The Discovery - 14. Chapter 14

Rosette Lewis arched her eyebrow and gave the two young lawyers walking up to her a stoic and perhaps a bit stern look. They had been coming back and forth for over a week, topping it off with an impromptu flight to and from New York City. Now they were coming up for the plane tickets she had in the folder in front of her. In her time working for Mr. Howard, she had never once pressed him for answers when it came to his decisions on how to spend their resources. When there had been a big case, which has been rare, he had been open about what was going on. In the last seven days, she had started to deduce that there were things going on that he had yet to inform her of.

“Good morning, Ms. Lewis,” Michelle said with a pleasant smile.

Rosette did not return the smile as she picked up the envelope on her desk. “I have your tickets for your flight to Houston and back. In addition, Mr. Howard supplied you with a company card to pay for your hotel rooms and meals.” As Michelle took the envelope, Rose held onto it and said her stern maternal voice, “I put two expense sheets in here that I expect you two to fill them out and bring back all the receipts when you come back.”

Kevin fought down a grin and nodded. “And turn them into you first thing when we get back. Yes, ma’am.”

She eyed them both over before letting go and nodding in approval. “Be careful.”

That ended, the two lawyers turned and left the office on their way to their next assignment. Rose remained standing, staring thoughtfully at their retreating forms until they stepped out the office door. After another moment passed, she turned her attention to the receptionist next to her. “I’ll be in the back.” Rose grabbed another file sitting on her desk along with a notepad and a pen before walking down the hall. She reached the door to Kyle’s office and knocked once before opening the door and stepping in.

Kyle looked up at her from his place at his desk. “Good morning,” he said as she closed the door behind her. “Are we all set?”

She held the file in one hand as she crossed the room to his desk and laid it in front of him. “This is ready for your approval, if you want to read it over one more time, Mr. Howard.”

He sighed and opened the file, looking over the official papers. “Looks like it’s all in order.” He glanced up at Rose and asked, “where is she?”

Rose looked at the clock on the wall. “Two more minutes. When you hired me, I told you I only work for you, remember?”

“And that’s not changing,” Kyle said with a smirk. “She’ll have to find her own assistant and you will remain as the office manager. That’s part of the deal in here. While she can hire and fire anyone else, you only answer to me.”

“As long as we’re clear,” she said with a nod and moved onto more pressing business. “I still haven’t gotten in touch with that Councilman Goode’s office.”

He frowned. Last week he was supposed to have a private conversation with Dylan Goode about Sharon Ellington, but Mr. Goode cancelled at the last minute, citing an important meeting he couldn’t get out of. “Keep trying. I’m filing the appeal this week. Once that goes through, I can issue a subpoena through the court. One way or another, I’m going to get his witness statement since there’s no mention of him ever having given the police any information at the time of the murder.”

Rosette tilted her head slightly as she regarded her employer. “You seem rather invested in this case, if I may say openly.”

Kyle sat back in his chair, knowing that look in her eyes. “You can speak openly whenever you want, Rose.”

“Since you offered,” she said, almost sounding like a warning. “You’ve spent thousands of dollars on this case so far and you haven’t even filed your first documents yet. Travel expenses for you and the two young ones I just sent off to Texas.”

“Well, it’s a murder investigation, Rose,” he replied. “We’re going to be spending quite a bit of time and money on this.”

“I’ve heard Michelle and Kevin talk a few times,” she said. “I get the feeling that this is more than just a murder you’re working on. Is there something you haven’t told me?”

He looked her in the eyes. There was no way he could tell her the entire back story right now. If he did, she would be the loudest voice in the office telling him to tell Jacob the truth. That was something he did not want to deal with yet. “Nothing you don’t need to know.”

She frowned at his obvious deflection. “So, there is, then.”

He smiled, despite himself. “Yes, there is. I’m sorry, but right now I can’t bring you in on it. Just trust me on this. I have it handled.”

