was about to send him over the edge. Every step forward felt like electricity. You’re dead, old man. Your secret’s finally come out.
Rain pelted against Drake’s light jacket as he took the stairs with heavy, crushing steps. He tried the screen door and found it locked. He slapped the palms of his hands against the cheap glass and yelled, “Let me in! We need to talk!”
The lights were all off, but Drake could vaguely make out a large figure moving toward the door at a snail’s pace. “Hurry up!” he shouted, striking the door harder. He heard several screen doors creaking open across the street and knew he had attracted an audience. Well, if they wanted a show, then they might as well pull out the lawn chairs now and start the popcorn, because Drake was about to give the whole neighborhood the shock of its life.
“I’m comin’, I’m comin’!” Ben yelled back. He was wearing a ratty pair of blue-jean shorts and had a shirt draped over his shoulder. “What’s wrong with you, Drake? You high or somethin’?”
“Why did you lie to me?” Drake said strictly, forcing his way inside.
“Leave me alone. I’m going out.”
Drake blocked the door. “Don’t think you’re going to run off to get drunk somewhere before explaining to me why you lied about Mom!”
“I don’t know what you took last night or where you got it from, but it’ll probably wear off in a few hours, so I suggest you go to bed before the migraine starts,” Ben said indifferently, still thinking his son to be drunk from too much beer.
Drake refused to budge. “Why did you kill her?”
Ben spun around. He said nothing, but his stunned face said all Drake needed to know. “Your theatrics are getting old, Drake. Like I said, go to bed.”
“You know exactly what I’m talking about!” Drake pressed, his voice still raised. “I read it online. Her drowning, her trial, and how you tried to cover it up!”
Ben felt the breath drain out of him. He swallowed and looked away.
“Oh, but I wasn’t supposed to know, was I?” Drake said coldly, his hands trembling to hit something. “It was my fault. She left because of me. Wasn’t that the story?” He swatted the lamp to the left of him onto the ground just to hear it shatter.
“Breaking everything in this house isn’t gonna change things!”
“Then what’s it gonna take?! What’s it gonna take to penetrate through those stone layers of your skull?”
“Out!” Ben yelled, pointing his finger to the door. “If this is what I can expect of you being out of school now, you can go. I’m not gonna waste time and money supporting you anymore.”
“I’m not done talking.”
“Well, I’m done listening.”
“No, you’re gonna listen. You drowned the only person who cared anything about—”
“All right! So you found out she died! But before you go accusin’ me of somethin’, it might interest you to know that she—”
“I know she had a sleeping disorder!” Drake interrupted. “Narcolepsy. I read it in her journal.”
“Well, there you go. That’s how she drowned. Every time it hit her, she just conked out and stayed asleep for up to half an hour sometimes. I found her like that in the bathtub at the hotel, but I never told you because I wanted to protect you.”
Drake made himself laugh despite his rage. “Protect me? Protect me? You mean protect yourself. When the matter went to court, all you had to do was show the judge Mom’s doctor reports, and you were a free man. I read all that online too. Probably even had to buy a bottle of eye drops to put in your eyes so your tears would look believable to the jury.”
“That’s a lie!”
“This is the same old story you told the jury twelve years ago, isn’t it? Isn’t it?! Just say it! I want to hear you admit—”
“Enough! Get out of my house!”
“I’m not listening to you anymore,” Drake said through clenched teeth. “You’ve kept me blind for too long, and I’m not gonna take it
Rain pelted against Drake’s light jacket as he took the stairs with heavy, crushing steps. He tried the screen door and found it locked. He slapped the palms of his hands against the cheap glass and yelled, “Let me in! We need to talk!”
The lights were all off, but Drake could vaguely make out a large figure moving toward the door at a snail’s pace. “Hurry up!” he shouted, striking the door harder. He heard several screen doors creaking open across the street and knew he had attracted an audience. Well, if they wanted a show, then they might as well pull out the lawn chairs now and start the popcorn, because Drake was about to give the whole neighborhood the shock of its life.
“I’m comin’, I’m comin’!” Ben yelled back. He was wearing a ratty pair of blue-jean shorts and had a shirt draped over his shoulder. “What’s wrong with you, Drake? You high or somethin’?”
“Why did you lie to me?” Drake said strictly, forcing his way inside.
“Leave me alone. I’m going out.”
Drake blocked the door. “Don’t think you’re going to run off to get drunk somewhere before explaining to me why you lied about Mom!”
“I don’t know what you took last night or where you got it from, but it’ll probably wear off in a few hours, so I suggest you go to bed before the migraine starts,” Ben said indifferently, still thinking his son to be drunk from too much beer.
Drake refused to budge. “Why did you kill her?”
Ben spun around. He said nothing, but his stunned face said all Drake needed to know. “Your theatrics are getting old, Drake. Like I said, go to bed.”
“You know exactly what I’m talking about!” Drake pressed, his voice still raised. “I read it online. Her drowning, her trial, and how you tried to cover it up!”
Ben felt the breath drain out of him. He swallowed and looked away.
“Oh, but I wasn’t supposed to know, was I?” Drake said coldly, his hands trembling to hit something. “It was my fault. She left because of me. Wasn’t that the story?” He swatted the lamp to the left of him onto the ground just to hear it shatter.
“Breaking everything in this house isn’t gonna change things!”
“Then what’s it gonna take?! What’s it gonna take to penetrate through those stone layers of your skull?”
“Out!” Ben yelled, pointing his finger to the door. “If this is what I can expect of you being out of school now, you can go. I’m not gonna waste time and money supporting you anymore.”
“I’m not done talking.”
“Well, I’m done listening.”
“No, you’re gonna listen. You drowned the only person who cared anything about—”
“All right! So you found out she died! But before you go accusin’ me of somethin’, it might interest you to know that she—”
“I know she had a sleeping disorder!” Drake interrupted. “Narcolepsy. I read it in her journal.”
“Well, there you go. That’s how she drowned. Every time it hit her, she just conked out and stayed asleep for up to half an hour sometimes. I found her like that in the bathtub at the hotel, but I never told you because I wanted to protect you.”
Drake made himself laugh despite his rage. “Protect me? Protect me? You mean protect yourself. When the matter went to court, all you had to do was show the judge Mom’s doctor reports, and you were a free man. I read all that online too. Probably even had to buy a bottle of eye drops to put in your eyes so your tears would look believable to the jury.”
“That’s a lie!”
“This is the same old story you told the jury twelve years ago, isn’t it? Isn’t it?! Just say it! I want to hear you admit—”
“Enough! Get out of my house!”
“I’m not listening to you anymore,” Drake said through clenched teeth. “You’ve kept me blind for too long, and I’m not gonna take it
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