Chapter Five
Jack considered the penalty for totally abandoning his family, while he sat in front of his former home, which now sat silent, dark and empty. His whole adult life was spent living in that house, from the time he met and married Dani's mother, Roya, to the day he walked out on them without a word.
He remembered vividly the day when he first laid eyes on the exotic looking shy young woman from Iran, he remembered how hard he'd worked to get her attention and the anger of her parents when Roya agreed to marry him – a non Muslim – a westerner. Back then she loved him, he wondered if she still did and he wondered - where she was, if not here in their home.
To find out, Jack knew, would involve a return trip to his daughter's house, the great big one she shared with Charlie Crews. It set Jack's teeth on edge to think about going back there and having to deal with Crews again, the man irritated Jack by the simple act of drawing breath.
Of course, it didn't help that Crews was not intimidated by him in the least.
What worse could happen the younger man probably thought – but there were things worse than prison, like losing your family, like having to leave them in order to protect them.
Dani still retained a tiny bit of residual memory from her childhood, which made her respect and possibly fear him, but Crews… The man seemed eager to pick a fight with him, Jack thought, but then if I were him - I'd have come after me a long time ago. Compared to me - Crews is subtle, Jack Reese considered.
He drifted back to that first meeting with Roya, whose name he vaguely recalled was Farsi for "dream or vision" and she was all that and more. She was small, with fine features, coal black hair and eyes and an allure beyond anything Jack Reese experienced with the typical California fare of leggy, blondes in bikinis. He was smitten immediately and she was likewise enamored of him, but when he went to her parents – he still remembered the fight – even if he failed to see the parallels.
Her father did not believe Jack's black Irish working class background was suitable for his daughter, not to mention Jack was Irish Catholic. But religion seldom matters to young people in love and she chose him over her family and never looked back. With the arrival of Dani, they were a family of and for themselves, but Jack had ruined all that. He thought money would make their lives better, but it can't - money can only buy things and things don't endure - family does. It was a lesson twenty years in the learning, but it was beginning to sink in through Jack Reese's thick skull.
The dark house held their small family for thirty years. Through it flowed extended family, brothers in blue from the department, members of his SWAT team; there had been cookouts, holiday meals and during quieter times, homework with his young daughter around the kitchen table. He remembered teaching Dani to ride a bike on this street and watching her learn to skate, fall, get up, try again, fail again, but his spirited little girl did not know the meaning of the word quit. There were happy times in that house, or at least that was how he chose to remember it.
He never had to deal with "in-laws" because from the day Roya married him, her family disowned her. This was fine with Jack because he never liked them anyway, remembering the stern judgment of Roya's father and his disapproving stare as they left for the last time. Roya was a proud woman and stubborn like him, they never looked back. Now, some thirty years later Jack took stock of what he had gained, what he had lost and what he had simply given away, given up on.
He had no idea, beyond asking Dani, where to begin to look for his wife. All the "in's" he had with the Department and "them" were burned - when he walked away. The only ties he could ever hope to recover were those with his obstinate daughter and perhaps his wife, the only person Jack could ever remember truly loving. He knew Roya loved him. Why else would she stay he thought after that mess with the Bank of LA when I was such a miserable bastard.
He remembered the day it changed, like it was only a moment ago. How he began looking over his shoulder constantly, how tired he became and how guilt and suspicion changed him and he'd become bitter and short tempered. He recalled how he no longer had time for his daughter; he remember the disappointed look on Dani's face when he would no longer play ball with her and how that disappointment and neglect over time turned to hate.
No amount of money was worth what it did to his family, what it was still doing.
As he drove across town to Crews house, he knew the younger man would meet him at the door, ready to do battle for his family. Jack thought about the difference between himself and Charlie Crews. He thought about how he took and Charlie Crews gave. Jack took money that didn't belong to him and while he eventually gave his share to charity – the act had stained his immortal soul.
Crews gave - twelve years of his life and while the man was eventually exonerated, released and given a hefty sum of money, the young man bore scars beyond the ones you could see with your eyes. Jack heard stories of the hell Crews endured in prison and like most stories Jack knew they probably didn't come close to the reality of Crews life at Pelican Bay. There were the clinical records, 241 stitches, 27 broken bones, multiple beating and stab wounds....a cop in prison...basically hell on earth, but a hellish nightmare you couldn't wake up from or escape.
Jack chose his path and Crews' was chosen for him.
Jack had become bitter and Crews had become bright.
Between them both was his daughter, Dani; Jack had pushed her away and Crews welcomed her with open arms.
In a strange way, Dani was with Crews because she wanted what Jack denied her – attention, affection and trust and Crews gave all that to her -- all that and more.
Then he considered the little girl, his granddaughter, Sam. Officially, Samantha Alexis Crews - Dani had informed him. The third generation of women from the same proud heritage. What would the world hold for his granddaughter? Would she know him or would he deprive himself of knowing her as Dani's grandfather had?
In that instant Jack Reese realized he did not intend to repeat the mistakes of Roya's father. He wanted to be part of his daughter's life, his granddaughter's life and if that meant he had to take Charlie Crews in the bargain, so be it. So Jack Reese, parked his car in the broad circular drive of the Crews house and walked toward his future.
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Jack knocked on the door to the giant house but not seeing any sign of the Maserati, he didn't really expect an answer. They're probably at work and the kid's with a sitter, but once he decided on a course of action, Jack was anxious to get underway.
He was about to walk away, when he heard the distinctive voice of Samantha Crews announce like she was four going on fifteen "I'll get it Gramma". The door handle actioned slowly and from his surveillance the night before Jack knew it was because Sam could barely reach the handle. Honestly, Crews should keep his doors locked, mentally noting to talk to the younger man about it.
The heavy door opened a crack, being hauled back by a very determined little girl. But the door was too much for her and after getting it open about ten inches, Sam, in socks on the marble floor, began to lose the battle. Jack put his hand in the middle of the door and pushed gently.
"I can do it" Sam said with a furious scowl. This was his granddaughter every ounce her mother, pure determination and fury, dressed in dark curls.
"I know you can, but how about you let me help" he offered. Sam cocked her head sideways in a gesture that was distinctively Crews and considered his offer. Her ever present shadow, the slight border collie, Ripley stood by her side, his head down and tail still, trying to convey he was a force to be reckoned with.
"Who are you?" she said – direct, in your face, pure Dani he thought.
"I…um…I'm Jack" he settled for. Sam arched an eyebrow and again Jack was immediately reminded of his daughter's mannerisms.
"Is that your car?" she inquired.
"Yes" he said simply. Communicating with a four year old can be trying for most people, but Jack Reese despite his aplomb with children was seriously out of practice.
"You can't leave it there – that is where Mommy parks" she dared him, eyebrow still arched in defiance.
"Is that so?" Jack placated the girl looking past her for an adult. She said grandma so Crews mother must be here, but in the back of his head the impression that Crews' mother died while the young man was in prison trickled to the forefront. He was saved from further grilling by the junior detective, by the appearance of Roya.
His wife paled and exclaimed something he did not catch in Farsi, under her breath and leaned heavily against the wall close to fainting. Jack stepped forward to aide his wife, but the moment he crossed the threshold, Ripley decided he did not like this and bared his teeth snarling viciously and stepping in front of Sam to defend her.
Jack was now frozen, unable to go forward, unwilling to go back.
Sam for her part produced a tiny Firefly cell phone from her pocket, punched a single button and when the voice on the other end pronounced "Crews" she spoke two words "Daddy" and "trouble".