Convictions: Kelly and Stephen (15 page)

“Yep, that’s the way it looks.  Anyway, I do have one more lead to follow up on.  I’ve got a vehicle description to hunt down; witness didn’t get a license number but a couple people told me about this pick-up truck that was parked in the alley alongside the Inn for quite a while during the time frame that we think she died.”  Dawson stood and helped Kelly to negotiate her way out.  “Take care of yourself, Kelly, thanks for stopping by” he said.

After Kelly left the building Dawson walked over to the young deputies’ desk “Rob, did you get that list for me yet of the registered blue pickups in the county?”

Sunday was spent quietly, Stephen’s preferred day.  After a late breakfast they put on their hiking boots and went for their hike, Max happily trotting behind.

Stephen led her onto an entirely new trail this time.  The first part of this trail was fairly level, and wide enough for them to walk side by side.  Stephen reached for her hand and they used a much slower pace than during previous hikes.  “Conserve your energy now” he said.  “The middle part of this hike is a killer.”

Kelly was happy for the slow and steady pace.  “Stephen, can I ask you a personal question?”

“Of course, you can ask me whatever you’d like to.”

“Why is it that you never talk about your past?  Sometimes I feel as if I don’t know anything about you.”

“What you would like to know?”

“Oh, I don’t know, I’m just being silly probably, but you’re such a man of mystery.  How about things like where you were born, do you have brothers and sisters, something about your parents and what your family life was like; those kinds of things.”

“Does it really matter where I’m from or how many siblings I have?”

“No.”

“Does it define who I am or how much you will love me?”

Frustrated she answered sharply “No, of course not, it just helps me to know you better.  Aren’t you ever curious about me in that same regard?”

“Not at all; I know everything I need to know about you.  I know what’s in your heart by how you love me.  I know that you’re smart and caring, and thoughtful.”

He stopped walking to turn to look at her.  He took her hands in his, turned them over and lightly kissed her palms.  “Your eyes and your touch tell me all I need to know.”

They continued there hike, Stephen still holding her hand as he went on “Listen Kelly, I’m not really much into pasts, especially mine.  I prefer to look forward.  Looking back causes me anguish, and sometimes regret, neither of which are healthy or do much good for me in the present.  I’ve made peace with who I am and what I’ve done.  If there is something important about me that you feel the need to know then ask and I will do my best to answer.  But don’t expect me to talk about myself in idle conversation.  That’s just not important to me.  Outside of you I have no other family that matter, and the only things that are important to me now are being here with you and what you and I will make of our life together in the future.”

She said nothing for a long time.  What he had said made perfect sense.  None of the pain she had suffered in her first marriage had any bearing at all on her life now here with Stephen.  Her siblings, and the issues she’s had with them didn’t matter either. 

But she wondered about the things he didn’t say. She wondered if the anguish and regret he mentioned had anything to do with Amanda or his father.  There were many questions about him that immediately came to her mind, but the answers to them no longer seemed important. 

Would she have done anything different thus far with Stephen had she known the answers to her questions?  Somehow she didn’t think so.  Whoever Stephen was sixteen years ago was undoubtedly a different person than the man he is today.  It’s the man he is today that she fell in love with.  He bares his heart and soul to her every day and what she sees is not a man capable of hurting another person; he’s a man capable of only the purest, most unselfish kind of love.

He let go of her hand to move in front of her, telling her to stay close behind and make sure she watched where she was putting her feet.  He had been right about the trail.  Its sudden incline and rough terrain made thoughts of anything but their safety out of the question.

As they neared the top Max started barking at something off the trail.  Stephen pointed towards a small cave that was perched just under the final summit.  He warned her that he had seen bears in and out of there before so she should steer clear of it if she were ever out this way on her own.  Max had probably picked up their scent.

After a few more minutes or so of difficult landscape they finally emerged into a meadow.  “Come on,” Stephen said “over there is my favorite part of this land.”  She followed him across a grassy meadow and on the other side they entered a pine forest.  Its floor was covered with soft needles; the light was filtered from above giving off an eerie glow.  The silence was peaceful and serene, broken only now and again by a falling pinecone and Max’s exploration. 

She was breathing slightly harder so Stephen found a place for them to rest.   His eyes probed hers for a reaction to the words he had spoken earlier.  She hadn’t said much since. 

Kelly considered the idea that maybe he knew that she knew more than she was letting on.  But suddenly it just didn’t matter to her anymore.   Just as he had made peace with his past, she had made peace with the mystery that was Stephen. 

Stephen felt sure that somehow Kelly had found out about Amanda.  He had never told her about Amanda or much of anything about his past.  He wanted Kelly to love him for who he was now, not what he might, or might not, have done when he was young and stupid.   But it was obvious to him now that she had turned up just enough information to cause her to question him.

He reached out for her hand and pulled her into the circle of his legs, wrapping his arms around her tightly.  “You’re a writer; you exist in a world of words and their meanings.  I do not.  I don’t trust words, I don’t trust what people say, only their actions.  But if words are what you need then I will give you these; I have never loved another woman in my life the way that I love you.  Your arms are my sanctuary; making love to you is my bliss.  Whatever has happened, whatever I have felt before you is just not important.  You are my life now, and all that matters.”

Silently, tears escaped her eyes and rolled down her cheeks.  He brushed them away and kissed the spots where they had fallen.  Whatever doubts she had about his past had vanished with the touch of his fingers.  They stayed like that, Stephen holding her and her head pressed against his chest for what seemed like eternity.  She would stay there with him into eternity if only he would ask.

