Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
Brendan nodded to the Amish man standing at his door, glancing outside where a young boy held the reins of the horse in front of a buggy. “Can I help you?”
“Yes. I understand that your horses got out, and they trampled some of my fields.”
Brendan groaned. “Won’t you come in?” he asked.
“Yes, we had horses get loose. Someone came onto the property and opened all the stall doors and the paddock gates. I’m sorry for any damage or inconvenience.
We got the horses back this morning, and they were out for only a few hours.
” But he knew that it didn’t take long for livestock to damage fields and crops. “I’m very sorry.”
“No. I am sorry someone did this to you. That is not good.”
“We know who it is.” Lucas and Greg joined him. “This is my friend Lucas. He’s helping us here, and this is my lawyer, Greg. He’s helping us with the legal issues.”
“Elias Troyer.”
“Mr. Troyer,” Greg said. “How much damage was caused? If you could give us the detailed cost of any losses, we’ll see to it that you are reimbursed, and that will help the police ensure that the person who released the livestock is punished.”
His guest seemed surprised. “Oh. They damaged the edges of my corn fields and trampled through a field of hay that was about to be cut.” He scratched the back of his neck. It seemed as though he was expecting some kind of fight.
Greg handed him a business card. “Please send your bill with detailed damages to my office. This is the address. We will see to it that you’re paid.”
“Yes. Definitely,” Brendan said. “We take care of our neighbors.” He held out his hand, and Elias shook it. Then he left the house and returned to his buggy, turned around in the yard, and returned back down the street.
“Crap,” Brendan said softly. “This has been one hell of a day.”
“And it isn’t over yet. We still need to deal with the police,” Lucas said as he slipped his arm around Brendan’s waist.
“I just want all of this to be over.” But he had the idea that he was going to be dealing with this situation for some time to come.
Two hours later, the police had arrived and taken statements, as well as copies of the video surveillance.
They also asked that once the bill was received from Mr. Troyer, a copy be sent to them.
Greg assured them they would receive a copy.
They also explained the family situation and who they thought might have been behind the incident.
The officers said they would look into everything, and they seemed serious.
“I’d have thought they would treat this as though it were nothing,” Brendan said as he flopped down on the sofa. He’d called his mother, and she had come over to watch Jameson while he’d been dealing with all of this. She was in the kitchen with Jameson, making them all something to eat.
“Honestly, I wasn’t sure they’d take us seriously either,” Greg agreed. “But I intend to make sure they do, and when I explained that I’d be calling the prosecutor’s office in the morning, they got serious fast.” Greg didn’t mess around.
“So what do we do now? They’ll arrest Henry and try to get him to talk, but this isn’t a big case, so whatever he says, they’ll probably take him at his word and let the prosecutor do the rest of the work.
” Brendan did not feel particularly great about all this.
“What I need is for Jenn or her mother to cop to what they’ve done.
If it’s Jenn, then….” He really hated the idea that his former wife could loathe him so much.
He began to shake, and Lucas sat down next to him, wrapping him in those big arms, and just held him.
“Tell me what you’re thinking. It doesn’t matter what it is.”
“How? We were married, and we had Jameson. How could she do this?” Brendan asked softly.
Greg cleared his throat. “How about we ask her.”
“What?” Lucas asked.
“There is only one way to find out the truth. Ask her to come over and show her what we have. We’ll know if she’s involved. I’ve met Jenn, and Brendan knows her. She’s a hotheaded woman, but she can’t lie for crap.”
Brendan snorted. “That’s true. She’s the world’s worst liar.”
“So ask her to come over and see what she has to say.”
Brendan swallowed and picked up his phone.
He sent Jenn a text message, asking her to come to the farm.
There are some things you and I have to talk about.
They’re important. Then he waited and saw her typing a response.
He half expected her to tell him to F off.
But instead, she said was coming out of Walmart and could head right over.
“We need to move your car,” Lucas told Greg. “Jenn is going to wonder what is going on if there are a bunch of cars in the drive, and I don’t want her to spook and leave.”
“Pull up to the stable the way one of his riders would.”
Greg went out, and Brendan went to tell his mom what was going on. “What about Jameson?” she asked.
