Werewolves and Indians Ch. 09

Ja'Mal needed to speak to the pack, but he made Betty promise him that she would get something to eat and rest. After which, he walked with Marcus back to his home. Marcus spoke to Ja'Mal. "Hey, do you know what you're going to say to the pack?" He queried.

Ja'Mal looked at his mentor. "I'm taking your advice and speaking from my heart." Marcus nodded and knew Ja'Mal would be fine. The two talked some more and addressed some of the questions then pack members might ask. He also said that he would not face the pack alone.

Marcus had one more thing to discuss. "Um, Ja'Mal, I know this might be a bit awkward, but you and Kerri need to move to the alpha home. You are our now alphas so you should take up your position."

Ja'Mal looked nervous. Had he worn out his welcome at Marcus's home? Maybe he was upset over this alpha business. Either way, he thought things were ok. Now he was telling him to move out. He wanted to ask when Marcus noticed the look on his face.

"Ja'Mal, come with me." He stated. The two walked to the alpha home, and Marcus let them in. Ja'Mal had to admit the house was magnificent. Marcus showed him around and they stopped in the main office. The two sat in a matching set of wing-backed chairs. The two talked, and soon Ja'Mal agreed. It was time for him and Kerri to assume their true roles.

*****

Meanwhile, Kerri and Larry checked out the ranch. The animals were fed, and crops were monitored. Larry stood out in his field and recalled the last visit from Lionel. He'd never been more afraid of any one as he was of that man. But he was gone now, and his baby girl was safe. He owed Ja'Mal for this, this peace.

He knew the young alpha was struggling with his new role, and he and Kerri would have a lot to learn. But he had confidence that Kingsley could not have asked for better leaders. Kerri walked out and joined her father. He was thinking really hard about something.

"Dad, what are you thinking about?" Kerri asked.

Larry laughed, "I was just thinking that this mess is over. We can have a normal life now." Larry replied. Kerri hugged her father. She knew that she would live at the den, but her father would never leave his ranch.

She worried about leaving him on his own. Then Larry chuckled. "Baby girl, I'll visit the den more, OK. Bedsides, soon I'll have plenty of grand-pups, and they need the ranch to work on and help them become productive." he added.

Kerri hugged her Dad. "Dad, I love him so much. Ja'Mal is everything I ever dreamed of." She added in awe.

Larry laughed and hugged his daughter. It was then that he realized that her body quaked. The night had taken its toll on all of them. He held Kerri as she cried. She cried for their people. She cried for her fallen pack members. She cried for her father. Finally she cried for her mate.

Larry didn't talk. He didn't try to fix it. He just held her close. As he comforted his daughter, he noticed the sheriff's sedan as it drive towards them.

"Baby, sheriff's here." He whispered.

Kerri quickly pulled herself together and the officer walked to them.

"Evening, Larry, Kerri." He greeted.

"I know you've been out of town, but if you haven't heard, Lionel is missing. We found his car near the forest. The keys were missing and no signs of foul play. We know you had some issues with him and wanted to know if you have any ideas of where he could be."

The sheriff waited. He already suspected what had happened, but they had to keep it secret. Larry started to speak when the sheriff spoke. "Look, I know he attacked the pack. Chief Joe called me early and told me what was happening. The thing is, with this Jerome-Jacob trial, outsiders are here. We have to investigate. Can you call Marcus and have him get in touch with me?" he asked.

Larry started to speak, but Kerri spoke instead. "Sheriff, we will. Look, we didn't start this. Lionel..." she stopped.

The sheriff looked at the young woman that he noticed had slightly re-positioned herself in front of her father. Her message was clear. She would protect her family. The sheriff nodded, "Thank you, Larry, Kerri. As soon as Marcus can call, I'll appreciated. He turned to leave. "Look, be careful. The news people and the special interest groups are out for blood. If you can avoid them, but if not answer vaguely." He advised.

Larry, unable to resist, had to ask about Jacob and his case. The sheriff said he couldn't answer, but hopefully the truth would come out.

Soon he had to go, and bid Larry and Kerri goodbye. The two walked the sheriff to his car. As he drove away, Larry immediately contacted Ja'Mal to let him know what they learned.

Thank you Larry. I'll talk with Marcus now. Ja'Mal replied.

