What You See (30 page)

Once alone, I got off the bed and went over to see Billy.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you, but I kept forgetting,” I
whispered. “What about Helen’s purse? Won’t the cops know it was dusted for
prints before they got it?”

“My friend didn’t dust for prints,” he went on to explain in
hushed tones. “She used an ultra-violet laser enhanced imaging scanner that
scans for prints then feeds the data into a computer. You get fast results and
no residue. It’s pretty neat, huh?”

“Good, I was worried about the police finding out the
evidence had been tampered with,” I said, talking as fast as I could before the
cops came in to question us. “Do you remember what Bubba said about Tom Dorey
and Jay being best friends? Do you think it’s true? Because if it is...”

“Why would he say it, if it wasn’t true?”

“This puts a whole new slant on everything.”

As if on cue, the doctor walked over to Billy’s bed. Two
troopers followed behind him.

“We’re in for it now,” I murmured, looking over at Billy.

“Just tell the truth,” he whispered.

For the next half-hour we told our story and answered enough
questions to choke a goat.

“We contacted your mother like you asked,” the officer said
to me before we left. “She’s in the waiting room.”

By the time we walked out of the examination room to the
emergency room admitting desk, we’d been assured that Lawrence Hudgins would be
arrested. The police would need a formal statement from us, but that could wait
until tomorrow morning when we felt better.

I didn’t look forward to seeing my mother and having to
explain myself again. I was tired of telling lies and trying to cover my butt.

“Jesse!” Mom cried out when she saw us. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Mom,” I said, walking up to her and giving her a
hug. “We’re both fine.” I looked at Billy and gave him a weak smile. I looked
past Mom and saw the whole gang standing in a huddle off to the side—Claire and
both of the kids, Jack and Dennis... and Cole.

Every emotion in my body came surging forth. I broke down in
tears as I ran into Cole’s arms.

“I’m so glad you came,” I whispered in his ear. “I need you.”

“That’s why I’m here,” he replied as he wrapped his arms
around me. “I’m so glad you’re okay. I was worried.”

Mom took charge and led everybody out to the parking lot.
That woman never ceases to amaze me sometimes. We were all gathered in a group
beside Cole’s police cruiser.

“Cole’s going to take you and Billy home,” she said to the
two of us. “We’ll meet you there.” She physically pushed us in all directions.
“The three of you have a few things you need to work out and now is the perfect
time to do it, before things get any worse.” She was determined. Claire and the
kids got in the minivan with her, as Jack and Dennis got into the Camaro.
Nobody was happy.

“Let’s have it,” Cole demanded, driving out of the parking
lot with our gang in close pursuit. “How deep is the hole you’ve gotten
yourselves into now? Am I going to need an excavation crew for this one, or
will a shovel suffice?”

I sat in the front seat with my mouth closed, while Billy sat
in the back and talked to Cole. “We didn’t do anything. We were on routine
surveillance when this guy comes out and starts shooting at us.”

“Stop it right there, Billy,” Cole said. “I know all about
it, and what I don’t know, I’ve pretty much figured out on my own. Let me tell
you what I have and then you can try to lie your way out of it, okay?”

“Okay,” we said in unison.

His unbridled analogy of actual events was astonishing. He
knew about Jay shooting me, and guessed at Billy’s parents’ involvement in
fixing my wounds. There was no record of my being treated at either one of the
two local hospitals. The purse was a different matter. He knew Billy had some
contact with it, but he didn’t know that Billy took it to Caroline at the
research lab... and neither one of us was going to tell him.

“And now this,” he barked. “Don’t you realize you both
could’ve been killed? I blame you, Billy.”

“Like I said—we’re not the guilty parties here,” Billy
growled.

“Not entirely,” Cole said. “Larry Hudgins will pay for what
he did, but you can’t go around harassing private citizens. It’s against the
law!”

“Yadda... yadda... yadda.” Billy was antagonizing him. “Have
they arrested Hudgins? That’s all I care about.”

