Convictions: Kelly and Stephen (18 page)

When they came out of the woods near the cabin Max came running up to Kelly at full throttle, barking and with his tail wagging.  Kelly knelt down next to him “a lot of good are you to me now young man?  Where were you when I needed you?  I’m going to have to do something about your trust instincts.” 

They covered the remaining space across the back yard and found Stephen waiting for them on the back patio.  He was trying his best to keep his face blank but Detective O’Brien noted the relief in his eyes when with outstretched hand Stephen slapped him on the back and said “thank you Tim, I’ll never forget your help.” 

“No problem Stephen; just doing my job.  I’m glad everything turned out for you.”

“I’d say you went well beyond the call of duty just keeping these cases both open for all of these years.”

“No statute of limitation for murder.  I don’t make the laws I just follow them.”

“But you could have easily written them both off as accidents, closed the cases, and been done with it years ago.”

“Then I wouldn’t be worth a piece of crap as an investigator, would I?  Although, I do have to admit that the cases went pretty cold for us before Kelly showed up in my office.  She provided me with the added hunches I needed to re-invigorate the investigation.  Thank you for that Kelly” he winked at her.  “I know you think your story was bullet proof but I’ve been in this line of work long enough now to recognize a woman in love when I see one.”

Kelly blushed and smiled shyly at Detective O’Brien but said nothing.  She glanced up at Stephen, who was not meeting her gaze.

With Marv cuffed and loaded into an ambulance, and a deputy assigned to go with him, Detective O’Brien’s business on Old Henry Road was complete for now.  He told Stephen that he would need access to Marv’s house to collect evidence in the next day or so. 

“And Kelly, take a breath or two but then we will also need you to come down to the station to give a statement.  I know it won’t be fun but we’re going to need you to tell us everything that happened with Marv.  Anything he told you could be used as evidence in our murder cases against him.  Plus,” he hesitated just a bit, glancing at Stephen before continuing “we need to talk about the possibility of additional charges.”

“Detective, there is one more thing.  When you get back to town could you please tell Chief Deputy Dawson that Marv was the one who killed Jackie Jensen?  Have him show you his file on that case.  I’m not sure he will ever have enough evidence to convict Marv without a confession, but he confessed to me if that will be of any help.  Maybe they can match the DNA of her unborn fetus to him.  Anyway, her family, and the town deserve closure; at least the peace of mind to know there is no longer a killer loose on their streets.”

“Ok, Kelly, will do.  You guys have a good night and I’ll be talking to you both soon.”  Detective O’Brien climbed into the front passenger seat of a cruiser.  Stephen and Kelly stood watching until long after the last cruiser had left.  The quiet once again settled over this part of the country side.

After a few moments Stephen took Kelly’s hand and led her back into the cabin with Max in tow.  He turned her to him placing his hands on either shoulder and asked “are you ok?”  She shook her head yes, trying to keep the tears from welling up.  He stood looking into her eyes for several minutes, and then led her to the bedroom.  They both undressed and climbed into bed.

“Stephen, there’s something I need to tell you, now.  I can’t wait any longer.  I’m late.”

There was no response from him.  She continued “I should have gotten my period while I was at my parents, but I didn’t.  There was still no answer and within a few minutes he was softly snoring.  Kelly lay awake for what seemed like hours, wondering how they were to go on from here.

They ate breakfast in silence. 

Stephen was still trying to deal with the kaleidoscope of feelings that were churning their way through his head and heart at the news she might be pregnant.  He had heard her confession last night, but didn’t dare to say anything.  His emotions were running too deep, too fast, and he didn’t trust himself to say what she needed to hear. 

He’d never told Kelly about Amanda, and the baby.  But of course she would probably know them by now.  He and Kelly had never talked about Amanda or what the prospect of having a child had meant to him so Kelly would have no way of knowing just how he would take her news.  

It had been sixteen years since he had last heard those words and although they hadn’t yet been married, the idea of becoming a father was the most incredible feeling he had ever experienced, until last night.  When he received the news of Amanda’s death, it was the baby’s death that had affected him most.  He had lost a child, and that was something he had never gotten over. 

Now, this morning, still reeling from the hurt that Kelly had caused him, the idea of having a second chance at fatherhood trumped all.  He had all but given up the idea of every having a child.  This time it would be different; it was a chance to have a family with the one woman whom he knew he was meant to be with.  And despite everything, her betrayal, her doubts, she was still the woman that he would gladly lay down his life for.  Not only could he not seem to find the right words to tell her this, he also didn’t trust himself to be able to tell her with any semblance of self-control.

After the dishes he asked “would you like to go for a hike?”  Kelly quietly answered yes.

