Night Walker's Woman Ch. 13

Rex ran his trembling fingers through his hair. His head throbbed. Not from any physical ailment, but from the bombardment of her thoughts and feelings. He was glad that her mental walls had dropped, but the recriminations and self-doubts were almost more than he could stand. He needed to go to her. To hold her and reassure her that none of this was her fault. That there was no way that she could have or should have known who or what her ex-husband was.

Instead, he was stuck here in the tiny waiting room of the local sheriff's office. Thankfully, it was not the original one that had been turned into a tourist trap. Still, the modern version which was tucked in the small lot behind it was not that much bigger. It did not need to be. The biggest crime to hit Comfort was usually a couple of drunks mashing up the local bar on a Friday night.

The sheriff here was decidedly unprepared for a suicide. Though Andrew Kerr had made the whole process worse by insisting that it be thoroughly investigated as a murder, that had meant a few statements taken on Grandfather's ranch was not sufficient. All of them had been drug down here and questioned individually. Only Guadalupe had been allowed to remain to care for the child.

He looked at the clock on the wall, eight forty-seven. They had been here for over six hours. He had been interviewed a couple of hours ago but refused to leave without Jaycee. The others had all given sworn statements and left one by one. They must have been quite a sight driving through town like a funeral procession. Kerr in the Sebida county sheriff's car had led the way, each of them had followed in their vehicles since there was not enough room in the sheriff's car for all of them.

No, Jaycee alone had been subjected to that humiliation. At least Sherriff Todd had not given into Kerr's assertion that she be handcuffed and read her rights. It had been traumatic enough for Angel to have her mother torn from her after...

He shook his head and sighed. This was not how he had wanted things to end. Had it even ended? Would it ever? He had so much work to do with his mate and their daughter. He had not even been allowed to phone the ranch to check on the little girl until after he was interviewed. Even then, he had used the phone at the station. His cell phone would not be returned to him until he left the building.

Thanks to Kerr's allegations, this investigation was being taken much more seriously than suicide normally would. Not that the sheriff here in Comfort believed that it was murder. At least not by the time he got around to interviewing Rex. With matching statements from Grandfather, Mitch Taylor, both the Marshalls, Hector, and Tim Masters, Kerr was the lone dissenter. Todd just wanted to make absolutely sure that the investigation was so thorough and unbiased that the other man had no grounds for complaint.

Rex chuckled; the look on Kerr's face had been priceless when they had arrived. He had attempted to push his way into the lone interrogation room in the back. Todd had stood toe-to-toe with the man, reminding him that in this county, he was nothing more than a witness like all the others. Rex could tell from the look on Kerr's face that he meant to argue the point, but the other man preempted it by suggesting he wait with the others in the reception area -- make sure no one had the opportunity to get their stories straight.

Sherriff Todd had interviewed Tybor Marshall first. He could see that the man was not well, even before Mitch Taylor had intervened. The attorney had demanded to be allowed into the room with his client, but Sherriff Todd had pointed out the conflict of interest since he, too, was a witness. Marshall waved the man's concern's aside and disappeared into the back with Todd.

Rex had wanted and needed to wrap Jaycee in his arms to comfort her, but Kerr had preempted even that, demanding that they all sat apart in silence until it was their turn. Marshall had not been in the interview room for more than half an hour before the visibly weakened man emerged. Sherriff Todd had interviewed Mitch Taylor next so that he could get the elderly man out of there. His interview, too, had not lasted much more than half an hour. It was a pattern that was to continue with the younger Marshall, Tim Masters, and Hector.

Kerr would have been next, but he insisted that Grandfather be interviewed before him. That left just the three of them sitting in the waiting area. Kerr was pacing back and forth like a soldier on guard. But Rex was more concerned about Jaycee, who sat curled into a ball in the chair across the room from him. She rocked back and forth with tears streaming down her cheeks. He had tried to reassure her then, but she gave no response to his gently whispered words in her mind.

When Grandfather emerged from the interrogation room over an hour later, she had begged Sherriff Todd to let her call the ranch and check on her daughter. Rex could see that the man would have agreed, but Kerr was not having it. Todd had smiled and nodded, then demanded that Kerr was next to be interviewed. The man shook his head, saying that the two suspects should not be left alone to get their stories straight. Todd had pointed to a camera in the corner that he had not noticed and assured him that was not a concern. The man had practically dragged Kerr to the back.

