Searching for a New Home (7 page)

A sense of dread flows over Jacob. He
replies, "Dani, you know, Jana is only here until her trial is
over. Then she may leave. She doesn't have any reason to stay here
with us."

Crying openly now, Dani pleads, "No Daddy.
Please don't let Jana leave. Can't you give her a job or something?
Please Daddy?"

"Well, I'll tell you what. Daddy will think
about it, all right? Now be a good girl and go to sleep." Damn!
What am I going to do now? I knew Dani was going to be upset, but
Jana leaving may really scar her as much as losing her mother did.
Jana staying is going to be sheer torture for me though. What can I
do to resolve the situation?

******

After her Daddy leaves the room, Dani climbs
out of bed and kneels beside it and prays, "Please God, please
don't let Jana leave. I want her to stay here, to be my Mommie.
Please. Thank you. Amen."

In early September, Neal Anthony Murray,
eight pound son of Jason and Jenny arrives with a full head of dark
brown hair, chocolate brown eyes, and an impressive set of lungs.
The entire family is present for the big event. Dani is so excited
she can't sit still. She has a cousin! How cool is that? She can't
wait until she gets to help Aunt Jenny take care of the baby!

Jason is beaming like any proud papa and
Jenny glows with happiness and love when she holds her son. I am so
pleased for them, and more than a little envious. I have always
wanted a baby of my own, well, maybe someday. I can't think of
anyone who deserves the happiness of the day more than Jason and
Jenny. They are perfect for each other and obviously deeply in
love.

Jenny told me about losing her baby girl,
Melissa, in a car accident that had also taken the life of her
first husband. It had broken my heart but helped me to understand
how special baby Neal is to both Jason and Jenny.

Jacob watches Jana interacting with Jenny and
her new baby. He sees Jana looking at the baby with a look of
desolation on her face. He can see the longing she is feeling and
understands she is wishing for a baby of her own. The reason he
understands is that he is envious too. He wishes with all his heart
that he had a son. He loves Dani more than anything, don't
misunderstand, but he longs to have a son. Maybe after the trial is
over, he'll see where this sexual attraction he feels for Jana
might lead. That would solve his problem with Dani and maybe lead
to him having a son. Yes, he'll have to think about it.

******

Late one afternoon in early October Jacob and
Jason are working in the tack room mending bridles. Jason asks,
"Hey Jacob, what's bugging you these days? You're grouchier than a
momma bear that has lost her cubs."

"Nothing!" Jacob snaps.

Jason responds, "You don't have to bite my
head off, I just thought it might help if we talked about her. It's
obvious she has you twisted in knots." Jason recognizes the signs.
He is just not sure his twin realizes what is happening to him.

"Damn! I'm sorry Jas. You're right. The woman
is driving me crazy. I am worried sick about how Dani is going to
react when she leaves. She is going to be devastated. I tried to
talk to her about it a few days ago, and Dani got hysterical at
just the mention of Jana leaving."

"What makes you so sure Jana will leave?"
asks Jason curious about Jacob's response.

"Why would she stay? Her plan all along has
been to find someplace to settle down, I doubt that has changed,"
states Jacob.

"She obviously loves Dani, maybe you should
ask her to stay on as Dani's nanny," suggests Jason.

"No! I can't do that!" Jacob says adamantly
and a little too quickly.

"And why not?" asks Jason. "It sounds like
there may be more to this than Dani's feelings for Jana." Now we're
getting to the core of the matter.

"I can't ethically pursue any feelings I may
or may not have and still represent her at the trial. And I don't
trust anyone else to represent her because she could end up on
death row or in prison," states Jacob, his voice showing no
emotion.

"While technically that may be true, it
sounds like a load of crap to me. Can't you come up with a better
excuse than that one?"Jason questions pushing Jacob to admit the
real reason for his grouchiness.

"Besides, she's not Beverly. I loved
Beverly." Jacob says, avoiding the question.

