Detective Goren comes to work at his own home ...
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CHAPTER FOUR: Together
Pandora's Box
Bobby left Connie and Alex in the living room alone while he went back into the kitchen to make the coffee. He stood leaning over the pot thinking about Pandora's Box. He was versed in so many subjects … he was flipping through the Dewey Decimal System in his brain to pull up the correct book on Greek Mythology. He recalled the story of Pandora and smiled. He was taking too long, so Alex came to find out why.
"Bobby?"
He turned to face her.
"Yeah, babe?"
"Don't you know that staring at the pot, s'not gonna make the coffee any faster?"
She knew his mind was on overdrive and he knew she was teasing.
"Yeah … I was just thinking about Pandora. Do you remember the story?"
"I remember that the box was filled with evil."
"It was a jar actually. Alex rolls her eyes. It was filled with evils, ills, diseases, and burdensome labor, but and it's a big but … at the bottom of the jar was hope … hope, Alex. We'll get through this."
"Together … we'll get through this together."
He kisses his wife … a very sweet kiss. He pulls back and looks directly into her eyes and moves the strands of hair behind her ear.
"That should have been part of our vows … we do everything together."
"It was part of our vows, Bobby … the part that said, 'I now pronounce you, husband and wife."
"Remind me to call Deak and thank him."
"Hey … I'm the one that married you."
"He's the one that made it legal, besides … I'll thank you later."
She gave him a hip check and poured the coffee … it was time to get serious again … he was ready. They walked out to the living room together to find Haley on Aunt Connie's knee. When she saw her parents she reached up for them.
Alex set the coffee down and picked Haley up. "I'm going to check on the kids … if you need me … just call."
Connie and Bobby both nodded. Alex bent down, to a now seated Bobby, placed a kiss on top of his head and went off to take care of the kids.
Bobby grabbed his binder and opened it up. He reached for his pen and asked Connie if she was ready.
"You are a lefty … aren't you?"
"Yes … Brady wasn't. I would have noticed."
"No … my father was … your Grandfather."
Bobby nodded and took a deep breath. He was thinking, maybe he wasn't ready for this. Something seemingly little, like left-handedness was already putting him on the edge … my Grandfather … shit.
"Will you excuse me for one second?"
"Of course."
He ran up the steps two at a time … Alex could hear him coming. When he reached the children's room, he started "the Bobby routine." He paced, looked to the floor and rubbed the back of his neck. Alex let him complete a few cycles of this and then stepped in his path … he nearly ran over her.
"Sorry."
"No problem … what happen?"
"My Grandfather was left-handed."
"It is hereditary … isn't it?"
"Yeah … so isn't alcoholism and and …"
"NO! Not that … bull shit … NOT THAT!"
He shook his head and went back down stairs. He sat back down on the couch and once again grabbed his binder.
"Sorry about that, I just wanted to check in on Alex and the Trips. Tell me about your parents."
He cracked his neck, looked her in the eyes and she noticed a change in him … Alex would have seen it … It was Detective Goren … he left Bobby upstairs … he had to.
"Well … your Grandfather …"
He corrected her. "Your father."
"Yes … my father … was a steel mill worker. A hard worker, but always put his family first. He worked nine to five. Bobby looked up. He always made it home for dinner. He loved my mother from the day he met her to the day she died."
"She died first?"
"Yes."
"When was that?"
"1968."
"Really … whaa … what happened?"
"It was a car accident … a drunk driver hit her. She died on impact."
"How did this effect the family … in your opinion."
"Mark was already gone at that point. He wasn't writing … I didn't know where he was or what he was doing. He had dropped out of the family a long time before that."
"Okay … lets go back to the early years. You said that Brady hurt you when he was fifteen … lets go back before that."
"Before the age of fifteen?"
"Yes … before you noticed a change in him."
Connie smiled … she was remembering a brother that was kind and sweet …after the age of fifteen … that changed.
"He was a great big brother. He would let me tag along with his friends … he would take me fishing and to the movies."
"And then what?"
Connie shook her head … "I don't know."
"Yes you do."
"I tell you … I don't!"
She stood up and went to the window. He turned to watch her movements … her back was to him, but he could tell that she was beginning to cry.
"Connie?"
"One of my mother's relatives from out of town came to visit … she was young and pretty … she paid close attention to Mark."
"She?"
"Yes … she."
"What was she like."
"She was what you might call a hippy?"
"A hippy?"
"She was different than us … her clothes, her hair … the way she spoke."
"How did she speak."
"She laughed a lot. I always thought that she was on drugs … I caught her and Mark alone once."
"Alone … how?"
Connie turned ten shades of red. "You know what alone means, Robert."
He nodded and jotted the information down.
"Then what."
"I'm not sure if my parents found out or if she just decided to move on, but she left."
Bobby waved it off with pen in hand. "She just up and left?"
"That very next day … we woke up and she was gone."
"And how did Mark react?"
"He was confused … he was upset. He asked my mother if she was coming back."
"What did she say?"
"She said no."
"How long after that did he start mistreating you?"
"He shoved me one time, Robert."
"How long, Connie?"
"A week, maybe two."
"Any other women that you know of?"
She looks down.
"Connie?"
"Darlene Brant … she was in my class. Her father called my father and threatened Mark. Told my Father if Mark ever came near her again … he would hurt him … hurt him permanently."
"Did you know Darlene?"
"She was my best friend."
"Do you know wha … what he did to her."
"I know she didn't tell her father the truth … he raped her … I knew what he did and I didn't tell anyone until this very minute. I didn't want to think about it ... ever again. Connie started to cry … hysterically cry … she choked out … I'm so sorry Bobby … I could have prevented all of the horrible things that that monster did. I'm just as guilty as he was."
She ran off into her bedroom. Bobby sat there … somewhat stunned. He felt his wife's hand on his shoulder. He reached up and placed his large hand on top of hers. Without looking up he said … "together, Alex …"
She walked around without letting go of his hand … "together, Bobby."
She sat on his lap and they held each other as they both tried to absorb the information that Connie just unloaded … she could have saved so many lives.
"Bobby ... I know this isn't the time, but ..."
"What, baby?"
"Hope ... you said ... at the bottom of the jar ... there was hope?"
"Yes."
"That hope ... was you."
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I'm going to stop here ... let me know what you thought of Detective Goren's interrogation of Aunt Connie .... please. Thanks for reading.