SMK: Too Close to Home Chapter 12 – Day 5 - Saturday

King House

Planning on getting some laundry started, Dotty came into the house early that morning to find both Lee and Amanda in the kitchen. "Good morning, Lee…" Dotty smiled up at her son-in-law and reached out to hug Amanda. "…Good morning, Darling." She stepped back and took a closer look at Amanda's face, then Lee's. "You didn't sleep last night," she observed, worry lacing her voice. "Are you having nightmares again, Dear?"

"No, Mother...well, yes; I'm still getting them some, but that's not the issue right now."

"Is everything okay?" These were the times she really didn't like living above the garage because she didn't know what was going on.

"Mother, can you come sit and talk with us for a moment?" Amanda took her mother by the arm and led her into the family room.

Trying not to panic, Dotty stopped in her tracks and pulled Amanda around to face her. "Are you okay? Is the baby okay?"

Amanda smiled gently. "I'm fine; the baby is fine; everyone is safe. But something did happen last night, and we need to talk about it before the boys come down."

Dotty walked to the wingback chair and sat down without taking her eyes off Amanda. "Okay, I'm sitting. What's going on?"

Still not sure of the best way to break the news, Lee and Amanda looked at one another, then sat together on the couch. Lee nodded at Amanda to go ahead and start. Reaching for Lee's hand, she decided to just rip off the band-aid. "Philip was at a party last night and the girl he was with died of a drug overdose."

Dotty's jaw went slack, and she just stared at them for a moment. "Oh, my God." The words tumbled softly out of her mouth.

Lee patted Amanda's hand and took over. "It seems the overdose could be related to a story IFF is investigating. A government Agency called me to go to the police station and ask some questions because the girl was the daughter of a senator. I didn't know Philip was involved until I was there talking to the police chief."

"My God."

Lee looked at Amanda, then back at Dotty and sighed. "Yeah, I know." He raked his fingers through his hair with one hand and pulled Amanda closer with the other. "Philip wasn't involved in the drinking or the drugs, Dotty…"

Dotty's eyes slid closed. "Oh, thank God."

"…He was the one who called 9-1-1 when the girl passed out."

"And you were called to the police station?"

"Yes," Lee nodded his head. "When I found out Philip was involved, I wanted to be the one supporting him, not questioning him. The government agent who was there with me cut us some slack when she found out Philip is my stepson, so she let me bring Philip home to get some sleep."

"And the government is involved because it was a senator's daughter?"

Amanda nodded her head. "That's right, Mother."

"And you two are involved because IFF is involved?"

Tired, Amanda nodded her head. "Yes, Mother."

"And IFF is involved because…" Wanting and explanation, Dotty let the sentence hang.

"IFF is involved because we've been doing an investigative documentary on teen drug overdoses in the families of US Senators." Lee finished. "It's possible these teens are being targeted."

Dotty looked over at Amanda. "And you're involved in this investigation? Amanda, this sounds dangerous."

"I'm involved as a researcher, Mother." Well, technically, it was the truth. Amanda leaned forward. "Now, a couple of agents are coming this morning to talk to Philip, so we wanted to let you know what's going on before they get here."

"You've met one of them before, Dotty."

"Don't tell me," Dotty put her forehead in her hand and sighed. "Why is it that every time the government gets involved they send me Mr. Personality?"

Amanda shrugged and shook her head. "I don't know, Mother." She almost felt like smiling. Almost – not quite. "Mr. Melrose and a Ms. Francine Desmond will be here around ten o'clock to talk with Philip."

"Why does that name sound familiar?" Dotty looked up at Amanda.

"I don't know that either, Mother." Amanda looked at Lee who raised questioning eyebrows at her. Not wanting to explain about how Francine had come to the house four years ago when Lee had been charged with treason, she just shook her head. "I'd like you to stay, Mother. Philip's going to need all the support he can get."

"Is he in trouble?"

"No, Dotty," Lee reassured her. "He didn't do anything wrong. In fact, he's the only one who did the right thing. He's just a witness; that's all."

