Follow Me Down…
This story ends nowhere near it started, but, in order for me to explain the beginning to the story, I must first start at the end.
The story is centred in the hills of Colorado around the town of Maybell to the north of the State. A police 4x4 pulls up outside the Craig county court house and a sheriff gets out and moves round to open the rear door, opens it and pulls a man out as this man stretches as far as he could with handcuffs on. The man looks back as he recognises the Maybell sheriff's jeep pulling up behind them and another recognisable jeep behind that.
"Their waiting for you." The sheriff said looking at the man.
"Dad, dad!" A small girl said getting out of the last jeep and trying to get up to him.
"Claira…!" The Maybell Sheriff said picking her up.
"No, let me go. He's my dad, dad, dad!"
The man in handcuffs shyly looks at her.
"We better go, you're late already." The sheriff said pulling him on.
"Dad?"
"He's not interested in you Claira; he's not your dad, he never was." The sheriff said trying to turn her away.
The man was led into the court and sat waiting for his time in the dock. He notices the Maybell sheriff then his other friend as he moves up to him.
"I heard you'll be going in soon." He said.
"Yeah, thanks. Where, where is she?"
"Oh, Jean's took her shopping in Craig county mall. You wouldn't want her here in the court listening to what you did to her father, would you?"
He looked down.
"I didn't… No."
"Alan Bates, Mr Alan Bates court one please.
He stood up.
"Man hearing that name directed at you, I guess even I took you for Jack Thorn, knowing…"
"I didn't plan this Paul, and I'm going to tell them that, if it's the last thing I do. I'm going to clear my name." He said then followed his lawyer into the dock.
Paul took his seat in the family and friends area and looked at Alan sitting calmly in the dock as his charges were read out.
Sometime later Jean walked in and moved up to Paul.
"I was going to get you to drive us home."
"I thought we were staying for the day."
"I don't think that its right Claira should be here."
"Alright, alright, I'll take you back at the next break."
"Thanks."
At that break Paul followed Jean out to where Claira was sitting.
"I'll go warm the car up."
"Dad, dad!" Claira said jumping up and dodging past the adults and straight up to Alan.
Paul run up to them as Claira pushed herself into Alan for a hug.
"Claira." Paul said then looked at Alan.
"She wants a hug, that's all." Alan said as a policeman moved up and pulled him away.
"Dad." She said trying to get back up to him.
"Thirty seconds, come on, she's a child."
Paul looked at the policeman who slightly nodded and stepped away.
Alan knelt down and looked at her.
"Hey." He said looking at her.
"Hey." She said smiling. "Are you coming home with us?"
"No, no they're going to keep me here a while longer."
"Then I want to stay with you."
"Claira, that's not possible, Jack…" Paul stopped as Alan looked at him.
"I got to see a judge about something I did a while back." He said looking to Claira watching him.
"Like what?"
Alan kissed her.
"Nothing that you need to worry about."
"Come on Claira, you'll see your dad tomorrow." Paul said pulling her away
Alan stood up and shook his hand.
"Thanks for doing this."
"Well, Claira hasn't got anyone else."
Alan nodded as he watched Paul lead her away.
"Goodbye daddy, I'll see you tomorrow." She said as her voice echoed around the hall as Paul led her way.
Paul opened the door to the jeep and watched Claira jump in and then jumped in to the driver's seat as Jean sorted out her seat belt.
"What do you want for a late lunch?" He said looking at Claira through the rear view mirror.
"Pizza!" She shouted.
Paul laughed and looked at Jean also laughing.
"That's a full majority then." He said then drove away from the court house.
That evening Alan was led to a cell and heard the door close behind him like he had heard many times before in his life.
He notices a mirror and steps towards it and runs his hand over his face and sighs. He now sits down on the bunk and looks around.
"You better get used to it man, a life for a life." A fellow prisoner said from the next cell.
"Don't remind me. I would gladly change places with Jack Thorn all over again if I'd known it would get me anywhere." He said leaning back onto the bed.
"You don't half talk some crap Bates." The guard said bringing some cheap scraps and a glass of water.
"Well, who's this Jack Thorn character everyone's been talking about, man?" The other prisoner asked.
Alan looked at the guard placing the tray on the table and passing it through to him. He got up and stepped forward and notices his face in the tray.
"Seriously?" He said taking the tray and looked at the guard. "No-one."
"You got that right, destroyed some child's life so I heard."
Alan looked down and closed his eyes.
"Gee, your fucked man, total bad ass." The other prisoner said laughing.
He looked at the prisoner then sat down.
"I never asked for this face, man! I thought I was getting a face that would keep me out of places like this. I had a life, not Jack Thorn's life, my life, whoever Alan Bates was in those days." He said getting up and grabbing the mirror. "I didn't ask or want to be a dad, be an owner of a large holding in Maybell. I just wanted to disappear." He added as he laid back and put the mirror on his chest.
"Don't us all, I've never met anyone who hasn't."
"He promised me a new life once I got out of jail. A new life as a no one he said. I knew something was wrong when I walked into that town. I had no clue that I would end up looking like someone. How I became a father is even more unusual and even more unacceptable." He said closing his eyes.
Alan walked down the corridor of the C wing in Denver county jail when he notices another man looking at him.
"Don't look at that guy for long."
"Who is he?"
"He's that doctor who cut his wife's breast's off when he caught her in bed with a man twenty years his junior."
"Hey, I read about that." Alan said shyly watching him.
"Who hasn't? Look. Just don't get anywhere near him. The screws in here are looking to use him as a consultation doctor. Have you noticed how no-one is ill since he showed up?"
Alan couldn't help but look at him and while on an exercise break some men approached him.
"The doctor wants to see you for a consultation."
"Thanks, but I'm not ill."
"You will be."
One of the men punched him and he fell to the floor as they started to kick him. He soon fell unconscious and awoke in a cell and noticed the doctor staring at him.
"You get away from me, you freak!" He said trying to move away.
"Alright but I thought like everyone else around here you want to get out of here."
"I will, without your help."
"How long have you got?"
"Three years and I'll get through it without you."
"Okay, but with my help you could be out in fewer than six, six months, maybe even less." He said standing up and moving away as he noticed a man walk past with bandages on his face.
"What is this place?"
"My hospital wing." He said looking back. "Do you know you have a wonderful bone structure? The best I've seen so far."
Alan stared at him.
"How, how can you get me out of here?"
"By giving you a stranger's face. No-one will recognise you, what I can do with that bone structure, the possibilities are endless."
Alan stared at the ceiling of the cell he was in and then looked at the face staring back at him in the mirror as a tear fell from his eye.
Claira walked out of the spare room at the ranger's home and looked around.
"Hey Claira, you okay?" Paul said walking up to her.
"Yeah, err would it be okay if you drove me back to my cabin?"
"Why, you have everything you need right here."
"Except my dad, right here, ha?"
"Claira…!"
"Don't try to explain. I've had enough of all the ripping at school and on the bus ride home. They said dad's a jail bird who changed his face to own the families estate."
"You don't have to listen to those kids."
"But is it true?" Claira said standing her ground.
Paul looked at her.
"Let's see what Jean can find you to eat ha?"
"Don't bother. It's not true whatever you or anybody says." She said running out the back door.
"Claira, Claira!"
The mirror dropped to the floor and shattered into tiny pieces as Alan heard the man in the next cell laugh.
"Sounds like seven years bad luck to me?"
Alan looked at the mirror in pieces then lay back again and looked to the ceiling then slowly closed his eyes.
Alan spent some time in the ward that the doctor was using as his hospital wing and looked at two men with bandages around their heads.
The doctor came back in with a drawing from one of his men and handed it to him.
"What do you think?"
"Who is this guy?"
"You in a few weeks, that's if you're interested." The doctor said moving away and grabbed a scalpel. "You interested in becoming a free man?"
