What You See (37 page)

We descended on the party that was already in full swing in
the back yard of the house. A line of tables set up under a canopy of open
tents were loaded with food. Kids were playing all over the place while the
adults milled around in circles. The men in our group were given the chore of
carrying the food to the tables. The rest of us huddled together, laughing and
carrying Claire’s kids. As usual, Aunt Edie always had a joke or some wild
story to tell us. Even in her own time of personal tragedy she could still make
us feel good.

“Jesse,” she whispered to me. “Your mom tells me you’ve got
both these guys falling all over you. Which one are you going to marry? She
told me you’d be getting married soon, and I was just wondering which one was
the lucky guy.”

“Mom, you’re at it again!” I screamed. I looked back at Aunt
Edie. “Mom’s crazy. Marriage is the last thing on my mind.”

“Not from what I heard,” Claire chimed in. “Mom told us all
about it.”

“Excuse me,” I stated. “I need to talk to my mother.” I gave
Mom the evil eye and pulled her off to the side. I was going to get her
straight if it was the last thing I did. I couldn’t let her embarrass me with
her tales.

“Mom, you have to stop telling everybody I’m getting
married,” I whispered to her. “It’s not true and it’s embarrassing.”

“Honey,” she sighed. “I’m telling everybody what I’ve been
told.”

“What are you talking about?”

Just as she was about to speak, Billy walked up with his
parents.

“Mom and Dad,” he said to his parents, “I want you to meet my
other mom, Minnie Watson. You know Jesse and Cole.” He motioned to us as he
made introductions. “This is Claire, Jesse’s sister, and Claire’s two kids,
Benny and Carrie. This is Jesse’s brother, Jack, and his partner, Dennis.” He
pointed to them. “Over here we have Jesse’s Aunt Edie and Uncle Bill.” With the
introductions made, he proudly turned to his parents and said, “These are my
parents, Chief Sam Standing Deer Blackhawk and Sarah Blackhawk.”

Chief Sam Standing Deer was dressed like one of the tribal
chiefs I had seen on television many times. He had a massive animal fur slung
over his shoulders even though it was seventy degrees outside. The outlandish
feathered headdress he wore enhanced his tanned and wrinkled face. The feathers
started at the top of his head and extended down to his heels. He wore tan
suede pants with fringed strings down the side, and his shirt was muslin. His
chest was covered with the proud beads and feathers interwoven in a pattern
that only an Indian would understand.

Sarah Blackhawk was dressed in a simple, yellow sundress. She
was the wife of an Indian chief, yet she still dressed and acted like the
person she was—a white woman. She was the mother of this clan and proud of it.
Even if she was a little bit different, it was obvious she wasn’t going to let
anybody try to change that, or her position in this family.

Mom tipped her head, as if to bow before the chief, and then
stepped forward. She gave Sarah a hug and said, “I’m glad to finally meet both
of you. Why, I feel like we’re family already!”

“I’m so glad to hear that and so glad you could come to our
home,” Sarah broke the embrace, but still had her arm around Mom’s shoulders as
they walked away. She turned back to the rest of us and said, “Please...
everybody have some food and enjoy the festivities.” She looked directly at
Claire. “Over by the picnic tables we have a group of ladies in charge of
taking care of the children if you’d like some time for yourself. As much as we
love our children, every mother needs a break once in a while.”

I heard Mom tell Sarah as the two of them walked off, “We
have so much to talk about. Aren’t our kids wonderful?”

She’s at it again. By the time this party’s over, Mom will
have me at the altar with Cole or Billy, ready to say our wedding vows. I had
to do something fast.

“Hey, Billy,” I motioned to him. “Please go get my mom before
she does something crazy or says something outrageous.”

“She’s fine. Don’t worry,” he said. “She’s having a good
time.”

“No, she’s not!” I demanded. “She’s been talking about all
kinds of weird crap all morning, and if you don’t go get her away from your mother,
she’ll have your mom helping her pick out baby names for our kids by the end of
the day. If you know what I mean.”

“Oh, Jesse,” he grinned and put his arm around my shoulder.
“Let her have some fun. I’m not worried. Are you afraid she’ll embarrass you?”

“Yes, I am,” I mumbled under my breath. “You don’t know my
mom.”

