Red - Jack Ketchum [47]
On Darleen the jury was still out.
It wasn’t out on Brian.
~ * ~
Darlin’ thought, momma’s angry. Momma’s really angry. Bri’s done something to make her angry. And Peggy is too — she’s angry. At him. She wondered what it was. It might be important to know what it was so that she wouldn’t do the same thing sometime and make them angry at her too.
It was strange just sitting there, not talking, waiting for daddy.
She wanted to give them all kisses to make it all better.
She almost wanted to cry. But she wouldn’t.
It was so strange. She didn’t even want a cookie.
~ * ~
You’re all alike, Peg thought. Men. You do what you want and to hell with the consequences. To hell with what the woman thinks, what the woman feels. It’s all about you.
It was rumored around school that Miss Raton was a lesbo.
She wouldn’t blame her. Not one bit.
~ * ~
Brian felt like he had one chance and one chance only. A single card to play and that was it. He had seen his dad fucking her. He knew what nobody else did. If it came down hard on him, could he play that card? Would he dare to? Would it turn out better or worse for him if he did?
He didn’t know. Hoped he wouldn’t have to find out.
~ * ~
She heard the Escalade pull up outside.
“Darlin’?” she said. “Go to your room.”
Her daughter was upset. And probably quite confused. Rightly so.
“Why? I didn’t…”
“Don’t worry, honey. This isn’t about you. This is about your brother. Now go up to your room like a good girl.”
She watched her slide off the chair and sulk her way out of the kitchen. She knew her daughter. Upset and confused she might be, but with Darleen it was always important to be in on things, not to be left out. That inquisitive spirit might be useful to her in the future or it might get her into very deep trouble. It was impossible to know.
She glanced at Brian, fidgeting in his chair with his hands folded in his lap as though he were in church faced with a long boring sermon. Then at Peggy glaring at him. Almost inexplicably she found herself furious at both of them. Him for what he’d done, obviously. But why Peggy? Why her?
For dragging me into this, she thought. That’s why.
For seeing. And then reporting what she’d seen.
~ * ~
Female trouble he thought as he walked into the kitchen.
We got girl-trouble here.
It had been a good day for him. Got a fine settlement from Air Canada for Steve Bachman’s neck injury and filed those divorce papers for Ed Seymour, who was going to take his rich wife to hell and back for screwing their gardener, one Windy Brewer. What the hell kind of a name was Windy, anyway? And who would want to fuck him? It had been a real good day but it looked to him as though that was going to stop right here.
When Belle stood up at the table shaking with anger and pointing at him that about confirmed it.
“Do you want to know what your son did? Do you want to know?”
“Not sure I do,” he said. “Goddammit, Belle. What the hell’s going on? Where‘s the Toyota?”
“In the shop. Some idiot rammed into my driver’s side door at the IGA. Vicki Silverman drove me home. But never mind the damn Toyota, Chris. I’m talking about your son here! Your son! He didn’t think anyone was home so he went down there. With her. Had her dress off. Had her naked. And he was touching her. And he was touching himself! If Peg hadn’t caught him at it god knows what would have gone on in that cellar!”
He looked at Brian, staring down at the table like there was something really quite interesting crawling around on its surface.
“That true, son?”
Belle didn’t even give him a chance to say yes or no.
“Peg caught him at it. Didn’t you hear me? Why the hell are you asking him, is it true?”
“Calm down, Belle. He’s just a boy.”
“Just a…calm down? I will not calm down! He had one hand on her, and the other hand shoved down into his goddamn jeans, Chris!”
“I’m telling you to take it easy. Look at me, boy. Look at me when I talk to you.”
His son didn’t want to but he did. Chris smiled at him. Couldn’t help it. Hell, the kid was a chip off the old block. In a way he