Chapter Fifty
Charlie
My car was parked outside Quil's house but when I tried it I found it was locked so I knocked on the door. There was no reply and no noise to show that anyone was home.
"Do you want me to wait for you, Charlie?"
I shook my head at the deputies question.
"No that's OK. I'll find Sue and get my keys. Thanks anyhow."
He nodded and flipped a salute before driving off to the reservation police post while I stood looking around. The village appeared a strange and threatening place now I knew about the wolves even though I knew most of them were now dead.
Then it dawned on me, of course! The wolves were dead so everyone was probably at the small graveyard on the western edge of the village.
I set off in that direction and when I arrived I saw I had been right. Almost the whole village had turned out for the mass funeral. The number of freshly dug graves brought home to me just how many young men had lost their lives in the past twenty-four hours. The village had been almost denuded of its youngsters leaving too many grieving parents behind.
Looking around I saw Billy sitting with his head bowed, was Jake among the casualties? I hadn't thought about that possibility but I didn't move any closer. I doubted after recent events that I would be welcome here.
I didn't see Sue anywhere which surprised me although Seth was standing beside Quil who it seemed had lost his grandson too.
Thinking that the mourners here would be going back to the community center after the service I walked slowly back expecting to find Sue and probably some of the other women there preparing for the return. The lights were on and I could hear several women's voices but I didn't recognize Sue's among them.
I did, however, hear her name mentioned and stopped to listen, staying out of their line of sight. I knew if the women saw me they would clam up.
"Where is she now? I heard Johnny H was really angry at losing the pack and he held her partly responsible. If she hadn't sent Seth out to get the pack before talking to the elders they'd still be alive now. She jumped the line of command and all because she didn't want Charlie's daughter spoiling a good thing. She set her cap at him when Harry died and the poor fool fell for it. If only he knew how she bragged about being the police chief's wife as if that was a big step up from that of a Quileute elder. Seth got to go to Forks High instead of the reservation school like the rest of the kids. She had high hopes of him going to college. After all, Charlie could afford it. I guess so long as she played the dutiful wife he was happy enough and once Renee died and the girl went missing she had no competition. It must have been a real slap in the face when the girl turned up out of the blue. She should have known better than to set the pack on the Major. For God's sake, he was still covered by the treaty and from all the stories I've heard he's like a ticking bomb at the best of times. I hope she gets all she deserves."
"You know Quil is going back to Denali too? I heard it from Billy Black earlier. Now that's a man who deserves sympathy, with Jake dead he's all on his own. Do you think there will be a trial?"
"No. I think Johnny H will just keep them there, away from family and friends, not that Sue has any left here."
At that point, I heard voices coming closer and realized the funeral was over and the mourners were on their way to the center. Turning away I waited by the door ignoring the scowls and black looks of the mourners as they passed. It seemed that they blamed me too. Then, when Billy came up wheeled along by Seth I stepped forward.
"I'm sorry for your loss Billy."
He stared up at me through tear-rimmed eyes but said nothing and I knew our friendship was over. Nodding my understanding I stepped back and glanced at Seth.
"Do you have my car keys?"
He nodded and fished them out of his jacket pocket dropping them into my outstretched hand.
"Mom said you want our stuff out of the house. I'll come by later and clear it out."
"There's no rush but you understand I can't have you under my roof any longer? I'll continue to pay into your college fund until you finish school and if you need money for gas to get to school I'll pay that too."
He stared at me for a long time without speaking and then glanced around and asked one of the others from the funeral to take Billy inside.
Only once we were alone did he speak again.
"I know you think what mom did was wrong and I understand. She shouldn't have stopped you from seeing your daughter but do you understand how frightened mom was when I told her I could smell vampires on the girl? She was trying to keep us all safe. I don't need your money and I'm going to drop out of school, finish my education here on the res where I belong. Thank you for all you did for me over the years but this is my home and the pack or what's left of us are needed here."
"Dropping out? That would be a shame. You had such a bright future but it's your decision. Where will you stay? With your mom?"
He shook his head.
"No, mom is going back to Alaska with Quil and Johnny. She's in really big trouble over all the deaths. I'll be living with Billy, he has no one to look after him now Jake is dead."
"I am sorry about the deaths, I had nothing to do with it and I do not condone any of it. Your mom has to accept her role in it and whatever punishment your elders decide on."
"Yeah, well maybe if you hadn't thrown her out Johnny H would have relented and let her stay here with me. Now I've lost all my friends and pack members as well as my mom. Not to mention the guy I called dad."