"You could never get away with this."
"You know that prison break out last month and they blamed it on the warder who was inexperienced to sort out such a situation under his control? The warder involved was one of the prisoners six weeks before; I just changed his face to look like the warder. They changed the warder and retired him, they actually retired a prisoner. I could arrange something similar for you."
Alan looked at him.
"What have you got in mind for me?
"With your bone structure, the possibilities are endless, interested?"
Alan stared at the doctors hands and slightly nodded.
The doctor's men arranged a fight in the social building one quiet week and they slashed his face which needed many stitches and the doctor started work on changing Alan's face by first rearranging the structure of his forehead and then his cheekbones.
Alan spent over a week in rehab as the scars healed. The doctor checked the condition of him and arranged a set of smaller operations to make up the rest of his face. Within a few months the doctor removed the bandages to look at his results.
"I think we can arrange another break out within the week. I need to take a picture so that if you do get stopped you can make up something that will fit that wonderful face." The doctor said now handing Alan a mirror as he watched him look at the reflection. "What do you think?"
"Well, who's this guy?"
"Whoever you want him to be."
Alan moved his hand towards his face and slowly touched it.
The voice of the mad doctor ringed in his head as he tried to get some sleep.
The next morning Alan was sitting waiting for the court to start when he noticed Paul walking up to him.
"Jack..."
He jumped up.
"Claira wants to live up at the cabin."
"I thought she was staying with you in the spare room."
You know I've offered it to her but last night…"
"What?"
"She told me she's being picked on in school over this situation."
"Where is she now?"
"Jean managed to keep her at our place but, you know as well as I do that she won't stay for much longer and I don't want her in your cabin alone."
"Pull her out of school for a while, talk to her teacher, maybe Jean and you can help her out."
"Your one son of bitch, aren't you?"
"Fine, bring her down here now, I'll tell her the truth and she'll be in a home the rest of her childhood." Alan said raising his voice over the din of the courthouse. "Do you think that's a better option for a seven year old?
Paul looked at him.
"Where does it say convicts are allowed to think?"
"When I inherited a recognisable face, something no-one could have bet on." He said looking at Paul as he remembered the jail break out.
Alan looked back only once as he made his way through the trees out of the prison's searchlight area just as the alarms started to sound.
The doctor looked through the bars towards those hills and smiled just as the lock down closed the door into his cell.
Alan kept moving through the hills and mountainsides heading northwest as he went. He camped out for some nights until the local police started checking area's out from the prison so he had to keep moving. He found a local stream and cleaned himself up and walked down a trail towards a small town and made sure he kept his head down as he collected some food and moved up to the counter.
"Morning Jack, how's Claira now?" The lady said behind the counter.
"Hurh?"
"It sounds like Jack has caught that cold from her. Maybe you could do with a brew of my favourite soup, ha?"
"Soup?" Alan said looking up.
"Well of course. Here, take this with you, Claira will really appreciate it and so would you."
Alan looked at her then searched for some money.
"No Jack, on the house son, you just get Claira and yourself better again." The man said moving up to him and putting his things in a bag and shaking his hand.
Alan nodded and went out heading back into the hills wondering what had just happened. He soon finished off the soup and checked the food in his bag. He moved further into the hills along the ridge then noticed a cabin with smoke coming out of the small chimney. Alan grabbed a beer from his small back pack and moved in between some trees looking at the cabin for signs of life as he slowly fell asleep.
Alan awoke early the next day and looked around. He slowly moved down the hill towards the silent cabin and looked through the kitchen window but there was no-one around so he headed back into the hills and moved along the ridge away from the cabin and found a lake and decided to go for a morning swim.
He was cleaning himself up when a 4x4 jeep drove past on the opposite side as Alan dropped to the ground. It stopped further down the lake as he watched a man jump out of the driver's side and help a small child out of the passenger side. Alan moved closer making sure they did not see him.
"I want to get you back to school as soon as your cold is gone. You must be over the worst of it now, especially if you're asking for a wash in the lake.
"I like this lake daddy, it's ours."
"Yeah, and I'm off to fight to keep it ours. You stay here till I return okay."
"Okay."
"Here, take your dressing gown in case you get cold."
"Well, how long are you going to be?"
"I don't know. I'm fighting the warden, the ranger and the sheriff. Just stay here and don't go chasing after anything." He said as Alan looked on. "I love you."
"I love you too, daddy."
Alan watched as the guy jumped into the jeep and drove away. Alan walked in the direction of the 4x4 and watched as it pulled off the track and stopped not far from him. He watched as this man got out and moved towards the lake with a small pitcher and started to fill it. Alan now moved up behind him as the man heard him and jumped up and dropped the pitcher.
"What the hell. You, you look, who are you?"
"Give me the keys to the jeep."
"My jeep, what?"
A mobile phone started to ring inside the jeep.
"Why do you look like me?" The man repeated.
"Just give me the keys to your jeep and you won't see me again."
"I'm sorry, no. I'm calling the cops, your, your, its uncanny…" He said moving round him towards the jeep.
Alan grabbed him and pulled him away from the door as he hit's his head on the bull bar and watched him drop to the floor. Alan looked at the lifeless body as the phone stopped ringing. He searches for the keys in his pocket and opens the door as the phone rang again. He looked at the read out and tried to turn it off but pressed the wrong button.
"I know your busy dad, but, I forgot my slippers and I know you'll only tell me off if I get ill again."
Alan looked around and noticed the child's slippers.
"Dad, dad, are you there?"
"He's busy."
"Who are you? What are you doing with my dad's phone?"
"Nothing!" He said turning the phone off.
Alan jumped out of the car and looked at the man and saw the blood pouring from his head wound then checks if he was still alive. Alan stepped back and fell over the pitcher as he realised he was dead. Alan quickly snapped himself out of it and picked him up and pushed him into the back of the jeep and put a cover over his dead body. He drove through the trees and came out into the town of Maybell and drove down the main road as everyone recognised him as Jack and waved at him. Alan increased his speed and drove out of Maybell over the border into Wyoming and pulled off the main road and stopped the jeep. He looked at the cover over the body then started up the jeep and sped further into the hills. He found another lake and found some rope and a heavy rock and wrapped the body around it. Alan searched the body for any wallet or identification and quickly put it in his pocket and pushed the body into the lake as it slipped below the water.
Alan got back into the jeep and looked at the wallet.
"Jack Thorn, twenty nine, credit cards, serious money." He said finding a photograph then looked in the rear view mirror. "Be whoever I want to be. I wasn't thinking of being you, that's for sure." He said then noticed the child then back to the mirror. "She's heard my voice and I wouldn't know how to sound like him." He said staring at the picture. "I don't have to be him, doc, this was not what I envisaged because I wanted to disappear not to be recognised the minute I walk into a town, any town." He added and put the wallet in his pocket and noticed the slippers again and picked up the phone and turned it back and looked at the list of contact numbers and noticed the messages waiting to be heard. He pressed the button to play them while looking towards the lake.
"Dad, dad where are you? My slippers are in the jeep with you. Call me back; because, I think I dialled a wrong number, this man answered the phone." The phone went to the next message which again was the child just as the phone now started again.
Alan dropped it but immediately picked it up.
"Dad, is that you?"
He looked at the read out showing her name. He coughed and turned his head away.
"I'll be there; I'm on my way, I…"
"Dad?"
He pressed the button to turn the phone off then started the jeep up and drove back over the border and into Maybell.
Within the hour he was heading down the road towards the child and stopped as he noticed the child.
"You're not her father, you don't have to be her father, just give her the shoes and, and…" He slowly drove on and pulled up next to her as she opened the door and climbed in.
"Oh at last, I was starting to get cold." She said reaching into the back and grabbing her slippers then noticed the phone and picked it up. "That explains why I must have got a wrong number." She said picking up the phone and handing it to him.
