Chapter 24

Jax came into his house, and plopped down on the couch, exhausted.
He had just come from leaving Jody, Victoria and Jasmine in Alaska with his
parents, and now he seriously questioned if he was right in his quick
assessment of the situation. He was acting as though Brenda were guilty, and
the children didn’t need to be there when she was carted off to prison. But
he knew she wasn’t guilty, he knew it with an absolute certainty, and there
was no way he was going to let her go to prison for a crime he knew without
a doubt she hadn’t committed. How on earth had he gotten himself into this
situation? He thought to himself. Offering Martin money to disappear and
drop the charges had seemed like an excellent idea. He wouldn’t lose a dime
that would hurt him, the money would never be traced back to him, Martin
would disappear, and everyone would go on with their lives. This was a
variable he hadn’t counted on, and now he had as much to lose as everyone
else.
The telephone ringing made him jump.
“Hello?” he said, his voice betraying his physical condition.
“You sound terrible,” Bobbie said into the phone. When Jax recognized
her voice, he sat up.
“Bobbie, Brenda’s all right, isn’t she? Is something wrong?”
“No, she’s fine,” Bobbie said, “and she’s still here in the hospital. Dr.
Meadows is taking an extra slow time testing Brenda for every condition and
disease imaginable, and she’s calling it thorough.”
“Good,” Jax sighed, “that buys me a little more time to find out what
really happened.”
“You know,” Bobbie said, “I hope you’re closer to that than you were
when you left.”
“I only got back a few moments ago, why?”
“Because Jax, there’s nothing wrong with Brenda. You know that, I
know that, and most importantly, Brenda and Dr. Meadows know that. I
don’t think we can keep her here much longer.”
“How much time can you give me?” Jax asked, going upstairs with the
cordless phone. He would shower and change quickly and pay a visit to
Alexis, and then Denise.
“I can easily give you one more day, that’d be all of today, and until
noon tomorrow.”
“Are you sure you can’t drag it out longer, Bobbie?”
“Jax, come on, the woman is completely healthy, and by noon
tomorrow, we’ll have kept her here three days with absolutely nothing wrong
with her. Now I’d like to help you more, but I don’t know what else I can do
to keep her here.”
“I understand,” Jax said.
“Good, and you can call me at Wyndemere if you need anything else.
Amy’s still on vacation, so if the cops are snooping around, we’ve got you
covered here.” Jax cringed at Bobbie’s comment. He knew she meant well,
and was only trying to reassure him, but she was making it seem as though
Brenda were guilty, and Martin deserved to die, so she was behind Brenda
100%. That wasn’t Bobbie’s intention, so Jax tried to ignore it.
“Thank you,” he said, “I’ll call again soon.”
Jax was in and out of the shower in moments, and the first place he
headed was Alexis’ office.
“Whoa!” Alexis said, when Jax burst through her office door. “What is
going on?!”
“Where’s Nora?” Jax asked, looking around frantically.
“Well we work together, but her office is one floor up, you know that.
What’s happened, how did Alaska go?”
“The children are fine,” Jax said, sitting down, out of breath.
“Well that’s good, but why are you acting as though you’ve just run a
marathon?”
“Because I feel as though I have,” Jax said. “We have exactly a day and a
half to prove Brenda’s innocence.”
“Then we can’t do it,” Alexis stated plainly, folding her arms across her
chest and sitting back in her chair.
“What do you mean?” Jax asked. “Don’t you believe she’s innocent?”
“I don’t have to believe she’s innocent,” Alexis said, “I just have to do
my best to get these charges against her dropped.”
“With all do respect, Alexis,” Jax said, “I don’t want you on Brenda’s
case if you don’t believe in her innocence.”
“Oh, you want me on this case all right,” Alexis said, “because if you
trust Nora to run this on her own, I can’t guarantee Brenda won’t go to
prison. But if you let me handle it, I can promise you, she won’t spend a day
in jail.”
“But you just said that in a day and a half, there’s no way for us to prove
Brenda’s innocent, and that’s all we have. After that, they’re going to release
her from the hospital, and Taggert will take her straight to jail.”
“What I said was we could not prove Brenda’s innocence in a day and a
half. But what we CAN do, is prove someone else’s guilt.”
“Oh, are we back to this again?” Jax asked. “I can’t send another
innocent person to jail just because I want Brenda free.”
“Then you’d better say goodbye to her Mr. Jacks, because without
someone else to pin this on, Brenda Buchanan is going to be locked up, and
the DA is going to swallow the key.”
“Don’t you have any faith in your own system?” Jax asked, annoyed.
“Can’t you trust that Brenda will be found innocent, simply because she is
innocent?”
“I hate to break it to you, Jax, but the system is flawed. The system is
run on facts, not emotions, and all fingers point to Brenda. We have to make
them point somewhere else.”
“Martin Shayne wasn’t anyone’s favorite person, there are plenty of
people who wanted him dead.”
“Good,” Alexis said, taking notes on her notepad, “and that would
include you, I assume.”
“What?” Jax asked, immediately on the defensive.
“Okay, right there, that’s exactly what I’m talking about,” Alexis said.
“This situation is trying your patience, I know, but if a police officer were to
have asked you that question, you would have failed that particular test, and
even if we did get to move the heat off of Brenda, the focus would move
straight to you, and I know you don’t want that.”
“Do you really suspect me?” Jax asked.
“Why not?” Alexis said. “You visited the man that terrorized your
girlfriend and best friend, the people you love, and trust to take care of your
children. He endangered the life of your friend’s unborn child, and you
publicly beat him real good about the head and ears in front of at least a
dozen witnesses. And then you proceeded to offer him a significant bribe to
drop pending charges against Brenda, the woman who has been arrested for
his murder, and also happens to be the woman that you love. So yes, I’d say
you had excellent motive, and from what you and Bobbie say, more than
enough opportunity.”
“I didn’t kill him,” Jax stated plainly.
“Fine,” Alexis said, unflinching, “let me warn you then, of yet another
new development. That money that you bribed Martin with? It showed up in
his account this morning, and the police are very much aware of it.”
“They’ll never trace it back to me,” Jax said, confidently. “Martin liked
to pay a visit to those boats on the Mississippi River every now and then, he
had a bit of a gambling problem, the money could have come from there.”
“You just better hope that the police jump to that same flimsy
conclusion, Jax. And let me just say that if I thought for a second that you had
killed him, I wouldn’t hesitate to pursue it, because it’s my job to get BRENDA
off, not you. Are we understood?”
“Yes, of course,” Jax answered.
“All right then, now, give me a list of names,” she began, “of anyone and
everyone who hated Martin Shayne enough to kill him.”
“Well,” Jax said, “that’s going to be a very long list. But if anyone were
going to be at the top of it, besides me and Brenda, I’d say--well, I don’t--”
“What?” Alexis asked, “why the hesitation? You were going to say
Denise Walker, weren’t you?”
“No,” Jax said.
“Sure you were,” Alexis said, “and that’s okay, because I have a whole
page here, just for her.”
“You suspect her?” Jax asked. “No, she would never do something like
that.”
“Are you sure?” Alexis asked.
“Of course. Denise is Brenda’s business partner, she’d never do
something like this, we know her very well, she’s a member of the family.”
“That’s very nice, I’m sure,” Alexis said, not giving the slightest hint that
she believed in what she was saying.
“Alexis,” Jax emphasized, “Denise isn’t the type.”
“Is she the type to allow herself to be beaten for several years at a
time?” Alexis asked. “Is she the type to allow herself to be beaten when
pregnant? Is she the type to just let go of her anger after being terrorized in
her own home? You’d better be real honest with yourself and ask yourself
these questions, give yourself the real answers, because I’m telling you, guilty
or not, the person with enough motive to make Brenda look like Mrs. Clause,
is your friend, Ms. Walker.”
 

