Three Months Later
Tim pulled into the prison parking lot, and found an empty space. “Are you sure you won’t come in with me?” he asked, glancing over at LeAnn.
She shook her head. “No, I’m going to head down to the Dairy Queen. I need some ice cream or something. Anything cold. Go on.” She motioned for him to climb out. “You need to get this over with, and put it in your rearview mirror.”
He knew she was right, so he sighed, and obeyed. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” She quickly rounded the car, and slid behind the wheel. “Now go.”
He walked quickly toward the sprawling building because August in Texas was brutally hot, and no one lingered outside if they could help it. If he stayed out in the sun long, he was going to melt.
The guard coolly sized him up when he approached. “Name?”
“Tim Heiser.”
“Inmate?”
“Crystal Heiser.”
The guard typed something on his keyboard, and spoke into a microphone. Tim was required to sign a log book, then sit through a briefing where he was warned that he’d be monitored and recorded for security purposes. After several vigorous pat-downs and more warnings, they finally showed him to a waiting room.
He’d been felt up and squeezed more than a sorority queen at the senior prom, he decided as he settled down to wait. No surprise…it was a prison, not summer camp.
When an officer yelled, “Tim Heiser!” he jumped to his feet again, and swiftly crossed the room. He was escorted into a large visitor’s area full of circular tables and chairs. Most were occupied by inmates and their families. There was a small play area for kids off to one side, and vending machines at the other end.
He stopped to survey the room. A hand lifted tentatively in the back, and he recognized Crystal. He offered her a smile, and headed back to join her.
She was alone at the table, and looked extremely vulnerable. They stared at each other for a long moment. Finally she rose to hug him, then quickly sat down again. He dropped into the opposite chair, and wondered what to say.
“It’s good to see you,” Crystal said nervously. “Thank you for coming.”
“Same here. I’m glad I came.”
“How are you? How are things going?” she quickly blurted. “My mom visits me and tells me stuff, but I’d still like to hear from you.”
“Things are good,” he smiled. He didn’t bother telling her how long it had taken him to leave the hospital; she’d have heard that from Darla. Better, he thought, to concentrate on more positive things. “I passed all the parts of my CPA exam on the first try.”
“Really?” Delighted, she reached over and squeezed his hand. “Congratulations! That’s so awesome!”
“Yeah. It was tough and stressful, but I finally did it.”
She’d clasped both hands in her lap again, but her eyes shone with pleasure. “I’m happy for you. You worked really hard, and I’m glad it’s paid off. What else? Tell me everything!”
“Well,” he confided with quiet pride, “I’ve been accepted into the FBI Academy.”
Her jaw dropped. “Oh, my God. Are you serious?”
He nodded. “I applied, and I was accepted. It’s crazy, but I can’t wait to start.”
At her urging, he relayed the highlights of his last three months. She listened intently, hungry for a quick vicarious glimpse of life beyond the high prison walls. He looked good, she decided. Different somehow. He’d grown more serious and self-confident. He was happy, too, and it showed. She liked what she saw, and was glad for him.
“Enough about me,” he finally said. “How are you?”
Her smile faded as she considered her answer. “I’m as good as can be expected,” she shrugged. “I still really struggle with Meth cravings. My counselors say it’s likely I always will. But I’m learning new techniques to manage them, and new ways to focus my attention so I won’t relapse.”
“That’s great.” But he could see the toll it had taken on her. Though her hair was still blonde, it was frizzy and lank, and there were circles under her eyes. He wasn’t sure if it was prison or the Meth withdrawals, but she seemed to have a hole in her personality.
“I think so,” she agreed, and managed a bolstering smile. “I’ve made some friends here, and they’re helping me, too. It turns out there are a lot of recovering Meth addicts in prison, so I have a strong support network.
“My attorney says I have a decent chance of getting out early for good conduct,” she added. “I cooperated fully with the prosecution, and he says the parole board will take that into account. They might drop my sentence down from ten years to just five or six.”
“That’d be great,” he repeated, and wondered a little desperately what else he could say to this stranger who’d once shared his life and his heart. “Hey, I could use a soda. How about you?”
Crystal nodded. “Sure.”
He hurried over and bought two Cokes, then took several deep breaths before returning.
They sipped in silence for a minute. Then she set her can down, and leaned forward. “It’s great to see you, and I don’t want to waste a minute of our time.” When he started to reply, she held up her hand. “I want to say some things. Please?
“First, I’m so sorry.” Tears filled her eyes as she met his solemn gaze across the table. “There’s no excuse or explanation for my behavior. I was spoiled and selfish, and I’ll always be truly sorry. I’m not asking you for anything, but I hope someday you’ll be able to forgive me.”
His own eyes began to water with shared pain. “I do forgive you, Crystal.”
“Thank you. That means a lot to me,” she whispered, and cleared her throat. “Second, I want to say thank you for signing the divorce papers, and moving on with your life.” She swiped a hand across her eyes. “It hurts to lose you, but it would hurt more if you waited for me, and tried to salvage our marriage. We both need a fresh start.”
