A Crying Shame: A Jesse Watson Mystery (30 page)

“The fact still remains that Benjamin Beard is Maisy’s
father. How can I live with that?” Brian was beside himself. The truth had
finally hit home. “He raped my wife, killed her, and now he’s going to take my
baby.”

“Oh, I doubt very seriously that’s going to happen,” I said,
offering my support. “I’m going to call Russ Shank. He’ll know what to do. If
Beard did this to your wife, he’s probably done it to other women. Once this
hits the news…”

“No! You can’t drag Vicki’s name through the mud. I won’t
have it!”

“Do you want this man to do to other women what he has done
to your wife?” Chief Sam asked. “You must not let this happen. The one thing
you can do for her is make this right. Honor your wife by putting the blame
where it belongs.”

“That’s the thing to do,” Randy added. “I will help in your
defense if you want me to. Just say the word and we’ll have you out on bond by
tomorrow. I promise.”

Poor Brian looked so confused. He had lost his wife, found
out that his child is not his own, and almost killed a man—all in the span of a
few days. He needed help and support.

“Don’t you worry, Brian,” I said. “Billy and I will take care
of your daughter for as long as you want us to.”

“What will I do if they don’t believe me?” he asked.

“The evidence will do the talking,” Frank said.

“We’ll get to the truth,” Randy assured him. “That paper you
have says it all. The way I see it, the doctor probably forced your wife to
have sex with him and when she became pregnant and had a baby, he got paranoid
that he might be the father. That’s why he ran a paternity test because he knew
that if he was the father, it would open up a can of worms and ruin his career.
When the test came back that he was indeed the father, he probably believed
that he had to get rid of her. A B&E would do the trick. He broke in and
made it look like a robbery gone bad. He would do anything to keep his little
secret from coming to light. If it got out that he was the father of one of his
patient’s child, his career would be over. A person can do remarkably bad
things when their livelihood is threatened. He might even think he had to get
rid of Maisy, too. We’ll get Billy to dig into this man’s past and see if we
can’t find others that he has done this to. Right now they’ll probably charge
you with attempted murder. You need to turn yourself in. It’ll look better if
you do. Then we’ll get to the bottom of this so that you can have your life
back.”

“What life? That man took my life from me. He killed my
Vicki.”

“You still have Maisy,” I said.

“She belongs to him.”

“Don’t say that. That man is not her father. She’s a
liability to him. The truth is she belongs to you. She’s Vicki’s daughter and
you’re Vicki’s husband. That makes you Maisy’s father. You can’t turn your back
on her now. She needs you.”

“I won’t be much good to her in prison.”

“We’re going to do our best to make sure that doesn’t
happen,” Randy said. “I’ll be more than glad to help you out. I can handle your
case.”

Brian looked a little stunned at Randy’s offer. “I already
have a lawyer,” he said.

“He’s not here now and until we can reach him, you need
someone to advise you right now.”

“Okay,” Brian mumbled.

“From this moment on, don’t say a word,” Randy demanded. He
looked at Cole and said, “My client wishes to turn himself in to the Greene
County Sheriff’s Office.”

We all turned our heads when we heard sirens in the
background.

Brian and Randy had
their heads together as I went to the bedroom, opened the door, and stepped
inside. I closed the door. I walked over to the crib where Maisy lay sleeping,
and scooped her up in my arms. I looked around the room and said, “I’m taking
Maisy to see her father.” I looked down at the kids for a second. I motioned
with my head for the ladies to come closer. They gathered around me, shielding
the young ones from hearing what I had to say. “Y’all need to stay in the
room,” I whispered. “The police are going to take Brian in and I don’t think
the kids should be around to witness it. I just wanted Brian to see his little
girl before he goes to jail.”

“What happened?” Mom asked.

“I’m sorry, Mom, but we’re going to have to discuss it later.
Right now I don’t have much time. I want Brian to see Maisy.”

“That’s so sad,” Mom said. A tear slid down her cheeks. “That
poor man has been through so much. I don’t know what this world is coming to.”

Mom’s tears saddened my heart. I left the room with tears in
my eyes, but really lost control when I saw the look on Brian’s face. He was a
destroyed man. He was torn between his love for this child and his hate for the
man who had ruined his life. His grief was devastating to watch.

“Please take off the handcuffs,” I said. “He looks like a
chained animal. How can he hold his baby when he’s chained to a table?”

Cole and Frank fumbled for the keys to the handcuffs. Once
they had released Brian, he stood and walked over to me. He took Maisy in his
arms, held her to his chest, and cried.

We all stood, watching in despair. It was the saddest moment
in my life.

Brian looked up at me and said, “I want these men to bear
witness to what I have to say.” He looked around the room to Randy, Cole,
Frank, and the chief.

Randy held up his hand to silence him, but Brian shook his
head.

