Family Secrets

by Ronnie Ashmore

  Mike was feeling awkward listening to this conversation, He had too many questions about this situation, but he didn’t have any more answers than Parks did. Parks looked at Morgan and spoke again.

  “I want you to know, I hold no ill will toward the police. If it happened the way you boys say it happened, then you had no choice. I’m sorry he robbed Smith’s Market, and sorry he put you in a situation where you needed to put him down.”

  Parks statement took both officers by surprise, though neither let it show. “Put him down” is not the statement you would expect a loved one to make about their family getting killed. It was the kind of thing someone would say about a stray dog or rabid animal. Mike and Morgan thanked Parks for his time and walked back to the pickup. Mike was troubled by this whole visit plus they still knew nothing. Mike said as much to Morgan as he backed out of the driveway. Morgan said nothing.

  6

  “Well, it’s a puzzle.” Chief Tolliver said. The two had returned to the police department and were now in the Chief’s office relaying to him their visit to Parks. Morgan was leaning against the door jamb going into the hallway, Mike was standing against the file cabinets again. The Chief was in his chair behind his desk thinking, as evidenced by his rubbing his chin.

  He got up and walked down the hall toward the Lieutenant’s office with Mike and Morgan following. Lieutenant Williams was in his office working on files. He looked up as the three walked in.

  “What’s wrong now?” Williams asked, he had files in both hands and his reading glasses were sitting low on his nose. Williams had twelve years in with the department, a former star quarterback at Colby High School and a starter for Texas Tech University football team in college he was well liked, but more importantly he was respected by the citizens in the city. He was the heir apparent for the Chief’s job if Tolliver ever retired. Before the Chief could respond the secretary came into the hallway from her cubicle telling Tolliver that he had a visitor in the lobby.

  The Chief walked to the lobby entrance door and opened it and thought he recognized the man standing waiting on him. He looked as if he had not worn the suit he had on in quite some time and his shoes were scuffed and worn down. The man just looked uncomfortable in his own skin, Tolliver thought. The stranger saved the moment from being awkward by introducing himself.

  “Chief, I’m Toby Parks. I drove here from Dallas to claim my son.”

  Tolliver thought the man’s phrase was odd, but let it pass as he led him down the hallway to his office. As they passed the Lieutenant’s office Mike caught a quick glimpse of the man whose son he had killed.

  Morgan followed them down the hall and offered Toby Parks a seat as he sat in the other one.

  Settling in the chair in front of the Chief’s desk Toby Parks waited for the Chief to sit down.

  “Can I see my son?”

  Tolliver explained about James Parks being taken for autopsy and how he would be notified when the body was released.

  “I assume you’ll be having the services here?” Tolliver asked, meaning the funeral.

  “I’ll have him transferred to Dallas. That’s his home.” Toby Parks did not volunteer any more information than necessary to convey his point. It was aggravating to Tolliver.

  Tolliver nodded with understanding he wasn’t sure he felt. “His grandfather told us he had moved over here just this past week. Why?”

  “Jamey, James, has been…had been acting strange for the past couple of months. Kept talking about coming to Colby and doing things right. He never told me what that might be.”

  Toby got up to leave and Tolliver followed him down the hall back to the lobby. “I guess you’ll be staying over at your mom and dad’s place if we need you for anything?”

  “I’ll be at the Colby Inn until I get the paperwork done on Jamey. Then I’ll head back.” With that Toby Parks left the office and left Tolliver rubbing his chin.

  While Tolliver was standing there, Ranger Murphy came in the building. Tolliver filled Murphy in on what was happening as the two men were walking back to Tolliver’s office. Mike joined in in the middle of their conversation and listened intently. It was odd that the son no one had seen since his high school days would not visit his parents. And why was his son in Colby less than a week and why did he end up dead? These were the questions the Chief was talking to Murphy about as Murphy sat down in the same chair as he did the day before.

  “I had the lab stop the phone dump after we found out who he was. I can start that again, if you want?” Murphy asked after Tolliver voiced his concerns.

  Tolliver agreed they should. “I don’t think we know the truth of any of this, yet. The shooting is your investigation, but the armed robbery is a Colby investigation. I think we need to dig into this a little more.”

  Tolliver looked at Mike, “You staying outta this investigation?” Mike looked at the Ranger and then nodded his head. Mike knew that Tolliver was keeping the Ranger at arms-length regarding Mikes’ role so far in the investigation. Although, Mike wasn’t sure there was anything else to investigate since the Ranger was in charge of the shooting.

  “That’s good, You and your officers look at the other aspects of what happened, Chief, and let me do my job.” Murphy said, as he got up and left the room with a promise to check back when the phone results were in.

  Mike remained silent as Lieutenant Williams and Captain Morgan walked in the room.

  “Have any of you boys ever been to the Parks’ house before or even been inside?” Tolliver asked. Everybody looked around the room at each other, nobody responded. Mike had worked for Parks for nearly five years in high school and was the only one of the group who had worked for him. “You worked for him all those years, what about you, Mike?” Tolliver asked.

