Kate Gets Her Man Ch. 03

"Would that be so bad?"

"Easy for you to ask that, with your white skin, green eyes and blond hair. But take a good hard look at Denny. He's got the same white skin almost, but that's it. That renegade sister of his couldn't get away fast enough. There's a big difference between her and Denny. He will never turn his back on us. The bar was debt free, and so were the breweries and the Hop farms. He could have walked away, but he didn't."

"So Desi had to be taken care of."

"Greedy bitch! Denny could never resist a good looking blond. The light eyes, the pretty curl to the hair. Said she loved him, wanted children. Well, she lied and then she planned a divorce. I guess you figured it when that useless excuse for a man Tillman bragged about how they were going to be rich. Loverboy told his buddies all about it. What they did and where they did it. Unfortunately, for lover boy his cronies were more concerned with keeping their jobs."

"They told you when and where?" Kate said.

"Pretty much, Denny's house was just a short drive along the old reservation line. The one the County refuses to honor," Claire said.

"You naturally needed to stop them before the world found out how precarious the Morgan finances actually are. Can't afford a run on the bank can we," Kate said.

"Seems to me you're pretty smug for a woman who just found out her man is broke and deep in debt."

"Maybe because I was seeking something other than money. Maybe I was looking for a man who was worth loving," Kate said.

Claire seemed to reflect on this as if something inside her was warring with itself.

"You almost make me believe that Denny found the blond he was looking for this time," Claire said.

"I don't know that to be true because I don't believe I can get past what Denny did no matter how much he believed he had to do it."

As Kate got up to go, Claire stood pressed her clenched fists against the table and spoke the words that would truly trouble Kate.

"Think about this Sergeant. Some of us thought that the best solution was to eliminate the problem entirely and very permanently. It was Denny who refused the best solution."

Kate was under no illusion that Claire Morgan was incapable of homicide, or that she lacked the ability or the necessary accomplices to make Desdemona Morgan permanently disappear. You only had to look up at the Mountain to know what Claire's faction of the mixed race Morgan family would have done without the slightest hesitation.

_________________________________________________________

"Come in Sergeant, I've been expecting you," the Honorable Ed. Reagan said, swinging his screen door wide so she could enter.

"Thank you, Judge," Kate said.

"Not judge anymore, but I do make a passable ice tea and I love company, especially those who come looking to solve mysteries," he said.

He seated her in the pleasant living room of his modest ranch home. The house had an empty feeling, as if it were waiting for someone to come home and fill it with life.

"Do you miss your wife a great deal?" she asked.

"Shows, does it?" he replied.

"A bit," she said.

"Well it's hard to lose someone you spent two-thirds of your life loving, but I am getting by. I must admit I owe a bit of a debt to that rascal Denny Morgan, who I presume you have come about."

"Yes, but you are the only one who has had a bad word to say about him," she said.

"Oh don't misunderstand me. Being a judge is a boring job, the worst part of which is that you are cut off from the association of your legal colleagues. The only people you associate with on a daily basis are your fellow jurists, as dull a bunch as ever there was.

"But Denny Morgan has a gift. A very amusing man in a courtroom. He can hold the attention of a crowd. More than a comic, he is a magician. He has any number of tricks. The rabbit from his hat, birds fly from his hands, and he can make any card in the deck appear at will. A very clever fellow indeed," the former judge said shaking his head.

"Yes, I always looked forward to Denny appearing before me. He was never dull and he always brought a surprise with him. That is why like you, I am of the opinion that he did what he was accused of, but I doubt anyone could ever prove his guilt," the old Judge said.

"But you are the principal witness to his alibi," Kate protested.

"And a truer statement I never made. I refuse to lie in any cause. The ends never justify the means of themselves. I saw Denny Morgan there that night, I am in no doubt of this. He is nothing if not eccentric. One of the richest men around, and always in a worn blue blazer from the Gentlemen's Warehouse. You could not mistake it or that Cornell Law School ring on his finger flashing in the dim lighting of that one-time biker bar. I can see him in my mind now half hidden in the back booth. He is watching everything that goes on in his bar. Nothing gets past Denny Morgan that takes place in the Montague. I am sitting at the bar by that Seventy Inch Sony watching the Yankees, but Denny is watching me and everyone else.

