CHAPTER 46: A MEETING OF THE WHINE

JOAN:

Of all the people in the world, she had to call me. I sigh, thinking of the afternoon I’m in for. My day was going well, for the most part. The relationship between Brian and I isn’t anywhere near where I would like it to be, but I count it as a win that he’s even willing to try at all. It’s ironic that the child Jack and I gave everything to turned out to be the one we should have left to fend for herself. I know that’s a horrible thing to think, but truth is truth. While Brian has grown to expect nothing and be grateful for everything he’s received, Claire is as entitled as ever! Well she can just get over herself because I will not let her mess with my sobriety in any way. I’m finally beginning to love the person I’m becoming; I won’t let her drag me back to the reasons I drank so heavily in the first place.

I step up to the desk sergeant on duty. “Good afternoon, sir. I’m Joan Kinney, here to see Claire Townsend.”

“Okay. May I have your identification please?” he responds.

I dig around in my purse, hoping that I’ve even remembered to pack it. Since I’ve been staying with Tom and Blake for the last seven weeks, I haven’t really needed it as I haven’t gone anywhere that would require it of me. I finally find it in some corner pocket within my purse that I had forgotten was in there, even as I hear the sniveling wench with her screeching screams demand that someone find me immediately.

I look apologetically towards the man typing into his computer. “Sorry for her behavior…”

He smirks at the look on my face. “Don’t worry about it, ma’am. Compared to some of the others we’ve had in here within recent weeks, she’s relatively calm.”

I laugh, despite the circumstances. “I suppose it would be too much to demand the Department issue you all a set of earmuffs as a necessity for this job. By now I probably would have gone so far as to ask for an endless supply of tranquilizer darts.” I startle at what I just said, but even moreso at the fact that he’s outright laughing at my comment.

“That’s not a bad idea. I think I could get all the officers to sign a petition for them,” he says, smiling.

He looks at the screen and prints out the visitor’s pass for me with my picture on it. It’s amazing what technology makes possible these days. Blake and Tom have convinced me that it was time to move into my future, and the fascination I feel staring at this sticky piece of paper is telling me that maybe this is the way to go. Maybe I can learn a new… word that Brian says I can’t use until I learn all its meanings. I feel the laughter bubble inside me as I think of the aghast look on his face when I said the familiar phrase.

“Problem, ma’am?” The desk sergeant asks me.

“No, Officer. Just thinking of something my son said to me a little while ago before I received my daughter’s phone call. We’re connecting in a way we never have.”

“Oh? Well if you don’t mind, I’d like to hear about it sometime.”

“Why?” I ask, suddenly suspicious. I mean, Brian is well-known from what I understand, and I know that he is having trouble with some cases he and Justin have going.

“For no other reason than that I want to know what made your face glow like that.”

I can feel the blush creep up my cheeks as I realize that for the first time since I actually met Martin years ago, I’m being flirted with. It makes me giddy... and it feels so good. So without hesitation, and with a boldness, I don’t think I’ve ever had, I say, “I’d be delighted to tell you over a cup of coffee sometime. It will be nice to make a new friend.”

“Tell you what… after you finish your business here, maybe we can do that?”

I nod once, and turn towards the back of the precinct where there is a gentleman waiting for me. I won’t lie. I have the urge to turn around and see if he’s watching me walk away. It’s strange to actually understand that what I’m feeling after so many years is attraction; I thought I was long past those kind of feelings. I'm an old woman, after all. But what’s even stranger is that the first person I want to tell is Brian. That's new and exciting, and truly welcome after so many years of contempt between us. However I have to put first things first...

While I’m establishing a connection with one child, I must sever the ties that bind with another. The decision to do so doesn’t disturb me as much as I think it should. Perhaps that’s because I now view Claire as the soul-sucking succubus she’s always been. At once, I feel ashamed that I didn’t see it before, too busy drowning in my own sorrows for a lost life that I never had to begin with. But in the next breath, I’m grateful and relieved that I can end Claire’s reign of emotional tyranny over me with a clear conscience.  

