Part 36 (1/2)
”O.K. I give up. Arrest me on suspicion of involvement with organized pasta.”
”Are you?”
His voice grew stern. ”Who hired you to ask these questions, ma'am?”
It was clear he would tell me nothing. I pushed the fear to a corner of my mind, knowing that it wouldn't stay there, and went to my room to change. But I'd made a decision.
Kit was going back to Houston.
After dinner Kit settled in front of the TV and I went to my computer. I'd just pulled up the jpg files that contained Kate's photos and the one I'd borrowed from Jacques Roy, when the phone rang.
Kit answered, and I heard laughter and banter through the wall, then the tone changed. Though I could make out no words, it was clear Kit was upset. His voice grew loud and angry, and at one point I heard something slammed.
In a moment Kit appeared at my door, his agitation apparent.
”I'm going out for a little bit, Auntie T.”
”Out?”
”Yep.”
”With?”
”Just some guys.” Only his mouth smiled.
”That's not good enough, Kit.”
”Oh h.e.l.l, don't you start in.”
With that he stormed down the hall.
”s.h.i.+t!”
I leaped to my feet, but Kit was already out the door when I rounded the corner into the living room.
”s.h.i.+t!” I repeated for emphasis.
I was about to go after him when the phone rang. Thinking it was Kit's earlier caller, I grabbed the handset.
”Yes!” I seethed.
”Jesus, Tempe. Maybe you need to get into some kind of exercise program. You are becoming consistently rude.”
”Where the h.e.l.l are you, Harry?”
”The great state of Jalisco. Buenos noch Buenos noch-”
”Why didn't you tell me about Kit's trouble in Houston?”
”Trouble?”
”The tiny matter of the drug bust!” I was almost shouting.
”Oh, that.”
”That.”
”I really don't believe that was Kit's fault. If it weren't for the pasty-faced little p.r.i.c.ks he was hanging out with, he'd never have gotten involved with that stuff.”
”But he did, Harry. And now he has a police record.”
”But he didn't have to do any jail time. Howard's lawyer got him off with probation and some community service. Tempe, that boy worked at a homeless shelter for five nights, ate there and slept there and everything. I think it gave him a real good understanding of how the less fortun-”
”Did you get him into counseling?”
”It was just wild oats. Kit's fine.”
”He could have a serious problem.”
”He just took to runnin' with the wrong crowd.”
I wanted to explode from sheer exasperation. Then another thought occurred to me.
”Kit is on probation?”
”Yes, that's all. So it didn't seem worth mentioning.”
”What are the terms of his probation?”
”What?”
”Are there restrictions on what Kit is allowed to do?”
”He can't drive after midnight. That's been a real p.i.s.ser. Oh, yeah. And he can't a.s.sociate with criminals.” She said the last with exaggerated drama, then snorted. ”As if he roams with Bonnie and Clyde.”
Harry's inability to grasp the obvious never ceased to amaze me. She talked to houseplants, but had no inkling of how to communicate with her son.
”Are you supervising what he does, whom he sees?”
”Tempe, it's not like the boy's gonna rob a bank.”
”That's not the point.”
”I really don't want to discuss this anymore.”
Harry was a grand master at ”I really don't want to discuss this.”