“If you insist,” she said in a tone that let him know she didn’t think he had it handled.

Before their conversation could continue, there was a knock on the door and Monica stepped inside. “Is everything ready,” she asked with a smile. “I don’t mean to rush things, but I have a client coming in a few minutes.”

Kyle smiled as he stood up. “No problem. It’s just signing a few forms and then Rose will send them to get them notarized.”

Monica stepped up to the desk and Rose helpfully spread out the papers for her to sign. Once that was done, Kyle added his own signature before Rose efficiently picked up the papers and put them back in the folder. “Will there be anything else, Mr. Howard?”

“No, thank you Rose.”

Rose gave him one last meaningful look to let him know she was not finished with him before she left. Monica was unaware of the unspoken communication between them as she turned her full attention to Kyle. “I really do want to thank you for this.”

He smirked as he sat back down. “Probably not the way you expected to make partner in a firm back when you were in law school, I bet.”

“Not really, no,” she replied with a chuckle. “But still, I do love working here. And I love working with you. So, thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Don’t be late for your appointment.”

She nodded. “Right. Do you want to meet for lunch later?”

He thought about it. “Sure. By the way, we’ll make the official announcement to the office Wednesday after the papers are officially filed. Then I’ll let you decide on the new logo for the office.”

She shot him a wry smile. “Oh, my first official act then, hm?”

He grinned. “Something like that.”

“I’ll see you around noon.” With those parting words, she left his office leaving him to his work.

****

Brian walked down the steps of the school, heading out for lunch to meet with Jacob. He counted himself lucky that he had a break between classes around the lunch hour which gave him a little extra time to spend on his own when there was a need. Today, he opted to meet Jacob a block away at the sandwich shop so they could have some quality time to themselves. It had become a rarity that they could actually find time to spend together with no kids or spouses. Either his schoolwork or Jacob’s business always seemed to get in the way of them getting together.

Not wasting any time, Brian quickly made his way to the shop and stepped inside. He saw Jacob’s truck parked outside and only needed a moment before picking him out in the moderately crowded restaurant, waiting in line. He grinned and walked over, saying, “long time, no see, handsome devil.”

Jacob chuckled silently. “Whatever. How’ve you been?”

Brian shrugged. “Can’t complain. I hear you’re doing wonders with Andy and Tanner.”

He shrugged modestly. “I can’t help enjoying working out with someone else instead of all by myself.”

Brian shook his head. “Get Kyle off his ass and go with you.”

With a slight frown, Jacob replied, “doubtful. He’s been busy for weeks it seems. I tried to get him to go to lunch with me the other day, but he said he was busy.”

“Aww.” Brian looked at him with pouting lips. “He cutting off sex too?”

“Damn near. He’s been a bit moody lately. I mean, not always. He’s still coming home every night. We spend time together and all, but… I dunno.”

“Hold up.” They reached the front of the line and gave their orders. After a few minutes waiting, they received their meals and walked over to eat at a table off to the side. Once they got a few bites in, Brian went ahead with their conversation. “You know… I think he took that loss pretty hard, if you ask me.”

Jacob rolled his eyes. “With the thing about the adoption shit? I wish he would just let that go. He’d been done with his big case for months and he was still not taking his meds like he was supposed to.”

Brian arched and eyebrow in surprise. “Really? I wonder why?”

Jacob’s mouth twisted in a sneer. “He claims he does better in court without them. I think it’s either bullshit or he’s just got it in his head that it’s true.”

“Well, still,” Brian shrugged. “If he says it, it doesn’t matter really if it’s true or not. You’re his husband, not his babysitter. And you’re definitely not his father.”

“He subtly brought up the whole missing brother thing again a couple days ago,” Jacob said with obvious resentment in his voice. “I shut him down pretty fast.”

Brian frowned at Jacob. “Don’t you think you’re being a little unfair to him?”

