Homecoming - 29. Chapter 29

Tina returned to the kitchen after giving Troy and the boys their beer. She watched as Anton set the oven’s temperature.

She glared at him while she walked to the refrigerator. How she loath him. Anton looked up and saw Tina looking at him.

“Tina, is everything okay?” asked Anton.

“Why wouldn’t it be?” asked Tina.

“Well, you seem to be elsewhere.”

“Thinking about you, dear.”

“Me?”

“Well, according to your ankle bracelet, you’re still a suspect in Eric Perkins’s murder.”

“It seems that way,” said Anton, sensing the weight of the bracelet holding him prisoner.

“Do you have any plans if you’re found guilty?” asked Tina more curious than concerned. Anton didn’t want to think he’d be found guilty, but what if he was?

“I didn’t put much thought to it. I suppose me and Troy should talk that over.”

“Yes, I suppose you two should,” Tina opened the fridge door and pulled out dishes to be heated up and walked them over to Anton. “I want you to know Anton. That I will stay on and help Troy and the boys cope with you going to jail.”

“If, I go to jail. That would be wonderful if you stayed Tina.” Anton took the dishes Tina brought over and removed the lids. Grabbing a wooden spoon, he stirred the contents so they heat evenly. Tina went back to the fridge and pulled out the roast. She took it to a different counter and unwrapped it. Taking the meat off the platter she placed it on the cutting board keeping her back to Anton.

“Now, I know you’re innocent Anton. No one knows it better than me—well, I suppose Troy does.” A knife block, was on Tina’s right who reached for the carving knife. She spliced into the meat with precision and force.

“Nice to have you on my side, Tina.” Anton smiled, placing the dishes into the oven.

The house phone rang. Tina was the closest to it.

“I’ll get it dear,” said Tina wiping her hands and picking up the cordless phone. “Hello,”

“Tina, it's me, Ricky. We have a problem.”

“What is it?” Tina said is a steady voice not to bring any attention to her.

Anton walked over and opened the fridge. He was looking for a beer for himself, but saw none.

Tina tried to listen calmly to Ricky telling her that he had Patrick and was taking him to the cave and left Adam to die in a burning shed. She tried to hold her composure and not cry out to Ricky.

“I need to call you back.” She hung up the phone before Ricky could protest and started placing the cut meat into a baking dish.

“Tina is there any more beer?”

“Beer what beer?” asked Tina, her hands beginning to shake.

Anton looked over at her, baffled by her response

“The beer you took out to Troy, Paul, and Kyle.”

“Troy and the boys are wonderful. I do have to get Damien, to come home for the holidays,” said Tina.

Anton closed the door and glared at Tina, who didn’t seem herself.

“Tina, are you alright? Who was that on the phone?”

Tina took a deep breath and stopped her hand from shaking. She turned to Anton.

“I’m sorry Anton. Were you asking me for beer?”

“Well, yes, but…”

“We’re out up here, but there’s more downstairs in the basement.”

Anton kept his eyes on Tina. Tina seems to be in and out of thought.

“Tina,” Anton said again stepping towards her. Tina fixed her attention back on Anton.

“Yes Anton, can I get you something?”

“Tina, who was that on the phone?”

“Well, it was for me, and in one’s home their phone calls are private.”

Red flags went up for Anton knowing this strange behavior from Tina years ago when she had Adam. The doctors found it was postpartum depression something Tina didn’t have with Adam’s three other brothers. Knowing Adam would be their last child, Anton and Troy told Tina, and at first, she seemed fine with it until after Adam was born.

Tina had signed the proper papers giving up her rights to Adam months before he was born. Even in the hospital, she was fine with the doctor handing Adam over to Anton and Troy. They even allowed Tina to stay on with them, but then she started waking up before them to get Adam when he cried. Breastfeeding, bathing, trying to bond with him.

Anton got into a huge argument with her about it, which of course made her cry. Troy called their doctor and she suggested Tina start taking antidepressants. Tina agreed and she started to back off. She even went home.

“I’m going to see how the guys are doing,” said Anton.

“That’s a wonderful idea, dear. Tell them food will be ready in a jiff.”

“Alright.” Anton walked back to the living room to tell Troy about Tina, but when he got there he found Troy in a chair, Kyle on the couch, and Paul on his side on the floor. Anton rushed to Paul and rolled him onto his back. He saw he was breathing, but unresponsive.

“Troy,” Anton called to his husband. Then he saw the glass on the floor, the beer spilled out onto the area rug by the chair. He looked and saw Paul’s glass by his feet, empty on the floor. He turned to Kyle and his glass was on the coffee table spilled over. Anton went to Troy and he too was breathing, but not waking up. “What the fuck is going on?” said Anton, moving to the phone on the wall.

“Anton,” said Tina, standing in the archway. “Is there a problem?” Anton held the phone and turned to Tina, who stood holding a two-barrel shotgun pointed at him.

“Tina?”

“Put the phone down Anton. Now,” Ordered Tina cocking the gun. Anton dropped the phone and held his hands up.

“Tina, please—put the gun down,” said Anton, not knowing where she got the weapon. He and Troy never kept one.

“Anton, you have become a threat.”

“Tina what did you do to them?”

“I drugged them of course. I needed to protect my men.”

“From who?”

“From you.”

“Why would my family need protection from me?”

“That’s the point. They’re not your family.”

“Tina, you know we see you as a member of this family.”

“Stop it. They’re mine, not yours. You are unfit to care for them.”

“What are you going to do?”

“You need to be gone so I can step in and make things right. I thought Eric could do it, but he got greedy.”

“What do you mean? You know Eric Perkins?”

“I know him well. This is his gun. Eric was a lonely widower who needed companionship. I gave it to him.”

“You were sleeping with him?”

“Of course, how else could I persuade him to blackmail you?”

“You knew…”

“Of course, I did. I’m the one who planned it all.”

“I was raped for fifteen years,” Anton screeched.

“I know. I thought you would go insane, but you didn’t. He had to go.”

“You killed him.”

“I had to, Eric wasn’t really into you, that’s why he fucked you only once a month. He liked boys more so he was fucking that delivery boy Ricky between the time with you, giving him gifts and money. Do you know he was going to ask him to move away with him this month? He was going to ruin my plans. Falling in love with that boy. I had to put a stop to it. I persuaded Ricky to be with me. He was eager to trade teams.”

Anton tried hard not to rush at Tina. He knew now she would kill him if he gave her the chance. He needed to stay calm for his family’s sake.

“Tina this is…” Anton wanted to say insane. “Impractical. The boys are men now. Framing me for murder wouldn’t get them to call you mom.”

“They may if they’re grieving.”

“Why would they… oh, you mean grieving for me?”

“That’s right. Now into the kitchen.” Tina held her finger on the trigger and kept the gun on Anton, who did as Tina said glancing at his men maybe for the last time.