that these rambling writings began. Something must have made her snap and separate from herself.” He flipped through another notebook. “Up until then she’d mostly only kept a detailed account of their daily lives, the houses Clyde had robbed, what was taken from each and how much money he made off the stolen goods. The earlier books detail the normal things a parent would write about her child. Back then she appeared to truly love him.”

  “I just had a thought,” Frankie said. “Why would Clyde have kept Eve and Cody with him? There wasn’t a sexual relationship between him and Eve, so it makes no sense.”

  “I have no clue. Clyde refuses to say anything. We’ve tried several times to get him to open up, but he won’t budge,” George replied.

  “She was only a child herself raising her brother’s child. I just can’t understand what made her snap and kill the boy she loved so much.” Selma slowly shook her head back and forth.

  “How did she persuade Cody to drive the truck to the back of the lot? And if she didn’t drive how did she get the van back to the apartment building?” Johanna asked.

  George’s forehead furrowed. “Cody had taught her how to drive, but they had agreed not to let Clyde know or he would want to rob houses during the day too, while Cody was in school. He’d send Cody and Eve to Camden every few days to his contact. Eve wrote the man’s name, cell phone number, and location of the warehouse.” He cleared his throat. “We’ve notified the Camden police and they’ve already picked up Clyde’s fence. This guy had a warehouse filled to the brim with stuff. He’d pay Clyde about a tenth of what the items were worth and pocket the rest for himself. With Eve’s detailed records, hopefully many of these items will be returned to their rightful owners.” He exhaled loudly and rubbed his eyes. “This is the strangest case I’ve ever seen.”

  “Wouldn’t Cody have thought it odd that she wanted to drive to the back of the lot? That part still doesn’t make sense to me.” Johanna leaned an elbow on the table.

  Kate had been sitting quietly flipping through the notebooks. “She mentions that part right here.

  ‘Cody just wanted to go home and go to bed, but that bitch mother of his Brenda insisted she wanted to show him a tree. They’d never had a tree for Christmas before, but this year she wanted one. She had him drive slowly as she shined a flashlight out of the window. When they reached the end of the lot, she told him she wanted to see the trees on the other side. He got out of the van and followed her to a big tree. He kept nagging her that he wanted to go home. He didn’t care if they got a tree.

  ‘He became angry then and told her just as soon as he graduated he was leaving home. He was gonna be somebody some day. She kept laughing at him and asking him how he could leave and go to trade school when he had no money. I wanted to go to him, hug him, and tell him he would be somebody special, but I was afraid of Brenda when she got in one of her moods. He said he might join the Army and save up his money. He could get a degree at the same time. She kept laughing at him and telling him he was a nothing and always would be. He started crying and asking her why she was acting like this. She told him that she could have had a different life, a better life if she hadn’t been stuck raising him.

  ‘She slapped him hard and told him to quit crying like a baby. He kept saying, “Mom, why are you acting like this?” She reached inside her coat. She pointed a long knife at him. She kept jabbing it at him. He tried to run, but she stabbed him in the leg and he fell. He kept screaming for somebody to help him. She rolled him over and kept shouting that she’d wipe the smirk off his face. He tried to cover his face, but she kept stabbing and slashing at his beautiful face. Then she left him laying there in the snow…all alone. She got in the van. She warned me to keep my mouth shut about Cody. I was so scared. I kept quiet as she drove back to the apartment. Clyde was passed out on the couch. She ran into her bedroom and hid the knife under her mattress. Then she took a shower and went to bed. I couldn’t believe that she was sleeping peacefully in a warm bed, while Cody was lying on the cold ground freezing.

  ‘Clyde was mad in the morning when she told him that Cody must have sneaked off in the night. When the police came that night to tell them about Cody, I didn’t dare say a word, but I cried. I cried because now there was no way out. Cody was my only hope. They won’t let me go. Maybe I should just kill myself. Death would be better than this hell I’m living.’”

  Kate closed the notebook and looked around the table at the stunned faces.

  Johanna felt like crying herself. What that kid must have endured the last hour of his life. She bit her bottom lip to stop it from trembling. She saw the tears on Selma’s face. Frankie kept clearing her throat.

  George pulled himself to his feet. “It’s been a long day, ladies.”

  “What’s going to happen to her, Sheriff?” Selma asked.

  He turned to her. “We’ve got her locked up. We’re waiting for her to be transferred to the hospital for a complete psychiatric evaluation. Personally, I don’t think she’ll ever be deemed fit to stand trial. There’s no doubt in my mind that she’s completely snapped. When I questioned her, she kept insisting that Brenda did it. I imagine she’ll be put in prison for the criminally insane.”

  “Does Clyde Burrows know?” Kate asked.

