A Wish and a Prayer

  He thought he saw a smile play at the edges of the judge’s lips, but he felt pretty good having used the ten-dollar word.

  “Is this true, Mr. Mingus?”

  “We only have Mr. Curry’s testimony. No one was there, Your Honor.”

  “I was there. Ask Mal July about the cuts on Cletus’s head.”

  Judge Davis looked around until she spotted July. “Mr. July, is that true?”

  It was easy to see that Mal stood reluctantly. “Yes, Your Honor. The hog had a series of wounds that were stitched up by the county vet after they transported him from the scene.”

  Davis asked Dr. Keegan, “Is that correct?”

  “Yes, Your Honor.” Keegan didn’t look happy

  The FUFA lawyer finally found an opening in which to say, “Your Honor, nasty temper or not, the hog was abused by Mr. Prell, and therefore entitled to defend itself.”

  Mingus argued, “The hog is a menace and a threat to public safety.”

  The judge asked, “Other than his penchant for biting, has the hog ever killed anyone before?”

  “Not that the county is aware of,” Mingus admitted.

  “Mr. Curry?”

  “No, ma’am, Your Honor. Never.”

  “Mr. Mingus, did you know about the stitches?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Did you take them into consideration when you signed off on the euthanization documents?”

  “No, ma’am. We didn’t deem it necessary. He killed a man, Judge Davis.”

  “That’s already been established, Mr. Mingus. But the court’s issue is with the fairness of your decision.”

  Mingus didn’t appear to have a response to that, and Riley wanted to cheer.

  “Mr. Mingus, does the county have anything else to present before I render my verdict?”

  Genevieve stood up and said angrily, “Judge Davis, because of Riley and that hog, I have no home! It was condemned. Where’s the fairness in that!”

  Judge Davis kept her face void of emotion. “The court would advise you to speak with a legal representative to explore your options, Ms. Curry.”

  Riley saw Genevieve plop down into her seat and fold her arms angrily. Again, he wanted to cheer, and stick his tongue out at her for good measure, but the bridge of his nose began to throb as if to remind him of what had happened the last time he did that, so he returned his attention to the judge.

  “Does anyone have anything else?”

  It appeared as if no one did, so she said, “My ruling is this: The county will surrender Cletus to Mr. Curry, and—”

  The FUFAs began cheering. Riley jumped up and hugged Heather Quinn.

  The judge was banging her gavel.

  When silence returned, she finished. “On these conditions: The hog is forbidden to come in contact with the general public, and Mr. Curry, that means no community cookouts or parades or any other event where people gather. If you have to take Cletus anywhere, it has to be in your vehicle, and he must stay there. Any violations, and you will go to jail, Mr. Curry. Do you understand?”

  “I do, Your Honor. Thank you!”

  “You’re welcome. The case of The City of Franklin vs. Bernadine Brown will begin in thirty minutes.”

  She banged the gavel to close the proceedings.

  Riley was ecstatic. He thanked Heather Quinn once again, and all the FUFAs who’d supported him. As he stood there, receiving their congratulations, he saw Genevieve staring his way. He shot her a big grin and did stick out his tongue. She lunged but was restrained by Marie Jefferson. Riley grinned and let himself be swept out of the courtroom by the happy FUFAs.

  Once they were outside on the steps, the press was waiting. Riley straightened his shoulders and took the first question.

  Inside, Bernadine looked over at Mal, seated beside her. He shook his head before saying, “Guess Cletus isn’t going to be on a spit after all.”

  “Guess not, but at least Judge Davis spared us from having to put up with him in town.”

  “Too bad the county didn’t have a stronger case, but when you think about it, Judge Davis was right. You can’t put an animal down for defending himself.”

  She sighed heavily. “Knowing Riley, he’ll probably violate the no-contact order before the day’s over. He’s going to want to rub everyone’s nose in it.”

  She saw Heather Quinn and the lawyer leaving the courtroom. Quinn nodded her way, and Bernadine responded in kind. Although Bernadine wasn’t happy with the court decision, she wished the young woman the best.