While putting on their boots Kelly asked “Stephen, did you hear what I told you last night, before you fell asleep?” 

Not trusting his voice yet, he nodded affirmatively.  She didn’t notice the way his hands trembled.

Kelly was still here, with him, in his cabin, but for the life of her she didn’t know why.  She was shocked and slightly fearful that, after a night of not touching, and very few words, he had invited her for a hike.  What did he have planned for her?   Whatever it was, she deserved it.  She could have kicked herself for the thought.  Stephen deserved better than that from her.

They left the cabin and she followed as he headed off in the direction of the pond, hiking the trail in silence.  His pace was a bit slower this time and she had no problem keeping up.  They sat on the moss, leaning back against the bolder, watching wild life at the pond carry out its business.  The silence continued and it was deafening in her ears.

Things had worked out in his favor and justice had been served for the deaths of his father and Amanda, and their baby.  But none of that changed the fact that she had doubted him every step of the way.  He had shown her nothing but a deep-seeded faith in their love.  She had given him nothing but betrayal.  Marv had it backwards; it was she who didn’t deserve him.

And then there was the possibility of a pregnancy.  They had never talked about children.  If after forty-two years he had never had one, was it because of the pain of losing Amanda’s unborn baby, or was it because he just didn’t want any.  One thing was for sure, she couldn’t ignore this.  If she was pregnant, then they had to deal with it now.  If she wasn’t, then she deserved to know where he stood for their future, if they still were to have one together.

“Stephen,” she started quietly as she looked over the pond, “I don’t know where we go from here.  I don’t know how you could ever forgive me or even if I can ever forgive myself.  I should have believed in you with the same strength of conviction that you had in us.  I know one thing for sure though; I don’t want to be a single parent again.  If I am pregnant and we have a child, this child deserves better. ”

She still looked over the pond, waiting for his response, but none was offered.  Not being able to take any more of his silence, she stood and strolled around the pond, looking for fish and pondering what his silence would mean for her and their baby.  If only he’d tell her what he was thinking; help her to understand what was in his heart.  Even if he didn’t want her anymore, she wished he would let her know.  It was time to stop the bleeding.

He watched her movement around the pond, willing her to see him with her heart instead of her head this time, praying that she would understand.  He needed more from her; he needed her complete trust and faith.

She walked back over and knelt down by his side, searching his face for some kind of reaction.  His gaze met hers squarely, for the first time since that awful evening when Detective O’Brien led him away.  That night there had only been pain in his eyes.  Today there was light, and more. 

She finally saw it, the answer that she had been searching for.  Stephen Long was not a man to let doubt enter his heart.  Stephen was a man of conviction.  He acted solely on his convictions, and would never let what he saw as a weakness in character steer him in the wrong direction.  He lived his beliefs and he believed in only what his heart told him. 

When he said he’d love her forever, he meant it and that wouldn’t change.  Forever meant forever and no misstep on her part would, or could change that.  He had given her the key to his soul and he wasn’t the type of man to take that back.  Whatever problems they encountered they would handle together, side by side, if only she could just have faith.

She had found her answers in his eyes and for the first time she came to the full realization that he didn’t need to speak a word.  Everything that was in his heart, everything that he wanted her to know, had been right there for her to find, all along.  At one time, he had spoken the words that she wanted and needed to hear.  But at that same time he had also told her that words meant little to him, that only actions mattered.  It was time for her to prove to him that she understood.

With that astonishing revelation, Kelly met his gaze fully.  She smiled and shook her head astonished that it had taken her so long to really see him.  Her eyes told him that she finally understood.  “Stephen, I get it now.”

He answered “I know.”

“But can you ever forgive me?”

He nodded “I already have.  I told you once that I won’t live in the past.”  He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black velvet box and pressed it into her hand. 

She gasped as she opened the box to reveal a perfectly cut one caret diamond ring.  “When did you get this?”

“While you were at your parents” he answered, smiling slyly.  That explained Phyllis’s strange comment the day Kelly had returned to Hanlon. 

Stunned, she broke off her inspection of the ring to look into his eyes.  “You knew then that you wanted to marry me?” 

“I knew the first time that you walked through my door.”

She continued to watch him, again stunned by this new revelation.  How was it possible that she hadn’t seen all of this?  How could she ever have doubted him?

His eyes had suddenly gone dark as night, as his mood had once again turned serious.  “Kelly, if you, I, and our child are ever going to have a shot at a long, happy life together, the life that we both want, then you will have to make me promise, right here and right now.  You will need to make me a promise that will never be broken?”

“Anything” she answered.

He took the ring from the box and placed it on her ring finger “you will have to promise me that you will never, under any circumstances, ever doubt me, my intentions, or my love for you again.” 

