Chapter87 More Questions – And Politics

Cindy gets up from the kitchen table, walks over to the back door, and stares out at the barn. "It doesn't make sense; if they were both buried under the barn, then how come only Mary stays out there? And, why take Davey's body all the way to Miller's Lake when they were already burying Chelsea and Mary here? And, the lake…why did Chelsea make references to the lake if she was buried under the barn?" The professor removes his glasses to clean and quips, "Well; is that all that's bothering you, Ms. Lidestrom?" Cindy's still staring out at the barn as she answers, "No; I'm still wondering why Chelsea appeared as a child when she's supposed to have been killed as an adult. And; what about the sudden appearance of Helene Steinman; and, this Brother Francisco Dominguez…why didn't we hear anything about him before? It just isn't adding up, Professor." "I'll tell you what I still don't get;" Beth joins in the discussion, "if it was his father who had Mary and Davey Howell killed …and, did all those terrible things to his own family…why did Senator Steinman have Delilah and the others killed to cover up his father's actions?" "Politics, Beth…plain and simple." Sheriff Faulkner answers, "He needed to keep the good ol' Steinman name squeaky clean; even if it meant committing murder to do it. But, the ol' bobcat's out of the bag now; so, there ain't much ol' Jackie boy and Dr. Bobby could do about it now…they're going down." "His brother was involved too?" Professor Rhyies inquires. "Yup;" Sheriff Faulkner tells him, "it was his brother who injected Ms. Delilah with the ricin." "But; I thought it was Gus and the others who killed her." Beth replies. The sheriff informs her, "No; those yellow-bellied pole cats kidnapped and brought her to him. Then, they buried her body out in the woods." "Then, Chelsea hid her until she was ready to leave her in the cellar for us to find." Beth adds. "Yup." Beth asks, "So; what now? What about Anna; how do we get my baby back?" "We wait for my Uncle Mike to get back." "And, where has your uncle gone off to now; Ms. Cindy?" "To visit Jessica Ultredge." "Jessica Ultredge? Wasn't she the one who was crippled after being hit by the mayor's son, Chas?" "That's right, Sheriff." "And; how pray tell is visiting with Ms. Ultredge going to help us, Ms. Cindy?" "Actually; he's going to talk with her grandmother, Ruby." "Well, I reckon you're going to tell me there's a point to him talking with Ms. Ruby?" "Yeah; Uncle Mike found out that her mother was a nurse at the asylum while Chelsea and Helene Steinman were committed there." As he pulls into their driveway, Deputy Hopkins starts to choke up; as he always does before facing the sight of a wheelchair bound Jessica. He takes a swallow, adjusts his sunglasses, and gets out of his patrol car. Before even starting to walk towards the porch, the front door opens, and Jessica Ultredge rolls out in her wheelchair. She looks at the deputy and gives him a big smile. He nods and smiles back at her. "Hi, Deputy Hopkins; long time no see." She rolls down the ramp, heading towards the deputy. The deputy leans against his patrol car, tucking his thumbs behind his gun belt, and sucks on his teeth. "Yeah; well I suppose it has been a while." Jessica smiles as she puts the deputy on the spot, reminding him, "Four months." He shakes his head while smiling back, "I know; I've been kind of busy with things. I know it isn't a good excuse; but, it's all I got." He shrugs his shoulders. The two look at each other; continuing to smile. He asks… "So; how've you been, Jessie?" "Good. As a matter of fact, I've been taking some courses on line; and, next fall I'll be going to Boston University for their forensic science program." The deputy enthusiastically replies, "Good for you! I'm glad to see you decided to head back to school. That's great! In fact, when we're done at the Lazinski's, maybe I'll bring my niece, Cindy, out here to meet you. She knows some of the staff at Boston University. Come to think of it; maybe I'll see about introducing you to Professor Rhyies too; he's with Boston University's psychology department…kind of." "What's kind of?" "Actually; he deals with paranormal psychology." "You mean like ghosts and stuff like that?" She innocently laughs; not meaning to demean his field. "Yeah; go figure. I didn't even think that had that area of study; but, I've recently come to the conclusion that there are some pretty psychologically messed up spirits out there in dire need of therapy." He pauses; then continues, "Anyway; I'm happy to see you going on with your life, Jessie. You'll do great there; I'm sure." "Thanks." Jessica momentarily looks down at her paralyzed legs, then, returns to looking at the deputy; still with a smile on her face. "I figured since I can't move around too well in an O.R., I could still work in a lab. And. I have to admit, you kind of got me interested in the law enforcement field with some of those stories you told me over the past seven years; so, why not get the best of both worlds and work on a forensics team in a crime lab?" The deputy smiles, letting out a short laugh while replying, "Why not." "Anyway;" she starts back to the house, "let's go inside, and I'll introduce you to Grandma Ruby." She playfully remarks sarcastically, "After all; she's the reason you came out to visit…right?" As she rolls away smiling, the deputy adjusts his hat as he follows her. "Now, that's not fair; that was definitely a low blow." Jessica laughs, "Yeah, you right…it was; wasn't it. Come on, Deputy; let's not keep Grams' waiting…she's anxious to meet you." "Well, if she's anything like her granddaughter, this ought to be interesting. I can hardly wait." He grabs the handles on her wheelchair and pushes her back up the ramp and into the house. When they enter the living room, the deputy is greeted by Jessica's parents; Tom and Marge. After they finish saying hello, Marge directs the deputy's attention to the petite, bluish silver-haired, sixty-eight-year-old woman sitting on the love seat. "Deputy Hopkins; I'd like to introduce you to my mother…Jessie's grandma… Mrs. Ruby Vanderkiln." The deputy walks over, takes her hand in both of his, and gently shakes it. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Vanderkiln."