For The Least Of These (25 page)

“Now she was buried by the old church wall,

And him they laid beside her,

And from her grave grew a red, red rose,

And from his grave a briar.

They grew and they grew to the church steeple top,

'Til they could grow no higher,

And there they twined in a true lover's knot,

Red rose around the briar.”

The song is extremely depressing, but then my mother does love maudlin things. She is an eternal pessimist, so it is fitting that such a sad song is her favorite. But it isn’t mine, so I am happy to interrupt her. “Mom, do you need any help with anything? I have a feeling I’m going to be tied up with Brandy later, so I thought I’d check on you.”

“So you finally found Brandy, huh? Now tell the truth, why is that good-looking man trying to find her?”

“You mean Jack. Um…he’s not looking for her any more. He and I have just been hanging out.” I hate lying to Mom, but I really don’t want to get into the truth right now. It would take way too long.

“Jack? No, I don’t think his name was Jack.
Isn’t he the guy you’ve been driving around with? The big one? I’m not talking about him. I mean the other one. He was over here last week asking about Brandy. I gave him her cell phone number.”

I am taken aback by what Mom says for two reasons.
First, who, other than Jack, would be looking for Brandy? Second, Mom has Brandy’s cell phone number? I decide to start with the easiest question first. “Mom, how did you get Brandy’s cell phone number?”

“The day she got her cell phone, she came over to the house and gave me the number.
She said she knew you would misplace the number and this way you could get it from me. Why, do you need the number?”

Damn.
Brandy thinks she is so smart. She thinks I can’t hold on to her phone number. Oh, yeah, she’s right. “Yes, Mom, I do need that number. But who was this man looking for Brandy? Didn’t he tell you his name? Why would you give a complete stranger her phone number?”

“If I could remember his name, I would have asked, ‘Why is Tom, Dick, or Harry trying to find her?’ instead of asking, ‘Why is that good-looking man trying to find her?’ I gave him her phone number because he told me he was the man that brought you two back from Biloxi.
At the time, I assumed he was probably a good person if my daughter got into a car with him. Now that I’ve thought about it, maybe it was a lapse in judgment. I forgot that you and Brandy get into men’s cars all the time – without a thought of their character…”

I hate to admit it, but based on my recent conduct with Jack, Mom was right.
I had been driving around with Jack for several days now simply because he was handsome. I can’t stop to think about this now, however. Adam is in town and looking for Brandy. Jack was right, and now he will catch up to Adam if I don’t find a way to warn him.

“I don’t really have time to explain why Adam…”

“Adam! That’s his name…”

“…is looking for Brandy.
Please write her cell number down and give it to me.”

For once, Mom moves faster than a snail’s pace.
She jots down a number on a note pad and hands it to me. “Hon, you know that hurricane is heading straight for us. Please make sure you are home before it arrives.”

I assure Mom that I’ll be home long before Ivan shows up, and then I run home as fast as I can.

I can barely control my fingers as I dial Brandy’s number. She answers and her voice is groggy, “Alicia, do you know what time it is?”

“Brandy, where are you?”

“I’m in a nice warm bed asleep. Call me back later.”

“You need to come over here right now, before this storm gets any worse.
I’ve got something important to tell you.”

“Alright…I’m at Mom and Daddy’s.
It’ll take me a little while to get over there…”

“Just hurry, please!”

“I should be there in about forty-five minutes.”

It seems like hours before I hear Brandy’s car outside, but the clock assures me that only fifty minutes have passed since our phone conversation.
I fling the door open before Brandy can knock. The sky is turning black and the rain is getting worse.

“Boy, aren’t you impatient,” Brandy says.
She looks extremely cheerful for someone who is about to die.

“I don’t have time to kill you for worrying all of us to death, but I’ll get around to it eventually.
Right now I need to tell you that Adam is in town.”

“I know.”

“And we need…Wait a minute. Did you say you know?”

“Where do you think I’ve been all this time? Adam called me Friday night while we were at Three Sheets.
You were talking to that really cute tall guy. I figured that he would wind up taking you home, so I didn’t interrupt you when I left to go meet Adam.”

I can’t believe what Brandy is saying.
She’s been with Adam all this time, and she never bothers to let me know that she’s okay. “Why didn’t you tell someone? Let’s see, there was Curt, Wayne, your parents, my parents, Terry… You could have told someone!”

