John was standing in the front yard with several of Austin’s finest. They had made like they had every right to enter and leave the house as they pleased. John was a little put out that they took such liberty. Not only that but he was offended by some of the questions he was asked by the detectives. They had made it sound as if he and his family had perpetrated the offense just so they could collect the insurance money. When John pointed out who he was and that he hardly needed the money, they switched to a different tact and began to listen to his answers and suspicions about who the culprit had been. Even then it took them nearly another hour to decide they had enough circumstantial evidence to question Danny Wayne Floyd about the burglary and wanton destruction of the Rivers’ residence. Then Danny drove by with a smirk of guilty satisfaction on his face and the police then decided he may have the answers to some of their questions.
Ten minutes after deciding they needed to talk to Mr. Floyd, a police car passed with Danny Floyd setting in the back seat with, what appeared to John, his hands cuffed behind his back and an angry fire burning in his eyes.
As the car passed, Danny glared at John as if, if looks alone could kill, John would be writhing on the ground in his death throes. John was not a coward, but he felt a chill crawl up his back. For some reason he knew this was far from over.
That night after the cops were gone, John talked Misty into spending the night in a hotel. She was reluctant at first but finally agreed to start the clean up and repairs the following day.
The following morning when she walked back into the house her tears began anew, and she was unable to get started with the clean up until her tears had run their course. Only then was she able to finally start putting all the broken pieces of their life back together.
John hired a remodeling company to come and make all the necessary repairs to the walls. While they picked up the debris the company patched and painted the walls.
A week later the house was, for the most part, back to the way it was before Hurricane Danny swept through. John was not there to see the final paint rolled over the final repair, or the check written for thirty thousand dollars for the repairs. He was in concert in Phoenix, playing to a sold out auditorium audience of twenty thousand roaring, screaming fans. From there he went to Denver and packed Mile High Stadium to bursting.
Three months from the day Misty’s house was ransacked by Danny Floyd, John drove his new Dodge Ram Turbo down the driveway to his house. He pulled to a stop and admired the changes that had taken place with his old homestead. He parked beside a construction pickup with the name Tom Holmstrom Construction painted on the doors. His was a company out of San Marcos and he was a big man with a full red beard that covered part of his bulging stomach.
John climbed out of his pickup, turned to assist Judy, then met Holmstrom halfway to the front door. Holmstrom scratched his beard, shoved his ball cap back on his bald head and said, “Mister Travis, we’re almost finished with the house. A week more maybe. Barn’s done.”
“Good,” John said, taking his proffered hand. It was like shaking hands with a baseball glove. Holmstrom’s hand was large and callused and John could tell the man was as strong as a bull. “We want to be living in the house when the baby’s born.”
“Due anytime, I guess?” Holmstrom asked.
“Three more weeks,” Judy smiled, patting her stomach.
Tom nodded his head, then smiled, turned and led the way to the house. “We’ll be ready,” Holmstrom promised over his shoulder.
“I hope so,” John said. Then, taking Judy’s hand, he started walking through the house looking at the changes that had taken place. They walked out into the new addition that John had built for Misty and Billy to live in. It was beautiful, as was the rest of the house. From there they went into the nursery and looked at it. It was exactly how Judy wanted it. She had been out several times to see the progress and to answer Holmstrom’s questions when they came up. So, none of it was really new to her.
“What’s the latest on Danny Floyd?” he asked walking with Judy out to the barn to have a look around.
“Still in jail as far as I know,” she replied. “His folks are really p.o.ed at him for what he done.”
“No need to leave him there,” John said. “He’s learned his lesson by now. I’ll call ‘em and see if I can get him released.”
“He don’t deserve it, John!” Judy said angrily. “Have you forgotten what he did to us?”
“No, but sending him away forever ain’t gonna help anyone. He’ll just be mad when he gets out instead of reformed.”
“If he never gets out, then it don’t matter if he’s reformed or not! Maybe they’ll kill him in there!”
“Judy, there has to be forgiveness,” John said. “We are Christians, after all.”
“I think you’ll live to regret it, John,” she said prophetically. “But, do what you want. If it was me, I’d let him rot in there! He really hurt my momma!”
John pulled her into his arms and comforted her the best he could. He knew Danny had caused a lot of mental anguish in the Rivers’ family. But, he felt Danny had paid a price steep enough to teach him a lesson. Now, it was time to give him a second chance; if he could swing it for the younger man.