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Somehow it was beginning to seem likely to Daniel Vickers, that he had been misinterpreting the clues that he was being left by Jennifer Watson in his dreams. He could just feel it now by the way Tyler Malloy reacted to the way Leonard Davis said something to the effect of “I cleaned up your last mess and now-” and the way Tyler seemed genuinely surprised to see him holding the pistol. Even now the two men are arguing , Tyler Malloy slowly moving the attention away from Daniel Vickers who is recording the entire exchange on his video cell phone. He can hear the two men arguing now as he struggles to piece the whole puzzle together in his mind,
“there’s no time for that” he thinks to himself as he concentrates on Tyler Malloy who is now yelling at Sheriff Leonard Davis.
“Len! For the love of God what have you done??”
He has the gun trained on Tyler Malloy.
“You had all of those girls Ty, they all loved you!! But Jennifer was different, she wanted me, this one wanted me, not you!”
“Len.. Man your sick, I never did anything with those girls! You thought I was having sex with them? For the love of God man I have two daughters that age! Len.. Put the gun down. We can get you some help. Just stop this now!”
Now it was Daniel Vickers turn to be confused. Everything was telling him that Tyler Malloy was his man. And yet now here it was Leonard Davis that was all but confessing to the act. He glanced from the corner of his eye at Daniel and then back at the gun, Tyler slowly inching forward while Leonard Davis seemed to be rambling on about how he’d actually killed Jennifer and why. His eye’s were glazed over as he seemed to be recalling some distant memory.
“This was our special place.. Where we would come to be alone. And then we came out here that last time and she told me that she had written about our entire relationship in that book. I got angry.. I pulled out the gun.. Just to scare her into giving me the book. It went off by accident.. She.. Died right there..”
Tyler Malloy steps forward, startled, Leonard Davis jerks on the hand gun and it fires into his abdomen, he falls almost instantly. Daniel Vickers seizes the opportunity to tackle Leonard Davis knocking the gun loose from his hand and as the two struggle in the dirt, sounds of sirens in the distance begin to echo through the tree’s at Cherry Creek. Daniel begins to lose his footing and slowly Leonard Davis begins to get the advantage , he has a large thick part of a tree branch and is holding it over his head, and is about to lower it onto Daniel Vickers skull, but Tyler Malloy is still fully conscious and has recovered the pistol and shoots Sheriff Leonard Davis in the chest. He stumbles backwards, a cold vacant look crosses over his face, he falls to the earth, he is dead before his body touches the ground. Daniel Vickers tries to help him to his feet but now Tyler Malloy is almost unconscious. He hears footfalls coming towards them and soon Sharon Milner’s voice calls out to him. Her and Angela Watson have brought the Freemont county Sheriff’s department with them.
Leonard's Ruse.
As Tyler Malloy lies in his hospital bed he listens intently as Daniel Vickers relates to him the entire contents of his dreams.
“I never had an affair with any of the girls.” Tyler tells him. “ Jennifer came to me one day after soccer practice, she was distraught. Troubled.. but she wouldn’t say why. I took her home and dropped her off. Angela wasn’t there but I told her about it later. I told Leonard too. And the next day Jen came up missing. I went looking for her with a few of the other deputies, we tried Mr. Vickers, we really did, Jen was a good girl , she didn’t deserve that. God if I would have even suspected Leonard.”
Daniel Vickers studies him.
“But why the white hats? Why did your truck end up in my dreams? And the Strange visits to Angela Watson’s house? And how did you end up at Cherry Creek yesterday? Do you see my problem with this deputy? There’s a lot of questions that don’t seem to fit.”
Tyler Malloy lay’s his head back down on the pillow, his eyes never leaving Daniel Vickers.
“ Tell Me something Mr. Vickers. I’m curious.”
Daniel nods.
“Did you ever see ME driving the truck in your dreams?”
“No. come to think of it I never did see the drivers face, just his hands coming out of the shadows.”
“The truck wasn’t always mine Mr. Vickers. I bought it from Leonard last year. Hell it ran good, it was supposed to be a work truck, that’s why I bought the damn thing. I never dreamed that Leonard used it for-”
He stops in mid sentence.
