A Series of Unfortunate Events

Chapter 3

Sharon nodded her acquiescence, and turned towards the door. Andy placed his arm around her for support and in spite of being in a police station she allowed it. She was there more as a mother than in a professional capacity anyway. They followed the young officer, Torrey down the hall towards Rusty. The closer they came to the interview room that held her son, the slower Sharon's steps became, until they just stopped altogether.

Andy stopped with her and looked down at her concerned. "Sharon, you okay?" He asked tenderly. He saw her eyes filling up with tears again and wondered how he or anybody else could have ever thought of her as heartless. He could see that her heart was breaking for her son's loss.

She tried to speak over the huge lump in her throat but failed. Sharon opened her mouth but nothing came out, so she closed it then she closed her eyes and two tears slid down her face. If it had been anyone else she would have fought harder to keep the tears from falling, but she knew it was safe to let Andy see her cry. She finally found her voice as she wiped the tears away. It was low and it trembled with raw emotion. "How am I going to tell him, Andy? How do I say the words that will rip him in two? How do I do that to him?"

Andy pulled her into his arms and held her. One of his hands stroked her hair and the other stroked her back in comfort. "Sharon, as police officers we've both made notifications countless times before, and we know that they are never easy. I've found that the best way is to just say it, straight. Trying to dance around it will not lessen the heartbreak. It'll only prolong it, besides Rusty is smart, I have the feeling all you'll have to do is walk in the room and he'll figure out the rest just by looking at your face."

Sharon pulled her head back from where it was buried in his shoulder, and glowered at him starting to protest. Andy held up his hand to stop her. "Sweetheart, you have mastered the poker face at work, in fact you've got it down to a science, but when it comes to your children, you have a glass face. Your emotions… well, let's just say those who are close to you, we can read you like a book. You won't have to say the words Sharon, all you'll have to do is be there for him. Be the arms that hold him when he cries out his loss. Be there to answer his questions when he asks how it happened. He'll be upset Sharon but it won't break him. I know that Sharon Beck appeared to be going in the right direction this time, and their relationship was getting better, but you've been a better mother to him in the five years you've had with him than she was in the fifteen she had him and he knows that. You've taught him a great deal, not the least of which, is that you love him and you'll be there for him, no matter what. The kid never had that with her and Sharon, I'll be waiting for you if you need me."

Sharon looked at him and smiled through her tears. "Andy, would... would you come in with me?" She asked.

"Of course. I'll always have your back. For as long as I am able," he said, pecking her on the lips.

Sharon smiled through her tears, tilted her head and kissed him back. "What did I ever do to deserve you?"

"Hmm, I could say the same, my love. Here is a bathroom, why not go in there and freshen up, before you face him?"

She nodded and went in. A few minutes later she came out, looking fresher and more like herself. She steeled her shoulders pulled at the hem of her coral jacket, lifted her chin and walked into the room where her son was. Rusty had been sitting at the table staring morosely at the wall and occasionally at his phone. When the door opened he turned his head to see who it was. When he saw it was Sharon his face held a myriad of conflicting emotions. Relief and Joy at seeing his adoptive mother, and then as he looked closer at her eyes that were a mirror to her soul, grief.

Sharon saw Rusty stand up from a sitting position, to greet her, she saw his expression go from joy to grief and saw his eyes as they became red rimmed and filled with tears. She could see when the realization hit him that his worst fears were true and knew that Andy had been right. She wouldn't need to say the words. He knew his biological mother was dead just by reading the expression on her own face. Rusty moved towards her and she opened her arms to him enfolding him in a tight hug. As he sobbed into her shoulder, Sharon ran her hand up and down Rusty's back to comfort him as Andy had just finished doing for her, swaying back and forth gently and waiting for the storm to pass.

Andy stood behind Sharon resting his hand on her other shoulder. She leaned into him. He didn't say anything; he just supported her both emotionally and physically. He stood close enough behind her to keep her from losing her footing and falling backward when Rusty came at her to be comforted.

It took awhile but finally Rusty's sobs subsided. When he was able he asked, "Mom, how did it happen? Who did this? Do you know?"

Sharon had dreaded this question; even more than having to tell him his biological mother was dead. "Umm Rusty, let's sit down shall we? We have a lot to talk about." Sharon sat as Andy pulled a chair out for her and then sat beside her, holding on to her hand, fingers interlaced.

Rusty nodded and sat down across from her and Andy at the table. "Mom, Andy, did Stroh do this?"

Sharon swallowed hard. "No Rusty, I don't think so. In fact, I'm pretty sure he didn't. It's not his MO."

She rolled her eyes, and shrugged both her shoulders. "Although these days I'm not entirely sure what his MO is. He's changing things up on us, but be that as it may, I'm pretty sure the person that did this is... a... a family member of... the Lewis's." Before speaking again, Sharon untangled her fingers from Andy's and took Rusty's hand in both of hers. Andy put his arm on the back of her chair. "Rusty, do you remember what I said about lying to you? You asked me if I would ever lie to you and what did I say?"

