A Crying Shame: A Jesse Watson Mystery (25 page)

“Stop, Jesse. I don’t want any medication,” she said. “I’m
pregnant.”

You could’ve knocked me over with a feather. I was totally
shocked and amazed. “How long have you known? You never said a word.”

“I haven’t told anyone but Cole. That’s what we were arguing
about that night on the front porch. He wasn’t exactly thrilled at the idea. He
had his mind somewhere else.” She looked up at me. “He’s convinced he’s the
father of your child. He’s still in love with you. He’s just been using me. He
doesn’t care about me or this baby. But that’s okay, we don’t need him.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“I’m confused,” Frank said. “And I don’t think I want to know
what’s going on here. I called Abigail and Isabel. I had to call them. Abby
would kill me if I didn’t call and let them know what happened. Plus, I needed
to let them know that
Sherry
Lane
was no longer a
threat. Randy was pretty upset and worried about his mother and his aunt’s
safety. I owed it to them. I’m sure they’ll be here soon. Abby has a company
helicopter at her disposal, along with a company jet, limo, you name it. I also
called your mother. She said she would be here as soon as she could.”

“Did you talk to my husband?” I asked.

“No, I’m sorry, Jesse, but your mother said he’s been gone
since early this morning and she doesn’t know where he is.”

“He’s got a new cell phone, but I don’t know the number. I’d
have to go out to the car... in the nasty, snowy weather... and check to see if
it comes up on my cell phone Caller ID.”

“I could go get it for you, if you want me to,” Frank
offered.

“Would you do that for me?” I smiled.

“Sure,” he said. “We’re buddies, remember?” He laughed and
then turned to leave. “I think you two might need a few minutes to discuss this
weird thing about that guy, Cole. I don’t want to hear any more. This is just
too weird.” He closed the curtain and then left.

“I’m so sorry about how Cole treated you. To be honest, I think
he needs to see a doctor. He’s not himself. He’s changed. He’s weird.”

“I think it’s the medication he’s taking. He wasn’t like that
in the beginning. When he was released from the hospital he was wonderful, but
about a week later, his personality changed. He got ugly and mean. Then it got
worse.”

“I’ll get Billy to talk to him.”

“No, don’t do that, Jesse. Right now, Cole hates Billy, and
under the circumstances, I can see why. He thinks Billy stole you from him and
he’s really mad about it.”

“I’ll talk to him and insist he see a doctor. I’ll even take
him if I have to, but I refuse to let him treat you this way. You’re going to
have his baby and you deserve better from him.”

“You’re absolutely right,” Cole said as he walked into the
little examination area. “I’ve been a real fool, Claire. I called my doctor and
he changed my medication. I realized something was wrong when your mother
kicked me out of Billy and Jesse’s house. For her to do that, I knew there must
be something wrong with my behavior. I realized I needed help, so I talked to
my doctor and he said that sometimes certain medications can make a person
agitated. It’s a side effect. Can you ever forgive me?”

“Yes, I can,” she said in between her tears.

Cole bent down on his knees and asked Claire to marry him.
This time he appeared to be serious. He promised he would never hurt her again.

Claire accepted his proposal.

I, the skeptic that I am, had my reservations about the whole
situation, but it wasn’t for me to decide their fate. It was up to them. If
this is what my sister wanted, I would support her, against my better judgment.

We all turned to look in the direction of a commotion that
was happening in the hall, and then I recognized my mother’s voice.

“Mom’s here,” I said, turning back to Claire and Cole. “I’ll
go intercept her and give you two some time alone. Say what you have to say to
each other, because I don’t know how long I can fend her off. It’s none of my
business, but if it was me, I’d hold off on telling her the good news about the
baby.” I pulled the curtain back to leave and came face-to-face with our
mother. There was no putting her off now.

“What on earth happened to my daughter?” she asked as she
barged in and walked over to the edge of the bed. She looked up at Cole and
asked, “What are you doing here. You don’t belong here.”

“Mom, why don’t we get some of that wonderful hospital
coffee? Claire and Cole need a moment alone to discuss their future.”

“What future could my daughter possible have with someone who
beats up on women? Oh, no, this is not going to happen. I want you to leave
right this minute. You’re no longer a part of this family. You gave up that
right when you slapped my daughter. I’m going to call security.”

