Slow Dancing (20 page)

Alan Johnson was livid about what had transpired and made the decision to come forward while the pot was boiling over. Listening to Mary, he knew the torrid stories were a bunch of lies. He saw the love between his daughter and her stepfather the night he lurked outside of their property, hovering at the edge of a black wood like a Peeping Tom. Boyd Dalton sought him out first, opening the door to Paul’s Auto Supply the day after confronting Boyd on the telephone.

“Ask your boss to take over the counter for a minute, will you please?” The site of an officer of the law only confirmed what he was going to do; lay claim to Ellen as his daughter. Walking outside with the sheriff, Alan waited, not knowing what he was going to hear.

“You’ve been identified as a trespasser by the McPherson’s. Can you explain why you’d be at their house at midnight?” Alan looked at him carefully. He was making the assumption it had been him that night. There was a little game that needed to be played before he’d make an admission of guilt. “Night is pitch black around here. Especially down by the river. How can they be sure?”

“The girl says it was you, the way you stand and your stature. So are you denying it?”

“No sir,” Alan said. “I have reason to believe Ellen McPherson is my daughter. I was in a relationship with Margaret Fisher fifteen years ago and I left Florida on a job transfer. We lost contact after that.” It wasn’t the entire truth, but he saw no reason to add more facts.

Boyd had removed his hat, scratching his head. “What makes you think she’s yours?”

“Well look at her! But that’s not all. I know Margaret wouldn’t mess around, so the kid has to be mine. I got nothin’ to gain by claiming she’s my daughter.” He pointed over his shoulder at the store. “This place is barely going to pay my room and board. I don’t even want to interfere with Frank. I think he’s doin’ a fine job of raising her.”

“Then why
are
you coming forward now?”

“Just explaining my presence in Frank’s yard last week, that’s all.” Boyd thought how amazing fate was. Just at a time when it was possible Frank would be incarcerated and lose custody of the Ellen, her real father show’s up.
Unbelievable.

Boyd dismissed Alan. He’d follow up with arrangements for paternity testing, in its infancy at the time, but in a court of law a game changer.

Back behind the counter, Alan was shaking, sick to his stomach. The sheriff didn’t say one way or the other, but Alan thought he believed him. Ellen was his daughter. Working through the day brought some relief from the anxiety that was plaguing him. The job was not as bad as he thought it would be, but living with Mary was turning out to be a nightmare. She was clingy and demanding and he thought she contributed to what was happening to Frank McPherson.

***

Frank and Ellen had an appointment to meet with his attorney, Ralph Scott in the morning. Frank made a special breakfast for Ellen, and they chose their clothes with care.

“I feel like we’re headed to Hallowsbrook again,” Ellen said.

“Yes, I was thinkin’ the same thing.” They drove into Beauregard in silence, arriving with time to spare. The attorney only needed to speak with Frank, sparing Ellen.

Although the situation didn’t look good, he was confident that those who knew the two of them would vouch for Frank and charges wouldn’t be forthcoming. “You need to open up the garage and get your life back to normal. Act as normal as possible. Go to Beauregard for June Extravaganza and dance in their dern contest if that’s what it takes.”

“Slow dancin’ is the cause of all this trouble,” Frank said. “I don’t think we best take your advice in that department.”

“Hold your head up in town, Frank. Now’s not the time to back down.” The intercom on his desk buzzed.

“Mr. Scott, Sheriff Dalton on line two.” Ralph looked up at Frank and raised his eyebrows.

“Boyd, I got Frank McPherson here. You’re on speaker phone.” Boyd groaned;
Ralph you’re such an ass.

“Ah, this is not the news I want to give the man over the phone.” Frank looked at Ralph.

“Well now you gotta say it, Boyd. Jesus Christ.”

“What can it be that’s worse than what we’ve got here?” Frank said.

“Frank, the new man in town. Alan Johnson. You know who I’m talking about, correct?”

“Yes, I know who he is. He’s the one peerin’ at Ellen in the middle of the night.” Ralph Scott looked up at him and frowned.

“What are you getting at Boyd? We don’t have all day here,” Ralph said.