Being with Billy’s family was like being at home only it was
a little different.

If we were at home, for our 4th of July celebration we’d cook
out and socialize, dressed in shorts and spraying bug spray everywhere, and at
night we’d set off a few fireworks.

But we were dealing with a whole different culture of people
here. We saw a side of life we’d never seen... and we loved it.

Almost everyone was dressed in feathers and buckskin, or some
other form of Indian clothing, except a few others and us. They played games,
ran races, rode horses, and did almost anything you could think of to have fun.
Not once did I see a fight or a wife and husband off to the side arguing. The
warmth of these people and the love they shared for each other was astounding.

They were proud of their heritage and weren’t afraid to
express their feelings. By the end of the day we all rallied around the
campfire to pray and give thanks, while watching an enormous display of
fireworks.

For the first time in a long while, I felt relaxed and at
ease with myself. I was happy with my life. As I sat by the campfire, I thought
about everything that had happened to me. I grew up in a good home and lived a
fairly normal life—however drab it had seemed at times. I’ve had my share of
trials and tribulations, but in the end it was those experiences that put me on
the road to a new life. I had my family, my new friends, and a boss I adored.
What more could you ask? Maybe one day Cole will get his head out of his butt,
and I’ll be able to trust him again.

Still holding my hand, Billy leaned over and whispered to me,
“We have a big day ahead of us come Tuesday. I’ve been working on this stalking
case all by myself. Are you going to be ready?”

“You can bet the bank on it!” I answered, my thoughts
drifting. “I was just thinking about the Hudgins family. What do you think will
happen to Rose now that her mom’s been arrested for Helen’s murder? What about
Jay and his dad? You think they’ll get much jail time for trying to cover it up
and for what they did to Rose and me?”

“Forget about it for now, Jesse,” Billy whispered. “You’ll
have plenty of time to think about it when they go to trial. As far as Rose is
concerned, she’s a big girl. With some good therapy she’ll recover.”

“Can put it out of your mind just like that?”

“You have to,” he replied. “If you don’t, you’ll go crazy.
Not to change the subject, but did your Mom get around to telling you that
Claire and the kids are going to move here?”

I looked over at Claire who was ensconced in a conversation
with Chief Standing Deer. It was strange seeing her sitting on the ground with
her legs crossed, swaying to the beat of the drums being played by one of the
Blackhawk boys. She seemed so much happier now that she was back with us.

“Where’s she going to live?” I asked, wondering if she was
going to move in with us.

“We’ve discussed the possibility of her renting my house,” he
replied. “I just hate to see the house sit empty and I’m not planning on moving
back in anytime soon.”

I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “Billy, you’re a
good man.”

Cole grunted. “What about me? I’m pretty wonderful, too!”

“Yes, you are,” I said and then kissed his cheek. I had
decided to forgive his trespasses and give our relationship another go at it,
if he was still interested. I leaned over and whispered in his ear, “How about
later you and I try to get this romance off to a new start?”

He wrapped his arms around me and gave me a deep, passionate
kiss right in front of everybody.

He smiled that big, beautiful smile of his and said, “Does
that answer your question?”

I
would like to extend a special thanks to Diane Reid for her help, honesty, and
encouragement while writing this book. She was always there with a kind word
and a pat on the back just when I needed it. Warm blessings go to my daughter
and dearest friend, Wendy Kantsios, for giving me the courage to fulfill my
lifelong dream of writing a novel without worrying about what others thought.
Applause to my son, Tommy Mullen, for not going crazy as he relentlessly taught
me how to get started using computer software. It took a lot of repeat
instructions. Thanks and love to my husband of thirty-four years, Tom, for
putting up with the temperament of a writer
.

I would like to acknowledge Larry Mayhew (Private
Investigator,
Stanardsville
,
VA
)
and Bill Kerr (NYPD,
New
York
) for taking the
time to answer my questions about the law. Thank you.

And last, but not least… my mother, Minnie Crumpler (
Newport News
,
VA
)—three
hours away, but always in my heart. I couldn’t have done it without you.

Look for my next book:

South River
Incident

A Jesse Watson Mystery

Book #2

This book is dedicated to Tom,
Wendy
and Tommy

... my loving husband
and children