Thicker Than Water - 32. Chapter 32

The snow was mostly gone by Friday as a warm front came into the area. The roads were still dangerous due to the large amount of water pooling around clogged storm drains. School was still canceled due to minor flooding, so Steve and the boys continued their D&D campaign. Bryan had asked his dad if he could go to the restaurant and help out, but Diego turned him down. Not only did Diego want to avoid a fine for violating the state's child labor laws, Diego wasn't planning to go in as early as he had let on.

Billy's office was located downtown near a park and the transit station. The streets were much clearer here as opposed to the suburbs, allowing for holiday shoppers and commuters to move freely about. There was a small parking lot in the back with only a couple of cars, with one belonging to Billy. Diego was relieved that his lawyer was in, since he hadn't called to make an appointment. Diego took the elevator to the third floor and made his way to the office.

“Hey, Diego,” Charlie said from behind the reception desk. “Do you have an appointment with Billy?” Charlie asked, clearly confused, as he checked his brother's calendar.

“Uh, no. I came by to drop off some more evidence and see if there's been a new court date.”

“Oh, well, we're still waiting on the forensics to come back, so it'll probably be another week or so after that, and you can drop off whatever you have with me.”

Diego knew Charlie was trying to be helpful, but he needed to speak to Billy in person and, hopefully, alone. “I don't mind giving it to him myself. I also have a couple of questions I want to ask him.”

Charlie could tell by the look on Diego's face that something was wrong. Fucking, Billy, Charlie thought. To Diego, he said, “Let me see if Billy can see you,” as he went down the hall, leaving Diego standing in the waiting room.

Diego looked around the small reception area. It wasn't as flashy as some of the other law firms he had been to. There were pictures on the wall of Billy with several current and former members of the city council, a state legislator and a person dressed in judge's robes. There were also a few of Billy with his family on camping trips, fishing and at the local amusement pack. The pictures were brought to prominence by the gray-blue walls they hung on, flanked by large, broad-leaf plants. The chairs, which went well with the walls, were typical of what you would find in any professional office. A few side tables contained outdated magazines and lamps, helping to brighten the place.

“Diego,” Charlie said, “Billy can see now.”

“Thanks.” Diego was escorted by Charlie down a short hall to the office at the end.

“Diego,” Billy said, sounding happy. He came around his desk and shook Diego's hand. “Charlie, would you mind going out and getting some of those fancy donuts?”

“Sure,” Charlie, closing the door behind him.

“That's not necessary,” Diego said, as he took the seat offered to him by Billy.

“Of course it is, plus I'm starving,” Billy said, returning to his seat. “Charlie said that you had some evidence and questions.”

Diego handed out what little he could find on Calvin's whereabouts since abandoning the boys. It really wasn't much, but it was the only thing he had. “I had some time on my hands and wanted to help.”

Billy scanned the documents and said, “Most of this I already knew. I have a detective on retainer, and she's very good. I'll make sure to pass these along to her, though. So, what are you really doing here?” Billy's demeanor changed a bit as he became much more serious.

Diego was a bit thrown off by the sudden change. “I also did some other searches.”

“Yes,” Billy said, becoming much more serious. “What else did you find?”

“I, uh, saw that you're being sued, and um, wanted to know if that will have an impact on my case.”

Billy nodded and said, “I see. Well, it shouldn't and the suit is frivolous. I have a motion dismissing it before the court, so I'm waiting to hear back. It's mostly for publicity, trying to smear my reputation in the court of public opinion. Fortunately, my work speaks for itself, and I, honestly, don't care what anyone else thinks. But you're not here to discuss my lawsuit are you?”

“No,” Diego said, feeling his mouth go dry. “I also found some other information--”

“--On me or my biological father?”

The look Billy gave made Diego's blood run cold. Billy's face turned stony and his eyes almost dead. It was in that moment that Diego could see the resemblance between Billy and Will Parker...and it scared him.

“You're—you're father.”

“I see,” was all Billy said.

“I, uh, wanted to know....if....any of it was, um, real...what they said....”

Billy sat in silence, unmoving, unblinking, making Diego even more nervous. After about two minutes, Billy blinked, turned his head and his tone changed to one almost light and unbothered. “Depends on your sources,” he said, as he typed quickly on his computer. Diego was quiet as his lawyer offered nothing else but only typed.

Finally, Diego said, “According to an article, it said your father worked for the mob.”

