by E B Corbin
"He wasn't yet prepped for surgery when we talked to him," Tiffany answered.
"Well, then he was more than likely crazy with pain," Cummings snorted.
"Maybe, maybe not." Tiffany pulled a miniature recorder from her pocket. "We have his confession to the rape of his classmate and to setting the fire which destroyed Roxanne's..." The agent hesitated, looking from Roxanne to Roxy. "Or maybe I should say... Roxy's home."
Roxanne's mouth dropped open at this news. So the psycho teenagers were responsible for the loss of all her worldly possessions. Dammit! Good thing they weren't in the room now. The urge to strangle them overwhelmed her.
"That's insane! My son would never do something like that. And the house burned long before that... that meddling attorney got involved."
"According to Michael, Sean was in the 7-11 when he overheard a discussion between Sandy's mom and the clerk. Mrs. Nelson mentioned that she was going to talk to Roxanne about filing a civil suit. He flipped out and talked Michael into helping him give her a warning. He figured if she lost her house, she'd be too distracted to take on a new client."
"You're talking nonsense." Cummings pulled himself up to his full height which was not quite as impressive as his considerable girth. "I will not stand here and listen to these lies and insinuations."
"Michael's words, not mine." Tiffany raised the manila envelope at her side. "We have Michael's recorded statement and a transcribed copy of it. We're here to file charges against Sean and Michael for arson and assault."
Cummings sputtered. He grabbed Judge Walters arm to swing him around. "You can't endorse this type of railroading."
"I don't have a ball in this game." The judge pulled his arm free from his friend's grip. "It's up to Robbie."
All eyes turned to Sheriff Walters.
"Unless you can prove his statement was made of his free will and not under duress, I don't have to accept your word for it," he said with a smirk.
Tiffany met his smug stare with one of her own. "The statement is signed by two nurses and the doctor who was prepping for the surgery to get the bullet out of Michael's leg. They witnessed the entire confession." She swiveled around to include everyone listening. "And they were completely unbiased."
After a pointed pause, she continued. "We were on our way to pick up Sean when we decided to stop here first and get a local cop to tag along since it is a local matter."
Pete offered to go with them and waited for the sheriff's nod of assent. Sheriff Walters hesitated for so long that the judge jumped in. "For God's sake. Go with them. We can't have any hint of collusion in this matter."
Roxanne fought the impulse to raise her fist in victory. Despite her earlier doubts about the agent, Tiffany had proven she was top-notch; she covered all the bases. If those two little bastards had set fire to her home, they deserved everything they got. She thought of her clothes, her computer, all the lovely furniture Roxy had assembled. Her outrage grew making her more determined than ever to see them face the consequences of their actions.
As far as Judge Walters was concerned, she gave him points for knowing how to cover his ass. At least this time it worked in her favor.
Cummings looked at his old friend in disbelief. "You can't believe what they're saying!"
"Look, Rich, I should never have become involved in this in the first place. I was just doing you a favor. I'm sorry your son is such a fuck-up, but you have to face reality." The judge patted Cummings on the back. "Maybe this will teach him a lesson."
The mayor checked out all the faces in the room, looking for some support--which turned out to be non-existent. With a huff, he stormed out the door, throwing "we'll see about that" over his shoulder.
While the sheriff remained stunned and mute in the doorway, the judge issued directives. "You three should get moving if you plan to arrest Sean. Rich might use his connections to help the boy disappear."
Callahan nodded at Tiffany and Ron and told them to go; Pete joined them as they went out the door.
With all the recent departures much of the tension left the room. Roxanne maneuvered around the sheriff to join her mother. She hoped he forgot he was in the middle of arresting her when they were interrupted. But with Tiffany's bombshell, even Sheriff Walters had to admit defeat.
All eyes turned to the entrance when Bud pushed through. "What?" As he scanned the room he must have picked up the uncomfortable vibes. "Did I miss something?"