"I know you did, but Beverly's gone man.
She's not coming back," responds Jason empathetically. "Do you
honestly think Beverly would want you to spend the rest of your
life alone? What about Dani? Dani needs a mother. Besides, Jana is
much more down to earth than Beverly ever was. Jana is more of a
country girl. Jenny and I like her a lot. She has been a Godsend
for Jenny, helping her around the house and with the baby. She's
smart and not afraid of hard work. You could do a lot worse."

Jacob nods his head and replies, "I know
you're right Jas. It's just that Jana scares me. She scares me a
lot. She is so easy to talk to. I already know more about her than
I ever did about Beverly. It's like we've been friends forever.
Then there is the sexual chemistry. I feel absolutely charged when
I am around her. Everything, colors, smells, everything is
brighter, sweeter, it terrifies me. Look at the mistake I almost
made with Cybil. What if Jana is hiding her true self just like
Cybil did? I would never forgive myself if something happened to
Dani because of my sexual cravings."

Smiling Jason says, "You know I've been where
you are Jacob. It won't do you any good to try to fight an
attraction that strong if it's the real thing. Trust me when I tell
you that Jana is nothing at all like Cybil. You know Jenny and I
never cared for Cybil. We always felt like she was playing you for
a fool. That brings us back to my original suggestion. You really
need to think about hiring Jana to be Dani's nanny. It could work
long enough for you to see where your feelings can lead."

"You may be right, I'll think about it,"
responds Jacob. "I really can't do anything until this trial is
over. I'm starting to get concerned about the outcome. Tom hasn't
been able to uncover anything helpful yet. What if I can't secure
her freedom? What if she ends up in prison, or worse, on death row?
Dani is not ever going to forgive me."

Jason responds confidently, "If anybody can
create reasonable doubt in a jury's mind, you can. I'm sure Jana
will be acquitted."

******

I can't help but notice that ever since that
night in Casper when Jacob had almost kissed me, he seems to be
avoiding me. I barely even see him these days. He is always up
before dawn and never comes back to the house until well after
dark. It hurts to think that he was so repulsed by our almost kiss
that he can't stand to look at me or be around me. I thought we
were friends. Now I can't help but believe he was only being nice
because he is responsible for making sure I show up for the trial.
He put up his money for my bond after all.

I'm not sure how I will manage it, but I will
pay him back every penny. I realize his services don't come cheap.
Jenny told me about his representing that famous movie star, Barry
Farrady, when he was charged with the murder of his wife. Jacob
managed to secure an acquittal in that case. Part of me will be
glad when the trial is over so I can leave, even if that means
going to prison. The hardest part, though, will be leaving Dani. I
couldn't love Dani more if she were my very own child.

******

The trial date has been set for the first
week in December. I am a nervous wreck. The closer the trial date
comes, the worse it gets. It is already November. In reality, in
less than a month I could be in prison for who knows how long. How
will I stand being behind bars for years? I have always heard such
horror stories about what goes on in prison, especially women's
prisons. A shiver of dread slides down my spine.
Please God, help me!

. Jacob is getting more and more concerned,
too much just doesn't add up and so far his private investigator
hasn't turned up much.

The autopsy results for Cybil were returned
the last week of October. Cybil was murdered and brutally sexually
assaulted. She had been dead before her car was pushed into the
quarry. Frank Gibbon's fingerprints were all over the car and his
DNA was also found. But even the fact that Frank Gibbons probably
murdered Cybil doesn't help Jana's case.

Jana owned the gun that killed Frank Gibbons
and she had gun powder residue on her hands when she was picked up
by the police. It is going to be a close call if they can't prove
someone took the gun out of Jana's car.

His only hope will be to claim self defense.
He has the witnesses to the argument inside the restaurant and with
the pictures of the bruises on her face and arms, he can probably
get the jury to buy self defense. He just doesn't know how Jana
will feel about claiming self defense. She says she had already
left before Frank was shot and he believes her.
Please God, we need a miracle.

Early on Tuesday morning before Thanksgiving,
Jacob's cell phone rings.

"Jacob Murray"

"Hey Jacob, this is Bill Hargess from Dillon
Montana."

"Hey Bill, what's up?" Jacob's heart begins
pounding with hope.

"We picked up a petty thief last night
breaking into cars at The Blue Dolphin, that restaurant where Frank
Gibbons was killed. His name is Billy Bragg. You need to talk to
him. He has some information you need to hear."