"What?" He said looking at it.
"I told you, I was calling you and some guy answered it, I thought it was you, but you must have been in the hills and the number went to someone else phone, right miserable bloke too."
Alan looked at her.
"Are you getting back out or not?"
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing is wrong." He said looking at his reflection in the mirror and took a deep breath. "I need a drink." He said then drove off towards the cabin.
Alan pulled up and outside the cabin and jumped out of the jeep and walked into the cabin and looked around the kitchen and move up to the fridge and looked for anything intoxicating and found a can of beer in the back and quickly grabbed it and closed the door. Claira walked in just as he opened the can and started to empty the contents down his throat.
"I'm going to get some more beer. I'm need more than a few bottles if I am to get through this day." He said walking past her.
"Can I come?"
"What?" He said looking back.
"Can I come in to town with you? Show them that I'm better."
He looked at her.
"I'll be alright on my own."
"I know you are dad but, I know they've been asking you about me."
"What did you have a cold or something, you get over it." He said looking back.
"We've all had the flu except for you, that's why…" She stopped.
"What?"
"You could have caught it; I mean, listen to your voice."
"Yeah, yeah I could have caught it." He said coughing and finished his can of beer. "I've got to go." He added going back out to the jeep and getting in.
Claira opened the passenger door and jumped in.
"I won't move out of the jeep, scout's honour." She said laughing.
Alan looked at her then drove off towards town and parked up away from everyone else and walked around the town searching for a liquor store.
"Hey Jack, how are you?" A man said shaking his hand.
"Fine."
"How's Claira, I know she's been so ill lately."
"She's fine too. I've got to go."
"What about the land? I know that your one concern is your child but, I saw Paul and he said he was waiting for you earlier."
"Was he? Well, I have to go."
"Jack, that place is yours we've no quibble with you over the land, talk to Paul."
"I will, excuse me." He said noticing a liquor store and heading towards it.
Alan bought six crates of beer and brought the truck round and started to load them. Everyone noticed him and walked up to the van and started a conversation with Claira then went to Alan.
"Hey Jack."
He looked up to see a man holding out his hand.
"Hello." He said shaking it.
"What happened this morning?"
"Hurh?"
"The meeting?"
Claira jumped out of the jeep and moved round to him.
"Dad's got that cold now, can't you hear it in his voice."
"I understand that you have all been ill, but Jack, you have Claira, do you want to lose your back yard?"
"Of course not Paul, dad was talking to me about it last night."
"Sweetheart, I'd like to hear this from your father. He knows how close this land is to his family."
Alan pushed the beer into the back of the jeep.
"When I'm better we can talk about it then, excuse me, I need a drink." He said pushing past and getting into his jeep.
Claira got in and looked back to Paul as Alan drove away.
"He won't leave it there you know. He hounded you down last time."
"Did he?"
"Of course, he is the boss around here. The sheriff lives out of his top pocket."
Alan looked at her then drove on.
They soon pulled up outside the cabin and Alan unloaded the jeep and shoved as many beers as he could in the fridge and then sat down with a pack of beers and flipped through the TV stations available. He slowly got drunk and the cans fell to the floor so got up and went through the food available to him. He closed a cupboard to see the child standing behind it.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine; I've just got that cold of yours, that's all." He said giving out a fake cough.
"What are you going to do about Paul?"
"You want me to bump him off or something?"
"Ha?"
"Forget it." He said grabbing another drink and swallowing its contents.
"I'm hungry."
"So am I, what does your dad do for food round here?"
"What are you talking about?"
He looked at her then looks around and noticed a mirror then touched his face.
"Err, I better get us something." He said checking his pocket and took out Jack's wallet then went out to the jeep.
"Are you okay to drive?"
"I'm fine; I've drunk many times before." He said starting up the jeep and drove away.
As he made it into town another jeep pulled in behind him and flashed its lights.
"That's Paul."
"Is it?" He said carrying on
"Dad, you'll have to pull over."
"Do you want something to eat or not?"
"Yes, but Paul is your friend."
"He's not my friend. I'm not your dad. I thought this face would be unrecognisable to everyone, like I would just disappear." He said looking at Claira then the rear view mirror and slowly pulled over.
Paul stopped and jumped out and moved up to him.
"Jack, we need to talk. You can't keep putting this off however ill you and Claira are."
Alan turned the engine off and got out.
"You're not so ill that you downed a few beers, ha?" Paul added looking at him.
"Are you the boss? So Claira told me the sheriff lives out of your pocket."
"That's low for what this place is worth."
"I'm not interested. As far as I am concerned whatever you want you can have it, all I want is some food and another drink."
"Dad!" Claira said moving to sit in the driver's seat.
"Alright Claira. I know your kid has been ill and this is highly a volatile situation given your present state but this will not go away. You owe me for keeping the sheriff off your back, top pocket indeed."
Alan watched as Paul went back to his truck and pulled away. He then focused in on the wing mirror and stepped back.
"Dad, are you okay?" She said touching him.
He quickly pulled away from her.
"Don't touch me." He said looking at her. "Jump over." He said watching move over and he got in and drove away into town.
Alan picked up a load of take away's and then drove back to the cabin and started on the food as Claira started to steal some bites.
"Hey, there is enough for the both of us."
"Sorry."
"I need a drink."
"Another one?"
He looked at her.
"If I want another drink I will have another drink."
"I know I was bad when I was ill, but dad, it didn't cause me to drink and your voice is…"
"I'm ill and I need a drink, live with it." He said grabbing a beer and sitting back down and started to tuck in to his meal again.
Alan got drunk through the night and fell unconscious and did not wake up till late the next morning and walked into the shower to try and wake him up. He came out and looked at the king sized bed in front of him then notices another family photograph on the table next to the bed. He then walked up to a closet and opened it to take a look at the clothes and slowly pulled a jacket and shirt out and sized himself up at the full sized mirror and looked at himself standing in the bedroom.
"Who are you? Who do you look like? The doctor, had he met this guy and planned all this?" He stopped and looked at the photo again. "I got to get out of here." He said and quickly got dressed and walked out to the kitchen and grabbed another beer as Claira walked in with Paul.
"Dad…"
"Look who I found at the lake." Paul said walking in and placing a box on the table. "Oh, this is from Jean, she saw Claira yesterday and thought this might help you out."
Alan gulped down the beer then wiped his mouth.
"Thanks." He said as Claira moved to him for a hug.
Paul watched him step away.
"Are you okay?"
"Why is everyone so god damn interested in how I am?"
"Maybe you need reminding that if you catch what Claira is still trying to recover from she would end up in a casket."
"She don't look dead to me!"
Claira now ran off to her room.
"You know if you weren't my friend…"
Alan stepped up to him.
"Yeah, well you're not so just try it." He said then took another swig of beer.
"You better use that lake out there; it might sober you up before I throw you into it myself." Paul noticed Claira standing by her bedroom door then went out.
Alan followed him to the porch and watched him drive away and looked at the lake then turned round and went back into the cabin and sat down swigging the beer. He soon finished his beer and got up to move into the kitchen and started to make a snack as Claira walked in watching him.
"Are you hungry?"
She did not answer him.
"Do you want to tell me what happened to you?"
She now ran out.
"Claira, Claira?" The door closed to her bedroom and Alan looked at it. He then turned back and looked at his snack. "I got to get out of here. I don't belong here, I'm not this kid's father, and I am not Jack…" He punched the wall and went out onto the porch and jumped into the jeep and drove away.
He drove around the length of the lake and pulled over to look at it. He got out of the car and noticed a picnic table and slowly sat down to the silence around him. Sometime later he noticed Paul's truck pulling in behind his. He looked to see Paul staying behind the wheel as Jean got out and went up to him.
"Jack."
He looked down and closed his eyes.