Jacob took a bite of his sandwich. To Brian, he looked a little like he did his first few days sober. Angry, defiant and generally in a foul mood. “I’m not interested in this mystery. I’ve told him over and over to just drop it, but it’s like he keeps coming up with excuses. He’s stopped looking at least. But it’s like he keeps trying to change my mind or something.”

Brian was beginning to realize this whole situation was bigger than he suspected. He hadn’t asked about it in weeks because he was under the impression that it had been resolved. Now he could see that even if Kyle had ultimately come up empty, there was something going on inside his friend that spoke to a bigger problem. He made a mental note to himself to have a chat with Andy about it tonight. “You seem pretty sensitive about it. Wanna let me in on what’s bugging you?”

Jacob avoided eye contact as he replied. “No. It’s not a big deal. I wish we never took those dumb tests.”

“You seem pretty defensive,” Brian observed. “Last time I heard you talk like this was in the middle of your intervention.”

Jacob blinked and his eyes darkened slightly. “This isn’t about my drinking problem.”

“I never said it was,” Brian pointed out. “I’m just saying you have some pretty strong feelings about this whole missing brother situation. What do you feel about it?”

“Feel about it?” Jacob stared at Brian with a confused look. “I don’t feel anything about it.”

While he was known to be very accommodating and compassionate with his friends, Brian disliked it when they lied to him. He liked it even less when he could see they were lying to themselves. “Hey.” He stared into Jacob’s eyes, letting him know he wasn’t backing down. “This is me you’re talking to remember? Don’t pretend you can bullshit me like that.”

Jacob’s face started to show anger, but Brian stared him down. Almost daring him to raise his voice. As quickly as the anger surfaced, he calmed himself. He knew, rationally, Brian was just trying to help. But Jacob also knew there were some things he couldn’t hope to understand. “Look. I appreciate what you’re doing. I really do. But I’m fine. I just hate having that topic brought up, is all.”

Brian sighed. “You know… I came to you once when I needed help with something. I did that because you and I shared an important moment in your life. It was me who was there helping you go from one day to the next when you first started working towards sobriety. I trusted you to talk about Andy and my fears about what he was going through. I’m here now, trying to repay the favor. Talk to me about what’s going on.”

Jacob closed his eyes and tried to block out the noise in his head. The more they talked about this, the more his father’s voice got louder and clearer in his mind. “I know. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you. It’s just that thinking about it brings back bad memories I would rather not revisit. Okay?”

“I see,” Brian replied with a slow nod of his head. “Okay then. I won’t press you. But I think you should talk to Kyle about it. He is your husband. He loves you. Ultimately, no matter how stubborn he gets, he wants what’s best for you.” They silently finished the rest of their lunch before they headed outside in the cold November air.

“What time will you guys be at the house on Thanksgiving,” Jacob asked him as he zipped up his jacket.

Brian shrugged. “Probably around noon as usual. David’s leaving the next day?”

“Yeah,” Jacob confirmed with a nod.

Brian nodded with him, looking at the traffic that was going down the street in front of them. They stood there quietly for a moment before he finally spoke. “You know… It’s never a good feeling when a parent betrays you. Trust me, I can kind of understand that. But what you went through doesn’t involve your mystery brother.”

“I know,” Jacob mumbled without looking at him. The idea of having to survive a drunk father while also having a younger brother entered his mind, which he quickly pushed away. He took a breath and banished the unwelcome thoughts.

Brian sighed. “Okay. Just think about it. I need to get back to school.”

Jacob nodded and offered him a small smile. “Okay. Thanks. I’m sorry if my mood ruined lunch.”

“It’s not your fault. But seriously, you should get some of that off your chest. Sooner than later.” He gave his friend a warm hug before they parted, and Brian made his way back to the high school. As he went up the steps, he knew he and Andy would have to talk about this.

****

By the time Michelle and Kevin arrived in Houston, Texas, it was too late in the evening to do more than get something to eat and check into their hotel rooms. The next day, they headed to a local café to meet with their first appointment. The sudden shift from cool and cloudy Pennsylvania Autumn to warm and sunny Texas was a stark one for the two lawyers as they made their way down the street.

