Porterville

This story is purely a work of fiction. Any resemblance to person's living or dead, or to events that may have occurred, is purely coincidental.

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Mark Stevens

CHAPTER 25

Britt tossed and turned so much in bed that he finally got up. The clock beside the bed told him it was three a.m and his body refused to sleep. His body was tired, but his mind wouldn't shut down.

He pulled a tee shirt over his head and jumped into a pair of shorts. He left the bedroom and made his way quietly down the hall of his mother's house. Devon had invited Britt to spend the night with him, and he was glad he refused. There was no telling how the meeting would go with Elaine McKenzie the next morning, and Britt thought his lover needed all the rest he could get.

Britt made his way to the darkened living room and fell into his mother's favorite chair. God, he wished his mind would shut down, but there was just too much running rampant for his brain to go to sleep. His thoughts took him back to Alice Cooper's living room, where he had remained, allowing Alice and Devon some time alone.

The two had remained outside a long time, and Britt was about to decide to go out and check on them when the door opened. They rejoined him in Alice's living room.

He stood up and greeted them. "Are the two of you okay?"

Alice sat on the sofa, and Devon joined her.

"Neither Alice nor I have any idea how this is going to play out, but we've talked things over."

"It appears that both our lives have been built around one huge lie," Alice said. "A major wrong was done, and whatever the outcome is, Devon and I will not blame each other."

"As well you shouldn't," Britt added. He sat down and waited for one of them to talk.

"There's a lot to consider here," Devon said. "I have no idea how all of this is going to work out legally. After all, if I'm not actually a McKenzie, then I will have no claim on anything, personal or business wise with those people."

Alice said, "First of all, not only have you given your entire life up to this point for the McKenzie cause, but they allowed you to believe you were a part of them."

"Glenn should be here sometime tomorrow, and I'm hoping he can address some of the legal questions," Britt replied.

Britt reminded Devon of his meeting the next morning with his mother. "And, yes, I referred to her as your mother," he added when Devon gave him a dark look.

Devon shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure how the hell I'm going to handle that one."

Britt allowed some thoughts to travel through his brain for a time. Then he said, "Until you can talk with Glenn, my suggestion would be handle things like you normally would. Above all else, do not say anything to the woman that could alert her to any of this. I'm sure it's going to be hard as hell, but for now, you must not give anything away."

Alice reached over and placed a hand over Devon's. "Britt's right, Devon," she said.

Britt studied the two closely. He was sorry for them, for the pain and hurt they were feeling. He couldn't begin to imagine what they were feeling. His thoughts landed suddenly on his mother and dad. He tried to put himself in the same situation, and no matter how hard he tried, he could not conceive the idea he didn't belong to them, that he wasn't a Williams.

It was one thing for Alice to grow up thinking her brother had been killed in an accident. That was bad enough, but for Devon to grow up thinking John and Elaine McKenzie were his parents, and to find out years later it might not be possible... well, Britt could not find any words to describe how that made him feel inside.

The clock in Catherine Williams' living room chimed five times and returned Britt to his mother's living room. Even though it would soon be daylight, Britt realized he would not find sleep. He went out to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. He had to do something to help him make it through the day.

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When Catherine joined her son in the kitchen, she had no idea he had been up the entire night. She greeted him with a smile.

"Good morning. That coffee smells absolutely wonderful."

"Help yourself. There's plenty." He didn't bother to tell her it was the second pot he had made since coming into her kitchen, especially after she accused him of wanting to get an early start on his day.

"Your lawyer is coming today, right?"

Britt nodded. "He is, although I am not certain of the time. He's going to give me a call when he hits town."

"I will certainly be glad when this is done and over," she remarked.

"I feel the same way, Mom."

"What's the plan for today?"

"I have a couple things I want to get done before Glenn arrives. My stuff's easy," he added. "Devon has a meeting with his mother first thing this morning."

"Oh dear Lord," she said with a sigh. "At best, that won't be good," she decided.

"You are probably right, Mom. If you think about it, you might send a good thought Devon's way."

"I will certainly say a little prayer for him." She walked over to the refrigerator. "I'm going to fix you a good breakfast. Your day promises to be a little crazy. You're going to need a lot of energy before it's over."