“No,” Brenda said, shaking her head in her sleep. “Stop it, get away
from me. No, I didn’t do it, I didn’t do it, I swear. Don’t take my baby from
me, please,” she sobbed, “no, stop it! Jax, don’t! Please don’t look at me like
that, I’m innocent! I’m innocent! Stop it!” Brenda was shaking when she shot
up in bed, looking all around her, and needing a few moments to remember
where she was. She sighed and leaned back in bed when she remembered
that she was still in the hospital, that she was still pregnant with Jax’s child,
and she wasn’t about to go to jail. Or was she? Brenda started to reach for
the phone when the door to her room slowly opened. She braced the phone
tightly, and then relaxed when she saw that it was Denise coming into the
room.
“Are you all right?” Denise asked, coming into the room and standing
near the edge of the bed.
“Yeah,” Brenda said, her brain still slightly cloudy, “I just--I had a really
bad dream.”
“Was it about Martin?”
“Yeah,” Brenda said softly. “But it’s fine, it’s over now, I can barely
remember anything.” Brenda paused, waiting for Denise’s next move. “What
are you waiting for?” she said, finally. “Come here and give me a hug!”
“Oh, I wasn’t sure you wanted me to,” Denise said, closing the distance
between herself and Brenda instantly. “After everything that’s happened--”
“None of which is your fault,” Brenda said, hugging her friend tightly. “I
know what you went through.”
“What about you?” Denise asked. “You’ve been arrested, here you are in
the hospital, what’s going on with you?”
“I fainted when they started to arrest me at Java House,” Brenda said,
waving a hand. “I’ll be out soon though, I’m feeling better, it was just
dehydration and fatigue, I think.”
“Well I’m glad you’ll be better soon,” Denise said. Brenda nodded and
held her friend’s hand.
“How’s the baby?” Brenda asked.
“Actually, that’s why I didn’t come to see you sooner,” she said. “I had
an appointment earlier today, and I just finished.”
“The baby’s all right then?”
“Yes, the baby’s fine,” Denise said, “but I just can’t believe you’re
concerned about me, when all of this is my fault.”
“Please don’t say that,” Brenda said, shaking her head. “You’re my best
friend, and I love you, and I trust you. This isn’t your fault, it’s not my fault.
It’s not even Martin’s fault, he’s the one that’s dead. It just is, that’s all.”
“It’s not fair that you’re suffering for this,” Denise said. “But Brenda,
you have to believe me when I say that I didn’t do this, I wouldn’t do
something like this to you--”
“Of course I know that,” Brenda said. “I believe you, and I don’t want
you to give it a second thought, is that understood?”
“Yes,” Denise said softly. “And Brenda, I want you to know that I’m
going to take care of Java House until all of this is over. Carly’s there now,
she’s been working like a dog, and we’re going to have to definitely consider
a raise for that girl. But I’m not going to let your business get away from you,
not after all the hard work that you and Daniel did to make Java House a
success.”
“Thank you for that,” Brenda said, “but I honestly believe that I’m not
going to be in here for very much longer, and I’m going to be back at home
before you know it.” Denise gave Brenda a funny look just then. “What?”
Brenda asked. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“You haven’t seen this morning’s paper yet, have you?” Denise asked.
“Why, what does it say?” Denise reached into her oversized bag and
pulled out the front-page article. She tossed it onto Brenda’s lap.
“It says that you smothered him, basically,” Denise said. “They ate you
alive in that article, Brenda. You’ve been tried and convicted already by the
press.” Brenda stared at the article in disbelief.
“Can they do this?” she asked. “I didn’t even know until just now that
Martin was smothered by a pillow. I thought someone would have shot him
or something.”
“Brenda,” Denise said, “a gun shot would have been too loud.” When
Brenda looked at her strangely, she added, “I just meant to say that if someone
had shot Martin, surely someone on the floor would have heard it.”
“Of course,” Brenda said, tossing the newspaper onto the floor. “I
wonder if Jax has seen this yet.”
“Hey, don’t let yourself get down,” Denise said, “I know you’re going to
make it out of this just fine. I just can’t believe so many people even care that
someone like Martin is no longer with us.”
“A crime was committed,” Brenda said, shaking her head, “and no
matter what kind of a person Martin was, he was still murdered. Even if he
did deserve it.” Denise nodded.
“Listen, I should be going. I know Carly’s going to need help. By the
way, that new girl we were going to hire, remember her?”
“Yeah,” Brenda said, she’ll be such a help to Carly and you. Does she
start today?”
“She quit,” Denise said plainly. “And I can’t say I’m surprised.” Brenda
just nodded, having no choice but to accept why no one wanted to work for
someone on trial for murder. It wasn’t a very good thing to put on future
resumes. “Before I go,” Denise said, “how are you really?”
“Just pregnant,” Brenda blurted out. Denise’s jaw dropped.
“No,” she said. “I can’t believe it.”
“I know,” Brenda answered, “I was just as shocked. But it’s good news,
I think.”
“Does Jax know?”
“No, I haven’t told him yet, but I will, very soon.” Denise leaned over
and hugged Brenda.
“I’m happy for you,” she said, “I hope it all works out.”
“It will,” Brenda said, “and then we’ll get to be pregnant together.”
Denise chuckled.
“Oh, won’t that be fun? Carly’s going to go insane and threaten to kill
us all.” Denise laughed, but Brenda only snickered slightly, and Denise
realized the error in her statement. “Oh, hey Brenda, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean
that the way it came out.”
“It’s all right,” Brenda said, “I can’t expect people to think about every
little word that comes out of their mouth around me, and I don’t want you to
be so sensitive to my feelings, that you only say things to me that are safe, you
know? I want you to talk to me the way that you always did, with that
brashness and sassiness that only I could appreciate.”
“Okay then,” Denise said, “you look like h#ll, put some make-up on.”
Brenda’s jaw dropped, and she playfully hit Denise on the arm.
“You’re going to pay for that one, my friend.”
“I’m counting on it,” Denise said, getting up. “Again, Brenda, I’m sorry
for dragging you into all of this.”
“Again,” Brenda emphasized, “it’s not your fault. Thank you for coming
and seeing me today. You’ve made my morning.”
“It’s nice to know I did something for you,” Denise said. “After all
you’ve done for me. I’ll see you later, and you take care of yourself, all right?”
“Same to you,” Brenda said. “Be good to that baby.”
“Well yes ma’am, and now I’m glad that I can say, same to you!” Denise
smiled as she backed out of Brenda’s room.