Jaycee had flung herself at Grandfather, begging and pleading with him to take care of Angel. Other than her self-recriminations, her daughter had been her only thoughts. It was not merely the seizures, that was worry enough for any mother. But the little girl had been witness to her father's suicide. Hell, Kerr was demanding that the child be interviewed too. But so far, at least Todd had been able to put that one off, insisting that specialist interviewers from Austin and Texas Rangers be called in for that.

Kerr had been in the interview room far longer than any of the others, over an hour, closer to two. When he emerged, he had gone to take a seat across from Jaycee. But Todd had been adamant that he was free to go. When Kerr protested, Todd had taken both of them to the back, leaving the other man alone.

Rex wanted to protest when Todd had led them to the empty cells; there were just two. He wanted the sheriff to interview Jaycee first while he waited in the cell. If Kerr came back here, well, his fist might still be a bit sore, but he could handle himself.

"I'm sorry, son. But the little lady needs to be interviewed last." Todd had closed the solid metal door to the reception room. The click of its lock held such finality.

Jaycee had roused herself enough to give the man a weak smile, "It's fine. May I lay down on the bed?"

The man nodded, "I've ordered a couple of burgers from the local dinner. I figure you ain't eat much today."

She nodded and smiled, "It's my daughter that I'm worried about."

"I called the ranch and spoke with that nice lady caring for your little girl. I ain't gonna lie to you; your daughter is mighty upset. How could she not be? But the woman said to tell you she has not had any more seizures."

Jaycee practical collapsed onto the small cot in the corner then, "Thank you."

He took a step to go to her, but the sheriff put his hand out to stop him, "I need to read you your rights, son."

Rex's heart had accelerated at the man's words. The words 'why' on his lips as a smile broke across the older man's face, "It must have felt damned good to hit that bastard. I'm sure it was self-defense, right?"

He had drawn him out of the room and down the hall. That was almost four hours ago. Jaycee had been in that room for over two hours now. What could she possibly tell the man? He ran his hands through his hair again as he shut his eyes and sought the calm that had eluded him since the moment Angel's seizure began.

Rex felt a firm hand grip his shoulder. He opened his eyes and looked up, expecting to see Sherriff Todd, but it was not the older man. "Ryan, what are you doing here?"

***

Ryan Ranger studied his cousin, "You look like shit."

The man only shook his head, "What are you doing here, Ryan? Why would your employers care about a simple suicide? I'm assuming you did not rush half-way across the country because Grandfather called you."

He chuckled, "No. How is the old man anyway?"

"Until this started, he's been fine. He's taken Jaycee's little girl under his wing the way he did us and Jack. You know how much having an apt pupil revitalizes the old man. But you still have not answered my question. What does the US government care about the suicide of one lawyer?"

Ryan was aware of the security camera in the corner of the room. While he was authorized to share certain facts with the sheriff, he did not want those on record. "Let's get your mate out of here, and we'll talk on the way back to the ranch."

He could see that his cousin wanted to argue with him, but he figured the man had enough on his plate right now. He knew how long Rex had been waiting for his mate, and just what that meant to his cousin.

They were related on their father's side, and he had none of the Native American blood, which had embued Rex with his gifts. Though he had joined his cousin and Jack, Grandfather's great-nephew, on the ranch for more than one summer. He had known about his cousin's other since they were just teens.

He turned and looked directly into the camera. Taking his badge from the pocket of his suit jacket, he held it up to the device. "I'd like to talk to you."

It took the sheriff, an older man who had held the job for close to four decades only a moment to come out from behind that closed steel door, "What can I do for you?"

"If you're done with the woman, I have a few questions I'd like to ask her."

The older man shook his head, "I'm sorry, but that little lady has had about all she can handle for one day. I know you play for the big boys but have some compassion. The woman watched her ex-husband jump off a cliff. She ain't seen her sick child in hours. She's hardly eaten. And she's been accused of having something to do with the man's death."