  “He didn’t act surprised when we told him. He said she’d been acting strange for the past few weeks.”

  “So that’s why he kept such a tight watch on her.” Johanna looked at Frankie.

  “He wasn’t watching her when they were at Micki’s,” Frankie reminded her.

  “She seemed perfectly normal like any grieving parent would,” Selma added.

  George placed his large
hands on the back of the chair he’d exited. “No one knows how the mind works, Selma. Maybe someday we’ll have the answers. She seemed to be able to snap back and forth almost at will.”

  Johanna frowned. “Do you think she’s faking?”

  “Anything’s a possibility at this point.”

  “When you issued the search warrant she must have known the notebooks would be found.”

  “But the notebooks prove she wasn’t in her right mind.” Kate looked at Johanna.

  “Unless this was premeditated.” Johanna met Kate’s eyes. “I think she put it all on. It’s an act. She acted too normal the other night at the bar.”

  “We can go ’round and ’round, but only Eve Barnes knows the truth,” George said.

  Deputy Paton poked his head in the room. “Sheriff, can I see you for a minute?”

  Johanna watched Kate’s eyes light up at the sight of Arlan. He caught Kate’s eye and smiled.

  “Well, ladies, we can call this a night.” George stepped into the corridor and briefly conversed with Deputy Paton, then walked back into the room.

  “Looks like you’re going home for Christmas,” Frankie said with a smile aimed at Kate.

  “I don’t know. I just might stay here. Besides, I have a lot of paperwork to catch up on. We’ve solved the two biggest crimes to hit Charlestown in a long time.”

  Frankie pushed her chair back and stood, as did the other women. “Well, Mom, it looks like your wish has come true. Cody’s murderer has been caught before Christmas.”

  George walked over to them. “Selma, Eve is asking to have a few words with you. If you don’t want to, don’t feel obligated to talk to her.”

  Frankie shook her head. “No, I think we’ll just head out, George.”

  Selma stood firm. “No. I want to talk to her. I want to see who she is right now…Eve or Brenda.”

  “Well, we’re going with you, Selma.” Johanna’s jaw was set.

  George led Selma to the holding cell where Eve was waiting.

  Frankie and Johanna stood a distance from Selma, but close enough to hear the conversation.

  Eve Barnes stood holding onto the bars of the cell. “Thank you for coming. I just wanted to thank you for your kindness toward me. I’ll never forget you.”

  Selma peered at her. “Who are you? Eve or Brenda?”

  Her eyes narrowed. “I’ve always been Eve,” she whispered. “Clyde made me pretend to be Brenda.”

  “Who killed Cody?”

  “I think you know the answer to that.” She smiled. “You always have.”

  Selma turned on her heel and Frankie and Johanna slipped their arms through hers as they walked out of the room.

  Chapter 18

  Johanna and Frankie stood back admiring their lavishly decorated tree while Selma adjusted a strand of garland for the hundredth time. She then placed the manger under the tree.

  “I never get tired of looking at it. It is beautiful,” Johanna murmured. “I’m glad we decided to get a real one after all.”

  Frankie grabbed her hand and squeezed it. “I have to admit that looking at the tree brings back a flood of memories. Especially with Mom fussing over it every time she passes it.” She slipped an arm around Selma’s waist as she had joined them. “But I wouldn’t change it for anything in the world.” She kissed her mother’s cheek. “Now that the manger is under the tree, it really is Christmas.”

  “I agree. I don’t know what we were thinking getting the artificial tree, Frankie.” Johanna nodded firmly. “Keeping traditions alive is important. And it’s nice to relive old memories.”

  Selma beamed. “I knew you couldn’t break tradition, Frankie.” She turned to Johanna. “And it’s also nice to make some new traditions, too.”

  Frankie smiled. “You’re right.”

  “Life’s funny,” Selma murmured. “Everything can change in the blink of an eye.”

  “That’s true, Mom, and that’s why we need to treasure the moments we have with those who are special in our lives.”

  Selma squeezed her hand. “I really felt sorry for Eve Barnes, though. I think anyone who met her would have felt sorry for her.” Her smile faded. “That was until I talked to her in the holding cell. I looked into her eyes and saw nothing but pure evil. She was in her right mind when she murdered that poor boy. I have no doubt of that now. If she’d truly cared about him she would have sought help when Clyde was in prison. But she didn’t. Instead she only sought help from Welfare.”

  “I know,” Johanna said.

  “But you saw through her, Johanna. I didn’t. Not until that moment when I looked into her eyes. She turns it off and on at will. I don’t think Cody intended or ever said he was going to take her anywhere. He was going into the Army. I believe she killed him because she was enraged that she’d given up her life to raise him and he was going to leave as soon as he could. That’s not love. If she’d cared about that boy she would have wanted him to get as far away as he could from the lifestyle he was raised in.” Frankie sighed heavily.