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Kinney. My name is Detective Horvath. If possible, I would like to ask you some questions after your visit with your daughter,” he tells me.

“That’s not a problem. In fact, my son suggested that I tell what I know of this whole mess.”

“Oh?” His voice registers his surprise. “I was under the impression that you and Mr. Taylor-Kinney were estranged. Was I informed wrongly?”

I smile in spite of myself. “Up until a few hours ago, you would have been correct, Detective. Brian and I are trying to work out our differences.”

“I wish you well with that. I’ve had my fair share of differences with both of my children as well.”

“And how are you now?” I really need to know the answer to that question. I’ve already made so many mistakes where Brian is concerned; I don’t want to make another.

“We’re all doing alright now. Once I realized that their life choices didn’t have to please me, and that they were happy, it was easier to let go. I think as parents we tend to forget that we can’t live vicariously through our children. They aren’t our chances for a do-over nor to correct the decisions we’ve made within our own lives. But I think the hardest lesson we have to learn is that they aren’t children anymore, and that with that idea comes the realization that the parent-child relationship has to change. It becomes less about discipline and instruction, and more about guidance. I simply made the choice to have faith that I raised them to make the right decisions for their lives, and to be there as a friend and confidant if they needed me.”

“Thank you, Detective.That was just the encouragement I needed. But now, I have to put that same theory into a different kind of practice, don’t I?”

“Sorry to say it, but yes you do. There will certainly be days when you will have to sit back and let your children reap what they have sown. It’s not easy, but necessary for their growth as human beings. Even if they incur a punishment that you would have liked to prevent in any way possible, you have to realize that their choices were not yours and react accordingly.”

We arrive at the room to hear Claire still screeching like a spoiled child. I just look at her while she berates the man who basically holds her future in the palm of his hand. She’s issuing threat after threat, when I hear him tell her that regardless of the information she’d given him before his last meeting, it still wouldn’t let her off the hook for her part in all of this. I have to admit that I’m curious about what she’s told him that she thought would give her a get out of jail free card. That’s when I have an idea, and turn to the man still at my side.

“Detective Horvath, is it possible to record my meeting with Claire?”

He looks at me surprised. “Sure, but why?”

“Because I think I might be able to get the answers you want from her, while answering the ones you may have of me as well. There was a situation a few months ago with Claire and her boyfriend where they came up with a plan to extort money out of my son. It also involved the man who purported to be his best friend. I’d like to ask her about it, but I want her answer recorded. Claire has the awful habit of backpedaling at the most inopportune times. I don’t want that to happen this time.”

“Well the law says that as long as one of the parties know that they are being recorded, it’s admissible in court should it be needed. Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Yes, Detective. Why wouldn’t I?”

“Well if Ms. Townsend holds true to form, as she’s been while she’s been in custody, she’ll do her best to implicate you.”

“That’s fine. Because unlike her, I can prove my lack of foreknowledge about what she’s been doing to her brother. Claire can’t claim the same, which you’ll find out in just a few moments,” I assure him.

He nods at me in understanding. “Give me a few moments to set it up.”

As he moves into the room next door, I tune back into the conversation going on within the interrogation room housing Claire at the moment. “Where the hell is my mother?” she asks. “I called her over an hour ago. It’s not like she has a damn life; she should be here!”

“What makes you think she doesn’t? Didn’t you say that you haven’t been in contact with her for weeks?” DA Carver asks.

“She should have climbed out of the bottom of her bottle by now,” Claire mutters, and it’s then that I get a good look at how she views me. Granted, seven weeks ago, she wouldn’t have been wrong. But I have a problem with her thinking that I should drop everything- including my former life as alcoholic- for her.

“Perhaps she just doesn’t want to get involved in your problems.”

“Bullshit! I’m her daughter. It’s her duty to be here!” And right there is where I’ve had enough!

