Background
In the last chapter, Jeremy talks himself into being a better man. Going after, Mary he finds himself in a horrific car accident, Mary was killer. The Sheriff and crew finds the scene a mystery.
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Sam bolts from his slumber gasping for air, startling his wife.
"What's wrong Sam?"
"I don't know Doris." Sam trembled.
"What do you mean, you don't know?" taking hold of his hand. "I'm worried Sam, I can't remember the last time you called me Doris... You dream about the boys again?"
"I'd rather not speak of it, mama."
His feet firmly on the floor, he stood up.
"Where are you going, Honey?"
Sam ignored her and began walking towards the kitchen, grasping the coffee pot, placing it on the stove.
"Samuel Nathan Sims, just what may I ask do you think you're doing?" she spoke, placing both hands on her hips. "It's 1:55 in the morning, what has you brewing coffee at this ungodly hour?"
"Where's Mary?" he mumbled. "Where's my baby girl?" while looking back at the stove, checking to see if he'd lit the burner. "Not like her to be out this late without calling."
"Now Sam, you know that girls got it bad for that Lacey boy. They're probably just sitting on his Daddy's front porch swing making eyes at one another!"
"Yea I suppose, mama."
The sound of car doors shutting brings a smile to Doris' face.
"Looks like that Lacey boy done brought your baby girl home, now maybe you can turn that old coffee pot off." she said, running her hand across his back.
"Oh, my." She jumps at the sound of knocking at the front door.
"Baby, you want to get the door?" she says, laughing.
He turns, walks out of the kitchen and into the living room. He stops mid-step as two men's shadows come into view. Quickly turning his head towards the living room window, he could see both the Sheriff and deputies squad cars.
"Doris." he grunted, his knees becoming weak.
"You better get in here, the Sheriff's at the door."
She races past Sam scolding him for not answering the door. She reaches for the doorknob. Doris finds herself reluctant to open it remembering the last time the Sheriff came to her door.
"Sheriff," she politely nods as the front door swings inward. "Deputy."
"May we come in Mrs. Sims?" Lloyd asks removing his hat.
"Oh, where are my manners? Of course, and please call me Doris." stepping aside allowing them to enter.
"I have to tell you, Sheriff, I'm just terrified at the thought of what brought you boys to my front door at this ungodly hour."
Sam's knees buckled, his legs slip out from under him making an awful noise as he crashes to the floor.
"Sam." she cries as she rushes to his aid, placing her hand beneath his head, kissing his cheek.
"Sheriff, you come here to tell us something about our baby girl?" her lips are quivering. Lloyd is lowering his hat to mid waist, clutching it tightly.
"Yes, ma'am," Lloyd spoke, fighting the tears back.
Deputy Stevens began walking away.
"I can't do this sheriff," he yells back as he bows his head. "I am very sorry Mr. and Mrs. Sims," Jesse's voice trembling. "I truly am."
"Well, Sheriff." Doris bravely said as her husband lay broken on the floor.
Lloyd draws a deep breath, his hands crushing his hat.
"There's been an accident."
"Accident?"
"Yes Ma'am," lifting his head. "I'm afraid Mary didn't survive." He said, choking on his words.
"Oh God!" Sam is screaming from the floor. "Oh God no, not my baby girl."
Doris, ignoring her husband's cries, raises her head and looks straight at Lloyd.
"That Lacey boy involved?" her hands are now trembling. "Was he drinking, Lloyd?"
"I'll kill that son of a bitch," Sam spoke, scrambling to his feet. "I will kill that boy as sure as I'm standing here. You hear me, Sheriff?" shaking his index finger at Lloyd.
"Sam, please? We are investigating her death." Lloyd is easing towards the couple. "We're not sure exactly what's happened as of yet."
"What do you mean?" Doris asked, regaining her composure.
"I mean it appears he may have struck her with his truck."
"Oh my God," Doris interrupts, clutching Sam's arm.
"Are you telling me he ran her down?" she says, removing her hands from her husband's arm. "God knows I can handle an accident, Lloyd, but not murder."
"He's as good as dead." Sam's voice heavy with conviction.
Lloyd is shifting his eyes towards the irrational father. Sam's holding his 20 gauge Remington shotgun, stuffing it full of shells.
"Think about what you're doing Sam."
"Oh, I know what I'm doing, Sheriff," locking eyes with Lloyd. "I'm thinking clear as a bell."
"Jesse, you get over here." Lloyd's eyes still focusing on Sam.
"Now boy!"
Jesse's adrenaline spikes and he's quickly at Lloyd's side.
"What do you need me to do?"