“Come on Mom,” I said as I grabbed her by the arm and forced
her to leave. I closed the curtain and almost had to drag her away. She was
mad, and I mean really mad. I’ve never seen her treat anyone like she’d just
treated Cole. “You need to calm down and let me tell you something. First off,
when you threw Cole out of my house, it made him realize that something was
wrong with him. He talked to the doctor, the doctor changed his medication, and
now maybe he’ll be getting back to his old self. You have to forgive him,
Mother. He couldn’t help what the medication did to him. Give him one more
chance.”

“I don’t think I can,” she replied.

“You have the kindest and most forgiving heart of anyone in
the world. I know you can do this. Give him a second chance. Aren’t you the one
who’s always talking about forgiveness? It’s time to put that belief into
action. Give Cole another chance. I think Claire really loves him.”

“Okay, I’ll do what you ask. But if he proves to be a liar,
I’m finished with him.”

“I don’t think you’ll regret your decision.”

She immediately turned around and went back to Claire. She
pulled the curtain back and said, “I’m going to give you another chance Cole,
but if you hurt my daughter, I’m going to tell Billy and he’ll kick your butt!”
She pulled the curtain back, closing it, and then turned to me and said,
“Where’s that coffee machine?”

“You are truly an amazing woman.”

“She most certainly is,” Abby said. “Hi, Minnie.” Abby stuck
out her hand and shook Mom’s. “This is my sister, Isabel, and my son, Randy.”

My heart sunk at the sight of Randy. He’s a great person and
I think he’d developed a fondness for Claire, and if so, he was about to get
hurt.

“I’m so glad you all came,” I said as I hugged each one of
them. Why don’t we go to the waiting room until they’re finished in there?” I
ushered everyone out as Mom gave me one of her strange looks, yet obeyed
without questioning my actions. We ran into Frank on our way, and he was
carrying my purse.

“Here, take this thing,” he said, handing me the purse. “You
can’t imagine the funny looks I’ve been getting!”

“Thanks, Frank. I appreciate it. You’re such a wonderful
man.” I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. He blushed.

Needless to say, everyone was floored. Abby almost choked;
Isabel laughed out loud; Randy stepped back with a surprised look on his face,
and Mom turned to me in horror.

“Isn’t he that mean old detective who was after Billy?”

“He was just doing his job, Mom.”

“What’s happened to you since yesterday?” Mom asked me. “Have
you been smoking that pot again?”

“Don’t be silly, Mom. I haven’t smoked pot in almost two
days.”

Mom looked furious; Frank did that eyebrow thing; and Isabel
and Randy were in a state of shock until Abby grabbed me by the arm and said to
them, “She’s just jerking you guys around. Jesse would never smoke pot; she’s
going to have a baby. Can’t you all tell that she’s kidding? I’m not even her
mother, but I can tell. She’s a real trip. This girl is a character. I adore
her!”

“I do, too,” Billy said as he came around the corner. He
grabbed me up and planted a big kiss on the lips. He held onto to me and I
hugged him back. I was so glad to be in his arms where I belonged!

“Where have you been? I was just about to call you.”

“I’ve been busy, but when I called the house and my mom told
me what happened, I came right over. Is Claire going to be all right? I bet
that was scary for both of you.”

“It sure was,” I said. “I thought I was going to flip out.
Sherry Lane
would’ve killed Claire if she’d had
the chance. But I, with the help of a young man at the Miller Mart, stopped
her. Frank had his men watching us and that’s why the cops and the ambulance
got to the scene so fast.”

“Frank? You’re on a first name basis with this guy?”

“He’s not so bad after all, Billy.” I winked at Frank. “He
just needed a friend like me to bring the best out in him.”

“That does it,” Frank said. “You’ve embarrassed me enough for
one day. It was bad enough that I carried your purse into the hospital and had
all those people stare at me, but I have to draw the line somewhere. I’m
finished. I’ll be at the front desk if anyone needs me. I still have a job to
do.”

“Excuse me,” I said to the others and then ran after the
detective. When I caught up with him, I managed to get him to stop and listen
to me. “I’m sorry, Frank. I didn’t realize I was being such a brat. Will you
forgive me if I promise to be better?”

“You’re such a liar.”

“I can’t help myself.”

He smiled and leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. “If you
tell a soul I did that, I’ll tell them you have mental problems and that you
live in a fantasy world.”

“It’s a deal.”

He shook his head as he walked away.

As I went back down the hall and turned the corner, Mom was
telling Billy about Cole and Claire.

“It seems that Cole has been cured of his woman-beating days
over night, and he’s back with Claire. He said his medicine made him do it.”