“I only went to Angela’s to let her know that I hadn’t forgotten about her. I’d been in Jennifer’s room several times since she disappeared, it was like walking into a shrine. Nothing had changed or moved. Ever. It was heart breaking not knowing what happened. Yesterday when I was in my wife’s car, I saw you and Len heading towards Cherry Creek. Something strange happened. Hell no one would ever believe me in a million years if I told them.”
“Trust me Deputy. I know about strange, we are very well acquainted”
“I thought that I actually heard a voice telling me to follow you. And you may think I’m crazy but it sounded like Jennifer’s voice.”
“Jennifer told you to follow us?”
“I think so, and now I’m glad that I listened. Leonard was a sick man.”
Sharon Milner appears at Daniel Vickers side and leans over to whisper something in his ear, to which he nods.
“The Freemont County Sheriffs department dug up a body twenty minutes ago at Cherry Creek, of what appears to be a young female. They haven’t made a positive Identification yet, but I’d say given the circumstances that it is more than likely Jennifer Watson. I have to go Deputy, I’ll come and see how your doing later then?”
Tyler Malloy Nods. Daniel stops at the hospital door and looks down at him.
“By the way. We never covered the white hats did we?”
The deputy sadly stares at the ceiling.
“ We all wear white hats in the department Mr. Vickers. After all. We ARE supposed to be the good guys. Aren’t we?”
Daniel Vickers steps into the hallway. Sharon Milner is waiting there with Angela Watson. He sits down beside of them, trying to straighten it all out in his head at once. Staring straight ahead at the wall Sharon Milner gives Daniel Vickers other news.
“Danny?”
“Yeah?”
“Sweetie just before Angela and I left the house..”
He turns to her.
“What happened?”
“Annie Clark the librarian showed up. She found the book hidden in the library. We skimmed through it. It isn’t anything like what we were thinking.”
Angela Watson eyes were tearing up.
“It wasn’t Tyler, Daniel. After all of these years I find out that the one man I trusted was the one who was molesting my baby. He took her from me and I never suspected him.”
Daniel rises.
“I want to see the book.”
The Last Page.
October 30th 2003.
Tyler continues to treat me like a child and ignores my every attempt at getting his attention. Today Leonard waited for me behind Tanner’s drug store in his truck. we talked for two hours after I left soccer practice. He doesn’t treat me like a child, not like Tyler, Leonard looks to me as a woman. And he goes out of his way to make me feel like one, he is so gentle with me every time. Tomorrow morning when Mama leave’s for the market we are going out to Cherry Creek together, to make love like the first time in the tall grass. I can’t wait until we are together again.
Jennifer Watson. October 30th 2003.
Closure.
He closes the book slowly, pausing slightly before he hands it back to Angela Watson. They are both staring straight ahead, neither showing
emotion. Angela Watson slowly turns to face Daniel Vickers, choosing her words carefully.
“Daniel?”
“Yes ma’am?”
“When you called Sharon and I, before you and Leonard left for Cherry Creek. When did you realize that it was Leonard and not Tyler?”
He pauses.
“I didn’t know it was him. But I suspected he was involved when we were standing in his living room. There were pictures of him and Tyler everywhere and in a lot of those pictures he was standing by the black truck a lot. I just had a feeling that he at least knew what happened.”
“So when will you and Sharon be leaving?”
“Probably after the funeral.”
Angela Watson places her head on Daniel Vickers shoulder, and clutches his arm.
“I can’t ever repay you. The peace that you’ve given Jen and me. You and Sharon will come back for a Visit I hope?”
He smiles at her.
“We are going to keep in touch with you until summer, then we will both be coming back for another visit. After all, we are both Jennifer’s family aren’t we? ”
Sharon Milner appears from out of the front doorway and Daniel and Angela Watson both rise to their feet and all three head for the Chevrolet.
They drive to Silver crest cemetery, and stand in the small gathering of people to where the body of young Jennifer Watson is finally laid to rest. Daniel Vickers stares solemnly as the final words are spoken, when deputy Tyler Malloy approaches them.