  A few minutes later, Bernadine put Riley and his victory out of her mind, because it was her turn to stand before the judge. Edison joined her at the table Riley and his people had used previously, and she watched skeptically as Wiggins, his toupee, and the city of Franklin’s attorney took their spot at the adjacent one.

  Once Judge Davis was seated again, she glanced at the paperwork and said, “Mayor Wiggins, I don’t have a copy of the contract you are referencing for this preliminary hearing.”

  Edison said, “Because there isn’t one, Judge Davis.”

  She paused. “What do you mean, there isn’t one?”

  “Ms. Brown and the city of Franklin have never entered into any contracts of any kind.”

  “Then why are we here?”

  “My client wishes the answer to that question as well.”

  She turned a steely eye to the city’s attorney, a woman named Benson who looked extremely uncomfortable. “Your Honor, I tried to convince Mayor Wiggins that the city had no case, but he insisted—”

  “Upon wasting the court’s time?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Bernadine held on to her smile.

  Judge Davis said, “Okay, Mayor Wiggins, why do you think the court should hear this so-called lawsuit?”

  “It’s about fairness, Your Honor. Ms. Brown, by refusing to aid the region in its quest to recover from the recent recession, is putting everyone in danger.”

  “How so?”

  “A Big Box store would be a boost to our community, but she refuses to pay her share of the good-faith fees, so they are not going to build a store in Franklin.”

  Davis looked first at Bernadine and then back at Wiggins. “Now, let me get this straight. Did she previously agree to pay this share?”

  “No,” Edison responded before Wiggins could.

  “Then, Mayor Wiggins, what do you want the court to do?”

  “Make her pay. She has the money.”

  Judge Davis sat back for a moment and viewed Wiggins as if she couldn’t believe the words coming out of his mouth. “You want me to make her pay?”

  “Yes, for the good of the region.”

  His lawyer was looking off as if praying to be magically transported elsewhere.

  “First of all, this is America, Mayor Wiggins, and no court in the land can make a person pay for something they’re not contractually obligated to. Second, if you ever waste this court’s time with something this ridiculous again, I will throw you in jail for contempt. Now, get out of my courtroom.” She brought down her gavel, stood up, and left the bench without another word or a backward glance.

  Edison glanced over at the smiling Bernadine. “Wish all my cases were this easy.”

  “Nice work, counselor.”

  “Thanks. I have to be in San Francisco in the morning for another client, so I’ll be heading back to the airport.”

  “Safe travel.”

  He thanked her, shook hands with Mal, and was on his way.

  The Franklin contingent left hastily. She hoped this would be the last confrontation with Wiggins, but knew that would be too good to be true. She looked out at all the Henry Adams citizens who’d accompanied her to show their support and said, “Let’s go home.”

  On the ride back in Mal’s truck, she said, “Hopefully things will get back to normal.”

  “Depends on how you describe normal. Personally, I’ll just settle for all those pig masks getting the hell out of Dodge.
”

  She would too. That and finding the person behind the fire in the rec parking lot.

  Two days later, everyone in Henry Adams rode over to Franklin for the Sanderson funeral.

  Although only a few people in town knew the couple personally, Bernadine felt it important that they go and pay their respects because of how and where they died. Standing beside Mal at the service, she looked around and saw everyone from Bing in his wheelchair and leg cast to the Henry Adams kids who’d been allowed out of school to attend. All were in their Sunday best, and it was her hope that the family appreciated the show of respect.

  Later, after the trip to the cemetery, the mourners returned to the small Unitarian church for the traditional repast. Bernadine was pulled aside by Mike Sanderson’s father.

  “Ms. Brown, I want to thank you for coming.”

  “It was my way of showing how terrible we all feel, Mr. Sanderson.”

  “Thanks. Please call me Joel.”

  The father was tall and gray-haired, with lively green eyes. Having never met his son, she had no way of knowing if the two favored each other, but she sensed they did.