Java House....

“I’m so glad to see you,” Carly said when Jax came in the door. “I know
it’s crazy, but do you think you could give me a hand?”
“What do you need?” Jax asked, coming behind the counter.
“Could you just pour coffee into all of those cups I have lined up over
there at the end of the counter? Thanks.”
“Why is there such a rush?” Jax asked, speaking softly. “I could barely
find a place to park.”
“Leave it to Brenda to find the perfect way to generate more business,”
Carly said, shaking her head. “Oh,” she said, covering her hand with her
mouth. “I didn’t mean that Jax, I’m sorry.”
“I know what you meant,” Jax said, “and it’s all right. Which tables are
these coffees going to?” Jax asked.
“Three and five,” Denise said, “they’re all straight black, thank
goodness, so just hand them out for me, please.” While Jax was handing out
the coffee, Denise came out from the back.
“I’m sorry I got here so late,” Denise said, “but I just couldn’t reschedule
that doctor’s appointment again.”
“I understand,” Carly said. “I’m just glad you’re here now. With
everything that’s going on with Brenda, everyone and their grandmother
wants to come in here and get a glimpse at where Brenda works. Did you see
the paper this morning?” Carly asked, handing a customer their change.
“I sure did,” Denise said, taking some cinnamon rolls out of the oven.
“And I can’t believe they’re doing that to her. What’s Jax doing here?” she
asked, when she spotted him talking to some customers.
“He didn’t get a chance to say before I recruited him to help me.
Where’s that new girl, wasn’t she supposed to start today?”
“She got scared off,” Denise said. “She’s going to regret it though, she
would have made a killing in tips.” Just then, Jax came behind the counter.
“Listen,” he said, “things have slowed down a bit. Carly, do you mind if
I steal Denise for a minute?”
“Sure I guess,” Carly said, “but hurry back, please.”
“Of course,” Jax said, leading Denise into the back room.
“I saw Brenda this morning,” Denise said. “She looks like she’s doing
better, and her morale is up. I really think she’s going to come through all of
this.”
“Oh she should come through it just fine,” Jax nodded, “as long as you
do the right thing.” Denise raised her eyebrows.
“What do you mean? I’m helping her all I can here at Java House.”
“No, that’s not what I mean, and you know it.”
“Well why don’t you tell me what you mean,” Denise said, slight
annoyance on her voice.
“I mean do the right thing, and own up to your part in Martin’s death.”

Hey everyone! Here is yet another chapter of The Best Thing. Now, since I just got a new job yesterday, and I will be working nights, I'm going to have to have more of a schedule for myself, regarding my writing. Knowing that I will now be posting only The Best Thing, until it's finished. Once it is, I will move on to Love For All Seasons, and work soley on that until it's finished. Beyond that, I will work on other stories, several at a time, since these two are the only ones that are so far into their stories. Thank you for your patience, and know that none of my stories are going to be discontinued, I love them all, and I will finish them all. ;-) Thanks for all the feedback, make sure and let me know what you think.
Victoria L.

Chapter 25

Denise stared up at Jax in disbelief.
“My what?” she asked, putting a hand to her chest. “You think--you
think that I killed Martin?!”
“Didn’t you?” Jax asked, his voice lethal. Without any inhibition, Denise
hauled off and slapped Jax across the face with all the force she could muster.
“How dare you!” she screamed. “I would never have done something
like that!”
“Well excuse me if I don’t believe you,” Jax said, wincing as he held
onto his cheek. Denise turned her back and squeezed her eyes tight, letting a
few small tears flow.
“I can’t believe you think that about me,” she said, shaking her head.
“That I would do something like that, and furthermore, that I would let my
best friend in the world, go down for the murder.” Jax was silent, watching
and mentally recording her every movement. He wondered if she would be
anxious to beg off the conversation, or if she would challenge him. “Where
the h#ll did you get that, anyway?” she asked, turning to face him with fire in
her eyes. He was slightly taken aback at her confidence.
“Well, it makes sense, doesn’t it? I mean after all, no one suffered worse
than you did when it comes to Martin. And it would have been so easy, to
sneak into his hospital room while he was sleeping, smother him with a
pillow, walk out, no questions asked, no one sees you, and you get away with
murder. Only you didn’t get away with it, Denise, because I’m on to you.”
“You’re not ON to anything, Jasper Jacks! You don’t even know what
you’re talking about. Wouldn’t the police have fingerprints?”
“The pillowcase is missing,” Jax said, mostly ignoring her. “Do you have
an alibi?”
“I don’t have to answer you,” she said. “The police haven’t even
questioned me yet.”
“And I wonder why that is,” Jax said, sarcastically. “Could it be because
they think they’ve got an open and shut case with Brenda? I think that must
be it. After all, Brenda put two bullets in the man to save YOU--”
“If you MUST know,” Denise said, “I was visiting an abortion clinic at
the time of Martin’s murder. I wasn’t anywhere near the hospital.” It was a
relief to get the words out. She sighed and took a few steps back, unable to
look Jax in the eye.
“What did you say?” he asked in a low whisper. “You were--”
“At an abortion clinic,” Denise said again, this time forcing her eyes up
to face Jax.
“How could you do something like that?” he asked, astonished. He was
the father of two beautiful girls, and he loved Jody like a son, he couldn’t
imagine Brenda or Marian being in enough pain or in such a desperate
situation.”
“I didn’t,” Denise said, rubbing her abdomen lightly. “I considered it,
and I talked to the doctor, reviewed my options, that’s all. I even scheduled
the appointment for today,” she continued. “Can you believe I did that? I was
going to abort my own baby.”
“Why?” Jax asked, moving closer to her, his mind now completely
focused on Denise’s admission.
“I couldn’t imagine it,” she said, “having a baby at all, you know? I’m not
ready to be a mother, and I’m not sure in the next six months if I can get
ready. If that weren’t enough, look at the type of father this baby would have
had in Martin. He was a horrible man. I can protect myself, Jax, but I didn’t
ever want to see my child in Martin’s hands, and I know him, Jax. He denied
that this child was his at first, but I insisted on a paternity test, just to make
sure. And if he had lived to find out, I know without a doubt in my mind, he
would have come after me, and my child.” Denise sat in a chair, her head in
her hands. Jax stood staring, unable to make a move against her or for her.
Finally, she looked up at him and grabbed her purse. “I had to get a doctor’s
excuse that day, so that I could show Brenda why I didn’t come in to work,
for our records, you know?” She reached into her purse and took out the
doctor’s letterhead, signed and dated by the doctor and his secretary. Jax
held the piece of paper in his hand, staring at it, and then handed it back to
Denise.
“My God,” he said, taking her into his arms. “I’m so sorry, I had no idea.”
“Apparently,” she said, moving out of his arms, as quickly as she was in
them.
“Denise, please accept my apology,” he said, reaching for her hand.
“It’s accepted,” she said, sniffling, and turning around to place her
purse back in its spot underneath the table. “Now if you’ll excuse me, Carly’s
pretty swamped out there with everything.”
“Denise,” Jax said urgently, grabbing her arm.
“It’s okay,” Denise said. “I really do understand.”
“I can’t believe that I said those horrible things to you,” Jax said,
shaking his head. “I really wasn’t sure at all, I just had to see for myself, you
said you understood, right?”
“Yes,” Denise said quietly, stepping out of the room. Jax sat down,
shaking his head.
“Well that was smart,” Jax said to himself. “You’ve ruined your
friendship with the woman that you trust more than anyone in the world
other than Brenda. She takes care of your children for goodness sake. You
should have KNOWN she wouldn’t do something like this.” He sighed to
himself, and went out, suddenly having an overwhelming need to rush to the
hospital to talk to Brenda. When he passed Denise and Carly, he said his usual
good-byes. Carly gave him a kiss on the cheek and an encouraging hug.
Denise busied herself elsewhere, never making eye contact with Jax. It only
made him feel worse. He sighed to himself again, and went out the door.
“What was that about?” Carly asked, looking at Denise.
“What?” Denise asked.
“The cold shoulder towards Jax, that’s what. What’s the matter with
you?”
“Nothing,” Denise insisted. “I was just busy as he was leaving, that’s all.”
“Did something happen back there?” Carly asked. “I thought I heard
shouting.”
“You may have,” Denise said, coolly. “But just leave it at that, Carly. It’s
over anyway.” Denise didn’t wait for Carly’s reply, she just took up the coffee
pot, and went out to refill customers’ cups.