Ryan frowned, "Why would anyone think that this was anything more than suicide? Who accused her?"

"One Sherriff Andrew Kerr of the noble Sebida County, Texas."

Ryan sighed, that name too rang a bell. Though much lower down on his food chain, he knew that the sheriff also was under federal investigation. "And do you have any reason to believe that the man's accusations are legitimate?"

"None whatsoever. But I had to go all out on this one. Dot every I and cross every T. I don't want this hanging over anyone's head for years to come."

"And are you satisfied? That it was a suicide? Is your investigation complete?"

"Mostly. I still need to interview the little girl. But that can wait. I need to consult with some experts before I put a sick kid through reliving her father's death to satisfy some aaa..."

"An asshole?" Ryan smiled, liking this man more by the minute.

Sheriff Todd only smiled, "Your words, not mine."

"Noted," Ryan nodded at the camera. "But back to my question. Is there any legitimate reason why you cannot release Jaycee Riley into my custody?"

He caught sight of his cousin rising from where he sat on the hard wooden bench, but held up his hand. "You're not taking Jaycee anywhere," his cousin protested. "The only place my mate is going is home. Back to Grandfather's ranch so she can rest, eat, and see her daughter."

Ryan nodded, "I have no objection to that. But I do need to question her."

"Why? Why does the US government need to talk to my mate?"

Ryan turned to Sherriff Todd, "Would you mind bringing Ms. Riley out, please? I'll sign whatever release you need."

The man shook his head, "No, I have finished with the woman anyway. She's free to go."

"But that does not mean she's going with you, cousin," Rex confronted him.

Before he could respond, though, a tiny slip of a woman emerged from the back with the sheriff. She was incredibly pale with dark circles under her eyes. Ryan could see she practically trembled. His cousin rushed to her, wrapping her in his arms, placing his body like a shield between them.

"Thank you, Sherriff Todd. I'll see that Mister Ranger and Ms. Riley make it back to the ranch," he dismissed the man.

His cousin turned, the woman still silent in his arms, "We're not going anywhere with you, Ryan."

He held up his hands, "Listen, Rex. It would be half an hour at least before Grandfather could come and pick you both up. He'd need to leave that little girl alone or bring her out to do that. Just let me give you a lift back to the ranch. I'll explain on the way."

He turned his attention to the woman, "Please, just a few more questions?"

She shook her head, "I don't see what I could possibly tell you or why you even care." She turned her eyes up to his cousin, "I just want to get back to Angel as soon as possible, Rex."

His cousin nodded and with a protective arm about the woman followed him out the door.

***

Jaycee opened the door of the nondescript black rental car. Her feet hit the ground running and she across the yard and up the porch steps before it even came to a full stop. She opened the front door and raced down the hallway to the bedroom that had become her daughter's. Her hand was on the doorknob when it opened.

Raymond Greywolf stood in the doorway, blocking her path to her child. He raised his finger to his lips to quiet her as she looked over his shoulder to examine her sleeping daughter. Angel was incredibly pale and still, but she could see and count each gentle rise and fall of the child's chest.

The old man stepped into the hallway, pushing her back a bit as he pulled the door closed behind him. "I know that you want to go to her, my daughter, but your anxiety and exhaustion beat at even this old man's trained mind. It took me and Guadalupe hours to calm her. She has just drifted off to sleep. Please, I beg you, let Angel rest."

His words were such a rebuke that they cut Jaycee to the core. She would have collapsed then except for the strong arms that scoped her up and carried her into the bedroom across from her daughter's. The bedroom that she had shared with this man for weeks.

Rex laid her gently on the bed. She was too tired and confused to argue as he began to strip her clothes from her body. When she was naked, he stripped off his own clothes and climbed into the bed next to her. She knew that she should give some protest when those strong arms reached for her, wrapping about her shoulders and drawing her closer into his embrace. But she just could not find the energy to argue with him.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow would be soon enough. She would answer whatever questions the other man had. Then she would pack their things and leave. One thing that Sean Riley had reminded her of was that fairytales were not for people like her.

She felt the brush of his soft lips on her forehead, "Yes, tomorrow, we will face it all. Together, Nʉ Sʉmʉ."

