INNOCENCE DENIED
INNOCENCE DENIED…   From a normal life to one of shame & heartache, he always hid his pain behind his smile. But how long can he hide it from view as his already tarnished world crumbles around him. He has survived so many challenges and tests throughout his short life…can he survive his hardest one of all??	In Store Price: $34.00  Online Price:   $33.00 ISBN:1-9208-8466-1 Format: A5 Paperback Number of pages: 513 Genre: Fiction
Author: J. M. Lucas Imprint: Poseidon Publisher: Poseidon Books Date Published:  2006 Language: English

I would like to dedicate this book to my children who were patient and understanding while I spent hours on the computer writing it. For all their unconditional love and support…I thank them with all my heart…I love you.

To all the people who supported me and encouraged me to do this…I thank you all…you know who you all are.  

Without all of your love, support and encouragement…my children, my family and my friends…I don’t think I would’ve had the courage to take this step… but you were all there…helping me and guiding me.  

This book is as much a part of all of you as it is of me.

Thank you!

Chapter 1

The weather outside had turned for the worse. The rain pelted down with the force of the wind. It was definitely a good night to stay home and keep dry and warm.

Charlene Baxter stared longingly out of the front window, gazing out into the dark night. She was concerned about her husband, Reece. He’d worked the late shift and was already two hours overdue. She’d rung his work only to be told he’d left over an hour ago. With the wild wintry weather outside, Charlene feared the worst.

“Mummy,” a small voice called from a bedroom.

Charlene went to see if he was all right.

She found her young son sitting up in his bed, rubbing his tired eyes.

Kyle Baxter was three years old, the only child of Charlene and Reece Baxter.

“Hey sleepyhead,” she said softly, turning the young boy around and laying his head back down on his pillow. “Did you have a bad dream?”

“No…Daddy home?” Kyle asked, yawning.

“Soon darling,” she replied not wanting him to sense her worry. “He’s working a little late tonight.”

Satisfied, Kyle turned over onto his side and closed his sea-blue eyes.

As Charlene closed his bedroom door, she was startled by a knock at the front door.

She stood still, trembling. Her legs felt heavy as she slowly walked to open it.

Carefully, Charlene peeped out of the curtain first and saw a police car parked in her gravel driveway. Two stocky policemen were standing on her front porch.

With her heart pounding, she opened the door as wide as the safety chain would allow.

“Mrs Charlene Baxter?” the older of the two addressed her.

“That’s me,” she answered, her voice shaky.

“Can we come in for a moment please, ma’am,” the same officer requested formally.

Charlene nodded. She closed the door, undid the latch chain and then opened the door wider for them to enter.

She scanned their faces and sensed an overwhelming dread. Their eyes couldn’t hide their feelings.

“Oh my God,” she gasped, her hand covering her mouth.

“Please sit, ma’am,” the other officer suggested. “We need to talk to you.”

Charlene didn’t need to be invited to sit. Her legs felt like jelly; they were giving way under her.

“I’m Officer Drake and this is Officer York,” the older policeman began. “We need to ask you something.”

“Okay…is it my husband? He’s late coming home and with this terrible storm…” Charlene rattled on, almost hyperventilating.

“Please ma’am…is your husband’s name Reece Baxter?” the officer interrupted, his obvious displeasure with this task evident on his face.

“Yes,” she replied weakly. “Has he had an accident? Is he in hospital…hurt?”

Her voice searched for hope, but her eyes found none. 

“He was involved in a bad accident about two hours ago, ma’am,” Officer Drake explained. “I’m sorry to say, but your husband didn’t survive. He died at the scene.”

Charlene’s head spun; the officer’s words became incoherent.

A loud blood-curdling scream poured out from Charlene’s heart.

“Is there someone we can call for you, ma’am?” Officer York asked, bending down in front of her, holding her hands.

“No…there’s no one ‘round here,” she said, stunned, her hands shaking.

Her face was deathly pale. Her hands wouldn’t stop trembling as her mouth quivered.

“Mummy!” Kyle called coming out of his room.

He stopped short when he saw the policemen with his mother, as she sat crying.

“Hey, little buddy,” Officer York greeted, trying to smile.

“Come here, baby,” Charlene called, holding her arms out to the young boy. “Give Mummy a squeeze.”

His eyes never leaving the strangers in his house, Kyle ran into his mother’s welcoming arms.

As she hugged him tight, her body started to shake uncontrollably as reality hit. Her husband was dead. Kyle’s daddy was dead. They were alone.

Officer Drake excused himself and went outside. He went to a neighbour’s house and knocked on the door. He apologized for the lateness of his visit then explained the situation to the man who answered and asked if someone could stay with the distraught woman. The man called to his wife and told her the terrible news. Instantly the woman grabbed her coat and ran to the aid of her neighbour.

