Making New Memories (8 page)

******

Lying on the narrow bunk in his cell, Dylan
lets his mind drift back to the mountains of Montana and how it
felt to hold Skye in his arms while she slept. He doesn't ever
remember enjoying holding a woman more. She fit perfectly against
him. Then he remembers holding her after he had told her about
Elena and his divorce. He felt cleansed that night, like a huge
weight lifted from his soul. Then he remembers the night after the
dinner honoring Bear and those wonderfully sweet kisses. His arms
ache to hold her again. When he closes his eyes he can taste her on
his lips and he longs for her deep in his soul.

A little while later a jailer comes to his
cell door and asks, "Drake, you have a visitor. She says she's your
sister. Do you want to talk to her?"

Surprised, Dylan says, "Sure, I guess."

Following the jailer into the visitation
area, he sees Evelyn sitting at a table. She looks tired and sad,
thinner than he remembers. Knowing they make recordings of
everything that transpires between inmates and their visitors he is
hesitant to say anything. Approaching the glass he says,
"Evelyn?"

"Dylan? Are you ok? I just heard you are in
jail. I didn't even know about Elena until this morning. Why Dylan?
What happened?"

Staring at her with a blank look on his face
he says, "I don't think I want to talk to you right now," and he
stands and calls for the jailer. He is terribly disappointed. His
sister seems to always think the worst about him, at least lately.
Evidently nothing has changed. When he left Elena and filed for
divorce, Elena had Evelyn some story about how it was his fault and
she wouldn't even listen to him then. He doesn't know why he
thought things might be different this time. His heart aches for
the closeness they once shared.

Evelyn Smith walks out of the jail and back
to her car. Sitting in the car she lets the tears fall. She loves
her brother and she doesn't understand why they are always fighting
these days. She longs for the days before he went away to the
Marines. They were close then. She has to find a way to help him.
Granted she had been mad at him when he left Elena, but that was
before she learned the truth. She saw Elena with that scumbag
Richard Thomas. They were disgusting making out in front of Damian
and flaunting their relationship all over Amarillo for years. The
man is married for goodness sake with three kids. Dylan doesn't
even know her husband, Jack, left her alone with two kids and ran
off with a waitress from the truck stop. Wiping her eyes, she heads
back to the mall to her job.

******

Jacob Murray asks his private investigator,
Tom Christensen to investigate Richard Thomas. He told him about
Thomas being the man Dylan found his wife with the day he filed for
divorce. He also subpoenaed Elena Drake's bank records for the past
year. He checked with Child Protective Services to find out where
Damian is staying and when he will be able to question the boy.
They wouldn't give him any information. He contacted Dylan's Marine
buddy and set up an interview with he and his son for this evening.
When he heads back to the courthouse for the arraignment he stops
by the law office of Fred Tucker. Since he is out, he leaves a card
and asks him to call.

Dylan stands before the judge and listens to
the charges against him as they are read by the clerk. When he is
asked if he understands the charges against him, he says he does.
Jacob requests bail which is set at one million dollars. He can't
leave the state so unless he has a relative he can stay with bail
will be denied.

Dropping his eyes, Dylan is just about to say
he doesn't have anyone to stay with when Evelyn steps forward,
"Your Honor, I am Evelyn Drake Smith. I am Dylan Drake's sister and
I live here in Amarillo. He can stay with me."

"All right, Mr. Drake, post your bond and you
can be released to your sister's home. I am going to require an
ankle bracelet though. Agreed?"

Dylan agrees. Turning to Evelyn he says,
"Thank you Evelyn."

After being fitted with the ankle bracelet
and having the bond transferred from his personal account to the
clerk, he and Evelyn head toward her home.

Jacob thankful Evelyn came through for Dylan.
Nothing is more demoralizing than being locked in a jail cell for
months. He hasn't really been introduced to Evelyn yet, but Dylan
had seemed shocked when she stepped forward and offered to let him
stay with her.

When they arrive at the house Dylan is
surprised to see Evelyn no longer lives in the modern brick home in
the upscale neighborhood where she lived when he left Amarillo.
This is a small house in one of the poorer neighborhoods and he is
ashamed that he didn't know. He asks, "Where's Jack? Why are you
living here and not on Pecan?"