Tears sprung to her eyes.  As she leaned down to kiss him she whispered “I promise.”

And she meant it.

THE END

Chapter 1

It was late, well after midnight, when Carly locked up. Heading north towards home on foot, she pushed her medium length blonde hair back off her shoulders.  Home for Carly is a two unit house about four blocks north of Max’s Tavern.  When the weather allows, she prefers to walk home from work, allowing for time to stretch her muscles, and time for her mind to clear itself of the day’s drama, giving her a reasonable chance at falling asleep right away when she finally makes it to bed.

Max’s Tavern is the neighborhood bar for downtown Bellis, a working man’s bar.  Many relationships have started there, probably just as many have ended.  And fights are a regular occurrence so Carly keeps a baseball bat behind the bar for the few times that she isn’t able to talk the regulars down off of their testosterone high. 

She knows just about all of the regulars, has grown up with most.  Women frequent Max’s occasionally, usually to find a man, retrieve a man, break up with a man, or to make one jealous.  But most of her regular customers are men; local union workers or contractors.  Carly has been working at Max’s for nearly fourteen years.

Tonight had been slow, which was typical for a Tuesday, but painful for the bartender.  The early rush produced the regular “after work” crowd, people who come in to get primed before going home, which helps them to tolerate the monotony that is their ordinary life.  But by seven most of them are long gone. 

Later on there had been a few older patrons, ones without families, who had come in later hoping to chase away the loneliness with beer and the company of others, no matter how pathetic the “others” might be.  Carly keeps their glasses full until they’ve had too much, and then gently lets them know when it’s time to leave, of course insuring that none are driving.  These people are her family, or as much she has left, and she looks on it as her personal responsibility to see that no one finds trouble with the Bellis PD, at least not as a result of being at Max’s Tavern.

Bellis, a town of nearly six thousand, is located in Butte County, South Dakota, just a stone’s throw from Wyoming and Montana.  Its biggest claim to fame is its close proximity to Sturgis, home to the largest annual motorcycle rally in the U.S.  August can get pretty crazy in Bellis, as the crowds roll through.  But mostly the people of Bellis are quiet, hardworking, and immensely thankful for their luck at having been born in this part of the country.  Carly was born, raised, and graduated in Bellis, and now at nearly thirty she’s as much a permanent part of its landscape as anyone else.

“Carly, get in the car, now.”  Carly was startled out of her thoughts by the police cruiser that had pulled up to the curb alongside of her.

“Kevin, leave me alone.  I’m walking tonight.”

“Carly, another girl from downtown got raped two nights ago.  It’s not safe for you to walk anymore.  Get in the car, please.”

“I don’t need you to babysit me Kevin, I can take care of myself.  Here’s an idea, maybe you should go protect and serve the community instead of stalking me?”

Kevin’s face turned red with anger.  “Suit yourself you stupid bitch.  You deserve whatever happens to you.”  Rolling up his window he hit the gas pedal squealing his tires as he pulled back out into the road.

She shook her head, silently berating herself for the mean spirited comment.  She should have found a nicer way to get her point across but Kevin just wasn’t responding to politeness anymore.  Rudeness was the only thing that had an impact on him these days.  Was it her imagination or was he getting more ornery with time?  She wished that he would find a way to get past her and move on with his life as she was trying to do with hers. 

She walked another block and a half, noticing a glimmer of something coming from under a tree up ahead.  Despite her cavalier attitude with Kevin, she was very much aware of the string of rapes that had paralyzed Bellis.  Carly was careful to remain attentive and be aware of her surroundings.  And she carried a can of mace in her bag just in case.  But she wasn’t going to let fear stop her from doing the things she enjoyed, she had so few of them left, and walking at night when the streets were empty, when she could hear herself think, was one of them.

It was a light, or the reflection of a light bouncing off of something shiny, like steel or chrome maybe. She put her hand in her bag and wrapped it around the can of mace just in case.  As she got closer a figure stepped out from underneath the over grown old oak, it’s branches obscuring what else might be under it.  Carly instantly recognized the tall perfect form of Jason long before she was able to make out his facial features, or his cat like eyes.  She let go of a sigh of relief and the can of mace in the same instant.

The source of the reflection she had first seen was the street light above shining down through the tree branches onto the chrome of Jason’s Harley Davidson.  He had been leaning against it, apparently waiting for her, but had stepped out onto the sidewalk when he spotted her approaching.  “I’m sorry Carly.  I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Jason, what are you doing out here?  I thought you headed home a while ago.”

She was caught off guard whenever she faced him directly.  At five feet eleven inches tall, Carly was unaccustomed to having to look up to meet a man’s eyes.  Jason was several inches taller than her, and for the first time in her life, Carly did not feel awkward.