“I’m getting to that. Alan Johnson claims he could be Ellen’s father. That’s why he was out at the cottage the other night, just to see her. He claims he was Margaret’s boyfriend in Florida fifteen years ago and was transferred to Galveston for a job. She was supposed to meet him and never showed up.”

The words paralyzed Frank, choking his throat, numbing his hands. Ralph looked at him and could see he was distressed. “Did you know about this?” he asked gently.

“No,” he sputtered. “I mean I knew there was someone else but not who or where. No one ever came forward claiming Ellen.”

“What does he want?” Ralph asked.

“Nothing, just to know her. He admits he doesn’t have anything to offer her. He’d like to have a paternity test to make sure she’s really his child. Will you agree to that, Frank?” Ralph wanted him to take his time answering, holding up his hand to slow thing down, but Frank disagreed.

“I want to know, too. Before this other thing gets worse. She’s old enough to decide if she wants a relationship with a stranger. I got to
tell
her now.”

“Will you agree for Ellen to get a blood test?” Boyd asked. “You only need to take her over to the clinic and Margo will draw the blood.” Frank nodded his head, but put his hands over his eyes, rubbing the disbelief out.

“He’s agreeing,” Ralph said. “As soon as we’re done here. Before you hang up, what’s going on with the child abuse allegation?

“The ADA is deciding if we have enough evidence to issue an arrest warrant. I’m really sorry Frank.”

“Talk to him later, Boyd.” Ralph said, and hung up the phone. Frank stood up, having reached his limit.

“I gotta talk to my girl and then to the man with the claims. Why now? Why’d he wait? If he don’t want nothin’ from Ellen, why’d he bother?”

“Like Boyd said, Frank, he just wants to know her. Let’s pray that is really all there is because I can see things getting ugly and I want you to be prepared to fight.”

“You mean run with her?”

“No, no, not run. That wouldn’t work.” He looked at Frank and saw that he was dealing with a country boy, someone wholesome whose exposure to the seamier side of life was minimal, unless it was something he’d seen on TV.”

“What I mean is that I want you to be prepared to put everything you have into it.”

Frank might have been simple, but he wasn’t stupid. “You mean like my garage, my house, that sorta thing.” Ralph was rubbing his chin.

“Your time, too, Frank. You prepared for a fight?”

“I’ll do whatever it takes,” Frank said standing up, already defeated. He needed to talk to Ellen right away. He reached across the desk for Ralph’s hand to shake. “Thank you.”

“No problem, Frank. If anything comes across my desk today I’ll be in touch.” Frank looked at him carefully, but decided not to start the topic again. If he was arrested, his attorney would be ready. Ralph walked around his desk and put his hand on Frank’s back.

“I got a good feeling about this Frank, and I don’t toss that around lightly. It might take some work to get to the right place, but we’re both ready. Try not to worry too much. I know, easy for me to say.”

Frank smiled at him, but didn’t answer. He had only one thought and it was to talk to Ellen. Ralph reached around him and pulled the door open. He saw the girl sitting in his waiting room, and up until that moment, hadn’t realized how pretty she was, and alluring. Maybe it would be more difficult to defend Frank than he originally thought. After defending both the guilty and innocent over the years, Ralph could spot a liar. Watching Frank go to Ellen and take her hand, she looked up at him with so much trust, and faith that he would protect her, Ralph changed his mind again. His client was innocent.

“You ready to go sister?” Ellen nodded her head, letting him pull her up. “Should we go to lunch?” She shook her head.

“I think we should go to the garage,” she answered. Ralph chuckled.

“See, just like I said.”

“Well I guess that means
until further notice
is two hours later,” Frank replied, laughing. Things didn’t feel quite so desperate, yet.

Chapter 19

The first part of the day was busy at the parts counter, and Alan was getting used to the routine. He schmoozed with customers, filled their orders and made small talk with the women of town, and then in the afternoon he’d help pick orders for the next day’s deliveries. Moving back into his own room at Mary’s with the excuse that he didn’t want to disturb her with his snoring, he was walking a fine line between keeping things civil with her and telling her he was leaving to move back to Cate’s. It didn’t take long before he regretted moving in with Mary so quickly, even as a tenant, forcing her to take money for the room so she couldn’t accuse him of freeloading.

