A Timely Vision

I hugged him back fiercely. “I’ll never leave you. You know that. Me and you, right?”

“That’s right, Dae. I’ll never leave you either. But we could both do with some companionship from the opposite sex. This house was built for a big family. Don’t forget, I came from six brothers and two sisters. I think we could both meet special people, and we could all live here. Unless, of course, you’d rather live at the Blue Whale.”

I was totally amazed that he would even tease me about something like that. “You may think Kevin likes me that way, but believe me, he wants to be with Shayla.”

“Maybe for now. But I’m a good judge of people after being sheriff for so long. Kevin Brickman is looking for stability in his life. He’s not going to find that from Shayla.”

“Lucky there are plenty of other women in town.”

“Because you can do so much better?” He laughed. “Oh. That’s right. I forgot about Tim.”

I nudged him hard. “Despite what anyone thinks, Tim and I aren’t going to end up together.”

We heard the back door squeak open and both looked up at the porch. I was surprised to see Kevin’s tall, broad-shouldered form silhouetted against the lights from the house. “Dae? Chief Michaels is here with Agent Walker. They need to speak with you about Miss Mildred.”

Chapter 10

Kevin sounded so formal. I knew it wasn’t good news. I could imagine him, back in his FBI days, using the same tone to tell someone their child had been kidnapped or something of equal horror. I glanced at Gramps. He nodded as I headed inside.

The number of people in the house had doubled since I’d gone out back. But the chief and Agent Walker stood out in the otherwise casual crowd. The chief’s uniform looked a little wrinkled for him. Tough day, I guessed. Agent Walker was dressed in a dark suit and tie.

“Can we go in the next room and talk for a minute?” The chief raised his voice above the din.

“In here.” I led the way into the dining room and was glad to notice Kevin accompanying us. I figured it would be good to have someone there who wasn’t actively involved in what was going on. “What is it, Chief?”

He removed his uniform hat and spent a few seconds looking at the worn carpet before his eyes met mine. “Mayor, I thought you should know right away. They had to hospitalize Millie. She got crazy acting, then they found out she was dehydrated. The doctor said it seems like she hasn’t been eating. She’s still in police custody, you understand. But you could go visit her, if you like. I gave orders to the officer at the door that he was to let you in.”

A few moments passed in uncomfortable silence as I fought to get my emotions under control. When I could finally speak, I said, “Thank you, Chief. I’d like to see her. What will happen now?”

Before he could answer, Agent Walker replied, “She’ll be evaluated to see if she’s fit to stand trial. Many times in these circumstances, we realize the person who’s been charged with a crime isn’t able to face a judge in a courtroom. We aren’t without some semblance of mercy, Mayor O’Donnell, no matter what you think.”

“You mean she wouldn’t have to go to jail?” I felt a little ray of sunshine warm my heart.

“He means she’d be found guilty without a trial and sentenced to spend the rest of her life in an institution.” Kevin’s voice was dark when he spoke.

“Is that true?” I asked Chief Michaels.

“I’m afraid so.”

“No! That’s not fair! How much life do you think a ninety-two-year-old woman has left to live in the first place? Couldn’t you let her live out her life with one of those electronic bracelets on her ankle? Whatever she’s done, it may not be anything she’d do again.”

“If we could do something like that, Mayor, you know we would,” Agent Walker assured me. “But let’s not forget that the evidence appears to support the theory that Mildred Mason murdered her sister, then tried to hide the evidence. Would you want her to live out the rest of her life as though nothing happened? What about justice for Elizabeth Simpson?”

There was no good or easy answer for that. My heart told me that Miss Mildred was not dangerous and surely hadn’t killed her sister. The evidence seemed to be overwhelmingly against her, but it didn’t seem real to me.

“I’m sorry, Mayor.” The chief patted me awkwardly on the shoulder. “We’ll do the best we can for her.”

I felt numb. It was like watching this happen to someone in a dream. It couldn’t be happening in real life. Years of growing up and being reminded to watch my manners forced a smile on my lips. “I know you will. You’ll stay for supper, won’t you? Gramps has a bunch of food on the grill.”

The chief hitched up his pants and nodded. “You know, I’d like that. Where’s Horace?”

“He’s in back. Maybe you could help him bring all that food inside.”

Agent Walker opened the dining room door, the noise from the other rooms spilling in. “I’ll head on out and see you all tomorrow.”