Betrayal

This is a long story with a number of chapters; a product of too much unoccupied time during the great pandemic. It could go in any of several genres, but, due to length, it seems most appropriate here. The story takes place in Texas; we have our own language and our own ways of handling things, so be forewarned that it gets rough at times and violent at times. MS Word and I edited, so there is another warning.

Betrayal

The glowering nimbostratus clouds had overtaken the western horizon by the time the yellow dog school bus had made its way down the winding hill to the intersection of Texas 29 and US 281, which marked the halfway point of their trip. Thirty-six basketball players, three coaches, and three student trainers/statisticians were traveling northwest on a three-hour journey on winding roads through the Hill Country to play their final district game, with the outside possibility of the district championship on the line.

The Mustangs were in first place in a tough district with one loss, and Coach Tim Kelly's Cougars and the Bulldogs were tied for second place with two losses each. If the Mustangs won their game tonight, the outcome of the Cougars-Yellowjackets game would not factor into deciding the playoff team from the district.

However, if the Mustangs lost and the Cougars won, the Cougars and Mustangs would have a playoff game to decide the district winner. If the Yellowjackets won and the Mustangs lost, there would be a three-way tie and a coin flip to determine the district rep.

Both teams knew their odds of the Mustangs losing to the team in sixth place were slim, but they were determined to play the game, if possible. The 'if possible' disclaimer was because the Austin TV weathermen had spent the whole week forecasting that rarest of Central Texas weather events - the chance of frozen precipitation! In fact, they said it was POSSIBLE blizzard-like conditions could develop, but everyone scoffed; that (practically) NEVER happened.

The morning forecast said the frozen stuff would not begin in the western Hill Country, where they were headed, until after mid-night, so they were hurrying northwest to get the game in before it started.

If the bad weather arrived per the prediction, it would follow them home without causing icing problems for the bus. Still, weather forecasts involving a powerful Arctic blast meeting warmer, moist Texas air over the Balcones Uplift were tricky, and it had been nearly eight hours since Coach Kelly last heard a weather forecast.

When he called at noon, the Bulldogs' coach had informed him that there had been no change in the forecast, so the games were still on. So, here they were, driving toward a winter storm in a ten-year old school bus with a bad heater, trusting that the weather would hold until they got the games played and got home safely home, probably well after mid-night.

Coach Kelly parked the long bus beside a large convenience store, stood to face the kids, and gave them a cursory reminder about representing their school and families appropriately when in stores. He then told them that the impending bad weather would mean they would not have a chance to eat after the game, so grab some snacks now to tide them over, and eat a burger or something more substantial at the concession stand, after their team played.

The two assistant coaches went inside with the players to ensure proper conduct inside the store, or, actually, to assuage the fears of store personnel that they would be unruly shop lifters. Their well-raised country kids weren't going to do something like that, but it was good practice to keep the store owners and operators happy, so they 'stood guard' by the doors until all the kids were back on the bus.

Coach Kelly stood up, stretched, and walked around to get his circulation going before he drove the remaining ninety minutes to their destination. As he walked around the bus, he visually inspected the tires and looked for dripping fluids. It would not do to have a flat or a mechanical breakdown on this trip, which featured winding roads, steep grades, and narrow lanes with no shoulders to pull off on.

He turned to face their destination to the northwest, and his concern about the weather only increased: the clouds seemed to have gotten darker and closer in the few minutes since he stopped! The rapidity with which the darkening clouds were covering the western horizon caused him to seriously question the predicted timing of the winter storm's arrival.

He wished he had one of the new-fangled 'mobile phones' Martin Cooper had invented a few years before, but none of the telecommunication giants thought they would be profitable enough to begin setting up the expansive and expensive networks needed to make them more than a pipe dream. Tim disagreed, and knew he would buy stock in the first company that took a chance, but so far no one was willing to venture beyond discussion. Maybe he should invite those executives to ride along with him on some of these trips so they could better understand the need, at least out here in the boonies.

