Chapter 21

This time I parked in the driveway. I figured I might have to be ready for the police after I killed the two of them. Okay, I wouldn’t kill them, but if thoughts...

I went up the steps and buzzed the buzzer. It was a Monday, but I had called in and taken the day off. What I had to do, say, couldn’t wait.

Cassandra answered the door. “Mister Barnes, come in, sir,” she said.

“Hi, Cassie, and thanks. Are they here?” I said.

“Yes, sir, they’re having lunch in the kitchen,” she said. She waved me toward it. The two of them were seated at the breakfast bar: tuna sandwiches it looked like.

I entered and took a seat opposite them without being asked. They were clearly shocked to see me. Briana had not outed herself.

“Adam?” said Riley, having caught her breath.

“Yes,” said Rodney. “Something going on?”

“Hmm, I’d have to say yes. And that for the last twenty-five years, give or take,” I said.

“Adam ... I don’t...” she started and stopped.

“It’s about my son, James,” I said, and waited to see how they’d react. They didn’t, not right away.

And then they did. “You know,” he said. It was not a question.

“Yes, but not because either of you were decent enough to tell me, either of you,” I said.

“Adam, initially we did it to spare you the pain we were sure you would suffer if you did know. And then, well then you got out, and James was already twenty years-old,” she said. I nodded.

“Damn thoughtful of you,” I said.

“Does James know? Anybody else?” I said.

“No, well Horace does. He had to know because of the adoption,” said Rodney.

“So, James is adopted by you too. I’d like to know how you got away with that without informing me. Even prisoners have some rights, not many, but some,” I said.

“You weren’t married at the time; I mean to Riley. And, well, you were a convicted murderer. The reality was that it was kind of a no brainer,” he said. I was nodding and not quite snarling.

“How did you figure to handle it when the truth came out, can I ask? I mean it had to come out sometime as in fact it has. I mean whaddya gonna do now. You gonna tell James about your betrayal?” I said.

“We didn’t know what we were going to do, and we have talked about it. Just the other day in fact. What we decided was to ask you what you wanted us to do,” said Riley. I nodded.

“So, I get to be the bad guy and tell him. Or, I get to be the good guy and just live with yet more pain for the rest of my life. You know like I am anyway from all of the other lies and secrets you two have piled on me,” I said.

“It’s not like that,” said Rodney. “Yes, it would be a shock for James to learn the truth. And, keeping it a secret forever would mean more pain for you at least on some level. But we are prepared to be the bad guys if that is what you think is best. And, I promise you, we would put the best face on it that we could, I mean in terms of you. We owe you too much to do otherwise.”

“Damn fucking considerate of you,” I said.

“Do what you like. But one thing, stay the hell out of my life,” I said. “Think you can do that much for me?”

Yes, okay,” he said. The woman was nodding.

“Yes, sir,” she said.

I walked out. And I immediately called Briana at work and clued her about my meet up with the bad guys. She agreed to not be getting in the middle of it all.

And then my life of hate and despair and bitterness began—hah, as if it already hadn’t. But this, now, was on a much higher plane. Oh yes, a much higher plane.

Once again I worked, I ate, I drank beer at Abby’s and generally just grimaced endlessly thinking of all of the things they’d done to me, and no doubt would continue to do to me. I just hoped against hope that they’d stop messing with me. I didn’t want to see them, talk to them, hear about them under any circumstances. They owed me that much consideration; they sure as fuck did!

They stared at each other. What was there to say. He’d somehow found out about his parentage of James, and that was the long and the short of it.

“What can we do?” she said.

“I don’t know,” he said.

“How did he find out? I cannot imagine how he found out. No one but you and I knew about it. No one, not even the doctor who delivered him,” she said.

“How he found out? Who knows? And does it even matter? We knew that one day he would find out and that day is now,” said Rodney.

“We have to do something, Rod. Maybe tell James? Ask him to help us out. He’s a smart young man. He can be made to see reason—hopefully,” she said. He was shaking his head.

“You heard him. The only thing he wants is for us to stay the heck out of his business. I’m at the point of thinking that that might be the best was to go. If he comes to us we will do anything and everything that is humanly possible for him. But interfere with his doings, wants, plans, relationships; not a good idea.”

“We could talk to Briana. I mean bringing her into the fold might be risky; I understand that, but when it comes to level heads...” she said. “And she is on good terms with him; well, I think she is.”

“Yes, so far she’s on good terms with him. But, as soon as she knows, there is not the slightest doubt that she would go to him and let him know that we are interfering with his personal life. That could have the result of coming between them as well as doubling his hatred of us,” he said.

“Still, like I said, we could just tell James, and ask him what he would like us to do,” she said. “He’s legally our son. And, he is an adult. He would have control over whatever would be going forward.

“He’s still so damn young. Telling him would be the right thing to do, and at the same time possibly the worst thing. You saw how our man reacted. How do you think a twenty-four year-old would react to news like that?” he said. She was shaking her head.

“Rod, doing nothing is not an option. We on the other hand, do have options, all of them bad or risky, but we do have them. And there is one thing we haven’t considered,” she said.

“Oh?” he said.

“Talk to Briana and James and do so at the same time. Yes, it’s risky, but the two of them...” she said.

“Yes, that might be a way to go. The kid he thought would be his and the one who is his, well, biologically, might be the way to go. Yes,” he said.

“Rod, yes, and we can’t wait. We have to do it; maybe even tonight,” she said.