Chapter 11

Parker thanked the sheriff for the coffee. The Goldsworths had been sitting in the interrogation rooms of the local police office for the afternoon. Barrow came out of room three with one of the deputies.

“She’s asking for a lawyer.” He grinned.

“Finally one of them is.” The sheriff took off his hat. “I’ll call Donna Zucker, see if she’s free to represent her.”

He stopped when Parker put her hand on his elbow. She smiled. “We’re going to talk to the mom. We have our own recording equipment. How do we disable the box’s camera?”

“Well, um, that’s not something we do here.” He frowned. Barrow looked impatient. “You can pull the plug from the wall mount.”

“Thank you,” She beamed. She picked up her attache. Barrow went to the neighboring dark room. The one behind the two-way mirror.

“If this woman is party to child trafficking...” Sheriff eyed Barrow as he convinced himself to be hands off. Parker looked over her shoulder.

“Stop jumping to conclusions, Sheriff. All the girls are adults and you haven’t been making good guesses all day.” Parker looked to Barrow. He seemed surprised and unhappy that she kept clipping the sheriff’s imagination’s wings. They could get away with a whole lot more if their conscripted help imagined the worst. He took her icy flat glare in stride and moved to his post.

“Annelise Goldsworth...” She tapped a pen on her coffee cup as she closed the door with her briefcase. “Are you OK? Do you need another diet coke?”

“Cut the crap.” The white haired mother sat strongly in the wood and steel chair. Her hands were crossed on the table but they weren’t cuffed. She stood up straight and looked Parker right in the eye. Parker raised a finger. Mrs Goldsworth didn’t say her next words until Parker unhooked the camera. “You’re Blackbag. How are my daughters?”

“We prefer--”

“No Such Agency? Men in Black? G-Men? Eggs and Bacon?” The last one twitched Parker’s lips. “You’re that perky little cheerleader out of Oregon? The one girl on the team that didn’t get chosen. Little ugly duckling’s a swan now, ain’t ya?”

Parker sipped her coffee. She eyed the old woman. She tried to count to ten before she exploded and strangled the church mother.

“Your little cult knows about me.” Parker finally tutted. “Though, not enough. I wasn’t left out because I was ugly.”

“Yes, you were the prettiest girl in pom poms, I’m sure.”

“And you? You were just an alien broodmare then? Is that Jen of yours incubated?” Parker tried to change the subject.

“No, the girls are human. I was a believer, once upon a time. It’s only the cheesy names I miss. Parker and Barrow? I used to go by Oakley. Kept the Annie when I retired.” The woman said. “How are my daughters?”

“They’re in our care.” Parker answered but should’ve stayed mute. This woman in front of her had left the hunt of aliens to join for their perverse welcome wagon? “Jen seems a bit jumpy. She could really use her fix.”

“They’re not junkies.” The mother said. “They’re cravings. Pregnancy. Something you should’ve learned by your age, dearie.”

“And chemical addiction.” Parker said coolly, “And psychic vampirism.”

“Well, there’s a cost to everything.” The mother said.

“Yeah, the Nn-Nut.” Parker said.

“So a couple boys die? A dozen every five years or so? Hardly seems like a drop in the bucket to connect with life from out there. The answers to questions the whole world’s dreaming of. Selfishly, I fear for Krysten. She may snap like the redhead when they yank the last bit of life out of their first love. Jen’s strong. Jen’ll keep going. That beautiful little brown girl too.”

Parker ground her teeth. This was not going how she wanted or expected. She had one card. She smiled. “I shot your husband.”

“Oh, I know. I’d done the same thirty or so times myself.” Annie said. “I’ve been telling the girls he’s gone to talk with church leadership or he’s off fighting your boss. If it’s all the same, there are better men to be the Nn-Nut after Adam’s dead. We should be seeing plenty of strangers visiting in January.”

“I’m not going to let the fucking parasite kill another boy.” She claimed.

“And what’s your plan for that? Buckshot into the alien?” The older woman asked.

“If need be.” The agent said. “There are better ways.”

“Separation?” Mrs Goldsworth began laughing hard in Parker’s face.

“It’s all on the Nn-Nut.” She admitted. “If we’re going to save him from the point of no return, he’ll have to take the Braxian from the girls.”

“Separate a teenager from women who desire him more than any other man’s been desired? Yeah, it’s a great plan you got there. Better still, what’s to say he’s not past the point of return already?” Annie said. “It’s been what? Sixteen weeks by Dr Ramamurthy’s count. Because I know Cannary and Hickock weren’t much quicker than you when all your little cheerleader friends were pregnant. Tell me, Noelle, how long did your brother make it before he died?”

Maura returned the stinkeye to the dark haired woman sitting at the kitchen title with her mom and Adam’s. The redhead girl was pissed.

“Maura sweetheart--” She just waved to her mother and Mrs Towers as she bulled through to her bedroom. Emmy shot up to her feet, turned a little green, and woozily sat back on the bed.

“I waited for an hour on Waterhill!”

“Where the hell were you!” They shouted in each other’s faces.

“Waterhill? We were on Rainhill. How could we be off the road in the woods on Waterhill?” Emmy barked.