“It’s so fucking hot out here,” Kevin mumbled as he walked down the street next to his partner.

Michelle grinned. “it’s not that hot.”

“We were wearing coats two days ago,” Kevin muttered.

“Well, I was raised in Flagstaff, so this is pretty normal for me. Where is this place we’re supposed to meet Ms. Hayes?”

Kevin looked around and pointed a few doors down. “There. We need to get this over with. We meet Tracy Long in an hour and then get on a plane back home.”

Michelle wasn’t wild about the limited time, but that was Kyle’s orders. Just basic questions and get any new information. If possible, find out more about the others they have yet to locate. Rodger Reid had proved very difficult to find. He wasn’t on social media and finding records without a court order had been fruitless. Things would change once they filed their appeal. But she was nervous how quickly Kyle was preparing to get that process started.

As they walked into the café, they looked around for the person they were set to interview. Michelle had the picture in her phone Rhonda had given them, and she studied it for a moment before scanning the faces in the room. When she saw Mindy Hayes, she began to smile as the woman stood and then her smile faltered when she saw a man standing with her and realizing that Mindy was going to be difficult. She groaned softly and nudged Kevin. “She lawyered up.”

Kevin followed her gaze and smirked slightly as they walked over to meet the duo. “Good morning,” Kevin began with a smile as he extended his hand. “I’m Kevin Bryant and this is my associate, Michelle Crowder.”

The woman smiled brightly and shook his hand. “Hi, I’m Mindy. And this is Nick Forte.”

“Mr. Forte.” Michelle shook his hand before they moved to sit. “Just to be upfront before we start talking, I want to assure you both this is just an informal interview. You’re not in any way under oath or required to answer questions.”

Forte smirked and leaned back in his seat. “So, what you’re saying is that she doesn’t need to say anything at all,” he remarked in his thick Texan accent.

Michelle shrugged but smirked slightly. “True. But, if our questions aren’t answered, then we will likely be coming back. And when we do, it will be with a subpoena and a court reporter.”

Forte nodded in acknowledgement. “Then, how about you tell us what it is you flew all the way down here to talk about?”

Kevin spoke up, trying to sound somewhat casual. “We’re looking into the circumstances surrounding Sharon Ellington’s death.”

Mindy’s eyebrow arched slightly as she sat up straighter. “I don’t understand. Isn’t her murderer in prison?”

“Joshua Carter is in prison,” Michelle confirmed. “However, in the last few weeks, after interviewing him and a number of other people, we have some doubts as to his guilt.”

Her face went from surprised to displeased. “But… I mean, he did it. She was in his place when she was killed.”

Michelle shook her head. “That doesn’t prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that he’s guilty. He had no motive, nor was there any definitive proof of his guilt.”

“So, how’d he get convicted,” Forte asked. “Sounds to me he’s a guilty as sin. If it’d happened here, he’d already been executed.”

Kevin frowned slightly. “Well, sorry to disappoint you on that. But even Sharon’s mother doesn’t believe he did it.”

Mindy pondered that for a moment before she shook her head. “I don’t know what I could tell you. I wasn’t there when it happened.”

Michelle broke in. “No, but you did see her earlier that night.” She put her phone on the table and pushed it over to Mindy, with the picture of that fateful night on the screen. “That’s you, with Sharon and your friends.”

Mindy looked at the picture and frowned looking at all the faces on it. “She always liked to dress up. I remember when she bought that scarf.”

Michelle and the others leaned in, seeing a picture of a smiling woman in a colorful outfit, blouse, jeans and a small jacket that combined to accentuate her body while a white knit scarf was wrapped loosely around her neck. “Do you remember anything notable about that night?”

“Was just a regular night. Grant loved those parties. We’d all meet at a place to eat together. Catch up. Chat. Just hang out and be friends. Kind of like reliving our college days. After dinner, Grant insisted we all go back to his place for drinks and cards.”