"That you would never lie to me, you would tell me everything you knew as soon as you had a reasonable amount of time to assess the facts."

"Yes well, I haven't had a lot of time to assess the facts of this situation or substantiate them, so I'm going to tell you what Andy and I feel is the truth even though it hasn't been completely proven as yet. Is that okay? Or do you want me to just stick to the facts we do know for sure."

Rusty thought about what she said and nodded. "I trust you and Andy. You can tell me what you think happened."

"We learned that Gary escaped from prison after midnight this morning. Then this evening… your mother and Gary's parents were," she swallowed and blinked back tears. "They were… shot… and… killed. That can't be a coincidence. Several witnesses saw a man fitting Gary's general description leaving the Lewis's house after shots were fired. I say that with the knowledge I have about the prison break. Mrs. Potts, the lady next door to the Lewis's saw a man dressed in a uniform barrel his way into the front door of the house at around 6:45pm in the evening. She heard the sound of arguing breaking glass, and then six shots were fired. After the last two she heard someone or something falling down the stairs. We're um pretty sure it was your mother. Within fifteen minutes of the last shot Mrs. Potts saw someone leave from the back wearing camouflage pants and jacket, and a camouflage baseball like hat. He was tall, thin and was scruffy looking. We think that Gary came in the front wearing the uniform of the guard whose clothes he stole, killed your mother and the Lewis's and then changed into the camouflage clothing."

Rusty swallowed back tears hearing how his mother had died, but incredulity soon replaced the tears when the full meaning of his adopted mom's words hit him. "Are You kidding me? You think Gary did this?" Rusty asked incredulously.

"We… we do. In fact, we're pretty sure of it," Sharon said, her voice low with regret.

"I just… I can't wrap my head around all this… Gary is like, really dumb! How could he have gotten out of prison let alone kill my mother, Linda and Jim? I mean when Stroh got out, it made sense. He's really smart, but Gary is as dumb as a rock!"

"Sometimes, people who are…not intellectually smart can be cunning instead. We both know Gary is devious, which is an element of being cunning." Sharon shrugged her shoulder and went on, her voice went high for a moment, "and he may have just taken advantage of the events that were happening around him. Whatever happened, he's out and we have to find him because he's added murder to his repertoire of bad behavior and we don't know how much he knows about the baby."

"Mom, my other mom said she, Linda and Jim had decided he didn't deserve to know. I mean, he was supposed to be in there for life. The only reason she put his name on the birth certificate was for Jim and Linda's sake."

Sharon nodded distractedly, thinking ahead to her next question. "Let's change the subject. Rusty, Mrs. Potts said you took Bella for a couple of walks in her stroller, did you notice anything? I mean, did you see anybody or feel that you were being watched?"

"Not by anyone but Mrs. Potts. If Gary had been watching us he would have come after us; he didn't and I never even knew he had busted out of jail until you told me just now. Mrs. Potts just watches us all the time. She watches everything! Everything! Mom, I mean you can't do anything without her knowing about it. If I flush the toilet, she asks me if everything came out alright!" Sharon rolled her eyes at the flagrant over the top exaggeration. Rusty saw her and said defensively. "It's true, Mom! She does. She reminds me of that creepy Mrs. Fargo at Los Feliz Towers. Every time the elevator dings she opens her door and stares. I swear it's all I can do not to say something like, "take a picture it lasts longer, or haven't you anything better to do? She's nice enough, but she... creeps… me out!"

"Well, that may be true, Rusty, but she's an old lady and sometimes they don't have a lot to do with their time. She's curious, as is Mrs. Potts and if she hadn't been curious and hadn't been listening and called the police, you may have walked in on Gary, or you could have been the one to find your mother and the Lewis's. Rusty, I know that the watchfulness of these older women kind of creeps you out, to be honest it creeps me out too but I didn't raise you these last five years to be disrespectful to old ladies. Remember that when Mrs. Fargo annoys you or Mrs. Potts or any older lady. What have I always told you?"

"Be safe and be kind," Rusty repeated the litany that Sharon had been drumming into him since he'd come to live with her, rolling his eyes as he did so.

"Yes, being, safe is very important but being kind is up there too, in the order of importance." Rusty looked down, shamefaced. Sharon's reaction to his attitude towards the older women had been knee jerk and now she regretted scolding him for it. She patted his hand and gave him a small smile to let him know she wasn't mad at him.

Rusty knew she was using this as a chance as another life lesson and nodded in acceptance, but he did still have one question. So, he asked, "I don't understand why this would happen to my other mom? She had been trying to straighten her life out."

Sharon thought for a moment before glancing at Andy who had placed his hand over hers, just to let her know he was there for her, and then she looked her son in the eye. She took a breath before saying, "Well, in my line of work I've come to see that if you hang out with criminals, you eventually are going to become a witness, a suspect, or a victim."

TBC...

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