The following days went by in a jumbled blur for Charlene. She felt like her whole world had come crashing down. Little Kyle was too young to understand it all. All he knew was his daddy had gone to Heaven and wouldn’t be coming home again. Even this didn’t mean much to a three-year-old.

Family and friends rallied around the pair, doing all they could to help. They made sure the funeral went smoothly and that Charlene and Kyle were well cared for. Reece’s boss helped by paying all the funeral expenses and donating some money to help Reece’s family for a while.

But all the good wishes and help didn’t last forever. Too soon Charlene realized she’d have to sell the house, pay off the mortgage and move to a cheaper area. She knew it was the best time to do it, as Kyle wouldn’t be too affected by the upheaval.

After paying off any debts, Charlene was left with a very small kitty. She put the meager amount into the bank, and hoped she wouldn’t need to dip into it. This was to be her emergency fund.

She applied for a widow’s pension and was granted it. It wasn’t a lot, but it helped pay for the small apartment she’d found on the poorer side of town. They were now only a few blocks from the well-known area named Hell’s Kitchen, another poor and often dangerous suburb.

Things were difficult, as money was so tight. A pension didn’t stretch very far.

Charlene earned some cash by delivering pamphlets in the local neighbourhood. She enjoyed the job; it got her out of the house. Even better was that she could bring her son along and get to meet her neighbours.

It wasn’t a rich life by any means, but they had each other, a roof over their heads and food on the table. Charlene missed her husband deeply, but she knew she had to get on with her life for Kyle’s sake.

Years passed, but still money didn’t come any easier.

Kyle was now a cute and energetic five year old and starting school. The cost of school supplies and proper shoes really hurt the budget, but Charlene refused to take any money out of the emergency fund.

Kyle settled into school life easily, and the spare time allowed Charlene to get a part-time job at the local dry cleaners. It was hard work, extremely hot in summer, but Charlene knew it was the only way she could ensure their future and independence.

“Excuse me, Miss,” a raspy male voice called.

Charlene was in the back of the dry cleaners shop, sorting out the latest arrivals for cleaning. She turned and saw a scruffy, yet ruggedly handsome man standing at the front counter. She fussed with her hair, straightened her dress, and went to assist him.

“You’re new here, ain’t ya?” he asked with a broad smile.

Charlene returned the smile as she blushed.

“I’ve been here about a month,” she replied. “How can I help you?”

“I’m checking to see if my suede jacket’s come back yet,” he explained. “It’s a dark brown one. Here’s my slip for it.”

He handed her the receipt. As Charlene took it from him, he held her hand for a few seconds.

“Charlene…that’s a pretty name,” he commented, reading her name badge.

“Thank you,” she said with a slight giggle. “I’ll just look for your jacket.”

She disappeared out the rear of the shop and found the jacket. After checking to make sure the slip numbers matched, Charlene retrieved it from the rack and returned to its owner.

“Here we go…good as new,” Charlene remarked, handing the heavy jacket to him.

“My name’s Leon , just in case you wanted to know,” the man introduced himself.

“Nice to meet you,” Charlene grinned.

“You flying solo or you got an old man?” Leon pried as he swung the jacket over his shoulder.

“I’m sort of solo,” Charlene answered. “I’m a widow with a young son.”

“Hey…sorry,” Leon apologized, feeling awkward.

“It’s okay…it happened about two and half years ago now,” she explained.

Leon nodded his head.

“You wanna go grab a coffee one day?” he offered. “Maybe even some dinner?”

“I’d like that…definitely,” Charlene accepted.

“You write me your number so I can give you a call sometime,” Leon instructed. “So, how old’s your kid?”

“His name’s Kyle and he’s five now, almost six, just started school,” she said as she wrote down her telephone number on a piece of paper.

“Great age,” Leon commented. “Thanks.”

He happily took the paper and tucked it inside his pants pocket.

“You keep smiling,” Leon winked. “You have a great smile.”

Charlene blushed again as he left.

Once he was out of sight, Charlene hugged herself, excited. This was the first guy who had actually made her feel tingly since Reece’s death. Maybe it was time to start living her life more for herself again.

The remainder of her workday passed quickly. Charlene hummed happily to herself.

That evening after supper, Charlene told Kyle all about the nice man she’d met that day.

“Would it be okay if mummy saw him again?” she asked Kyle as she helped him into his pyjamas.

“I guess so,” Kyle shrugged, not really bothered.

Although she knew her son didn’t really comprehend what she said all the time, Charlene still thought it better to include him in her affairs.

After tucking Kyle into bed, Charlene had just settled down to watch the evening movie when the telephone rang.

“Hello,” she answered.

“Hey, it’s really you,” the familiar voice on the other end of line said, surprised. “I wasn’t sure if you’d given me a dodgy number or not.”

