The Perk (29 page)

"No, it's not.
And, hell, it's Walt's fault anyway, saying that kind of
dumme
shit when
he's being recorded. Said he forgot the tape was running." Stutz shook
his head. "Walt, he's not the smartest goat rancher in the county."

Beck stood. "Anything else I can do for
you, Bruno?"

Stutz did not stand.

"How's J.B.?"

"He's fine."

"Goat rancher turned winemaker." He
shook his head. "When Peggy died, God bless her, and then you left town,
I didn't think he'd make it. But J.B.'s made of hard wood, that's a fact. But,
you know, Beck, there's always a chisel sharp enough to split any wood."

"What's your point, Bruno?"

Stutz turned his blue eyes up to Beck, and Beck
saw there the meanness Grady had spoken of, the same face Beck had seen that day
when Stutz had sentenced Miguel Cervantes to prison.

"I first met your
mother when she was only sixteen, living out there on that land with her folks
running goats. That was nineteen sixty-three, November twenty-second. I
remember that day well because that was the day they killed that Commie-loving
bastard up in Dallas. She came into my courtroom that afternoon with her
folks. Everyone else had gone home to watch TV about Kennedy. She was a pretty
little
schatzy
, your mother. She had that glow about her that women get
on two occasions in life: when they're getting married and when they're having
a baby. Peggy wasn't getting married that day, Beck."

Beck fell back into his chair.

"She must've been pregnant when they named
her 'Miss Mo' ' … Miss Mohair of Gillespie County. Of course, that would
have disqualified her. Anyway, she was giving that baby up for adoption. She
came in to sign the papers. That was a Friday. She had the baby that Sunday
out at the ranch with a Mexican midwife, and a nice couple from Odessa adopted the child. Girl, as I recall. Papers were sealed, and no one ever knew. As
I also recall, Peggy wore a white wedding dress when she and J.B. got married over
at St. Mary's."

Beck had been blindsided many times in a court
of law; clients always had secrets they didn't reveal to their lawyer. But
those secrets always came out. Beck had tears in his eyes when he stood and
stared at Bruno Stutz.

"I heard you were a mean old bastard, but
you're way past mean. You're scary."

"You goddamn right I am. I've been scaring
the people of this county for forty-six years, because I know everyone's secrets.
That's why I'm valuable to McQuade. Time I'm through representing him, I'll
know his secrets, too."

"This county's going to be a better place
when you're dead."

A German snort. "Don't hold your
breath."

"Get out … before I throw you out."

Stutz slowly pushed himself out of the chair and
walked to the door. He turned back.

"I've been holding on to that secret for
forty-four years. I'd hate for J.B. to learn the truth about Peggy this late
in life. That's just the sort of thing that could spell the end of a man,
learning something like that about his beloved dead wife."

" 'Wedding dress. Size eight. Never worn. Paid
six-fifty, sell for one-fifty.' Well, something surely went wrong there.
Makes you feel for that gal, don't it?"

J.B. was reading the classifieds when Beck
walked out onto the back porch and sat down hard in Peggy's rocking chair.

"Wonder was she just hoping or did she figure
on getting married enough that she buys herself a dress? Now she's got to sell
it. Makes me sad for her and I don't even know her. Any gal walking down the
street might be the one carrying that burden."

J.B. shook his head. Then he looked at Beck.

"You look like you're carrying a heavy
burden yourself."

Beck nodded.

"You got troubles?"

"We got troubles."

J.B. turned in his chair to face Beck.

"Let's have it."

"Bruno Stutz came to see me today."

"Been wishing that old bastard would die
for fifty years."

"I just met him and I want him dead."

"And?"

"He threatened me, if I don't drop Slade's
case."

"What was his threat?"

"Said he'd reveal a secret he's been
hanging on to for forty-four years."

"Forty-four years? Then it's not about
you. So it must be about me."

Beck felt the tears come into his eyes again.

"Not you, either."

J.B. put the paper down.

"Then that leaves Peggy."

Beck nodded.

"What is it?"

"J.B.—"

"Tell me."

Beck told it fast. "He said Mom got pregnant when she was sixteen, gave the baby up for adoption. Papers were sealed."

