Escape chapter 3A

“Hey, Bill,” Detective Steve Tower said when Bill answered the phone, “the girl’s story seems to check out. I’ll dig into it a little further, though. Family disappeared a couple of weeks ago according to housekeeping at the extended stay. Nobody had reported it, though and so we weren’t looking.”

“So, I guess no word on the family?” Bill asked.

“Like I said, we didn’t know we were looking for them. I called a buddy at the State Patrol, and they are checking US341 for an accident scene. In the meantime, we have to report her to DFACS. I hate for her to go into the system, but… the rules.”

“Thanks, Steve. Tell Tammy I said hello.” Steve had a daughter, Tammy, by his ex-wife. The two dads always hoped their kids would get together, but they hadn’t cooperated.

“Will do. Later.”

Bill Wilson hung up the phone. He hated to see the girl go into DFACS. They were nice enough people, but she was having a really hard time already. All through dinner she hadn’t said a single word more than she needed to say. He was a little worried about his son, too. She was on him like glue. She didn’t trust anyone else and had adopted him as her “protector.” He was a good kid and wanted to make her feel safe, but Bill wasn’t sure his son was ready to handle the kind of issues Kelly might have to deal with.

Bill walked back into the living room. Kelly was sitting next to Garrett. She wasn’t holding his hand or anything, but she was right next to him. He was channel surfing, while she was just sort of zoned out.

“That was Steve,” he said, “my Detective friend. He has the State Police looking for your family, Kelly, and the Department of Family and Children Services should be calling to talk with you and see where we go from here. But, until then, please, make yourself comfortable. Ok?”

“Thank you, Mr. Wilson,” she squeaked. She wrung her hands for a moment and then wiped the tears from her cheeks. “I don’t know what I would have done without you… and Garrett.” She grabbed his hand and clutched it to her chest. The DFACS Case Worker wasn’t scheduled to arrive until Monday.

***

When Bill got out of bed the following morning, Kelly was in his kitchen making omelets. He stood in the doorway and watched her for a minute. She was wrapped up in what she was doing and didn’t notice him until she turned around. She almost jumped out of her skin when she caught sight of him at the edge of her vision.

“I’m sorry, Kelly, I didn’t mean to startle you,” he said, his smile accentuating the crow’s feet around his eyes. “I guess you were able to find everything you needed?”

“I did, Sir, thank you,” she replied. She found his smile to be disarming. Much like his son’s smile. She still felt uncomfortable, but not as much as before. “Would you like one, too? I whipped up one for me and one for Garrett. I didn’t know you were up, or I would have sent him to ask.”

“Here, let me give you a hand,” he said, walking across the kitchen.

“No, please. Let me. You two have been so good to me. It’s the least I can do.”

Bill smiled again and acquiesced. “I’ll just pour a little OJ and set the table, ok?”

“Thank you,” she replied, busying herself with making another omelet.

Garrett walked into the kitchen as Bill finished setting the table. He was freshly showered and dressed. It wasn’t lost on Bill that his son had taken the time to shave and style his hair. He was also dressed a little nicer than his average attire… even for a Sunday morning.

She turned and pointed to Garrett, “Sit, I have this. They’ll be on the table in a moment.” He did as he was told.

True to her word, she brought over the omelets and started serving them. She grabbed the shredded cheese from the counter in case either of them wanted it sprinkled over their omelet.

When she sat down, she was a little surprised when they gently took her hand and Bill blessed the food. He also thanked God for bringing Kelly away from harm. When he let go of her hand, she had to wipe the tears that had started to roll down her cheek.

“Amen,” she repeated when he finished the prayer.

Garrett gave her an extra squeeze before he let go of her hand. To her it was like an electric shock… and it warmed her inside.

***

Deke Stutz rolled out of bed. His head was killing him. Tequila might have been his friend the night before, but it was a sworn enemy this morning. He stumbled into his kitchen, ignoring the empty tequila bottle on the counter and the pile of dirty dishes in the sink. He grabbed a glass and filled it from the dispenser on the fridge. He downed it quickly, followed by several ibuprofens, and another full glass of water. It had been quite a while since he’d drank that much. He turned and headed back to the bathroom to try to get rid of some of the hangover with a hot shower.

As he got to the hall, he heard a knock at the door. He turned and headed back through the living room to see who was there. Looking out the peephole, he saw Deputy Lyle Tate looking off into the distance. He unlocked the deadbolt and cracked the door open.

“What’s up, Lyle?” he asked.

“I hate that it has to be this way, but I need you to come with me, Sheriff,” Tate responded. That was when Deke noted the two State Police officers standing at the end of the sidewalk. One had his hand casually resting on his service pistol.

“Can I take a quick shower and get some clothes on, Lyle? What’s going on?”

“Why don’t you let me in, and you can get dressed. They have some questions about something… I think it has to do with your brother, but I don’t know. These are just the messengers.”

“Sure, Lyle, come on in,” he said, letting the door swing further open. “I’ll just be a minute.”

He didn’t move to close the door after Deputy Tate stepped through, instead making a beeline for his bedroom. He hurried into the bathroom and brushed his teeth. He jumped into the shower and let it wash over him for a moment, quickly washing and getting out. He put on his normal outfit… jeans, boots, a tan uniform shirt and his holster.

He finished dressing and walked back down the hall to the living room. The two State Police officers were standing in his living room. When they saw him, both moved their hands to their sidearms.

“Easy fellas. I’m guessing you want me to take this off?” he said, trying to ease their tension with a smile.

“Yes, Sir… slowly,” one of them replied.

Sheriff Stutz snapped the holstered weapon from his belt and set it on the coffee table.

“Are you packing anything else, Deke?” Tate asked.

“That’s it, Lyle. Are you guys cuffing me or do you trust me to the station?” he replied, anger filtering into his words.

The Deputy turned to the State Police officers and raised his eyebrows. “Fair question, Guys.”

One shrugged. Tate turned back to him, “Let’s make sure everything is locked up and you can ride with me, ok?”

Deke double checked his back door, then locked the front door and followed Deputy Tate to his car. He slipped into the passenger seat and waited to be driven to the Sheriff’s office.

“Deke, they came in with a video of you setting fire to Von’s shed and trailer. And they had a video of Von standing in the middle of the road… forcing a family off the road. Three of them were killed in the accident, and the fourth one was found up by Booth Mountain… just a couple of miles from his place. They think you might be involved in that, too.”

Deke Stutz just nodded. He remembered thinking about burning the trailer and shed, but he didn’t remember doing it. But that would explain the mud on his boots. He’d blacked out drinking, but apparently, he’d been busy.

“This is serious, Deke.”

Deke pulled his phone out of his pocket and texted a friend and lawyer, Justin Morrow.

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This is the beginning of the third chapter of an ebook available on my blog at LaneBailey.info. Subscribers have access to download the full ebook for free.