Maybe Baby (34 page)

I nodded, reaching over and hugging her. A fresh batch of tears started rolling down my cheeks. It was now time to say goodbye to my very best friend.

“Stop it,” Gina ordered. “You and me, we’re fine girlfriend. You call me once you get to your motel tonight. And do not worry, I'll find a way to get up there to see you before too long. After all, I want the honor of decorating my Godchild’s nursery.”

“That would be great.”

“So, you're okay to drive now?”

I nodded.

“Alright, I'll expect a call from you this evening.”

“Yep, I’ll be calling,” I promised.

She hugged me again, and got out of the car. “Drive safely,” she called as I backed out of the driveway. I was on my way.

Chapter 33

Over the next several days I worked feverishly to get my new home in order. By the end of the third day, I had it scrubbed from top to bottom, and I had moved in gently used furniture from the second-hand store. I had even made an appointment with an OB doctor for the following week.

I was exhausted but content. I nuked a Healthy Choice entrée, made a salad, and poured myself a tall glass of iced tea. I'd brought the mail in earlier and sat down on the couch to go through it while I ate my dinner. Most of the mail was for my mom who hadn’t bothered initiating a change of address.

I took a bite of my salad, sorting through the stack I'd brought in today. I tossed several envelopes for “Occupant” in the trash. Then I saw the envelope addressed to me from the law offices of Pierce, Harmon, Richardson & Sinclair. It was Trey’s perfect script once again. My heartbeat quickened. I dropped my fork and opened the envelope, pulling a single sheet of paper out. I unfolded it and saw that it was on Trey’s stationary:

Tylar,

You can imagine my surprise when Ray contacted me to let me know that you had left Bristol to return to your home in Radcliff. I was disappointed that you felt no need to let me know that you were leaving.

I was more surprised when Ray told me that Mark Montgomery is still in Bristol, working with a horse that has no rider. What is going on?

Please contact me at your earliest convenience. There are matters to discuss.

Very truly yours,

Trey M. Sinclair, Esq.

My heart did another pitter-pat as I folded the letter and brushed it across my cheek wanting to feel something of Trey in the linen paper. He was right. I had fled like a thief in the night. As an employee alone, I owed the Sinclairs more than that. As someone who still loved Trey with all of my heart, I owed him more than that. I was puzzled as to why he wrote a formal letter instead of simply calling my cell and demanding answers, Trey-style.

I grabbed my cell phone and called him. He answered on the third ring.

“Tylar?”

“Yes, it’s me. I got your letter today. I’m sorry I left the way that I did. I owed you an explanation; I just wasn’t sure I had one.”

“I don’t understand. Did you and Mark split?”

Oh God; how would I explain this without lying or making Trey think badly of Mark? I had to play this carefully. “Mark and I were never together. We were just friends. I didn’t even say goodbye to him.”

“I’m confused, you never told Mark about your pregnancy?”

“That’s right, Trey. I didn’t want to complicate things.”

All true statements and answers so far.

“Don’t you think he might've felt differently about his plans if he knew?”

“He might've but still, I wouldn’t want someone to be with me out of some sense of honor or obligation. People should be together because they love each other, right?”

“I suppose so,” he said.

“Well, I don’t love Mark; Mark doesn’t love me. It’s as simple as that.”

“I don’t think it's as simple as that, Tylar. What about the child?”

“The child will have plenty of love, trust me.”

“I can’t keep Mark on you know.”

“Is that your decision to make? Aren’t your parents back? Isn’t your father running the stables and estates again?”

“Well, yes,” he answered, “but…”

“Trey,” I interrupted, “Mark planned on leaving before winter anyway, so why don’t you just let it play out? If you fire him, he’ll know it’s because of me, of what I did. Please don’t make me feel any worse than I already do.”

I knew that I was getting to him.

“I guess there's no harm. I won’t say anything to my father specifically, but I can’t guarantee he won’t figure things out anyway.”

“That’s fine, just let it play out on its own.”

