Broken Wing

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Galen Andrew’s son, Michael, who had first reported the strange car at the house, was waiting in the kitchen, eager to hear about his trip to Mr. Clark’s. With the excitement over, for now, Galen finished setting out their lunch then briefly explained that a woman calling herself Clark’s granddaughter had taken up residence and had not been very welcoming.

“After what happened this morning, son, I think it would be a good idea for you and Kipper to stay away from Mr. Clark’s place for a while. That dog was huge, and it was not friendly. It could hurt you both if it decided you were invading its territory.” Galen stared at the shepherd mix puppy they’d adopted a few months ago. Kipper would about snack size to that monster dog he’d just seen. Clearly oblivious to his scrutiny and subsequent scowl, Kipper sat at Michael’s chair begging for scraps.

“Aww, Dad, do I have to? I really want to meet Mr. Clark’s granddaughter. He was always talking about her. I saw a picture of her once and she is really pretty. It would be nice to get to talk to her finally.”

“Who are you talking about son? Mr. Clark didn’t have any children or grandchildren.” While he was smart for his age, Michael was still only ten so Galen presumed he must have misunderstood something. Everyone knew the old man hadn’t had any family to speak of when he died, certainly no children. And if he had left the house to some stranger, the whole town would have been buzzing by now. Galen still wasn’t sure if he was pissed at the squatter for her rudeness or amazed at her audacity in claiming she’d inherited Mr. Clark’s house.

“Dad, of course he did,” Michael answered with a slightly exasperated tone. “Like I said, he talked about her all the time. I even remember him mentioning she had some kinda huge dog as big as a pony! That’s probably the one you met. I figured he had been exaggerating. Never seen a dog that big, you know? Be cool to see it. You sure it’s mean?” he asked with a hopeful tone.

“I’d rather not take chances,” Galen replied firmly. “For now, Uncle Phillip said to leave her be while he checks things back at the station.” Then he could take a few other officers to send the rude squatter packing, safely. “That aside, I’m trying to understand how Mr. Clark can have a granddaughter without having had any children?” While most folks in the town were respectful of each other’s privacy, whoever this stranger was wouldn’t be considered part of the crowd, and it was still a small town after all so gossip still travelled pretty fast.

“Oh, he told me once that they don’t have the same blood, but it didn’t matter because they were family all the same. I didn’t understand all of it, but I think he kind of meant that they were like Timmy’s family. You know, he didn’t come out of his mom like I came out of my mom, but they adopted him and so they are a family anyway?”

“Ah, I gotcha.” Galen began clearing the dishes. “Well, for now, just stay on this side of the road for me, okay? Even if that is who is there, she didn’t seem to want company and I can’t trust that dog when it came growling at two full-grown men, okay?”

“Yes, sir.” His disappointment was clear in his voice.

“Meanwhile, I think you have some homework that needs doing, and I need to make a call right quick.”

“Okay. Come on Kipper.” Michael half ran up the stairs, the pup right at his heels. Galen debated yelling after him to walk but decided to let it go. He had a feeling he was forgetting something and his conversation with Michael made that feeling even stronger. Once he finished cleaning up, he called Phillip to share Michael’s revelation about the “adopted” granddaughter.

“Hmm...you know, thinking about it, the Bradshaw clan was pretty close to him. They were all there in the front row at his funeral, well, all except the youngest, Jessie. I heard they were footing all his medical bills those last few years and covered the funeral costs too.”

“That’s true, but they are like that with just about everyone in town. Anyone can’t afford something, they take care of it.”

“Oh, I know, they helped me out when I wanted to leave Durham. Still, I vaguely remember when we used to visit here a lot as kids, Jessie was always hanging around at Mr. Clark’s place instead of wanting to be with the rest of us. Hang on, I just spotted Julian, let me check with him.”

While he waited for Phillip to return to the phone, Galen thought back to those childhood vacations. His grandparents had relocated to Cascade Falls while Galen was still in middle school. At first, he and his brother hated spending their summer vacations there. Having grown up in the city, they found the little “backwoods” town decidedly lacking in excitement.

As adults, they both ended up moving to Cascade Falls themselves, though, for different reasons. Phillip loved being a cop from the day he entered the academy, but he grew tired of the violence and day-to-day death he’d dealt with working in Durham. It left him feeling like he wasn’t making a difference or really helping anyone. He’d been just about ready to quit altogether when he’d learned of an opening on the Cascade Falls police force. It had been a perfect opportunity, except he didn’t have the funds to relocate. The Bradshaws stepped in to provide a more than generous relocation package, and the force somehow managed to give him a few weeks paid leave before he even started so he could settle in.

After Melinda’s death, Galen had been lost himself, functioning only by sheer determination and the need to care for Michael and help him cope with the loss of his mom. It had been Phillip who recommended they come to Cascade Falls, suggesting the change of scenery and the excitement of starting something new could help them both heal. It had been a godsend, with Michael loving the country air and being able to play outside, and Galen had “magically” found himself having plenty of work as soon as he’d been ready to start up again. He was fairly certain the Bradshaws had a hand in it, much as they had with Phillip. Sometimes he wondered if the family was really as generous as they appeared, but he hadn’t been about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

“Galen?” Phillip’s voice broke through his musings. “Julian confirmed it, Clark left the house to Jessie, and she was due to move in sometime today.”

“I guess that’s good then. Glad the place won’t sit empty and ruin. I did wonder why there hadn’t been any word of an estate sale or anything.”

“Yep, might mean you have to wait a few more decades to get your hands on it to restore it,” Phillip teased, well aware of his brother’s desire to fix the old house up. “Oh, don’t forget the police dog exhibition next month. I know Michael is really looking forward to it.”

“How can I? He reminds me morning, noon, and night!” Still laughing, Galen hung up and went back to cleaning the house. He wondered what Jessie’s plans were for the old house. While it was no mansion, Galen loved the architectural details. It had hand carved, intricate woodwork throughout, lovely pillars and the trademark balcony running around the outside. It was just this side of being an antebellum home and had been built when the first Bradshaw had come to the area over a century ago. He longed to apply his skills to make it over, but with Clark’s health declining over the last few years before his death, a major house renovation had certainly not been at the top of the priority list.

From what he could remember, the princess of the Bradshaw clan lived in a big city up north somewhere. He hadn’t even heard of her being in town the last three years. More than likely she’d just sell the house and everything in it, then head home. Doing some quick mental calculations, he knew it would stretch his personal budget a bit, but he could probably afford the home at its current value, especially if Jessie wanted it sold quickly.

Presuming, of course, she didn’t hate him and refuse to sell to him out of spite after their meeting this morning. He winced inwardly. While it wasn’t his fault, it wouldn’t do to find himself on the wrong side of the controlling family of Cascade Falls. Thinking back again to the laughing, dark-haired girl from those long past summers, he remembered her as friendly enough, if a bit introverted. Had the big city changed her that much? Did she remember him at all? Would she have been friendlier if they had recognized each other?

Ah well, in a town this size, they were certain to run into one another soon, at which point he hoped they could start over.