Lloyd shifts his eyes from Sam to Jesse.
"You stay with Doris," Sam, taking advantage of the situation begins running towards the back door. "I'll go after Sam."
"Just let him go, sheriff." Doris, shuffling side to side, trying to get around Jesse.
"Let him go, Sheriff!" she screams.
In an instant Sam takes a dive, sliding across the gravel driveway slamming into the side of his pickup.
"Holy Hell," he says as he notices blood flowing from his skinned forearms.
The shotgun bounces into the bushes nearby and fires. Half the pellets strike Sam in the left arm, waist, and leg, while the other half spray bed of his truck. His screams tear through the night air.
'Let me go." Doris said breaking free from Jesse.
"Sam," she squeals as she runs to his side. "You old fool, you better keep yourself breathing, I can't deal with you leaving me too."
The pain is too much for Sam; he slips out of consciousness.
Jesse radios for an ambulance then calls the hospital, immediately thinking they need to post a guard at Jeremy's door.
"How are we going to contain this mess, Lloyd?"
Lloyd places his hand on Jesse's shoulder.
"I need you to follow Sam and Doris to the hospital; we need you to make sure everything remains copasetic."
"Where are you going Sheriff?"
"Back to the office, I need to tie up some loose ends."
Lloyd opens the door to his cruiser, looking back watching as they close the ambulance door.
"This is going to be one hell of a long night." He mumbles.
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While driving down Highway 59, Lloyds wrestles with all of the possibilities this case presents, the envelope lying next to him catches his eye. Curiosity got the better of him, "What do you have to say to Mary," he thought while pulling onto the road's shoulder.
Grabbing a pair of latex gloves his thoughts ran wild. "What am I going to find in here?" He secures the gloves then removes the envelope from the evidence bag. Lloyd breaks the seal and reveals its contents.
He reaches inside and removes a folded piece of parchment; it appeared to be old, supporting a strange form of calligraphy. He fumbles above him and presses the button; the light reveals the scripture.
This morning as I awoke.
I became sorely nauseated at the fact that I was still capable of drawing a proper breath.
I made no attempt towards the bathroom.
Instead, I emptied my sour gut into the pale next to my bed.
Last night again I prayed for death.
Mary was my release.
"What the hell... is this murder? Jeremy Wayne Lacey, you son of a bitch."
Lloyd immediately pulls back onto the freeway and began to speed towards the hospital.
"Holy shit," grabbing his cell, he calls Jesse. "come on Jesse, answer the damn phone."
The phone continued ringing. Now angry, Lloyd throws the phone into the floorboard.
"Dammit!"
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The ambulance arrives at Wharton County General Hospital at approximately 2:58 AM. Jesse pulls in next to the ambulance. He jumps out of his car and heads into the emergency room. Rushing over to the receptionist, (a healthy senior woman) he quickly asks.
"Jeremy Wayne Lacey, is there security for Jeremy Wayne Lacey?"
Without looking up, she gives him the thumbs up.
"Thank you, ma'am," Jesse says with a tip of the hat and moves steadfastly towards Jeremy's room. He approaches the guards and whispers. "Keep a close eye on him, his girlfriend's parents have just arrived and are apparently dangerous."
The paramedics unloaded Sam as Doris cries hysterically at his side. They wheel him through the emergency room door making it known they have a gunshot victim. A medical team quickly assembles, and they shuffle him off to the back.
The nurse asks Mrs. Sims to follow her; she needs her to fill out some paperwork.
"But," she said holding her hand in her husband's direction. "I, ah."
"It'll only take a minute, Ma'am," she smiles. "he's in great hands."
"I know," she says. "but we just lost our only daughter, and I don't want him to be alone." She finds herself pleading with her eyes.
"Okay, ma'am," she nods. "I'll be here when you get back."
"Thank you." she says and rushes to catch up with Sam.
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Nearly twenty minutes later, Lloyd arrives at the Hospital. He sees the illuminating screen on his phone blinking in the floorboard. He knew it was Jesse from the ringtone.
He fumbles with the seat belt then rapidly retrieves the phone.
"Hello, You there Jesse?"
"Yes sir, you called?"
"Yeah, we have a huge problem!"
"I'll say. Mary's parents just arrived, and everyone's on edge."
"It seems we might have a murder on our hands." Lloyd broke the news.
" Murder?"
"Yes sir, I will fill you in soon, meet me outside of Jeremy's room, I am on my way in." Lloyd hit the end button and asks the receptionist where he might find Jeremy Wayne Lacey.
"They moved him to room 203 for observation." she speaks without making eye contact.