J.B. sucked in air. He blinked hard then stood
and walked to the screen. He stared out at the darkness a long moment and let
out a long sigh, then turned back to Beck.

"Fifty years, I been wanting to punch Bruno
in that sharp beak of his. Him being judge, didn't figure that would be a
smart move. Figure I will now."

"I'm sorry, J.B."

"No, I'm sorry you had to learn about it
from Bruno."

"You
knew?
"

"Course I knew. Peggy told me when I asked
her to marry me. She said there'd never be secrets between us."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"We ain't talked in twenty-four years,
Beck, when was I supposed to tell you?"

"Before I left."

"You were an eighteen-year-old boy mad at
the world 'cause your mama died—would you have understood? She made a mistake,
Beck. She was a human being, just like you and better than me, and she made a
mistake just like we have before and will again. But she was the best human
being I've ever known."

"So I have a stepsister?"

J.B. nodded. "Lives up in Odessa. Married, got five kids now. Named Peggy. About twelve, thirteen years ago, she
looked me up. Said the law allowed adopted kids to find their birth mothers.
She wanted to know about her mama."

Beck was shaking his head.

"Beck, I hope this don't make you think less
of your mama."

"It doesn't. She gave up her own child so
the child could have a better life. That couldn't have been easy."

"It pained her considerably. But you eased
her pain, Beck. She loved you enough for both her children."

J.B. sat back down.

"Bruno didn't tell you the whole story. He
was a young man at the time and he fell hard for Peggy that day. But she
wouldn't have nothing to do with him. When she married me two years later, he took
it personal … and he got mad. Been mad ever since."

J.B picked up the newspaper, turned the page,
and said, "Yep, next time I see Bruno, reckon I'll punch him in the nose.
Figure I won't go to jail seeing how I know the judge."

"
Guten Morgen, Herr Hardin.
"

Bruno Stutz was again sitting in Beck's chambers
when he arrived the next morning.

"I've got to get better security,"
Beck said.

Stutz did not stand. He sat with the confidence
of a man holding aces.

"Well?"

"Peggy didn't keep secrets from J.B. He
met her daughter twelve years ago."

Stutz sighed and shook his head. "That's
the problem with secrets—people today just can't keep a secret."

"Any more threats, Bruno?"

Stutz's eyes narrowed. "Don't push me, Judge.
You and the Mexicans will regret it."

"Oh, just so you know, Bruno—J.B. said next
time he sees you he's going to punch you in the nose."

"J.B. making a threat?"

"More like a promise."

Stutz stood and walked out just as Mavis walked
in. Behind Stutz's back, she held her hands up and formed a cross, as if to
ward off the devil. He liked Mavis more each day. She was as wide as she was
tall, she was a part-time goat rancher, and she had a crush on J.B. What
wasn't to like?

"What do we have this morning, Mavis?"

"Divorces. I hate divorces."

Beck donned the black robe, and they again climbed
the staircase—Beck went first—and entered the courtroom. Beck sat behind the
bench. On his desk were eight gold file folders. Gold for divorce.

No county inmates sat shackled in the jury box
and guarded by Deputy Clint, and no D.A. gave Beck suspicious glares. The same
lawyers were present, but with a different set of clients. Criminal cases yesterday,
divorce cases today—the life of a country lawyer. The spectator pews looked
like a wedding: groom's family on one side, bride's on the other. Husbands to
the left, wives to the right. Mavis called the first case.

"Danz versus Danz."

A rugged-looking middle-aged
man wearing a firmly set jaw, jeans, boots, and a plaid shirt stood in the
spectator section and walked to the bar; he looked like he could throw a bull
to the ground. He held the gate open for an attractive but slightly chunky
woman who might have been beautiful twenty years and as many pounds before.
Beck glanced at the file:
Lynnette Danz vs. Earl Danz
. They had been
married for twenty-five years and had four children, ages twenty-three,
nineteen, fourteen, and eleven. Two lawyers escorted them to the bench. One
of the lawyers was familiar.

"Mr. Polk."

"Judge."