Stephen had considered bringing the black velvet box with him today but was now glad that he did not.  If she still had questions about him then this was not the right time to ask her.  He needed to be sure that when he asked her to marry him, if she said yes, it would be without reservations or doubts.  He needed to see that in her eyes.

***

Kelly sat in her favorite chair, laptop open, typing away.  It was late Monday afternoon and the creative juices were once again flowing.  She had completed almost three chapters since Friday morning.  One more chapter and she would send all four off to her agent, making her next delivery date with time to spare. 

She didn’t get up when Stephen came in from work, but said “hi honey, how are you” over her shoulder while he stood removing his boots.  He padded over in bare feet to her chair, dropping a kiss on her head, told her he loved her and asked how it was going. 

Apologizing for not having started dinner yet, Kelly filled him in briefly on the progress she had made.  He chuckled, told her to keep going, and that he would make dinner after he got out of the shower.

Stephen had taken a shower, dressed, and popped open a beer on his way back from the kitchen when a knock came at the door.  Rightly assuming that whoever was at the door would be looking for Stephen, and not her, she ignored it and continued on with her work.  Stephen opened the door.

“Hello, Stephen, it’s been a long time.  It’s nice to see you again after so many years.”  Stephen’s face registered blank.

Kelly’s hands froze at the sound of the familiar voice.  Her heart stood still.

“Don’t you remember me?  I’m Detective O’Brien, Tim, from the Springfield Oregon Police Department.  We met a long time ago after the death of your fiancée.  You’ve been a hard man to locate.”

The color on Stephen’s face drained a bit.  “I remember you detective, how can I help you.”

“Well, we’d like for you to come down to the police station in Hanlon” he said, indicating the presence of a uniformed deputy directly behind him.  “We’d like to question you more about the death of Amanda Bascom, your former fiancée; you do remember her, don’t you?  We’d like to finally close this case and we need your help to do so.  There is also the matter of the suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of your father.  I would think that after all of these years you would finally want to put that to rest also.”

“I’m sorry detective, but I have no information to provide you.”

All of the politeness instantly dropped from the detectives’ tone of voice, replaced with irritation and maybe a trace of exhaustion.  “Stephen, I’ve waited a long time and come a far way to speak with you because I have believe that you do have the information we need.  This is not a request.  I’ll give you the choice to come along willingly or I will have the deputy here cuff you.  It seems that the Hanlon police would like to speak with you also about your whereabouts the night a certain young woman was killed here in town.  My, you certainly are a popular man this evening.”

Kelly still hadn’t taken a breath and she didn’t dare to move out of the chair.  How had he found them?  Did he know that she and Stephen were together?  Had he seen through her ruse in Springfield and followed her here?  Oh, God, this was horrible.  What would Stephen be thinking?   Her stomach was in knots and her hands began to shake.  She had led the police right to his doorstep.

Stephen said “let me get my shoes”. He turned to Kelly who was slowly rising from her chair “I have to go into town.  I’ll explain later.  Stay here, I love you.”

Detective O’Brien became aware of her presence for the first time.  As Stephen bent over to pull on his shoes, the detective leaned into the open doorway and, using a polite tone, and said “Ms. Sherman, how nice to see you again.  I trust you had a pleasant trip back from Springfield.” 

Stephen’s hands stalled in the middle of pulling on his boots.  Kelly stood and, turning toward the door, locked eyes with pure steel.  She felt as if her heart had just been snapped in half.

When Stephen stood Detective O’Brien took a firm grasp of his arm and steered him out the open door.  The door closed behind them and Kelly stood shaking.  She would never forget that look in his eyes.  There was no trace of the anger or contempt that she might have expected and certainly deserved.  Far worse than that, all she had found in his eyes was pain, the pain of having been deceived by the one person he loved and trusted.  If actions were the only thing important to him, then hers had just solidified the demise of their love. 

Letting her doubts get the better of her she had thrown away all that they had created with one foolish decision.  She had personally delivered him to the police just as if she had called them up and invited them over.  He would never forgive her; he could never trust her again.

Slumping back down in her chair she began to cry as her laptop fell to the floor.  For what seemed like hours she sat thinking, and crying, until numbness began to set in. 

What could she possibly do now to help him?  She had gotten him into this mess; would he even accept her help if she could find a way?  Her stupidity may have just cost her the one man, the only man that she had ever truly loved.  But more importantly than her loss, her actions may have cost Stephen his freedom.

It was eight o’clock when she heard Max barking outside, probably looking for dinner.  She dragged herself out of the chair, wiping the tears from her cheeks as she crossed the room and opened the door to let him in.  But Max wasn’t the only one she found waiting.  Uncle Marv stood on the landing outside the door with Max at his feet.  Max’s tail was wagging as Marv was scratching behind his ears. 

“I’m sorry to disturb you Kelly but I think Max was lost.  He showed up at my house by mistake.  He was hungry so I fed him for you.  And then I drove down here earlier to return him but it looked like you had visitors; a police car maybe?”

“Yes, Marv, it’s a long story but Stephen would probably not like me talking to you, of all people, about it.”

“You’re right of course.  Are you alright my dear, you look like you’ve been crying.  Is Stephen not here?”

“No, he had to go into town for a bit with a detective friend of his” she told the lie as best she could.

“Well, ok then.  I’ll just drop Max off and be on my way.”

Kelly had no idea what happened next, or how it could have happened so fast.  She had called Max into the house, turning slightly to see that he was in before closing the door when a very strong arm snaked around her head and his hand held a white cloth containing something vile smelling over her nose and mouth.  She was unable to breathe and she couldn’t break his hold.  It was only a matter of seconds before she faded into the blackness.