“Let him see her, and then after he has dinner, you can take him up and put him to bed. I’ll come up as soon as she’s gone.” It would take Jenn a while to arrive, so Brendan helped Mom dish up her chili, and they all sat down to eat.
Jenn arrived as they finished. Mom scooted them out of the room, and Brendan let her in. “What is it that’s so important?” she asked. “Is everyone okay? Jameson isn’t hurt, is he?”
“No, Jenn. But I have something to show you.” He put the computer on the table and sat her on the sofa. The others gathered around as Lucas played the video.
“The horses got loose?” she asked as they passed through the side cameras. “Did any of them get injured?”
“Just watch,” Greg said firmly as the part of the video where the figure went into the stable and then the horses began filing out played.
“Who would do that?” she asked as the rest of the video ran. Then Greg handed her a photograph. “No way.”
“This is a still from the video. It’s your brother, Henry. We have him from multiple angles and in more than one shot.” Brendan took away the computer and stood in front of Jenn. “Did you ask Henry to do this?” He looked into her eyes and refused to glance away.
Jenn was shocked, and she shook her head. “I love horses, you know that. No matter what you think of me, you know I loved the horses. They were the one thing I loved.” She turned away. “Fucking hell, they were the reason I married you. Well, not the only reason. But….”
“It’s okay. At least that was honest,” Brendan told her.
He was beyond allowing her to hurt him. What hurt most was the fact that she wasn’t a good mother to Jameson.
Every kid deserved to be the center of their mother’s life.
But Jameson wasn’t going to get that. “And I’m moving on with my life. You need to do the same.”
“What about those images?” Jenn asked.
“They’ve already been turned over to the police. Releasing those horses caused damage to a neighbor’s crops, and that will have to be paid for.” He wasn’t going to back down in the least. “And you know that Henry didn’t just decide to do this on his own….”
“No,” Jenn said, sitting back. “He was put up to this, and I know who it was.”
“So do we. It’s going to go easier on them if they turn themselves in.
Otherwise, they are going to hound Henry until he tells them everything, and once they have that, the prosecutor isn’t likely to go easy on either of them.
” Brendan noticed that Greg didn’t supply any names, but Jenn was buying all of it.
“Mom never understood why I married you in the first place. She didn’t think you were good enough for me.
But….” She lifted her gaze. “I’ll tell her she needs to come clean.
Henry could never keep a secret of any kind, anyway.
” She stood and slowly walked toward the door. “My family is really screwed up.”
Brendan couldn’t argue with her.
“Look. I’m going to drop the appeal. After this, it isn’t going anywhere.”
“Jenn,” Greg said. “It never was. Brendan is an amazing parent, and if he decides to let someone else in his life, then you can be sure that person will be good to both of them.”
She looked confused and more than a little hurt.
“I know your mother spun you up and got your pride and ego all in a rage, but you have to know that Jameson is happy here with me.”
Jen nodded, and then tears ran down her cheeks. “She did, and I know things not working out was my fault….”
“Nothing about divorce and separation is one person’s fault. It’s always a two-way street. So you go on with your life and try to be happy.” Brendan smiled and then sighed. “Mom is upstairs with Jameson. I need to say good night. You want to come?”
Jenn nodded, and they went upstairs together. Brendan let Jenn go in first. “Mommy,” Jameson said happily, and she hugged him good night. Brendan did the same, and then they all left the room, his mom following them down the stairs.
“I’m sorry for all of this. I know I was a real pain in the ass the last time I was here. I’ve had a chance to think things over.”
“Look. Just be in Jameson’s life. That’s all I want, and that’s all he wants. Make memories with him. He’s only going to be this age for a very short time, and soon enough, he’ll be a teenager, and he won’t want to have anything to do with either of us.” He smiled, and Jenn nodded.
“I know. But most of the time, I don’t know what to do with him. He doesn’t like the same things I did as a child.”
“No, probably not. But all you need to do is spend some time doing the things he likes, and you’re halfway there.
He loves Lego, animals, and helping in the kitchen.
Don’t just put him in front of the television.
He’ll be happy to sit there and watch, but he isn’t going to remember anything about it.
” He walked her to the door and said good night. Brendan sighed as he closed the door.
“Well, that tells us quite a bit. She believes her mother is behind all this.”