Beck opened the gold file, another case
inherited from Judge Stutz.

"Well, everything looks in order. All I
need to do is sign the decree and your divorce will be final."

Beck searched the desktop for a pen, but
couldn't find one. He turned to Mavis. She felt around her puffy hair a
moment, then withdrew a pen and handed it to Beck. He put the pen to the order
and started to sign, but looked up at Mr. and Mrs. Danz.

"Twenty-five years … y'all were high
school sweethearts?"

Earl said, "Yep."

"Your kids live here?"

"Not the older ones. Kids these days, soon
as they graduate high school they hightail it to the big city. Oldest boy,
he's a real-estate broker up in Dallas, making money hand over fist. Girl,
she's studying up at Tech. Straight As."

"You seem proud of them."

"Yep."

"Must've been good parents."

"We tried."

"They upset about this, the kids?"

"Pretty much."

"How's it going to work with your young
children?"

"Well, Mom here … I mean, Lynnette—"

Lynnette spoke up. "The boys are gonna
live with me—Earl can't cook to save his life—but he'll still spend time with
them. Boys need their father."

"Is he a good father?"

She nodded. "The boys are his life."

"I lost my wife. It's been tough, raising
my kids alone."

"We're gonna work together, for the
kids."

"Good."

Mavis was tugging at Beck's robe. He leaned her
way. She whispered, "Don't go there."

"Where?"

"Playing Dr. Phil."

Beck ignored Mavis and turned back to the
Danzes.

"My wife and I, we argued some, but now
that she's gone, all I remember are the good times. Y'all must have had some
good times?"

"Well, sure we did, Judge, married twenty-five
years."

"Went to Hawaii one time," Lynnette
said, "back between the second and third kids."

"My wife and I went once. We had a great
time." Beck raised his eyebrows. "A romantic time."

Lynnette blushed and dropped her eyes. Earl
glanced at her and said, "It was pretty romantic for us, too, Judge."

Lynnette turned her eyes up to Earl. They
stared at each other like newlyweds. Beck gave them a moment and Mavis an
"I told you so" look. She just shook her head.

"You sure you want me to sign this order?
Twenty-five years, that's a long time. Lot of history there. You know, I hear
Hawaii's still out there in that Pacific Ocean. You could fly out there, see
if that romance is still there, too."

Beck saw Lynnette's
face soften; he thought,
Dr. Beck saves a marriage!
So without even
realizing he was digging a hole for himself, he dug the hole even deeper.

"I mean, if you quit now, it's like …
well, it's like you're cashing in a CD before it matures."

Lawyer Polk had been sleepy-eyed throughout
Beck's marital counseling; but his eyes suddenly got wide and he backed up a
step and gave Beck a sharp slash sign across his throat, as if to say,
"Cut!" Beck ignored him, too.

"Like you're selling an investment before
its full value is realized."

Lynnette Danz abruptly turned to Beck and
imbedded her fists into her hips like a Sumo wrestler facing off an opponent.
Her face was no longer soft; her voice was firm.

"That's exactly what I said to Earl. I've
invested twenty-five years of my life in this marriage and I want it to pay
off!"

Earl stiffened and his square jaw clenched.
"See, Judge, that's the deal: women look at marriage as some kind of
goddamn investment. Men look at marriage as an adventure. I ain't nobody's CD.
I ain't her investment. I'm a goddamned man that wants an adventure! I want
some excitement in my life before I die! Twenty-five years later, biggest
excitement I got is looking at the underwear ads in the Sunday paper!" He
caught himself then added, "The women's."

"That's all he talks about," Lynnette
said, "having an adventure … excitement. He wants me to buy a
thong!" She turned and pointed at her bottom. "This butt in a
thong—that's his idea of excitement?"

Beck glanced at Mavis for help; her face was now
buried in her hands. But Earl's face was now bright red; his jaws were clamped
so tight he could crack walnuts between his teeth. He reached over and banged
a gnarly finger on the order.

"Sign the goddamned thing!"

Beck quickly signed the order dissolving the
marriage of Earl and Lynnette Danz. They stormed out of the courtroom. Mavis
looked after them; she shook her head.