***

Jaycee had no idea what time it was as she stretched in the bed. She was alone, and the light was streaming through the closed curtains. She rolled over and reached for her dusty jeans on the floor next to the bed. "That can't be right?" She mumbled as she looked at the time on her cellphone.

"Yes, it is almost two p.m., Nʉ Sʉmʉ," Rex's broad shoulders filled the doorway. "Here, I thought you could use this," he held out a steaming cup.

Jaycee's fingers trembled as she took the cup of coffee. It smelled like a small piece of heaven as she brought it to her lips. It was scalding hot, but she did not care. The flavor and burn reminded her that she was still alive. Though some part of her felt numb, dead.

He sat on the bed next to her. She could not bring herself to look at him. To see the disappointment and recriminations in his eyes. You could not live with someone for over a decade and not know. Not unless you were as stupid as Sean Riley accused her of being.

"You are not stupid, Nʉ Sʉmʉ. Someone, a creature, like Sean Riley, a skinwalker who chooses to give up his soul, to become a monster like that Chupacabra, they are expert liars."

She shook her head, lying was one thing, but how could she have lived and worked with the man all those years and never known?

Yes, she had come to see the man as less than perfect. Her idolization of the great civil rights attorney had not withstood the first year of marriage. It was an act. Sean Riley cared less about rights and principles, and more about power, money, and fame. She had known that.

She had been disgusted by his sexual mind games. Not that she condemned those who did such things, but it was the way that Sean had bullied and demeaned her. And the others. No, there had been plenty of signs. If she had wanted to see them.

Rex brushed a stray strand of hair back from her forehead, "And you did, Nʉ Sʉmʉ. That's why you took Angel and left the man. But you had no way of knowing what he truly was."

Jaycee discovered that she was still too tired to argue. But she knew the truth. Sean had simply reminded her of it. At the very least, she should have gone to someone with her suspicions when she learned of Sunshine. "Is your cousin still here? Does he still want to speak to me?"

Rex nodded, "Yeah, Ryan ain't going nowhere until he interviews you. But first, you need to eat something. Guadalupe has made a big pot of her mole. Then, I think you and Angel both need some time to talk. Ryan can wait."

She nodded, "I need a shower first, though."

She could feel that Rex wanted to argue with her, but thankfully he recognized that she was just too mentally exhausted. He kissed her forehead, "We're in the kitchen when you're done. And Jaycee, remember one thing -- I love you. We will get through this together. As a family."

Tears welled in her eyes as she watched him get up and close the door behind himself. If only she could believe that.

***

The shower revived Jaycee enough to face the day to come. Or so she had thought until she stood in the doorway of the kitchen. Guadalupe was stirring the pot on the stove. Rex, Hector, and his cousin seemed to be engaged in some serious discussion in the corner of the room.

But it was the way that her daughter's dark head was bent so close to the grey one. Her tiny hand covered the rough, gnarled one on the table. How could she have thought it would be as simple as packing their things and leaving?

She studied the child carefully. Though there were still dark circles beneath her eyes and she was paler than usual, a slight smile curled the corners of Angel's mouth as her head bent over some book that lay on the table in front of Grandfather.

As if the man heard her, and perhaps he had, Raymond Greywolf looked up at her, "Glad that you could join us, my daughter."

"Mommy, Mommy," Angel chorused as the chair she had been sitting in toppled to the floor, and her daughter rushed to her, wrapping her little arms tightly about Jaycee's legs.

For the first time since she watched ex-husband sail over the edge of that cliff, Jaycee felt something other than numb. She fought back the tears that welled in her eyes, and she squeezed her daughter's shoulders, perhaps a bit too tightly.

Angel looked up at her with those dark eyes that reminded her of Sean, but they had always held far more light and laughter, even during the worst. And this moment might qualify as that. She felt her throat tighten. What did you say to your child? The child who only the day before had watched her father throw himself from a cliff?

"It's okay, Mommy. It's going to all be okay. Grandfather said so. He says that we all have choices to make. That each of us is re-spoon-sible for our own Fate. No one can make those choices for us. Not even Mommys," she beamed up at her mother as she squeezed her legs even tighter.