When no one answered, he shrugged and addressed the sheriff. "I dropped Sean off like you told me, boss, but his truck wouldn't start. He left the radio blaring when they parked it... dumb, I know. Anyway, he was waiting for Cooper's Garage to come and give him a jump. I didn't think you wanted me to hang around."
The sheriff suddenly came out of his trance. Ignoring the significance of what had transpired, he tried for a semblance of normalcy. "No, you did the right thing. I'm glad you're back. We need someone to run over to Mel's place to get dinner for those two Irish guys in the cell."
"Sure thing. Whatever you want." Bud brightened at his words, obviously relieved at the chance to escape from the scene.
Roxy twisted in the plastic chair, trying to find a position to ease her back. Callahan used her discomfort as an excuse to arrange for their getaway. "Sheriff, I don't think you need anything from these two ladies right now. If you have no objection, I'll see they get home."
Roxanne jumped up, ready to go. Roxy took a bit longer to rise, trying to hide her pain. When Callahan offered her a hand, she accepted it with a grateful smile.
"Oh, Roxy, before you go," Judge Walters called. "I'd like to say I'm glad you're alive."
"Thank you, Judge. So am I," she answered without turning around.
The judge waltzed over and held the door for Callahan and the two women.
Roxy rubbed her lower back when they were on the street. "Jesus, I thought we'd never get out of there."
"At least it all worked out," Callahan said. "How's your back?"
"Sore... I guess I need to get used to it. The rehab guy said it would take some time." She let him help her into the rear seat of the SUV.
They passed Sean's pickup, still sitting on the side of the road about a half-mile from Roxy's cabin. It stood empty, an abandoned shell with one door hanging open.
"Looks like they managed to get here in time," Roxanne observed.
"We can only hope," Callahan said.
When they arrived at the cabin, he followed them inside. "I need to run over to Gramps place to feed the chickens and also need to get someone in there to handle the daily chores. I'll check with Tiffany about Sean while I'm at it. Will you be all right here until I'm done?"
"I have my car," Roxanne said. "I'm not helpless."
"I know, but I'd feel better if you stayed with Roxy 'til I get back."
"No problem," Roxy said. "She can wait. We have some things to discuss, so you can take your time."
- 34 -
In spite of the cabin's ideal setting--deep in the snow- covered woods where no one could eavesdrop on their conversation--Roxanne dreaded hearing what her mother was about to say.
The aroma of the soup Roxy had started earlier permeated the space. Roxanne was hungry; the tantalizing smells should have reassured her. Instead, she found it impossible to relax.
Roxy headed for the stove and stirred the contents in the pot. Then she tasted it. "It's still okay. Good thing I had all the vegetables chopped before we left. Just needs a little extra water."
Her daughter leaned against the counter watching her movements. Somehow, she never pictured her as a homemaker. "Where'd you learn to cook?"
"Why, at my mother's knee. Where else?" Roxy blurted the words before she realized their significance. "Sorry. I guess you can't say the same."
"Maureen relied a lot on take-out, but she had a few special dishes she taught me."
"Yeah, that sounds like her. My sister never took to cooking even though our mother tried her best to get both of us interest
ed." Roxy shrugged. "I guess some people just aren't made for the kitchen."
"I think I'm one of them."
Roxy eyeballed her. "It's never too late to learn."
After throwing her parka on a chair in the living area, Roxanne took a deep breath. She needed to know more about her future in Oilville and her mother held the keys. "So, you wanted to talk."
"Yes, I do. I need to make sure you understand some things about me." Roxy stirred the soup one more time and set aside the wooden spoon. As she joined her daughter in the living area, she said, "This may take a while."
Roxanne perched on the arm of the sofa as her mother began pacing.
"You should know that if that hopped-up idiot Sean had his finger anywhere close to the trigger of his gun I would have blasted him without a second thought."
"I kind of figured that," Roxanne said. "You looked dead serious. That probably helped convince Sean to give it up."