The players, trainers, and coaches were filtering back out of the store, so he hustled inside and used the restroom. On the way out, he stopped to tell the cashiers how much the team appreciated their hospitality, and was ardently thanked for the impeccable conduct of their courteous kids.

The store manager enthused, "It's always great when your buses stop here, Coach. You can tell the parents have raised these kids right, and you coaches make sure they represent your school properly!" Tim assured them the team would be stopping there again on the way home after the games, and he would pass along the compliments to the kids and parents.

Feeling buoyed, Coach Kelly walked jauntily out the doors, where he was confronted by a pair of uniformed Sheriff's deputies. Feeling the eyes of the thirty-nine youngsters and two coaches in the bus glued to him, he stopped and greeted the LEOs warmly.

The larger one spoke up, "Coach, we just got a call from your transportation director. The cold front is moving faster and is stronger than expected, so the games have been postponed. You are to return immediately, and make sure the kids all get with their parents safely. No one is saying it yet, but based on reports we are getting from law enforcement to the west, it will be bad storm, and it will get here around 10-11 pm, not 3 or 4 am. Best get moving, coach!"

"Can we follow you back to the Sheriff's office and use the phone to make a few calls so we won't be sitting there in the cold waiting for parents?" he asked. "We have a phone tree, so only one player from each team -- freshman, JV, and varsity - will need to call. It would be a huge help to us!"

The deputies replied that would be fine; in fact, it didn't matter how many calls were made -- just get all the kids home before the high winds, freezing rain, sleet, and snow hits in a few hours.

After the calls were made to parents to initiate the phone tree, Tim called the bus barn and told the transportation director they were headed back, and then thanked the deputies again.

There was a lot of nervous, excited chatter on the way back as the teenagers overcame the disappointment of not playing, began considering the possibilities if it snowed, and planned their activities for the unexpected Friday night without obligations.

Even though the phone tree worked, two girls and a boy needed rides to a new subdivision on Lake Travis because their parents were in Austin and would not be home until later. No one else was headed that way, so Tim loaded them in his double-cab pickup and made the forty-mile round trip.

While driving, he considered the effects the winter storm might have, including loss of electricity. There were no natural gas suppliers in his area of the county, so his home, like almost all homes in the school district, had electric heating. He needed to ensure he had plenty of firewood on the covered patio, and stack some beside the fireplace, just in case. He reminded his passengers to do the same before he dropped them off and turned back to his home.

It was nearly 8 pm when he pulled into the carport and the only lights were in the living room. That meant his two young sons were already in bed, and he and his gorgeous wife, Karen, would have a much-deserved opportunity to lie on the carpet in front of the fireplace and 'explore the bounds of our passion' as she euphemistically described their fuckfests.

They usually started their explorations on Saturday, after they had recovered a bit from the exhausting workweek of professional educators, but this was an unexpected and welcome early start. After the grind of football for three and a half months, and basketball games every Friday since football ended nearly three months ago, having a full weekend together sounded magnificent -- even if a blizzard howled around them!

They deserved this! Karen was an award-winning kindergarten teacher who individualized instruction to meet the needs of her young charges. Tim was the best science teacher in the district, as well as an assistant varsity football coach and the head basketball coach.

That they were dedicated to their students and their craft meant they were highly thought of by all the stakeholders and their peers, but that dedication came at the price of energy and time needed to keep their marriage strong during the workweek. Saturday and Sunday were 'family time' during the day, and the nights were 'us time'. Sometimes 'us time' included 'date night', but normally they enjoyed their family all day and each other's company and bodies all night, without leaving the home they loved.

After arriving home, Tim filled the wheelbarrow at the woodpile out along the fence line, added the Oak firewood to the neat stack along the wall under the covered patio, and kept adding until the pile was six feet high and eight feet long. Just for good measure, he brought a final load and parked the wheelbarrow and wood under the covered patio near the sliding glass doors.

Quietly entering the house through the laundry room, Tim hung his coat on the hook and crept stealthily through the kitchen toward the living room. He was hoping to surprise his darling wife -- all 5'3" and 120 well-distributed pounds of her -- while she was 'watching TV' in her favorite way: with her eyes closed, lightly snoring.

