The Truth Lies Somewhere

After Brian left, Harold sat down and stared thoughtfully out the window. Tears formed in his eyes. He had put plenty out on the line to save his family from poverty and humiliation. If Brian found out the truth, he would hate him. He couldn't bear the thought of his son hating him. He reached for the phone. "It's me!" he stated gruffly, when the other end picked up. "My son Brian just paid me a little visit. Seems that he ran into the Evans' daughters since he's been living in Booneville. He's starting to ask questions and I don't like it!"

He listened and then said, "What do you mean, DON'T WORRY? Do you have any idea what could happen if Brian finds out the truth about what really happened all those years ago? My son came back to Kentucky for a year to relax and I don't want him stressed out. I don't care about your problems! You make sure that Jessica and Grace stay away from my family or I'm going to start talking. We had a deal, dammit! I've upheld my end of it and in the process killed a woman's soul! What else do you want me to do?"

He listened again. "Well, I'm glad to hear that. Keep her there and make sure Brian has no access to her at all. What about the other one? Where is she? You don't know? Maybe you should get back there and find out!"

He slammed down the phone. Shit! Why did he have a premonition that the worst was yet to come?

**************************

After leaving his parent's house in tears, Brian had gone to see Kevin. "I need to talk to you," he told his older cousin. "It's important."

Kevin noted the serious expression on Brian's usually smiling face and said, "Sure, let's walk over to our old high school and sit in the bleachers."

The walk took about 20 minutes and Brian was silent the entire way there. Kevin was worried. Something must be terribly wrong. The football field was empty and they plopped down in their old "seats" from their high school days. "What's on your mind, Rok?"

Brian sighed. "Grace, my father, all the odd things that have been happening lately."

Kevin stared at him, confusion on his face. "Can you start at the beginning?"

Once again, Brian related the events of the past few weeks. When he was done, Kevin was evidently more confused and angry. "Tell me again, WHY Uncle Harold wants me to stop seeing Jess? He may be family, but he has no right to tell me who I can and cannot see."

Brian shrugged. "I'm sorry, Kevin. I don't know why he said that! I don't understand his connection to the Evans family and I know there's one. I just know it! He told me he use to play golf with Bill Evans. Things just don't add up." His face contorted in agony. "Kev, do you remember my cousin Michelle?"

Kevin smiled softy. "Yes, I remember Michelle. She was such an angelic little girl. I only saw her a few times because she's your cousin on your dad's side of the family, but she was a sweet kid."

Brian smiled. "I remember the silly games we use to play with some other kids."

Kevin chuckled. "Yea, you had your share of girls back then. All those little girls were after your five-year-old butt. I remember you mentioning a Courtney, Amanda, Sarah, Paige, Graciella, etc...the list goes on."

Brian started laughing. "Geez Louise! I don't remember any of them. I wonder what they look like now? And I wonder...Sarah, could that be MY Sarah?"

Kevin shrugged. "Did she live around there back then?"

Brian shook his head. "But you never know. I'll have to ask her again. Maybe she doesn't remember."

Brian stared pensively out at the football field. "What else's the matter?" Kevin asked.

Brian looked at Kevin, his eyes glistening with the threat of tears. "Mostly that my father lied to me. I can't prove it, but I know he's lying. When I first mentioned the Evans family, you should have seen his face. I swear I saw fear there. Then when I mentioned Grace's "Shellie" episodes, I thought he was gonna go into cardiac arrest!"

Kevin's eyes widened. "Well, naturally, the name Shellie would bring back bad memories."

Brian's eyes darted to Kevin's questioningly, "Why?"

"Because Shellie was Michelle's nickname. It was the name her parents and your parents called her. You always call her "Michie," but the rest of the family called her Shellie. You don't remember?"

Brian's eyes nearly bulged out of his head. He stood up and his hands flew to his mouth as he teetered on the edge of the bleachers. "OH MY GOD! NO! Kevin....OH MY GOD!!"

Kevin grabbed Brian to steady him. "What? What?" he said, panicking at the look on Brian's face.

He looked down at Kevin. "Kev, could GRACE be my cousin Michelle?" Kevin started to say something, but Brian put his hand out. "Hear me out. We WERE TOLD that she died in an accident. The only person who saw this so-called accident was my father. He said that Michelle's body was burnt beyond recognition. Suddenly, years later, I meet a girl who's having psychotic episodes about her past and she calls herself "Shellie." Something doesn't add up here!"

He ran down the bleacher steps and started across the field. Kevin ran after him. "Where are you going?" he shouted.

"Back to Booneville. I think I'm going to pay the Evans family a little visit and demand to see Grace. Then I need to go to City Hall and look for Michelle's death certificate. I also need to talk to Aunt Sally."

When they got back to Kevin's house, Kevin pulled Brian in for a hug. "Please be careful, Rok. If you need me, I'm just a phone call away."

Brian smiled gratefully. "Thanks Kev. Love you!" Then he was gone.