“This is about my child,” Brian said. “I want Billy and Jesse
to take care of my daughter until I can come back for her.” He looked at me.
“Will you take care of Maisy for me, Jesse? You’re a good person. Billy loves
you so much. He told me so. He said that the two of you were going to have a
baby and that you were going to be a great mother. He’s so proud of you. I just
hope you have room in your heart for my little girl. I know she’ll have a good
home here with you and Billy. She’ll be in good hands. Will you do that for
me?” He cried as he placed Maisy in my arms. He leaned down and kissed her on
the forehead for the last time. “I’ll see you in heaven one day, little one,”
he whispered. He turned around and walked back over to Frank and Cole.

Brian’s declaration to his daughter disturbed me, but I
brushed it aside. I knew he was a broken man. I just stood there, crying, as I
watched the scene play out.

Cole cuffed Brian’s hand in the front, which I thought was a
little strange because cops normally did just the opposite, but I guess he felt
there was no threat of escape since Brian had turned himself in… or maybe Cole
wasn’t thinking straight. It was an emotional moment for us all. He then
released Brian into the custody of the Charlottesville Police Department when
they came through the front door. The officers gave Cole an odd look as they
quietly led Brian out. Brian turned one last time and gave me a look of
resignation.

I faintly smiled back at him and shook my head in
acknowledgement. I wanted him to know that Maisy would have a home with us for
as long as she needed. Whatever the future held for Brian, his daughter would
be here when he returned. It was a promise I would do my best to keep.

Randy walked up to me and said, “Tell my mother that I’m going
to ride to the station with Brian. I’ll call here when I need a ride back.”

“Okay,” I said. “I’ll see that Abby gets the message.”

“I’ll call,” he said as he walked out the door.

“I’m going back to UVA,” Frank said, walking to the door.
“Captain Waverly’s going to give me a lift. Tell Abby not to wait for me. I’ll
get the chopper to come back for me. My captain won’t like it, but that’s too
bad.”

“I guess this is good-bye then, huh?”

“Oh, I’m sure we’ll see each other from time to time,” he
said. “We still have that little matter about Carl Benson to deal with, and
since he’s part of your family, I guess that means that you and I will…”

A gunshot rang out, echoing throughout the house.

Fear rose in my throat. I looked at Frank with a sinking
feeling in my soul.

The bedroom door opened. Athena and Thor flew past me, their
barking reverberating off the walls. Mom, Sarah, Abby, Isabel, Claire and the
kids came out of the bedroom and stood beside me. A lull hung in the air as we
clung to each other.

The chief walked over and stood by his wife.

“Stay right here,” Frank said as he turned and walked out the
door.

I tried to gather my wits, but I was too stunned to even
move. I clutched Maisy in my arms and held her close to my chest. I had a bad
feeling. I knew what had happened. Sadness filled my heart.

Maisy woke up and started to cry.

“Let me take her,” Claire said. “I don’t imagine that cast on
your arm is very comfortable.”

“Okay,” I said. I released my grip and handed Maisy to her.

“You need to sit down, dear,” Abby said. “You don’t look
well.”

“I have to go see Brian.” I turned and walked toward the
front door.

Billy stepped in front of me, blocking my way. He put his
arms around me and whispered, “Brian grabbed Captain Waverly’s gun, they
wrestled and the gun went off. Brian has been shot in the chest, and it’s bad.”

“No!” I yelled as I pulled away from him. “There has to be a
mistake. Maisy needs her daddy. Oh, God, Billy, tell me he isn’t going to die!”

“I don’t know, `ge ya.” Billy wrapped his arms around my
shoulders and held onto me. “Captain Waverly and his men are working on him and
the ambulance is on the way. All we can do is pray.”

“Why did he grab the captain’s gun? Was he trying to escape?”

Billy didn’t say anything.

“Why would he try to escape? Doesn’t he know that he’d never
get away from all those cops? What was he thinking?”

“I don’t know,” Billy replied, shaking his head. “Maybe he
wasn’t trying to escape.”

“What do you mean? What was he trying to do?”

Claire handed Maisy to Mom and then walked over to me. “Maybe
he was trying to put an end to his problems, Jesse.” She took me by the arm and
led me over to the sofa. She sat down and patted the seat. “Sit down, Jesse. We
need to talk.”

I sat down beside her as I looked around the room at everyone
and knew from the look on their faces that they all thought the same thing that
Claire did. They didn’t think Brian was trying to escape, they thought he was
trying to kill himself.

I shook my head and said, “I don’t believe for one minute
that Brian was trying to kill himself. He has a little girl who needs him.”

Billy walked over to the sofa and bent down on one knee in
front of me. “After all that’s happened, I don’t think he was rational. He
probably saw his situation as hopeless and wanted to end his misery. I just
don’t know what was going through his mind.”

“All we can do is pray,” Mom said.

I looked over at Maisy and then back to Billy. In between my
tears I said, “We have to take care of her. I promised Brian. I told him she
could stay with us until…”

“Then she will stay with us,” Billy said, trying to comfort
me. “We will keep the promise you made.”