  “She’s devious. She turns on the act when it suits her purposes. Playing the victim when she’s the victimizer. God only knows what else she did to that kid. It’s a wonder he was even halfway normal. Something inside of him kept him going. He was almost to the finish line and that’s what did him in.” Johanna shook her head in disgust.

  “We can hope that some shrink and judge doesn’t fall for her act and feel sorry for her and let her out in a year or two.” Frankie looked at Johanna. “We saw that a lot on the force.”

  Johanna nodded. “But where would she go? George said that Joe Barnes never wants to set eyes on her again. She’s dead to him now. She has no one and nowhere to go.”

  Frankie shrugged. “She’ll find some bleeding heart who’ll feel sorry for her. Once this hits the media I wouldn’t be surprised if she starts getting offers of help and support. Some bleeding hearts will take pity on her.”

  “They always pop up. The case will be twisted until Cody’s in the background and the focus will be on how Eve Barnes was really the victim. By the time the case even comes to trial the shock of the murder will have worn off. I hate how the defense lawyers always take the heat off their client by making the jury feel sorry for the criminal.” Johanna’s jaw tightened. “Just once I’d like to see real justice handed out, but no, then we get the appeals.”

  Frankie took her hand. “Calm down, babe. I believe in karma. And I still believe that good always wins out over evil in the end.”

  Johanna squeezed Frankie’s hand. “You’re right. I believe that, too.” She forced a tight smile. “I just haven’t gotten over the whirlwind of these past few days. I need a vacation!”

  Frankie grinned. “We both do.”

  “Such a tragedy, but I’m not going to let this spoil our Christmas. I believe that God is giving Cody all the love in heaven he never received on Earth. He’s in a much better place now.” Selma rubbed her hands together. “Now let’s have a cup of eggnog and watch It’s A Wonderful Life before we go to midnight mass.”

  “I’ll get the DVD,” Frankie said. “This is going to be a wonderful Christmas despite everything that’s happened.”

  * * * *

  The snow crunched under their feet as they exited the church and hurried to Johanna’s car, then piled inside. Johanna started the car and turned the heater up. “Wow! It’s going to be a cold night!”

  “That was a beautiful service,” Selma said. “You need to go to church every Sunday, girls, and not just on holidays.”

  “We really should,” Johanna replied with a side glance at Frankie.

  Frankie nodded as she pulled her long red coat tighter around herself to cover her cold legs. Her red dress was simple, but classy. She hated wearing dresses, but obliged on special occasions. Johanna had no problem with wearing dresses or skirts. She loved to dress up.

  Frankie’s faithful gold cross hung around her neck. She was like Selma in more ways than she realized, and the
older she got the more she saw the similarities in her likes and dislikes. Her mother had never been comfortable in dresses or skirts either. Selma could always find a pantsuit that would do in almost any circumstance. Tonight she wore a Christmassy pantsuit and, like Frankie, had a gold cross around her neck. Frankie glanced at Johanna who looked stunning in a green dress with matching earrings. Her slim body was just as firm, sexy and feminine as it had been the first time Frankie had laid eyes on her. Johanna had the type of body that looked good no matter what she was wearing.

  “I think we need to keep this Christmas spirit going.” She grinned. “Come on, let’s sing Christmas carols.”

  “I think I’ll pass,” Johanna said, stifling a yawn. “It’s been a long day. All I want to do is get home, kick off my shoes and have a glass of Selma’s homemade eggnog while I enjoy our Christmas tree.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Selma said. “In the morning we’ll open presents after we have coffee and some of my homemade coffee cake.”

  “What did you get me, Mom?”

  Selma laughed. “You’ll never change.”

  “And you don’t want me to.”

  “That’s right, I don’t. But I’ll tell you one thing.”

  “What’s that, Mom?”

  “I never want to help with one of your cases again. I officially retire.”

  The women laughed as Frankie began a rousing rendition of Santa Claus Is Coming To Town.

  After they’d returned to the house, they quickly changed clothes then sat in front of a roaring fire. No one spoke as they sipped their eggnog. The shrill ringing of the telephone suddenly interrupted their peace and quiet.

  Selma jumped. “Who’d be calling at such a late hour?”

  “Let the machine pick it up,” Frankie said.

  “I hate late-night phone calls. It’s after two a.m.,” Johanna said. Her heartbeat accelerated. “I hope nothing’s happened to my mother.”

  Frankie patted her hand. “I’ll get it.” She hurried to the phone with Johanna and Selma close on her heels.