Jack lay in his bed at home, propped some upright by pillows. He was so weak, he could barely even feed himself anymore. Irene was there by his side all the time, feeding him and caring for him. A stay-at-home nurse was also now living in the house.
One morning, Jack asked Irene to call their family attorney and for a federal agent.
"Why?," Irene asked, very confused.
"Irene, there's something that I need to do," Jack said. "Please do this. It is very important."
Two hours later; Irene, the family attorney, and a federal agent were at the bedside."
"Agent Callahan, my client wishes to make a confession in a cold case from years ago," the attorney said. "His doctors have ordered him to stay in bed, which is why we asked you here. He does not have much longer to live and wishes to do this before he does pass on."
Callahan nodded.
"Go on, Jack," Irene said.
Jack took a deep breath.
"I, John David Marston Junior, wish to confess," Jack said. "In nineteen-fourteen, I killed Edgar Ross near the San Luis River on the Mexican side of the border. I did it because I believed that his death, especially at my own hands, would relieve my pain and make me happy. However, it only worsened my pain a little. I knew that my father would never have wanted that for me. He wanted me to live a good life. This has eaten away at me since that very day. I wish I could take it back, but I cannot. I am making this confession of my own volition. I am not being coerced or threatened in any way. This is the truth; so help me, God."
Callahan stood there. He looked at Irene and the attorney. "We need to record this on video," he said. "It will have to go into the file."
"Of course," the attorney said.
In the living room, the attorney told Callahan, "Do it today. Doctors don't expect him to live out the week."
That evening, the confession was officially recorded and filed.
Once they were alone again, Irene asked Jack why he had chosen to confess after all these years.
"It's like I said, I thought it would ease my pain to kill him," Jack explained. "But it did not. I could almost hear my father screaming at me to stop. It was as if he screamed in my ear every day asking what the hell had I done."
"Jack, it's common for people to feel that," Irene said. "You were angry, depressed, and confused. You thought the only way to ease your pain was to eliminate the source of your pain. That was Edgar Ross, who you blamed for John's death. This is what any psychiatrist would say about you."
Jack smiled. "You read too many of those books," he said.
"I wanted to understand you better," Irene said. "I always loved you, Jack, from the moment I saw you look at me."
Jack stroked Irene's hair. "I love you, Irene," he said. "I love you more than anything at all."
2