While Catherine was busy preparing a breakfast for her son, Britt took his shower and dressed. He was anxious to get his day started. His first stop of the day was the Beacon office. However, he didn't think his errand would be nearly as stressful as the meeting between Devon and Elaine McKenzie.

After telling his mother how much he appreciated her breakfast, Britt left the house and drove to the newspaper office. He wasn't surprised to find Alice missing from her desk.

Britt walked to the back and greeted Sam.

"Morning, Britt," Sam Taylor said. "You're out and about awful early," he noted.

Looking over his shoulder, Britt said, "I see Alice must be running late. Everything okay with her?" he asked.

"Far as I know," Sam answered. "She called and said she would be here soon as she could."

The newspaper publisher looked closely at Britt and said, "I don't suppose you know anything about it?"

Britt gave the man a sheepish grin and said, "About Alice running late? Damned if I know. Woman usually run late, don't they?"

"You're not much for straight answers, are you, Britt Williams?"

Feeling guilty Britt said, "Sam, I think you know me better than that. If you ask me a question and I know the answer, I'm going to give it to you."

"Yeah, right," Sam said and returned to his work.

Britt hurried to the computer in the back room and quickly booted it up. While he was waiting, he searched through the disks looking for a certain date.

"Sam," he called out, "you do realize this is the twenty-first century and disk files are obsolete? CDs and DVDs are the way to go nowadays."

"Haven't you been able to find everything you needed for your little project?" There was no mistaking the "growl" in the older man's voice.

Britt got up from the desk and went to Sam.

"What's wrong, Sam? Have I pissed you off? If I have, it certainly wasn't my intention."

"I'm just worried about Alice. And for some reason, I think you might be responsible for some of her troubles, Britt."

Sam's words were like a slap in the face to Britt. A physical touch of the man's hand couldn't have brought him more pain. Britt stepped back a couple of steps and took a deep breath.

After a moment, he said, "I'm sorry you feel that way, Sam. It was never my intention to cause any hurt to Alice. I thought you, of all people, would realize that."

Sam was suddenly apologetic. "Forgive me, Britt," he apologized. "I know you would never do anything to intentionally hurt Alice. Nor anyone else, for that matter," he added.

"You may not realize it yet, but if I'm on the right track here...well, let's just say there is going to be a lot more than just Alice involved."

Britt turned around and said, "Speaking of which, I need to get busy."

"Britt?"

Britt turned back and faced the older man.

"Are we good here?" Sam asked.

Britt suddenly felt much better inside. "Yeah, Sam, we're good. Damned good," he added with a grin.

Britt returned to his desk and inserted a three and a half floppy into the computer. When the information appeared on the computer screen, he searched until he found what he was looking for.

SHERIFF WILLIAM PORTER RESIGNS

WILLIAM PORTER SURPRISED THE TOWN OF PORTERVILLE BY ANNOUNCING HIS RESIGNATION AS THE TOWN SHERIFF. HE SAID "I HAVE BEEN PORTERVILLE'S SHERIFF NEARLY TWENTY YEARS. IT'S TIME FOR ME TO STEP DOWN AND MAKE WAY FOR YOUNGER BLOOD. I WILL MISS THE GOOD PEOPLE OF THE TOWN."

Britt went on reading the article.

MR. PORTER TOLD THE BEACON HIS LAST DAY OF SERVICE TO THE PEOPLE WILL BE APRIL 3OTH, 1978. WHEN ASKED WHAT HIS PLANS ARE, THE SHERIFF SAID HE HAS NONE, OTHER THAN TO ENJOY HIS RETIREMENT FROM THE CITY. A RECEPTION WILL BE HELD IN HIS HONOR THE AFTERNOON OF THE 30TH IN THE BANQUET ROOM AT CITY HALL. TWO P.M.

Britt pushed his chair back and stood to his feet. He called out Sam's name.

"What's on your mind?" Sam asked when he discovered Britt standing behind him.

"Do you remember anything about William Porter being sheriff?"

Sam scratched his chin as his eyes took on a look of the past. "That was a long time ago, Britt."

"Please, just try and think back to when he resigned," Britt urged.

"Seems to me the only thing I remember about the situation was the way it went down," Sam finally said. "Like he was the town sheriff one day with no plans of stepping down, and the next, announced he was resigning and leaving town."