“They picked him up about an hour ago and brought him in for
interrogation,” Cole responded. “His lawyer was waiting for him, screaming
something about getting a restraining order against the two of you. Hudgins
says that both of you belong in jail.”

“If that’s supposed to scare us, it doesn’t.” I was fast
becoming belligerent. “Does it, Billy?”

Billy shook his head and said, “Jesse, a court order isn’t a
joke.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Billy was backing
down.

“If we get caught anywhere near those people, we’ll go to
jail. It’s time to throw in the towel.”

“Has everyone in this car lost all perspective, except me?” I
asked. “Who cares about Larry Hudgins? As far as I’m concerned, he’s nothing
but a butt fissure on the rear end of society. His son’s an aggressive, angry,
out-of-control, psychotic teenager who likes to torture small animals. Rita’s a
spoiled, pampered, brainless airhead, and poor Rose is caught up right in the
middle of all this. Barring all that, what about Helen? Isn’t she the one who
matters?”

Neither one of them had anything to say about that. Their
silence indicated to me that they were thinking it over. Hoping they’d come to
their senses and see that the most important thing was to find out what
happened to Helen, I forged ahead. “If none of them had anything to do with her
disappearance, then why are they getting so bent out of shape?”

“It might have something to do with the fact that you’re
harassing them,” Cole sneered. “You can’t push people but so far.”

“We’re not getting anywhere,” I hissed.

Cole parked his cruiser in Mom’s driveway. None of us had
spoken since my last statement, and frankly, I was getting a little tired of
all the tension. Cole stepped out of the car and came over to my door.

“I’ll walk you inside, and then I’m going to take Billy
home,” he said, helping me out of the car.

“That won’t be necessary,” I said. “I’ll take him home.” I
opened the car door and held out my hand. “Need a lift, partner?”

“Why, thank you kindly,” he answered, taking hold of my hand.
He turned to Cole. “I think we’re finished here, officer. Thanks for the ride.”

Together, we walked up the steps and waved good-bye. It
wasn’t polite, but it was the right thing to do. Cole had pushed us to our
limit and now it was time for us to push back.

“Tell me one thing,” I said to Billy as we were walking
inside. “Why was he driving his cop car when he picked us up at the hospital?
Was he on duty? Did you hear the radio squawking the whole time? What’s he
doing in
Charlottesville
? Isn’t he out of his jurisdiction?”

“Welcome to the real world, honey,” Billy replied, ushering
me into the kitchen. “He’s in law enforcement. They all work hand-in-hand. It’s
politics all the way. Somebody knows about his relationship with us and they
used him to get to us.”

“Do you think he went along with it?” I asked, heading
straight for the refrigerator. “I’m starved, aren’t you?”

Before Billy had a chance to reply, Mom and her lively crew
overtook us. They piled into the house like a swarm of bees, buzzing around,
searching for a new queen. Mom was the leader of the pack. They wanted to know
every detail.

“I’m so glad you’re all right,” Mom said. “We were so worried
when we got the call. What happened? Look at you. This is awful.”

I took out some leftover fried chicken from the refrigerator.
Billy and I stood there eating it, explaining our latest fiasco.

“Weren’t you scared?” Claire asked. She walked up to me and
put her arms around my shoulder. “I would’ve been.”

“Scared is an understatement. I was terrified,” I replied,
flinching from the pain in my shoulder I still had from my first encounter with
one of the Hudgins’ clan. “I had confidence in Billy. I knew he’d get us out
safely, and he did.”

“You were lucky this time,” Mom said. “Jesse...”

Oh, no, here it comes... another, I told you so. Seeing what
was coming, everybody backed away, leaving Billy and me to face her wrath.

The
lecture went on
and
on,
until she finally gave up. “Forget it. I can see neither one of you will to
listen to me. What do I know? I’m just an old, meddling mother. Don’t pay any
attention to me. I’m just trying to keep you two from getting killed, that’s
all.”