"Larry said the sheriff came to see him. He mentioned Lionel's problems with the pack and has stated that he doesn't want it to become public knowledge." Ja'Mal explained.

Marcus looked a bit worried. "He's gone, Ja'Mal. He vanished. They have no way of connecting his disappearance to us. Anything could have happened to him." Marcus explained.

Ja'Mal nodded, agreeing with his friend."Marcus, you are right, but people will still question." He thought out loud.

"Let's call the sheriff. We need to find out what he knows." Marcus stated.

Ja'Mal nodded. "OK, call him. I want to see if we can find what's going on with Jacob, as well." Ja'Mal stated also.

Marcus then called the Sheriff. He was glad that Marcus called. He told him that the department was investigating Lionel's disappearance. Right now, they'd try to keep the investigation under their jurisdiction, but with the on going media circus, he wasn't sure if it could be kept under wraps.

The problem was Lionel's car was found on their property, so if they had any information on his location, he encouraged them to contact his office. If he could be found soon, it would help them close this case. Then the sheriff spoke candidly. "Marcus, I know he attacked your family. I also suspect that he has been destroyed. If we had a body, then we could close this investigation." the sheriff paused.

Marcus was silent, but Ja'Mal spoke. "Sheriff, if we find out anything, we will call you. But as of right now, we don't know anything. Sheriff, can you tell us anything about the situation with Jacob?"

The sheriff exhaled, "I'm sorry. No, we are still investigating, but I will tell you he has the best defense attorney we've ever had here handling his case. The truth will come out. I believe that above all else. Well, Marcus, Ja'Mal, thank you for calling and remember if you find or think of anything else about Lionel, call me."

Marcus spoke, "We will, and sheriff, thank you." They disconnected. Ja'Mal was silent, and Marcus knew he was scared, but he was also strong. Things would work out as they always did. They left the alpha home and found Jacob talking to Sadie. Sadie was one of the Weres who lost her son the night before. She refused to have his body burned earlier. Jacob was talking with her about the ceremony, yet she still refused.

Ja'Mal and Marcus walked over and she dropped her eyes immediately in reference to her new alpha. "Sadie, no. Never drop your eyes before me. I am just a man. OK. Please, treat me as such."

Sadie gasped. "Alpha, I know protocol says we need to burn the remains, but my son feared fire. The thought of burning him is..." She sobbed.

Ja'Mal walked with her to the freezer, a place where the fallen bodies were stored until the farewell ceremony. Sadie stood beside her son, and Ja'Mal was distraught at the trauma his body suffered, He was over six feet tall. He had black hair, and his face was gone. His limbs were a mass of bruises and contusions, and his fingers and other appendages were gone.

If we had a body, then we could make a declaration and end the investigation, the sheriff stated when they spoke to him. If they could produce a body, Lionel could be placed to rest.

Marcus, do you think...? I mean... he started to ask when his beta reprimanded him.

No, we will not. The sheriff will figure out something. We will not desecrate our pack member in that way. Marcus replied angrily.

Ja'Mal, properly reprimanded, quickly apologized. Sorry, Marcus, I wasn't thinking clearly.

Marcus realized that Ja'Mal meant no harm, and was their alpha. He was just young. "Sadie, I am so sorry that you lost your son," Ja'Mal addressed the grieving mom, "But, we have to complete the rituals. Humans bury their dead."He looked at Marcus and Jacob, "Can we bury him?" Ja'Mal asked.

Marcus was stunned. It was highly unusual, but it would work.

"I don't know much about the ritual but we can look into it." Marcus replied.

Ja'Mal spent a lot of time around humans when he was a pup. He recalled attending a few of what they called "home going ceremonies". He explained to Marcus and Sadie what he remembered.

Both wolves were stunned. They had never heard of such a thing, but Sadie liked the idea. Ja'Mal said they didn't have to do all of the rituals, but they needed to dig a grave for their fallen brother. Humans buried they fallen at least six feet below the ground. The body was placed is a secure coffin and buried, A marker depicting the person's name was erected over the spot in which they were buried.

Sadie smiled and hugged Ja'Mal. "Thank you Alpha. Thank you, Marcus. Thank you, Jacob. Thank you for preserving the memory of my son." Ja'Mal returned her embrace. He would call the local funeral home and purchase a wooden casket.