"I'm that recognisable ha?"
"And predictable, this is where I found you when the doctors told you Claira had a fifty-fifty chance of living, remember?"
"No." He said shaking his head then looked at her.
"You can't kid me like him you know. Your still hurting, I know that much. I just can't understand why you're taking it out on your own seven year old child."
"I'm not." He said looking away. "It's just a little more complicated now." He said looking away.
Jean moved up to him and sat down.
"No-one said being a parent was easy, especially being a parent alone."
"Yeah?" He said looking at her.
"This place is so beautiful this time of the year. We've done a lot for you Jack, you and Claira. She doesn't deserve you running out on her now and this place needs you here, I know Paul has told you that time and time again."
"Needs me?"
"Needs you. This place needs the input you and Claira can give it, oh forget the reports about it being too big to handle, you open this place up to walkers around here and this place will pay for itself. God knows Paul would have one thing less to worry about, even if the sheriff does live out of my husband's top pocket." She said moving close to him which made him laugh.
"See, your better already." Jean said pushing him.
Alan looked down then turned back to look at Paul watching them. He then moved closer to Jean.
"Let's pretend we're having an affair, which would really make him mad."
"Jean?" Paul said from the truck.
They both started to laugh as Jean kissed him.
"Welcome back."
"I was never gone." He said watching her get up and stopped her. "Thanks."
"For what?"
"For Jack, ha?"
Jean looked at him funny then nodded and went back to Paul and his truck as Alan watched him drive away.
Alan looked towards the cabin and slowly went back to his jeep and climbed in and drove back to the cabin and parked up. He got out and moved up to the porch steps and looked around then noticed his reflection in the glass front door and adjusted his shirt and slowly went in and stepped up to Claira's door listening for any signs of life. He then stepped away and moved into the kitchen and grabbed a beer and moved out to the living room and turned the television on and sat down.
Claira soon ventured out and jumped onto the sofa and started to watch the TV, too.
Alan took a big gulp of beer.
"You okay?" He said shyly.
"Yeah." She said not looking at him.
"I just wanted to know. Jean came out with Paul to the picnic area earlier and I, I straightened a few things out."
Claira now looked at him.
"Alright, maybe Jean sorted a few things out." He said getting up and moving into the kitchen to grab another drink and realised Claira had followed him.
"Are we going to lose the land?"
He stopped and looked at her.
"What?"
"If you don't talk to Paul about it dad, we won't get a good price and Paul could sell it all to the sheriff if he wanted to."
"Really." He said opening up another bottle of beer.
She now pushed herself into for a hug.
"Claira!" He said trying to step away but he backed into the fridge and he couldn't move as she pinned him down. "Claira." He repeated.
"Shush." She said closing her eyes.
Alan looked down at her and brought his hand up to now keep her there.
"Did I nearly lose you?" He said watching her.
She did not answer him as he put his beer down and picked her up to hold her.
The next day Claira ran out of the cabin and jumped into the van with her dressing gown on and looked around for her slippers.
"Come on dad, we're already late."
Alan walked out of the cabin and got in.
"When it says slave driver on my forehead I might quicken my pace, until that day…" He said starting up the jeep and driving off.
Alan pulled over at the picnic table and watched Claira jump out as he noticed her slippers.
"Claira!" He said calling her back.
"What?"
He looked down and picked up her slippers.
"This is how we met." He said handing them to her.
She jumped back in and grabbed them off him then stole a kiss.
"Love you." She said then jumped back out.
He watched her go then looked at the mirror.
"She loves the face, not you." He said then watched her undressing and jumping into the lake and smiled as he drove away into town.
Alan pulled over in town and noticed a hive of activity by the sheriff's station. Alan stayed out of the way and started to load his jeep up with more beer bottles then moved around to get some food.
He came out to see Paul standing by his jeep and slowly went up to him.
"Jack."
"Paul."
"Did you catch the morning paper?"
"No, not really interested in the news." He said closing up the back door.
"You know that prison in the Denver suburbs?"
Alan stopped and noticed his face in the mirror then looked back at Paul.
"Not lately, Claira you know."
"The sheriff is involved and he's asked if we could all join him on a man hunt."
"Man hunt? Has anyone noticed him in this area?"
"The sheriff said they think this guy was heading for the border and your place does run up to the border. We would like your permission to track in your area."
"You, you got any pictures of this guy?"
"Not yet. The sheriff is holding a meeting at midday."
"I've got to get back to Claira."
Paul stopped him.
"Jack, I know Claira is your main priority but if this guy is around here, Claira could be in trouble already."
"Then the sooner you let me go the quicker I can get back to her." He said stepping aside from him and jumped into his jeep and pulled away.
Alan drove up to the picnic table and found Claira leaning up against the tree. He got out and grabbed a bag and two beers and placed them on the picnic table and sat down and opened one of the bottles. Claira moved up to him and sat down and looked at the bag.
"I take it the beers are yours and this is mine, ha?"
"You guess right." He said finishing one bottle and opening the others.
"You can't be that thirsty dad. I've never seen you like this." She said taking out a sandwich and started to unwrap it.
"Do you hear me complaining about you and you're…" He pulled her sandwich away.
"Hey dad…!"
He chuckled to himself then handed it back to her.
"Go on. You might need it to keep your health and strength up." He said watching her.
"Alan…"
He now looked at his attorney and realised where he was.
"Sorry, I… I guess I can say I was thinking of my kid." He said looking at him.
"We're going in now."
"Okay." He said standing up and looking around. "Where's Paul?"
"I think they already went in."
"They?"
"Yes, the prosecution asked for the child to be brought in today and the judge agreed."
"And I can't say anything about that, ha? She's a child, Claira she…"
"I'm sorry Mr Bates, there's nothing we can do about it."
They now walked in and Alan looked around for Claira then noticed Paul and Jean and then Claira pulling at the wooden family divider area trying to catch his attention.
He sat down and shyly watched her.
"What's the matter, why isn't dad waving to me?"
Jean moved forward and pulled her to sit down.
"He's setting an example to his daughter, so do him and us a favour ha Claira and sit down. If your dad speaks, you will hear him."
"What if I want to speak to him?"
"That's not allowed." Paul said now looking at her.
Claira looked down as she sat back and made sure not to say anything.
The trial carried on and through the day Alan made sure he could see Claira and his reactions to what the prosecution were saying about him. There was another break and Claira jumped up and dodged past everyone and made it to the dock and pushed herself into Alan as a guard grabbed her.
"He's my dad, he's my dad." She repeated as Paul took Claira from the guard and pulled her away. "Dad, tell them."
Paul looked at Alan as he carried her away.
Alan stayed completely the opposite end of the court house from Claira as the defence team talked to Paul about not allowing Claira into the court anymore due to her outbursts.
"What do you want from us? The prosecution say keep Claira in, you're trying to bury her. I want to support my friend."
Claira heard them talking then turned round and looked at Alan also looking at her like a tiny spec at the opposite end of the court house and slowly moved into the court room as Alan did the same from his end.
Claira moved through the room towards Alan as he climbed over some seats to get to her before anyone saw them. They stood in front of one another and watched one another.
"Hey." He said looking at her.
"Hi."
They heard a noise thinking that they had been found out.
Alan looked back as Claira moved into him and he knelt down to her.
"Are you looking at me?" He said staring into her face.
"A-ha, yeah." She said nodding.
Alan touched her face.
"How have you been with…?"
Claira pushed herself into his chest.
"They're not you. I want you, you're my dad."
Alan pushed her away which made her look at him.
"Dad…"
"Here is not exactly the place I wanted to see you, to…" He put his back against the wall. "Sweetheart, I never wanted to hurt you, you mean more to me than, than all this."
"What's going on dad? One minute we're home, the next the sheriff is, I don't understand."
