Sally: Autumn Storms (F&L Story #4)

Sally: Part 5

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Part 5

Sally left Wilson in her kitchen to fill out the paperwork for his employment and entered her office to call the number he gave her. His parole officer, a Joshua Barker, out of Kansas City, Missouri. Checking her watch, she hoped Mr. Barker didn’t mind the late call, but Wilson assured her that he wouldn’t.

“Josh Barker speaking,” a man’s voice came through the line.

“Mr. Barker, I’m Sally Sanborn, from outside of Little Rock, Arkansas. I have a man here applying for a job, and he told me I needed to contact you. Wilson is his name?”

A chuckle sounded in her ear. “Oh, yes. Wilson. I take it he didn’t give you his last name?”

“No, he did not,” she answered, feeling a little put off by that fact. What was with the secrecy? It’s just a name.

“Well, it’s Wilson Martin, ma’am. And I’m glad you called right away. Wil told me this morning where he was, and I’ve been waiting for someone to call. Now that I know exactly where he’ll be staying, I can contact an associate of mine to keep an eye on him.”

Wil.  She kind of liked that.  The nickname suited him -- short, sweet, and to the point...well, except for the short part.  Sally cleared her throat. “Is there anything you need for me to know?”

“Did Wilson tell you about his conviction?”

“Only a little,” she admitted. “That he was imprisoned for negligent homicide. Is that correct?”

“Yes, ma’am, it is. However, if you want to know the details, you'll have to ask Wil. It's his story to tell, but I’m sure he’ll explain if you ask real nice.”

“Oh,” Sally said, hoping she'd get some answers out of Mr. Baker. “Unfortunately, Wilson doesn't seem to be the story-telling kind of guy.”

Mr. Baker hummed for a moment, hearing the plea of interest in her voice. “Well, it was a sad affair. All I can tell you is that he pleaded guilty without contest at his trial, and he served two of his four years at the Western Missouri Correctional Center."  He made another humming noise.  "And well, Missouri's prisons are overcrowded, so good behavior is rewarded diligently around here.  The remainder of his sentence will be served on parole, as long as he abides by the rules.”

“There's rules?” Sally hated rules of any kind. She liked flexibility in her routines, which was one reason she waited this long to finally hire someone to help her out. It'd be too difficult to teach a routine and then expect her employees to drop everything and adapt as the circumstances demand.

“Don't worry too much about it,” he said cheerfully. “There's not a whole lot to it. I’ll send you a detailed list, but basically, he’ll need to call in every week, and if he forgets or skips a week, you’ll be receiving unexpected visitors. I don’t foresee that happening. Wil’s a good man, despite his recent history.”

Sally heard the familiarity and respect in the man’s voice. “Have you known him long?”

“All my life,” he answered with another humming chuckle. “We practically grew up together. I’m sure once he gets over his shyness, he’ll tell you all about the time we got ourselves lost during a Boy’s Scout hiking trip.”

Sally considered the comment on Wilson being shy. That, she’d never have assumed. He didn’t seem shy, just aloof. “Well, what do you need from me?”

“If you’ll give me your fax number or an email address, I’ll send the forms to you. It’s pretty much straightforward. If you ever have any problems, you’re to call me or another parole officer straight away. Is there anything else you want to know?”