A Crying Shame: A Jesse Watson Mystery (22 page)

Abby walked into the parlor and set the tray down on the
coffee table. “I see you’ve been talking behind my back, again,” she said.

“That’s the fun part,” I said as I picked up my teacup and
held it out to Abby. “We surely can’t say bad things about you to your face,
can we?”

Abby laughed. “You are such a bad girl, Jesse.”

“No, you’re the bad girl!”

“No, you’re the bad girl!” She mocked me.

“In the short span of one day, I’ve come to realize that I’ve
made two new friends who I’d like to have in my life. I hope this won’t be the
last that I see of you. I hope you’ll come for a visit and I can show you
what’s it’s like to live in a little piece of heaven. The mountains are a great
place to start a family. When my little warrior comes into this world, I want
you two to come meet him.”

“How do you know it’s going to be a boy?” Isabel asked.

“Because her Indian husband said so,” Claire said with a
smile. “You’ll love Billy! He’s one of the best.”

“May I have him?” Isabel asked. “I need a good man.”

“No, you can’t,” I said. “But I’m sure we can fix you up with
someone, if you’re serious. Billy has a nice, good-looking, single brother.
However, he is a little young for you, but who cares?”

Claire and I chuckled.

Isabel said, “I’ll take him!”

“Oh, Isabel you’re out of your mind!” Abby snipped.

“I was only kidding, Abby,” she shot back.
“Don’t get your
panties in a bunch!”

Abby rolled her eyes and then gave Isabel a hug. “Sometimes I
wonder why I put up with you.”

Ten minutes later, we headed upstairs to bed. I was so
exhausted; I didn’t bother to pull back the covers. I flopped down on the bed
and instantly fell asleep. All night long I had pleasant, loving dreams of
Billy. When I awoke at the crack of dawn, I was lonely for my man. I couldn’t
wait to get back home. All I wanted to do was crawl in bed with Billy and fall
asleep in his arms. I wanted to feel the warmth of his skin. I missed him!

As I descended the stairs the smell of food overtook me. I
headed straight for the kitchen. Claire, with her wet hair and dressed in fresh
clothes was standing next to Abby helping her prepare breakfast. They looked up
at me as I entered.

“Why don’t you run take a shower,” Abby asked. “You’ll feel
much better. Claire brought in your duffel bag and put it in your bathroom.”
She looked at Claire and said, “Whatever happened to carrying real luggage?
That’s all I ever see people with these days… those awful, bulky duffel bags
thrown over their shoulders.”

“They’re easier to manage,” I said as I turned to leave.
“I’ll be back as soon as I finish taking a shower.” I passed Isabel in the
hallway. “Did you have your shower this morning?” I asked her.

“I most certainly did,” she replied. “You’d better hurry up
or you’ll miss a wonderful breakfast. Abby really isn’t such a bad cook like I
said; she just doesn’t like to cook. Now that you and Claire are here, I guess
she’s got her spunk back. I’m glad to see it. She’s a strange woman.”

“I’ll be right back,” I said. “Give me ten minutes.”

“Sure, sure,” Isabel said as she walked off laughing.
“That’ll be the day. I don’t know any woman who can shower that quickly.”

“You do now,” I yelled to her as I ran back up the stairs.
Ten minutes later, I was showered, dressed in fresh clothes and was headed back
down stairs, duffel bag in hand. I dropped it by the doorway and then went into
the parlor to get my purse. I came back out and laid it on top of my duffel bag
and then headed to the kitchen.

“Where’s your stuff!” I asked Claire. “I didn’t see your
purse or your basket of goodies in the credenza.”

“I put my stuff in the car.”

“I hate to see the two of you leave,” Abby said as she
motioned for me to have a seat at the table. “I’ve gotten used to having you
around. I feel like I’ve known you forever.”

“That’s what happens when people become friends,” I said.
“I’m sure this isn’t the last we’ll see of you and Isabel, or Randy.” I looked
at Claire and batted my eyelashes.

“Oh, don’t be ridiculous,” she said. “Randy and I are…”

“Hot for each other,” I finished her sentence.

“When your divorce from Carl becomes final, wouldn’t it be
wonderful if you and Randy got married?” Isabel added.

“Yeah, and then I could con money out of your rich
motherin-law,” I said, looking at Claire and then Abby.

“You’d never do that, Jesse,” Claire said. “You might be a
little strange sometimes, but you’re not a user.”

“I could change!”

The girls laughed. We chatted as we devoured every last bit
of food, and then we laughed about how we had made pigs of ourselves.

“Has anyone heard from Randy?” I asked.