“I wouldn’t call it duty as much as curiosity,” I say, as I step fully into the room. "Good afternoon. You must be the D.A. handling my wayward daughter's case."

"I am District Attorney Carver, Mrs. Kinney. I'll leave you two alone." He beats a hasty retreat out of the room, and I can only imagine the need for some headache medicine and a bottle of Scotch. As Detective Horvath said, Claire is definitely running true to form.

“It’s about time you got here!” Claire exclaims before turning on the waterworks. “Oh Mother, you wouldn’t believe the mess I’m being wrongly accused of!”

“Oh, I can certainly believe it Claire, since your whole life is one big mess.”

Her tears are immediately replaced with a scowl. “So where were you?”

I shrug, already knowing what my response will spark. “I went to see your brother this morning.”

“Brian? What the hell would you want to go see that child molester for?!”

“I don’t think you are really in a position to throw around that particular accusation.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“It means that while you are sitting in here, lounging about in a holding cell, Brian’s innocence was proven.”

“You call his blond boy-toy proof?”

“I certainly do, considering what you and Craig put little John up to. But what I really want to know is why you would do such a thing to your brother.”

“I don’t know what it is you think you know, but I didn’t do anything!”

“You’re sure you want me to tell all of what I do know, Claire?” I threaten, and relish seeing her eyes become wary. “Actually, I think we should talk about it, since confession is good for the soul.”

“Is it? It’s never seemed to work for you,” she sneers. “And last I looked you aren’t a priest.”

“Be that as it may, I will be happy to tell the detectives investigating you all that I found out this morning unless…”

“Unless what?”

“Unless you tell me all that you know about this mess, especially where Michael Novotny fits into all of this.”

“Why do you want to know?”

“Because it will make all the difference of why I am here. And just why is that, by the way?”

“I need you to hire me a lawyer.”

“Why? I thought you had it all figured out. I mean, aren’t you dating a wealthy man? Shouldn’t he be willing to help you out now?” I know I’m baiting her, but Claire needs to see that she’s responsible for her own poor choices.

“He can’t help me since he’s… you know what. Mother, it’s not important why he can’t help me. The bottom line is that it’s your job, not his.”

Now of course, I could pull a tantrum right now and storm out of here. But that response still wouldn’t get me the results I want. I notice the red light lit up at the corner of the two-way mirror in the room and decide what my next action should be. I move in front of it so that she doesn’t see it before releasing a deep sigh. “Fine, Claire. I’ll hire your attorney, but how am I supposed to pay for it?”

“Ask Brian.”

“No. I will not ask Brian. First, it’s not his job, and secondly, he wouldn’t be allowed to pay your legal fees since he’s the victim on record in this case. Besides what have you ever done for him?”

“And since when do you side with that deviant against me?!”

“I stand for what’s right, Claire. You know that. I don’t claim to be perfect, but what you have done in reference to Brian is most certainly NOT right, no matter how you try to spin it. So before I go off, looking like a fool to hire someone to defend you, I need money for a retainer’s fee and the whole story. Now when did all this mess start and why? And before you think to lie to me again, understand that I know you wouldn’t have ended up in this predicament just from one instance of stupidity and missteps. You’re smarter than that, and more conniving.”

She heaves a huff, knowing that no matter what she tries, I’m not budging this time. “Alright, mother. Since this is the only way to get you to do what I need you to do to help me out of this bind, I’ll tell you what you demand to know.”

“Good. But first tell me where to find the money to pay for your defense attorney.”

“It’s at my house, within the trunk in the bedroom closet.”

“At your house? You kept a large amount of money, in that neighborhood, within your house?! It’s a wonder you and the boys weren’t murdered in your sleep!”

“Oh please, mother. If anyone had even thought that I’d had a stash of forty thousand dollars in that house, I would have moved us out of there long since. People were always too busy trying to maintain their own lives to pay too much attention to mine, which is a really good thing in this case,” she tells me smugly.