“It can happen,” Abby said to Mom. “The doctors had me on
this hormone pill once, and it turned me into a real… well, let’s just say I
wasn’t a very nice person while I was taking it, but after I stopped, I went
back to my old self.”

“Yeah, and I don’t know which was worse—Abby on pills, or
Abby off pills.” Isabel looked at us and laughed.

I wasn’t paying much attention to their banter; instead, I
was watching Randy. The dejected look on his face when he found out about
Claire and Cole tore at my heart, but I had to put Claire first. She was
flattered by Randy, but it was Cole she wanted.

“Mom, you promised you’d give Cole a chance to make up for
his bad behavior,” I said. “How can you do that if you’re going to have such a
negative attitude?”

“I don’t know. I just can’t believe he’s telling the truth.
People don’t change over night. It seems to me that you were the one who said
that once a man hits a woman, it doesn’t stop there. Have you changed your mind
about that?”

“I’ve discovered that sometimes when a person does something
that’s so out of character, there has to be a reason. Cole has never been the
kind of man to hit a woman. Billy told me that a while back. After listening to
Cole, I believe the medication he was taking changed his personality. I say we
stand back, keep our eyes open and give him another chance. Claire’s going to,
so we might as well get on the bandwagon unless we want to alienate her.”

“Jesse does have a point,” Billy agreed.

Frank walked up to the group with a distressed look on his
face. “We have a real problem,” he said. “
Sherry Lane
is out of surgery, but she’s in a coma. They don’t expect her to live.”

We were all surprised at Frank’s statement. I don’t think
anyone of us who had come in contact with, or knew of her, cared whether or not
she lived. She had proven to be a killer and was a menace and a danger to
society. She deserved what she got.

“I’m afraid I’m not going to lose any sleep over her. She
killed two people and would’ve killed my sister if I hadn’t run her off the
road.”

“You didn’t tell me you ran her off the road,” Frank said,
surprised.

“How did you think I stopped her… by using harsh language?”

“I thought she ran off the road because she lost control of
the car. The roads were bad and I just assumed…”

“I bumped her in the rear end a couple of times and then she
lost control of the car. I had to do something to stop her, Frank. I couldn’t
get in front of her to slow her down, so I did the next best thing—I bumped her
in the rear end. She abducted Claire and was going to kill her. The woman was
crazy with jealousy over Claire. She wanted my sister out of Carl’s life and
when she couldn’t have that, she became filled with rage. Carl told Claire that
Sherry had threatened to harm her and the kids more that once. She said she
would cut off his wife’s finger and mail it to him at work if he didn’t stay
away from Claire. Now what kind of person does that? She’s sick in the head and
she got what she deserved. What would you have done, Frank, if you were in my
shoes?”

“I would’ve done the same thing, but I’m a cop. I was after a
suspect in two homicides. You ran a woman off the road. I just hope this
doesn’t come back to haunt you. If she dies as a direct result of being
deliberately run off the road by you, there’s a chance they could charge you
with homicide, whether it was intentional or accidental.”

“So it’s okay for you to do it because you have a badge, but
it’s not okay for me? Bring it on! I can handle it. I refuse to be intimidated
for saving my sister’s life. I call it justifiable.”

Abby walked over to me, put her hand on my shoulder and said,
“I told you she was strong, Frank. I admire a person who isn’t afraid to stand
up for what’s right, even if it means that person might get into trouble. If
the cops try to arrest you, Jesse, they’ll have to contend with me. Frank’s
just flexing his muscle. He knows they’re not going to arrest you for doing
their job. All he has to do is say it was a terrible accident, that it couldn’t
be avoided. He wants you to be beholden to him.”

“That’s not true, Jesse.” He looked at Abby with disgust.
“There you go again, Abby, sticking your nose in where it doesn’t belong,”
Frank said. “Jesse doesn’t need your help.”

“I do owe Frank,” I said to Abby. “He was right there when we
needed him.”

“I’m impressed, Frank,” Abby said. “I think Jesse has made a
positive impact on you. You’re not such a jerk anymore.”

“Thanks, Abby,” Frank responded, snidely. “You just don’t
know how much it means to me to have your approval on anything.”

“Is there really going to be a problem, Frank?” I asked. “If
she dies, am I going to be blamed?”

“I’ll turn in my report and everything should be all right,”
he said. “
Sherry Lane
is a bad woman. I doubt if she’ll
die. Only the good die young. Isn’t that what they say?”