“And we love you for it, Mama.” I reached over and gave her a
hug, motioning for Billy to follow me. Claire, Jack, and Dennis had fled the
scene, keeping out of Mom’s way. At least, two of them knew what was coming. A
hurricane was on its way, and its name was Minnie.

From past experiences, I knew not to argue with her. It only
made things worse. I wish I’d known that when I was a kid. It would’ve saved me
a lot of hassle. Now that I’m an adult, I’m smarter than I was when I was a
snot-nosed brat... and I was a brat. I was awful. Looking back, I’m surprised
that my parents didn’t ship me off to some private school just to get rid of
me.

It really used to make me mad that Jack and Claire were so
perfect. That thought brought a devious smile to my face. Yeah, right! I was
the bad seed, but Claire’s bibulous behavior and Jack’s sexual preference made
me look like a shining star. I don’t drink... mostly... and I definitely want a
man in my bed. So take that!

“Mom,” I yelled, walking to the front door. “I’m taking Billy
home. I’ll be back soon.”

“Wait a minute,” she said, coming after me. “What about your
dad’s truck? What are we going to do about it?”

I looked at Billy. I’d forgotten all about the truck.

“Everything has been arranged,” Billy assured her. “I told
the police to have it towed to Daniel’s and to tell him to fix it. Whatever it
costs, I’ll take care of it. It’ll be just like new when you get it back. Don’t
worry.” He patted her hand and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

Billy followed me out onto the front porch where Claire, Jack
and Dennis were sitting. Benny and Carrie were rolling around in the front
yard, playing with Athena and getting dirty.

They were all smart enough to get out of Mom’s way.

“You always know the right thing to say at just the right
time,” I said to Billy. “I appreciate your being so thoughtful toward Mom. It
means a lot to me that you treat her feelings with so much respect and not
treat her like a silly old lady.”

“Of course, I wouldn’t treat her like a silly old lady!”
Billy retorted. “She’s a good `ge ya. I love her just like I do my own mom.”

“Oh, no!” I spat.

“What’s the matter?”

“My purse is in the truck.”

Claire jumped up and said, “Your purse is in the van. The
police gave it to Mom when we got to the hospital.” She made a funny face and
added, “It’s sitting on a piece of newspaper. It had blood on it. I think we
got most of it off with the tissues Mom had.” A tear came to her eye.

“Poor baby,” I said as I reached over and touched her cheek.
“I’m sorry you had to be involved in all this. I’ve been so busy being
concerned with myself that I forgot about the pain you must be going through
with Carl.” She began to cry. I felt like such a heel.

“I’m fine, but it has been really hard.” She hiccupped
between tears and pointed to the kids. “They don’t have any idea about what has
been happening. What am I going to tell them when they ask where their daddy
is? I don’t know what to say to them.”

“Claire, you’re a good mother,” I tried to reassure her.
“Whatever you tell them, I know it’ll be in their best interest.” I wiped a
tear from her cheek. “I have confidence in you. I know you’ll do the right
thing.”

She dried her tears, straightened up and regained her
composure. “You’re right,” she said. She looked out in the front yard and
smiled at her children. “I’ll do what I think is best. Carl can go jump off a
cliff.”

“That’s my girl!”

I looked at Jack and Dennis. This is the first time I’d ever
seen Jack with a serene look on his face. He was happy and content. He no
longer had that hidden something that always seemed to keep him from completely
being himself. He’s the one I always worried about. I felt something lost
within him, but I just never knew what it was... until now. Now that he had
come out about his sexuality, he could be the person he was meant to be. I
don’t have to worry anymore.

“I love you, Jack,” I said. “I’m glad you told us. I know it
was hard. You deserve to be happy.”

“Jesse, you’re starting to get a little weird. You sound like
you’re giving a eulogy.” He glanced at Billy and then back at me. “You’re not
going to get in some more trouble, are you? Do I need to follow you and keep
you out of mischief?”