  “Today with Captain makes twice.”

  Tolliver continued to stare at the top of his desk. He felt, no, he knew something was odd with this whole incident. His years as a police officer were telling him to look beyond what they were being shown by the family. He just didn’t know yet how to see beyond where they were looking. It was a strange family dynamic with Toby not wanting to be at the parents’ house while his son’s body was being held up. Then you have James Parks, whom he couldn’t remember ever meeting, coming back to Colby to live with grandparents he didn’t really know. The whole thing was odd. Tolliver said as much to the officers gathered in the room.

  Finally, gathering his thoughts he looked up, “I want to know everything about these people. Why are they this way? George Parks is one of the prominent businessmen in this town, how come nobody seems to really know him beyond the store? I have known him longer than anyone in this room, and he’s a stranger to me too.”

  The officers walked out of the office with a new task at hand as Tolliver sat back in his chair thinking over this whole situation. Tolliver grew up in Colby, and would no doubt die in Colby. He considered Colby his town. He loved the people and the history of this little stretch of Texas. He turned his chair toward the window and stared outside.

  7

  After Mike, Morgan, and Williams left the Chief’s office it was decided that Mike would look into the things the Chief wanted done concerning Parks since he had the extra time. Mike woke early this morning to get a jump on the task. He was feeling unsure what he should do first, so he decided on a plan. He would visit the Parks’ house first thing this morning and talk to the young girl that he had seen yesterday. He didn’t even know her name, but he would ask when he got there.

  Strange that in a city where it seemed most people knew, or at least knew of, everyone that he didn’t know anybody in the family but George Parks. He worked for Parks, but he didn’t socialize with any of the family. When Mike was hired at the police department, he told Parks he was going to the police academy and would be leaving the hardware store. Parks was not happy or mad, just indifferent. He had told Mike there was no need for a two-week notice and to leave the keys on the counter when he left that day. Nothing more wa
s said. Mike had shopped at the big store outside town if he needed hardware stuff since that day.

  Mike decided to locate the daughter who was still around town by the end of the day. He grabbed his pickup keys and headed out.

  He drove to the Parks’ house and pulled into the long driveway. As he approached the house, he noticed the young girl outside hanging laundry out on the clothesline in the side yard. He checked his watch it was barely eight in the morning. He parked and walked up to the girl. It was a warm morning but under the shade of the pecan trees blocking the sun it felt much cooler.

  “Morning! I don’t think we ever met officially. I’m Mike Collins with the Colby Police Department. I met you yesterday. You remember?”

  The girl carried on with her chores and did not acknowledge that Mike was even there, much less had spoken. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye but said nothing. This was awkward, Mike thought. The girl was maybe nineteen and as Mike watched her work, he could tell something was off in her manner. He did not know what it was and would not be able to explain it if asked.

  “Is anyone else here that I could visit with?”

  He waited a few seconds. Mike turned to walk away when the girl spoke, “Ain’t s’pose to talk to strangers. You’re a stranger.”

  She had a slow, halting way of speaking that Mike decided was due to some sort of special needs. Her voice was soft and barely above a loud whisper, like she was afraid someone would hear her talking to a stranger. It was his turn to stay silent as he didn’t know how to respond, or even if a response was needed. She went back to work and said nothing, Mike let the silence last until it was uncomfortable.

  “My name’s Lydia. What’s yours?” she asked, never stopping her task of moving down the line to hang clothes.

  “Mike. I’m a police officer.” He said, introducing himself again. He stood still, not following her as he didn’t want to scare her.

  “Police shot my friend.” She looked him straight in the face for the first time. He felt his own face flush a little. She referred to James Parks as a friend, was this girl related to the Parks’ family or not? Mike didn’t know.

  “How old are you, Lydia?”

  “Eighteen. How old are you?”

  Mike smiled and avoided the question. Instead, he decided to leave her alone for now. He didn’t know what else to ask this girl and didn’t want to scare her. Lydia was almost through hanging out laundry anyway and Mike didn’t want to follow her to the house. He said goodbye and promised to talk to her again soon and walking away he felt bad for the young girl, but he didn’t know why.

  He got back to the pickup and starting the engine he noticed her waving to him. He waved back. He decided to look other places for the answers he needed. He knew there was no choice but to go to the Colby Inn to try and talk to Toby Parks. He was not looking forward to this, but it needed to be done.

  The Colby Inn was a run-down, two story motel that catered to the less stable people in town. It was a constant source of problems to the police due to the addicts and drunks and fights and transient people who passed through. The tourists who came through town and the people who stayed in Colby for business never stayed at the Colby Inn.

  The desk clerk told Mike that Parks was in room 220, which was on the backside of the building. Mike drove around and parked in a vacant spot close to the room number. The room was on the second floor of the building. He sat there gathering his nerves for a minute then walked up the metal stairs to the door of the room.

  His knock was answered half a minute later. The smell of stale beer and cigarettes wafted through the door taking Mike by surprise. He took a step sideways and glanced inside the room from the doorway and noticed an open case of Lone Star Beer on the table by the window. It appeared several were missing, and cans littered the carpeted floor of the room.