"If this was some magician's trick it was worthy of any stage in Vegas. I can't lie, if he left that night, he fooled me and every other pair of eyes in that establishment. I can swear to nothing but the fact I saw him there. I am sorry young woman I cannot reassure you that he is innocent, but I can do nothing less than testify to that unlikely fact."

Kate pursed her lips. She had no idea what to do. She was sure Denny had done what she arrested him for, but how he did it seemed as much a mystery as ever.

The Judge leaned forward a small smile broke his craggy face.

"You know young woman, I have a lot of years on you so listen when I tell you that we are most effective when we learn to let the ones we can't win go."

"I guess you are right in a law enforcement sense, but personally it causes me a problem," she said.

"Well, I see your problem. And all I can say—having lived the greater part of my life with another, is that it isn't your intellect that keeps you together, but your heart," the old man said a tear trickling down his face.

Kate leaned forward placed a kiss on his worn cheek and said "Thank you, Judge, and retired though you may be, I have never known a man more worthy of the title."

___________________________________________________________

Kate was waiting at the kitchen table when Denny walked in at 11:30 p.m.

"You're not in your uniform," he said.

"That's because I have my four-day break," she said.

"Oh, so you don't need me to watch Tommy?" he asked.

"No, and he is at my mother's for a week. I made the arrangements yesterday and packed him off on the plane today. Mom called to say he arrived safe," she said.

"Well I guess I'll be going," he said

"I need you to stay. We need to talk and then I need you to make love to me," she said.

Denny fell back into one of the kitchen chairs, stunned by her words.

Kate's green eyes looked into his dark ones. Yes, she could see it. Very faint, but there was the non-European blood, the Mohawk blood diluted by countless generations of intermarriage. She could see the years of hurt from betrayal that left him suspicious and yes, violent. The generosity and loyalty to his family and to so many others that coexisted with a deep resentment. How much of what had happened to Desdemona was caused by greed and how much by anger? You would never be able to tell.

She broke the spell, "I know you did it, and I know you had your reasons. Some of the motive was selfless, but what you let loose was a violence that is part of you. Nevertheless, I love you and want you and I can't stop myself from loving and wanting you."

"Kate, I—"

"Let me finish. I don't believe I will ever be able to prove what you did. You're very smart and you had help from sources I can only guess at. So we are going to put this behind us, pretend it doesn't exist. All I want for now is for us to make love."

"Ok, fine by me, but I want to be honest about my situation. I'm broke, all I have is debts—"

She stopped his words with a kiss. Took his hand and led him up the stairs to her bedroom.

In her bedroom, she stripped him, not letting him help, then pushed him down on her bed. She began a slow strip tease for him, watching his erection rise. When she had him up and herself stripped she kneeled over him, straddling his legs.

When he realized what she was about to do, he said, "That's not necessary," and tried to rise.

She pushed him down saying "My house, my bed, and...MY COCK."

She had taken hold of his cock as she said this last, and slipped the head into her mouth. Her tongue danced across his urethra and slipped beneath his foreskin. Denny had never appreciated a blow job before but he quickly realized that this was to oral sex as the Mona Lisa was to portraits. Millimeter by millimeter she took him in. He was no more than half way home and ready to cum when she eased back.

"Calm down, we have a long way to go before you cum in my mouth and I swallow your seed," she said.

She nearly put him over right then.

"This is rather unexpected," he said.

She laughed, "Well for once I'm the one doing the surprising."

She slipped him back in her mouth and continued her slow descent until her nose was buried deep in his pubic hair. The scent of his musky sex sent a deep longing pleasure through her body. It had been so long and her need was so great.

She held him in her throat. Squeezed him with her throat muscles and then released him back him out. She estimated he had one more deep go in him and she was right. As she backed him out the second time, he let loose in her hungry mouth. She lost all control then as if someone had flipped a switch sending her into high gear.

It took all Denny's strength to wrestle control from her. He ended on top, his mouth smothering hers, his tongue fighting hers for control. For the first time in his life, he tasted cum, but she had him lusting so much for her he was beyond caring.

