CHAPTER 20

"Are you returning tomorrow?" Alice questioned as they removed the trundle bed.

"I have my court appearance in the morning, and yes, I intend to return home thereafter." Charlotte threw back the sheet and slipped into the bed.

After turning out the light, Alice ascended onto the higher bed. "Where do you live?"

"Austin."

"My mommy and daddy used to live there."

"Oh." Charlotte didn't know that.

"My Daddy brought me here to Horseshoe because my mommy died there."

Alice definitely wanted to talk, but Charlotte was at a loss for words. "How old were you?"

"I don't know."

The hint of sadness in the small voice was probably shadowed by things she didn't understand. Charlotte considered bringing up the gender issue once more, but she decided against it as it was none of her business. She would be gone after tomorrow, and Alice would only exist in memory. She was surprised that she wanted Alice to remember her the same way.

"I hate to go with you disliking me." she said

"You're not too bad, I guess. Dolittle likes you."

The dog barked.

"Good night, Charlotte." Alice said.

Charlotte swallowed. "Night, Alice. And Dolittle."

The dog once more howled as his name was mentioned.

"Shh," Alice scolded him. "You'll wake Grandma."

"I think Grandma's in Elvisland and unreachable." Charlotte snuggled into her pillow.

"Yeah," Alice murmured sleepily. "She goes there a lot."

The woman could only deal with her sadness in this way. Charlotte was fully aware of that. She, on the other hand, had been using destructive behaviour to deal with hers. The thought was not comforting.

She tried to fall asleep but couldn't. Deciding she wanted a glass of milk, she got up and squeaked out of the room. Dolittle whined, but didn't bark. Alice remained still.

On her way to the kitchen, she heard the TV click off, so she went into the living room. Hae sat in her recliner in her night-gown, an empty bowl of popcorn on her lap. "Oh, hon, do you need anything?" she asked when she saw Charlotte.

She relaxedly sat down on the mat in front of Haetel. "No, I'm just a little bit nervous about tomorrow."

"That's the Way It Is," Mae answered with the title of an Elvis album, and then added,"Don't worry about it. It'll work out perfectly, I have no doubt."

Charlotte didn't want to say that Hae's son would have her jailed for months if it was left up to him. She cast a quick glance at all the family portraits in the room. There were numerous photographs of John, his wife, and Alice, some dating back to the day he was born. Charlotte was interested in the pretty blonde.

"May I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"What happened to John's wife?"

Charlotte observed that Haetel shifted uneasily and that she was having difficulty talking about the subject.

"That's okay," she swiftly replied. "I just wanted to know."

"Oh, hon, around here we never talk about Johnny or Sarah, and maybe we should. Then maybe the pain wouldn't be so bad. But we Starks have a hard time opening up."

"A lot of people are like that." Her father had been. He had suppressed his emotions, much to Charlotte's mother's irritation.

"Sarah was killed in the line of duty." Hae said unexpectedly.

"So she was a cop, too?"

"Yes." She worked as a police officer in Austin with John. John had already been made detective, and Sarah was applying when she became pregnant." Haetel reclined in her chair. "Those two had been best friends since first grade. Sarah's parents divorced when she was in high school, and John supported her. After that, their connection developed into something more, and I began to worry—as do many mothers—about an unwanted pregnancy. However, John and Sarah were always extremely responsible and committed to a career in law enforcement."

Haetel placed her bowl of popcorn on the ground. "But I do believe Alice was a surprise. I never saw two more excited people, though. Sarah worked right up until Alice was born and then took three months off. I was there for the birth, but I came home soon after because I knew they wanted to take care of the baby themselves."

"It seems like they were deeply in love."

"Oh, absolutely, I'm worried that my son will never love again. He's the type of man who only loves once that deeply."

"Does he date?" Charlotte wanted to snatch the question back, but Hae didn't seem to mind her nosiness.

"Not that I'm aware of. His life right now is Alice and his job.

Charlotte drew a breath and dared to continue, because she was curious. "Was Sarah shot?"

"Oh, no. Sarah was off duty, but there was a big wreck on the freeway and she was called in to help with the congested traffic. She was directing cars, trying to get them around the wreck as safely as she could when a teenager in a sports car got tired of the long wait. His girlfriend was waiting and he decided he had to go. He tore around the long line of cars on the wrong side. Sarah held up her hand to stop him, but he...he hit her. He said he didn't see her, but she had on one of those colored police vests. She died instantly, they said."

'Ohmygod! Ohmygod!'

The intense ache of realization, of truth and devastation, paralyzed Charlotte as she sat there. She was just like that teenager, thinking only of herself and her need to get to Dallas. She had never even seen the woman she'd almost hit. She hadn't seen a lot of things.

But the sheriff had.

Her flagrant disregard of the law must have reminded him of how Sarah had died. Given the situation, he was quite polite to her because he was a lawman and held the law in high regard.

She swallowed hard. "Whatever happened to the teenager?"

"Never spent a day in jail." Haetel clicked her tongue. "As John put it, his family was wealthy and hired big-gun lawyers to get the teenager out, and they succeeded. He got a ten-year suspended sentence for involuntary manslaughter. The police community was not happy, so his dad moved him to California to continue his education."

'Justice had taken another back seat.' Money and power did that---just as it would tomorrow.

Charlotte got up from the floor. "I appreciate you telling me. It wasn't easy, I know."

"I know you believe my son to be difficult, but he is not. You just have

to see him with Alice to know he isn't. You've realized that, haven't you?"

Charlotte shoved her hands through her hair. "Yes, and now I understand why he's such a stickler for the law."

"He's always been that way"

"My brother is going to get my charges dropped." She wasn't sure why she was telling Hae that. Maybe she had to hear it out loud.

"I'm sure you'll do the right thing?"

Charlotte laughed nervously. "I'm not known for that?"

"People change."

Did they? She really wanted to believe it was possible.

"I... I want to thank you for allowing me to stay here, especially with my attitude."

"You're welcome, hon."

She turned towards Alice's room because she was no longer interested in milk. And then she halted. "Happy birthday to Johnny, and may Elvis's music continue to bring you comfort."

Hae lifted an eyebrow. "So you don't think I'm a nutcase? That I live in 'Cotton Candy Land'"

"No, far from it."

Hae pushed the handle on the recliner to a sitting position.

"There's hope for you, Charlotte Lily. 'Catchin' on Fast."

"Thank you." Haetel's obsession with Elvis tunes made Charlotte grin. She trudged to her bed on wobbly feet, but sleep was a gift for those who were at peace with themselves. She was a long way from having any inner serenity.

'When are you going to take responsibility for your actions?'

Perhaps sooner than she had ever anticipated.