He was hoping there would be a sexy satin negligee under the warm throw he knew she would be cuddled under, rather than her favorite flannel jammies. Silk meant 'I'm horny', but flannel meant "I'm too tired!"

The blonde beauty sitting on the couch, however, was not his wife; it was their favorite babysitter, Sharon. She almost jumped out of her skin when he suddenly appeared in the living room. "Coach! What are you doing here? Don't you have a game somewhere far away?"

Tim was surprised, because Sharon had graduated early to begin college and he thought she was off in school somewhere. "Hi, Sharon. The game was postponed due to the approaching winter storm. We'll play a makeup game Tuesday, if needed; if not, the season is over.

Now, what are you doing here? Why aren't you at college, and where is Mrs. Kelly?"

Sharon looked dazed and confused. "I'm living at home and going to community college this semester to get more credits before I start at UT. It costs a lot less to get the required general courses out of the way before I begin taking courses in my major and minor

Mrs. Kelly went to your game... like she always does! I guess you didn't see her on the road. I hope they are all right; I don't think they knew there was bad weather..." Her voice trailed off as she read the consternation on Tim's face.

"Sharon, just to be clear: Karen and some others went to our game tonight; 'they' have been going to all our out-of-town games; and you have been babysitting for her? And who is 'they'?"

With sudden understanding in her eyes and horror marking her face, she clasped her mouth with her hand, and then answered, "Ohmygod! They haven't been going to your games? I...we've been... Ohmygod, coach, Ohmygod! You have to believe me: it never crossed my mind...Ohmygod! I'm so sorry! I should have known better! I'm so stupid!"

"Sharon, you certainly aren't stupid, and let's not jump to conclusions. Who is the 'they' that she's been going to the away games with?"

With eyes downcast, she mumbled, "Coach Rodgers is the one who has asked me to babysit; I don't know who asked the other girls. He told me it was easier for him to ask since your wife is on the elementary campus. The first time I babysat, it was just him and her going, and, given his reputation, I should have been suspicious and told you! It's just that you two always seem so happy that I just didn't suspect a thing! I'm sorry! I should have said something!"

"You said 'the first time,' Sharon. Who else has been involved?" "I've only been the sitter three times; two days right after Christmas when your team was playing in the holiday tournament, and tonight. The first night she left with Coach Rodgers; the next time they said they were going with Coach Slaughter and his wife; tonight, I didn't see anyone but Coach Rodgers, but Mrs. Kelly said they were picking up Coach Slaughter and his wife on the way.

Coach Slaughter even talked to me at Dairy Queen today. He told me that, being the AD, he needed to be there, and his wife liked for Mrs. Kelly to ride along, so I thought nothing of it!"

She paused, looked thoughtful, and continued. "There were other babysitters for other games, but Coach Rodgers asked us not to talk about it among ourselves because your wife didn't want anyone's feeling to get hurt because they didn't get called. Looking back, we should have been suspicious about that, if nothing else!"

"But you did talk among yourselves?" Tim asked.

"Yes. Since I graduated in December I don't see my friends and classmates as much, but we still meet up and talk every week or two. When we do, we can't help but talk about your little boys! They are so cute and sweet that we always tell stories about them to each other," Sharon responded.

"From those discussions, you learned that my wife was riding to all the out-of-town games with Rodgers and the Slaughters?" Tim clarified.

"Yes" Sharon answered.

Tim looked closely at Sharon, who appeared more and more embarrassed by the conversation, and asked, "When did he pick her up tonight?"

"He dropped me off at 4:00 and they left soon after," Sharon explained. "Mrs. Kelly had a casserole ready to put in the oven, and told me to feed the kids at 6. She said she wouldn't be back until around midnight, since the game is so far away."

Tim sighed. "Sharon, can you stay here until one of us returns? It may be that they didn't know it had been postponed and went on to the game, or maybe they found out before they left and stopped at Coach Slaughter's house for a drink. Or, maybe they stopped to eat somewhere -- there are too many possibilities!