Evelyn looks at him with sad eyes and says,
"A lot has changed since you left eight years ago Dylan. Jack and I
are divorced. The kids and I live here now and I work at the
mall."

"I'm sorry Evelyn, when did that happen?"
asks Dylan.

"Jack left almost three years ago. He ran off
with a waitress from the truck stop and left me with a pile of
debt. I had to sell the house to pay off his debts. This is all I
can afford on my salary. Janie and Jeff are ten and twelve now. You
won't even recognize them."

They get out of the car and head inside with
Jacob. They order pizza for dinner and are sitting around the
living room discussing the case.

Jacob asks Evelyn, "What can you tell me
about Richard Thomas?"

Frowning she says, "Besides the fact that he
is a scumbag that runs around on his wife and three kids not a lot.
He is a Vice-President at the First National Bank. He doesn't have
a good reputation. Rumor has it that he has shafted more than one
customer but so far no one has been able to prove anything. He and
Elena had an affair for years. Dylan, I'm really sorry I didn't
believe you when you and Elena split. I saw them together with my
own eyes not too long after you left. It was disgusting."

Jacob asks, "Dylan told me you were friends
with Elena. What kind of person was she?"

Frowning again Evelyn says, "Well, she was
not the person I thought she was for years. She lied to me about
everything. I know she would go out at night after Damian was in
bed leaving him home alone. I saw her car at the local tavern on
more than one occasion. We haven't been close for several
years."

Jacob asks next, "Was she still seeing
Richard Thomas?"

She answers, "No, they broke up about a year
ago from what I heard. I know he was furious with her for some
reason. I saw them fighting on more than one occasion as recently
as last week at the mall."

"Do you know what they were fighting about?
Where did you see them fighting?" asks Jacob.

She answers, "They were fighting in the
middle of the mall by the game room in broad daylight in front of
everybody. He was yelling at her and I heard him say 'You'll be
sorry Elena. I promise you are going to pay for this."

"Did other people hear him say that?" asks
Jacob.

"I'm sure they did, it was in the mall. Let
me think, Francis Perkins was standing with me, Beth Williams, and
Tim Franklin." I know they heard him. We were all standing right
beside them when he said it."

"That's very helpful Evelyn. Did you by any
chance see Richard at the mall this past Saturday? If so, where and
what time?" asks Jacob.

"Yes, he was at the mall. He always drops his
kids at the game room on Saturday afternoons. He usually meets one
of his women and they go to the attached hotel. Last Saturday I saw
him hanging around the game room for a while. I thought that was
rather unusual. He disappeared for about thirty minutes then he
came back and got his kids and left. That was about five I
think."

"Thank you so much Evelyn. Oh, I better get
going. I am supposed to meet with Bobby Feldman and his son at
Denny's. Dylan, think good thoughts. I'll talk to you
tomorrow."

******

After Jacob leaves, Dylan and Evelyn spend
several hours catching up. Evelyn tells him the details about the
end of her marriage and her divorce. She tells him about the kids,
their interests and how they are doing in school. Dylan tells her
about how he had come home and found Elena in bed with Richard
Thomas. He tells her how Elena had not allowed him to see Damian
since the divorce and how he and Bobby Feldman had been arranging
the monthly visits at the mall. Evelyn is surprised that she hasn't
seen Dylan at the mall any of the times he has been in town. She
determined it must be because he never hangs around outside of the
game room.

Then he spends time talking to his niece and
nephew and just getting reacquainted. If nothing else good comes
from this ordeal, he is pleased that he and Evelyn are working out
their differences and looks forward to spending more time with her
and the children, Janie and Jeff. Evelyn is the only family besides
Damian that he has left and he is thankful for this time with
her.

******

After his last meeting is complete Jacob
calls Barry to give him an update. Jacob is relieved that this is
not as cut and dried as it had first appeared. He has a theory and
all he has to do is prove it to free Dylan. He knows without even
asking that Dylan is innocent. He is too disciplined and he is just
not the kind of person to kill someone in anger. This is a prime
example of a rush to judgment by the police in Amarillo Texas.