“I’ve been paying attention to the news so I’m making sure that you get home ok.  This is a bad time for a beautiful young woman to be out here on her own.  Would you like a ride?”

“No, but thank you for the offer; my place is just there, a few more houses up.”

Jason Collins was the new guy in town, having relocated to Bellis a few months ago for work.  Lately, he had made a nightly routine of stopping into Max’s before closing and had not been shy about making his interest in Carly known.  But she did not return his interest, and she thought she had made that well known too.  Still, he was nice to look at.

“Ok, I’ll walk with you then.”

Carly smiled and shrugged her shoulders, after all, she couldn’t stop him from walking along; it was a public sidewalk.

“Look Carly, it’s no secret that I’m into you. “

“Well, you shouldn’t be.  I’ve got baggage and no desire to share it with anybody.”

“Don’t you think that I deserve the opportunity to decide that for myself?”  His voice was low and husky. 

“I’m sorry Jason, but it just can’t work out between us.”

“Carly, it’s really not my intention to complicate things for you and I certainly don’t want to pressure you into something you’re not ready for.  I just enjoy talking to you and being with you, and honestly, I thought we had a connection.”

It wasn’t that she didn’t find Jason attractive.  On the contrary, he was probably the most attractive man she had ever met.  And despite what she said out loud to him, she too had felt the connection.  Carly was flattered by his attention directed at her, but a romantic relationship was out of the question for her. 

They arrived at the front porch steps that led up to her door.  Carly climbed the five steps, searching for her keys.  Jason stayed at the bottom, leaning on the railing.  As she turned to thank him for looking out for her, Carly’s eyes slide past him to the distant corner.  He followed her eyes, spotting the patrol car that was turning onto a side street. 

Turning back to her and pointing a finger over his right shoulder Jason continued “I don’t know what the deal is between you and Barney Fife; you told me once that he wasn’t your boyfriend, but I don’t get the feeling that he knows that.”

She couldn’t help laughing at his reference “No, he’s not my boyfriend.  There is nothing between us.”

“Good, because I’m pretty sure that I’m reading you right; that you have the same feelings for me that I have for you.  Carly, I’m a patient man.  I can wait until you work through whatever it is that’s holding you back.  Anyway, I just wanted to be straight with you, I’m not going anywhere.  I’ll be easy to find when you change your mind.”

She watched his eyes while he talked.  His eyes were the most unique color of dark amber and they burned with emotion as he talked.  There was something about him, besides his strikingly good looks.  There was something deeper, and that’s probably what had scared the hell out of her.  “Good night Jason.”

“Good night Carly, sweet dreams.”

He watched while she unlocked her door and disappeared inside, closing and locking the door behind her. 

She leaned back against the door, not moving until she heard his motorcycle engine fire and ride slowly by, up the street in front of her house.  Carly wanted to rip the door open and stop him from leaving.  But she didn’t; she couldn’t. 

Her head was spinning with a variety of new sensations.  She could no longer deny that Jason was bringing out emotions that she thought she had put away for good over a decade ago.  Carly was almost thirty years old and hadn’t been on a date since high school. 

She hadn’t lied to Jason; there was nothing between Carly and Kevin, now.  But they had been an item in high school.  He had been the captain of the football team, she was a cheerleader, and everyone told her that she and Kevin belonged together.  So she went out with him; what could it hurt. 

They had been voted homecoming king and queen, prom king and queen, and the couple most likely to stay together forever.  Before long everyone else had Carly convinced that this was the way it was supposed to be; she and Kevin were destined for each other.  They were the official school couple, destined to be high school sweethearts who hung in there for the long run. 

But everything changed after Danny died.  She was no longer able to pretend that she cared so she broke it off, for good.  Not so for Kevin, he had always loved Carly; apparently he still did.  Here more than ten years later, and despite the fact that she hadn’t let him touch her since high school, he still stalked her, treated her like she was his, protected her, and wouldn’t let anyone else near her.  She had never before complained about that last part because to be perfectly honest, she didn’t want anyone and Kevin’s interference kept her from having to deal with being hit on, or having to issue rejections.

Carly had convinced herself that she wasn’t missing anything, and the truth was, up until now, she probably wasn’t.  There just wasn’t anyone in this town that she cared about seeing outside of work.  At least that’s how she used to feel, before Jason.  He had been right, she did have feelings for him, and they were strong feelings. 

Despite her attempts to keep him at arms distance, somewhere over the last several weeks Jason had gotten in, and it had caught her by complete surprise.  Something had changed within her, something hard to pin point.  For the first time in her life she desired a man and it was getting increasingly harder with each minute that she spent with Jason, to pretend that their feelings weren’t mutual.

Available Summer of 2016