"You're not supposed to. I never wanted, I should never…"
The doors to the court flew open as the guards walked in.
"Dad!"
Alan grabbed Claira and held her as the guards moved forward.
"Jack!" Paul said running in from the other end as he looked at him.
"Mr Bates, let the child go."
"What? You, you think I would hurt her?"
"We know you MO, Mr Bates…"
"That's not my MO. I'm Claira's, she's my, she's mine, my child."
At that moment Alan was grabbed and pulled away as Paul did the same to Claira.
"Claira." He said looking at her.
They finished their snack and Alan drove Claira back to the cabin where he stocked the fridge back up with bottles of beer. The phone now started to ring and Alan looked at it. Claira walked across the room and answered it as he moved to the doorway shyly watching her.
"Dad."
He did not answer as Claira looked to him holding out the phone.
"It's the sheriff."
He slowly moved out her and took the phone.
"Sheriff." He said watching Claira jump on to the sofa as he clicked his fingers to make her look at him.
Claira realised what she had done wrong and corrected herself and then turned away.
"Jack…?"
He now turned away.
"Yeah, yes Sheriff, I'm here."
"Paul said I'd find you at home."
"I got a sick kid, where do you expect me to be?"
"I would like you keeping an eye out for this escaped convict, if that isn't too much trouble."
Alan leaned onto the back of the sofa as Claira moved into him.
"You think he's around here?"
"We believe his heading for the border."
"Sheriff, there are so many borders. Who says Bates would be up this far?" Alan said starting to play with Claira.
"Jack, Jack I never gave you this guy's name."
He stopped and looked away from her.
"Paul must have then, I don't know." He said trying to cover for his mistake.
"I would like you to put a shift in. The guy's name is Alan Bates; he's been in Denver prison since, well since Claira's been ill."
"That long?" He said looking at Claira and moved round the sofa and sat down next to her.
"So, can I count on you to check out you're area tonight? Jack?"
"Yeah. I'll put a shift in." He said looking at Claira then put the phone down.
"What does the Sheriff want from you?" Claira asked as Alan adjusted himself.
"Oh, something about an escaped convict, nothing for you to worry about." He said taking the plunge and picked Claira up and putting her on his lap. "Would you let me hold you for a while?"
Claira nodded as he now hugged her.
"When will you be going out then?"
"Well, certainly not yet, that's for sure." He said laughing and carried on playing with her.
The next morning Alan walked out of the shower and heard a car approaching the cabin and moved to the window and recognised who it was. Alan grabbed his dressing gown and walked out to find Paul talking with Claira.
"Paul." He said shaking his hand.
"Jack. I err; I was just up here to join in the man hunt for that escaped convict."
"Really?"
"The sheriff talked to you last night, yeah?"
"He did, yeah. You, you want breakfast because I'm just about to make some."
"Jack, we can get some brunch later."
"You can, not Claira and me. Sweetheart, do you want some breakfast?"
"Yes please." She said running past and heading for the kitchen.
Paul stopped Alan in his tracks.
"Jack, if we don't start pulling our weight the sheriff will not let us get away with anything for the next year."
"Can't we even have a breakfast?"
Paul looked at him then stepped away.
"Twenty minutes."
"Does that include me getting dressed?"
"Don't press your luck."
Alan laughed and went back to his bedroom and got dressed. Alan made a light breakfast and also made some sandwiches to be going along with.
Paul grabbed two shot guns from his truck and handed one to Alan.
"You expect me to use this?" He said checking the barrel.
"If we run into that escaped convict, yes. The sheriff said he's a dangerous character."
"With no identity, there's justice for you."
"The sheriff says the photo the prison has on him is not exactly what he looked like when he escaped."
"That's good that means he could be any one of us." Claira said moving forward.
Alan looked at her.
"That's why the sooner we find him the better. The sheriff has asked for a representation photo of who they think he looks like today."
"Wouldn't it be great if it was someone we all know?"
"Claira, do you want to join us on this man hunt today or do you want to stay in your room till we come back?" Alan asked turning her around.
"Sorry, it was just a thought."
"Then gladly keep it to yourself."
"Can we go?"
"Yeah, err well how long will it take the sheriff to get a photo of whom this guy is and who he looks like today?"
"No idea, soon, hopefully." Paul said getting into his jeep and pulling away.
Alan got into his jeep and watched him drive away.
"Dad? Dad?"
"Hurh?" He said looking at her.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, fine." He said then followed Paul into the hills.
Paul parked up with all the other jeep's and truck collected on the man hunt as he noticed Alan drive in and went up to him.
"Do you see the sheriff?"
"No. He must be somewhere." Paul said. "Well, are you coming or not? The sheriff marked an area out for us on this map,"
Alan got out and looked at the map.
"Straight clear through to the Wyoming border."
"Well, how do we know he has made it that far?" Claira said jumping on to the bonnet and making them look at her.
"We don't. Go and get your back pack and don't forget anything." Alan said pulling her off as Paul folded up the map.
"That cold of yours must be going. You sounded so like your old self."
"Did I? Must be all this mountain air." He added as Claira came back trying to put her back pack on as Alan helped her. "Now, you're sure you have everything."
"Yes daddy."
"Last chance because I'm not coming back this time."
"Hurh?"
Alan kissed her and laughed.
"Go on. I'll lock the jeep up. No telling who's around here."
They walked through some trees and found a trail as Claira started to hang off Alan.
"The border is around her somewhere." Paul said looking around.
Alan pulled Claira into him as he looked for anything he recognised from the last time he was there.
"Jack, Paul…!"
They looked back to see the sheriff coming through some trees.
"Sheriff." Paul said walking back to him as Alan stayed close to Claira.
"I just got some more news about our escaped convict."
"Great, we could do with some good news after the walking we have done, right Jack?"
Alan just looked at him as he watched the sheriff hand out a letter and made his way to Jack.
"Nothing much, but we now know this guy did have plastic surgery before he escaped from prison."
"So, no photo yet then?" Jack said taking the letter from him.
"I've called in one of my favours Jack. Some guy who's good at producing pictures of what face work was done on this Bates guy and what he might look like today. He's already been to the prison to talk to the doctor involved who's has a hand in more than one subject in that jail."
"Subjects? He carried out work on more than one person?" Paul asked.
"Yes, four in the last year, including this Alan Bates."
"This is his old photograph then?" Claira said looking at the papers Paul already had.
Alan moved to Claira and looked at his old mug shot.
"We believe he may have had his nose and chin reset and some extra work done to the forehead." The sheriff said moving up to them.
"Hey, dad has a broken nose." Claira said looking up from the photo.
"Like so many other people on this planet, possibly a pure accident." Alan said taking the photo from her and putting it back in the folder.
"All the same, the quicker we get an up to date picture of this guy, we have very little to go on."
"The guy could be anywhere." Alan said walking off.
"Or, right in our own back yard." The sheriff said loud to make sure Alan heard him.
"We're doing our best sheriff. If this guy had gone missing a few months earlier we wouldn't be standing here now because Jack would be in hospital with Claira and this land would still be in dispute." Paul said moving up to the sheriff.
Alan looked at Paul then Claira and pulled her into him making sure the sheriff saw this.
"Are we carrying on with this search or can I get Claira back to the cabin just in case she gets ill again?"
"Jack…" Paul said turning to him.
"If you don't make a decision I will, for my kid's sake, well?" Alan said raising his voice.
"Fine." Paul said throwing the map away.
"Jack, I would like you out till dark."
"Can I ask Claira if she is okay to carry on till dark?" Alan said as he turned to Claira. "Sweetheart, what do you want to do?"
"I want to stay with you." Claira said moving into him.
"That's fair enough Jack." Paul said looking on.
"Meaning she wants to stay out here for as long as it takes." The sheriff said.
Alan looked at the sheriff then Claira and walked up to the sheriff.
