South River Incident (34 page)

I turned to him and wrapped
my arms around his neck. “So you know all about my indiscretion? Well, you can
punish me later.” I kissed his bruised lip. “
Tyler
really worked you over,
didn’t he?”

“Oh, you have no idea,” he
said as Wake Hudson walked over to us. “If it wasn’t for this man, we might all
be dead. He was the one who put Cole right in the middle of harm’s way.” Billy
grimaced at the sheriff. “But it was his expertise that saved our lives. It
seems, not only was I keeping tabs on you when you went out shopping, but so
was the Greene County Sheriff’s Department, the FBI, and the Charlottesville
Police Department. It was all a part of their sting operation. When Cole didn’t
report in, everybody went on alert. Me, I was just doing it because I love you
and knew what kind of trouble lay out there. It was Jonathan who uncovered the
details. He was the one who discovered the connection between Tyler and
Hudgins. Once I heard the name Larry Hudgins, I knew we were in for a world of
hurt. I was sure he would have it in for us. Then I got a call from Beth saying
you had picked up some girl she had seen earlier, loitering outside the
restaurant. I put in a call to Sheriff Hudson and told him I thought Tyler was
making his move, and as you see, we all came together as one big happy
family... as you would say.”

“I can’t believe you’re
saying that. Cole might very well die, and you’re saying we’re one big happy
family?”

“You misunderstood me,
Jesse. What I meant was the bad guys lose, and the good guys win.”

“Where’s Larry Hudgins? I
don’t see him handcuffed and down on his knees. He’s a killer and he belongs in
jail!”

Nobody had an answer for
me. My worst nightmare had once again eluded the police. I knew he was out
there and he was not going to give up until he had his revenge—especially after
what just went down. I was sure of this. He would never give up.

I turned to Billy. “He’s
still out there and we have to find him.”

“Forget it, Jesse,” Billy
replied. “Let the police handle it.” 

“I assure you, Miss Watson,
my men will find him. He won’t get far,” Sheriff Hudson said. “But for right
now I think we need to get Billy to the hospital and have him checked out.” He
turned and made a motion to one of his deputies, and within minutes, Billy and
I were in the back of an ambulance and on our way to
UVA
Hospital
.

“We can’t trust the cops to
catch Hudgins,” I leaned over and whispered into Billy’s ear.

“Ma’am you’re going to have
to wait,” one of the paramedics said, giving me a gentle nudge. “Please, just
sit there until we’re finished. You can talk to him later.”

“But...”

“Please, ma’am, we need
your cooperation,” the other paramedic beside me said. “It’ll be easier if you
hold off on your questions.” He had been silent up until now while he took
notes and assisted his partner. He put the clipboard down and pulled out a pen
light, shinning it into my eyes. “How do you feel? Are you having any
dizziness, nausea?”

I glanced over at Billy,
caught the wink he shot my way, and took it as a sign to shut up and cooperate.
So I did.

Once we got to UVA, Billy
and I were placed in separate ER rooms. I didn’t like it, but there was nothing
I could do. I went through the motions. I opened wide, breathed deeply, stood,
walked, turned, and did everything, but dance. When the nurse wanted to draw
blood, I had a fit.

“We have to do a toxicology
test when a death is involved, Miss Watson,” she said. “It’s routine.”

“What does that mean?
You’re testing me for drugs?”

“Hey, I don’t make the
rules, I just follow orders,” she answered as she stuck me with a needle and
sucked out my blood.

Finally, twenty minutes
later, a familiar face entered the room.

“Dr. Bryant! I’m glad to
see you. How’s Billy? When can I go see him? He’s going to be okay, isn’t he?
He’s pretty tough, you know.”

“He’s going to be fine.
Those guys beat him up pretty badly, but Billy’s one tough guy. He’ll recover
from his bruises in no time at all. I just left him,” he said and smiled at me.
“Let me have a look at you.”

“I’m fine, doc, just a
little sore,” I mumbled. “When can I see Billy?”

“As soon as we’re
finished,” he replied, taking my wrist and checking my pulse. “Give me a few
more minutes.” His manner was totally professional as he continued his
examination. However, I did catch the smile that appeared on his face.

“What’s so funny?” I asked.

“I was just thinking about
that new boat I’m going to buy. A couple more visits like this and it’ll be
sitting in my driveway.” He looked up at me and winked, chuckling to himself.
“You know, maybe you should get into another line of work now that you’re going
to have a baby.” He stuck the cold stethoscope to my back and continued his
exam as if he had just asked me what I wanted to eat for dinner, instead of
telling me my whole life was about to change. “Take a deep breath, please.”