“I thought your mom would tell you that Adam stopped by.
She gave him my cell phone number. How do you think he called me?”

“She did tell me.
Today. About an hour ago. You know my mom. How could you think she would remember to tell me anything?”

“I thought you didn’t have time to kill me.
I thought you had something important to tell me. Oh, wait. You just wanted to tell me Adam was in town. Okay, get on with the killing. I’m going to get a glass of water while you build up to it.”

This is frustrating.
Is this how Brandy usually feels when I act goofy? “Brandy, where is Adam right now?”

“We split up last night.
Well, we didn’t actually split up – we’re still together. We’ve been staying at the Hampton Inn – and before you ask, we were in separate rooms. Last night, I remembered that my folks didn’t have my cell phone number – I didn’t want Daddy telling me that I was wasting my money and lining some big corporation’s pockets – so I told Adam I was going to go see them in case they were worried about me. I spent the night with them so Adam wouldn’t have to pay for my hotel room for another night. Adam had something he wanted to do this morning, so we are going to meet later at the airport.”

“The airport? Is he trying to fly out of here in the wake of a hurricane?”

“No, he’s just turning in his rental car. He and I are going to stay with Mom and Daddy during the hurricane. Why are you so concerned about him?”

“That cute tall guy at Three Sheets…”

“Yeah. Did you get lucky with him?”

“Brandy, he’s a cop.
He’s here from Mississippi. He thinks Adam killed Fisher Perry. We’ve got to warn Adam. Call him now.”

Brandy looks stricken.
She grabs her purse, and at the same moment, my front door flies open. It isn’t the wind; Jack is standing there. Brandy ignores him as she gets her phone and presses a few buttons. She does move into the kitchenette – farther away from Jack.

Jack speaks.
“Brandy, put the phone down. I have to talk to you.”

Brandy is still ignoring Jack as she holds the phone to her ear.
After a short time, she takes the phone down and looks at it pleadingly. Apparently, Adam isn’t answering.

Jack is now beside Brandy and he takes the phone from her hand and closes it.
“He’s not going to answer. The local police are waiting for him outside the hotel. He should already be in custody.”

I can’t believe Adam has been arrested.
Brandy collapses and Jack catches her. He helps her into the living room and onto the couch. By now, she’s sobbing. I’m on the verge of crying too.

“Jack, “I say, “Adam isn’t a killer.” Jack ignores me.
He is removing his handcuffs from his belt. He starts placing them on Brandy! “Jack! Damn it, Jack, why are you handcuffing Brandy?”

“She’s an accessory.
I’m sorry, Alicia, but Brandy has helped Adam conceal his whereabouts. He knew we were looking for him – do you really think he didn’t tell her?”

Brandy has stopped crying.
“It’s okay, Alicia. Adam is innocent. He’s never mentioned a word of this to me. If he had killed Fisher, I know he would have told me.”

“He’s a Christian,” I say to Jack.
“He’s a good man.”

“Christians kill people all the time, Alicia.
They are human. I happen to be a Christian myself, and just look at how I deceived you. I’m not proud of it, but it is my job to catch bad guys – even if I have to lie every once in a while.”

I want to pound my fists against Jack’s back and scream at him to let Brandy go, but I know it is no use.
He really believes that Adam killed Fisher and that Brandy helped him hide out.

Jack says to Brandy, “If what you say is true and Adam didn’t tell you about the murder, you’ll be released.
Now I’m going to tell you your rights. You have the right to remain silent…”

I tune Jack out and grab my purse.
There’s no way he’s taking her in without me going too. Jack stops walking and watches me as he continues listing off Brandy’s rights. Even though I’m ready to go, he goes on and on until he is done Mirandizing her, and then he says to me, “Where do you think you are going?”

“I’m going to follow you to Gulfport, or wherever you are taking Brandy.”

“I’m taking her to the local sheriff’s department. They are holding Adam there, too. This hurricane is causing an exodus from Pensacola and the surrounding areas, so all roads are pretty well backed up. I’ve spoken to my boss and he thinks it is a good idea to keep them here until after the storm. You’re welcome to go down there and sit if you’re a mind to, but they won’t be getting out on bail or anything like that.”