“Now I have something else to worry about,” I said, upset.

“We need to talk,” Frank said as he took me by the arm and
led me away. “Please excuse us, Let’s get some coffee.”

“What is it Frank?” I asked as he dropped coins into the
machine.

“I wish you hadn’t told me that you ran her off the road.”

“Why? What difference would it have made?”

“If you’d just said she lost control of the car, I’d let it
go at that. I wish we’d talked about this in private before you said anything
in front of everyone. We could have nipped this in the bud.”

“Are you saying you’d cover for me, Frank?”

“You’re not responsible, so I don’t consider that covering
for someone. It’s all in how you present your evidence. Wait a minute, you didn’t
have your lawyer present, and so I should’ve never interrogated you. If you
want to recant your statement, just say so.”

“I want to recant my statement.”

“When asked about how this happened, just say she ran off the
road and lost control of the car. The road was icy and you had a hard time
handling your car, too. Don’t give any additional information if they don’t ask
for it. If they ask you if you hit her, then you have to tell the truth. As it
is now, all I can say is that you were trying to catch up to them when
Sherry Lane
ran off the road.”

“What happens if she does recover and says that I tried to
kill her?”

“She has so many charges pending; I doubt very seriously that
anyone will pay attention to the ranting of a murderous, maniac. The police
want her in jail and if the forensic evidence proves that she killed Ophelia
Pitman and Kayla Wilkes, she might get the needle. Both women had their heads
bashed in and then they were both strangled. Both were vicious, gruesome
murders. They’ll go for the death penalty on this one.”

“Do you think Carl had anything to do with either one of the
murders?”

“I just don’t know. I haven’t had a chance to go over the
forensic reports. I’ve been too busy trying to save your butt.”

“Why are you helping me?”

“I made a mistake a long time ago in a case just like this
one. I refuse to let it happen again.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“No, not now, but maybe someday when I’m old and decrepit, I
will.”

“I appreciate your advice, and your help.”

“Don’t ever lie to me.”

“I won’t.”

“You won’t do what?” Billy asked as he walked into the snack
room. “You’d had my `ge ya long enough, detective. I haven’t seen her since
yesterday morning and I want her back.” Billy put his arm around me and smiled
back at Frank. He looked at me and said, “I don’t know what happened between
the two of you, but I’m sure glad you’re home, Jesse, and I appreciate it that
you looked after her, detective.”

“Call me, Frank,” he said to Billy. “Also, I want to
apologize for being such a gung-ho cop at your house that night. I let my
imagination run away from me. I’ve dealt with the worst kind of criminals on
the face of this earth and it tends to make a person hard. I forget that not
all people are criminals. There’re still a few good ones out there. I’ll try to
keep that in mind from now on. Jesse taught me that lesson.”

“My `ge ya is a fine woman and will give me a fine warrior
soon.” Billy’s pride was written all over his face. “I just need to keep her
home and out of trouble until that happens. Unfortunately, she won’t listen to
me.”

“I’m afraid your wife has a mind of her own and she’s
stubborn.”

“Yes, she is.”

Mom and her merry band of cohorts rushed into the snack room.
“That woman just came out of her coma, detective. I think they want you in
there.”

As if on cue, we heard Frank’s name being summoned over the
public address system. He was told to report to the trauma unit. He excused
himself, turned and then walked out of the room. We all stood and stared at
each other for a second and then we took off behind him. He was allowed through
a set of double doors, but we were told that we couldn’t enter.

“I’m sorry, but this area is off-limits. You’ll have to wait
in the waiting room,” the doctor said. He must have been a doctor because he
had a surgical mask pulled down around his neck, and blood on the front of his
hospital scrubs.

The six of us backed off, turned and then slowly headed back
in the direction of Claire’s examination area.

“I guess Sarah’s watching the kids, huh?” I said to Mom.

“She said, ‘We’re family!’ and insisted on staying with the
kids,” Mom replied, half-heartedly, her mind obviously somewhere else. “She has
the chief. He’s there helping her.”

Abby and Isabel, each on either side of Mom, walked with her,
trying to lend their support. “You daughter is going to be fine, so don’t
worry, Minnie,” Abby said. “We’ll be right here beside you all the way.”

“We most certainly will,” Isabel added.

Randy, Billy and I hung back as they walked ahead of us.

“I’d say this has been a pretty rotten day all around,” Randy
said. “I didn’t know there was a man in Claire’s life.” He looked at me. “I
guess you think I’m crazy.”