Billy laughed derisively. “No, Diego, my father didn't work for the mob. It would've been better if he had, though. My father was the lawyer and money launderer for the Nebraska chapter of the Aryan Brotherhood.”

“Shit,” Diego said.

“What else did you find?”

“That he killed someone.”

“He did,” Billy said. “Well, more than one, actually. He also committed numerous assaults, kidnappings, acts of extortion and bribery, illegal surveillance, and one count of statutory rape. He was convicted of another sex crime, but that conviction was overturned on appeal.”

“Fuck,” Diego said. “You're father was a white supremacist to the extreme.”

“My father was Jewish, actually,” Billy said. “He was a computer genius, who was in prison and made a deal with the devil to survive, since being a convicted sex offender could lead to a death sentence. Once he got out, however, he was still forced to work with the prison gang or lose his freedom...or risk having me assassinated.

“I can almost guarantee that you didn't read the worst of it, though. You want to know the worst thing he ever did?”

“No,” Diego said. He was already startled enough.

“Come on, Diego. You came all this way. Surely, you must be curious? I know the news barely covered it after everything else came out, and what they did cover wasn't even the full truth.”

“Won't Charlie be back soon?”

“Nope. Charlie didn't go out for donuts. I sent him out, so we could have this little chat. You're hardly the first client to look me up and find out what my biological father did, and frankly, Charlie doesn't need to relive any of it. But, I digress; you came here for answers, so how about you get what you came for.”

Billy turned the computer monitor towards Diego. On the screen was a man that Diego recognized as Billy's father. Below him, was another man he didn't recognize, who was on his knees. Next to Billy's father was a crate. They were in a junk yard somewhere, next to a burning barrel. Billy's father was holding a gun.

“I don't want to see that,” Diego protested but was too frightened to leave.

“Glad to hear it,” Billy said. “Some have and regret it; however, I will tell you the basics. You clearly have recognized my biological father. The man right there is my adopted father. In the crate is what remained of my ex-boyfriend, who kidnapped and sexually assaulted Charlie.”

“What?!” Diego said, his anxiety rising by the second.

“You heard me, and your brain still doesn't comprehend what you're looking at. My ex was still alive in that box. My biological father used his gang contacts to find, kidnap and torture Justin for months. Do you know what they did to him?”

“I don't--”

“My biological father slowly broke the bones in Justin's hands and feet before removing them. Next, they castrated him, including removing his penis. After that, they removed his teeth, tongue, ears and eyes. They then starved Justin until he couldn't take it any longer before feeding Justin his own body parts.” Diego snatched a nearby garbage can and threw up. Billy just sat in his chair, waiting for his client to be done. He handed Diego a box of tissues before continuing. “My biological father had a doctor keep Justin alive and minimized the shock to make sure he lasted long enough to be in the junk yard on that night.” Billy jabbed a finger at the monitor, drawing Diego's attention back to the image. “My biological father was planning to frame my adopted father for Justin's murder, blaming Charlie's dad for what happened to Charlie. Luckily, a police detective was nearby, having not trusted my biological father. She shot and killed my biological father after he killed Justin a few minutes earlier.

“Now, you came here wondering if I'm as immoral as he was, correct? Wondering if I'm only out for myself and don't actually give a fuck about you, your family or your case? Wondering if I'm a sociopath like he was? I'm not my father, Diego. If I were, I'd be working in the same firm that's suing you for custody. I would've had Calvin kidnapped and murdered instead of wasting my time with your custody issues. I also would've had you removed from this office the second you walked in, given a severe ass beating and dropped you as a client.

“The only thing about me that is like my biological father is my ability to use the law to my advantage to win. He was a great lawyer, Diego. An evil man, yes, but also a great lawyer. I have morals that he never had. I will fight for you and your family as if you were my own, but I won't break the law for you. Everything we're doing is above board, even if you don't like how I go about things. Are you satisfied with the answers you got, or do I need to press play?”

Diego shuttered. “No, I trust you. I'm really sorry.”

“I know you are, Diego, and I appreciate it all the same. Next time you have a problem with me or how I'm doing things, perhaps you could man-up and say it to my face.”

“I can do that,” Diego said. Billy got up and escorted Diego out of the office.

Diego's legs felt weak. He was amazed he was able to get to his car. He sat behind the wheel of his truck for a good half-hour trying to calm himself down. He sent his assistant manager a text saying he wasn't feeling well and wasn't going to come in.