"I'll be in Dillon in a couple of hours and
Bill thanks for calling me."

Jacob left within the hour. He called the
airport to ready the jet before going downstairs for breakfast. He
has decided not to say anything to Jana until he knows what
information Billy Bragg has for him. He just left word for her that
he is going to be out of town for most of the day.

When he walks into the jail, Bill Hargess
greets him warmly, "Hello Jacob. I'll bring him to the
interrogation room."

"Bill, please video this interview for me"
requests Jacob.

"Sure, I'll be happy to. I'll be right back"
says the Sheriff.

When Billy Bragg walks in the interrogation
room, Jacob stands and introduces himself. He is a slimy looking
character. Skinny, short, and dirty, he smells to high heaven.
After shaking his hand, Jacob has a strong urge to go straight to
the restroom and wash his hands.

"Good morning, Billy, my name is Jacob
Murray. I understand you have some information about the night
Frank Gibbons was shot."

Taking a seat at the table across from Jacob,
Billy shrugs, "Yeah, I was in the parking lot that night. I saw a
lot of what happened. I didn't say nothing before because I was
taking stuff out of the cars and I didn't want to get caught."

With that statement Jacob's senses go on full
alert. He calmly replies, "Really, what exactly did you see that
night Billy?"

Billy replies, "I saw that pretty blonde lady
run out of the restaurant. That guy, the one that got shot, was
chasing her. When he caught up he grabbed her arm and threw her up
against the side of a car. He was kissing her and pawing around on
her and then she busted him in the balls. He grabbed her again
before she could get in the car and hit her across the face, hard.
She fell down. When he leaned down to grab her again somebody
yelled his name. He looked up then bolted for his truck."

Jacob cautiously asks, "I want to make sure I
have this right. You saw him hit her?"

"Yep, I saw him hit her across the face,
hard," answers Billy.

"And somebody yelled his name and then you
saw him run toward his truck?" Jacob repeats.

"Yep," says Billy.

"What did the blonde lady do then?" asks
Jacob.

"She got in her car as fast as she could and
left, burned rubber in the process," answers Billy.

"And did you see what happened next?" asks
Jacob.

"I heard a gunshot and I split. I wasn't
hanging around to see who was shootin' up the place." says
Billy

"Are you sure that the blonde lady had
already left the parking lot when you heard the gunshot?" asks
Jacob.

"Yeah, I'm sure." replies Billy.

"All right, when you were hanging around
outside, did you see anything else suspicious?" inquires Jacob.

"Naw ... well, maybe. I saw a car that kept
drivin' by real slow. I never seen 'em stop though." Billy
adds.

"Can you describe the car?" asks Jacob.

"Dark sedan, four doors, tinted windows,
pretty common." responds Billy.

"Did you take anything out of Ms. Bowen's SUV
that night Billy?"

"I don't remember" says Billy.

Jacob looks at his notes, "Well, Billy, I
think you should know that we found your fingerprints ..."

"No you didn't, I was wearing gloves!" cries
Billy.

"You didn't let me finish Billy. We found
your fingerprints on the blue tooth headset that you hocked at
Glenn's Pawn and Gun shop ... the same blue tooth headset that you
took from the console of Jana Bowen's SUV in the parking lot that
night. We have the transaction at Glenn's on video. Since we know
that headset was in the console along with her 9MM Glock, it stands
to reason that you took the gun too."

Billy is sweating profusely now. "You ain't
got nothing on me! I took the headset but there weren't no gun in
that car!!"

"You're sure a gun wasn't in the car?" asks
Jacob.

"Very sure," replies Billy.

Jacob thanks Billy and walks out of the room
as the sheriff comes in to escort Billy back to his cell. When Bill
Hargess returns to the office, Jacob asks "Did you get that on
video?"

"Yes and the prosecutor witnessed it too"
replies the sheriff.

About that time the prosecutor joins them in
the office and says, "Well, Jacob, it sounds like there may be more
to this case than I first thought. Do you really have video of the
transaction at Glenn's and how do you know the headset was
hers?"