General Hospital, 30 minutes later

Jax knocked softly on Brenda’s door and then peered in. She glanced
up at him, sleepily.
“Hey,” he said, “where’s the guard that the cops put on the door?”
“Must be another shift change,” Brenda said, shaking her head. “You’d
think they’d be more careful with such a dangerous prisoner.”
“No one really believes you did it,” Jax said, coming in and kissing her
on the forehead. “You’re just an easy target.” Brenda held his hands in her
own and stared lovingly into his eyes.
“Why’d you stay away so long?” she asked.
“I only just got back,” he said, “I had some things to do first, some
people to see.”
“I don’t need to be jealous, do I?” Brenda said, laughing softly.
“Never, my love.” Brenda smiled and then ventured to speak, at the
same time as Jax.
“Listen, I have to tell you something,” they both said suddenly. They
both laughed, and Brenda sighed cheerily. “You go first,” she insisted.
“What I have to say can wait,” Jax said. “Go ahead.”
“They’re letting me out tomorrow, right? Out of the hospital?”
“Around noon sometime,” Jax nodded.
“Okay,” Brenda sighed. “Well, if this thing isn’t settled by then, and I do
have to go to jail--”
“You WON’T,” Jax answered quickly.
“Even if I do,” Brenda allowed, “I won’t get to see you as much, and
there’s something that you really need to know.”
“What’s that?” Jax asked, staring down at Brenda’s fingers as they
intertwined with his.
“This is pretty big, honey,” she said, “and I’m not sure if we’re ready for
this. It was completely unexpected, believe me.”
“What is it?” Jax asked.
“I hope you’ll be happy about it,” she said. “I’m not sure that I was at
first, but I’ve had some time to think and I think that it’s going to be good for
us, at least, I hope it is.”
“Just say it, love, please.”
“Okay,” she said, grinning, and taking a deep breath. “I’m pregnant.”
Jax was still looking down at her hands, tracing the patterns the lines made in
her palms. She paused, and then said, “Honey? Did you hear me?”
“No, I’m sorry love, my head is just somewhere else, what did you say?”
Before Brenda could open her mouth again, Jax’s eyes got as wide as saucers,
and he stood up from the bed, dropping her hand suddenly. “You’re
pregnant?!” Brenda nodded happily, giggling.
“Just a few weeks though,” she said. “Bobbie confirmed it the first day
that I was in the hospital, but I took a test myself, the night that--well, the
night everything happened and I fainted.”
“I don’t believe this,” Jax said, the color draining from his face. “You’re
going to--and I’m going to be a--we’re going to--when did?”
“Valentine’s Day,” Brenda said. “Remember?” Jax raised his eyebrows.
“Yeah, I remember. When is--”
“This Fall, some time,” she said, smiling. “Oh Jax, are you happy?”
“I’m shocked,” he rasped out, moving to sit on the stool beside her bed,
but missing it completely, he landed on the floor. He got up instantly, as
Brenda reached for her pitcher of water.
“Do you need some water, baby?” she asked, handing him a small pink
cup. He drank the water in a mouthful. Brenda turned to put the cup on the
table, and when she turned back to face Jax, his lips met hers in a sudden, and
passionate kiss. Brenda suddenly began to laugh against his mouth. “Does
this mean you’re happy?” she asked.
“I am elated that you’re carrying my child,” he said. “I love you, and it
makes all the difference in the world to me that we’re having a child that
comes from the both of us. But I am worried, Brenda.”
“I know,” Brenda said, squeezing his hand and touching his face
lovingly. “So am I. But we’re going to beat this thing, right?”
“Right,” Jax said, confidently. He pulled Brenda into his arms. “I cannot
believe that you are going to have my baby. Thank you so much for that,
Brenda. It’s an honor.”
“Thank you, sweetheart,” Brenda said, resting her head against his
chest, being calmed by the sound and feel of his heartbeat. “Now, what is it
that you were so anxious to tell me?” She felt him stiffen against her, and she
looked up at him. “You can tell me, whatever it is.”
“Well, I’m afraid that it isn’t as good as your news. It’s pretty bad, in
fact.”
“Did something happen with the case?” she asked. “Did they get some
kind of evidence?”
“No,” Jax said, “it’s nothing like that. This is sort of personal. I kind of
suspected Denise of Martin’s murder.”
“What?” Brenda asked. “That’s ridiculous, she would never do
something like that.”
“I know,” Jax said. “But I’m afraid that I came to that realization a little
too late.”
“What did you do?” Brenda asked.
“I went to Java House, took her in the back room, and I accused her of
letting you go down for a murder she committed.”
“Oh no,” Brenda said, putting her hands up to her mouth. “Jax, how
could you do something so careless? Don’t you know how fragile she is, right
now?”
“I know that now,” Jax said. “But I was just so angry. I was feeling
hopeless about your case, my hands were tied, and I just wanted someone
else to be responsible. I mean, I know that you aren’t, but Denise just seemed
like the only other candidate.”
“So what happened,” Brenda asked, running her fingers through her
hair.
“I accused her, and she hit me--”
“Good for her,” Brenda said, staring down. Jax just nodded and went
on.
“Anyway, of course she denied it, and she had an alibi to boot. She said
that the police hadn’t questioned her yet.”
“Well what was her alibi?” Brenda asked. Jax stared down at the floor.
“I don’t--I don’t know if it’s my place to say anything, Brenda.”
“Jax, you can tell me. I mean, if she wasn’t at the hospital--”
“Oh, she wasn’t at the hospital,” Jax insisted. “She was at a clinic, on the
other side of town.”
“A clinic?” Brenda asked, racking her brain and trying to visualize the
other side of town. “But Jax,” Brenda said, “the only other place on that side of
town is an abort-- oh my God, Jax. She didn’t abort the baby. She couldn’t
have, she came in here earlier, and told me she had a check up with her
doctor.”
“She didn’t abort the baby,” Jax said. “But she was considering it. And I