Just before we head out the door, Jack’s cell phone starts ringing.
He shoves Brandy back on the couch, a little rougher than he should. He fumbles for his phone and I sit down beside her. “It’ll be okay, Brandy. I’ll be with you.”

Brandy starts to reply, but Jack interrupts by slamming his phone shut and yelling, “Damn it!”

Brandy looks at him and says, “He got away, didn’t he?” She is beaming.

Jack is furious.
“Some incompetent idiot let him slip right through his fingers! He got to his car and disappeared before they even knew he was gone.” Jack turns to Brandy, “But don’t worry your pretty little head. We will get him.”

“So, are we leaving now?” I ask.

“Nope,” Jack responds. He seems a little brighter. I recognize that look: he has a plan to catch Adam. “I think we’ll wait right here. Since you and Considine have become so close, Brandy, I’m betting he won’t leave town without you. All we have to do is wait for him to figure out where you are. And that shouldn’t take too long.”

I look at Brandy and she is praying.
That seems to be a good idea, so I do the same…

I never thought I’d be running from the police. I’ve only been on the lam for about twenty minutes, and I’m already wondering if I should give myself up. Of course it would help if I knew why the police were after me. As it is, I’m really confused by what’s going on.

For the past two months, I’ve been hanging around Raleigh, North Carolina. I thought that spending some time with my parents at their home in Cary would be a good idea, but things didn’t turn out as I had hoped. While I had been wrapped up in my life with Rick, my mother and father had grown apart. They had been unable to get past the death of my sister, and it was taking a toll on their marriage. At least they were trying to work it out, and I didn’t want to hinder their attempts by moving back into their house. So I grabbed a motel room in Raleigh so I could check in on them from time to time.

During this period, I spent so much time thinking about Brandy and everything that happened during our brief weekend together. I have been unable to figure out why I have such strong feelings for her. And then there was the scene with Fisher Perry. I’ve tried to forget about that, but it still haunts me. It serves to remind me that even a Godly man can cross the line back to sin at any time.

I was so angry with Fisher. I mentioned before how I went to his motel room, intent on teaching him a lesson. He had invited me into his room, and I had locked the door behind us. I wanted to make sure he didn’t leave until I was done with him. He saw me lock the door, and he said, “Paranoid, are we?”

Before he could say another word, I punched him in the nose and sent him spiraling backwards where he landed on his unmade bed. Blood gushed from his nose, and from the looks of it, it was broken. Fisher was dazed for a moment and then he said, “What the hell?”

I was ready to pummel him if he stood up, but he didn’t get the chance. The door to the bathroom opened, and a half-clothed woman walked out. She had a towel wrapped around her hair and a concerned look on her face. She was wearing only a bra and a pair of miniscule pink panties. “What’s going on in
here?” she asked.

This woma
n’s appearance made me immediately contrite for my actions. I dropped my fists to my sides and relaxed my stance. I didn’t speak – no, I couldn’t speak. I didn’t know what to say.

“Fisher, are you alright?” the woman said.

“I…I think so,” he replied. Then he added, “I think my nose is broke.”

“What did you do this time?” she continued. Then she looked at me. “Did he bed your girlfriend? Or was it your mother? Fisher’s not choosy.”

“This guy is an insurance adjuster. I don’t know why he hit me…”

I finally found my voice and said, “I’m not from your insurance company. I’m a friend of Brandy’s. I thought you needed to pay for what you did to her car. But I was wrong. I should have let the police handle it.”

“Brandy? That bitch? She thought she was better than me. And then she damaged my truck…”

“It was an accident. And she tried to clean it up,” I was about to get riled up again. I stopped long enough to get my emotions in check. “Look, I shouldn’t have come here. Brandy’s gone now, so you won’t have to worry about her anymore.”

I turned to leave. I thought I heard Fisher trying to get up off the bed, but the woman told him to let me go. “Do you really want him to kick your ass some more?” she asked him.

I got into my car and drove away. A few miles down the road I pulled over. I was trembling and fearful of the rage I had just exhibited. I wanted to blame it on Brandy and this hold she somehow had on me. But it wasn’t Brandy’s fault that I couldn’t control my anger. I sat on the side of the road for several minutes and prayed. I made a new commitment to myself: with God’s help, I would never behave this way again.