“What kind of card games did you guys play?”

Mindy smiled slightly. “That night with there were eight of us. instead of one big game, we split into two groups. Hearts at one table, Spades on the other.”

Kevin started taking notes as the other lawyer across the table watched him with a curious smirk. “The eight people there were, if I got this right, Sharon, you, Rhonda, Phillip, Grant, Rodger, Dylan, and Tracy?”

Mindy nodded as she looked at the picture again. “Yeah. Normally there were ten of us, but not more than that.” She looked up at Kevin and shrugged. “No matter how much time passes, some people still don’t get along. So, sometimes, if one person wasn’t there, then others would show up.”

Michelle found that to be an interesting piece of information. “What other people are usually there?”

“Well, there was Josh of course. Then there was Emma Griffin and Angie Crawford. They weren’t there that night. Angie hands down wouldn’t go if Dylan was there.”

“Why is that?”

“Not sure,” Mindy replied with an unconcerned shrug. “I asked her once when I noticed, and she didn’t deny it. Said something about him being a creep. And that she never wanted to be around him again. Normally, Dylan was there so she rarely showed up.”

“Did you mention this to anyone else,” Kevin asked.

Mindy nodded. “Oh, yeah. The rest of the girls talked about it in a private group chat on our phones. I guess Sharon knew what Angie’s beef was, but she wouldn’t go into it. Even when I pressed her one time when we met for lunch. She just said it was best not to talk about it.”

Kevin quickly wrote that down, making sure they found time to talk to Dylan Goode. “Okay. How often was Josh at these parties?”

“Oh, once in a while,” she said dismissively. “He was usually working or had to work the next day. Plus, he was kind of boring, to be honest. I still don’t know what Sharon saw in him. He didn’t have anything to offer, really.”

Michelle kept her face nonjudgmental as she followed up on that. “In what way would you say he didn’t have anything to offer Sharon?”

Mindy held out her hands as if the answer was obvious. “He was just this poor old guy, compared to the rest of us. He didn’t have a degree. No money, no nothing. He was polite but quiet.” She giggled quietly as she added, “didn’t have anything to contribute most of the time to any discussion because most of it went over his head.”

Michelle nodded as if in understanding, while at the same time, beginning to nurse a dislike for the woman at the table with her. “So, after Sharon’s death, what happened to everyone and the parties?”

Mindy’s face took on a sad note. “Well, they stopped, really. Some of us would get together, just one on one or in a small group. But never the real big parties we used to. A year or so after Sharon’s death, we kind of split up. Went our separate ways. I moved down here for work and ended up quitting three months later.”

“Why did you quit?”

Mindy giggled. “Because I found me a man. Been married since then. He’s worth millions so I don’t need to work. Now, I throw my own parties for all his friends.” She looked at them with a hint of smug pride at her accomplishment.

Kevin politely smiled, keeping his opinion to himself. “Well, I think that answers most of my questions. Unless you have anything to add.”

“Not really,” she replied. “To be honest, I think it was a waste of time for you to come all the way down here. Josh should rot in prison the rest of his life as far as I’m concerned.”

Her lawyer put a hand on hers and broke in. “If that’s all you have, we’ll wish you a good day and be on our way.”

Michelle smiled in agreement. “By all means. We might ask that you fill out an affidavit later about the substance of your recollections, but I think we won’t need anything else from you in the future.”

Mindy stood up, looking slightly relieved. “Okay. You’ll have to talk to Nick here for that.”

Michelle stood, reaching in her breast pocket to pull out a business card. “If you have any questions or anything you think is relevant comes to mind, feel free to call us.”

Nick took the card and traded it with one of his own. “Let me know when you need that statement, and we’ll get it settled right quick. I assume that will mean there’ll be no need to appear in court?”

