Virgil stood at the window in his office and looked out beyond the courthouse lawn and row of shops across the street to the shadowy hills of the Ozark Mountains. The sky off to the west was blazing pink as Wednesday’s sun bid farewell. How he loved Foggy Ridge. He was an Arkansas boy to the core. His love for this community and its residents went way beyond the job.
A knock on the door broke his concentration.
“Come in.”
Kevin walked in his office, followed by Billy Gene and Jason.
“Sit down, gentlemen,” Virgil said. “Looks like we just lost our witness.”
The two deputies sat at the conference table, and Virgil took a seat across from them and next to Kevin, his fingers laced in front of him, and told them every detail of his conversation with Jesse and with Kate.
Kevin sat back in his chair, his arms folded across his chest. “That’s just great. Without the kid’s statement, Dixie Berne’s DNA on the Kleenex won’t be enough to suggest she was murdered. We can’t even get a definitive make on the tires from the tread-mark impression.”
“That pretty much blows our entire case,” Jason said.
Billy Gene raised his eyebrows. “Yep.”
“Not so fast,” Virgil said. “It remains to be seen whether Jesse’s telling the truth about having made up the story, but the odds are off the chart that the victim’s DNA was found on the exact riverbank that Jesse named in his recorded statement.”
“So we go forward with the murder investigation?” Kevin said.
Virgil nodded. “Sure we do. Even without Jesse’s testimony, the fact remains that the victim’s jewelry was missing, and it’s near impossible for her to have gotten to the river by herself. We’re on to something. We need to keep digging. And let’s continue to keep Jesse’s statement just between us.”
Kate watched Jesse pick at his mashed potatoes for quite some time, seemingly oblivious to everyone else around the dinner table.
“Earth to Jesse,” Hawk said. “Why are you moping around? No one here is giving you a hard time.”
Kate flashed Hawk a scolding look. He knew better than to allude to Jesse’s dilemma with Riley sitting at the table.
Elliot squeezed Kate’s hand. “Riley, how about you and I going into the living room and review your spelling words?”
“Yay!” She jumped up from the table. “I’ll go get my list.”
Kate smiled at Elliot, ever amazed at his ability to read her.
As soon as Elliot followed Riley out of the dining room, Hawk spoke up. “I think we need to get this out in the open,” he said.
Kate nodded. “All right. But remember, your brother has already punished himself ten times over.”
“I don’t want to punish him.” Hawk turned to Jesse. “I’m just trying to understand how you could lie about something this important.”
Jesse shrugged. “I just did, okay?”
“No, it’s not okay.” Hawk’s voice went up an octave. “Do you realize how worried Mama was that you might end up having to testify in a murder case?”
“I said I was sorry.”
“He can’t go back and undo it,” Abby said. “How about a little grace?”
Grandpa Buck nodded. “I’m for that.”
“So am I,” Kate said.
Hawk wiped his mouth with a napkin and stood. “Just don’t pull something like this again, little brother. Your family may forgive you, but your friends won’t. And just for the record, I think Dawson was a real jerk for blabbing it in the first place. He may be a football star, but he sure has a lot to learn about being a friend.”
“Dawson thought he was helping me get accepted by his teammates,” Jesse said. “He didn’t mean for this to happen.”
“Maybe playing football has given him pigskin for brains.”
“Hawk, that’s enough,” Kate said. “What we need to do now is help Jesse deal with the consequences. I have a feeling it’s going to be a rough couple weeks.”
Jesse shut the door to his room and tossed his backpack on the bed. A piece of what appeared to be white computer paper fell on the floor. He picked it up and unfolded it. The words gave him chill bumps: It’s up to you. I’m watching.
Jesse shuddered, remembering these as the words his attacker had said just before he left Jesse clinging to a tree trunk, gasping for air.
He reached in the small pocket of his backpack and pulled out his cell phone. He looked up Dawson’s home phone and keyed in the numbers.
“Hello.”
“Mrs. Foster; it’s Jesse. May I speak to Dawson, please?”
Mrs. Foster was quiet for several seconds. “He’s doin’ his homework. You know he can’t talk until he’s done.”
“Yes, ma’am, but I really need to speak with him now. It’s important. I promise it’ll only take a couple minutes.”
Mrs. Foster exhaled into the receiver. “I heard about what happened at school, Jesse. Dawson told me everything. I’m really sorry.”
“Thanks. Me too. So can I talk with him?”
“Five minutes?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“All right. I’m going to hold you to it. I’ll get him.”
Jesse’s heart pounded. Could he sound convincing? He heard voices and then footsteps getting closer.
“Hey, man. S’up?” Dawson said. “Can’t believe Mom’s lettin’ me talk. She stuck my cell phone in her dresser drawer till my homework’s done.”
“I figured. That’s why I called the house,” Jesse said. “I–I need to tell you something. You’ll probably be mad.”
“Tell me you’re not backin’ out of Friday night. ’Cause I gotta tell you, that’s a really bad idea.”
“It’s worse than that.” Jesse breathed in, then exhaled. This was it. Once he said it, his life would be forever changed. “Dawz, I made up the story about being a witness. None of it’s true.”
“You better be jokin’.”