“Miss Watson.. Angela. I am truly sorry for your loss. If you ever feel like talking you know I-”
She nods.
“I suppose we should Ty.”
she looks to Daniel Vickers and Sharon Milner. And the three share hugs.
“Well since we already have our things packed, you two go ahead and we’ll just leave from here.”
“You both stay in touch you hear?”
They walk back to the car leaving Angela Watson to the conversation of Tyler Malloy.
“Danny?”
He turns to face Sharon Milner.
“Dan.. I want to drive us across Crows Crossing Road. You didn’t sleep much last night, so you take a nap and I’ll drive.”
They get into the car and Sharon Milner drives them much of the way in complete silence as Daniel Vickers slowly drifts off to sleep. And when she finally reaches Crows Crossing she is not at all alarmed when the sees the smiling eyes of the beautiful young girl in her rear view mirror from the back seat. And as the sun breaks free from the clouds, she looks into the rear view mirror to find the smiling eyes gone, and now there is nothing but Peace.
~End~
~Scratch. A.B.T. Copyright © 2008~
October 30th 2003.
Tyler continues to treat me like a child and ignores my every attempt at getting his attention. Today Leonard waited for me behind Tanner’s drug store in his truck. we talked for two hours after I left soccer practice. He doesn’t treat me like a child, not like Tyler, Leonard looks to me as a woman. And he goes out of his way to make me feel like one, he is so gentle with me every time. Tomorrow morning when Mama leave’s for the market we are going out to Cherry Creek together, to make love like the first time in the tall grass. I can’t wait until we are together again.
Jennifer Watson. October 30th 2003.
Closure.
He closes the book slowly, pausing slightly before he hands it back to Angela Watson. They are both staring straight ahead, neither showing
emotion. Angela Watson slowly turns to face Daniel Vickers, choosing her words carefully.
“Daniel?”
“Yes ma’am?”
“When you called Sharon and I, before you and Leonard left for Cherry Creek. When did you realize that it was Leonard and not Tyler?”
He pauses.
“I didn’t know it was him. But I suspected he was involved when we were standing in his living room. There were pictures of him and Tyler everywhere and in a lot of those pictures he was standing by the black truck a lot. I just had a feeling that he at least knew what happened.”
“So when will you and Sharon be leaving?”
“Probably after the funeral.”
Angela Watson places her head on Daniel Vickers shoulder, and clutches his arm.
“I can’t ever repay you. The peace that you’ve given Jen and me. You and Sharon will come back for a Visit I hope?”
He smiles at her.
“We are going to keep in touch with you until summer, then we will both be coming back for another visit. After all, we are both Jennifer’s family aren’t we? ”
Sharon Milner appears from out of the front doorway and Daniel and Angela Watson both rise to their feet and all three head for the Chevrolet.
They drive to Silver crest cemetery, and stand in the small gathering of people to where the body of young Jennifer Watson is finally laid to rest. Daniel Vickers stares solemnly as the final words are spoken, when deputy Tyler Malloy approaches them.
“Miss Watson.. Angela. I am truly sorry for your loss. If you ever feel like talking you know I-”
She nods.
“I suppose we should Ty.”
she looks to Daniel Vickers and Sharon Milner. And the three share hugs.
“Well since we already have our things packed, you two go ahead and we’ll just leave from here.”
“You both stay in touch you hear?”
They walk back to the car leaving Angela Watson to the conversation of Tyler Malloy.
“Danny?”
He turns to face Sharon Milner.
“Dan.. I want to drive us across Crows Crossing Road. You didn’t sleep much last night, so you take a nap and I’ll drive.”
They get into the car and Sharon Milner drives them much of the way in complete silence as Daniel Vickers slowly drifts off to sleep. And when she finally reaches Crows Crossing she is not at all alarmed when the sees the smiling eyes of the beautiful young girl in her rear view mirror from the back seat. And as the sun breaks free from the clouds, she looks into the rear view mirror to find the smiling eyes gone, and now there is nothing but Peace.
~End~
~Scratch. A.B.T. Copyright © 2008~
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