had to go and force it out of her. I mean, of course she wouldn’t have gone
through with it, she told me she was only going to review her options.”
“She’s been feeling so helpless lately,” Brenda said, shaking her head. “I
should have seen this coming. She told me to my face that she wasn’t sure she
could handle a baby with everything going on in her life. What kind of friend
am I, anyway?”
“Don’t be too hard on yourself, Brenda. You had no way of knowing
that she was so close to doing that.”
“She’s our friend,” Brenda insisted. “We should have been there for her,
but instead, we were so wrapped up in each other--”
“We should do what we can to help her, and support her. She wasn’t
too accepting of my apology, and with good reason.”
“Well, she’ll get over it,” Brenda said, rubbing her abdomen. “She has to,
we’re going to be pregnant together.” That news brought a smile back to
Jax’s face. He leaned down to kiss Brenda, and the door slowly opened as
they embraced. Jax jumped back to see who it was. A blonde head came into
the doorway. They both breathed a sigh of relief when Gwyneth looked up at
them.
“Hello there,” she said, “I just wanted to let you know that a police
officer is coming down the opposite hall, so you should really go quickly.
Bobbie asked me to deliver the message to you.”
“All right then, thank you,” Jax said, as Gwyneth nodded and went back
out of the room. Jax kissed Brenda once more, whispering for her to “be
safe” and promising that he would try to call or get a message to her later on.
Brenda hugged herself and sighed, happy that at least one thing was going
right in her life.
Outside, Gwyneth stood waiting for Jax. He tapped her lightly on the
shoulder, and she turned around, giving him a merry smile. She put a plant in
his hands. “What’s this for?” he asked.
“We Brits have a thing for gardening, and I thought I would bring
Brenda a plant to cheer up her room. But when I realized those horrible
guards from the police department were going to be watching her door, I
thought it would help Victoria, if maybe she had the responsibility of keeping
it alive.”
“That’s a great idea, thank you,” Jax said, taking the plant and putting it
on a nearby chair. “It was good of you to come and visit Brenda, I’m sorry
that you weren’t able to chat with her.”
“Oh, that’s fine,” Gwyneth said, waving a hand. “I’m just glad that you’re
all doing well. I’ve seen the papers,” she said delicately. “And I want you to
know that I don’t believe a word of it. And seeing that lovely smile on
Brenda’s face, well, I just know that everything’s going to be all right. But Jax,
I did have one question.”
“What’s that?”
“Well, I know that you’ve probably wanted to keep the children close
to home, what with everything that’s going on, but winter break has been
over for nearly two weeks now. Don’t you think it’s time you let Victoria
come back to school? If she misses too much more, she’ll be behind when the
others start 1st grade, next year.”
“The summer’s a long way off, Gwen,” Jax said.
“Oh, well of course,” she answered. “I just wanted you to be aware.”
“Thank you,” Jax said, “but I’ve taken the children to Alaska for a few
days, weeks perhaps, until this whole thing with Brenda is all over with.”
“Is there anything I can do?”
“Just your being here, and doing this is plenty, we thank you, really.”
“All right then,” Gwyneth answered. “I’ll just be on my way then. Good
luck.”
“Oh, Gwyneth?!” Jax asked as she stepped onto the elevator. “Maybe
there is something you can do for me. You’ve always had great taste. I’m
trying to do something special for Brenda. Would you mind giving my sister
Lois a call tomorrow? I’ll need to speak to her first, but once you call her,
she’ll be able to tell you what we need.”
“Of course,” Gwyneth answered. “I’ll be glad to help.”
“Thanks.”
Jax watched as the elevator doors closed behind Gwyneth. He sighed
to himself and sat down in the chair next to his plant. Suddenly, feelings
came up in him that he just didn’t know what to do with. He had just learned
that he was going to be a father. He had also just learned that the most likely
suspect other than Brenda had a solid alibi, and if they couldn’t point the
finger at someone else, Jax couldn’t help but think what that meant for
Brenda. He wished he could find Martin’s killer, but in just half a day? It was
impossible. What he needed now was some strength, and some inspiration.
He needed Marian. Jax reached into his wallet, and took out a small picture of
her, that no one knew he kept. She was looking up at him, smiling, holding
baby Jasmine in her arms. It was just barely two years ago, he remembered.
Back when he had a life with his wife and two daughters, and couldn’t have
been happier. Before he knew Brenda or Jody, or any of the other people
that were now so much a part of his life. “Isn’t it funny how life can change
on a dime?” he asked, staring down at her beaming face. “I miss you so much,”
he said softly. “But I wouldn’t trade what I have now for the world. I still can’t
help but wish you were here sometimes, though, to sing me to sleep, my head
in your lap.” Jax chuckled to himself. “To have Victoria and Jasmine between
us in bed at night, reading to them, and loving them.” Jax paused, and looked
up at the door to Brenda’s hospital room. “I have so much love in my life
now,” he said softly. “More than I ever thought I would, I’m so blessed. I’m
going to be a father again, can you believe it? I don’t know how Jasmine will
feel, not being the baby anymore. Victoria will be glad to have someone else
to boss around. If it’s a girl, Jody will be so disappointed. Can you believe I’m
thinking so far ahead, when our futures could all be snuffed out tomorrow?
We don’t have a chance in h#ll of putting these charges off on someone else.
I just don’t know what to do anymore, Marian. You’ve got to help me,
because we need a miracle, and we need one fast.”

Here is chapter 26, enjoy and let me know what you think.
Victoria L.