Kevin shrugged. “Doubtful. But you don’t know what the prosecutor will want. If there’s a retrial, we will have to divulge all we have in discovery. We’ll keep you updated.”

Nick nodded and placed his stetson on his head. “Well then, I’ll be looking forward to it.”

Once Mindy and her lawyer left, Kevin looked at Michelle and rolled his eyes. “Let’s pray we don’t need her.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because I doubt she’ll cooperate as nicely as she did today.”

“Well, we’ll figure something out.” Michelle checked the time before saying. “Let’s go. We got a little time before our next appointment. Then we gotta get back home.”

“And out of this heat,” Kevin said with a hint of relief as they headed for the door.

****

Andy was lying back on the sofa, watching television, relaxing after his day at work with Troy. The boys were upstairs where they would soon be asleep, and all was quiet in the house. A part of him felt like he was cheating lately. Instead of supervising construction crews as he had done for years, Troy was keeping him in the office and following him around as we went on estimates and consultations with clients about what they wanted done to their houses. Rationally, he knew it wasn’t cheating. He was working about the same as he used to as far as time spent from when he left home and when he returned. But not doing any physical work left him feeling like he had not really accomplished anything the whole day. Going from manual labor to office work was going to take some time to get used to.

He enjoyed it. Mainly because of the time he got to spend with his friend. Before that, he normally saw Troy only at the beginning and end of his workday. As he toyed with the idea, he remembered one of the veterans in his support group talking about something similar. Imposter Syndrome, they called it. Maybe that’s what he was feeling about his new line of work. He decided that eventually, he would just get over it and get used to the new normal he was living in.

Behind him he heard footsteps, but he didn’t bother looking up as Brian entered the room. “There’s my favorite pillow,” he said as he laid down on top of Andy, letting his head rest on his husband’s chest. “Wondered where you ran off too.”

Andy’s lips twisted into a playful half-smirk. “I’ll have to hide better next time, I guess. All done for the night?”

“Yeah,” Brian declared with a sigh. “I never knew how annoying grading papers could be. Not to mention planning my lectures. Thought high school would be easier than college.”

“Learn something new every day,” Andy remarked with a chuckle.

Brian rolled his eyes. As he started to relax and felt Andy’s arm slowly wrap around his waist, he was reminded of his lunch date earlier. “So, I had an interesting lunch today,” he began in an innocent tone.

Andy’s eyebrow arched curiously. From Brian’s tone, he knew it was likely more than just a little interesting. “Oh? With who?”

“Jacob,” Brian replied. “From the sounds of it, he seems to be harboring a lot of pent-up emotions.”

“Really?” Andy frowned slightly. “Let me guess… does it have something to do with this supposed long-lost brother of his?”

Brian nodded. “And it sounds like he’s bottling up most of the good stuff. I don’t remember how we got to talking about it…”

“You looking for trouble, maybe,” Andy guessed teasingly.

Brian shot him a peeved look before he continued. “… but I get the impression he has a lot of buried feelings about his father. You know. The real one.”

“And all this talk about another brother running around has his head spinning,” Andy finished for him. “Last month, when we were working out together, I asked him about the whole court case, and he started to zone out on me.”

Brian sat up a little and turned to look at him. “How so?”

Andy hesitated for a moment before answering. “I would imagine he looked a lot like I did when I started having flashbacks. Just a guess though. When I asked him what was wrong, he snapped out of it and went back to what passes for normal.”

Brian frowned. Hearing that made him more concerned about Jacob than he had been during lunch. “He got a little angry when I tried to press him about what was going on. And, by angry, I mean he looked like he was going to start screaming at me.”

Andy wasn’t surprised to hear that. “What did you tell him?”

“To get help.” Brian’s main worry was if any of this was going to threaten Jacob’s sobriety. “Maybe I should talk to David.”

“Don’t,” Andy said. “If do you, then he’ll cancel his trip and that’s not what he needs. He’s done his job raising kids. It’s time for him to relax and enjoy his life.”