“There’s also the matter of Charlie’s trial. There is a pre-trial investigation being conducted. You’ll need to be here during some of that questioning.”

“I don’t understand. There’s no way that I want to be in the same room with that animal!” I could feel the hysteria rising in my throat.

“Calm down,” Trey said gently. “There are loose ends to tie up with respect to the letters he left, the pajamas.”

“What are you saying?”

“I think we both know that Charlie's the man from your past, your mother’s boyfriend that attacked you when you were thirteen. I think we also know that he had a hand in faxing that trust withdrawal form from our office to your mother. He may have conspired with her for a cut of it. What I don’t understand is why you didn’t tell the detectives the whole story.”

“I told them everything that happened that night. I wasn’t sure Charlie was connected to the other stuff,” I lied.

“Well, I’m sure Tylar, and I’ve told the detectives as much. There could be further criminal charges pressed against Charlie, but you'll need to be here as they review the statements made in the days following your attack, in addition to the evidence I provided them that was left in or at your cottage.”

I really wished Trey would just let it be. “When will I have to come back down?”

“I’m not sure. Someone from the prosecutor’s office will be in touch with you either by phone or mail soon. How's everything going with you up there, Tylar? Are you feeling well?”

“Yes, I’ve been really busy getting the house cleaned and furnished. I’ve got my first appointment with my OB doctor soon.”

“That’s good,” he said. I could tell he didn’t want to discuss my pregnancy in detail. It made him uncomfortable.

“How’s Derringer?” I asked.

“Aside from missing you, he's well. A bit testy with Mark, I think.”

“How often do you get back to Bristol?” I asked.

“Not often. There’s really no need to now. I got your deed in the mail earlier this week. I'll forward it on to you.”

“Thanks,” I replied.

“Let me know if you need anything. Take care.”

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

My appointment with Dr. Shelley Hamilton went well. She went over some of the details about my first trimester, which had about a week and a half left. She gave me a prescription for prenatal vitamins and informed me my due date was May 5th and she'd see me in another month. I paid the bill and scheduled my next appointment.

When I got home there was a letter from the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney at the Washington County Courthouse in Abingdon, Virginia in my mail. I was ordered to report to the county courthouse in Abingdon to meet with police investigators and the C.A. relative to additional pending charges against Charles Roberts currently in custody. I had to be there on Friday, November 9th
at 10 a.m.

I needed to call Trey. I wasn't comfortable going back there and certainly wanted to know what I could expect at this meeting. I heard his smooth and silky voice on the other end.

“Tylar?”

“Hi Trey, do you have a minute?”

“Certainly,” he replied, “what can I do for you?”

I told Trey about the letter that I'd received and my order to report to the C.A.’s office the following Friday. He explained that the Commonwealth Attorney's just another name for a prosecutor or district attorney. He said that my statement would be reviewed with the detectives and C.A. They'd question me as to the other events that transpired, they may show me any videotaped questioning that had been conducted with Charlie, and get my confirmation as to the validity of his statements to date. Trey assured me that I'd not have to come face-to-face with Charlie.

“Will you be there?” I asked.

“I’ve not been requested to be there. Do you need me to be there with you, Tylar, as your counsel?”

“I guess not. I'll be fine.” I was dreading this; I didn’t want to go back to Washington County.

“Are you flying down Tylar?”

“I probably will. I don’t want to stay over.”

“Let me know your flight information. I'll pick you up.”

Once the arrangements had been made, I texted the details to Trey. He texted back that he'd be there to pick me up. I couldn’t help feeling butterflies at the thought of seeing him again. It seemed like it had been forever instead of just four weeks.

Chapter 34

The flight from Louisville was my favorite kind: uneventful. I felt queasy, but wasn't sure if it was my pregnancy or just plain nerves.

Charlie was charged with breaking and entering, burglary, and felony assault. My understanding was that the C.A. was willing to go for attempted murder, and add aggravated menacing, conspiracy to commit fraud, and several other charges relating to his involvement in the trust fund, depending upon what Charlie was willing to admit.