“Not yet,” Abby said. “I’m sure he’ll call as soon as he knows
what’s going to happen with Carl. I guess they have to go get that woman and
bring her back here before they release him. She’ll need to corroborate his
story and I have a feeling that’s not going to happen. She’ll blame him for
everything. I’d bet money on it. She’s not going to go down for a murder if she
can put the blame on Carl. It’s his word against hers—he said, she said—that
type of deal. Let’s just hope forensics can put the blame where it belongs.”

“I sure hope so,” Claire said. “My marriage to Carl is over,
but he’s still my children’s father. I don’t want to see him go to jail.”

“I do, if he killed that girl,” I said.

“You just don’t like Carl,” Claire said. “Do you really think
he could kill a person?”

“I think anything’s possible,” I said. “I never thought I’d
be able…”

“Be able to what?” Abby asked.

I had everyone’s attention, especially Claire’s. She knew
what I was about to blurt out. “It’s not important,” Claire said.

“It must be, if you don’t want Jesse to tell us,” Isabel
said.

No one spoke. Claire excused herself from the table on the
pretense that she had to go to the bathroom. It was then that I discovered what
the full impact of my actions had made on her. Claire was ashamed of what I had
done, even though I saved our lives.

Within five minutes, I had laid the whole sordid details of
my encounter with the Westovers out on the table. It wasn’t a pretty tale.

“I think it took a lot of guts to do what you did,” Isabel
said.

“And a lot of courage,” Abby added. “It’s nothing to be
ashamed of, I can tell you that. If I should ever get into that kind of
situation, I hope I have the guts to handle it just like you did.”

“Thanks,” I said. “I have to live with this every day.
Sometimes when it starts to bother me, I just think about my sister, her kids,
and Billy’s mother. I did what I had to do.”

The doorbell chimed. A few minutes later, Claire walked back
into the kitchen with Randy behind her. Her eyes were filled with tears.

“What’s wrong?” I asked as I jumped up and ran to my sister.

“
Sherry
Lane
was found dead in
the house in
Florida
, and Carl’s been charged with the
deaths of her and Ophelia Pitman.” Claire cried as she collapsed in Randy’s
arms.

Randy helped Claire over to the kitchen table. She looked
pale and had a hard time standing on her own. Clearly, she was in a state of
panic and distress. Her soon-to-be ex-husband had just been charged with a
murder that most likely had been committed by a crazy woman who was now lying
dead on a cold slab at the morgue, and she died because of his reckless
disregard. He had locked
Sherry
Lane
in his pantry and
for whatever reason, it was there that she had died. Now he was going down for
two murders: one he had nothing to do with, and the other a direct accidental
result of the first one. How ironic!

Randy’s cell phone rang. He excused himself and walked into
the hallway. When he returned, his face was ashen. “The body they found in
Carl’s pantry wasn’t
Sherry
Lane
; it was the
neighbor from next door. She’s just been identified as Kayla Wilkes.”

“We have to get out of here,” I said to Claire. Red flags
went up everywhere and I was beginning to get a sick, eerie feeling in the pit
of my stomach. “I have a real bad feeling about what’s going to happen next.
Sherry Lane
’s a nut case. She obviously killed
an innocent person who was probably trying to help her out. If she did that,
she wouldn’t hesitate to come after you, Claire, once she finds out that you’re
here. She’s dangerous and I don’t want us to be around when she comes calling.”
I looked at Randy. “We’re going to leave now, and as soon as we do, I want you
to lock this place up as tight as a nun’s…”

“Jesse!” Claire shouted.

“You get my drift,” I said, looking from Claire back to
Randy. “
Sherry Lane
’s on the streets and there’s no
doubt in my mind that she’s coming back here to Carl’s house. It’s the nature
of the beast. He turned on her and now she wants revenge. I’ll bet that she
killed that Wilkes woman and she probably didn’t even give it a second thought.
She was so mad that she lashed out at the first person in sight. I say she’s
psychotic. Why else would she kill someone who was trying to help her, unless
she’d gone off the deep end? She wants revenge. She wants to get back here and
finish what she started. She wants payback and I don’t want to be around when
she comes to collect.”

“I’m with you, Jesse,” Abby agreed. “Now that Carl has turned
on her, she’ll be out for revenge. If she did kill those two people, why not
add a few more to the list? She’ll get the needle either way you look at it.
She might even come over here.”

“Call the police and don’t dare let her in!” I said. “Randy,
you have to stay here until they catch her. Abby and Isabel won’t be safe until
that maniac is captured.”