Britt felt his heart shift gear when he heard Sam's words. "Did he leave town right away?" he asked.

"Yeah, he did. I went to his retirement party and talked with him at great length. He never once mentioned the fact he was moving from Porterville."

"How soon did he leave town?"

"The very next day, if memory serves me right," Sam answered.

"Damn." He looked closely at Sam. "Did you ever hear the reason for his sudden departure, Sam?"

"None I could ever print. There were rumors," he added.

"What sort of rumors?"

"That he may have pissed the powers to be off and was told he would leave town, as well as office," Sam supplied.

Britt looked Sam in the eye. "You think John and Elaine McKenzie had anything to do with it?"

Sam shrugged his shoulders. "They could have," he said. "William was a cousin of Elaine's."

"Do you think she told her cousin, the sheriff, how to do his job?"

"I don't know about the sheriff, but I sure as hell think she ran the city council back then. Same as she does now," Sam added.

"Is there anyone left in town who would remember William Porter?"

"Agnes Johnson over at the library would remember. She and Porter were good friends. She might even have some information in her files that you could read."

"Thanks, Sam. I'll get with her soon."

The front door of the newspaper office opened and closed.

"I'm here, Sam. Sorry I'm late," Alice called.

Britt and Sam walked to the front office, and Britt greeted the woman with a hug.

"Alice, did you get any sleep?" he asked.

"Not much," she answered. "Just couldn't get my brain to shut down," she added.

"I know the feeling," he assured her.

In a gruff voice, Sam said, "You okay, Alice?"

"I'm fine, Sam. Sorry I'm running late," she apologized.

"You never mind that, girl," he said. Then to Britt he added, "You take care of this girl, or you will have to answer to me personally. Am I clear, Britt Williams?"

"Very clear, Sam," Britt hastened to assure the older man.

"And, Alice, if you need anything at all, you had better ask."

Alice gave him the best smile she could manage. "I promise, Sam," she assured him.

Sam shook his head and disappeared from the front office to work on the day's edition.

"Is he in a bad mood?" Alice asked.

"Not really," Britt answered. "He realizes that something is going on with you, and he thinks I might be responsible for your troubles."

"Oh, Britt, I'm so sorry."

"Alice Cooper, you have done absolutely nothing to be sorry for."

As Britt made his way to the door, he said, "Alice, I have some errands to run. I'm not sure when I'll be back."

"I suppose you haven't heard from Devon?"

"Not since last night." Britt looked at his watch. "I think his meeting was around nine o'clock this morning."

Britt left the newspaper office and walked down the street to the public library. There had been a lot of changes to Porterville over the years, but it always made Britt feel good inside that much hadn't changed for the town's library. As he walked inside, he took a deep breath. Yes, he thought, everything was the same. Well, almost the same.

"Good morning, Britt."

Britt discovered Agnes Johnson sitting at a computer behind the counter. The library may have seemed unchanged, but Britt had to admit that it had been pushed into the computer world. Being a frequent visitor while growing up, there had been no technology to help out. Everything back then had been done manually by employees.

"Morning, Agnes," he greeted.

The librarian left the desk and walked around the counter to join him. Her face was one giant smile.

"What brings you out so early?" she asked.

Britt looked around and discovered a few people searching the shelves, looking for something to read. He asked Agnes if there was some place private they could talk.

"My office," she said.

Britt followed the librarian to the back of the building. Once inside her office, he sat down at her invitation and watched her take a seat behind her desk. She folded her arms and gave him a smile.

"I must admit, Britt, you have me very curious. Just what is on your mind that requires so much privacy?" she asked.

Britt leaned back in his chair and said, "Tell me, Agnes, do you remember when William Porter was sheriff?"

"Oh, my, there's a name I haven't heard mentioned in years," she said.

"I take it you knew him?"

Agnes nodded. "I most certainly did. He could have been a great sheriff, had he been allowed to do his job."

Britt pulled a notepad and pen from his pocket. "I'm anxious to hear about the man."

"What's this all about, Britt?"

"I've been digging into a lot of Porterville's history," he reminded her, "and I've come across the man's name several times. I was curious, that's all. I mentioned him to Sam at the newspaper, and he suggested I see you."