Lloyd makes his way down the hall towards Jeremy's room, where he finds Jesse sipping from the water fountain.
Jesse catches Lloyd out of the corner of his eye. He immediately stands up wiping the water from his chin.
"Hey," Jesse pointing at the fountain, "I was just getting a drink of water."
"Let's find a private room, Jesse." Lloyd directed.
"I know where we can go, Sheriff," waving him forward. "Follow me."
Lloyd is looking back at the guards in front of Jeremy's door signaling them to stay put.
As they enter the empty waiting area, Jesse spins around looking puzzled.
"So what's going on, Sheriff?"
Lloyd handed Jesse the envelope.
"Take a look inside and tell me what make of it."
Jesse pulled the parchment from its sheath and began reading it, Shaking his head in disbelief.
"Well?"
"Holly shit! Do you think this is Jeremy's doing? I mean, why would he leave a note?"
"I don't know!" Lloyd said.
"I'm perplexed by the whole thing," Lloyd pauses. "However, I've been in this business long enough to know this is murder."
A loud crash interrupts the men, followed by a horrific scream. The two bolt towards the ruckus, finding a mess of medical equipment on the floor and Doris Sims wielding a surgeon's scaffold.
"Step back boys," she orders. "let me at him!"
"Doris," Lloyd speaks with empathy. "Put it down and take a step back, please."
"I don't think so Lloyd, I have lost too much to stop now," Doris is waving the blade back and forth. "Had you not chased Sam to his truck, he might not have fallen, and Jeremy would already be dead."
"Doris!" Lloyd is commanding her attention. "Just listen to what you're saying, you're not thinking clearly."
"Oh, on the contrary, Sheriff, I am thinking clearer than I have ever thought before," she lunges forward. "I aim to gut that pig" She shouts. "He will pay with his life for what he's done to my baby girl."
Lloyd draws his weapon.
"What you gonna to do Lloyd, you gonna to shoot me?"
"I would rather not, Doris...But if I have to."
"Just look at that boy, Sheriff, what a coward you are Jeremy Wayne Lacey, all balled up in that corner, scared of a little old woman."
"COWARD!" she spat at him.
"I didn't know Mrs. Sims, I promise you I didn't know."
he claims, sobbing and begging her forgiveness.
"How could you not know you killed my Mary?" Jesse taking advantage of her weakness wrestles the scaffold from her.
"You'll get yours, Jeremy Wayne Lacey. I can assure you that much, just you wait and see!" she says, turning her attention to Jesse.
"You feel good about yourself Jesse, manhandling a poor old helpless woman like that?"
"Do I need to take her into custody Sheriff?"
"Get your hands off of me deputy." Slapping at him as if she were scolding a child.
"Turn her loose," Lloyd said out of frustration. "Doris," Lloyd faces her. "are you done with these shenanigans?"
"Well, I do suppose I need to go and look in on my husband." she proudly held her head high.
Lloyd knew that look well. He'd witnessed it many times before from the independent women in Wharton County, one being his mother.
A tall, meaty woman who on occasion took enough of Lloyds father's drinking and sent him off to the pokey to sleep it off.
"I guess that's a yes?" Lloyd nods.
.
"I reckon it is Lloyd, for now."
"You ought to get someone to look in on your boy you know, get him ready for prison and all," nodding as she heads down the hall away from the crowd, which by now had reached an impressive 18 people.
"Oh, and Lloyd, you might want to tell these kind folks to stop looking my way now and get on back to what they are paid to be doing."
"You heard the lady, back to work folks, nothing else to see here."
"Sheriff." a sobbing voice came from the room.
"Yes, Mr. Lacey," Lloyd said shooting a look of disgust at the boy.
"I don't know," he cries. "You have to believe me, sheriff. I would never hurt my Mary, never on purpose."
Turning towards Jesse, Lloyd said, "Cuff his ass to the bed!
"You can't do that, Sheriff," Jeremy screams, panicking, looking for an escape route.
"And as soon as Dr. Davis signs his release forms.... Arrest the man, on suspicion of murder and show him to his new quarters."
"She'll come after me again, and, and,"
Jeremy, looking for anyone to aid in his campaign. "She'll kill me, Sheriff, she'll kill me sure as I sit here, won't be able to defend myself, Sheriff!"
"Shut up, Jeremy. You don't have the luxury of talking to me about what that family is going to do to you. It's now my responsibility to keep that from happening." Lloyd stops and turns back towards him. "And Son, you might pray harder than you've ever prayed before," Lloyd lowers his head still looking at him. "that I'm able to do just that."
And with those final words
Lloyd takes his leave.
