Music City (11 page)

Dottie answered in bewilderment. “Maye Taylor, but we ain’t seen her in years and don’ know where she is. Last heard, she was workin’ takin’ care o’ some ole lady that was housebound, down in Fayetteville.”

“I thought you was her.”  Billy Joe mumbled as his head hung even lower.  “I’m sorry Ma’am, I was desperate, and I truly  thought you was her.”

“You thought I was who, Mr. Thompson, your wife’s mother?”

Billy Joe shook his head, “Oh no, Ma’am, you ain’t nothin’ like that ole snake, I thought you was Dottie’s sister what runned off, Mayelynn.”

Dorothy just shook her head in amazement, “Oh Billy Joe.  How could you be such a fool?”

Billy Joe just shrugged.

“Of course, Mr. Thompson, I’m sure that you understand that you are not the first person to claim to be my relative
s, expecting to get some money, nor will you be the last. It’s just one of the problems that come with being famous.” She nodded toward Derek, who spoke next.

“Mr. Thompson, do you realize that in writing this letter and sending it through the United States Mail, you have committed
mail fraud?  That combined with your attempt to extort Mrs. Shepard, could put you in jail for a very long time, possibly the rest of your natural life.  Both are felonies, sir.”

The color completely drained from
Billy Joe’s ruddy face, and he looked like he might pass out at any moment.  He gulped, and tried to find his voice.  “Uh, I didn’t mean to be doing all of that, and I didn’t mean no harm to nobody.  I jus needed money.  Please, don’t put me in jail, I’m sorry Ma’am, I truly am.”

Derek had listened to enough of Billy Joe and Dottie to see that they were not in this together. Billy Joe had apparently acted without her knowledge. He just had to make Billy Joe see the seriousness of the situation he had created to keep him from going further.

“Did you discuss this with anyone?”

“Eh, nope, nobody.”

“Did anyone help you write the letter?”

“Nope, I d
id that by myself.” Billy Joe hung his head, avoiding Dottie's dagger-like looks.

“Now Mr. Thompson, I think you do understand that you could be in a lot of trouble. I would advise you to say nothing to anyone about this, to protect yourself and your family.
You going to prison wouldn’t be good for anyone here.”

Billy shook his head, “No sir.”

Dottie was still fuming, but at least was thinking, “Everyone around here saw your car, they probably saw you get out of your car.  It’s a small town, tongues wag, we will have to come up with somethin’ to say to ‘em.”

Shelly looked at Dorothy, “Who was the no account friend you were talking about when we got here?”

Dorothy sighed, “Billy Joe’s best friend, Tim.  He’s in an out of jail more than we can keep up with.”

Light dawned in Billy Joe's eyes, “Well, I reckon, if anyone does ask, we’ll tell ‘em y’all were here looking for Tim.”

“Good
thinking, Mr. Thompson.”

Shelly spoke again. “
I feel bad for you folks.  I can see that you could use a helping hand.  I want to help you, but, you have to understand that this is a one-time gift.  I’m going to keep that letter you sent to me as insurance.  If you ever ask for help, or try to extort me or anyone else again, I will make sure your letter gets into the hands of the proper authorities.  Do I make myself clear?”

Billy Joe looked carefully at the people in his living room before he answered, “Yes Ma'am, I understand.”

Dottie stepped forward, “Miz Shepard, I can guarantee you, he won’t be a botherin’ you no more. I promise.”

Shelly nodded, opened her purse, pulled out a plain white envelope, and handed it to Billy Joe, “I have your word?”

“Yes, Ma’am, you have my word.”

Shelly released her hold on the envelope, closed her purse and turned toward Dorothy. She
wondered if this woman was really one of her sisters… she believed she probably was.  Poor thing, life had not been kind to her, and that broke Shelly’s heart.  Shelly remembered that she had always been glued to Shelly’s side, never letting her out of her sight for more than a moment at a time.  She felt remorse and guilt, but there was nothing more she could do right now.  Shelly smiled at her and took her hand, “Dorothy, please see about getting some aid, or perhaps some training.  I know there are programs out there that give help to displaced workers, please check into it.” 

She looked back at Billy Joe, her expression hardening. “Goodbye, Mr. Thompson.” Then she turned to
the others. “Let’s go.” Vani held her hand as they walked back to the SUV. All five of them opened their doors and got in without a word, and they didn’t look back.

Nobody spoke until they were on the plane. Alex wondered if Shelly thought Dottie might be her sister, but didn't ask. In a small community, everyone was likely to have known the names of the mother and her children
, so Dorothy was as likely a candidate to be her sister as anyone else in the town named Dorothy.  Everyone gave Shelly her space.  Emotional encounters like the one she had just experienced were difficult for anyone, it would take her a few hours to compose herself. 

“We need to find my mother and my siblings.”  Shelly surprised them all by speaking. 
“Alex, Derek, can you see what you can find out about them for me please?” 

Dottie stood up, looked at Billy Joe and held out her hand expectantly. “It’s not all yours, Mr. Extortionist.”

She continued to glare at him, as she raised her voice, “Whatever you did wasn’t right, and I don’ care for your foolish reasons behind it, but I ain’t gonna let you drink all this money away. An’ we are gonna go do all the things that she said we should do—ya hear me, Billy Joe?”

Her face was read and even her arms flushed as she slowly absorbed what had transpired, she became embarrassed and ashamed.

“Dottie, we don’ even know how much is here, at least let me count it, will ya?” Billy Joe lifted the envelope up and down, trying to weigh it in the air.