Dotty nodded her head. "Alright. Yes. I'd like to be here. The boys are still asleep?"

Amanda nodded her head. "Yeah. I don't want to wake Philip until I have to. He and Lee didn't get home until four o'clock this morning." She stood up. "I want to go take a shower and then get some breakfast."

Lee stood up, took her by the shoulders and kissed her. "You want some pancakes?"

"Aw, Lee. That'd be great. Thank you." She smiled and turned to leave.

Lee looked back at Dotty who was still sitting in the chair with her head in her hand. Compassion filled him for this woman who'd chosen to help raise her grandchildren while Joe was away so much of the time. He walked over to the chair and, squatting down beside her, laid one hand gently on her forearm and the other on her back. "It's going to be okay, Dotty." She just shook her head, and he patted her arm.

"Hello, Mrs. West. It's nice to see you again." Billy offered her a handshake as he came through the door.

"Good morning, Mr. Melrose." She shook his hand and turned toward Francine. "And you must be Ms. Desmond."

"That's right, Mrs. West. It's nice to meet you."

Amanda, Lee, and Philip stood off to the side of the formal living room as Dotty ushered in their guests.

"Good morning, Philip," Francine smiled at him. "This is my boss, Mr. Melrose."

"Hi, Philip." Wanting Philip to feel like he was being treated like an adult and not as a kid, Billy smiled and reached out to shake his hand.

Lee motioned to the chairs. "Shall we sit?" While Billy and Francine chose armchairs, Lee and Amanda flanked Philip on the sofa, offering him their emotional support and hopefully, a feeling of protection.

Francine pulled a notebook and pen out of her bag and turned to Philip. "You gave me a lot of good information last night, Philip, and I hate to make you repeat it, but some of my questions may go back to those things just to see if there are any other details that stick out to you, okay?"

Philip nodded silently.

"Alright. Can you go back again and tell us what you remember about the party and the people who were there? How they were acting, did anyone seem to be a ringleader, was there anyone specific you think Melissa could have gotten the drugs from?"

Philip sighed and looked at his mom. Offering him a soft but encouraging smile, Amanda just laid her hand on his knee and gave it a gently squeeze.

"We're here for you, Philip." Philip turned and looked at Lee. "You just tell us what you need, and we'll make it happen as much as we're able."

Philip sighed again, closed his eyes, and leaned his head back on the couch. When he looked back at Francine, there was a steely determination inside him. "Whoever did this needs to be caught so it can't happen to someone else." He nodded his head. "Okay. Yeah. I went to Brad's house right from school, but my mom thought it was to work on a school project." Regret hit hard, and he turned to look at his mom. "I'm sorry, Ma."

"I know, Sweetheart." She smiled at him again and patted his leg.

Philip turned back to Francine. "Brad's brother picked us up from school, and Melissa and Jennifer rode with us. We were the first ones there. Melissa went off with Jennifer…somewhere…" He shook his head. "…I don't know where they went or what they were doing."

Philip ran his hand up and down over his face. "Things were pretty cool for a while. The music was good, couples were dancing, there were a lot of kids drinking beer, but nothing too far over the top. I guess it was around ten o'clock that things started heating up."

"What do you mean by heating up, Philip?" Billy leaned forward and braced his elbows on his knees.

"Someone broke out some heavier liquor, the music got louder, and…" He looked at him mom again, then back at Francine. "…I'm not sure, but I think I saw some people snorting cocaine, and I know I saw pills being passed around."

"Ugh! Where do these young people get this stuff?" Frustration exploded out of Dotty as she smack her fist against the arm of the chair.

"That's exactly what we're trying to find out, Mrs. West," Billy cajoled. "Go ahead, Philip."

Philip looked at his grandmother feeling very much like a huge disappointment, but he continued. "Furniture was pushed back to the edges of the room – Brad's got a big house – to make room for more dancing…" Embarrassed, he lowered his eyes. "…and probably for couples to go off into the darker edges of the room and…well…"

Lee took pity on him. "We understand, Philip. Go on."