Chapter 26

“Here’s your hot chocolate, love, drink up now,” Lady Jane said, as she
sat a warm mug in front of Victoria. She shook her head at it, and pushed it
away.
“No thank you, grandma,” she said softly. “I think I’m going to call my
daddy now,” she continued, getting up from the kitchen table, and walking
into the living room, where John sat in his armchair, smoking a pipe and
reading the newspaper. Victoria’s little nose wrinkled slightly at the smell of
her grandfather’s peppermint flavored tobacco, as she tapped him on the
shoulder. Lady Jane picked Jasmine up from her high chair and scolded Jody
as he picked the marshmallows from Victoria’s cup. He just laughed, and she
shook her head as she carried Jasmine into the living room. “Grandpa,”
Victoria said, “can I use the telephone now? I know the number, but I think I
may need some help dialing it.”
“Whatever for, love?” Jane said, sitting down on the couch with Jasmine
in her arms.
“I want to call my daddy, and check on mommy.”
“Brenda’s fine,” John said, folding his paper, setting his pipe aside, and
opening his arms to Victoria. She climbed into his lap, her long blonde
ringlets sweeping the arm of the chair. “Your daddy’s fine too, and you know
very well that if anything happened, they would call you straight away.”
“I know, that’s not it,” Victoria said softly. “I just miss my school, that’s
all. And I miss my teacher, Ms. Stonecypher, and all my friends. I don’t
understand why this is happening.”
“We don’t understand it either love,” Jane said, sadly. “But your daddy
trusted us to take care of you, and your sister, and Jody, and he wouldn’t want
any of you to be sad. It won’t be too long before you’re able to go home, and
be with your parents again.” Victoria sighed and nodded.
“Couldn’t I just call to check on them?” she asked, her voice teary.
“Please grandpa? I promise, I won’t talk about school or when they come to
get me, or anything.” John looked warily at Jane, who nodded her head.
“All right, child, if it’s what you really want, go and bring Grandpa the
telephone.” Victoria flashed her grandfather a million-dollar smile and
retrieved the cordless phone, secretly congratulating herself on tears and
their secure manipulation of grandparents. She handed John the phone in
triumph, and waited as he dialed. Moments later, Jax’s voice was coming
through the line.
“Hi, daddy!” Victoria said loudly.
“Daddy!” Jasmine said, clapping her hands together, and smiling
approval.
“Where are you?” Victoria asked, seating herself back in her
grandfather’s lap.
“I’m at the hospital, Victoria,” Jax answered, “it’s very late, what are you
doing up?”
“It’s not as late here, Daddy, we’re having hot chocolate.”
“Good,” Jax said, rubbing his eyes wearily and yawning. He had to do
something about Brenda, but he was no good to her if he was dead on his
feet.
“Are you sleepy, Daddy?” Victoria asked. “When are you coming to get
me? Is mommy all right?” Victoria glanced at John, who had resumed reading
the paper. He wasn’t paying much attention to the conversation, and neither
was Lady Jane, who was busy trying to get marshmallows off Jasmine’s
fingers.
“Yes, love, I’m very sleepy, and your mother is just fine.”
“Can I speak to her?”
“I’m not in the same spot as her just this moment, sweetheart, but I’ll
tell her you called. Now, are you being a good girl for your grandparents?”
“Yes.”
“And are you helping with Jasmine and with Jody?”
“Yes, Daddy,” Victoria said, “You always ask me that.”
“That’s because there’s no one I trust more than you to get the job
done. I know that you miss Port Charles and everything here, but you’ll be
home soon, I promise.”
“And I can go back to school and everything?” Victoria asked, her
blonde ringlets bouncing.
“Yes love, and everything. Now, will you put your grandfather back on?
And have a good day, sweetheart.”
“Bye, daddy!” Victoria called into the telephone. Jax winced a little and
pulled his ear back from the phone, but had to smile at his daughter’s
exuberance.
“Hello, son,” John said, ushering Victoria out of his lap and standing up.
John walked into the other living room as he spoke to Jax. “How are things on
your end?”
“Not so good,” Jax said. “The police are guarding Brenda’s door here at
the hospital, she’s being released tomorrow at noon, and I don’t know what I
can do for her before then. They’re going to send her to jail, Dad, I know it.”
“You don’t know anything son, nothing is written in stone yet. What
does your lawyer say?”
“Alexis? Well, she says that we have to point the finger at someone else.
And Nora, well, she could care less what happens to Brenda, because of
everything that happened with Daniel, you know, he and Nora were cousins.
She’s not doing much to help Brenda, but she’s not sabotaging the case,
either, so I guess that’s all we can ask for.” In the middle of his conversation,
Jax couldn’t help but be bogged down in all of the negativity going on in his
life, and soon a bright spot appeared. He didn’t know how he could have
forgotten so quickly to mention it, but so many things were on his mind.
“Son, are you still there?”
“Yeah, Dad, listen, I have some very good news, but I want you to keep
it to yourself, all right?”
“Sure son, but what is it?”
“You can tell Lady Jane, and I’m going to tell Lois, but don’t tell the kids,
all right? I don’t want them to know for a while yet.”
“Just spill it, son, whatever it is.”
“First of all, I asked Brenda to marry me.”
“Well it’s about time, son, that’s excellent news. Your mother will be
thrilled. Is there anything else?”
“Yes. Brenda’s pregnant.” Jax waited while John paused. Seconds later,
Jax was rewarded with his father’s trademark hearty laughter.
“Well done, Jasper! The Jacks family is growing, is it?! Come, mother!
Our son has the best news!”
“What is it?” Lady Jane asked, taking the phone from John, and handing
Jasmine to John.
“Hello, mum, Brenda and I are getting married,” as Jax said this, Lady
Jane let out an appreciative shriek, “and she’s also having my baby.”
“Oh, Jax!” Lady Jane exclaimed, “I can’t believe it! This is such
wonderful news! Oh, we’ll be there shortly.”
“Be here?” Jax said, standing up and having to move quickly to keep
from knocking over the plant Gwyneth had just dropped off. “What do you
mean, mum?”
“Well of course you can’t expect your father and I to stay up here when
so much is going on in your life, son. We can’t let you plan a wedding and get
ready for a new baby all by yourself!”
“Mum, nothing is happening right away, remember? I don’t know what
the situation is, and I don’t want the kids down here and Brenda to have to
deal with everything if this situation doesn’t resolve itself, soon.”
“I know that it will, and that’s why we’re all taking the next flight
down.”
“Mum--”
“Don’t ‘Mum’ me, Jasper Jacks, you aren’t going to begrudge your old
mum a little happiness, now are you? Brenda needs me, she must have lots of
questions--”
“She’s been married before, Mum, and we’ve both had children before.
I think all our bases are covered.”
“Nonsense, we’ll be there early tomorrow morning. See you then,
son.” Jax opened his mouth to argue, but was greeted with a dial tone. He
closed the cell phone, and then picked up the plant, and started down the hall
to go home.
Just as he rounded the corner, he ran smack dab into his sister, Lois.
“Hey, where are you off to in such a hurry, and what is that thing?” Lois
asked, moving it to the side so she could hug her brother. “How’s Brenda? I
haven’t been able to see her yet, what with all of the guards on her door. I bet
you’ve been sneaking in, though, haven’t you?”
“Guilty as charged,” Jax said, putting an arm around Lois and walking
with her down the hall. “She’s doing well, we’re getting married, and she’s
pregnant,” Jax said in a rush, as casually as if he were relating the weather.
Lois stopped dead in her tracks as Jax continued on, and pushed the button
for the lobby of the hospital.
“What?!” she asked, putting her hands on her hips and a 500 watt smile
beaming across her face. “No!”
“Yes!”
“No!”
“Yes!”
“I can’t believe it! When?!”
“As soon as possible!” Jax said, moving to hug Lois.
“Oh, this is great!” she asked, hugging Jax and then moving back. “So
that means that the charges have been dropped, and Brenda’s going home,
and everything’s better now, right? Oh, this is so great! Have you called Mum
and Dad yet?”
“Yes, I have,” Jax said, “but Lois, you’re wrong, everything isn’t better
yet. The charges haven’t been dropped, and Brenda might still go to jail.”
Lois looked at Jax as though he had two heads.
“Well, I thought--”
“I know what you thought, but it just isn’t so, Lois. As far as I know,
Brenda’s in this for the long haul.”
“Oh, Jax, I’m so sorry,” she said, hugging him again. “Well, is there
anything I can do?”
“You can come and clean up my house,” Jax said, smiling bashfully. Lois
playfully swatted him on the arm. “Come on, you know I’ve got that dog to
feed of Brenda’s, and I’ve got to get the house in order because Mum’s
coming down.”
“Jane’s coming here?” Lois asked, her eyes getting big. She loved her
mother, but there was nothing like the whirlwind that was Lady Jane when
any kind of occasion was happening, especially weddings and babies. “You
know you’re going to be up to your eye balls in food, and your house is going
to shine like the top of the Chrysler building!”
“Don’t remind me,” Jax said, stepping onto the elevator. “Please come
over and help. We’re going to need you so much, and I’m tired of you sitting
in that tiny apartment of yours. We need to see more of you.”
“I know, and I’m sorry I’ve been MIA, but classes have been busy at the
college, and I’ve been volunteering with the meetings lately. We miss you, by
the way.”
“Oh yeah,” Jax said, “I really could use a meeting right now, but I know
the last one’s over for the night.”
“Well maybe you could come by next week sometime. You haven’t led
one in months.”
“Lois, don’t get on my case about that now, okay? Too much is going
on.”
“I understand that, but you always said they helped you like nothing
else.”
“And they do, but while Brenda is fighting this thing, I just don’t think I
can do it. Do you think you can get someone to cover you?”
“Absolutely, why?”
“Because when this is all over, I want to throw a baby shower for
Brenda. I know men aren’t invited, but I’m going to break the rules on this
one, and make it special for Brenda. I want the best of everything for her, and
I don’t know anyone with better taste than you.”
“Well, you’d be right about that,” Lois said, smiling up at her brother.
“Of course you know I’d do anything to help.”
“Good,” Jax said, “and Gwen’s going to give you a call tomorrow so she
can help, too.”
“From Thanksgiving?” Lois asked, and Jax nodded.
“All right then, she looked like she had taste, people from Europe, you
know.” Jax just laughed as they stepped off the elevator and into the lobby.
“Do you have your car?” he asked. “Can you follow me home?”
“Sure,” Lois said, “just let me go over to the desk really quickly, I’ll just
be a moment.”
“Okay, I’ll meet you out front.”