Agnes leaned across the desk. "Young man, I was not born yesterday. Britt Williams, you definitely have something up your sleeve. Now, what is it?"

"Agnes, I hope you won't be offended, but I have to ask you to do me a favor. Will you promise to keep what I say to you in confidence?"

"I am not offended," she assured him. "Just speak what's on your mind."

"Let me begin this way," Britt said. "The first time I read anything about William Porter was in a journal written by Margaret Cooper."

"Oh dear Lord," she said with a sigh.

Britt studied the older woman carefully. "I take it you know something about Margaret's history?"

"I know Margaret and her family went through a tremendous amount of heartache years ago."

"Starting in 1973, if my memory serves me correctly," Britt said.

"That terrible accident that took the Cooper child's life," Agnes remembered.

"However, it didn't stop there, did it, Agnes? Margaret thought her husband had been murdered, didn't she?"

Agnes nodded. "She did. In fact, it was William who first mentioned to her about the possibility of murder."

"What happened, Agnes? According to what Margaret wrote in her journal, the sheriff changed his mind later and told her it had been caused by a defective tire."

"I don't understand, Britt, why you have come to me. You seem to know as much about that situation as I do."

"You're partly right, Agnes. However, given the two situations here, I think one has something to do with the other. Right now what I'm interested in, and what I've come to you for, is this: can you tell me why the sheriff at the time suddenly announced his retirement and then moved away just as quickly."

Agnes was silent for a moment. Then she said, "I'm sure, if you've checked your leads out, that you know William was a cousin to Elaine McKenzie?"

"I have been told that."

"Like I said, William Porter could have been a good sheriff, had the city council left him alone. Of course, their orders came from Elaine McKenzie. She ran the town then, same as she does now."

"So I've heard," Britt admitted. "Tell me, Agnes, do you think Elaine forced her cousin to step down because he was going to try and prove Tom Cooper had been murdered?"

Agnes remained silent, her eyes locked with Britt's.

"Well, do you?"

"You're stepping into dangerous territory, Britt Williams."

"Trust me, I'm very much aware how dangerous this could turn out to be," he said. "Did you ever hear from William Porter after he moved away?"

The librarian shook her head. "He never set foot in this town again."

"Do you know where he went?"

"I believe he moved somewhere near Saint Louis."

"You think we could locate him?"

"The man died a few years back."

"He's not buried in the local cemetery, is he?"

"Of course not," Agnes replied. "I'm sure Elaine McKenzie would never have allowed him to return to this town, even dead."

"She's a piece of work," Britt declared.

Agnes studied Britt. "I've been hearing things about you and Devon McKenzie. Are they true?"

Britt gave a slight nod and said, "You've probably heard right."

"How does that meet with Elaine's approval?"

"About the way you would think," he answered.

"I feel so sorry for Devon McKenzie. I can't begin to think what his life has been like. Growing up in the McKenzie home," she added.

Britt took a deep breath. When he opened his mouth, the words came out rather slowly. "You know the story, don't you, Agnes?"

"There have been rumors going around for years," she admitted.

"Concerning Devon?"

"That's right."

"Agnes, you remember our meeting is confidential?"

"Of course," she assured him.

"Here's what I plan on proving, Agnes. The way I see it going down," he added. "Tom Cooper had been drinking when he ran the stop sign that took a child's life. However, I think you know as well as I do, it wasn't his child that was killed. It was Devon McKenzie. Are we on the same path in our thinking?"

A single tear made its way slowly down the librarian's face. However, she didn't answer Britt's question. Instead, she remained silent and waited for him to continue.

"Being the generous' people they were, John and Elaine graciously allowed Tom Cooper his freedom by not choosing to file charges against him. However, they expected him to pay heavily for taking the life of their only child. What is it the Bible says? An Eye for an Eye'. In this case, their dead son for the Cooper's live son. Am I correct in my thinking, Agnes?"

"This is a small town," Agnes said speaking slowly. "Over the years rumors have appeared, but they've always been stopped."

Britt shook his head. "I cannot begin to understand why an entire town would close their eyes and pretend something bad didn't happen. How can they sleep in good conscience?"