"Well, about that time, things just got a little weird."

Francine paused her pen. "What does weird look like to you, Philip?"

"I don't know. It's kinda hard to explain. People got more…intense maybe?" He shrugged his shoulders as he struggled to explain. "I was dancing with Melissa…" He glanced at his mom. It was important to him that she understand. "…nothing too physical…" Then he looked back at Francine. "…when Brad and Jennifer danced up near us. Jennifer was all over Brad and teasing Melissa about the two of us being uptight and not knowing how to have fun." He looked down at his hands. "Jennifer pulled Melissa away for a few minutes…" He shook his head. "…I don't know where they went. The bathroom maybe? While they were gone, Brad said something about telling Jennifer to give Melissa something to help her loosen up."

Suddenly, it was difficult to breathe. He turned toward his mom and spoke softly. "I can't do this…" His reddened eyes pleaded with her to make it all go away. Amanda's already broken heart shattered even more.

"Let me get you a glass of milk, Philip." Lee stood and went through the family room into the kitchen only to find Jamie sitting on a stool at the kitchen island. Lee stopped in his tracks as he was met with the boy's wide gaze; he must have been eavesdropping. Without saying a word, Lee walked over to him, looked into his eyes, and offered him a reassuring smile as he squeezed his shoulder. Purposefully taking longer than necessary in order to allow Philip a few minutes to collect himself, Lee opened a cupboard, removed a glass, then got the milk out of the fridge. Thinking about his younger step-son, he turned to get a second cup from the cupboard and poured the milk into both. He handed one to Jamie as he walked past, then slowly walked back into the living room and handed the second glass to Philip. Philip thanked him softly. "You bet, man." Philip took his time drinking the milk, and when he was done, he just stared at the glass.

"Do you think you can continue now, Philip?" Francine asked patiently.

Setting the glass down on the coffee table, Philip took a deep breath and forcefully blew out a little tiny piece of his anxiety. "When Melissa and Jennifer came back, Melissa was acting…strange." He looked intently at Francine. "I remember thinking it was too soon for any kind of a drug to make her act that way, so I felt like it was weird, like maybe she'd taken something earlier and I hadn't noticed." He dropped his eyes, embarrassed again. "She started getting really physical, and I tried to convince her to let me call Lee to come and get us." He looked back up at the adults in the room and reached up to rub the back of his neck. "I was worried about her."

Lee and Amanda looked at each other over Philip's head. For all the problems with their relationship, Philip had trusted Lee enough to want to call him. That said a lot.

"She didn't want to go; she wanted to dance, but I knew she was under the influence of something, and I didn't want to dance with her like that." Philip's eyes started reddening again as he tried to hold back tears. "We went into the kitchen, and she grabbed a drink off the kitchen counter, dropped a pill in it, and tried to get me to drink it. At that point, I knew she wasn't going to leave the party, so I tried to get her to come dance with me again." He looked around the room at everyone. "I mean, I figured I was the safest guy for her to dance with." He looked back down at his hands clasped between his knees and shook his head. "Then this idiot jock came up and started luring her away from me."

"What's this idiot jock's name?" Francine asked, kindly.

"Jeff. Jeff Grant." He rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. "Anyway, Jeff came up behind her and started taking advantage of her mood, if you know what I mean. I tried to stop him. It ended with him hitting me in the jaw, Melissa trying to stop him, him pushing her away, and her falling to the floor." He looked down at his hands and whispered. "She never got up." Looking back at Francine he added, "I don't think it was intentional. I think it's just that he was drunk, or high, or both, and she was drunk, or high, or both."

"What happened after she fell, Philip?" Billy asked.

"I tried to get someone to call 9-1-1 so I could stay with her, but everyone thought she'd just passed out from the booze. Said she'd be up 'makin' out with someone else in an hour.'" His voice mimicked Jeff's. Despite his best efforts, tears slipped from his eyes. "I didn't want to leave her, but I knew she needed help. So, I went to the phone on the wall in the kitchen and called." He wiped his eyes almost angrily. "The rest you know. The paramedics and cops showed up, they took Melissa away and the rest of us to the police station."

