The Fury - Jason Pinter [19]
getting bigger and bigger and..." James looked down at
his hands. "Then one day he's there. This little kid."
"What then?"
"She wanted to know where we stood. Whether she
was going to raise the boy on her own. I told her I
already had a wife, and she wanted her own kids. And
that I didn't have the time or money for two families."
"And then?"
"And then she left. One day she's living a few streets
over, the next Helen's moved out, packed up her stuff,
sold her crappy house and disappeared forever."
"Forever," I said. "You were never curious to see
how your other son was doing?"
"Didn't much care how the son who lived with us
was doing, ungrateful as he was."
Point made.
"When was the last you heard from Helen?" I asked.
My father looked down. His eyes twitched for a
moment. I tried to look past them, tried to see just what
this man was holding on to.
Then he said, "The day before she disappeared.
That's all I know. That mother of his never took care of
Stephen. Maybe if she'd made some different choices
he'd still be alive."
60
Jason Pinter
"By different choices, do you mean never shacking
up with you?"
"Don't get smart," he said. "I guess that's one of
those whaddaya callems, rhetorical statements."
I bristled. "What do you mean, different choices?"
"She was always one of those wild women, doing
things to her mind and body. Tough to find a woman
who drinks more than you do. And that's all I know. I
don't wish the boy died. I'm not some monster. But he's
no more my son than I was his father. Blood's only as
thick as you make it."
"Don't I know it," I said. Then I stood up. Amanda
did as well.
"I'd like to say it's been a good visit, Dad, but there's
been enough lying in this family. The buck's gotta stop
somewhere. Say hi to Mom for me."
"I will," he said, and I actually believed him. As I left
to go, all of a sudden Amanda spoke.
"Are you sorry?" she asked. She was staring right
into his eyes, not letting him go. In that moment I knew
just how strong this woman was.
James sat there, silent, for what must have been
several minutes. He looked back at her. She wouldn't turn
away.
"No," he finally said. And oddly enough, I didn't
believe him.
I reached for the door. Took Amanda's arm. Nodded
toward my father.
And just as I was about to turn the knob, there came
a loud knock at the door.
At first I thought it was my mother, but she wouldn't
have bothered or needed to make that much noise.
The Fury
61
"James Parker?" came the male voice from outside.
My father stood up. Approached the door. He looked
through the peephole, then stepped back. A look of
concern and fear crossed his face.
"What is it?" I said. "Dad?"
"Sir, open up," the voice said.
My father unlocked the bottom latch and opened the
door.
Three police officers--two men and one woman--
were standing on the front porch. One of them held a
piece of paper. The others held their hands at their hips.
Specifically by their guns.
Clearly, they were worried they might need to use
them.
"James Parker?" the lead officer said.
"Yuh...yes?"
The officer stepped forward through the doorway.
He grabbed my father, spun him around until his chest
hit the wall with a thud. The other two cops swarmed in,
and within seconds my father was in handcuffs. I saw
his eyes go wide, this proud, arrogant man. And in those
eyes I saw emotion I'd never seen before in nearly thirty
years.
My father was afraid.
"What the hell is going on?" I shouted.
"James Parker," the cop said, "You're under arrest for
the murder of Stephen Gaines."
8
Amanda and I sat on a small wooden bench in the
lobby of the Bend police department. After they'd taken
my father away in handcuffs, pressing his head down
as he climbed into the backseat of the car like some
common thug you'd see on COPS, we followed practi
cally bumper to bumper in our rental car.
Upon arriving at the station, I didn't have a chance
to talk to my father before they led him into booking.
The City of Bend Police Department had two sections: