Making New Memories by Karen Ward

have known and the
person who gave you your keys." Hesitating for a moment she then
adds, "I should tell you that your friend Mr. Thomas asked me to
call him and let him know the next time you were coming to town. He
said he wanted to surprise you with a welcome home party so I
called him when I saw your reservation come through. Was I wrong to
do that?"
    "No, no, it was fine. When did you call
him?"
    "Well, I called him as soon as I saw the
reservation the night before your arrival," she says.
    "Thank you Elizabeth. You've been a great
help," says Dylan.
    ******
    When I call that night, Dylan is light
hearted and happy. He says, "Hello Beautiful, it's good to hear
your voice."
    "Hello Dylan, you sound very happy tonight.
Did something good happen today?"
    "Actually yes, they caught Richard Thomas
trying to leave the country and arrested him. He has been
embezzling money from the bank. Evidently, Elena has been
blackmailing him."
    "Does that mean they are going to drop the
charges against you?" I ask hopefully.
    "No, they haven't dropped the charges yet. We
are hoping though. We are trying to find proof that it was Thomas
that killed her. At least, things are looking better for me."
    "That's wonderful Dylan. You are going to be
pleased to know that my counseling sessions are helping me
tremendously. I can't wait to start making new memories with
you."
    "Oh Skye, I can't wait to start making new
memories with you either. I miss you Sweetheart."
    "Does Jacob know when all of this is going to
be over?"
    Dylan says, "Well, Jacob is going to request
the trial date be set immediately. He wants to get it all over with
before Christmas. It is one of my rights to have a speedy trial. I
want nothing more than to get this over with so I can come back to
the ranch and hold you in my arms."
    "I can't wait for you to get here. I better
go. Did you know they are going to induce Melanie's baby tomorrow?
Barry is so excited he can't sit still."
    "That's great Skye. Be sure to call me when
he gets here. I want to know all about it. Goodnight, Skye."
    "Goodnight Dylan."
    ******
    When Tom Christensen finally gets his hands
on the security video from outside the mall it is so grainy that it
is impossible to identify the man getting in the car. All you can
tell for sure is that he is wearing a dark hooded long sleeved
shirt or jacket. The hood was pulled up around his face preventing
identification.
    According to the video, the man got into the
passenger side of the car. After about twenty minutes the video
shows him exiting the car and walking back into the mall. The man
was not wearing gloves.
    After Tom examines the security video from
inside the mall near the game room he is able to produce a close up
of Richard Thomas wearing a dark zip up long sleeved jacket with a
hood. The video from the game room shows that Dylan is wearing a
white sweatshirt, the same sweat shirt he is wearing in the photos
taken when he was booked into jail. The sweatshirt does not have a
hood.
    When Jacob gets the report of the
fingerprints found in the car it only shows prints from Elena,
Damian, and Richard Thomas. According to the notes of when the
police interviewed Thomas, he told the police of course his prints
were in the car because he was her banker and they had gone on a
few dates. It is common knowledge that Thomas cheats on his wife.
Dylan's prints were not found in or on the car.
    ******
    The trial date is set for the second week of
December and Jacob is confident that he can get a not guilty
verdict. The prosecution has no evidence that Dylan killed her and
Jacob has plenty of evidence to create reasonable doubt. Jacob
really can't understand why the prosecutor is being so stubborn
about going to trial.
    On the night before the trial is to begin,
Jacob is sitting in Evelyn's living room going over what Dylan can
expect the next morning when his cell phone rings,
    "Jacob Murray,"
    "Jacob, Tom Christensen. I found a Texas
Department of Transportation video