Stunned didn’t quite cover
how I felt. I was going to have a baby! My mind was racing so fast, I couldn’t
speak. Oh, man… the chief was right!

“No comment about what I
just said?” Dr. Bryant hung the stethoscope around his neck and took my hand in
his. His voice was gentle. “Billy told me there was a possibility that you
could be pregnant. He said you weren’t sure yet, and for me to properly treat you,
I had to know. Also, the police require a toxicology test. It’s standard
procedure when there’s an automobile accident and a casualty is involved.”

“Does Billy know?”

“No, I can’t tell him, it’s
confidential,” Dr. Bryant said. “I was saving that one for you.”

I hobbled off the
examination table and pulled the curtain back. “I want to see him.”

“Wait a minute,” he said.
He pulled the curtains closed and ushered me back to the examination table.
“We’re not finished. First, I’m going to give you the name of an obstetrician
and a therapist. I want you to make an appointment with both.” He scribbled
something on a prescription pad and handed it to me. “Other than being a little
banged up, I think you’ll survive. I want to see you in my office in a week for
a follow-up. I’ll have one of the nurses make the appointment for you.” He
stuck his head out of the curtain and called for someone named Jill, and then
turned back to me. His look was stern and accompanied by a stiff warning. “I’m
serious about the job. If you want to have a healthy baby, you’re going to have
to limit the abuse you inflict on your body. Our bodies can only take so much.
I think yours has reached its limit. ”

“Thanks, Dr. Bryant.” I
leaned over and gave him a hug. “I will.”

Nurse Jill, the same one
who had bludgeoned me with the needle earlier, walked in, ready to do more of
her dirty work if needed.

“Take care of this for me,
please,” Dr. Bryant said, handing her the clipboard. “Set her up with an
appointment.”

She did as he said and then
left quietly.

“I’ll take you to see
Billy, if you’re ready,” Dr. Bryant offered.

“Yes,” I swallowed hard. “I
guess I am.”

“You sound a little
hesitant. You’re not nervous, are you?” he asked as he led me down the hallway.
“After what you’ve been through, I’d think this would be a breeze.”

I stopped in my tracks, my
mind flashing back to that awful scene.

“What about Cole James? He
was brought in with a gunshot wound to the head. Is he going to make it,
doctor?”

“He’s still in surgery,”
Dr. Bryant said.

His tone of voice gave me
the impression he wasn’t going to discuss Cole’s condition with me, but I had
to know if he was going to be all right.

“Please tell me. Is he
going to make it?”

“He’s still alive,” was all
he would say.

When I pulled the curtain
back and peeked in, Jonathan was leaning down and whispering something into
Billy’s ear. They both stopped talking and looked in my direction when I walked
up to the bed.

“Plotting again, I see,” I
joked, leaning down to kiss Billy’s forehead.

Obviously guilty for what
he had been talking about, Jonathan pardoned himself and turned to leave. “You
two need to be alone.” He glanced back at Billy. “You can rest, brother. All is
well.”

“What did he mean by that?”
I asked the minute Jonathan left. “What are you two cooking up? Should I be
concerned? You’re not doing... ”

“It is not for you to
worry,” Billy replied, reverting back to his broken English. “Our tribe is at
peace.”

“Did you get a bump on the
head or something? You’re not making any sense. What were you talking about?
Speak to me in English.”

Billy slipped off to sleep
right in the middle of our conversation.

I was about to shake him
and try to wake him, but not knowing the extent of his injuries, instead, I
reached down and checked his pulse. “Well, at least you’re still alive,” I
whispered to myself.

Billy was still sleeping
when Dr. Bryant returned.

“He fell asleep while I was
talking.”

Dr. Bryant giggled and
said, “I can’t imagine why.” He continued to scribble on Billy’s chart.

Following his banter, I
bounced back. “You’re the one who is in the wrong business. You should be on
stage.”

Dr. Bryant laughed and then
said, “I’m sorry, it’s been a long day.”

“You’re telling me?” I
shook my head. “Boy, could I tell you a few things about long days. The past
two days have been like ten days at their worst. I don’t think there’s much
more that can happen to one person. I have been put through the wringer. I
almost met my Maker today.”

