The Road to Justice/Sins of the Son combo pack - A John Fowler Novel (John Fowler (Books 1 & 2)) (52 page)

             
Jessica looked out the window of her office at Chet working away, trying to find some lead.  Her thoughts drifted back to John.  She really couldn
’
t begrudge him anything.  At the end of the day, he closed cases.  He found leads and read people naturally.  Some people could do the same thing, but they had to spend years studying and understanding what they were seeing.  With John, he just knew, and the kicker was, he was always right, always! 

             
Jessica scowled a bit.  It was what made him so blasted arrogant.  Jessica slammed the folder she was working on down on the desk.  Chet barely even flinched; he was used to these occasional outbursts.  Jessica took in a deep breath.  This wasn
’
t John
’
s fault.  Jessica knew she was upset that she couldn
’
t solve Sam
’
s murder. 

             
Jessica sat there for a minute staring at her desk.  Thinking of Sam had made her think of the Moores.  She remembered that John and Bruce were going to visit Arthur and his wife.  Jessica wondered if World War III had broken out yet.

             
Virginia
             

Chapter 41

John was trying to decide which was worse; the ride with Bruce, or going inside to listen to Arthur run him down.  John felt the gun in the holster on his hip.  He was thinking that maybe he should leave the gun in the car.  John didn
’
t think he
’
d be pushed to the point where he
’
d shoot Arthur, but he wasn
’
t 100% sure Arthur wouldn
’
t try to go for John
’
s gun and shoot him. 

Bruce was watching John and chuckling. 

“
You know
,
John,
”
Bruce began. 
“
In kidnapping cases, time is supposed to be of the essence.
”

John snapped back to reality with that statement.  He looked at Bruce, guiltily.  John knew he needed to get going on the interview with the Moores, whether he wanted to or not.  John reached for the door handle and opened it.  He got out of the car and looked back at Bruce, questioningly.  Bruce laughed.

“
Sorry
,
buddy,
”
said Bruce. 
“
It
’
s one thing for me to take some verbal shots at you.  I really have no want to hear your in-laws rip you a new one.
”

“
I could be a while,
”
replied John.

“
I have some games on my cellphone,
”
said Bruce, waving in the air.

John headed towards the door of the house.  Bruce watched John disappear inside.  Bruce sat in the car laughing.  His phone buzzed and he looked at it.  He had received a text.  Bruce read it thoroughly, and tsked.

“
How come I always have to take care of the loose ends?
”
 
He asked out loud to no one.

John walked through the Moore
’
s home.  It had been well over three years since he had been there.  John didn
’
t necessarily have a bad relationship with his in-laws, he just always felt like they thought Sam could have done better than him; secretly he agreed with the idea. 

Madeline walked up to John and looked at him.  John started to speak five different times and didn
’
t know what to say.  Madeline smiled at him, opened her arms and hugged him.  John was stunned.  Emotions flowed through him and he began to sob.

“
Madeline . . .
”
He couldn
’
t say anything else.

“
Shh,
”
Madeline answered. 
“
It wasn
’
t your fault son.  I know it wasn
’
t your fault.
”
 
After a minute he gathered himself and broke the hug.  Madeline had her hands on John
’
s shoulders. 

“
You know,
”
Madeline began. 
“
We lost a daughter; we didn
’
t have to lose a son as well.
”

John looked down at the ground.  After everything he had put them through after Sam
’
s death . . .  John didn
’
t believe he deserved some of the people in his life.  Between his parents, Jessica, Chet, Trip, and Madeline  . . .  A voice interrupted his thoughts

“
So you finally decide to show your face.  If I
’
d have known all I had to do was sue you, I
’
d have done it three years ago.
”
 
John knew the voice even before he saw Madeline
’
s face.  John turned to face Arthur, Sam
’
s father; the man who blamed John for everything that had happened over the past three years in his life.  This wasn
’
t going to be pleasant.

“
Madeline,
”
John said, never taking his eyes off of Arthur. 
“
You might want to leave the room.  I believe there may be some things said that shouldn
’
t be said in the presence of a lady.
”
 

“
John, d
on
’
t you worry,
”
Arthur responded. 
“
She
’
s heard me call you every name in the book.
”

“
Arthur,
”
John began.