Later that night....

Jax plopped down on the couch, letting out a heavy sigh. Maxie came
and jumped up on his chest as he reclined on the couch. Jax tugged playfully
on her floppy ears and set the co*ker-spaniel back down on the floor as he
groaned loudly trying to get up.
“Hey there old man,” Lois said, “I told you to go ahead and get some
sleep. There’s nothing more you can do tonight. I’m almost done here,
anyway.”
“I can’t tell you how much I love you,” Jax said, hobbling over to her
like an old man. “My back can’t take anymore, and I really appreciate you
doing this.”
“You keep a pretty clean house, despite having two little girls, a boy
and a dog. Lady Jane is going to scrub top to bottom though, I hope you
know that, and nothing I do is going to make a bit of difference.”
“Believe me, I know,” Jax said, opening the refrigerator and wincing. “I
don’t have any groceries, and Jane is going to kill me when she gets here
tomorrow, and there’s no food in the house.”
“That’s because you always eat at Brenda’s,” Lois said, moving to get her
coat and purse. “Just use that excuse.”
“Nah,” Jax said, “I better get something for the kids to eat, they’re going
to be starving when they get here.”
“No they won’t,” Lois challenged, “Mum is going to have them stuffed
to the brim. I wouldn’t be surprised if you got little butter-balls back in the
place of children.” Jax just laughed.
“Mum’s not that bad, but I do need to run to the store. The only thing
we have here is dog food.” At Jax’s comment, Maxie barked in thanks. Jax
leaned down and picked her up, though she filled his arms.
“Look at you,” Lois said, “you’re dead on your feet. You can’t keep
going like this, non stop.”
“Brenda needs me--”
“Brenda needs you,” Lois continued, “I need you, your children, this
dog, the members of Group at the hospital, that little thing called an
international conglomerate that you run, and that mountain of messages and
deals waiting for you when you get back to work--” Jax groaned as Lois said
this, he couldn’t believe he’d forgotten completely about work. He hadn’t
even called in. “All of those places and people and things need you, Jax.
You’re not superman, you can’t do everything.” Jax sat down in a huff, tears
just brimming his eyes, and then disappearing once again.
“I just don’t know what to do anymore, Lois,” Jax said, putting his head
on Lois’ shoulder. “I can’t let Brenda go to prison for something she didn’t do,
I can’t.”
“It’s going to work out,” Lois said. “Innocent people--”
“Innocent people go to jail all the time and you and I both know it,” Jax
said, getting up and pacing the room.
“Getting angry isn’t going to help,” Lois said, “but I’ll tell you what will.
Go upstairs, get some sleep. I’ll be fine down here, I’ll run to the 24 hour
market, get some stuff for breakfast, okay? Then I’ll go home and get cracking
on this shower for Brenda, because I’m going to be an aunt again!” Lois said in
a sing-song voice. Jax smiled and wrapped Lois in another warm hug.
“I don’t know what I’d do without you,” Jax said, resting his chin on the
top of her head.
“You wouldn’t be able to get along at all, I’m sure,” Lois said, laughing.
“Oh honey, you know I love you more than my luggage.”
“Really?” Jax asked. “That’s some pretty expensive luggage.”
“Shut up, you know what I meant.”
“Yes, I did, and I thank you,” Jax said, “for being such a good sister, and
an even better friend. I love you.”
“I love you too, sweetie,” Lois gushed, and when Maxie barked, she
leaned down to pet her, “and I love you too! All right, enough with this! I’ve
got to get going, I have some shopping to do. I’ll be right back, twenty
minutes, tops.”
“Okay, see you in a bit, then,” Jax said. “Be careful out there.”
“I will,” Lois said, closing the door behind her. Jax went up the stairs,
with Maxie following close behind. He laid down on the bed, his eyes closed.
He was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

Three hours later....