But on the day when Boyd Dalton told Frank and his attorney about Alan’s claims, everything would change for him. Frank and Ellen returned to the garage and took the sign
closed until further notice
down. The occupants of the businesses up and down Main Street saw the sign go into the trashcan on the curb, watched as cars arrived for service pulling into the bays or waiting on the street. Ellen was silent, reading her book, thinking of the amazing story Frank had told her as they sat in the car outside of Ralph Scott’s office.

“The stranger meant you no harm,” he started out. They’d gotten into the car, but he didn’t turn the key right away. “He wanted to see you with his own eyes because he has reasons to believe he might be your natural father.” Frank looked straight ahead, waiting.

“What might those reasons be?” Ellen asked. Frank turned to her, embarrassed.

“He said he was dating your mother fifteen years ago and had to leave town. She was supposed to follow him but never showed up.”

“So he come into town especially for me?” Trying not to smirk, she was disbelieving.

“That’s what it sounds like. You have an objection to having a blood test? Just to be sure? Put my mind at rest and yours, too.” Ellen thought about what he was asking of her. A pinprick and a look under a microscope could change the way she viewed her life. Was it even necessary?

“Can I at least think about this? It’s all my decision, is that what you’re sayin’ Frank? I can have it or not.”

Frank didn’t want to admit he took it for granted it was something she had to do. Boyd asked if he would agree to it, not Ellen. Frank thought he had no say over what happened to Ellen. Maybe he needed to go back into the attorney’s office. “Come with me, sister. We need to clarify a few things with Ralph Scott before we move forward.” They got back out of the car and returned to the office. Frank explained what their concern was and the receptionist wrote everything down and left the room.

Ralph came out to the waiting room himself, shaking hands again. “You certainly aren’t required to take the test,” he said, addressing Ellen. “But it would probably be in your best interests to do so. Then, if it turns out Mr. Johnson, that is his name, correct? If it turns out he’s mistaken, then you can be done with him.”

“What gives him the idea that he’s my father?” Ellen asked.

“Just that he was your mother’s boyfriend fifteen years ago, and had to leave Florida. I’m sorry, Miss McPherson.”

“It’s Fisher,” Ellen said, tossing her head.

“Um, right, sorry. Fisher.” Frank smirked; she was no pushover.

“I guess we’ll call Boyd when we get back to the garage,” he said. “Come on, sister. Let’s try to get out of here one more time.” They walked back to the car without saying goodbye to Ralph again.

As the afternoon wore on and Frank took care of customers, Ellen was unable to focus on her book, trying to remember what Alan’s face was like, his hair, what clothing he had on. He was tall, narrow through the shoulders and hips. When he handed her the money, she’d noticed his hands; nice hands that didn’t work hard with pale pink fingernails. His hair was too black to be natural. She wasn’t used to men who dyed their hair, and she smirked thinking about it.

“What’s amusing you now?” Frank said coming through from the garage.

“I’m pretty sure the stranger dyes his hair,” she said. Frank’s hair was brown and always neat. He kept it short because it was easier being in the garage not to have to worry about hair getting in his eyes.

He looked at her. “I hardly know what to say to that. It must be the city way for men to fix their hair.”

“Are you gonna say anything to him about it?”

“His hair?” Frank was stalling.

She laughed out loud. “No Frank, not his hair. About bein’ my dad and all.”

“I know. I’m just teasin you. I guess we need to call on Boyd first and see if he knows anything more about the man.” Ellen took the phone off the wall and handed it to him. It was a black rotary phone with a short cord so he had to stand right at the desk while he talked, not wander away when he had to say something he didn’t want her to hear.

“Right now?” he said, unsure whether what Boyd had to say was something they needed to know. Ellen was living proof Margaret had been with another man. But what if she was married to him? Although it might be positive for Ellen to have that information, it would mean he’d been a bigamist.

“Yes, please,” she said. “Right now. I gotta know Frank. I wish we could talk to the man in person but I want to wait until we’re sure. I mean, what if he’s a windbag?”

“That he could be,” Frank said softly. “I’ll call Boyd.” He dialed the number to the sheriff and dispatch said they’d have Boyd return the call. “Now we gotta sit around here and wait.”

“I like it here,” Ellen said. “Bein’ at the garage this summer is one of the best times in my life.”