  “Thanks also for your generous offer to pay for the twins’ last year in school. Mike and Peggy worked so hard to make sure their girls were able to attend college, but it’s been a struggle the past year and a half, with Mike out of work.”

  “I’m glad to help.” The deceased couple had twenty-year-old twin daughters, Megan and Marie. She’d met them earlier. “If there’s anything else I can do to help to make the burden lighter, please don’t hesitate to call.”

  He gave her a hug, his green eyes teary. “Thank you.”

  “My condolences,” she said softly.

  When he backed away, he wiped at his eyes. “I see my wife waving this way. She must have somebody over there she wants me to meet. So let me get going. Again, thanks for your generosity. You be blessed, Ms. Brown.”

  “You as well.”

  She was about to go seek out Mal and see if he was ready to head back to town when someone touched her arm.

  “Ms. Brown?”

  She turned to see a young woman she’d not met before. “Yes. Hello.”

  “Hi. I’m Freda Stillwell.”

  Bernadine stilled and prepared herself to be blasted by Freda’s anger.

  “I hear you’ll be helping Megan and Marie with their tuition.”

  “Yes. Do you know the family well?”

  “Mrs. Sanderson was my Girl Scout leader. I loved her a lot.”

  “My condolences.”

  “When my parents divorced, I spent a lot of time over at their house. Mrs. Sanderson helped me deal with a lot of stuff when my grandmother refused to let my mom take me with her when she and Dad split.”

  Bernadine found herself moved by the admission. “I offered to help with your tuition, too.”

  “I know. Gram told me, and she told me what she said. I’m sorry she was so nasty.”

  “You don’t have to apologize.”

  “I feel like I do.”

  “Are you going to have to leave school?”

  “Already have. At least for this semester, but I have a full-time job off campus, and I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to get some money for the fall.”

  Bernadine felt infinitely better. “I’d never ask someone to go against their family, but if you want my help, just call me.”

  “Thanks, but I think I’m good. In fact, I know I am.”

  Bernadine found herself liking the young woman. “How’s your dad?”

  She shrugged. “He’s gone to Oklahoma to see if he can find a job in the oil fields. I wouldn’t worry about him.”

  Bernadine wasn’t sure how she was supposed to take that. “Okay. Please keep in touch if you’d like.”

  She nodded. “Nice meeting you, Ms. Brown.”

  “Same here.”

  As Freda Stillwell made her way back across the crowded hall, Bernadine found herself thinking, How curious.

  Riding back to town with Mal, she told him of her encounter with Freda and asked him for the story behind the custody fight.

  “It was ugly. Al was never faithful, and Ann, his wife, had had it. She filed for the divorce, but Odessa threatened to tell the courts she was unfit.”

  “Was she?”

  “Not that I know of, but then you don’t always know the real deal sometimes. Maybe Odessa had something on her, maybe not. Anyway, Ann left, and Freda stayed.”

  “That’s sad.”

  “Yeah, it is. The family never mixed much. You didn’t see them at picnics or anything like that, but when you did, Freda always looked sad. Felt real sorry for her.”

  “She said she’ll have money for school in the fall.”

  “Good to know.”

  Bernadine thought so, too.

  Chapter 21

  As the last few weeks of April merged into the steady warmth of the month of May, things sort of quieted down in Henry Adams. Those who’d lost their vehicles in the parking lot fire scored new ones and were back on the road again. The security system was purchased and installed, but law enforcement still had no clue as to the arsonist’s identity. Jack and Rocky were officially a couple, and now that his sling was gone, they were often tooling around in his new Chevy truck, christened the Silver Surfer by Eli. When they weren’t tooling, they were working on the restoration of her Vincent Black Shadow over at Trent’s garage. The We’re So Slick Gang finished their papers and turned them in. Officially off lockdown, they were so grateful to have access to their electronics that they vowed to never put themselves in a position to be without them ever again.