The doctor reined in his
laughter and said, “We’re keeping Billy overnight. He was injected with enough
tranquilizers to knock out an elephant. If his mass body weight had been less,
it might have killed him. We’re going to flush out his system and give him some
medication to counteract the drug. The rest of his injuries will heal on their
own.”

“What kind of injuries?” I
inquired.

“He sustained contusions to
the back, three bruised ribs, and a sprain to his left wrist, not to mention
swelling and bruises to his face, arms and legs. He’ll be in pain for a while,
but other than that, he’ll be fine. Don’t worry we’ll give him something for
the pain later. After we clean him out, we’ll pump him full of drugs again.
Only this time, it will be the proper dosage. Unfortunately, he’s not going to
feel too good for a while.”

“Dr. Bryant, I didn’t get a
chance to tell him... well, you know.”

“You can tell him when he
wakes up,” he said and patted me on the back. “We’ll get Billy a hospital room
and try to make him as comfortable as possible. Then you can go in and see him.
But for now the police want to talk to you. They’re waiting in the ER lobby.”
He turned to walk away. “Oh, your friend Cole is out of surgery and hanging on,
but the next few hours will be critical. As you know, he has a bullet wound to
the head. They can be rather tricky. He could recover fully or he could die at
any time. We’ll know more as time passes. Check with me in the morning. I’ll
update you then.”

Tears of relief came over
me. “Thank you, Dr. Bryant.”

With a quick turn, the good
doctor was gone.

The room was silent except
for the faint sound of Billy’s snoring. I sat by his bed and waited for a few
seconds. I didn’t want to leave, but I had a meeting to attend. As usual, the
police were waiting to talk to me.

It would be different this time. Billy would not be by
my side for this one. I was on my own.

B
illy was in a room waiting for me
while I was in a room by myself
waiting to be interrogated by the police. My patience was wearing thin. Five
more minutes and I’m getting out of here, I told myself. A commotion outside
the door caught my attention. The sound of Mom’s voice echoed in the hallway,
loud and determined.

“I want to see my daughter
and if you know what’s good for you, you’d better get out of my way! I’ve had
just about enough of you cops sticking your nose in my business and telling me
what to do. Is she in here?”

Mom burst into the room.
She was frantic. “Missy, you have some explaining to do! I’ve been worried
sick. Every time you leave the house, somebody winds up in the hospital.
Billy’s laid up in a hospital bed, Cole’s about dead, and you look as if you’ve
been beat up.” She flung her arms around me. She was holding back tears. “Whose
clothes are those?”

“Mom, I’m sorry. It wasn’t
my fault,” I said, coming to my own defense. “I made a mistake. I should have
never...”

“I’ll say you did!” She was
not finished with her lecture. “How many times have I told you not to pick up
strangers? I can tell you one thing, Missy, your days of playing cops and
robbers are over. I’ve had it! As soon as Billy gets better, I’m telling him
the same thing!” Mom stopped long enough to get a second wind, and when she
did, I butted in.

“Mom, I’m going to have a
baby,” I softly said. A tear slid down my cheek. “Can you believe it?”

“Oh, honey, you are? Are
you sure?” Abruptly, her demeanor changed. “You can bet there’s going to be
some changes made. I’m…”

The officer, who had been
quietly standing by, obviously in fear of his life from a crazed mother, spoke
up.

“Ma’am,” he said to Mom,
“you’re going to have to wait outside. The sheriff’s here and he wants to talk
to Miss Watson.”

“I’ll be right outside the
door, honey,” she said, leaving the room. “I’m not going anywhere.” She winked
at me.

A line of police personnel
filed into the room. Sheriff Hudson, Captain Waverly, two plainclothes
detectives, and two uniformed officers surrounded me. Panic began to set in.

“Why don’t you have a seat,
Miss Watson? We need to ask you a few questions,” Sheriff Hudson asked,
motioning for me to sit down. “There’s been a new development in the case.”

“What kind of development?
I thought the case was over. You have Clayton Tyler in custody. I just hope you
do a better job of keeping him locked up than you did with Larry Hudgins.
Speaking of which, have you caught him, yet? That’s where you should be, out
there looking for him, instead of in here badgering me. I don’t plan on
spending the rest of my life looking over my shoulder, sheriff. Somebody has to
do something about that man. He’s a danger to society!”

“That’s just it, Miss
Watson,” the sheriff said. “You won’t have to worry about him anymore. We’ve
found Larry Hudgins a little while ago.”