Denny moved down to try and return the favor.

"No, you don't need to do that," she said.

Now it was his turn to laugh. "Need to, I can't stop myself."

He began licking her from behind her knees, up her thighs, while his fingers alternated teasing her sex and her breasts. When his tongue reached her vulva, she moaned. When he finally touched her clitoris, she let out a scream.

Denny found she had a clit like a small angry thumb sticking out from its hood. He teased it, barely touching it with his tongue while his fingers began a slow exploration of her lower body. She began to beg him to finish her.

"I'm close, Dennis please, I just need a little more," she said.

"Sorry Kate, payback is a bitch," he said.

He tormented her, keeping her on the edge until suddenly he sucked her clit into his mouth and reached his hands up to assault her breasts. What followed was a powerful orgasm that sent her thighs trembling and left her limp as a boiled noodle.

They lay cuddling for a while.

"I'm almost to my time of the month. It should start over the weekend, so I'm safe," she said.

"And if you're not?" he said.

"I guess I should warn you I really want children. It's just who I am," she said, turning to look deeply into his eyes. He smiled back at her.

"I will hold you to that promise," he said.

Those were the words that sealed their bargain. He could not marry her -- he was still legally married to Desdemona. What followed were months of secret sex and emotional frustration. Fall arrived and seemed quickly replaced by winter.

It was on a night following a day of legal maneuvering between Denny and his estranged wife that Kate delivered the news. Tillman had left the field, scurried off to Aspen in an attempt to put his ski bum life back on track. Desdemona was still stubbornly fighting for a payday.

"Denny, I missed my friend," Kate said

"What friend?" Denny asked, distracted by troubling thoughts as to what might happen to his current wife if she continued to hold out for money.

"The one that visits every twenty-eight days," Kate said.

"Fuck...No sorry, I'm happy—but you know...bad timing,"

Their heads came together and their arms wrapped around each other. They were in love and they wanted the child they had made together.

______________________________________________________________

Ferguson called her in to give the heads up.

"Sheriff is going to announce it just before Christmas. So congratulations," Ferguson said.

Kate was pleased, but her happiness was tempered by wondering what the reaction was going to be when everyone learned that the new lieutenant was an unwed mother.

She called Denny. "I just made lieutenant, love," she said.

"Congratulations! You deserve it! And will make the prettiest lieutenant anyone has ever seen."

"Until they notice I'm pregnant," she said.

Denny went quiet.

"You still there?" she asked.

"Don't worry Claire is going to take care of things," he said.

"What things!—Dennis WHAT things?"

"I'll tell you later," he said and hung up.

She tried to get him back, but her calls went to voice mail.

She drove to Belle Claire. Whatever it was she had to stop it. When she arrived, it was early afternoon. A sign said the restaurant was closed for the day. She found Charlie Trudeau seated in the main dining room sipping a glass of wine. A half-full bottle sat on the table.

"It isn't that bad," he said, speaking more to himself than Kate.

"Where can I find Claire— at the Ski Lodge?" she asked.

Charlie gave a sad sigh and took another sip of his wine.

"All the rest is gone, all my Grand Cru, just the California Plunk left," he said

"Charlie what are you talking about? And where is Claire? It is very important."

"She took it, sold everything. It was a great cellar. They sold the hop farms. They even mortgaged the Montague."

"Why?" she asked, dropping into a seat across the table from him.

Charlie reached across, grasped her hands.

"Family, it was always about family. Can't let you down. So Desi gets her money. Not what she dreamed of...but then that was always just a fantasy."

They were silent looking at each other. Kate broke the silence, "How much?"

Charlie shrugged, "My woman doesn't bother me with such things, several millions I guess. The wine alone was a fortune.... Here, try this wine -- it is not all that bad," he said.

That is how it was done. Desi was gone and the marriage was on. No real proposal, but then none was needed.

The wedding was meant to be a simple affair, but it quickly became apparent that the little Catholic Chapel would not hold all those who wished to attend the ceremony. They had to wait for good weather so a tent could be raised outside, and for Denny to finalize his divorce. The settlement covered all claims, with both parties releasing each other and the divorce granted as a no fault on consent.