*****

Several days past, Sunnet and Daniel were at work. They had to get the truth from Tasha. Sunnet met with Tasha once before. She spoke with her about the events from the night of the shooting. Tasha insisted that Jacob just attacked Jerome and killed him. When asked about the shooting, she claimed that she didn't remember. As she talked with Tasha, she got a call from the hospital. Raymond regained consciousness.

She ended her interview with Tasha and headed to the hospital. Daniel joined her and suggested that she go to the police station and get a copy of their statement after they got back. She didn't like it, but she knew they would not let her near the patient so she'd have to wait.

So she left her office and headed to the precinct. The sheriff was there and welcomed her. Of course the protesters were there as well as the press. Sunnet was instantly annoyed with the sensationalism. But what really annoyed her was the members of the community that flocked to the cameras.

Many people tried to portray the towns' people as corrupt. The claimed the people there were repressed. Some even tried to tie Lionel's disappearance into Jerome's case. Some reported shouted at Sunnet as she entered the precinct. She ignored them and rushed inside.

Soon the detectives that talked to Raymond returned. They had a full report and confession. Raymond was lucid enough to tell everything that happened until Jacob knocked him out. He admitted that Jerome had no intention of letting Jacob leave that house alive. When asked about Tasha, Raymond said, Jerome was punishing her for cheating on him.

The two attorneys sat in and listened to the detectives account. Each received a copy of his report. Chase had to decide what to do. At this point, the media had three days to paint an awful picture of this community. He wished someone would trash this fake image of Jerome as a innocent victim. His wish came true. That night, Pastor Frank Henry was teaching bible school when some of the activist and reports decided to attend. Never one to mince words, he told his parishioners that tonight he had to speak the truth.

"Hello everyone. Welcome to Mount Zion Faith Church. Usually I'd teach a lesson, but first I want to spread the truth about our fallen brother. Many of us like attention. Women love being called beautiful; men love being told how good looking they are. Well for the last two days, we have had a chance to get extra attention. Some of the cameramen decided to record. Pastor Henry kept talking. "I am not a prosecutor or even a judge. I am definitely not a lawyer, but I am a citizen of the town. You all know that we don't act like this. We hold each other up.

Now I see the group and the reporters. They will talk to you and ask questions. They have that right. You have the right to answer, but answer with the truth. Don't feed their greed by tearing our community down. When this trial ends, they will leave. What will we have left, distrust, anger, disillusionment. All we have is each other and the truth. I beseech you brothers and sisters, start tell these people the truth. If we are honest, they'll find no sensational story here and leave us in peace." Pastor Henry concluded. His parishioners applauded. Everyone united in one cause. They had to protect their way of life.

Reverend Xavier Smith, heard enough, he stood in protest of the pastor's message. The cameras flashed, tape rolled as he challenged the beloved minister. "Pastor Henry, we all know that the people in this town control you. They are trying to force you all into silence and are using you to do so. We are here to seek justice for a young brother that was murdered. He didn't deserve to die. Now you want to paint us and the reporters as villains. I get it sir. You are afraid of paying when we leave. They won't punish you because we won't leave until the world sees what a hate filled place this town is, Pastor Henry, you keep giving tired sound bites, and we will fight for Jerome's justice."

His followers applauded. Having heard enough Tasha mother stood and spoke to Rev Xavier. "Jerome was not a saint." She spoke, "He beat my daughter. She has been with him for years and nothing I did would make her leave him alone. He beat her and she lies for him. Jerome was not a good person.

Reverend Xavier had no reply. Soon several people stood after her and told the reporters and the group about Jerome and his vile treatment of his fellow citizens. The cameramen kept recording and when everyone was done, Pastor Henry went into his bible lesson. Realizing that there was really no story here, the reporters walked away. By morning, most of the camera crews would be gone. Many of the people following Reverend Smith had questions. They waited until after service to really talk to the people from the town.

After learning of Jerome's nefarious deeds, most of them backed off. Reverend Smith had to stick it out. He presented himself as a crusader for the small man. However, after talking with Pastor Henry and the district attorney, Xavier didn't like Jerome.