She stopped pacing and turned to her daughter. "You should also know that it wouldn't have been the first time for me."
"I assumed as much." She shifted as her mother stepped to the window and gazed out at the frosty forest surrounding them. She remembered how Roxy had shrugged off the death of those three IRA thugs at the farmhouse where they held her. Not that she felt any remorse about them, either. But was she becoming immune to killing? That wasn't what she wanted to be.
As if following her train of thought, Roxy said, "I know you hate the idea of anyone dying. You must feel awful about what happened with Luke, but you did what you had to do. Keep believing you did the right thing no matter how much guilt tries to take over." She swung around to face the younger woman. "I don't feel bad about the explosion. I can't afford to regret anything I've done. But I do have qualms about what it's done to you."
Roxanne took a moment to answer. "I'll admit that I felt responsible for Luke's death at first. But lately, the nightmares come less often. Sometimes I manage to forget about it altogether. I just wish I could forget about Chester the same way."
"And Seth. I wasn't even aware that he was behind the cabin." Roxy glanced around as if she expected some evildoer to jump out at them. "I know the state police are looking into it, but I doubt they'll find anything."
"Do you have any idea who did it? Could it have been Conor and Niall?"
"No way. Those two don't go around killing for no reason. It was probably those damn McCarthys when they grabbed me," Roxy said.
"Well, that's something I can't worry about." Roxanne finally seated herself on the sofa. "I'm sorry about Seth but I have too much else on my mind right now. Pete and the state cops can handle it."
"That's a healthy attitude. I'm afraid my life has been a bit more... volatile than yours." Roxy stared into the cold fireplace. "When your father was killed, I lost any sense of right and wrong. I vowed to even out the score." She snorted a laugh. "I did more than that."
"You had a good reason." Roxanne wasn't sure how to respond. Did she want to hear about her mother's outrageous past? It wouldn't change much now. Still, every bit she learned about Roxy increased her understanding of the woman who had given birth to her.
"The first time, it wasn't just one or two of them. Conor and I hit ten of them at once."
"You..."
Roxy held up her hand. "They were building bombs to set off in various police stations, pubs and a few automobiles. The plan was for ten of them to spread out and set off all the bombs at the same time. They wanted to make a statement that couldn't be overlooked. Conor and I tried to figure out a way to stop them.
"Prior to this, we managed to neutralize a bomb here and there. It worked out fine when there was just one bomb at a time. No one was hurt by our actions, in fact we prevented some tragedies. And the bombmakers were blamed for the screw-ups we caused. We were home free."
She didn't pause long enough for daughter to express an opinion. "But when we were called in to help set up ten bombs, we knew we couldn't be in all those places at once. So, the first chance we had, we messed with the timing devices--set them to go off sooner than expected. Then we offered to pick up some beer for everyone in the abandoned warehouse they were using as a staging area. We weren't sure it would work, but it did. The warehouse and all the bombmaking paraphernalia were incinerated. We killed ten men in that one blast. We barely escaped ourselves."
As Roxanne opened her mouth to speak, her mother held up her hand again. "Wait... there's more." She chewed on her lower lip. "I thought I'd be thrilled when we succeeded, but I nearly drowned in guilt, instead. I knew those men. Some were family men with kids and wives waiting for them. Some were barely out of their teens, young punks who didn't really understand the consequences of their actions. Conor lied to the head of our chapter when we were questioned. I don't know what he told them but he covered our asses so well that no one suspected us. The leader of our group lost some of his most experienced men that night. The bombings stopped for several months."
She gazed into the middle of the room with unseeing eyes. "But I couldn't escape my deep depression. Conor stood by me the whole time. He eventually helped me accept that what we did prevented an even bigger loss of life. Every time I began to waver, he reminded me of the people we saved. I owe him for that."
"You don't need to justify your actions to me," Roxanne said. Shock at her mother's admission fought with compassion.