“Please tell me you have
him in custody. No, better yet, tell me you have him chained to his jail cell.
I swear, Sheriff, if he gets out of jail and comes looking for me again, I’m
going to...”

“He’s at the morgue,”
Captain Waverly interjected. “He’s been killed.”

At first I was stunned by
his statement, but it didn’t take me long to welcome the relief from worry.
“Good!” I shouted. “My worst nightmare is over. I’m glad he’s dead. You have no
idea how happy that makes me.”

The door opened and Mom
stuck her head in and said, “Jesse Watson, you should be ashamed of yourself. I
taught you better manners.”

“Ma’am, please,” one of the
uniformed officers said, ushering Mom back. “We’ll be finished shortly. Please
give us a minute. Then you can come back in, okay?” He closed the door.

I looked at the sheriff and
the captain and said, “I’m sorry, but I don’t feel the tiniest bit of remorse.
That man tried to kill me and Billy and he almost succeeded. You’ll excuse me
if I don’t shed a tear.”

“Do you know anyone that
would want him dead?” one of the detectives asked. His question caught me by
surprise.

“Is he kidding?” I asked,
looking at Sheriff Hudson. I looked back over at the detective and said. “You
mean other than Billy or me? With a man like him, I’m sure the list is long and
impressive.” I turned back to the sheriff, my patience wearing thin. “If you
don’t mind, I’d like to go see Billy. I’ve had enough. I don’t know who killed
Larry Hudgins, and I don’t care. I’m just glad he’s out of my life. I’m glad
he’s dead.”

“You know I can charge you
with obstruction of justice if you’re withholding information, Miss Watson,”
Captain Waverly said.

“I don’t have any information.
I don’t know anything and I don’t want to know anything. I’m just glad the man
is history.”

“What about Billy
Blackhawk?” the captain asked. “Did he tell you anything about Hudgins?”

“I’m afraid you’ll have to
ask him,” I sneered. “You can’t possibly think he killed Hudgins. He was
incapacitated at the time.”

“What time would that be,
Miss Watson? Nobody said anything about the time. I think you know exactly... ”

“I don’t know,” I cried,
realizing he was trying to trick me, and doing a good job of it. “I just
assumed it was recently since I saw him only a few hours ago.”

“Do you remember what the
time was?” Sheriff Hudson calmly interceded. “I need to know for the record.”

“Not exactly,” I tried to
remember. “Maybe you can tell me. I left the restaurant sometime around one
o’clock in the afternoon; wrecked my car right after that; and depending on how
long I was unconscious from the accident, until the first time I actually saw
Hudgins; I’d say your guess is as good as mine. I wasn’t wearing a watch. I know
we were in the ambulance at
9:17
, because I read it on the digital readout. Why don’t
you just tell me when he was killed, and stop beating around the bush?”

“We believe he was murdered
sometime around six or six-thirty, but that time has not been confirmed,” the
sheriff replied. “A passerby spotted a man lying on the ground beside a car and
called the police around six-forty-five. When the ambulance arrived he was
still warm.”

“That means he was killed
right after he left me,” I surmised. “Who knows?
Tyler
could have killed him.
Maybe they got into a disagreement over which one of them was going to get the
pleasure of killing me. Who knows, and who cares?”

“
Tyler
claims
they left in separate cars. He said Hudgins was going back to the office and he
was going to meet his boys.”

“Oh, and you take the word
of a criminal like that?”

“Well, they were partners.”

“I wouldn’t believe a word
that man says.”

“Enough,” Captain Waverly
put a stop to our conversation. “Sheriff, I think we can safely say that Larry
Hudgins was not killed by Miss Watson or Billy Blackhawk. We need to turn our
attention in another direction.”

“Then why ask me all these
questions?” I asked.

Captain Waverly stepped
forward, his face inches from mine. “Although I don’t think Billy Blackhawk
killed Larry Hudgins, I do believe he knows who did. This was not a random
slaying. His throat was slit from ear to ear. His body was left out in plain
sight. There was no attempt to cover up the murder. Somebody either wanted his
body to be found just like it was or the killer was in an awful big hurry. The
scene of the crime clearly indicates that the killer was a professional.”

Jonathan was the first
thought that came into my mind. What was he whispering to Billy when I walked
into the room? Had they planned the murder of Larry Hudgins, and Jonathan was
here to tell Billy that the job had been done? No, that couldn’t be. Billy
would never have anybody killed. If he had to defend himself that would be a
different story.