“I agree,” he murmured. “It wasn’t easy…I didn’t want to sign them at first. But Darla talked to me, and helped me work through everything.”
“She told me.” Crystal’s mouth quivered into a faint smile. “She says you’ve gotten close, and she hopes you’ll stay in touch. She’s proud of you.”
“She’s been a huge help. She’s the only one who understands us and the challenges we’ve faced.”
She nodded, and took a deep breath. “The final thing isn’t easy for me to say, so please bear with me.” Tears flooded her eyes again, and she had to breathe in and out several times before continuing, “Please don’t let LeAnn get away from you. She’s perfect for you.” Her voice broke slightly, and she clenched her hands together to keep from breaking down completely.
It was the last thing he’d expected to hear, and no matter how many times he shook his head and cleared his throat, he couldn’t hold back his own tears. Finally he gulped down half his can, then managed a wobbly smile. “I won’t. She’s been accepted into the FBI Academy, too. We’re going together.”
“I’m glad…sincerely. I’m painfully aware of the mistakes I’ve made, but it helps to know you’re moving on with your life. I couldn’t live with myself if I’d ruined your life, too.”
He waited until she’d stopped crying, then leaned forward. “Enough,” he said quietly. “What’s done is done. It’s behind both of us now, and all we can do is move on. It’ll help me if you’ll forgive yourself. Please.”
She wiped her eyes, then smiled a little. “Fair enough.”
“Good.”
“Hey,” she suddenly added, patting the table, “want to hear some news?”
“Sure,” he agreed, grateful to be switching topics.
“Remember Raven?”
“Shane’s wife? Yeah, she always hated me.” Hated you, too, he thought, but kept that painful knowledge to himself.
“Well, I met some girls in here, and they’re connected down south,” she said vaguely, then leaned forward to whisper, “It could be complete bullshit, but I heard she was running the delivery girls for the club. I always dealt with Shane, but I guess Raven took over the other girls. So because she was involved in the actual operations, she was considered part of the club, not an old lady.”
“Why is that important?”
“Because wives are protected, and usually left alone…unless they get directly involved like she did.” Crystal’s eyes widened a little as she continued, “Anyway, I heard she got snatched along with Rowdy, and she was moved south of the border. Apparently she’s working in a brothel somewhere in Mexico…and the girls implied that she was a heroin addict, too.”
“Holy shit!”
“I know. The exact thing she planned for me happened to her,” she soberly nodded.
“That’s horrible.”
“It is,” she agreed. “I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. I guess they wanted to send a message, so they snatched several women, including a few girls from Jingles’ club. I knew one of them…her name was Dulce…and she was a complete bitch.” She shook her head. “All of them were involved somehow in Shane’s or Jingles’ operations.”
“Are you in danger?”
His quick concern warmed her, and she shook her head again. “No. I was worried at first, but a few weeks after I came here, I was approached. Some girls took me aside and let me know everything was cool,” she clarified when his eyebrows drew together in a worried frown. “The fact that I testified against Jingles’ organization, and provided information about the club, won me some protection. That little GPS you bought me really saved my ass. And since Jingles, Shane, and the Blades are all dead now, I’m not in any danger.” She looked away for a full minute, then grimly met his steady gaze again. “I still can’t believe what they planned to do with me. It’s beyond horrible!
“It’s hard to believe those kinds of things actually happen,” he quietly agreed, then added, “You might also want to let people know that a certain FBI agent wants you protected, too.”
That made her smile again. “Thanks…but I can take care of myself. I’ll be fine.”
He considered her for a moment, and realized that behind the weary eyes and lackluster hair, she had more determination than he’d ever realized. “I believe you.”
“Guess what else I heard?” she urged, leaning forward a little.
“Oh, God,” he muttered. “What?”
“The Mexicans got Rowdy, too,” she said quietly. “Apparently he really hurt one of their gang members who was related to someone important. When they moved against the club, he was the first person they grabbed. I heard he didn’t die right away.”
“I heard the same thing,” he murmured…and didn’t tell her that Rowdy’s shattered corpse had been mutilated almost past recognition. “Can we change the subject?”
The rest of their hour passed quickly. They’d been able to put their past aside, forget where they were, and just talk to each other again, Tim decided when he finally made his way back through all the heavily-guarded doors. Their feelings were still strong, but they’d both changed enough that now they could end as friends. That was an ending they could both accept.
They’d parted with a promise to keep in touch, and Crystal had asked if she could correspond with LeAnn. That didn’t bother him, but he’d warned her that LeAnn had the final say.
Once he finally reached the exit, he stood outside in the sultry shade and took several deep cleansing breaths, then texted LeAnn to pick him up. When his car whipped into the parking lot a few minutes later, he grinned, and hurried over to meet her. At his gesture, she parked and climbed out, then laughed when he scooped her up and twirled her around several times.
“Wow, what was that for?” she teased when he finally set her down again.
“Thank you,” he said simply. “For driving up here with me, for insisting I see Crystal and put this whole thing behind me.” He smiled down at her, then softly added, “Thank you for sharing your life with me, LeAnn. I love you!”