“Then why didn’t you text Rainhill?” Maura waved her phone at Emmy. Emmy grabbed it, unlocked it, and thrust their texts back in Maura’s face.

“We did and so did you!” Emmy huffed. “How can you be that airheaded?”

“I don’t know! Where’s Adam?” Maura shouted. Their mothers knocked on the bedroom door frame. Maura and Emmy turned to see the trio standing there.

“Good, we’re all here.” Mrs Towers held the doorknob like it was the only thing holding her up. Maura and Emmy’s mothers crossly looked at the other’s daughter.

“Now, we talked to Adam.” Mrs Zucker had a birdlike face and skittish demeanor. She tried and failed to show strength.

“He’s home?” Maura tried to walk through the mothers. Mrs Towers grabbed a shoulder and marched Maura backwards to sit down next to Emmy. The girls sighed. The mothers fanned out looking down at them.

“He’s with your fathers.” Mrs Henson said.

“Oof.” Maura frowned. “Why?”

“Sweetheart, do you know Adam’s the father of Emmy’s baby?” Mrs Towers asked. Her lip shook.

“Yeah,” Maura looked up, “It was basically my idea.”

All four heads turned to her. Emmy wasn’t as shocked but she wouldn’t have taken that blame on that easily.

“Maura, what--”

“Adam always had a crush on Emmy, since like the fifth grade.” Maura said. “I figured I could set it up.”

“He did?” Emmy asked. “I never knew.”

“You didn’t even know he was alive.” Maura scoffed.

“Are you saying you pimped your boyfriend to my daughter?” Mrs Zucker gasped.

“No, I just had them hook up.” Maura said. “Literally had to duct tape her hands to the futon frame in the downstairs rec room to keep her ass up for him.”

“Maura!” Her mother said scandalized.

“Right! Butt up. Bum up?” She rubbed her belly. “I should get used to not cursing if we’re going to have babies around.”

Mrs Zucker rushed in and grabbed her daughter’s cheek. “Oh my God! We’ll press charges. They’ll--”

Emmy pushed her mother away. “No, I love Adam. Maura too.”

“Of course you do.” Mrs Towers gave up and sat down on the bed next to Maura. She hugged the redhead back.

“Did he tell you about the babies?” The redhead asked. “We didn’t confirm anything yet.”

“It might not be Adam’s?” Mrs Towers looked over Maura’s shoulders.

“No, he’s the only boy human I’ve been with.” Emmy said.

“Boy human?” Mrs Henson asked. Maura reached over and squeezed Emmy’s fingers as an answer.

“Why say human?” Emmy’s mother was stuck to her daughter like a leech. She hugged and squeezed and rubbed.

“I’m pregnant and dizzy.” Emmy growled.

“I still think you should wait until the Monday ultrasound to be sure.” Mrs Henson said. “But you opened the can of worms. Tell Vickie the news.”

“Mrs Towers.” Maura beamed, “I’m having twins!”

“Twins? OK...” Mrs Towers grabbed Maura’s hand. She rubbed her thumb down Maura’s thumb. The older woman was beginning to hyperventilate. Mrs Zucker looked upset that Emmy was being upstaged. Mrs Towers put her face in her free hand and asked: “What kind of mother, am I? I don’t know what to do.”

“The kind of mother I want to try and be. Now, did you ask Adam what he wanted to do?” Maura wiped away tears gathering in Mrs Towers eyes.

“He’s talking things out with our dads.” Emmy said. “I haven’t seen them since they put me in your room.”

“Our room?” Maura hoped.

“That doesn’t make any sense, Maura.” Her mother said.

“Adam wants to be the daddy in his babies lives.” Maura bumped Emmy’s knee.

“I tried to tell him that he loved Maura the most.” Emmy defended herself.

“And that’s your answer? Bigamy?” Mrs Zucker let loose the word like it was hellfire.

“No one’s talking about bigamy.” Mrs Henson assured the room.

“He really said he wanted that?” Mrs Towers lit up excitedly.

“My daughter isn’t some harem concubine!” Mrs Zucker said. “No wife can stomach her husband laying with another woman! I’d call your father back home now if we could.”

“Back home from where?” Maura asked. Emmy looked up eager to know as well.

“Without even telling them?” Adam slumped in the backseat. He looked over. Mr Henson was the shortest in the car. Maybe 5’6’’. He was overdressed in camouflage overalls, coat, and deerstalker hat. Mr Zucker rode in the passenger seat. His coat still had the tag on its sleeve. Adam’s father drove, as his vehicle was the only big enough to haul a deer back to town. Adam looked over his shoulder again to see the welcome to town sign. “Tomorrow’s Thanksgiving.”

“Adam, you fucked up.” His father said. Mr Zucker’s relief to know the identity of his grandchild’s father had come and gone. He wasn’t angry at Adam. That was Mr Henson’s job. “You fucked up getting Maura pregnant. I know you have condoms. I’ve bought them for you since Maura grew tits.”

“Hey now!” Mr Henson said.

“He tried to protect your daughter,” Mr Zucker said. “He’s not going to apologize for that.”