“So where did you get it?”

“Well, it was from a combination of sources.”

“And they are?”

“Well what wasn’t provided for me by Craig was given to me by Michael Novotny, Lindsay Peterson and Lance Freeman.”

“For?”

“In Craig’s case, it was to keep his wife from finding out the truth about Peter’s paternity. As for Michael, well he and I have had an understanding since high school. He didn’t want Brian to go off to college leaving him alone, so he would tell Dad about all the things Brian was doing to make himself independent from the family. Dad had given me some of the money he’d taken from Brian since I kept him informed of what Brian would do...well whatever Michael didn’t tell him, that is. The rest came from what I would find that he’d stashed in his room until he was able to get a bank account. Do you know that he’d been saving his money from doing odd jobs in the neighborhood since he was thirteen. Well, since he wouldn’t share willingly as was his duty, I made him.”

She looks so proud of herself, and once again, I feel guilty for protecting her when it was Brian who needed shielding from her and that Novotny nuisance. But now, I need to know where this Lindsay Peterson fits in, along with the other two men she mentioned. “You mentioned Craig, which I sort of know about. But what does Brian’s college friend have to do with anything?”

She shrugs. “Thanks to Michael, I found out quite a bit about her life, including the grandchild you don’t know about.” I gasp, and she smiles innocently and maliciously all at the same time. “Oh, you mean you still don’t know about him? I thought you went to see him today.”

I pull myself together in the way which let’s Claire believe that I’m not flustered in the least. “I did, but that still doesn’t explain what you and Lindsay had going.”

“Well to keep it short and sweet, Mother. Lindsay paid me for my silence, same as the rest. She knew that if you found out about the baby against Brian’s wishes, he would blame her. You see, she’s always been quite hurt and desperate that her parents acknowledge that she has a son. But since it’s with her lesbo lover and my faggot brother, they refuse. Yet, because of our upbringing and your very public condemnation of Brian, he refused to let you know about their son. The problem with Lindsay is that she has the same problem Michael does. Both of them want to be Mrs. Brian Kinney, but he never viewed them like that. I just kept them remaining in hope, and giving them ideas to interfere in the relationship that was developing between Brian and Craig’s son.”

“Who just happens to be your own son’s half brother! Oh Claire, how could you?!”

She laughs. “How could I not, Mother? Brian is everything you should have been proud of me for.”

“What the hell do you mean by that?!”

“If his life wasn’t the hell it was, he would never have clawed and scraped to be better than Jack Kinney. He would have been complacent and kowtowed to the wishes of both of you. But every time he was beaten at my behest, and sometimes even in my stead, he grew even more determined to get out of there. The way I see it, Brian owes me for the life he lives. Without me, he would only be a sorry ass Mick from the wrong side of the tracks instead of the respected businessman he is.”

“So you feel justified in everything you’ve caused to be done to him. What about Justin and Peter? Do you feel that keeping Peter away from people who might have loved him was right?”

She snickered. “My son Peter is another Brian in that he’s destined to do great things. But like Daddy, I can’t allow that to happen. You see, if Peter becomes successful, how do you think that will make me look?”

“Like the silly whore you are!”

“I may be a whore, but I’m not, nor have I ever been just a silly woman. That was your job. By the way, I found out about Martin and told daddy. Oh I know that you never fucked him, but it was easy to make dad think that you might have. That knowledge was a tool I used sparingly, but used it whenever I wanted to see Brian punished for being academically smarter than me. Although I seem to have turned into quite the businesswoman all on my own by using what I’ve got to get what I want. You can hate me for it all you want, but I exhibited the control over people that you never could.”

“And yet, here you are going to jail because of it. If that was your goal, than you’ve achieved the greatness you thought you were entitled to.”

“I won’t be going to jail, Mother. After all, you’re about to hire me a kick-ass defense attorney, one who will undoubtedly find some loophole in the law that will let me off the hook and place blame where it really belongs.”

“And where is that?”