“Like I said before, I
don’t know who killed Larry Hudgins and I don’t care. As far as I’m concerned,
somebody did the world a favor. My family will sleep better at night.” I turned
to leave, feeling the need to get out of that room right then or suffocate. The
captain had planted some serious doubts in my head and I had to get to the
truth. I had to talk to Billy.

“You can go, Miss Watson,”
Waverly said. “But if I find out you’re withholding evidence, I’ll have you
arrested. I’ll give you one last chance to change your story.”

I gave him a dirty look and
walked out of the room.

Mom was sitting in a chair
in the hallway. As soon as she saw me, she jumped up and ran to me. “Honey, are
you okay?”

“I’m fine, Mom.”  I let out
a breath and took her hand. “Come with me. I want to see Billy.”

“He’s in room 428. I
checked,” she offered, keeping up with my speedy stride. “What about Cole? Have
you heard anything about his condition? That prissy girl at the front desk
wouldn’t tell me anything.”

“The last thing that I
heard, he was still alive.”

We took the elevator to the
fourth floor, got out, and searched the hall for Billy’s room. Once we found
428, I turned to Mom and asked her to wait outside for a minute.

“I understand, honey,” she
smiled. “You need to tell Billy that the chief was right. He’ll be happy. He
told me that he was so thrilled when his dad told him the news that he almost
cried. He loves you so much, honey.”

The scene with Cole in the
bedroom of that house played back in my head. I was overcome with guilt. Does
that mean I have something to hide? I didn’t do anything wrong. I will tell
Billy about that moment before we get married. I don’t want Cole to have this
hanging over my head. I would come clean. 

“Yes,” I whispered. “I’d
like to have a little privacy when I tell him about our baby.” I looked over at
Mom. “That sounds pretty neat, huh?”

“It sure does! I can’t wait
to see the expression on his face.”

“Just give me a couple of
minutes before you come in, okay?”

“You go ahead. I’ll go find
the nurse’s station and call Claire.” She turned her head to look down the
hallway. “This crazy hospital won’t let me use my cell phone. That’s a silly
regulation. I’d like to know who made up that rule.”

After finally getting up my
courage to tell Billy the news, I turned the doorknob and walked inside. The
room was dark except for the small overhead light that separated the two beds,
one of which was empty. Billy lay asleep in the one next to the window.

“Hello, stranger,” I heard
him whisper as he turned to look my way. “Come over here and give your future
husband a big kiss, sweetie.”

I ran to his side and just
about fell onto the bed as I kissed his face and neck, and finally taking his
hand and holding it to my heart.

“I don’t know what I would
do if you had died.”

“I don’t either,” he joked.
“How are you holding up?”

“I’ll make it, but Larry
Hudgins is dead.”

“Are you serious?”

“He was murdered.”

“Good! I’m glad he’s dead,”
Billy said. He didn’t seem surprised, only relieved. “I don’t want to hear
about him. Am I going to be a daddy?”

Hearing him say those words
and seeing the look on his face made me realize that this gentle man could
never do the terrible things Captain Waverly had accused, and there was no way
I was going to ruin this moment by asking.

“Yes,” I whispered, with
tears in my eyes. “You’re going to be a daddy.”

“Well, we’d better hurry up
and get married before you change your mind,” he smiled. “Some women get crazy
when they get pregnant, and I have a feeling you might fit into that category.”

“You can bet the bank on
it,” Mom said, bursting through the door with her entourage of family members.
“Jesse was a terrible child. I’m sorry, honey, but you were. I blame your
father. He always let you have your way.” Without stopping to catch her breath,
Mom walked over to Billy, gave him a hug, and kept right on talking. “She’s
spoiled rotten, Billy. She’s used to having everybody do everything she wants.
If she doesn’t get her way, she pouts. She’s a real good pouter. And she has to
be the center of attention all the time, but I guess you already know that.”

“Mom, that’s not true!” I
acted surprised at her assessment.

“We won’t stand for any
pouters in this family,” Chief Standing Deer walked in to the room and
announced. “Our women know their place.”

“Sure... sure,” Sarah said,
brushing past her husband. “Now let me get over here and give my son and his
woman a big hug. I’m so excited about this union! I can’t wait for the
wedding!”

The room quickly filled
with Billy’s family.

Beth, Sarah, and Billy’s
three brothers wanted to see for themselves that he was still alive. Of course,
they were worried.

“I’m telling you, Billy,”
Daniel said, “This one ain’t gonna be cheap. Jesse almost totaled it this
time.”