That night, he went to his hotel and wrestled with himself. Jerome was the exact type of person he would not defend, but he hated to admit he acted to soon. His support was waning and he needed a case that would revitalize his cause. Jerome was a criminal, but a white guy killed him. The thing was he wanted to saw that the black community in this town was brainwashed, but that was untrue. In the few days that he'd been here, everyone spoke highly of Jacob Kingsley. He even talked to Jerome's girlfriend, and she admired the man. Even though she tried to pretend she was afraid of him. Yesterday, some of his men went to the area where Jerome was killed, and the area was abandoned. Xavier shivered, in his heart of hearts, he too believed that Jerome was planning to kill that man, despite the lies his woman told.

His entire life was spent by righting social justices. He'd marched all over the country seeking fair treatment. However, over the last ten years, he had become a laughing stock. Xavier was tired. He was also disappointed. And he could no longer pretend that he believed that Jerome was an innocent victim.

The trial was in three weeks and for the first time in over forty years; Xavier Smith decided to just walk away. Pastor Henry was right. This issue was not about race, or oppression. It was clearly self-defense. He slept that night and the next morning he met with his followers. He explained to them his decision. Not surprisingly they agreed. At nine, Reverend Smith went to see District Attorney Chase; he asked that the sheriff and his deputies sit in.

Once everyone was there, he spoke, "Gentlemen, Ladies, I apologize. On this issue I was wrong. I interfered with your jobs and caused all of you unnecessary stress. After having my team do some questioning and talking with community members, I don't believe this was a hate crime. Jerome threatened that young man, and despite what color someone is, you have a right to defend yourself. Thank you, all of you for being so receptive of us, we will leave and I wish you the best." The Reverend concluded.

The sheriff thanked the Reverend and Chase walked him out. Before they left, Reverend complimented Chase and wished him the best. As the activist drove away, they saw the rest of the reporters following them. Chase took a deep breath as he watched them from the parking lot at the precinct. Daniel walked out and joined him. He too was relieved. Now Sunnet could be released from this case and they could go home. They could assign a local attorney. She could still take her vacation time, because he just needed to get her away from this place, this guy, Jacob. They could go somewhere alone and he could tell her how he really felt.

Chase talked with Daniel as Sunnet approached. "Let's go to my office and talk." He suggested.

Sunnet agreed and followed him. Hey entered his office, "Sunnet, we want to avoid a trial. We all know that Jacob was kidnapped and fighting for his life. However, he killed a man with his bare hands. Here's what I am willing to offer. He pleads accidental manslaughter and I'll request his sentence be time served. Sunnet looked at the DA as if he lost his mind.

"DA Chase, we'll see you in court." Sunnet replied, as Daniel protested.

"Wait Sunnet, he won't go to prison. He essentially gets no punishment at all." He insisted. "This is a great offer."

Sunnet faced her boss and spoke. "He would have a record. That's not fair. Daniel, I don't understand; you have never rolled over like this before."

Forgetting they were in someone's office, Daniel exploded. "It's something about that guy. You like him. I've never seen you respond to anyone like you do him. The quicker we can settle this then the quicker we can go home. The sooner I can get you away from him the better." He ranted.

Chase was silent, staring at the brass lawyer. Sunnet was stunned, her father's warning playing in her head.

Sunnet was silent. She stared at Daniel as if he had grown two heads. He realized he'd said too much.

"Sunnet, Chase, I apologize. Look, this is your case. I wish you the best of luck. Please forgive my rant. It was out of line. I'll fly back today." He explained embarrassed.

"Daniel, wait," Sunnet called. She was confused now. She liked Daniel, and his outburst intrigued her. Reaching out, she grabbed his arm, stopping him.

He turned, pulled her into his arms, and kissed her. Daniel's heart pounded. He could have ruined any shot at all with her in that one kiss. As he pulled away, he didn't see rejection in her eyes just confusion.

"I'm going back and you need to win this case." Daniel whispered. "I want you to come home to me when this is done.

"Daniel, I don't..." he kissed her quickly. Then he walked out of Chase's office. Chase was silent. After Daniel left he asked Sunnet was she alright.

"I'm fine. I need to call Jacob."Sunnet answered. "Um Chase, don't mention..."

Chase smiled, "I didn't see anything."

Sunnet went to her small office to make her call.

*****

So much happened here. Tell me your thoughts. I cannot wait to hear from you. Thank you for reading. Chapter 10, the final chapter for this part of the story, will be written soon.