  The first thing Preston did on the day he was allowed to log back on was to check his e-mail. Waiting in the in-box was an unopened message from his grandmother, Lenore Crenshaw. Damn! He thought his parents and Ms. Bernadine had forbidden any further contact. Apparently the directive had gone in one ear and out the other. Knowing if he didn’t open it, it would drive him crazy, he braced himself and clicked. It read simply: “Dr. Margaret Winthrop, NASA.”

  “What the hell’s that supposed to mean?” he asked aloud.

  He went downstairs and found his parents in the basement. They were dancing! The tango! He knew it was the tango because of the ballroom dancing contest he’d watched with his mom last winter on the public television station. He’d done it mainly to please her, and although he thought the whole thing dumb, and an activity only old people probably enjoyed, he’d filed it away in his brain because with Mr. James as his teacher, he never knew what the next assignment might be.

  But there they were, doing all the leaning and posing and twirling around to the weird music that apparently went with the dance. His mom even had on some of the old-fashioned high-heeled shoes the ladies in the contest had worn. It was obvious they didn’t know he was in the room, so he waited and watched, especially his pops. He wondered how and where he’d learned to dance. Preston was pretty sure it wasn’t part of the marine boot-camp regimen. The colonel was posed up like a bullfighter and looked both strong and powerful going through the steps. His mom was snapping her head back and forth, and he liked the way she smiled up into the colonel’s face, too. Her eyes sparkled with enjoyment.

  The music ended, and Preston clapped and entered the room. They both looked surprised and then bowed.

  “You guys are good. I never knew you liked to dance.”

  His mom nodded. “We haven’t done it in a while, but I’ve missed it.”

  “So have I,” his dad said, beaming down.

  Preston got the impression that they’d gotten a lot closer lately, and he liked that.

  “We’re rehearsing for the Idol contest,” she said.

  That surprised him almost as much as seeing them dancing.

  “And I think we can win. No one else is going to be doing the tango, far as I know.”

  Preston was pretty sure he was right. He couldn’t imagine what the audience would think when they saw them, and being a
teenager, he wondered whether he’d be embarrassed by their performance, but he told himself that them doing something together they enjoyed overrode any potential personal issues he might have. “Need your help with something. Do you know who Dr. Margaret Winthrop is?”

  “She’s your birth mother,” his pops said, looking a bit wary. “Where’d you get the name?”

  “My grandmother. There was an e-mail from her when I logged on just now. From the date, looks like she sent it right after she was kicked out of town.”

  His mom sighed angrily. “Why would she do that, knowing her daughter doesn’t want contact? That’s so cruel.”

  He thought so too, but then again, his grandmother had shown herself to be that way the day she visited. This was just another example. “Does she really work for NASA?”

  “Yes. She’s an astrophysicist.”

  His eyes widened.

  His mom searched his face with serious eyes. “Please don’t contact her, Preston. She doesn’t want it, and I don’t want you to be hurt, thinking you can change that.”

  Sadness rose inside to replace the elation. She was right, of course, but he wished she weren’t. “Is it okay if look her up on the Net? I just want to know what she looks like.”

  His father said, “Sure, no harm in that, and wanting to know is natural.”

  “Thanks.”

  With concern in her voice, his mom asked, “Are you okay?”

  “I guess, but like you said, sending me her name was real cruel.”

  They nodded understandingly.

  “I’m going over to Amari’s for about an hour for our Idol practice.”

  “How’s the James Brown revue going?”

  “Don’t ask. Amari thinks Devon’s insane, and I do too.” Preston wasn’t looking forward to the rehearsal or the competition. “Are you two still coming to watch the asteroid shower with our class in the morning?”

  “Wouldn’t miss it for the world. Thought we’d leave here around three thirty,” the colonel said.

  Everyone was meeting out at Tamar’s because there were fewer lights there than anywhere else, especially now that the solar lights were all over town. “I’m going to bed soon as I get back. See you later. I liked the dancing.”