Date: Sun, 15 Dec 2013 19:11:11 -0800 (PST)
From: Jerlar <jetdesk2@yahoo.com>
Subject: Porterville 25

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

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Mark Stevens



CHAPTER 25



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

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

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

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

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

	Alice sat on the sofa, and Devon joined her.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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







<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<







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

	"Good morning. That coffee smells absolutely wonderful."

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

	"Your lawyer is coming today, right?"

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

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

	"I feel the same way, Mom."

	"What's the plan for today?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

	Britt walked to the back and greeted Sam.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

	Britt got up from the desk and went to Sam.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

	"Britt?"

	Britt turned back and faced the older man.

	"Are we good here?" Sam asked.

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

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



SHERIFF WILLIAM PORTER RESIGNS

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



	Britt went on reading the article.



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



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

	"How soon did he leave town?"

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

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

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

	"What sort of rumors?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

	The front door of the newspaper office opened and closed.

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

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

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

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

	"I know the feeling," he assured her.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

	"Good morning, Britt."

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

	"Morning, Agnes," he greeted.

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

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

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

	"My office," she said.

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

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

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

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

	"I take it you knew him?"

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

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

	"What's this all about, Britt?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

	"I have been told that."

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

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

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

	"Well, do you?"

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

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

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

	"Do you know where he went?"

	"I believe he moved somewhere near Saint Louis."

	"You think we could locate him?"

	"The man died a few years back."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

	"Concerning Devon?"

	"That's right."

	"Agnes, you remember our meeting is confidential?"

	"Of course," she assured him.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

	"I don't see how."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

	"Explain."

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

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

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

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

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

	"Are you referring to Alice?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

	"Have you heard from him?"

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

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

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

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