“Don’t worry, Jesse,” he said. “I’m not about to leave Mother
and Isabel alone. Pete’s not due home until the weekend and I don’t want them
here by themselves. Sherry might not come to this house, but I’m not taking any
chances.”

“You’re such a good son,” Abby said as she got up to give her
son a hug. “Isn’t he the best?”

“Yes, he is,” Claire said. “You’re very lucky to have someone
who cares so much about you. I hope when my kids grow up they will love me the
same.”

“Oh, they will…”

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” I said to Abby. “We have to get out
of here. As soon as we help clean up the table, we’re leaving.”

“Forget about the table,” Isabel said. “We’ll take care of
it. You just get your stuff and get on the road. Keep your cell phone on in
case we get paranoid and want to call you. You know we’ll worry about you two
until you get home safely.”

“I’m so glad that I had the opportunity to get to know you
guys,” I said to all of them. “I hope we’ll keep in touch.”

“Oh, you can count on it!” Isabel said. “You just say the
word and Abby and I will get in her Caddy and come for a visit.”

“Do you promise?”

“Sure.”

Claire got up from the table and went to the bathroom to
splash water on her face while I loaded my stuff in the SUV. I ran back inside
and said, “Are you ready, Claire?”

“I’m coming,” she said as she walked out of the parlor. Randy
had his arm on her shoulder as they emerged. She gave him a quick hug and then
hugged Abby and Isabel.

I hugged everyone and when I turned to leave, Abby shoved
something into my hand. “I want you to have this. It’s been my good luck charm.
My daddy gave it to me many years ago. In times of trouble, I’d keep it close
to my heart for comfort. It’s served me well and now it’s yours.”

“Thanks, Abby,” I said as I looked at the object in my hand.
It was a St. Christopher’s medal with a chain running through a tiny ring at
the top. I took the necklace and draped it around my neck. “I’ll treasure it
always.”

“Be careful,” Isabel said as Claire and I walked outside.

We turned and waved.

“I’m driving,” I said to Claire as we walked up to the car.

“That’s fine with me,” she replied. She got in on the
passenger’s side. “I’m a nervous wreck.”

“So am I. That’s why I insist upon driving. With my anxiety,
I couldn’t handle your driving… no offense.”

“None taken.”

We jumped into the car, locked the doors, and then I backed
out of the driveway. The roads in the private sub-division were clear even
though there were probably six inches of snow on the ground. I guess if you
could afford a house where Abby lived, you’d obviously have a private crew to
take care of the roads. I marveled at the size of some of the homes. All of
them were big, but some were just plain enormous. I also wondered how Claire
had fit in with this upper crust of people, but under the circumstances, I
wasn’t about to ask. We had enough on our plate just trying to make it home.
Claire gripped the door handle as I pushed the gas pedal down to the floor. I
wasn’t wasting any time getting as far away as I could from that crazy woman,
Sherry Lane
.

“Shouldn’t we call the house and let them know we’re on our
way?” Claire asked.

“I think so, just in case that crazy woman comes after us,” I
agreed. “That’s a good idea. I meant to call Billy as soon as I woke up, but
the smell of food distracted me. Go ahead and call him, but don’t tell him
anything about Sherry. I want him to know we’ve left Abby’s house, but I don’t
want him to worry. We can explain everything when we get home.”

Claire pulled out her cell phone and dialed my house. She
made it short and sweet, leaving out the part about our fears of running into a
killer. Once she had finished getting an update from the homestead, she closed
the phone and laid it on the console.

“Mom said everything is fine. The kids behaved well, and
Sarah stayed overnight. I think Sarah just loves to be around babies. I bet
she’ll make a great grandmother to your baby. I know she likes Mom. They’ve
become good friends.”

“I’m sure she will,” I said, trying to listen to Claire, keep
my eyes on the road, and watch my rearview mirror all at the same time. “Did
the chief stay, too?”

“Yes, he did,” Claire said, chuckling. “They make a good
team. They’re always together. I wonder where they slept.”

“I’m sure Billy let them sleep in our bed. I would’ve. Did
Mom say anything about Billy?”

“She said he left early this morning to go to work.”

“Something important must be going on for him to leave before
we had a chance to talk. He didn’t even call me.”

“Oh, it’s probably just routine stuff. You know how men are.
They leave the housework and the care of the children to the women.”

“Not at my house, honey. Billy’s going to be as much of a
part of this child’s upbringing as I am.”

“I’m sure he will,” Claire said. “You have a good man there,
Jesse.”

“Yes, I know.”