Before driving away, I made a decision about my life. I had known for some time that I was never going to write another song for Rick Hartwood. In the past decade or so, I had written a few songs for other musicians, but I was largely regarded as someone who wrote exclusively for Rick. I was ready to move on. I wasn’t sure what came next. I had even toyed with the idea of recording some of the songs myself, but so far I hadn’t gained enough confidence to pursue this idea yet. All I knew was that I wasn’t working with Rick any longer, and I needed to let him know.

I took out my cell phone and called Rick.
He answered right away. “Hey, Adam! You still being Mr. Good Samaritan?”

I was surprised that Rick even knew that expression, and I was certain he had no idea where it came from.
“I dropped the girls off earlier. I just wanted to call and tell you that I won’t be joining you in LA…”

“Did Alicia give you any messages for me?
She must be really missing me by now and plenty sorry she didn’t come on the road with me…”

“Alicia didn’t even mention you after we left Biloxi.
I think she might have been using you so you wouldn’t take advantage of Brandy. But I didn’t call to discuss Alicia…”

“Hold on, Adam.
You are wrong about Alicia. She and I made a connection. I’ve been thinking about calling her all day, but I don’t have a number for her.”

“Look, Rick!
You can worry about Alicia and all of your other women later. I’ve got something to say and you are going to listen. I’m done. I will not be joining you in LA or anywhere else. If you decide to continue recording, you will need to find you a new songwriter. I’ve written my last song for you.”

“What?
Are you out of your mind? We’re a team, Adam. You can’t just walk out on me.”

“I can and I am.
There’s no contract binding me to you. I’ve had it with this life we’ve been living. I’m a different person now. I can’t do this anymore.”

“Ah, yes.
You were reborn. I remember. And I’m not making fun of you. I kind of understand what you mean. We’ve been out of control for a long time, and you think we need to straighten up. I’ve been thinking the same thing. We can redefine ourselves. I could even record one of those Christian songs that you’ve been fiddling with…”

Leave it to Rick to try and turn my salvation into a profit making scheme.
“No. I’m done with you, Rick. You aren’t going to change – you don’t want to change. I’m starting a new life – one that doesn’t include you.”

“With Brandy?” Rick laughed as he said her name.
“Give me a break. At least you could fall for someone interesting – like Alicia.”

I couldn’t take anymore of Rick, so I shut my phone.
He tried to call me back, but I ignored the call and then switched it off.

After that, I headed straight to the airport. I turned in my rental car and caught a flight to Raleigh. My own car, a red Nissan 350Z, was waiting for me in long term parking where it had been since the previous Christmas. I drove over to my parents’ home in Cary
– about a twenty minute drive. My parents were happy to see me, and I stayed a few days in their home. It didn’t take long for me to figure out what was going on with their marriage. I decided to house my car in their garage – I didn’t want to get it dinged up in a motel parking lot – and I drove my father’s old Dodge pickup into Raleigh to find a place to stay. The motel I chose was about a ten minute drive from my parents’ house, and I prepared to do some soul searching over my recent bout with Fisher and my feelings about Brandy.

Several weeks into my stay at the Ramada Inn, my mother phoned to tell me that two police officers had been by her house asking for me. She said they were from Gulfport, Mississippi. I didn’t really think much about it since they didn’t tell my mother why they were looking for me. As a
well-known celebrity, I’ve had fans try all kinds of tactics to get a chance to meet me. I just imagined that these were two very creative and determined fans. My mother had told them that she hadn’t seen me in months and the men had left. I didn’t think any more about it at the time, but in light of my recent adventure, maybe I should have.

Somewhere around this same time, I began to realize that I had to see Brandy. I had come to the conclusion that no matter how crazy it seemed, I was in love with her. I was hopeful that she had found Jesus since we parted. I felt strongly that she was going to find her way, I just wasn’t sure she had yet. If not, I would just have to encourage her as much as I could. I would also have to conceal my true feelings for her until I was certain of her salvation. As much as the thought hurt me, our love would never survive if she remained lost.
That’s all assuming that she was even in love with me.

