Page 127 of A Lesson for Laurel

“What do you want to do?” Abe asked.

“It’s your call,” he told his cousin. “It’s your house.”

“And your father.”

“Why does life have to be so complicated?” he asked. “My first reaction is to take him away. But he doesn’t have shit. He’s going to sit in a cell and might get cleaned up, but that is money and resources that the police don’t have time for and nothing will change in my father’s life.”

“Do you think you can change anything at this point?” Abe asked. “Is that what you’re thinking?”

“I don’t know what to think. I don’t know that putting him in a cell is the answer, but I don’t want him coming back here.”

“I don’t think he will. Why not talk to him and find out what is going on?”

“I don’t want Luke sitting around. But then if Luke leaves what are we doing with my father? I’m not driving him anywhere. I didn’t even want him to hear that I was next door with Laurel.”

“Good point,” Abe said. “This is your choice. I’ll send Luke back here.”

Luke returned. “Did you decide?”

“I don’t want to hold you up,” he said. “But I’d like to talk to him. I just don’t know what to do with him. I don’t know where he lives or how he got here.”

“I can take him somewhere, no worries,” Luke said. “It might put the fear into him anyway. Give me his name and I’m going to run a background on him. He might have an outstanding warrant and it’s out of your hands. I gave you this courtesy first.”

“Thanks for that. Justin Cooke. Middle initial is T.”

“I’ve patted him down and he’s got zip ties on. I’ll take them off once you let me know what is going on.”

He didn’t want to see that but understood it was procedure too.

Luke walked out the front door to his squad car.

“You’re letting me go?” his father said.

“Not yet,” he said. “It’s really out of my hands. He’s running a background on you. If you have any warrants he has no choice but to take you in.”

“Nothing,” his father said.

He didn’t believe it but would find out soon enough. “Is Mom really alive and sick?”

“No,” his father said.

“No, she’s not alive or no, she’s not sick?”

“Alive,” his father said. “She passed away two years ago.”

He wasn’t sure how he felt about that. “Did you know my father died?” Abe asked. “Your brother?”

“No,” his father said. “No one told me.”

“We didn’t know where you were,” Easton said. “It’s not as if you’ve wanted to keep up with what was going on in your son’s life.”

His father only nodded his head. “I wasn’t the best parent.”

“Not even close,” he said. “You never cared one bit about me.”

“It was the drugs,” his father said. “Your mother got me on them and I haven’t been able to kick them. I’ve tried and it’s not easy.”

“Where are you living?” he asked.

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