Later that evening, Billy Joe passed out drunk. He’d been drinking that expensive Majestic Royal whiskey he bought with the money from Ms. Shepard. Dottie quietly opened the footlocker at the end of the bed. Billy Joe had stashed the envelope full of money in there, he stashed everything in there thinking Dottie wouldn’t know where to look. Ha, what a fool he was... or maybe, what a fool she was. She shook her head, she couldn’t think about that now. It was all over and done with, it was up to her to change her life, that much she had realized.

Billy Joe said he had counted the money earlier that day and told her that there was five thousand dollars. He admonished her, ‘Stay away from it, ya hear?’ In the dimly lit room, she opened the envelope and took out one of the two stacks of bills from inside, the one that had a paper band still wrapped around it, figuring Billy Joe
was obviously spending from the other one. “I guess you picked yours already, Billy Joe.” Dottie said as she slipped quietly out the bedroom door and started walking.

She carried only a small bag, with a few clothes and a picture of her and BJ. The picture was taken when he was only two and she was barely twenty-one. Billy Joe's influence over him
was great. He now treated her just like his Daddy did. But, she remembered her sweet little boy. At least she’d keep that memory alive.

Dorothy had no idea where she would go, but she was going. Away from this place, away from the misery that had consumed her life and left her with nothing but anger, shame and lines on her face that weren’t befitting a woman of her years. After all, she wasn’t much past forty.

The farther she walked down that road, the quicker her steps came and the straighter her back grew. She felt as though the weight of the world was lifted from her and the oddest thing happened. She began to laugh as tears poured down her face. Anyone watching her at two in the morning may have thought she was insane, or inebriated, or both. She even considered that herself. “Crazy or not, I’m gettin’ out of here,” Dottie said to the clear night air.

An hour later she found herself in the sizable bus station at the ticket counter. “How can I help you ma’am?” offered the small man in the uniform behind the counter.

“I need a bus ticket outta here, mister.” Dottie said.

“Where are you goin’, young lady?”

Dorothy hesitated for a moment. “Nashville.” She smiled as she nodded her head, “Yep, I’m going to Nashville, Tennessee.”

“Will that be one way or round trip?”

“Oh, it’ll be one way. That’s for sure.”

She reached into her purse to pull out the money and noticed that it was a stack of hundred dollar bills. There must have been a hundred of them. That’s when she realized Billy Joe had lied to her about how much money there was. She peeled off two of them to pay for the hundred and twenty dollar fare. Soon her life would change forever. She only hoped it would be for the better.

Derek dialed the number, and listened to the ringing through the receiver.  He wondered how many times it would ring before the machine would pick up.  He was about to hang up when a woman’s voice came on the line sounding quite winded as though she had just finished a marathon.

Derek
asked, “Mrs. Bradshaw?”

“This is Noel
Bradshaw-Clark. Who’s calling please?”

As soon as he heard
the name Noel, Derek started grinning from ear to ear, he
knew
he had the right person.  “Ms. Bradshaw, my name is Derek Stewart. I’m a private investigator in Nashville. I’ m actually looking for Thomas Bradshaw or his wife.”

“I’m his daughter. His wife, my mother
, was Opal Bradshaw. She passed three years ago.”

“I’m sorry to hear that Ms.
Bradshaw.” Derek apologized. “As I said, I believe I’m looking for your father. I was wondering if he was a truck driver?”

“Mr. Stewart, my father isn’t here right now. Could I ask why you want to know if he
is a truck driver?”

“Certainly Ms.
Bradshaw, if your father is the person I am looking for, he did a wonderful favor for someone many years ago. That person would simply like to thank him.”

“Well that’s no surprise, Mr. Stewart. He’s a fine man and has always been good about helping people. To answer your question,
yes, he was a truck driver.”

“Is there any way I could speak to him later this evening when he returns?” Derek asked.

“Mr. Stewart, he is in a nursing home over in Auburn. As much as I’d like to have him here at home with me, I’ve got three kids to try and raise while I work full time. He smoked like a chimney all his life ‘til he got emphysema. He needs somebody with him, pretty much all the time and I just can’t do it. I’m sorry, my troubles aren’t your concern, I’m sorry to rattle on like that.”

“That’s quite alright, Ms.
Bradshaw.” Derek assured her.

“May I ask what he did that deserves this phone call?”

“Well, it seems he gave someone a ride in his truck many years ago. This person was just a teenager and he made sure they were safe and got to where they were going. A lot of people might have taken advantage of a young person, but your father was kind and helpful, and this person wants to thank him for that,” Derek explained.

“Well, I can give you the address and phone number to where he is, but I have to warn you, he doesn’t always remember everything that is going on around him. In addition to the breathing problems, he has Alzheimer’s too. One minute he may remember your friend, and the next, he won’t. It’s really hard to tell what he will remember from one day to the next.”

Derek hoped he wasn’t too late. “I am so sorry to hear that, Ms. Bradshaw. I know my client will be devastated.”

“I’m sorry, I may have made it sound worse than it is. He has early onset. While he may not remember something one day, he
can go several days, or even weeks without another problem, but I just never know when those days are going to be. That is what I was trying to say.”

“Do you think your father would be up to a visit?” Derek asked.

Noel was silent for a minute.

“Ms.
Bradshaw?” Derek asked.

“I’m here, I’m just thinking about it. I guess it would be fine for this person to visit him. I would just ask that you come here first, meet me and I will take you to the nursing home.”

“Fair enough, Ms. Bradshaw, I will be in touch, soon, I promise.”

Derek hung up the phone and looked at the clock. It was nearly six, he started to pick up the phone and then hung it up.
He wanted to deliver this news to Shelly in person, so he headed over to her house.