An ambulance arrived and within minutes the emergency
personnel had Brian ready for transport. He was still alive; I saw his head
rise up on the stretcher as Billy leaned over and talked to him. This gave me
hope. We all stood at the door as the ambulance pulled off.

A chill swept through the room.

“Somebody needs to go to the hospital and be there for him,”
I said as Billy walked inside with Athena and Thor following him. He closed the
front door.

Athena and Thor meandered over to the fireplace and sat down
on the bearskin rug next to Benny and Carrie who had remained quiet throughout
this whole ordeal.

“Randy rode with him,” Billy said. “He’s going to call as
soon as Brian is out of danger.”

I looked around the room. “Where are Frank and Cole?”

“They both rode into
Charlottesville
with Captain Waverly. Cole had some answering to do about
the way he handcuffed the prisoner. The captain was appalled at the fact that
Brian’s hands weren’t cuffed behind his back. A few harsh words were exchanged
between to two of them. I have a feeling Cole’s going to be in hot water over
this.”

“Oh, no!” I said. “I’m the one who told Cole to take off the
cuffs so that Brian could hold Maisy.”

“That wasn’t the problem, Jesse. When Cole went to cuff
Brian, he cuffed his hands in the front. That was his mistake. Cole knows the
procedure. He screwed up and probably cost Brian his life.”

“I sure hope not,” I said. “I put him in that position by
telling him he had Brian chained to a chair like an animal.”

“Don’t blame yourself for Cole’s lapse in memory.”

“You’re right, Billy. I can’t be responsible for everyone’s
mistakes. I have to account for enough of my own. Frank and I never got to
finish saying good-bye,” I said, changing the subject.

“Frank said to tell everyone good-bye and he told me to give
you a hug and a kiss.” Billy hugged and kissed me. “He said to tell you that
you haven’t heard the last of him.” Billy smiled and then winked. “I think
Frank has made a few new friends.”

“Yeah, he’s not such a bad guy after all,” Abby said. “I
guess I need to cut him some slack—as Jesse says.” She smiled at me. “It’s
funny how after all these years I’ve finally come to like that old geezer, and
I have you to thank for that.”

“Frank reminds me of an old dog,” I said. “All he wants is
love.”

“How do you know that?” Isabel asked.

“I could see it in his eyes, that is, after I got past his
bad behavior. Once I had a chance to talk with him, I realized what a lonely
man he is. He has sadness in his heart. He needed a friend, but he wouldn’t let
anyone get close enough to him to be that friend. That’s when I decided that I
would be his friend. He really is a kind-hearted guy. You just have to drag it
out of him.”

“I’m surprised at you, Jesse,” Claire said.

“Why?”

“You’re stubborn and once you make up your mind about
someone, you usually don’t change your opinion. This is a new side to you, and
I think I like it.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Claire,” I replied. “I’m not stubborn.”

The chief coughed and I was certain I heard him utter, “Cow
manure.”

“Shame on you, Sam!” Sarah said.

“Now that sounds like something I would do,” I said, looking
over at the chief. “I’m surprised at you—talking about your daughter-in-law
like that. May I mention the fact that I’m carrying your grandchild and you’d
better be nice to me? If you’re not nice to me, I won’t name our young warrior
after his grandfather. I was thinking about the name Ethan—isn’t that your
name, Samuel Ethan? William Ethan Blackhawk—named after his daddy and his
granddaddy. What do you think, Billy?”

“I think that sounds fine to me.”

“How did you find out?” the chief asked.

“I did some research,” I replied. “I want my son to follow in
the Cherokee footsteps, and the only way he can do that is to get started off
right. He needs a name that will make him proud, and what better way to do that
than to name him after someone he will grow up to love and adore? Who says he
has to have a Jr. after his name? My boy will have his own identity. Indians
have five or six names, don’t they?”

“Yes, we do,” the chief replied. “We have our given name, and
the name we earn as we master the art of survival and learn to care for our
family. Actually, there are many reasons why we are given
earned
names.
For example, if someone is born during a storm, they might be called, Thunder
Cloud.” The chief looked over at Billy.

Everyone looked around at Billy.

“Well, now we know!” I said. I looked over at the chief. “The
one thing I couldn’t find out was Billy’s other name. Robert is Dark Cloud,
Jonathan is Smiling Hunter—boy, I bet he really loves that one—and Daniel is
Running Deer. But I couldn’t get them to tell me Billy’s name. Billy never
said, and I was always afraid to ask. Since his brothers wouldn’t say, I
thought it might be one of those private things between warriors. That’s so
cool. He’s a thunder cloud all right!” I winked at Billy and blew him a kiss.

“We can talk about this later,” he said as he gave me one of
his looks.

“Yes, dear,” I said, pretending to obey his command.

“Are you sure that it’s going to be a boy?” Abby asked. “Are
you far enough along to find that out, yet?”