“On you for being the stupid, neglectful mother that you’ve always been. And on the others, for giving me the ammunition to do what I did. Had they not been over-eager to infiltrate areas of Brian’s life they had no business in, I couldn’t have used them to fund my life beyond the scope of my useless ex-husband. But John Townsend, Senior served a purpose since he got me out of living in the same house with you. Had I stayed there, you were bound to find out what i was up to.” She shrugs again.

“Well my dear, I’m happy to tell you that I will not be helping you hire an attorney. You’re going to have to use a legal aid lawyer just as I’m sure Michael Novotny and Lindsay Peterson will have to.” At her scowl, I smile brightly. “You see Claire, while you and I were talking, I had the Detective investigating your case to record everything. That’s right, this stupid woman just got you to admit what you’ve done to Brian by using me, your abusive and incredibly insecure father, and people who were supposed to be his friends. And the best part of it all is that you can’t retract your statement since you were gloatingly giving it while being recorded.”

“What?! That’s illegal!”

“No, it isn’t, dear. As long as one of the parties being recorded are aware of it, everything recorded is admissible in court.” I stand up with a smile on my face. “Enjoy jail, Claire, and get comfortable. You’re going to be here for awhile.”

I walk out the same way I came in. Her screeching has now reached the frequency where dogs can hear it, and it gives me the utmost satisfaction. I’ve done what I can, and now the rest is up to the law. But I have to make a decision about John and Peter’s welfare now. The one good thing is that I still have Claire’s power of attorney- a fact that she has clearly forgotten. In the event that she ever became incapacitated for any reason and couldn’t make any decisions for herself, I become the person to do it. I’m fairly certain that she will also be charged with some form of child abuse, at least regarding Peter in addition to all of the other charges she will be facing.

I have to find the boys at once, and the only way I can do that is to head back to Brian’s office. I can only hope that he would have some idea of what to do now to rescue the children. I may not be in a position to take care of them personally, but I won’t abandon them like I did to Brian so many years ago. Justin was right. I was there physically, but not mentally and emotionally; I won’t make that mistake with my grandsons...any of them!

“Ready to go?” I turn and see the officer from the front desk. He’s changed out of his uniform and once again, I’m struck by how handsome he is. “It occured to me that I hadn’t properly introduced myself before you asked me out.”

I can’t help the smile which I know appears on my face. “Well, who is the strange man I asked out?”

“Officer Richard Tracy Pettigrew at your service, Mrs. Joan Kinney.”

“You’re kidding, right?” I ask as he snickers.

“My parents had a sense of humor and happened to love Dick Tracy. Seems quite fitting since I became a cop so I can’t be mad at them, right?”

I can’t believe how charming this man is! “True, you cannot be mad at them. But something has come up, and I really need to head back to my son’s office. Can we take a raincheck on that coffee?”

“No need. Detectives Horvath and Carver just asked me to drop something off at Kinnetik. And since he approves of me getting out and making new friends, I guess he figured he would help see that happen a little sooner rather than later.”

“Why would you need to? You seem like a pretty outgoing person.”

“I am, but it got me into a bit of trouble once upon a time. It’s how I ended up a desk sergeant instead of returning to the field.” At my look of puzzlement, he continues quietly, “I...I’m a recovering alcoholic. I started drinking because I had to shoot and kill a close friend who I had to arrest for committing a crime. It-uh...it still hurts that it came down to him or me. If you no longer want to go for that coffee, I will understand.”

I take hold of his arm and look up at him. He’s quite tall; even taller than Jack. Instead of that making me scared, it’s actually giving me comfort. “I won’t judge you, Richard. In fact, when you hear my story, you might judge me. Nevertheless, I would love to have coffee with you, but I have to impart some vital information involving my grandsons to my son first. So let’s go do the necessary and have the rest of the afternoon to get to know each other a bit.”

I smile while he nods, and together we leave the precinct heading towards Kinnetik...and leaning towards a new friendship.