“I’m taking him home and then I’m coming right back. Look at
us. We look like refugees from a war zone. We can’t go anywhere.”

We were covered with what looked like tiny paper cuts on our
face and arms. Both of us sported our own personal war wound. Billy had a
terrible gash on his arm, and I had one on my leg. We were still wearing the
same bloody clothes.

“Maybe I should change clothes first,” I said, examining
myself. “I’ll be right back. Give me five minutes.”

I ran upstairs and changed clothes. By the time I got back
outside, Dennis was helping Billy change into one of his T-shirts.

“It’s probably not something you’d usually wear.” Dennis
pointed to the front of the shirt. The shirt read—It’s my life and I’m proud of
it. “But at least, it fits and doesn’t have blood on it.”

Billy grumbled. “Man, you’re going to get me killed! I can’t
wear this! We’re in the back hills. They don’t cotton to this type of thing.
How about I wear it inside out? That way I have on a clean shirt, and I won’t
get my butt kicked. I hope you don’t mind.”

Dennis laughed. “Sure, no problem.”

“I’m dressed and ready to go,” I interrupted. This was fast
becoming an embarrassing moment. I now know Jack’s gay, but seeing it in print
was a different story. I wasn’t quite ready for that and I wasn’t sure how
Billy really felt. “Let me get my handbag.”

We said our good-byes, promising not to get locked up or
killed. I retrieved my purse from Mom’s van, examined it and determined it was
not wet and dripping with blood as I’d anticipated. The leather was undamaged
and devoid of any signs of its recent brush with what could’ve been devastating
carnage.

I walked over and gave Benny and Carrie a kiss, patted Athena
on the head, and then told Billy I was ready to go. I wanted to get back out on
the road. We still had things to do, and people to see.

In the background, I heard Jack say to someone, “I have a bad
feeling about this. I see jail time in their future.”

I sank into the seat of my wonderful, new automobile. It
wasn’t really new. It was a couple of years old, but it felt new to me. It
still had that new car smell of leather, and it had all the bells and whistles the
car salesman tells you about, but you don’t really appreciate until you use
them. This was a step up from the usual, loser cars I was used to owning. I
added my new car to the list of why I like living here.

“Are we going to go talk to Tommy Dorey?” I asked Billy as
soon as we got into the car and pulled out of the driveway,

“Haven’t you had enough for one day, `ge ya? I don’t know
about you but I’m fried. I hurt all over and I’m tired... not to mention how I
look.”

“You look fine,” I told him. “It’s still early. We have three
or four more hours before it gets dark.”

“We can do it tomorrow. The only thing I want to do is go
home, fix a sandwich, take about ten pain pills and then go to bed.”

“I’m wired.” I tried to bait him. “I think I’ll stop by and
have a talk with him after I take you home.”

“No, you won’t!” Billy commanded. “You go home and get some
rest. You need it as much as I do.”

“You’re the boss.”

After I dropped Billy off at his place, made him a sandwich
while he showered, and saw to it he didn’t take too many pills, I headed to
Zion Crossroads. I know I promised him I’d go home, but all I wanted to do was
have a little talk with the guy. What could that hurt?

I checked my handbag to make sure my gun was still there,
wondering the whole time if the cops had seen it before they gave the bag to
Mom at the hospital. Yep, it was there. I dug deeper, searching for my tiny
tape recorder as I approached the stoplight at the Ruckersville intersection.
If I could get something on tape that would be worthwhile, maybe Billy wouldn’t
get mad at me for going against his orders. I found the recorder just as I was
making the right turn at the light. The new cassette I’d put in the other day
was still there. Good. I was ready. All I wanted was for Tommy to be at work. I
didn’t want to go to his house alone.

I was astounded when I pulled into the gas station and saw
Jay’s Nova parked in the parking lot beside the dumpster. He was standing next
to it, talking to Tommy, and smoking a cigarette.