The loud ringing pulled Jax from a deep sleep. His hand moved over
the dog, in search of the cordless phone. Unable to find it, Jax realized that
he left it downstairs. He hurried down the stairs, his eyes still half closed, and
nearly falling down the last few steps when he stepped on one of Jody’s stray
toys. He hopped over the rest of them and landed on the couch, answering
the phone finally.
“Hello?” he said sleepily. As he waited for the voice on the other line to
respond, he noticed the bag of groceries on the table that Lois must have left,
and a note pinned to the paper bags.
“Hello, Jax?” Nora said into the phone.
“Yeah, is something wrong?” he asked, getting up and rummaging
through the grocery bags, not realizing how hungry he actually was.
“Nothing is wrong, I have news, it’s excellent for you.”
“Is Brenda all right?”
“She’s more than all right, she’s free to go.”
“What?!” Jax asked, dropping the box of cereal that he had in his hand.
“She’s free to go, all charges against her have been dropped.”
“Oh my God!” Jax said, “thank you, Marian, thank you.”
“What was that?” Nora asked.
“Nothing, never mind,” Jax said. “So how did all of this happen? Can I
go to the hospital to get her?”
“She’s on her way to you,” Nora said, “I put her in a cab myself.”
“Well I don’t understand, what’s changed?”
“I don’t have any idea,” Nora said. “I just got a call a few hours ago,
saying all the charges against Brenda had been dropped, some new evidence
has come into play, and that’s all I know.”
“Thank you,” Jax said into the phone. “I can’t thank you enough for all
you’ve done.”
“Thank Alexis,” Nora said softly. “She’s the one that did all of the work.”
“Well, thank you just the same. Did Brenda tell you the news?”
“About the baby?” Nora asked. “And your upcoming marriage? Yes, she
did. Congratulations.”
“Thank you,” Jax said, surprised at the sincerity in her voice.
“Be happy,” she said, “and call me tomorrow if you need anything else.”
“I will, thank you again,” Jax said, hanging up the phone and pumping
his fists into the air, and then doing his imitation of Brenda’s happy dance.
He spun around when he heard her own merry laughter from the door way.
He turned around and was running to her before he knew what he was
doing. She squealed as he picked her up and spun her around, several times,
while their lips joined in a passionate kiss. He was lost in her eyes as the
tears streamed down her face. Maxie was down the stairs in an instant,
barking her joy at seeing Brenda again. “Did they tell you anything?” Jax
asked, touching Brenda’s face as she leaned down to pet her dog. He closed
the door behind her.
“No, nothing, they didn’t say a word except that there was new
evidence, and that I was free to go.”
“That’s so unusual,” Jax said. “I can’t understand what’s happened.”
“What’s happened here?” she asked. “When did you have time to clean
the house?” Jax swatted her on the behind as she went into the kitchen and
began to put up the groceries.
“Lois helped,” Jax said, “and you don’t have to do that, go upstairs and
lie down, rest a while.”
“I feel fine, nothing has been wrong with me for the past two days,
remember?”
“I remember,” Jax said, pulling her into his arms and leaning down to
kiss her. Just before his lips could find hers, the phone rang again. Brenda
groaned, and Jax held up one finger indicating to her to wait just a moment.
“Jax here,” he said.
“Jax, this is Alexis, has anyone called you with the news?”
“Yes,” Jax said, “I’ve got Brenda right here with me. We’re going to call
everyone tomorrow. Thank you for all your help, Alexis, I mean, we couldn’t
have done any of this without you.”
“That’s wonderful,” Alexis said, “but that’s not the news I’m talking
about.”
“What?” Jax asked. “Is there more good news?”
“No, I’m afraid not,” Alexis said. “I used some of the contacts I have to
find out exactly what the new evidence is that cleared Brenda.”
“Well what is it?” Jax asked, holding out his hand to Brenda and
whispering that Alexis found out what new evidence there was.
“Someone’s confessed to killing Martin,” she said softly.
“Who?” Jax asked, his ears dying to hear the name of the person that let
himself and Brenda go through so much in the past few weeks.
“Jax, it was Denise.” There was a pause, and Brenda was close enough
to the phone that she heard Alexis’ answer. She grabbed the phone from Jax
as he stood there speechless.
“What did you say?!” Brenda screeched into the phone. “Denise did
NOT do this!”
“We have her confession,” Alexis said, “and from what I gather, it’s
pretty solid.”
“That’s impossible,” Jax said, “she showed me the doctor’s letterhead-- I
don’t see how--”
“No,” Brenda said sternly. “NO. Something’s off about this, something’s
wrong. Where is she?”
“She’s in police custody, Brenda,” Alexis said.
“Well I’m going down there.”
“No,” Alexis said, “absolutely not. You have to stay out of this, Brenda.
The charges have just been dropped against you. If you involve yourself
further, you could really hurt your case.”
“You think I’m just going to let her go down for something she didn’t
do?!”
“She confessed, Brenda. She admitted it!”
“I don’t care if she drew you a picture!” Brenda yelled. “She didn’t do
it!”
“There’s nothing you can do, stay out of it, at least until tomorrow.”
“Will you represent her?” Brenda asked.
“I hadn’t planned on it,” Alexis said frankly.
“Alexis, please, you have to. Do it for me, please.”
“I’ll think about it, but I am still your lawyer, and I’m telling you, stay
out of this. If you don’t, there’s no way I’ll represent your friend, are we
understood?”
“Understood,” Brenda said, hanging up the phone.
“I never imagined she actually did it,” Jax said softly. “Never.”
“She DIDN’T,” Brenda said. “I know it. Something’s wrong, someone’s
making her say this.”
“Who would do that, Brenda?” Jax asked.
“I don’t know,” Brenda said, shaking her head, “but we have got to find
out.”

Across town, Gwyneth sat, drinking coffee, and listening to every word
of Jax and Brenda’s conversation. She sat up and almost spilled her coffee,
when she heard through the bug in the plant she had given Jax, that Denise
had confessed to killing Martin. She grabbed her cell phone and dialed
quickly. Someone answered on the other end.
“Was she supposed to confess?!” she asked into the phone line.
“We didn’t have time to update you,” the voice said.
“But how could you do this?” Gwyneth asked. “She didn’t do it.”
“It doesn’t matter, she’s the perfect suspect,” the voice answered.
“I can’t let this happen,” Gwyneth said. “Who got to her?”
“You would be wise to let things fall where they may, if you want to
save your career.”
“She’s innocent.”
“Let it go, Ms. Stonecypher. More depends on this than you could
possibly know.”
 

end chapter 26