So on an early spring day, beneath a clear blue sky, Father Stevenson conducted the ceremony. He had worked very hard to nullify Kate's first marriage and was pleased to see the large crowd gather on the church lawn. They spilled over onto the University playing fields as their ranks passed two thousand.

Mama Lupe hosted the reception with the help of Charlie Trudeau. By day's end, they had run out of everything but beer. It seemed everyone was drinking but the bride, who was by that time four months pregnant. Lieutenant Keenan's fellow officers made up for her abstemiousness by over indulging. The new commander of the second watch was fortunately on her honeymoon for a week, so they would not need to face her ire the following day.

Kate found herself poor but happily married and on her way to becoming what everyone believed would be the first female sheriff of Tyler County. After all, she now was Kathryn Morgan, the wife of the most popular man in the County. She had everything a woman could want until the night she walked into the Montague.

Kate was near six months pregnant. It was a hard pregnancy because she was carrying twins. Good old Denny had forgotten to tell her the Morgans were prone to twins. She had the worst of the three shifts, but it was Wednesday night, the slowest day of the week, and Sergeant Jim Lefave was helping her.

Just before Nine o'clock she decided to visit her husband instead of eating her dinner and then regurgitating in back into the porcelain bowl as she usually did. A nice ginger ale and a little loving and commiseration from her husband were in order.

Kate walked into the Montague right at nine and waved to Lottie as she headed for the back booth. There she found Denny seated almost hidden by the booth, drinking coffee. He smiled as he saw her.

"Well this is a nice surprise," he said.

She kissed him as she awkwardly sat down, maneuvering her belly to slide into the booth next to her husband. She pulled down on her uniform skirt. Pants were no longer an option with the extended belly. Whatever physical intimidating she still commanded was in the authority of her voice, not the motherly shape she now had.

As Denny slipped his arm around her, a figure emerged from behind the booth.

"Payday Denny," Dan Dupree said.

Dan was a small man, if anything an inch or so smaller than his boss. His dark hair had a touch of gray, but the two men had a degree of familial similarity. Up close you would never fail to distinguish them, But from a distance? Say across a crowded barroom. In the dim light?

Denny reached into his jacket for the kitchen payroll checks.

Wednesday was the day the payroll was received by express mail from the Rochester payroll company. Kate pulled herself up to look over the back of the booth where a hidden door was now open.

"HOLD IT," she said as Denny passed the payroll check to a suddenly nervous Dan.

"So that was how it was done! Dan comes out of the kitchen after the staff has left. He flips off the lights at the breaker box, changes into the jacket, puts on the ring, and sits in the booth. You leave and flip on the lights as you go. A short drive down the old reservation road you know so well. A brief bit of violence and then when you come back, the process is reversed. Everyone sees just what they expect to see. No one looks close because they have no reason to. I got you, Dennis Morgan," Kate said.

"Calm down now, it's not good for the babies," Denny said patting her arm. Denny sighed, "It's ok, Dan. Give the boys their checks and go home. Give Alice and my little cousins a kiss for me," he said.

"No, no, you're under arrest! It's my duty! It will be alright, I will stand by you, but you're caught!" she said.

"I'm very sorry," Denny said. "But I can't let you embarrass the Sheriff or DA, Simons any more than we have done already. Whatever you know is useless. You're my wife and it's all privileged. "

"But—but I know," she said.

"Yes, you are very smart and good at what you do, but so am I. Believe me when I tell you, the minute you open that lovely mouth of yours, all that will happen is that everything you say and all the information that comes from there can never be used again. You're my wife now. They can't use what you know against me. So please be considerate and don't make things awkward for everyone. Poor Frank has to stand for reelection next year, you know."

It hit Kate like a bucket of ice water. He had outmaneuvered her from the first.

"Dennis Morgan you are a snake. The most treacherous creature God ever made," she said, and then she smiled as the thought hit her.

She climbed over him till she had her knees straddling him with her big belly pushing against him. She reached down and undid his pants.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"What do you think? The elastic snapped on my last good set of underpants today. In this dress, I walked right out of them. It was very embarrassing."