“I’m not. I met with the sheriff this afternoon and told him the truth. My family too. I need you to tell the team.”
“What am I supposed to say? I vouched for you, man.”
“Just tell them the truth.”
“I can’t. I made you out to be some kinda celebrity.”
“Only I’m not.”
“You know what’s gonna happen if I tell them you lied: they’ll make you pay. Why don’t you just leave it alone?”
“I can’t,” Jesse said. “It’ll be in the news, and I’ll keep getting asked about it. I’m not lying anymore.”
“It’s social suicide. No one’ll dare be friends with you.”
“I know. Neither will you.”
Several seconds of dead air passed, and then Dawson said, “Maybe I can fix things with the team.”
“You can’t.”
Jesse heard Mrs. Foster’s voice in the background.
“You better go. Good-bye, Dawz.” Jesse pressed the disconnect button and dropped the cell phone on his bed. He lay on his back, his hands clasped behind his head, feeling the same kind of aching void he felt when Riley and his dad were missing. At least now his family would not be hurt. It was a sacrifice he was willing to make.
A tear trickled down one side of Jesse’s face and then the other. He rolled over and buried his face in a pillow and let his pain turn to sobs, carefully muffled from the loved ones he was determined to protect.
God, I’ve made a mess of everything. Show me what to do. Keep my family safe.
Liam gave up trying to sleep. He put on his jacket and went outside to the patio and sat in a lounger. He filled his lungs with the crisp autumn air.
His mother’s attorney had called earlier and told Colleen that, maybe as early as next week, he would have the distribution checks ready. Liam could hardly wait to get a check for his share. He would finally be free of credit-card debt. Free of the chicken plant. Able to get his own place. And to start his handyman business. Everything was riding on the Cummings kid doing what he was told.
How disappointed and disheartened Liam’s mother would be if she could see her son now. If she knew that, in his desperation to get her money, he’d been willing to resort to mafia-like tactics to silence a young boy who knew the truth about her drowning.
Liam pulled his jacket collar up around his neck.
How long before the kid figured out who he was? The thoughts that ran through his mind were disturbing. He needed to calm down. Let the kid recant his story with his friends and family. And most of all, the sheriff.
Liam shuddered, then sprang to his feet and began pacing in front of the patio grill. Threatening the boy might have bought his silence, but it couldn’t erase what he’d seen.
Kate nestled with Elliot on the porch swing, a quilt wrapped around them, the night sky black velvet and diamonds, the only sound the hooting of a barred owl.
“It’s late. I should go home and let you get some sleep,” Elliot said. “But I hate to move when everything’s so perfect.”
“I don’t want you to move.” Kate nestled closer. “You have such a calming effect on me. Nothing seems to rattle you.”
“Only because I let the Lord take care of things.”
“I haven’t mastered that yet,” Kate said. “Maybe it will rub off.”
Elliot smiled. “As easy as that sounds, we both know that not worrying is a choice. And it takes practice.”
“Well, heaven knows, I have plenty to practice on. At least I can stop worrying that Jesse’s going to end up in the middle of a murder trial.”
“He didn’t seem as relieved as I would have expected,” Elliot said. “It must have been a huge burden lifted from him after he admitted he lied about witnessing the drowning.”
“I think he’s feeling as much remorse as he is relief. It’s not like Jesse to be untruthful.”
“Adolescence can be a crazy, mixed-up time,” Elliot said. “But Jesse’s a great kid with more character than most twelve-year-olds I know. He’ll come out of this stronger.”
“I doubt he’ll confide in me,” Kate said, “when the boys at school give him a hard time. He’s much more likely to open up with you.”
“I’ll be there. That goes without saying.”
“You’ve always been there for us. Even when you had nothing to gain. Honestly, Elliot, you’re the most selfless person I’ve ever known.” Kate smiled. She knew a compliment like that would leave him speechless.
A brisk breeze seemed to stir out of nowhere.
“How about warming me up before you leave?” she said playfully. “It’s freezing out here.”
“Let me see what I can do about that.”
Elliot slipped his arm around her and tilted her chin, the warmth of his lips radiating through her. But even the thrill of his kiss didn’t distract her entirely from the irrational heaviness that had settled over her since Jesse’s confession earlier. Maybe it was just a combination of her disappointment in him and her uneasiness about the consequences he was facing that was still weighing her down.
Elliot put his hands on her cheeks, then slowly, reluctantly ended the kiss. “Okay, Cinderella. I guess I should leave before you turn into a pumpkin.”
He stood and pulled her to her feet, then kissed her forehead. “Get some rest. Try not to worry about Jesse. Let’s take it a day at a time. Things will work out. They always do.”
Kate stood on the porch and waved as Elliot pulled out of the driveway. She then went inside, missing him and wishing he could have stayed. No matter how hard she fought it, it was becoming apparent to her that she no longer felt complete without him. Perhaps when things normalized again, she would put aside her irrational fear of commitment and start talking about marriage.
Kate walked across the living room and into her bedroom, all too aware that the heaviness still hadn’t left her. Maybe after a good night’s sleep she would be able to let go of what didn’t come to pass and just help her son deal with the consequences of his lie.