food arrived. They ate and talked, Seymour giving the Sheriff as many details as he could about the past month. What he had done, what days he had worked, who had he seen and when. The list was extensive, giving the Sheriff a good idea of who he was dealing with, and having enough specifics that they could either confirm he had alibis or put his neck further into the noose.
At the end of what seemed like hours to Seymour he was returned to his cell and his visitors were allowed in. Seymour stood close to the bars, his face pressed between them so that he could kiss, first his mom, then Blanche. Marcus also leaned in for a kiss making Seymour pull away and laugh, momentarily taking his mind off his worries. Lillian cried as Blanche held her close, her arm around the woman's shoulders and comforting her as much as she was able.
'We gave statements to that nice young Deputy Guest, I think she's cute,' his mom said.
'Yeah, how did it go?' her son asked.
'We don't have anything to hide, the truth will come out and quickly we hope,' she said.
'The Sheriff said they will have to confirm my alibis so I can't go anywhere until they know how I got the gun, or I mean how the gun got in my locker,' he quickly corrected himself. 'I guess I go before the judge tomorrow around noon. Will you be there?' he said to his mom, noting that both women nodded in the affirmative.
They spoke for the full hour allotted them; a deputy broke up the exchange around 8:00 p.m. Marcus agreed to take both women home, dropping Lillian off first, but they found her home invaded by numerous sheriff vehicles and personnel going through everything and everywhere.
'Mrs. Wood, you can't stay here,' Blanche said. 'Go in, gather up what you need for the night and come and stay with me. I can make room and we can spend the night consoling one another. How does that sound?'
'Well, I would rather not be alone tonight. Are you sure it's not too much trouble? I hate to put you out,' the older woman spoke again on the verge of tears.
She ducked into the home for only a few minutes before returning with an overnight bag and her purse. Marcus drove the pair to Caroline's Bed and Breakfast with a promise to take care of everything at the library, at least for Tuesday, and anything beyond that would have to be worked out between Blanche and Mrs. Anderson. They exchanged goodbyes and thank you's as he drove off for home.
At midnight the Sheriff's Department was finally quiet. Lupo sat in his office looking over the statements of each of the four taken that afternoon. He compared the dates and times of the break-ins and assault with the sheets before him, nothing seemed to come together for him, no pattern, no clear indication that Seymour could have done the crimes. The prospect that perhaps he was not working alone entered his mind but the forensics did not support that. Ricky would be taking a casting of Seymour's foot in the morning and DNA samples as well. Seymour had agreed to both. On paper, face-to-face, on the evidence and in his heart, 'The Wolf' knew Seymour was innocent, which left a rather sinister question. Who and for what reason? Who else could be in danger, perhaps Jasper was only the beginning.
As the Sheriff sat sipping his eighth cup of coffee of the day, the phone on his desk rang. He retrieved the portable from the cradle and spoke, 'Yeah, Lupo here.'
'Sheriff, Breland out at the Wood house. Let me start by what we do have, a motorcycle and it's a dirt bike, lime green 250cc Suzuki, older model. We also found an old single shot hunting rifle and a few rounds of ammunition but no other weapons. I know we were supposed to be looking for a Polaroid camera, came up empty handed there, just a small hand held digital with a dozen miscellaneous pictures on the stick but nothing pertinent. Ricky has been all over this place too, taken some samples, you know the usual stuff, but I got to tell you beyond what I've told you, we haven't found jack shit.'
'That's what I suspected,' the Sheriff asserted. 'The bike, you said was lime green, how about the helmet?'
'Didn't find a helmet, but yeah the bike itself is kind of a lime green, popular a few years ago.'
'Deputy Breland, is it the bike you saw?'
'I would have sworn that it was yellow, but it happened so quick, could have been this one.'
'But you can't be sure?' Angelo asked, trying to get a confirmation or a denial.
'That's right, I can't be sure.'
'So what you're saying is we don't have jack shit,' the Sheriff said, sitting back in his chair and running his big hand through his hair.
'That's correct, boss.'
'Either he's a criminal mastermind that's been able to really pull one over on us, or he's a pawn in some other criminal mastermind's game and we're all in the dark,' he thought, very concerned that it must be the latter.
Tuesday morning came quickly; Blanche and Lillian took turns in the bathroom getting ready after Felix had his usual casual shower and bathroom time. Blanche especially avoided him and they had breakfast in the room. Caroline had been more than accommodating after the women explained the situation with Seymour and the court hearing at noon. Mrs. Muir even stopped by Blanche's room to offer her support and well wishes. Blanche talked with Ester before they caught the taxi for the courthouse. She was upset, but only because Seymour was being treated like a criminal, and those that knew and loved him knew it was impossible. She would hold down the fort with the high school students for the day, but would need Blanche in on Wednesday, the inspectors would be there and things should appear completely normal.
The two ladies sat on the second row of the courtroom assigned to Seymour's case. A few towns’ people were there but not as many as they expected. The Sheriff's Office had done a good job keeping the arrest under wraps until they had further proof that Seymour was indeed The Stalker. The courthouse was a majestic building, built just after the Civil War during the reconstruction era of American History. The courtroom itself was spacious. Deep, rich woods provided the seating, railings and judge’s desk and tables. A court recorder sat waiting near the front, a stenotype machine at her fingertips. A courthouse deputy stood by the door leading to the judge’s chambers.
At precisely noon, the door opened and a judge in black robes entered and took his seat above the audience. Seymour was brought in through a side door, his hands cuffed behind him and the diminutive Deputy Guest led him to stand behind a table in front of the judge. A tall, grey haired man in a dark, pinstriped suit entered through the same door and stood behind a table next to Seymour's.
'Must be the DA,' whispered Lillian, pointing to the man in the suit.
The rear, heavy doors opened just before the proceedings were to get under way and Sheriff Lupo came and sat behind the ladies. He reached up and gave Lillian's shoulder a reassuring squeeze.
'That was odd,' thought Blanche.
Within minutes of the court being brought to order, a stir of activity occurred at the back of the courtroom, causing everyone to turn to see what was going on. The doors suddenly opened and two-dozen people entered, Mrs. Ella Wild leading the way with administrators, teachers and students mixed, together in a supportive group. Thumbs up and other positive signs were flashed to Seymour, bringing a grin to his face.
Once things settled down and everyone found a seat, the DA spoke explaining the charges and the circumstances related to Seymour's arrest with a caveat that further charges were pending, but for now they wanted him held on the weapons charge. Behind the large desk the judge grunted and only rarely looked up from the documents before him.
'What are you looking for in terms of bail?' the judge asked.
'Judge, we had first anticipated $500,000, but after conferring with Sheriff Lupo we have agreed to drop the requested bail to $200,000.'
'That is agreeable to the court. Bail is hereby set at $200,000 and can be taken care of with the court officials. Mr. Wood will be held over, pending further charges and possible trial. Mr. Mason, let me give you and your office a caution here. If you do not have significant evidence to place specific charges against this young man by Saturday, I will have no choice but to set him free and revoke the decision made today and the bail. Is that clear?'
'Absolutely judge,' Mr. Mason said.
'Okay, court is adjourned, return Mr. Wood to his cell,' he instructed the officer.
Seymour looked over his shoulder at the small support group seated behind him, offering a little smile showing his dimple.
The Sheriff left without saying a word to either lady but knew he had helped.
Lillian and Blanche huddled for a few minutes before going to the bank in an attempt to secure $200,000 for