  “Can I help you?”

  Parks looked like he was still feeling the effects of the beer he had drank. Mike introduced himself and asked if he could answer some questions. Parks stepped aside to let him in and Mike silently cussed. He did not want to go into that enclosed room with those smells. He entered the room.

  Upon entering the room Mike determined it was not last night’s beer that was the reason for the glassy eyed appearance of Toby Parks, instead he had an open beer on the bed side table and an unopened one beside it. Parks picked up the opened beer and took a long drink. Mike noted the time on the clock beside the unopened beer, not even nine- thirty yet. Mike looked at Parks and decided not to judge him harshly. He didn’t know how he would react if he was in Toby’s position, but he did know he had drunk a whole bottle of Jack Daniels after the shooting.

  “Mister Parks, I got some questions. But first can you tell me why you stayed away from Colby for all these years?”

  “That’s what you want to know?” Parks sat on the edge of the bed he rubbed his hands through his hair, he looked up at Mike. “I had no reason to come back. Not really. I didn’t get along with my folks. Couldn’t stand my sisters.” Parks said, taking a sip of beer.

  “What was your son doing here in Colby if you hated the city so much?”

  “I don’t hate the city. I just hate some of the things in the city. I haven’t got any good childhood memories of this place that I can recall. I ain’t suppose to talk to you about this, but...”

  It was a rough life growing up in that house with that man. George was Mister Friendly at the hardware store but a tyrant at home. He made life hard on Toby and his sisters to the point where the day after Toby graduated from Colby High he took off for Dallas and hardly ever looked back. He married a good woman had a good life working in the industrial business and was living the dream. His wife died a year ago from a brain aneurism out of the blue, she had never been sick before, and now his son was shot down by the police for something Toby did not think a son of his would ever do.

  Jamey had signed up to go into the Army in a few weeks. He had found his cousins online a few months back and started texting them. He kept talking about setting things right before going to the Army.

  “Next thing I knew, he was telling me he was moving here to stay with my Dad until he left for the service. I tried to talk him out of it, but kids, you know?” Toby said.

  Mike understood somewhat. He didn’t have kids and had never married, but he had seen and heard stories like this one over and over again in this job. A parent who was a terror to his children but loved by everyone else.

  “What does ‘setting things right’ mean?” Mike asked.

  “I don’t rightly know. I have not been the most attentive father, you know.” Parks said, taking a longer drink from his beer can.

  Standing there in this trashed out motel room and looking at this man who had lost a wife and a son so close together, Mike felt a little sympathy for Toby Parks, in spite of that he also knew he was being lied to. He couldn’t define what the lie was, but he knew it was there. There was just enough truth to satisfy the curiosity but not to reveal the real story.

  “Do you know where your sisters are living now?”

  Toby said he had not talked to either of his sisters in years.

  Mike thanked the man and left. He had an uneasy feeling about Toby Parks, he just didn’t know why.

  8

  Now sitting in the Chief’s office relaying all that occurred this morning Tolliver silently listened. Lieutenant Williams and Captain Morgan joined them as Mike finished telling about his morning.

  “Last I heard Christine was living out in the county in a trailer that she was renting. She should be in the system, I arrested her before for drugs.” Williams said.

  Mike silently kicked himself. If you wanted to know where someone was living you always check internal records. He just assumed Christine Parks had never been in trouble before. Mike made a mental note not to assume anything anymore. Williams left the office to go look for an address.

  Tolliver dismissed everyone with a directive to keep looking. Mike went to
Williams office and waited. Williams printed an address from the computer and grabbed his hat and told Mike to follow.

  They got in the Lieutenant’s patrol unit and pulled out of the parking lot headed south.

  “I’ve known Christine for a long time. She was a nice girl in school, silent though. Kept to herself a lot.” Williams said.

  Mike looked at the printout the Lieutenant had brought with him. According to her arrest sheet Christine Parks was thirty-five years old and judging by the three-year old picture, it had been a rough thirty-five years. Last arrest was when the jail photo was taken, she was arrested for methamphetamine possession, charges were dropped by the District Attorney.

  “She was a good-looking girl at one time, Mike. I don’t recall her ever having a boyfriend though, many boys wanted to go out with her, including me, she had the reputation that she was easy, you know.”

  Easy. Meaning she was sexually active. He looked at the picture again. Hard to imagine boys clamoring over the image captured in the mugshot.

  The rest of the ride was in silence. They turned off the highway onto a dirt road. A single wide trailer could be seen on the left as they topped the first hill. A blue car was in what passed for a driveway that wound its way from the dirt road up to the trailer house as Williams parked his car behind it.

  Dogs came out from under the trailer and started barking at the strangers. The front door came open. In the doorway was a female who looked older than her birthdate on the police report. She had on short shorts, a tank top, and flip flops, a cigarette in the fingers of one hand and a long neck beer bottle in the other. Her short hair was sweat soaked and clung to her scalp as the temperature was hot outside and probably hotter in the metal trailer house.