I'm going to go look around for them before the bad weather hits. If she calls, please don't mention anything about the game being postponed or about seeing me, okay? Oh, and what was Coach Rodgers driving?"

She responded that she was booked until midnight so she was planning on staying, and told him they left in Coach Rodgers's pickup. "Where are you going to look? There are so many possibilities!"

"I don't have any idea where they may be, so I'm going to drive back to the high school and see whether Coach Slaughter's car is there so I'll know which vehicle I'm looking for, and then ride around and see if I can spot that vehicle. I'll also try to find out from the transportation director if they got the message about the game being cancelled. If they did, I won't worry about them being stranded on the road somewhere so I'll check homes, bars, and restaurants.

Whether or not I find them, Sharon, I promise I'll come back here and take care of you and the boys. I won't leave you to face the storm alone!"

She smiled at his promise, but then frowned: "What are you going to do if you do find them, Coach? Please don't lose your temper and do something that will get you in trouble! You are my favorite person in the whole world and I don't want you to get in trouble over something I helped cause!"

Tim assured her, "Sharon, you didn't help cause this, and don't worry; I just want to make sure they are all right. There may be a perfectly logical reason for all this, and I'll certainly want to give her a chance to explain, but I don't intend to harm anyone -- just talk."

She nodded; he asked her to go check on the boys, and to get the flashlights and lanterns out of the guest bedroom closet so they would be prepared if the bad weather moving in from the west causes power outages.

When she went down the hall and into a bedroom, he opened the coat closet by the door, opened the big gun safe, and took out a .44 special pistol, a 12-gauge pump shotgun, and an open-sight Model 94 Winchester 30-30. He took the guns to the truck, came back to grab his ammo bag, and donned a heavy parka he had bought for a hunting trip in the mountains of Colorado.

He built a nice-sized fire in the fireplace, lit the wood, and closed the screen.

Puling a wool cap over his head, he turned back to find Sharon standing behind him with a flashlight. He told her "Maybe you should get in our bed, cover up, and rest, just in case we are up late tonight. That way you will be next to the boys' room, should they wake up and need something.

Keep the phone beside you, keep the fire going, and if anyone calls, act as if nothing unusual has happened. I'll be back soon!"

She put her hand on his arm, trained those big blue eyes on him, and told him again to be careful. She turned and went down the hall to the bedrooms.

He picked up his 35mm camera and a couple of rolls of 800-speed film, and hurried to the truck. Even with the carport shielding him from the biting wind, it was bitterly cold, and the main force of the front was still miles away!

Using the dim light shining through the kitchen window, he belted the pistol on, pulled the plug out of the shotgun and loaded it with seven shells. After making sure the rifle was fully loaded, he stepped up and into the 4x4 pickup.

When he looked back at the house, Sharon was standing in the open door, the cold wind swirling around and tousling her natural light-blonde hair. She looked worried, and neither the shorts nor the light hooded sweatshirt she was wearing were appropriate for the inclement weather approaching. He promised himself that he needed to get her home as soon as his business was done.

***

The road to the lakeside ranch John William (JW) Rodgers inherited from his grandmother was unpaved, narrow, winding, and wash boarded; so, in spite of his anger, anxiety, and impatience, Tim had to drive slowly. The Austin radio station was making a big deal about the arriving winter storm, which had already dropped record amounts of freezing rain, sleet, and snow in the Concho Valley, the Big Country, and the western Hill Country.

The announcer stridently warned that the storm was rapidly worsening, dumping heavier amounts of freezing precipitation as the arctic air collided with the warm moist air above the Balcones Escarpment. He repeated a warning from Austin Electric and PEC that listeners should make preparations in the event they lose electrical power while the storm rages, but fully staffed crews would be working all night to restore power as soon as possible when an outage occurs.

The warnings renewed Tim's vow to get back to Sharon and his sons quickly. He carefully reviewed and reconsidered his plan. He couldn't leave them alone all night without light or heat, so he had to get this right. He had four questions to answer: who was she with; what were they doing; how long had this been going on; and why? Even if he had to use force, or the threat of his guns, he WOULD get his answers!