Filed to story: Love on the Sidelines (Natalie & Karl)
“To where?”
“Hardy. I’ve been nominated to take them Friday morning so they can spend the weekend buying out the craft stores. We’ll probably stay with your Uncle Vern, so you’ll have to keep an eye on the Judge.”
Uncle Vern had moved to Hardy after he’d retired. He said his social security check went further there, and he could spend his time hunting and fishing.
“I will.” I didn’t add that as little as three months ago, it would have been a given that I’d go along with them. I loved Hardy, an old town on Spring River, in the Ozark foothills, that catered to tourists. Its single main street was lined with ancient buildings that now held craft shops of every shape and variety. Camping and canoeing on the river was also a big draw.
A dull ache settled around my heart as I watched my father walk away. I’d never felt so lonely in my life, so alienated from the women in my family. It was as if the supports had been knocked out from under me, leaving me teetering on the edge of a void I hadn’t known was there. I had Jenna, of course, but it wasn’t the same, and she had her own busy life to lead. Mentally, I made a note to do something to thank her, maybe send her a nice bunch of flowers.
I looked down at the black and white kitten sprawled across my arm, sound asleep, and thought about what my father had said. I knew exactly what he’d implied. I may have left Hugh, but the town still regarded me as a Morgan. Plus I was the owner of Southern Supply, a store quite a few people made their living from. A few well-chosen words from me in the right places could probably stop, or at least slow, the gossip about Karl.
Depositing the limp kitten on the bench, I went back into my room. I didn’t know what to do. If it had only been Karl and Lindsey, I wouldn’t give a flip what people were saying. They were adults, they should be able to handle it the same way I did. But there was also Daniel, and I couldn’t bring myself to hate him, even though that small, mean spirit that lives in all of us wanted me to, kept whispering that he was the product of Karl’s betrayal. And yet the saner, rational part of me knew that none of what had happened was the boy’s fault. Plus, he looked too much like Katie for me to ignore.
There was one thing I could do, and that was talk to Cody. As the sheriff, he would know if anything could be done legally to Karl, and he knew when to keep his mouth shut. At least that would tell me what I’d be up against and give me a few more days to think about it.
But deep down, I already knew. I couldn’t let Daniel be treated the same way Karl had been treated growing up. He was Katie’s brother, and even though I’d only discovered his existence a few hours ago, in my heart, I felt getting to know him would somehow bring me closer to her. If that meant saving Karl from the good people of Morganville in the process, so be it. In a strange way, we’d come full circle and were right back where we’d started. The thought didn’t thrill me.
God, how do I get myself into these messes?I thought, taking the aspirin bottle out of the medicine cabinet.
Cody looked at me inquiringly from across my desk as I handed him a cup of coffee. I had to admit, he’d turned out pretty darn good. He’d even lost his northern accent, speaking now like a native son.
Why he’d never married was a mystery to me. The way he looked in his uniform caused normally respectable women to act like a gaggle of giggling school girls when he walked into a room. It was disgusting, but Cody seemed to take it all in stride, never failing to be polite even while he remained uninterested. I knew he dated occasionally, but it always seemed to be women from out of town, and it never got serious.
I’d called him first thing that morning and asked him to stop by when he had a chance.
“What’s up?” he asked, one eyebrow arched.
“You know Karl Hayes is back?” I relaxed in my chair, trying to look casual.
“Sure.” He took a sip from the cup, his eyes narrowed against the steam as he watched me over the rim. Unlike Sheriff McAbee, his predecessor, Cody made it a point to know everything that went on in the county.
“And you know what happened fifteen years ago?”
“I’ve read the file.” His voice remained noncommittal.
“So, what do you think?” I waved a hand nervously in the air.
He set his cup down carefully and tipped the brim of his hat back with one finger.
“You mean, does Karl have a legal right to come back?” He crossed an ankle over his knee, settling deeper into the chair. “Natalie, Sheriff McAbee had no legal right to force him to leave. I haven’t seen anything that would lead me to believe Frank Hayes’s killing was anything but self-defense. If Karl had put up a fuss, there wasn’t much McAbee could have done about it. Too many people knew Frank was abusive.” He hesitated. “McAbee was from the ‘good old boy’ school of law enforcement. If he didn’t want to honor a law, he just did an end-run around it. By all rights, there should have been an arraignment. I’ve always figured the Judge twisted his arm a little that night because he didn’t want to put Karl through all that.” That news left a bitter taste in my mouth. Had Karl known they couldn’t force him to leave and chosen to go anyway? It wouldn’t surprise me.
I took a deep breath. “Could the case be reopened? Could he be tried for murder after all this time?”
“There’s no statute of limitations on murder, so hypothetically, yes, it could be reopened. But there would have to be some pretty solid evidence for me to consider it, and I don’t see it happening. Why the sudden concern about Hayes?” My shoulders tensed. “I’m not concerned about him. But there’s been some talk, and I don’t want to see his son get hurt.”
“Uh-huh.” He picked the coffee up and took another sip. “You and Hayes used to be pretty close.”
“That was a long time ago.”
“Not that long.” He finished the coffee and stood. “Be careful, Natalie. Your marriage just ended and you don’t need to rush into anything else. I’d hate to see you get hurt again. As for the talk, that’s all it is. People will forget about Karl as soon as something new comes along to gossip about.”
“Believe me. You have nothing to worry about.” I stood and came around the desk.
“Heard from Casey lately?”
“Naw. But you know how he is.”
I did. Casey had gone on to law school at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock after college. It was there he’d met his high-priced wife, and together they’d set up a ritzy practice in our capitol city. We rarely saw him these days and suspected he had his eye on a career in politics. It seemed he was always too busy for family.
“Well, when you do, tell him hello for me.” I kissed his cheek. “And thanks for coming by.”
I got my first chance to make some headway on the gossip about Karl a lot faster than I’d wanted or expected, and in a way that rendered a few repercussions I hadn’t planned on.
The sky was a uniform gray when I left Southern Supply that evening, the clouds low and slow moving, and a fine rain misted my windshield as I drove through town. It wasn’t heavy enough to soak, just enough to make me feel damp and uncomfortable. I knew from experience that in a few hours fog would cover everything like a fluffy white blanket, and I decided to stop at the IGA on my way home instead of waiting until I changed out of my work clothes.
The IGA was owned and run by Mr. and Mrs. Burgess, lifetime residents of Morganville. Their prices were a bit higher than the big chain grocery stores in Jonesboro, but I’d always figured the convenience and the savings in gas made up the difference. Besides, their son, Neil, worked for me. He was a nice young man with a sweet wife and two babies, and he worked hard at his job.
The store was full of people who had the same idea I did. I ignored them for the most part, merely giving a nod and a smile when someone spoke to me. It had been a long day. I only wanted to get the items I needed, go home, take a hot shower, and curl up with a book for the evening.