The plane landed on time at Tri-Cities Regional Airport in Blountville, Tennessee. I walked through the gate area and past the security checkpoint. I heard Trey before I saw him.

“Tylar, over here.” I turned and saw him standing next to the baggage claim area. He was dressed casually in dark brown trousers and a tan sweater that accentuated his muscular arms and flat, taut belly. I had a white oxford shirt on underneath my sweater jacket. I had light gray tights on with short dress boots. I saw Trey’s eyes flicker over me almost appreciatively. “You look great,” he said, smiling, holding me from him so that his eyes could sweep over me once again.

“You, too,” I replied, smiling, suddenly feeling kind of shy.

“C’mon,” he took my hand. “I’m parked right out front.”

I thought there would be a strained silence between us during the ride from the airport to Abingdon, but initially, that wasn't the case. Trey wanted to know all about the house and what I'd done with it so far. He asked if I'd spoken with any of my neighbors to see if they had heard anything about my mother. I had not and told him as much.

“I don’t get it Tylar, you puzzle me.”

“Why’s that?”

“I don’t understand why you have no desire to seek justice for what your mother has done to you.”

I considered this. “Which one of her crimes should I seek justice for, Trey? When she slept with my best friend’s dad in her bedroom and I heard everything? When she allowed Charlie Roberts to wander into my bedroom and assault me? How about when she screwed my boyfriend on my prom night? What about the lifelong lie about my father being married to her and then leaving her for someone else? Her stealing my trust money was minor compared to the years of her neglect, duplicity, and the lack of love and compassion she had for her own child. What kind of justice will take those scars away?”

Trey immediately pulled the car over to the side of the road and parked. He unfastened his seat belt and leaned over to me, taking me into his arms. A flood of tears ran down my face. He took my face in his hands and kissed my tears away. His mouth found mine and, in an instant, our lips met with the hunger and passion that was so familiar to me. I lost myself in his kiss.

“Baby,” he moaned, continuing to press kisses on my lips, my face, and my throat, “I've missed you so much.”

“I’ve missed you too,” I buried my face in his neck.

“Then why did you leave me?” he asked; his voice husky.

“I told you before; I didn’t like having an agreement that prevented us from loving.”

“But you slept with Mark and claimed no love between the two of you,” he argued, anger in his voice. “And now,” he continued, still irritated and totally oblivious that I was pissed, “you've saddled yourself with his brat for the rest of your life.”

I pushed him away, too angry to speak. I accepted that he didn’t know the truth and, had he known, would likely not have referred to the child I was carrying as a “brat,” but his insensitivity to the situation in general was deplorable. A look of surprise crossed his face as I pushed him away.

“Let’s go, Trey, I need to get to Abingdon."

The temperature in the car immediately dropped several degrees. Trey straightened his sweater, put the car in gear, and sped back out onto the highway. We drove in chilly silence the rest of the way. Trey pulled up to the curb in front of the courthouse and got out. He opened the passenger side door and helped me out onto the sidewalk.

“Text me when you're ready to be picked up. I'll send a limo for you. Good luck, Tylar.” With that he circled back behind his car, got into the driver seat, and sped off.

Once inside the courthouse, I went over to the witness check-in window. I told the officer that I was expected for a 10 a.m. meeting with someone from the CA’s office. He checked a daily roster sheet for my name.

“You’re a little early, Ms. Preston. Please have a seat and someone will call you.”

Finally, my name was called out by a uniformed officer standing at a door that opened out into the waiting area. I headed to the doorway and he stood aside to let me through.

“This way please,” he directed, leading me to a conference room off of the hallway.

“Good morning, Ms. Preston. I’m Beth Denniston, deputy C.A. with Washington County,” a woman said, holding her hand out to me. I shook her hand. “Do you remember Detective Ryan?” she asked. I nodded, shaking his hand as well.

“What we're going to do this morning, Ms. Preston, is to review the statement you provided to the detectives on October 5
^th
of this year, as well as go over some of the additional evidence that's been provided to our office subsequent to October 5
^th
, okay?”