Brian’s frown deepened. As much as he hated to admit it, Andy had a point. “Then someone should talk to Kyle.”

Andy smirked. “I nominate Troy.”

“Seconded.” Brian giggled impishly.

“All opposed?” He waited a moment for any objections from the room before declaring, “motion passes. I’ll talk to Troy in the morning.”

Brian’s frown disappeared. Even while he still had some concerns, he knew it would all right itself in time. “Motion to adjourn to the bedroom.”

Andy grinned. “If you get off me, then we can go. Got something in mind?”

Brian smiled as he got to his feet. “I was thinking about you fucking my brains out.”

Andy chuckled silently. “I think that can be arranged.” Once he was standing, he leaned in and kissed Brian sensually. “Let’s go. Boys should be asleep by now.”

Brian grinned as they made their way upstairs.

****

Jacob bolted up in bed with a muffled cry. The disorientation in his mind about where he was lasted only a brief moment but long enough to experience the fading terror again. His breathing slowed along with his heartbeat as he sat there trying to put the dream back in its place. The bedroom was smothered in darkness. He sat there staring wide-eyed into the darkness until he was sure he was awake and the danger he had felt was over. Jacob’s eyes went to the sleeping form of Kyle laying next to him. He felt thankful that his husband was still asleep, even as he felt a sliver of jealousy. With a deliberate slowness, Jacob carefully rose from the bed and walked out into the next room.

In the past few months, since that damned DNA test, this was the fifth time a nightmare had awoken him from his sleep. Even as he sat down on the couch, the visions of what had terrorized him had already begun to fade. What remained was only a ghost-like reminder of that voice calling out in his head. That unmistakable, slurred, angry voice that had always filled him with dread whenever he used to hear it as a teenager.

“Where have you been?”

“When are you going to start helping out?”

“You’re not going anywhere!”

He slowly rubbed his eyes, reminding himself again that none of it was real. It was just a dream and he’s not coming back. The previous dreams had been less terrifying but no less disturbing. Distorted visions of carrying Aaron as a baby in his arms around a corner only to find himself standing in the middle of his dad’s trailer. The stench of discarded clothes around him. The moldy smell coming from the bathroom, the stained furniture and sitting there, looking normal and sober, was Joe. Wordlessly staring at him with hopeful yet sad eyes. The same look Jacob saw the last time he walked out on his father.

Why had he left? It was a question Jacob had asked himself for years and still had no answer. Yes, he had every right to hate his father. He deserved every hateful word Jacob spewed at him.

“I’m not asking for forgiveness, Jake,” he could remember his father saying on that final day. “All I’m asking is that you give me a chance to be the kind of dad you should have had.”

“It’s too late for that,” Jacob spat. “I don’t even know why I’m here.”

“I don’t know why either. But I’m glad you are.”

Jacob tried to make the memory go away. He did not want to remember. Shame, anger and a heavy heart kept those final words clear in his mind as if it were just yesterday.

“You’re my son, Jake. You’re all I have left. I can’t live without you.”

“Well, you’re going to have to learn to live without me because I never want to see you again. As far as I’m concerned, you’re not my father. You could die for all I care.”

It was just anger and hate that was coming out of his mouth. Fueled by whiskey and the loss of his soulmate, those words had come so easily to his lips. He never told anyone about that day. Not even David. Those final words would be the epitaph of his relationship with his father. When the police arrived to give him the news, they told him how his dad died. And Jacob would never forget or forgive himself for what happened. No one had pressed him for details. No one had asked and he never spoke of it to anyone.

Like the other times, the memory eventually faded leaving him feeling tired. He took a moment to breathe. Relax. Think of his wedding day. The first time he held Matt in his arms. The day Aaron was born. The unconditional love his family had given him all these many years. Joe was gone and there was nothing he could do about it. With that in mind, Jacob went back to bed and closed his eyes. But even as he went back to sleep he knew, deep down, he could have done something.