She held out her hand for the manila envelope the other woman had produced from under the counter. “My name was Henderson when I lived in Serenity. Jamie Lynn Henderson.”
To her credit, the clerk’s gasp was inaudible. “Oh, my. I see. Well, we charge ten cents a page. The total is—” she pointed “—right here. Will this be cash or check?”
“Cash, but I suppose I should ask for a receipt.”
“All righty, coming up.” The woman’s hands were slightly unsteady as she filled out the slip, signed it and took the money. “So, what brings you...” Blushing, she stopped herself and eyed the bulky envelope. “Silly me. You’re here to learn all about the trial. I can understand wanting to trace your roots.”
“Did you know my family well?”
“The Hendersons? Not really. They lived pretty far out of town and I was a city girl.”
“You didn’t even know my mother, Alice?”
The clerk blanched. “Alice was your mother? I don’t recall a daughter Jamie.”
“My family always called me Baby Sister. I imagine the only ones who knew my name were my teachers and the kids at school.”
“I see.” Her glance darted to the envelope. “Then R.J. was your brother.” She reached to pat Jamie’s hand. “I’m so sorry, dear.”
This show of compassion was a surprise. “Thank you.”
“We could have mailed those copies, you know. Saved you a trip from... I didn’t notice when I looked at your license.”
“New England. Rhode Island, specifically. I’ve lived there for years. Ever since the trial.”
“Too bad it ended the way it did.” She was slowly shaking her head and her eyes held a faraway look. “I used to go upstairs to the courtroom on my breaks and watch the proceedings. Surprised me, I’ll tell you, when that poor boy went to jail.”
Jamie stiffened. “Why is that?”
“Oh, I don’t know. He just seemed so lost, as if he’d given up hope. I’d have thought anybody who was facing a manslaughter charge would have tried harder to fight against conviction.”
“I agree,” Jamie told her. “I think he was framed.”
“But—he admitted it.”
“Yes. The question is, why did he wait so long and what finally convinced him to change his plea?”
“Maybe his conscience bothered him.”
“Maybe.” Jamie Lynn was nodding slowly, thoughtfully. “And maybe somebody scared him enough to make him take the blame for something he didn’t do.”
Leaving the astonished clerk, she wheeled and headed for the door. The way she saw it, there were two ways to approach the gossip grapevine. She could either try to avoid becoming the subject of everyone’s interest, or she could take advantage of the rapid spread of rumor and see if it rattled any cages or turned up more evidence. Anybody who was on her side might contact her if it got out that she was in town on her brother’s behalf.
And, as she had already found out, anybody who didn’t want the truth exposed would try to scare her off. What they didn’t know was how determined she was and that she was learning how truly brave she could be.
She hugged the envelope to her as she approached her truck. Above all, she hoped that reading these records wouldn’t destroy her fond image of a caring, innocent sibling.
Logic insisted that that was a possibility.
Love for R.J. denied it.
* * *
Shane was not a happy camper. Not in the least. But a promise was a promise. He’d already put this off for several days. It was time to root out the storage boxes his mother had asked for, dust them off and load them into his truck.
He was on his way to the barn when his cell rang. “You’re up early, Mom.”
“I wanted to catch you before you went to work.”
“Is something wrong?”
“Nope. Just wondering if you’d had a chance to look for your dad’s papers yet.”
“I was on my way to do that when you called.” Shane heard her chuckle. “Well, I was.”
“Okay. I believe you. Have you heard anything from Jamie Lynn?”
“Not since she picked up her truck, and we didn’t talk much then.” That lack of camaraderie had bothered him some, although it was exactly what he kept insisting he wanted. Go figure. “Why?”
Marsha sounded as if she was smiling as she said, “Well, in case you care, I have. She picked up the trial transcripts yesterday and hasn’t had any more trouble.”
“I suppose that’s a plus.” What might happen when the nosy young woman got her hands on the sheriff’s private files, compliments of his mother, was a different story. One that gave him chills.