"If my kid get's ill again, I'll hold you responsible, sheriff."
"Jack if Claira get's ill again she'll die, you know that as well as anyone." Paul said touching him.
Alan stepped back and looked at him.
"Are we going then, or not?" Alan said going back to Claira and pulling her into him and they walked away.
"I'm sorry sheriff but you know how pig headed he is." Paul said grabbing his map.
"I know how pig headed Jack is, yes." The sheriff said then walked on with Paul.
They carried on around the border area until it became dark and they walked back to their cars.
"I want us back out here first light tomorrow." The sheriff said as Alan helped Claira off with her back pack.
"You can count Claira and me out because I can't take the risk with her, you know that."
"Jack, I can get Jean to baby sit." Paul said moving up to him.
"No, Claira is better off with me."
"One day Jack, not even that if we find this guy." The sheriff said changing his boots.
"I can't trust even one hour with knowing Claira could get ill at anytime."
"Remind me one time Jack, who contacted you when Claira fainted the last time you were away from her while disputing the area we're standing in now?" Paul said staring at him.
"Dad."
Alan looked back then looked at Paul.
"Alright, alright." He said turning away.
That evening Alan was in his bedroom when Claira moved past him towards the bathroom.
"Claira?"
"Yes dad?"
He looked at her and touched her hand.
"Are you taking a shower tonight instead of using the lake in the morning?"
"Yeah, I thought it would be simpler than…"
"Can I, could I, can I take a look under you're top?"
"Why? I thought."
Alan watched her touch her chest.
"I don't want you to get ill again, and I…" He stopped and looked at her.
"You won't…?"
"Scout's honour." He said smiling as he slowly helped her off with her top as he focused in on a long scar in the middle of her chest.
"Has it changed? Is it getting lighter?"
"Hurh, yeah it's almost gone." He said trying to laugh.
"It will never go away." She said grabbing her top and running into the bathroom.
He watched the door close then moved into his bedroom and sat down.
The next morning Alan sat down and had some breakfast as Claira walked in and grabbed a cereal bowl.
"I thought Paul would be here by now."
"The longer we have together before anybody turns up the better if you ask me." He said watching her sit down. "Are you okay this morning?"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"I just wanted to check that…"
"Dad, it's not like that convict guy, I can't just go and see a doctor and he could wipe the scar from my body. If he could then I'll be next in line instead of that guy."
"Claira…"
"I mean it dad, yeah maybe the next time I fall asleep I may not wake up again but…"
"That is enough." He said standing up. "If I had known about you before, before…"
Paul's truck now pulled up outside which broke some of the tension in the kitchen that morning.
Alan grabbed his plate and started cleaning up.
"Hey…" He said walking in. "We all set up for the day?"
"Yeah, I'll grab the bags." He said moving past Claira and went out to the living room.
"Anything wrong?"
"No." He said as Claira jumped up and put her bowl in the sink.
"I'll get my coat."
"Hat and gloves!" Alan said looking at her.
"Yes sir." She said going into her bedroom.
Alan grabbed his coat and grabbed the jeep's keys as Claira came back out putting her hat and gloves on.
"Right, we're ready." He said as they all went out.
They drove into the town and waited for the sheriff to appear.
Paul went up to Alan who was checking Claira was warm while they waited.
"Have you seen the sheriff this morning?"
"No, should I?"
"He's invited that artist guy to take a look at photo's passed over from the prison."
"What's that supposed to prove?"
"What the prisoner might look like today." The sheriff said moving up to them.
"It takes an artist to do that?" Claira asked.
"With no other way of finding out what Alan Bates looks like today, the artist is the next best thing. This is the first picture he came up with; assuming the doctor that worked on him changed his face in this way."
"What way is that, exactly?" Paul said taking a picture profile from the sheriff.
"With a raised forehead and bolder cheek line." The sheriff said handing a picture to Alan as Claira looked at it.
"I don't like him."
Alan looked at Claira as he also glanced at the picture.
"Sweetheart, if anyone comes up to you like that, you tell daddy, okay."
"Okay, daddy."
"Good girl." He said then kissed her.
"He could look like that, or he could look totally different."
"Well, make up your mind, sheriff…"
"Jack, this prisoner has had major face reconstruction. This is only the first picture that this prisoner could look like. I've hired the artist to spend some time in giving us pictures of say, what he might look like with or without surgery in these parts of his face."
"Meaning he could not look like this?" Paul said laughing as Alan joined in.
"Okay alright… We need every break going."
"To be honest sheriff, how do we know he's even in this area?" Paul said grabbing his folder and putting the photo between the other photos.
"We don't but, I am sure that our opposite numbers in the neighbouring states are checking every rock that this guy is living under."
"If I was this guy I'd find a king size bed and lie there for eternity because to be truthful, no-one knows what the hell he looks like." Paul said throwing the folder in his truck.
"Can we drop the negative views here? Jack, you're with me." The sheriff said.
"Sheriff, I'm with Paul or no-one, because I kind of agree with my friend on this."
"Humour me." The sheriff said looking at him.
"Sorry, but no."
"Jack, I think he means it." Paul said looking at him.
"Same here."
"Okay Jack, let me put this in words you'll understand. If you do not follow me today your lake gets some new owners."
"Oh I get it, blackmail…,"
"You got it."
Alan was about to say something but Paul grabbed him.
"Don't be stupid."
"I have to give in like he did over my own god damn lake?"
"Wow easy, whose god damn lake, exactly?" The sheriff said turning around.
"Dad." Claira said tugging at his coat.
"You know, I'm five seconds from blowing this whole day."
"And the Thorn family lake too, are you sure about that?"
Alan looked at him then Paul who was sending him calming suggestions.
"I don't believe this; I'm being shafted here and…" He looked away. "Alright, alright, one day and that is it."
"That's fine with me." The sheriff said walking away.
"What is wrong with you?"
"Sorry, but he does not live out of my top pocket like he does for you."
"No, but the lake does." Claira said.
"Claira…!"
She looked away.
"Come on, follow me down. You can meet up with him at the trail." Paul said jumping into his jeep and pulling away.
Alan looked back to Claira then jumped in and followed Paul into the hills.
The sheriff pulled up in his truck with the artist.
"Hey, look who turned up with the sheriff." Claira said trying to get out. "Ha, dad…" She said looking down as Alan kept the seat belt on.
"Wait here, for a minute." He said closing the door and walked up to the sheriff.
"Jack." The sheriff said grabbing his gun.
"Sheriff, do we need the sketch artist on this man hunt?"
"He asked to accompany us because he wants to know the area we're working in."
"Just the area, not the people searching that area?"
"As far as I can tell, yes. Is Claira coming?"
"Yeah, err, I'll go get her." He said stepping back towards his truck.
"Well, why did you close the door?" She said getting out as Alan still looked at the sheriff.
"Look, you trust me don't you?" He said touching her chest.
"Dad…!" She said looking away.
"I'm being serious here, do you trust me?" He said bringing her face back to look at him.
"Yes of course, your my dad, who else can I trust? Paul?" She said moving forward.
"If something happens to me, yes."
"Well, what would happen to you that I'd have to trust Paul instead of my own father?"
"Jack, are you and Claira ready?" The sheriff asked behind them.
Alan turned round and brought Claira in front of him.
"Yeah sheriff, we're ready."
They started walking on to the border as Claira watched Alan as they went.
Alan recognised the area that they were now walking towards and decided to use a diversion tactic and picked Claira up to play with her.
This tactic worked and they moved away from the area and eventually walked back to their vehicles and were soon on their way home.
The next morning Claira walked out of her bedroom to find Alan setting up a sandwich breakfast.
"Did the sheriff call earlier?"
"Not that I know of. I just thought I owed my special girl a day at the lake." He said beaming at her.
"A day?"
