The Fury - Jason Pinter [98]
want to get anyone else involved. Because they were
still protecting Helen.
"You're Henry," she said. "Oh my...I've wanted to
meet you for so long."
That answered my question.
"I only just found out you existed a few days ago,"
I said. "Why didn't you ever try to reach me?"
"I didn't know how," she said, but her voice betrayed
that thought. She never really tried. The idea of my ex
istence was grander than the reality of it.
I walked over to Helen. Extended my hand. She did
not offer hers, and for a moment I was embarrassed, but
then she stood up, took a breath and gathered me in her
arms. It was a strange sensation, and one I wasn't sure
was deserved or appropriate, but soon I felt my arms
wrapping around this small, frail woman who'd been a
part of my family's life long before I ever arrived.
Her pulse was racing. A slightly sour smell came
off of her.
When Helen Gaines pried herself away from me,
she stepped back, sat down on the bed with a sigh. The
woman's pupils were dilated, and I had to take a
moment to realize just how small, just how thin she was.
I remember the photo my father had shown me. The vi
vacious young woman with the unruly brown hair, the
bright green eyes. The eyes were still green, but they
were slightly dulled. Too much life had passed by them.
Not enough love to keep them shining.
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The veins in her wrists were thick, ropy. Blue streaks
roamed underneath her skin. The brown of her hair had
nearly all been wiped away, replaced with a stringy
gray.
Then I heard a smacking sound and saw that she
was licking her lips. Dry mouth. A symptom of crack
addiction.
She was Stephen Gaines's mother all right.
"Wait," I said. Suddenly I was the one confused. I'd
been so caught up in discovering the earring and
finding Helen that the biggest question hadn't even
occurred to me to ask.
"How in the hell do you two know each other?" I said
to Helen, then turned to Clarence.
Clarence bowed his head. Then he stepped by me,
went and sat down on the bed next to Helen. She placed
her hand on top of Clarence's head. He smiled weakly,
tilted it slightly.
"Butch Willingham," Helen said, "saved my life. When
I came to this city I had nothing. I started using, but I was
out of control. I bought from Butch, but he never sold me
enough to kill me, which is what I wanted. One day, Butch
found me passed out in a gutter. Facedown. Drowning in
filth. He took me in. Nursed me back to health. He was
my lover. My protector. He was the husband your father
never was. The father Stephen never had."
"And when my dad died," Clarence said, "Ms.
Gaines always looked after me. The city wouldn't allow
her to adopt me because of her...issues...but she visited
every day. She was the mom I lost when I was a kid."
"So when Beth-Ann was killed," I said, extrapolat
ing what I'd learned, "you called Clarence."
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Jason Pinter
"He was my only friend left," Helen said. Her eyes
were sunken. She began to weep softly, her small body
trembling. Clarence wiped her tears away with his
finger, took her frail hand and kissed the back. Helen
smiled, nestled her head against his neck.
"She was here when I called," I said. "That's who I
heard in the background."
"I wouldn't let her stay at my pad. Too many
people have my business card. Bernita here doesn't
even have e-mail."
"I found the earring," I said to Helen.
"Earring," she said, stumbling over her words. "Oh
my, from the cabin!"
"That's right."
"I didn't even know I had the other one with me. It
must have fallen."
"Onto Clarence's carpet," I replied. "So he shuttled
you downstairs to hide while I talked to him."
"Didn't have time for anything else," Clarence
replied.
"You went to all this trouble," I said.
"I'd do anything to protect this woman," Clarence
said. "Anything." Then he stared at me, his eyes gone
from tender to fiery in an instant. "Anything."
I knew he was talking to me. That if I even thought
about exposing Helen, about putting her in harm's way,
Clarence Willingham would