I packed my bags and checked out of the Ramada. My father agreed to take me to the airport. That was Friday morning. I arrived in Pensacola late that afternoon, waited for what seemed an eternity to rent a car, and then began my search for Brandy. Of course, she wasn’t at the house I had dropped her off at when I’d brought her home from Biloxi. Her roommate seemed extremely annoyed that I was asking about her, and he refused to tell me where she might be. He seemed a little jealous, but I had believed Brandy when she had told me that she
and this man were not lovers. I decided that I was just imagining his hostility and that he was just annoyed at an interruption to his day.

The only other place I knew to look was at Alicia’s house. Alicia and her parents were not at home. I drove around for a while hoping they would return before the night got too late.
I stopped off at the Oyster Bar and had some dinner. At around eight-thirty, I headed back to Alicia’s. There was still no one at home and I was beginning to think that the night was shot. I filled up with gas at a station about a mile from Alicia’s house. I was thinking I should get a room for the night, but I decided to take one more drive by Alicia’s. As luck would have it, there was a car in the drive and lights were on inside the big house. I pulled in, walked up to the door, and knocked.

The woman that answered reminded me of Alicia. She had salt-and-pepper hair hanging to her shoulders, beautiful blue eyes, and an infectious smile. “May I help you, young man?”

“I’m sorry to bother you so late at night. My name is Adam Considine. I drove Alicia and Brandy back from Biloxi when Brandy had the misfortune with her car.”

“Oh, yes. That was so sweet of you…”

“I’m trying to find Brandy. She’s not at her house, and I don’t really know where else to look for her. Do you know where she might be?”

“I can do better than that. Brandy now has a cell phone, and I have the number for it.”

She disappeared into the house for a moment and then returned with a small piece of paper which had a phone number written on it. She handed me the paper and said, “I’m Mrs. Meyer, Alicia’s mom. I do hope you will come back and have dinner with us sometime. I’d like to show my appreciation for you getting my girls home safely.”

“It would be an honor, Mrs.
Meyers. I look forward to it. And thank you so much for Brandy’s number.”

“I’m pretty sure she’s across town at that karaoke bar called Three Sheets. I jotted their address on the back of that paper for you. Alicia and Brandy think I don’t know that place is a bar, but I’m no dummy…” She chuckled and then said, “Don’t give away my secret.”

I wished Mrs. Meyers a goodnight and then return to my car. I decided that I might as well drive over to the bar and surprise Brandy. I entered the address into the car’s navigation system and then left the Meyers’ yard heading north.

About half way across town, I realized that it might not be such a good idea to walk into the bar and surprise Brandy. After all, I didn’t know what she’d been doing in the last two months. She could have moved on with her normal life, and I might be the one to get a surprise. I briefly considered the thought that I should have attempted to contact her from Raleigh and thereby avoided a broken heart, but at this point, that line of thinking was a waste of time. I pulled to the side of the road and dialed the number Mrs.
Meyers had given me.

Brandy answered on the second ring. Her voice was like a melody I had searched for my entire life. “Hello…”

“Brandy, this is…”

“Adam! Oh my God! Is it actually you? But how did you get my number? Never mind. Where are you? Please tell me you are in Pensacola…”

“Yes, I’m in Pensacola. I really need to see you. I’m heading to where you are – Three Sheets, I believe it’s called.”

“No, don’t come here. Let me come to you. We can’t talk here
– it’s too loud. Where are you?”

“I’m on um…Fairfield or something. I’m pulled off the road in the parking lot of Dolly Madison Cake Company. Do you know where that is?”

“I do. Just down and across the street is a Krystal. I love Krystal, so let’s meet there. I’ll be there in about fifteen minutes.”

“Okay. I’ll be waiting inside.”

I drove over to the Krystal. I wasn’t hungry after my late dinner, so I bought a drink and sat down. The Krystal was relatively empty. There was one couple sitting on the other side of the room. They were extremely young and I imagined that they were here on a date. The boy had eight Krystal boxes and a large fry in front of him while the girl had only two Krystal boxes sitting in front of her. I was reminded of Brandy and the first time she ate in front of me. She tried to hold back so I wouldn’t think she was a big eater. Like that would ever matter to me. I’ve never judged anyone based on their appetite. And if Brandy thought I would judge her on her weight, she was wrong about that too. After all, my mother was a large woman and my sister Siobhan had been on the chunky side too. I wasn’t bothered by a few extra pounds; in fact, I didn’t usually even notice something like that. It was sad that Brandy and others like her had been conditioned to think that all men judged them based on their body size.