Instead of pulling up to the pumps, I quickly parked on the
opposite side of the building. I got out of the Jeep, clipped the recorder onto
the waistband of my jeans, hit the record button, and headed toward the
dumpster. When I got closer, I realized it wasn’t a cigarette they were
smoking, it was pot. I’d recognize that smell anywhere. When I was in my early
twenties, I experimented with a few different illegal substances. Marijuana was
the most pleasant, but it made me act ridiculous and my normal state of
paranoia became so intense, I couldn’t stand it. Pot wasn’t for me. I had
enough to deal with on a regular basis. I didn’t need to have my phobias and
anxieties jacked up another notch. And the one time I dropped a hit of acid, I
thought I was going to die. I snorted cocaine two times before I realized
anything that makes you feel that good, had to be really, really bad for you.
That concludes my partaking of the evil weed and its associates. I’ve been
there... done that... no thank you.

Nonetheless, I was determined to get into the middle of what
they were doing even if I had to smoke weed to get some answers. It was the
only thing to do that I could think of at the time. I walked up to them so
fast, they didn’t know what to say.

“Oh, man. I’d love to have a hit of that,” I said as I
reached over and slowly took the marijuana cigarette out of Tommy’s hand. “I
haven’t had a good buzz in a long time. You don’t mind do you?” I took a deep
drag, coughed a few times and then handed it to Jay.

At first they drew back, but once I took the drag from their
joint, they relaxed. My limited use and knowledge of pot and drugs, and my
continued association with friends who still partied, gave me an advantage. I
knew how to act when stoned.

“Oh, man, this is good stuff,” I said, leaning back against
the trash dumpster while making all kinds of silly faces. I knew that was how
you’d act if you were stoned. I intended to use every ploy I had to get their
confidence, so they’d open up to me.

They stood there with me and smoked the entire joint, never
suspecting I was preparing to move in for the kill. Teenagers... they have so
much to learn.

“Listen, guys,” I said, trying to sound patronizing. “I’m
sorry about what’s been happening. It’s not me. You see... I work for this guy
and he has it in his head that you two are involved. He’s not going to stop
until he solves this case. Trust me. He’ll find out what happened to that girl.
He’s like a hound dog in heat. He’ll never back down. Let me help you. If you
know anything, please tell me. I promise you, I’ll do everything I can to keep
you from spending the rest of your life in prison. If you were involved in her
death, you will go to prison. You do know that, don’t you? And prison’s not a
nice place.”

Jay and Tommy glanced back and forth at each other. For just
a second, I caught something in their demeanor that screamed evil. I should’ve
paid more attention.

“Who said she was dead?” Jay asked. “I thought she was
missing, not dead. You must be wrong.”

“It’s pretty obvious,” I said, trying to act cool in a stoned
kind of way. “The police found her purse about a mile from your house. It had
blood and fingerprints on it. By tomorrow morning, they’ll know whose blood and
whose prints they are, so if you know anything, you’d better start talking.”
Lying was fast becoming one of my better skills.

The few puffs of marijuana I’d taken were starting to go to
my head. I tried to fake it and not inhale the stuff, but I must not have done
a good job. I was getting light-headed.

“Whew, that was some strong stuff,” I said, exaggerating my
dizziness. “Personally, I don’t think either one of you had anything to do with
her death, but I think you do know something. Having knowledge of a crime is
considered just as guilty as doing the crime, in the eyes of the law. You’ll
still go to prison. When the truth comes out, and believe me it will now that
the cops have this new evidence, the only thing that will save your butt is to
come clean. I can help you now, but I don’t know about later.”

Jay’s facade was slowly beginning to crumble. I could see
from the look on his face, I’d hit a nerve. He knew something. I had a feeling
from the very beginning that he was the one who did it, but now I wasn’t so
sure. Maybe this young, troubled teenager, who liked to hurt small animals,
would hurt himself, too. Judging from the cut marks on his arms and the way he
pulled at his hair until he had strands of it wrapped around his fingers, led
me to believe this. He might not be the killer after all, just a kid with
problems.