"Oh, but I do. You see, I felt so guilty about that explosion, I wrote to my sister looking for some sort of forgiveness. When Maureen received that letter, she wrote back that I was a lost cause and she would never agree to hand you back to a killer. She insisted I stay out of your life and make no attempt to contact you." Roxy studied the planked floor at her feet. "If I didn't, she was going to turn my letter over to the authorities. I was angry at her, but deep down, I knew she was right."
"So that must have been the misunderstanding she mentioned." At that moment, Roxanne found forgiveness in her heart for the woman who had raised her under a false pretext and fed her constant lies. Maureen had only acted out of concern for her welfare. She had always been opposed to violence of any kind, so from her perspective, she had done the right thing.
Roxanne needed to call Maureen and begin the healing process. It would be easier now that she understood the reasoning behind the deception and lies.
Roxy continued without commenting on the disagreement with her sister. "I couldn't just give up all contact with you, even though I knew I owed that much to Maureen. Without a second thought, she took on the responsibility of raising you. But when I came back to this area, I started following you whenever I could. You were all I had left of Aiden and I needed that connection. I'm sorry if I messed things up between you and Maureen."
"We'll get over it," her daughter assured her. "But I still need to know..."
"Hold that thought," Roxy shivered in her unbuttoned coat. "I need to get some wood for the fireplace. I'll be right back."
With so much whirling through Roxanne's mind, the shuffling sounds from the porch barely registered. When she finally paid more attention, she realized Roxy might need some help bringing in the logs.
As she approached the door to assist, it swung open.
- 35 -
Sean held a hunting knife to Roxy's throat as he stood on the porch, twitching. Roxy looked furious at her predicament; she ignored the nick near her ear and the blood that had started to dribble down her neck.
"Inside, bitch," Sean slurred.
Roxanne stepped aside, wondering if she could overpower him as he entered. But the knife was too close to Roxy's carotid artery to take the chance. "What the hell do you want now?"
Sean's pinpoint pupils looked her up and down while the hand holding the knife trembled. "To teach you a lesson."
"Let her go." Roxanne jerked her chin towards her mother.
"No way. This old lady almost killed me last time." Sean's rapid-fire speech gave his impaired condition away as much as his eyes and body shakes.
&
nbsp; "What are you on?" Roxanne asked.
"None of your damn business!" Sean's voice rose to a screech. He pushed Roxy ahead of him, keeping the knife in position.
"Don't do anything he says," Roxy told her. "He's twice as high as he was before."
"Shut the fuck up!" Sean's head darted right and left several times. "Who else is here?"
"No one, just the two of us." Roxanne kept her voice level even though she wanted to scream at the teenage idiot. "What the hell do you want?"
"I want you to sit down over there." Sean nodded at the straight-backed chair he'd been tied to earlier. He kept one hand on Roxy's elbow with the other poised at her neck.
Roxanne held up both hands to acquiesce while she backed into the living area. Sean followed, kicking the door closed with his foot. When it popped open again because of the broken hinge, he kicked it one more time before ignoring it. "Sit down," he ordered her.
"Hell no. Not till you let her go." Roxanne hoped her fake bravado worked.
"I'll slit her neck before I do that." Sean nudged Roxy ahead of him. As his tremors intensified, fresh nicks increased the flow of blood dripping down Roxy's neck.
Since he favored his bad knee more with each step, Roxanne feared he would accidentally slit her mother's throat if he kept shuffling around. "Why don't you sit down? Your knee is bothering you."
He snorted. "Yeah, my goddam knee ain't worth shit anymore, thanks to you! I told you to sit!"
If she sat, she'd be at a disadvantage. Her mind searched for a solution as she froze in place.
"I said sit, bitch!"
"Okay, okay, calm down." Roxanne took a step forward speculating whether she could get in position to knock him to the floor. It was no use. With the knife resting on Roxy's neck, any angle she tried could result in her death.
Sean's eyes twitched while his head jerked, searching the space. "Where's the gun?"