“What are you talking about?”
“I’ve arranged for you to meet your daddy tonight.”
“But I’m working until midnight.” She shook her head slowly. “I can’t just leave.”
“Sure you can. Lock up, and we’ll leave right now. I don’t see too many folks dying to come in here.”
“I have a responsibility, and-”
“Mary.” I smiled, and it was a smile that would’ve warmed the cockles of any dead man’s heart. “We’ll be back in a few hours. No one will care.”
“But-”
“No, darling,” I said. “This is more important, isn’t it?”
“I guess so.”
“And besides, I’ve been up almost every night beating my head in trying to figure this thing out. You know why?”
She bit her lip, and moved her head slightly from side to side. “Because, darling,” I said, smiling again, “I made you a promise. I don’t want to lose your respect. It would hurt too much.”
“I do respect you.”
“No you don’t.” I laughed softly. “And no one can blame you for that. I screwed up pretty bad before. I want to make it up to you, though.”
“That’s wrong about my not respecting you. I-”
“Darling, what were you needing to talk to me about?”
“Nothing.” She blushed. “It’s not important now.”
“You were going to fire me. I saw it in your eyes when I walked in here. And you’d have had every right in the world.”
“It was only-”
“You don’t have to explain,” I said. “Why don’t we get going?”
She froze, unsure of what to do. Mostly, she wanted to go with me, but part of her was still holding back, clinging to her responsibilities.
“Can’t we go tomorrow?”
“Mary,” I said, “your daddy’s expecting us now.”
Her eyes started misting up. “And my mother?”
“She’s living in Oklahoma City. We’ll see her later, but tonight you get to meet your daddy.”
That did it. I was offering her something she’d been waiting too long for. Whatever fence she was sitting on gave way. “Okay,” she agreed, wiping some wetness from her eyes. “Just give me a minute to lock up.” As she turned away she did a double take.
“Johnny,” she said, “what happened to your forehead?”
“Cut myself shaving. By the way, you’re going to have to drive. My car’s at the mechanics-engine problems. I had to take a taxi here.”
Actually, I had walked-the full five miles from my office. I couldn’t take the chance of a cabbie remembering me. As far as the world was concerned, Mary and I never crossed paths tonight.
“Okay,” she nodded. “I’ll be right with you.”
She locked up the cash register, and did all the other necessary chores before setting the alarm and turning out the lights. I followed her out the door.
“I hope I don’t get fired for this,” she said.
“I wouldn’t worry about it,” I assured her.
We got into her car, a rusted out Chevy Nova almost as old as she was. It took three tries before she got it started, and the sick gurgling it made started me worrying. One thing I hadn’t considered was her car breaking down. If that were to happen I’d be sunk. Everything would blow up in my face. I decided not to worry about it; I had gone too far already.
“Where are we going?” Mary asked.
“Now don’t get upset, but we need to stop off at Jerry Bry’s house first.”
She stared, rigid, gaping at me. “He’s not my father!”
“I know he’s not, but I have to talk with him.”
“I’m not going there! I refuse!”
“You don’t have to see him, darling. You can sit in the car and wait for me, but I need to verify some of my facts. I’m about ninety-nine percent sure I know who your parents are, but I think he can make it a hundred. And I don’t want to risk screwing up again. Trust me on this, please.”
“Johnny, I’m not going in his house!”
“You won’t have to. I only need to talk to him for five minutes and then we’ll go see your real daddy.”
She made a face, but she put the car in gear and pulled away from the curb. I could tell she wasn’t happy with the idea of driving to Bry’s house. Her knuckles were squeezed white from gripping the wheel, and her face looked just as pinched. And she was too mad to talk, at least right away.
After a couple of miles, her body loosened up and she broke into a smile.
“He’s a rotten bastard,” she said. “Could you do me a favor and punch him for me? After you get your information from him, of course.”
I laughed. “For you darling, anything. Where do you want him to get it?”
“Smack in the nose!”
“As good as done.”
She drove for about a minute thinking about it, and then smiled again. A nervous smile. “Johnny,” she said, “I was only kidding. You wouldn’t really do something like that?”
“No,” I said. “I’m afraid not. But I’d sure like to. More than you could guess.” And I would too, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t leave those types of marks. I guess it was tearing me up a little knowing I couldn’t deal with him the way I wanted to. I would have to settle for what I had planned.
“Johnny, tell me about my parents.”
“I will, baby. But after I talk with Bry.”
“Please! I’ll pull over until you tell me!”
“Won’t do you any good. This time there’ll be no screw ups, I promise.”
“But-”
“Please, Mary. It’ll just be a few minutes and then we’ll have a nice long talk. It will all be over soon enough.”
We drove in silence the rest of the way. Mary was busting a gut to ask me questions, but she held them in. I guess she figured it wouldn’t do her any good, and she was right. I wasn’t going to budge. When the time was right I’d tell her everything she needed to know.
We pulled in front of Bry’s house a little after eight. Mary sat rigid in her seat, her eyes staring straight ahead.
“Can you hurry up?” she asked. “I don’t want to be here any longer than I have to.”
“I’ll be as quick as I can. Just relax, okay?”
I gave her a glance before turning away. Her face was wrecked with worry. In the shadow of the car it looked so white. So serious. So fragile.
It tugged at my heart to see her like that. After all, she was my own flesh and blood, and I was proud of her. She was so damn beautiful, so damn determined. There was so damn much life in her.
I took a step towards the car. I decided the hell with it-I’d tell her everything and let the chips fall where they will. Anyway, that’s what I was going to do and I probably would’ve if Bry hadn’t stumbled out of his house.
“Hello, sweetheart!” he shouted as he weaved towards us. He was twenty feet away and I could smell the booze on him.
“Johnny!” Mary screamed, her eyes flooded with murder. “Keep him away from me! I’ll drive away if he tries to come near me!” She turned the engine back on and floored the gas.
Bry waved at us as he came closer. I ran up to meet him.
“I’ve been waiting for you, sweetheart,” he shouted. “Come on-oof.”
I had put my fist in his stomach and the color drained from his face. Before he could get his breath back, I had him by the elbow and was turning him around, walking him towards his house.
