nerve.”
“Angry
about what?”
“I think about
Donald and Cheryl. Richard is one of the most caring people I’ve ever
known in my life, though to his father, he only exists when he’s the only other
person in the house. Like I told you, Donald and Cheryl go at it with
their Dad at least three times a week. Donald and his failing restaurant,
Cheryl and that young man she wants to marry. Richard hated to see them
fight and he hated his father for the way he ran this house. Outside
those gates, it’s the great land of liberty. Inside, this is nothing but a
pretty dictatorship.
“So, he said he was
upset and he wanted to give his old man a piece of his mind. He helped me
down the stairs the rest of the way, led me into bed and shut the door behind
him as he left. By the time I was back in bed, it was probably close to
1:15 or 1:20. I was moving pretty slow down those stairs, and Richard’s
story was a little longer than what I just ran through. Either way, I
must have gotten back in after you already fell asleep. Satisfied?”
We sat looking at each other. What was I to say? Sure Maddie , I’m feelin ’ fine.
You just incriminated a young man who is like family to us. Thanks for
kicking this day up another notch on the Crap-o-Meter.
“Yes and no.”
“Oh, Reevan…what are
we going to do? We can’t tell Walters. He’ll arrest Richard.
He may have been angry, but he couldn’t have killed his father, right?
No, he couldn’t have. What should we do?” She sobbed into my
shoulder. I didn’t know what to do, but we couldn’t sit on that much
information forever. One of the others could have heard Maddie and Richard’s conversation the night before.
Nona was still in the kitchen. It was only a matter of time before she
remembered and squealed like a stuck pig.
“We will tell
Walters, but not now. I want to go speak with Richard myself.”
“What if he did it,
Reevan?”
“We can’t think that
way, Maddie . Stay in here for a little while
and calm down. I’ll go talk to Richard and meet up with you later.
We’ll get to the bottom of this Maddie , I
promise. And I’m sorry for hurting your feelings before. I just had
to know the truth.” Maddie nodded and brushed
her tears away. I got up and headed for the door.
“Where could Donald
be?” She called out to me. “I’m worried.”
“He’s probably lying
low at his restaurant sleeping off some of the booze. I’m sure he’ll be
home soon. You just take care of yourself for now,” I said.
“Make sure Cheryl is
okay too, will you?” I nodded and left.
When I shut Maddie’s door, the mysterious grandfather clock called out
the one o’clock hour. I headed up the stairs to see two of the three
remaining McCunes .
Before I knocked on
Richard’s door, I pressed my ear to it. Sniffles and whispers floated
around the room behind it, and for a split second, a feeling of perhaps this
isn’t the best time swept over me. It was gone as fast as it had
come, and I knocked three times. A blubbering “Come in!” screamed at me,
and so I did. I couldn’t tell by all the crying who had actually invited
me in, but I guess it didn’t matter.
Little brother and
big sister sat hugging each other on the Richard’s bed. I walked inside
after shutting the door. “Take a seat,” Richard said and pointed to the
desk and chair behind me. The desk and chair were both covered in
mountains of paperwork, but it was far from messy. Richard was an
accountant by then. In fact, the bed was the only non-accounting related
piece of matter in the room. Several calculators littered the desk and
table tops. Books on tax laws and other financial topics filled a
bookshelf on the far wall. Two filing cabinets stood, sentry-like, next
to the door through which I had just entered. Richard had taken me to see
his office downtown once during my last visits. I
“Angry
about what?”
“I think about
Donald and Cheryl. Richard is one of the most caring people I’ve ever
known in my life, though to his father, he only exists when he’s the only other
person in the house. Like I told you, Donald and Cheryl go at it with
their Dad at least three times a week. Donald and his failing restaurant,
Cheryl and that young man she wants to marry. Richard hated to see them
fight and he hated his father for the way he ran this house. Outside
those gates, it’s the great land of liberty. Inside, this is nothing but a
pretty dictatorship.
“So, he said he was
upset and he wanted to give his old man a piece of his mind. He helped me
down the stairs the rest of the way, led me into bed and shut the door behind
him as he left. By the time I was back in bed, it was probably close to
1:15 or 1:20. I was moving pretty slow down those stairs, and Richard’s
story was a little longer than what I just ran through. Either way, I
must have gotten back in after you already fell asleep. Satisfied?”
We sat looking at each other. What was I to say? Sure Maddie , I’m feelin ’ fine.
You just incriminated a young man who is like family to us. Thanks for
kicking this day up another notch on the Crap-o-Meter.
“Yes and no.”
“Oh, Reevan…what are
we going to do? We can’t tell Walters. He’ll arrest Richard.
He may have been angry, but he couldn’t have killed his father, right?
No, he couldn’t have. What should we do?” She sobbed into my
shoulder. I didn’t know what to do, but we couldn’t sit on that much
information forever. One of the others could have heard Maddie and Richard’s conversation the night before.
Nona was still in the kitchen. It was only a matter of time before she
remembered and squealed like a stuck pig.
“We will tell
Walters, but not now. I want to go speak with Richard myself.”
“What if he did it,
Reevan?”
“We can’t think that
way, Maddie . Stay in here for a little while
and calm down. I’ll go talk to Richard and meet up with you later.
We’ll get to the bottom of this Maddie , I
promise. And I’m sorry for hurting your feelings before. I just had
to know the truth.” Maddie nodded and brushed
her tears away. I got up and headed for the door.
“Where could Donald
be?” She called out to me. “I’m worried.”
“He’s probably lying
low at his restaurant sleeping off some of the booze. I’m sure he’ll be
home soon. You just take care of yourself for now,” I said.
“Make sure Cheryl is
okay too, will you?” I nodded and left.
When I shut Maddie’s door, the mysterious grandfather clock called out
the one o’clock hour. I headed up the stairs to see two of the three
remaining McCunes .
Before I knocked on
Richard’s door, I pressed my ear to it. Sniffles and whispers floated
around the room behind it, and for a split second, a feeling of perhaps this
isn’t the best time swept over me. It was gone as fast as it had
come, and I knocked three times. A blubbering “Come in!” screamed at me,
and so I did. I couldn’t tell by all the crying who had actually invited
me in, but I guess it didn’t matter.
Little brother and
big sister sat hugging each other on the Richard’s bed. I walked inside
after shutting the door. “Take a seat,” Richard said and pointed to the
desk and chair behind me. The desk and chair were both covered in
mountains of paperwork, but it was far from messy. Richard was an
accountant by then. In fact, the bed was the only non-accounting related
piece of matter in the room. Several calculators littered the desk and
table tops. Books on tax laws and other financial topics filled a
bookshelf on the far wall. Two filing cabinets stood, sentry-like, next
to the door through which I had just entered. Richard had taken me to see
his office downtown once during my last visits. I
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