******

After talking to Jacob, Barry sits down with
the other members of the Drake Security team and me to tell us what
he has learned. He explains that Jacob is sure he knows who the
real killer is and has a plan to prove it. He has a private
investigator checking on several leads and he has asked for their
assistance in gathering information and following up on leads. He
explains that Dylan has been released on bail and is staying with
his younger sister in Amarillo. He gives them a phone number where
they can reach Dylan at his sister's house since the police
confiscated his cell phone as evidence.

After the others have gone back to their
quarters, I ask Barry, "What do you think, Barry? Is this attorney
going to be able to get him off?"

Smiling confidently Barry answers, "I know he
will. Dylan is innocent and Jacob will prove it. He's good Skye and
Tom Christensen, the PI is the best. Have faith in them."

Relieved, I reply, "I hope so Barry. Dylan is
special to me. I think I could love him given a little time and a
lot of counseling."

Smiling again, Barry says, "I'm glad Skye.
Dylan is a good man and he seems to care about you too."

I retire to my room and pick up my cell phone
trying to decide whether or not to call Dylan. After several
minutes I finally dial the number Barry gave us. When a woman
answers, I hesitate briefly then ask, "Could I please speak to
Dylan Drake?"

Evelyn says, "Sure, one minute. Dylan!
Telephone!" Whispering to Dylan she says, "It's a woman."

Heart pounding with anticipation Dylan says,
"Hello?"

"Dylan, it's Skye. Are you all right?"

A feeling of warmth flows through Dylan at
the sound of her voice, "Skye, I am so glad you called. I'm all
right. It's been a trying day but Jacob seems optimistic. At least
one good thing has come out of this mess. My sister and I have
cleared up our differences. We've been estranged for years."

"I'm glad. You should never waste time
carrying grudges against your family. They are too precious and you
never know when they will be taken from you. How is your shoulder?
You don't have any sign of infection do you?"

"No, my shoulder is fine. I miss you Skye. I
constantly think about holding you in my arms, kissing you. When I
close my eyes I can almost feel you curled up against me like in
Montana. I can taste you on my lips."

Tears flood my eyes, "I miss you too Dylan."
I brush the tears off my face and take a deep breath, "Oh, I had my
first counseling session today and I think it went really well. I
was able to tell her some things about that night. Don't give up on
me Dylan, please?"

"I'm not going to give up on you. Don't give
up on me Skye. I'm innocent, I didn't kill Elena," he pleads.

"I know you didn't. I never for one minute
thought you did. Good night Dylan."

"Good night Skye."

******

When Stump and Bear arrive in Phoenix,
Stump's mother, Jesse is at the airport to meet them. Stump called
her from the ranch the night before to let her know they would be
coming.

Bear spent a lot of time at the ranch
cleaning up. He shaved off his heavy beard and cut off his long
pony tail so that his hair now just brushes the collar on his
shirt. Without the beard, it is amazing how much Stump resembles
him.

Jesse feels like she is dreaming. The only
man she has ever loved, Clarence Kincaid is coming to Phoenix to
see her. She has loved him for so many years and now she is going
to get to hold him again. She is so excited she didn't sleep at all
last night. Sometime around dawn the worry started. What if he
doesn't love her anymore? What if he can't get past his flashbacks?
What if he doesn't want to be with her? Will she be able to bear
it?

Bear is a nervous wreck. He has loved Jesse
for more than half his life and he is worried that she will be
disappointed when she sees him again. When the helicopter lands it
takes all of his willpower just to step out onto the tarmac. Just
riding in the bird again brought back horrible memories of Vietnam
and he is afraid the dreams will be back in full force again.
Sometimes he thinks he is losing his mind.

When he sees Jesse emerging from the airfield
office his heart stops, then starts back at a slow pounding rate.
She is so beautiful, just like he remembered. With tears in his
eyes and his hands shaking he walks toward her. As he gets closer
he can see the tears streaming down her face and he opens his arms
to her. She flies into his arms and he wraps her securely in his
embrace and the tears run freely down his face.