49

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“Tell me how you met Matthew Nygaard, Miss Williams,” Mr. Johnson requested.

“My car broke down – and rolled down the hill into the Lake after the phantom clipped it,” Zenna recalled. “I was walking down the hill when I met Matt – who saved me from another encounter with the phantom. He told me that I would probably die before I got to town… it was getting dark after all and I wasn’t prepared for the trek.”

“So, you didn’t know he was a fugitive at that point?” Mr. Johnson asked.

“No! I had never met him before – never even heard of him. I think I would have hit him with my stick if he had scared me at all!”

He smirked for a moment, then returned to his serious face. Steve, on the other hand, chuckled. Zenna shot him a glare.

“Why did you stay with him?” Mr. Johnson asked.

“He pointed out that if I tried to walk home in the dark, that I had flimsy footwear and had no way to defend myself against a wolf, bear, or cougar. Not to mention the fact that I would freeze to death.”

Mr. Johnson took down some notes. He looked back at her more severely. “Your relationship with Matthew progressed rather rapidly.”

“Dat’s irrelevant, surely!” Steve complained.

“The court will want to know!” Mr. Johnson retorted. “They will ask the same question. How is it that she didn’t know about Matthew, yet comes out of the woods pregnant in such a short time… That would hint at longer familiarity for many people.”

Zenna shrugged when Mr. Johnson looked back at her. “I fell in love.”

“Did he tell you he was a fugitive?”

“Yes, but he said he hadn’t done anything wrong and that he was waiting out his statute of limitations. So, I knew he couldn’t have been a murderer or rapist. I figured I was safe enough. I didn’t know that even knowing him would put me in legal danger.”

“Knowing him, no… even having his baby doesn’t… but when you were arrested, you were running away with him,” Mr. Johnson explained patiently, taking more notes.

“I was scared. The Cowans were stalking us and the cougar… It could have been Andy chasing us – in my mind… So, of course, I ran!”

Mr. Johnson wrote down more notes.

“I don’ tink Zenna could’ve found her way outta da woods by herself, eeder,” Steve added. “Dey had jis’ moved huts due ta da Cowans stalking dem, so she didn’ have time ta learn da new route outta da woods, eh.”

Mr. Johnson nodded, scribbling down more notes. “I do think you have a good case for acquittal or at least a suspended sentence at worst. Your record is impeccable – which will help your case a lot.”

“Tank ya,” Steve said.

“I can’t say as much for Matthew, Mr. Nygaard,” Mr. Johnson continued. “The fact that he ran is a very bad thing in the eyes of the court. It implies that he was guilty.”

“He was here!”

“On the pot patch?”

“Yes...”

“Although your local police may have turned a blind eye to your little operation, the court will not.”

Sheriff Clay looked slightly uncomfortable.

“Which is why Matt couldn’t use his alibi,” Steve replied. “Many people depend on me for their medicine, eh.” He looked directly at the sheriff at that point. “I don’t use – except for medicine – I don’t push eeder. People come to me for pain relief.”

“Ya got no gripes from me – as long as ya don’ make me come an’ look,” the sheriff replied.

“All the same, unless some new evidence comes to light to prove his innocence on the robbery, it really doesn’t look good,” Mr. Johnson explained.

“How bad?”

“We’re talkin’ fifteen years, maybe more because he ran, maybe less fer good behavior. Not so good fer giving yer liddle one a sibling, Miss Williams,” the sheriff replied.

She felt her tears threatening. “What if we find information to prove his innocence?” she asked, hoping against hope.

“That would make a difference,” Mr. Johnson admitted. “You have some time – these cases aren’t usually very quick. But discovering the true robbers would be your best bet for justice. It’s an unsolved crime – even though they believe Matthew drove the getaway car, no one else was ever caught.”

“Wasn’t Trish Cowan der, Sid?” Steve asked.

“Yah, but it was only circumstantial. She was picked up for underage drinking,” Sheriff Clay replied. “As it wasn’t her first offense, she spent time in juvie, but was never implicated in da robbery – nor did she ever share wheder she knew who was involved.”

“Did they get any money out of it?” Zenna asked.

“Because we were tipped off in time to pass the tip to the bank, we only lost a couple hundred,” Mr. Johnson replied.

“But by da time we got der, dey’d already left da scene,” the sheriff added.

Mr. Johnson continued. “It was hushed up at the time to avoid tainting possible witnesses, but then fell out of the news just as quickly…”

Zenna decided then and there that she would turn detective and find whatever she needed to clear Matt’s name. She wanted him to be with her for the rest of her life! Though she would wait fifteen years if she had to.

“Tank ya, Mr. Johnson, Sid,” Steve concluded, standing. “We look forward ta hearin’ from ya again.”

“I look forward ta yer detective work,” the sheriff replied, looking back at Zenna. “I would like ya ta be successful. I like yer family – an’ don’ tink Matthew would have done such a ting eeder, but we need da proof.”

The lawyer and the sheriff left the house.

Steve nodded at her. “Yer one brave young lady!” he complimented.

“Barb and I are going to look through all those letters and see what we can find out.”

“Good idea. Maybe it will distract her as well. She’s been pretty distraught. I hated ruinin’ tings fer her, but Gart Cowan is bad news all around. She’s bedder off widout him – even bein’ a single moder an’ all.”

Zenna nodded. She realized how lucky she was that John hadn’t given her the baby she had craved. “I’m going to see how Barb’s doing if you don’t mind,” she said.

“Ya never have ta ask me fer permission fer anyteen around here, Zenna. Yer family now. Ya live here until Matt’s out or we figure out someteen else.”

“Thank you, Dad,” she said, meaning it.

Steve’s eyes teared up. He hugged her tightly.

“I’ve never known a father,” she added. “So, I appreciate you more than you could ever know!”

“Oh, I know… oh, I know! Maybe dat’s why I have so many children, eh!”

“I can think of worse faults!”

“Yah…”

♥♥♥