"You're quick to condemn, Britt," the old lady pointed out. "You left this town; broke away from this place. You've never needed the Porter and the McKenzie families the way other people in this town have. Their jobs, livelihoods, if you will, have depended on those people."

"What if I'm right? What if a major crime has taken place here? Worse yet, what if there were two murders?" Can the town's people live with something like that?"

"With the look of surprise on her face, Agnes said, two murders?"

"Yes, two murders. I feel sure that Margaret Cooper was murdered. And I feel equally sure that Tom Cooper's death was no accident, either. And then there's the matter of Devon McKenzie. It's possible he was taken away from people who loved him very much. If I had to choose between the two, I would certainly want to be raised by Margaret Cooper over Elaine McKenzie."

Agnes sighed and asked, "Supposing you're right about all this, Britt? How in the world are you going to be able to prove it?"

"It won't take much effort at all to prove whether or not Devon is Alice's brother. Blood work is taking care of that even as we speak. We should know something within the next day or so. As for proving the two murders... well, that's going to be a bit harder to accomplish."

"Britt, you must be careful. If something happened to you, I'm afraid it would kill your dear mother. She loves you so much, and you are the only family she has left."

"So Agnes, do you think you have anything in your records that might shed some light on the sheriff situation?"

"I'll check, but I feel sure I won't have anything. If anything was ever in the news here in town, Sam would have much more in his files that I would. Anything I might have would have come from the newspaper as well. I'm sorry, but I don't think I can be of any help to you."

Britt stood to his feet. He gave her a smile and said, "Thank you, Agnes. You've been a big help."

"I don't see how."

"For one thing, hearing that you have a lot of the same suspicions I have...well that puts a lot of stock in my suspicions as well."

Britt was about to walk out the door of Agnes' office when her voice stopped him. She said his name and he turned around to face her.

"Please be assured that what we've discussed just now will be kept in the strictest of confidence."

"I certainly appreciate that, Agnes," he said and left her office.

On his walk back to the Beacon office, Britt's cell phone rang. The screen identified Devon as his caller.

"Hey, Dev, how did things go with your meeting?"

"Actually, much better than I would have thought," Devon answered.

"Explain."

"Let's just say I put on a damned good act, and I honestly think she believed everything I said."

Britt wasn't sure he felt the same way, but he said, "Well, that's good. Just promise that you'll be careful. We both know how she can be." Britt wanted to use the word "devious", but thought it best to keep his thoughts to himself.

"I explained to her again why I changed my personal banking, and I assured her I would be adding another person on my accounts. For some reason, she's expecting to receive paperwork giving my permission for her to be on and in my business. Is she ever going to be surprised when she finds out you're the one I'm adding."

"First of all, that isn't happening," Britt said. "Besides, your mother would never allow that to take place, and we both know it."

"In fact, there may be a third person added, and again, it's not going to be her."

"Are you referring to Alice?"

"I am. If she is my sister, I owe her everything."

"You do remember it's your life that was robbed from you, right? Alice's life has turned out the way it was supposed to be. For the most part," he added.

"You really think so? If my family was responsible for her father's death, well, now let's see, I would imagine that would change her life drastically. And added to that note, her mother's death is most likely because of my family as well."

"Okay, you've made your point. I'm back at the newspaper office. Work calls me."

"I didn't realize you weren't at the Beacon."

"I dropped by the library and had a visit with Agnes Johnson. I'll explain the reason for the visit when I see you."

Britt ended his telephone conversation and stepped inside the Beacon office. Alice was sitting at her desk, and he greeted her warmly.

"Alice, I was wondering, would you care to have lunch with me?"

She reminded him that she had been late coming in."

"Oh, it won't be for a while," he assured her. "I have some work I want to finish up before Glenn arrives."

"Have you heard from him?"

He shook his head. "He said he'd give me a call when he reached town. I don't expect him for at least two more hours. Could be longer, depending on when he gets away from Oklahoma City."

"What about Devon? Have you heard from him?"

"Just did. He said he was amazed how well his meeting went with his mother."

Britt went back to the computer and returned to his research. He didn't expect to find anything new, but then he had also overlooked the article about William Porter. He was determined not to leave any stone unturned. He hoped that by keeping himself busy he would fill the time until his lawyer arrived.