"Aha, a day, all to ourselves at our special lake for my special girl." He said moving up to her and kissing her.
"Is this about yesterday?"
"No."
She followed him back to the kitchen and watched him pack the sandwiches.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure." He said looking at her.
Alan walked out to the truck then looked back to Claira who was heading for the bathroom.
"Where are you going?"
"To get washed."
"What about the lake?"
"Huh?"
He moved up to her and picked her up.
"What's the matter with you having a wash at the Thorn exclusive family lake?"
"Yeah, with the man hunt going on, I'd have to wear a swimsuit…"
"You mean because people would see that invisible scar."
"Dad!"
Alan put her down.
"That lake out there is our lake, no-one else's and no-one will be there pointing at a scar that doesn't exist in my eyes because it is our family lake, private! Now I am going down to the lake for a swim, are you coming or are you and the shower going to stare at that scar again?" He said grabbing his towel and going out.
Alan started up the engine and was about to pull away when the cab door opened and Claira climbed in.
They looked at one another then he leaned over and kissed her.
"I love you Claira Thorn." He said then drove down the road to their lake and pulled over.
They quickly got undressed and jumped into the lake.
While they were swimming the sheriff's car pulled up behind Alan's truck unaware that he was watching them.
"Go over there and I'll wash your hair for you."
"Alright." She said sitting by the bench as Alan grabbed some shampoo and started to wash her hair.
"Okay, big dunking now. Close your eyes and hold your nose because here I come." Alan said picking her up and pushing her head under the water then picked her back up and cleared the soap from her face as his hand moved to her chest and she stopped him.
"Almost does make you family Jack, new heart for Claira, new face for, well…"
Claira pushed herself away from Alan and moved her body under the water to hide her chest which he noticed.
"What are you doing here, sheriff? I told you I wouldn't be out tracking today and that goes for my daughter too." Alan said jumping out of the lake and grabbing a towel.
"If Claira's mother was still alive she might have noticed a few more things different about you other than the broken chin, the higher hair line that the doctor presented you with in prison, Alan."
He stopped and looked at him.
"Excuse me?"
"Dad…" She said getting impatient.
"Of course sweetheart. If you wouldn't mind turning your head for my kid sheriff, she is a little more sensitive to who looks at her, especially when she's naked in the family lake."
"That would be Jack Thorn's family lake, right Claira? Not Alan Bates. I'll leave you to get Claira out. I'll come back later, but I'll leave this artist's impression of who we now believe Alan Bates is and where he might be residing at this very moment." The sheriff said looking at him then Claira and winked at her as he got into his truck and drove away.
Claira quickly jumped out of the lake as Alan moved forward to cover her up and start to dry her. She moved to the table.
"What's he talking about?" Claira said picking up the photo but looking at Alan.
"Hey, leave that photo alone."
"Why, do you actually believe the sheriff?"
"Do you?"
Claira now looked at the photo.
"Hey dad this is you, it's you to a T."
Alan looked at the picture staring back at him.
"Will you come and get yourself dry because I don't want you to catch another cold."
"That's scary."
She slowly walked back to him and they got dressed. Claira looked at the picture the sheriff had left and watched Alan pack up the things he had brought over and place them in the truck.
"Are you ready?"
"No. Dad, what's going on?"
"I don't know. Maybe the sheriff has decided that he doesn't want us to have this lake after all and he thinks that making me look like that prison guy he's had no luck in finding so far, is his way of getting me out of the way for a while. If that's the case then he has picked on the wrong guy because this lake is ours and he knows that."
"It's got to be something more than the lake this time dad; I know you and the sheriff have never got on over this but…"
Paul's truck now pulled up next to them and he got out.
"I've just seen the sheriff."
"So have we." Claira said going to him.
"He said he's calling you in over being Alan Bates."
"Calling dad in, why?" She said looking back to Alan standing by his truck.
"I don't know, I was hoping your dad would tell me." Paul said looking at him.
"It's nothing." He said shrugging his shoulders.
"Jack, the whole state force will be here by nightfall, it's a little more than nothing."
"How can dad be this prison guy, I would know if he was, you would too Paul." Claira said moving into Alan for a hug.
"Sweetheart you don't have to believe anything the sheriff says these days, you know I'm your father." He said kissing her. "Claira thinks that he's doing this over the lake."
"What did you say to him last night?"
"Nothing. We finished the walk and we all went home. That's it."
"No, there's got to be something more."
"Well you have a good time finding out. I'm taking my child back home."
"Jack..." Paul said stopping him. "You either talk to me or you talk with a lawyer present. What do you want?"
"What do I want? I want everyone to leave me alone, even you, because you're starting to get on my nerves, come on Claira." Alan said watching Claira climb in as he jumped in and started up the engine and pulled away.
Alan carried on as well as he could until the evening when the sheriff pulled up outside their cabin. The phone rang and he answered it.
"Jack, its Paul."
"I know." He said looking at the sheriff's truck. "Where are you?"
"At home with Jean, do you need me?"
"I'm not sure, look just get over here in case Claira needs a place to sleep tonight."
"Jack, this is a mix up, the sheriff is trying to get airtime or something stupid saying that you're this escaped prisoner…"
"Dad, the sheriff is on the veranda asking for you."
"Jack? Did you hear me; I said he's stupid if he thinks you are this Bates character."
"I don't think he's as stupid as I would like him to be at this moment. Just get yourself over here for Claira's sake, ha? I won't let him in till you arrive." He said pulling Claira into him for a hug.
Paul soon arrived with Jean and Alan moved to the door and slowly opened it.
"Jack, I've called my lawyer friend to sort all this mess out right here and now." Paul said as they all walked into the living room.
"Are you Alan Bates, the escaped convict we have been trying to find?" The sheriff said looking at him.
Alan stood there looking at his new friends and family then to Claira standing by the doorway watching him.
"I'm sorry sweetheart." He said looking at her then looked at the sheriff and nodded. "Yes, I am Alan Bates but you've got to know I had no idea about my.., about Claira and how ill she was, she still is." He said trying to move to her but the sheriff stopped him.
"I think that's enough." He said placing him in handcuffs.
Alan looked at himself in shackles and then looked to Paul.
"You, you take care of her for me, you hear?"
Paul looked at him and nodded.
"Yeah, yeah sure Jack anything, I mean…"He stopped and looked away as Jean went to Claira and hugged her.
"What's going on?" Claira said as Jean led her out. "No, I want to stay with my dad, dad what's going on?" She said trying to move back to him.
"He's not your father kid, he never was and now he's going to tell us what he did with your father, aren't you." The sheriff said out loud which made Alan close his eyes as a tear fell from them and he shook his head until Claira was out of sight.
"It was an accident, just a stupid accident, that's all." He said looking at the sheriff.
"Tell it to the judge." The sheriff said pulling him out of the house and into his truck and out of the area.
"You seriously believe that that is how it happened?" The prosecution lawyer said facing Alan in the dock. "That this was all and accident and that you truly fell in love with the child because she was ill mentally and physically because of the scar left from a heart transplant she recently endured?"
"Heart transplant, face transplant, you're honour, just because the prosecution lawyer doesn't believe what my client has been saying here through this whole trial doesn't mean that it could not have happened to these two people, today. You've read the testimony from the child and you have heard what the best friends of Jack Thorn have said about Alan Bates, this man whom they took to be Jack Thorn right up to the minute he told them the truth that he wasn't."
"Which showed he had no-one else to fool except himself that he was never going to be Jack Thorn." The prosecution lawyer said turning back to Alan looking straight at him. "It was only a matter of time."