Billy, Francine, Lee, and Amanda all looked at each other. Melissa was the only casualty that night, but not the only victim. "How long have you known Brad, Philip?" Billy asked.

Philip looked over at his mom. "I don't know, since, what, Ma?" He shrugged his shoulders. "Fifth grade?" Amanda nodded.

Lee looked over at Billy and shook his head almost imperceptibly. Brad was probably not their guy, but they'd look into him just to be safe. He cleared his throat. "Philip, can you tell us anything about Jennifer?"

Philip turned to look at him. "Jennifer? Why Jennifer?"

"Well, it kind of seems from your story that maybe Jennifer gave her something when they went off together."

"But it would have been too soon for anything to kick in, Lee."

"And how would you even know something like that, young man?"

"Grandma," Philip looked over at her. "I promise; I've never taken drugs, but I still hear things."

Lee got Philip's attention back with a squeeze on his shoulder. "Is there anything you can tell us about her?"

Philip scrubbed his face with his hands again. "Uh, no. Not really. She's new, and I don't have any classes with her. I just know she and Melissa hung out together."

Amanda glanced over at Lee. This fit the pattern they were looking for. She rubbed Philip's back. "Do you know where she's from? Did Melissa ever say anything about her?"

Philip looked at his mom and shook his head. "Melissa and I had only been talking for about a week, Ma. I know she came from a different school district, but Jennifer? No. I never heard."

"Did you happen to see Jennifer go off with anyone else last night?" Billy piped in.

"It was dark and smokey, Mr. Melrose. And honestly, Melissa was the only person on my radar."

Billy stood and motioned for Francine to join him. "Philip, thank you." He reached out to shake Philip's hand. "You've been an enormous help to us, and I'm really proud of you. I know this wasn't easy."

Philip shook his hand and nodded.

"We may have more questions as we look into this," Francine warned him. "Is it okay if we come back and ask them?"

Philip's shoulders seemed to slump, but he nodded his head. "Yeah, sure."

"You're a brave young man, Philip." She reached out and clasped his shoulder with her hand. "I can see it runs in the family." Francine looked over at Amanda and smiled. "Try to get some rest today. I know the next week is going to be rough."

"Thank you very much, Mr. Melrose, Ms. Desmond." Keeping his cover intact for the family, Lee escorted them to the door. "If you need me to do any further investigation for the documentary, just let me know." They walked out the door, and he followed them just to the bottom step. Looking back toward the house to make sure no one was watching, they all stopped on the sidewalk. "Thanks for handling that so well."

"I'm sorry, Scarecrow. No family should have to go through what Melissa's family is going through right now, but no family should have to go through what yours is going through right now, either." Billy wrapped a reassuring hand around his bicep. "I know this is complicated, trying to keep your cover together. Can you come to the office later today so we can talk freely?"

"I'll see if Amanda and I can get away." He turned and looked back at the door. He knew Dotty would be curious about their conversation. "This Jennifer person interests me, Billy. We need to look into her."

"Agreed." Billy nodded his head. "Beaman is over talking to the Bentley family right now. I should be getting a status report from him in the next couple of hours. See if you and Amanda can get away later; we can all sit down and talk."

"Oh, hey, Mr. Melrose? Ms. Desmond?" Surprised, the three adults turned toward the door to see Philip standing there with Amanda behind him.

"Yeah, Philip?" Francine responded. "Did you remember something?"

"Yeah." Philip nodded his head. "I don't know if it's important or not, but just before I pulled Jeff away from her, Melissa said something about not feeling well and she kind of slumped against him." He watched his step-dad's eyes snap up to his mom behind him. "I take it that's significant?"

"Everything you've told us is significant, Philip." Mr. Melrose smiled. "Thank you so much."

Philip turned and looked at his mom, needing her reassurance. "Well done, Philip." She smiled and rubbed her hand over his back. "I'm proud of you." Philip couldn't respond. He didn't think he'd done anything to be proud of.