Charlene laughed. “I wouldn’t do that.”

“I’ve had it happen before by some other girls,” Leon admitted.

“Well…I’m not like the other girls,” Charlene pointed out.

 “That’s for sure,” Leon sighed.

Their friendly telephone conversation lasted almost an hour before Charlene realized it was time she went to bed. She hated being tired for work. They said their good byes and hung up, but not before Leon had made dinner arrangements with her.

Charlene felt good about Leon . He made her laugh again.  

Over the following month, Charlene and Leon became an item, having regular dates. They spent many free hours together. Then came the day when Charlene wanted Leon to meet her son. She decided to make it dinner at her place, so Kyle would feel more relaxed in common territory.

“Kyle…this is Leon, mummy’s new special friend,” Charlene introduced him when Leon arrived.

“Hey Kyle,” Leon greeted, squatting down to the boy’s comfortable level.

Kyle looked at the stranger with his gentle sea-blue eyes. “Hi.”

The rest of the night went well, although Kyle tended to shy away from Leon and clung to his mother. He wasn’t used to new faces; his mum hadn’t dated since his father’s death.

“He’s a real cute kid,” Leon commented that evening, as they sat chatting on the sofa. “He’s gonna be a heartbreaker when he grows up.”

Charlene was relieved the first meeting had gone so well.

“He’s a bright one too,” Leon added, watching the young blond boy playing quietly on the floor with some toy cars.

Charlene was pleased with Kyle’s acceptance of Leon as they started spending more time together.

Another month passed by. Charlene and Leon’s relationship thrived.

“Hey, happy birthday, big boy!” Leon cheered as he walked in the door, carrying a huge, brightly wrapped parcel. “A big grown up six year old now.”

“ Leon ,” Kyle yelled.

He ran over and gave Leon a welcoming hug, then eyed the large parcel closely.

“Is that for me?” he asked coyly.

“Only if it’s your birthday…is it?” Leon teased.

“Yes,” Kyle grinned.

“Then it must be for you,” Leon said, handing the gift to him.

Charlene watched proudly as Leon helped Kyle unwrap the giant box.

“Wow! A Playstation, Mum,” Kyle screamed, excited.

“ Leon …that’s very expensive,” Charlene chastised.

“He’s worth every cent…just look at that smile,” Leon shrugged as he placed his arm around Charlene’s slender waist.

Charlene was a very attractive woman, with her flowing blonde tresses and big hazel eyes. She still had a youthful figure and an angelic face. She could still make heads turn.

That evening, once Kyle had finally been pried away from his games machine and had collapsed exhausted in his bed, Charlene and Leon sat on the sofa together, talking.

Leon took out a small vial of pills, took one out and swallowed it.

“What was that?” Charlene asked, concerned.

“It’s just a harmless upper,” Leon admitted. “I take them sometimes to perk me up.”

“I don’t know if I like that,” Charlene wrinkled her nose.

“They’re completely harmless, I tell ya,” Leon laughed. “Like a sugar pill.”

Leon took another pill out and offered it to Charlene.

Charlene eyed it hesitantly.

“It’s okay…I promise.” Leon pressed.

Charlene took the pill, placed it in her mouth and swallowed it.

They continued to chat, then Charlene started to feel light-headed and giggly.

Together they tripped the night away, laughing and drinking.

“I want you to move in with me and Kyle,” Charlene slurred her words.

“Really? Are you sure about it?” Leon smiled.

“Kyle adores you and I’ve fallen in love with you,” Charlene explained. “I want you around. Will you do it?”

Leon leaned forward and softly kissed Charlene’s lips. They kissed gently at first, then harder. Before too long they were undressing each other and they made love on the lounge room floor. This was their first time together intimately.

From that night on, Leon slowly started to move his belongings into Charlene and Kyle’s apartment. The pill popping became more regular, almost a favorite past time once Kyle went to bed.

But drugs are an expensive hobby, especially the stronger types. Soon Leon and Charlene had a drug habit that was costing them hundreds of dollars a week.

They needed more money. Charlene decided she would find a second job, a night job. Leon was better staying with Kyle at nights as Charlene felt better knowing her son was in safe hands.

Charlene saw an ad in the local paper advertising for attractive women for exotic dancing. She was interested, as she had been a dancer in her teens. This wasn’t sleazy like lap dancing or degrading like prostitution. There was no nudity, but the dancers had to strip down to very skimpy outfits.

With her looks and body, Charlene was given a position immediately. Even Leon accepted her new job. So it was agreed that Charlene worked at the dry cleaners in the day, and the dance hall, “Laceys”, at night. Leon worked as a forklift operator during the day and cared for Kyle in the evening. A perfect partnership was formed.

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