"It was only a matter of time that the child's scar would fade, that she wouldn't have to see it every day as she dressed and undressed herself or when she took a harmless shower, or a swim in the family's lake, the scar would still be there. She didn't want to see that and she didn't want to be reminded of it. As much as Alan Bates didn't want to know how he got the face you see him with today. He would gladly cover his child's scar like he would cover the face he has now if it wasn't for the fact that he knew about Claira hurting so much physically and mentally over that scar showing on her body. All he wants is to hold her and to show her that she doesn't have to be afraid of a scar that gave her a new chance at life." The defence lawyer said.
"Gave her a new chance in life with her father, not Alan Bates, but you saw to that fact that you couldn't help Claira adjust to her father because you killed her father just to help yourself in not getting caught." The lawyer said looking back to Alan.
"I would like Alan Bates to take the stand your honour."
"What is that going to prove, we know what he wanted, freedom and he didn't care who he hurt in getting it, new face or not."
"A new life along with that new face too, yes?" His defence lawyer said looking at the prosecution lawyer.
Alan was allowed onto the stand as Claira looked on.
"Would you say your name for the court please?"
Alan sighed as he looked at Claira then turned away.
"Alan Bates." He said silently and looking down slightly.
"Thank you Mister Bates." The prosecution lawyer said. "I've been studying your prison record, you where at Denver penitentiary serving a three year term for burglary with intent to kill anyone who got in your way. I understand that Jack Thorn owned an impressive gun set and carried a rifle in his truck at all times, pretty reasonable for a man living in the hills. There is no telling what lives in the hills around his cabin. Jack Thorn was found in the area you told the sheriff to check and his body was badly decomposing but the coroner confirmed that Mr Thorn died of a head injury consistent with what you said had happened, which was that you pushed Mr Thorn onto the bull bar situated on the front of his vehicle."
Claira watched as the jury was shown a picture of Jack Thorn's jeep.
"Hey, is that dad's jeep?" She said pointing to a lady passing out the photos.
"Yeah, it sure looks like it." Paul said then looked straight back to Alan.
"Can you confirm that this is Jack Thorn's vehicle that you drove around the Maybell area after you buried Mr Thorn's body just over the border into Wisconsin?"
"I can confirm that, yes."
"Did you intend to become Jack Thorn from the point you realised that you looked identical to Jack Thorn."
"No, all I wanted was to get the hell out of the area. When I came out of the hills for the first time I was instantly recognise as Jack Thorn. The town people instantly took me to be Jack and asked me how Claira was etc. I couldn't understand what was going on, I just wanted to grab some food, maybe steal a vehicle and get out of that town."
"What made you stay?"
"I don't know. I was resting in the hills and the next day I followed a trail to a cabin."
"Jack Thorn's cabin?"
"Yes, though I didn't know it then. I got the shock of my life when I saw this guy who looked like me jumping into this vehicle and heading off down the road."
"What did you do then?"
"I just wanted to get out of there, the sooner the better and I saw this vehicle as my ticket out. I wasn't planning to hurt anyone."
"You saw Claira for the first time when you followed the truck down to the lake, yes?"
"Yes, but she meant nothing to me, I just wanted that vehicle."
"How did you acquire the vehicle?"
"I noticed that after Jack had left Claira he had pulled into the local stream to fill up a water pitcher. I just wanted the vehicle so I tried to get into the truck but he saw me. We both stood there for a while, he couldn't understand how I got to look like him and I just wanted to get out of there, so I said that I was going to take his vehicle but he stopped me."
"And that's when you pushed Jack Thorn onto the bull bar of his vehicle?"
"It was an accident. I wanted the truck and he stopped me. I just shoved him out of the way, and he must have lost his footing and he hit the bull bar as fell to the floor."
"With force, of course otherwise he wouldn't have died."
"I said it just happened. I wanted the vehicle, I wanted out of the area. I didn't plan to be Jack Thorn in any way."
"So why didn't you just take the vehicle and go, leave Jack Thorn to be discovered there and then instead of burying him where you did?"
He now looked at Claira.
"I don't know. I've asked myself that question for some time now."
"You're looking at Claira can I ask why?"
"Because I can't answer a question that I would surely want an answer to. I had only seen Claira once at that point, when she was at our lake talking to Jack. She had forgotten her slippers." He said smiling as he remembered that day. "She is a little forgetful, sorry…"
"No, go on, I think we need to hear how you two first met."
"Before her father died while I was saying to him that I just wanted the vehicle, Claira had phoned him on the mobile saying she had forgotten her slippers. I had no idea how to turn the mobile off so I stupidly answered it and she told me later when I returned after I had buried her father that I sounded like a right miserable man. I guess I knew there and then I was going to be with her from there on then."
"Because you killed her father, you looked like her father…"
"Claira made me her father, no-one else." Alan said looking at the lawyer then Claira looking at him. "I didn't have to be her father. She's been hurting more than just with her new heart and the scar she received with it. Claira was given a new life physically with the new heart; I helped her mentally allay the scar that she had with people pointing and staring at her scar. Maybe her real father didn't see that pain, I did and maybe that's because I had scars to heal mentally too." He said finishing by facing Claira as she leaned forward in her chair.
"And by helping to somehow heal the pain mentally and physically you believe you have the right to be Jack Thorn and carry on like before?"
"That's for Claira to decide."
"You mean the jury?"
"No, they're here to say whether they believe I killed Jack Thorn. I don't really care about that as I stand here now. I just want to know if I can still be her father after this."
Everyone including the judge looked at Claira as she stood up and moved past Paul as he stopped her.
"Claira, you can't…"
"I think this can be allowed." The judge said allowing Paul to sit down.
Claira moved down the aisle towards the stand as Alan moved out and stood in front of her as they watched each other.
"I want to know if I can be your dad, Claira, after all this nonsense ends." He said touching her.
"You've always been my dad, you no need to worry."
Alan now held her.
"I love you sweetheart, I love you so much." He said kissing her.
"Mr Bates…"
He now looked at the judge.
"Yes sir…, I think you better go back to Paul, darling."
"Better still." Paul said moving up behind Claira and pulled he back.
"Thanks Paul." Alan said shaking his hand.
"My pleasure, Jack." Paul said and led Claira away back to their seats.
The trial was continued after a short break.
The judge sent the jury away to decide Alan's fate. They returned some hours later as Alan sat in the dock watching the judge receive the letter from the jury and it was passed to the lawyers.
"Members of the jury, do you find the defendant Alan Bates guilty or not guilty of killing Jack Thorn. In other words, do you find Alan Bates guilty of causing the accident that contributed to the death of Jack Thorn?"
Alan looked at the judge then the jury.
"Not guilty."
Alan closed his eyes to the verdict and signed as a tear moved to his eyes and he wiped them.
"Mister Bates, you still have to serve your remaining time that you were sentenced to in Denver but, I will instruct the court to waver the time for a non prison stay because I know you would want to take care of Mr Thorn's child as soon as possible. I am sure that the Maybell sheriff could work something out for you to serve you sentence in the community somehow."
"No doubt he will already have something planned for me, sir. Thank you, my daughter thanks you."
"You know that you will not formally be known as Jack Thorn as the man is legally dead but you may wish in years to come to apply to court to change your current name."
"I will follow the appropriate channels from here on in judge."
"Then you are free to go Mr Bates and good luck."
"Thank you, judge." He said being released from the dock and making his way to Claira, Paul and Jean.
"Jack." Paul said shaking his hand.
"Only my best friends get to call me Jack." He said as he looked down to Claira looking up.
"Hey." He said watching her.
"The sheriff is going to take our lake away for sure now."
Everyone laughed as Claira looked around.
"Take it away as in role it up and put it under his arm, yes?" Alan said touching Claira and pulling her into him.
"Come on, dinner is on me."
"Well that makes a change." Jean said looking on.
"From now on there will be nothing else but change." Alan said as everyone looked at him.
"I'm kidding, cor you guy's. Come on, I'm starving."
"I won't disagree with you there." Paul said as they left the court room to a local restaurant.
THE END