“I think you fell in love with my sister the minute you laid
eyes on her. I saw it, and so did everybody else in the room… even Claire.”

“Actually, that’s not the first time I’d seen Claire, but
yesterday was the first time I’ve ever had a chance to look into her eyes up
close, and it was chemistry. My heart fell right out on the floor at her feet.
I’m a goner.”

“Don’t give up so easily, Randy. Her relationship with Cole
is on shaky ground. I just don’t see wedding bells in their future.”

“Don’t tell me we’re back to that,” Billy said. “If Claire
marries…”

“It ain’t gonna happen, pal. I have this feeling.”

“Do you think Claire will come to her senses and realize that
she’d be wasting her life on Cole?”

“No, I think Cole will eventually get tired of her. He’s not
in love with Claire. He’s using her to get to you and me. If he doesn’t have
her, what excuse does he have to come around? How would he achieve his goal of
destroying our marriage?”

“Has he done something I don’t know about?” Billy asked.

“Not really; it’s just his attitude. He gets up in my face
and acts like he wants to get in my pants… like he’s trying to see how far he
can push me. It’s his way of intimidating me. The problem is that I don’t
intimidate that easily. I just don’t want to be near him, and the two of you
aren’t on the best of terms. But here’s the clincher—Mom’s finished with him; I
can see it in her eyes. You hurt one of her kids and you’re on her
crap
list forever. I don’t think he’ll ever be able to get back into her good graces
again. You can say you forgive someone and even make yourself believe it for a
while, but the hurt stays forever. It never leaves. Some things a person cannot
forgive no matter how hard they try. This is one of them. And if our mom is
finished with him, so are we.”

“Remind me to never get on your mother’s bad side,” Billy
said. “I can’t believe she would be incapable of forgiving Cole. Her heart will
heal and she will allow Cole back into it. You will see.”

“There is something else that might affect Mom’s feelings
toward Cole.” I hesitated as I looked from Billy to Randy. I didn’t know which
one of them I hated to tell this to the most, but I knew it was going to come
out sooner or later. Billy would be furious and Randy would be heartsick.
“Claire’s pregnant and Cole’s the father.”

“Say it isn’t true,” Billy said.

“I guess it’s time for me to close the page on this short
chapter in my life,” Randy said. “I don’t stand a chance. I might as well go
home.”

“Don’t go just yet. You never know what can happen.”

As soon as the words were out of my mouth I got an eerie
feeling when I heard Mom scream my name. “Jesse! Come here!” she hollered. She
was extremely upset when she came around the corner.

Isabel and Abby were right beside her.

We ran up to them and I asked, “What’s the matter, Mom?” She
had tears in her eyes and I knew something awful had happened. I felt numb.
“What is it?”

“They made us leave. They told us we’d have to wait out
here,” Mom said, She wrung her hands together. “I don’t know why they let Cole
stay with her; he’s not family.”

“Mother, calm down and tell us what happened.”

“I don’t know,” Mom said. “One minute she seemed fine, and
the next, she started having terrible cramps in her stomach.” Mom started
crying and couldn’t be consoled. “I want to see my daughter! Why did they let
him stay with her? He’s not family; we are. I want to see her!”

“Mom, I’m sure she’s okay.” I looked at Billy and said, “Take
Mom to the nurse’s station and see if Dr. Bryant’s here. If he is, tell them to
page him and then have him give her a sedative. She’s losing it.” I looked at
Abby and Isabel and said, “Help Billy, please.” They nodded their heads and
helped console Mom as Billy led her away. I looked at Randy and said, “I’m
going in there. Maybe you can hang around just in case I need a lawyer.”

“I don’t like the sound of that,” he said. “I’m coming with
you. Do you have your gun on you?”

“No… oh… I hope not.” I opened my purse and fortunately,
Frank had removed my gun before bringing my handbag into the hospital. Smart
man! And I told him not to snoop through our things. I’m glad he didn’t listen.
“No gun—Frank thinks of everything.”

“Let’s go,” Randy said. “I’m right behind you.”

I pushed opened the double doors and walked through as if I
was on a mission, and I was. I was determined to find out what was wrong with
my sister. Tears welled in my eyes as the realization of what could be
happening hit me. I was afraid that Claire was having a miscarriage. I felt as
if I had jinxed her the minute I told Randy not to leave because
you never
know what can happen
. I felt sick.