“
Save it, John!
”
 
Arthur was furious. 
“
You think you can crawl up in a bottle, get my daughter killed, wallow in self-pity
,
and not have to suffer any consequences!?!  I think it
’
s time you came back to reality, you self-absorbed prima-donna!!
”

“
Prima-donna??
  You live here in this mansion like you
’
re a member of the lifestyles of the rich and famous, and I
’
m a prima-donna!?!?
”
 
Madeline had been watching the whole exchange and buried her head in her hands with the last remarks.  She knew this day had been coming, and so far it hadn
’
t spiraled out of control.  She also knew these two alpha dogs would eventually go for each other
’
s throats.

“
Here we go,
”
Madeline muttered to herself.

“
You got my daughter killed and never a phone call or anything
?
”
Arthur
asked
.  Madeline looked up from her hands.  She tried to signal for Arthur to stop, but he ignored her and kept on going. 
“
Oh, my mistake, you did manage to speak to me at the funeral, or do you remember that,
A
lchy?
”
 

Madeline winched with that last remark.

“
I was drunk,
”
John said as calmly as he could. 
“
I was drunk because I had lost my wife.
”
 
Madeline came up beside John and put her hand on his shoulder to try to comfort him.  John patted it. 
“
I was drunk because I was an alcoholic, and I had lost my rock.  That was my lowest day, Arthur
,
and I haven
’
t
drank
since.
”

Arthur began to slowly clap; mocking John. 
“
Well whoopty-doo!  I lost a daughter and I didn
’
t climb into a bottle!!
”
 
Madeline cut Arthur a sharp look. 
“
What is it with you
,
Madeline!?!  It
’
s not like you
’
ve never heard me say this before.
”

“
I thought you would get it all out of your system ranting at me
,
Arthur!
”
 
Madeline retorted. 
“
The man had a disease.  Excuse me, he HAS a disease.  You wouldn
’
t chew out a cancer patient for having cancer.
”

“
A cancer patient didn
’
t kill my daughter!
”
Arthur was near tears.

Madeline pointed at John as she spoke. 
“
Neither has he!!  You old fool, he lost his wife!!
”

“
I lost my little girl!!!
”
 
Arthur had tears freely falling down his face.  John was close to tears. 
“
He has never lost a child!!
”

Madeline stared at the floor.  She spoke very softly. 
“
He did that day, Arthur.  He did that day.
”

For John, the world slowed down to a crawl.  He saw Arthur
’
s mouth moving, but couldn
’
t understand the words, they were so slow.  John noticed Arthur was growing taller.  No, that wasn
’
t quite right.  John realized he was on the floor.  Arthur was bending over him, trying to help him up.  Madeline had her hands curled up in fists with her first fingers on her lips.  She looked very worried.  John tried to ask her what was wrong and realized he couldn
’
t talk. 

Sam had been pregnant; that thought kept running through his mind. John thought back to the last morning he saw Sam.  He closed his eyes, and suddenly he was in his old New York Apartment.

John opened his eyes.  It was his apartment in New York; the one that had exploded.  He was standing in the bathroom in front of the sink.  His head . . . hurt.  He couldn
’
t think straight.  He hadn
’
t felt like this since he quit drinking.  John had a hangover.  He looked into the mirror in front of him.  The John that looked back was one he had not seen in a long, long time.  John reached hesitantly to the medicine cabinet and opened it.  He looked and saw a small flask.  He kept his
“
emergency wake-up
”
drink in it.  John looked down at the sink, and with all of his strength shut the medicine cabinet door.  As he shut the door, he saw Sam in the reflection of the mirror.

“
Did you hear me
,
John?
”
 
Sam asked. 
“
Do you think I can go clothes shopping this weekend?
”
 
John just stared into the mirror, looking at her.  She was so beautiful.  He turned around slowly, tears were in his eye
s
.  Sam had a concerned look on her face. 
“
John, tell me you haven
’
t touched your stash in that cabinet!
”

John threw his hands up
in surrender
. 
“
Sam, I swear I haven
’
t touched it.
”
 
The look of anger and concern left her face and a smile replaced it.  John looked very closely.  There was something about her.  The clothes fit just a bit tighter, there were little signs on her face, but mostly she was so happy.  Sam and John had been told by doctors that Sam could never have a child. 

John silently berated himself for not noticing when this was actually going on.  For days Sam had been talking about shopping for new clothes, something she only did when she needed something for work.  John had been so distracted by the job . . . no.   It was time to quit lying to
himself
.  John
’
s senses had been dulled by the alcohol.  He was constantly drunk these days.