We’d been on the road for almost an hour, chit-chatting away
when I noticed that a green, Ford Explorer had been following us for a while. I
didn’t say anything to Claire because I knew how upset she was and I didn’t
want to add to her fears.

Finally, she noticed the automobile behind us. “How long has
that SUV been following us?”

“About fifteen minutes.”

“Is that why you’ve picked up the speed? If you don’t slow
down, Jesse, you’re going to get a ticket.”

“We’re on an isolated stretch of road and I want to see if
that car is actually following us. If I pick up speed and they pick up speed;
we’ll know they’re following us. If they aren’t following us, I’ll leave them
eating my dust.”

Claire’s body tensed as she hung onto the overhead handrail.
“I trust you, so do what you have to do. Just try not to get us killed.”

I pressed the accelerator to the floor and the Mercedes SUV
took off like a scared rabbit. We hit ninety miles an hour before I released my
foot pressure even the slightest. “Good God, Claire, this car has more power
than one of those hotshot sports cars. No wonder you like it so much. Mercedes,
the name says it all!” We were sailing down Rt. 29.

Claire kept looking up in the rearview mirror. “You can slow
down now, Jesse. The car is nowhere in sight.”

“I plan to keep it that way,” I said as I eased up on the gas
a little. I slowed down to eighty and kept it there.

Claire’s cell phone rang.

“We sure are popular today,” She said as she picked it up and
flipped it open. She looked at her Caller ID and said, “It says Billy
Blackhawk, but I don’t recognize the number.”

“Hand me the phone.” I reached out, took the phone and then
pressed it to my ear. “Hello, Mr. Blackhawk. I see that you have a cell phone
now.”

“Yes, I finally bought a new one,” he said, his voice a
welcomed sound. “I hear you gals are on your way home. Is everything okay?”

“Sure, we’re fine,” I said.

“I know all about the situation going on with Carl, so you
don’t have to cover up the danger involved.
Sherry Lane
was spotted at a gas station this morning in the D.C. area. Unfortunately, she
was two steps ahead of the police.”

“Isn’t that always the case?”

“Where are you?”

“We’re about an hour from home, on Rt. 29.”

“Have you picked up a tail?”

“No,” I lied and then thought better about it. I had to tell
Billy the truth even though I didn’t want him to worry. “We did have someone
behind us for a while, but I left them sucking in my gas fumes when I put the
pedal to the metal. They’re nowhere in sight.”

“Be careful, Jesse. You’re heading into a snow storm,” Billy
said. “The weatherman says this one’s going to be a whopper. It’s already
started here. Hopefully, this will be our last one this season. I already saw a
few daffodils popping up.”

“I’m glad this will be the last of it. I’ve had enough snow.
I’m ready for spring. Hey, did anyone say what kind of car…”

Static filled the airways and my connection to Billy was
lost. I folded up the phone and handed it back to Claire. “We got disconnected.
We must be in a dead zone.”

“I hate that, don’t you?” Claire said. “You’re riding down
the road, talking on your cell phone, and all of a sudden you hit a spot and
then you lose your reception. It’s so annoying!”

“Yeah,” I agreed. I looked up in the mirror and saw the green
Explorer again. “Oh, no!”

“What is it?” Claire asked as she turned around to look
behind us. “Oh, no! He’s back!”

“My guess is that it isn’t a he, but a she. I think it is
Sherry Lane
.”

Snow began to fall.

“Not now!” I cried. “All we need is to have our visibility
impaired.”

“Jesse, I’ve got to pee. Can we pull over?”

“Are you crazy? If Sherry’s in that car and we pull over,
we’d be sitting ducks. Cross your legs.”

“I can’t.”

“Then pee on yourself. Your clothes can be washed and I doubt
very seriously that urine would hurt your leather seats.”

“I can’t do that. It’s too gross.”

My anger got the best of me. “Would you rather die or pee in
your pants? Grow up, Claire! This isn’t a game. There are no second chances.”

Claire began to cry. I felt like a jerk.

“I’m sorry, honey, but you need to get with the program.
Sherry would kill you in a heartbeat if she got a chance. I’m going to make
sure she doesn’t get that chance.” I looked in the rearview mirror. My vision
was completely obstructed. “Is there a windshield wiper for the back window?”

Claire stopped crying and reached over and pressed a button
on the dash board. The wiper instantly cleared up the glass.

“I’m sorry, Jesse,” she said. “I’m not as strong as you are.”

“Yes, you are, so give yourself some credit, Claire,” I
replied. “I’ve seen you do some pretty amazing stuff when it comes to handling
your children. It takes a strong person to pull off being a good parent.”

“Thanks, Jesse. I just do what comes naturally.”