"Seth, Charlie is not to blame for any of this. Your mother has accepted her punishment for the deaths of all the members of the Quileute pack who perished. And what man wants a wife he cannot trust under his roof? You already told me you wanted to stay here and look after Billy and try to keep the remnants of the pack together before you knew Charlie had asked your mother to leave. His offer of money to enable you to finish your education including college is a generous one. You should seriously consider it."
We had both turned at the sound of another voice and I saw the young man from yesterday standing there. Only this time he was not alone. Standing at his side was a man who reminded me of a bear. He was tall and broad with a chest like a barrel and arms that hung almost to his knees.
"Charlie. Could I speak to you alone for a moment?"
I nodded and his companion accompanied Seth into the community center.
"Do you approve of your wife's punishment, Charlie?"
"Approve? I don't give a damn what you decide. As far as I'm concerned my marriage is over. Some things you can work through or forgive but I can never forgive Sue for driving my daughter away."
"It's hard to forgive, easier to blame and walk away but as you say, sometimes there is no alternative. Sue is responsible for so many guardian deaths I could never justify forgiving her. The Quileutes will live with this tragedy for many years. So many young lives wasted."
"Is that what you wanted to talk to me about? Sue's punishment?"
"No, although I was curious to hear your thoughts on the matter. I really wanted to talk to you about your daughter and her associates."
I was wary now, was he about to tell me that I should grab her and run as far from Jasper and her foster parents as I could?
"I have already told you how dangerous her companions are but I have a feeling that nothing will ever come between your daughter and the Major, or those she regards as her parents. They have protected her thus far so I see no reason for them to turn against her now and if that is the case then she could not be in better hands with the knowledge she now possesses. Never think for one moment that the Major, the Captain, the one you know of as her father and the one called Darius are any less dangerous because they have looked after your daughter. If I were forced into battle with the vampires, something I try to avoid because I know only too well the loss of life that would come of such action, I would not choose those three. Vampires are dangerous, always remember that. They hunt humans for food, you are no more to them than cattle or sheep. You should always tread carefully around them and understand that if Bella is involved with one of the vampires it will mean her transformation into one of them eventually. Is that really what you want for your daughter? I do not infer that you have any say in the matter, but you should seriously think about such an outcome and so should your daughter."
"Thanks, I will. Is that all?"
He smiled at my haste in wanting to get away from the reservation.
"There is just one more thing. I wonder if I can prevail upon you to carry a message to the Major for me."
"That depends."
"Please tell him that I consider this matter closed so long as no more die and he and his friends leave the area."
"OK. You still haven't told me your name though. Who do I say sends this message?"
"Johnny H. leader of the guardian Tribes, he knows of me."
I nodded and tossed my keys in the air.
"I'll be off then. Goodbye Johnny. Please tell Sue that I will send her share of the house proceeds to her. If that is, you can furnish me with an address. I'll need somewhere to send the divorce papers too."
"Sue asked me to tell you that any monies owing to her should be paid to the Quileute elders to help those like Billy Black who have lost everything. There are several elderly residents who will need care now their young relatives are dead. Her share of any monies will help to provide this."
I frowned, I didn't feel like giving the Quileutes anything after the way I'd been treated and he saw my expression.
"I understand how you feel Charlie, but these people were your friends and family for a number of years and they are not to blame for what Sue did or the way things turned out. Sam's wife has been left with a young daughter to raise alone, Billy has lost his caregiver, you are not the only one to suffer as a result of her actions. Think on that."
I nodded and turned away not looking back although I could feel hostile eyes on my back as I walked to my car and then drove slowly away from the village for the very last time. I hadn't seen Sue and I didn't want to. I felt sorry for Seth although he had set all this in motion by telling her he could smell vampire on Bella. Did he feel guilty for his mom's punishment? I didn't know. I had the feeling that the tribe would be glad to see the back of her, but then maybe whenever they saw her it might well remind them of all the young men who lay in the cemetery because of her.
The closer I got to home the more nervous I became as it occurred to me that I was on my own again. I'd made a mistake with Renee and now Sue had ruined what I thought had been a good life with a family, even if they were not my own kids. It struck me then that I hadn't seen Leah or her husband at the funeral either. Was she with her mom or had she been too ashamed of her mother's actions to show her face?
I cheered myself with the knowledge that Bella and her friends were due this afternoon although I couldn't expect her to stay in Forks with me. She had a family, a life in…. I didn't know where. I actually knew virtually nothing about her past or her most unusual family. Would she open up to me more as we became better acquainted? I certainly hoped so, I wanted to be a part of her life, but as Johnny had said if she decided to become a vampire herself, the thought of which made me shudder, would I still be able to see her? Or would she vanish back into the darkness from which she had appeared only a few days ago?
