“Pretty standard for Dorset.”
“And that house of theirs with all of those antique clocks tick-tocking away.” Clarence shook his head in amazement. “I felt like I was walking right into that Tennessee Williams play. The one with the little glass figurines.”
Mitch turned onto Old Shore Road and started his way home. “You mean The Glass Menagerie?”
“That’s the one. And kindly take the surprise out of your eyes. It so happens I majored in Performing Arts at Clemson-until they threw my ass out. That’s a fine old house those ladies have. Real shame it’s gotten so run down. I was able to fix a few things for them. The neighborhood where I grew up? You either do your own repairs or they don’t get done.”
“Did you get rid of that smell in their kitchen?”
“What smell?”
“Nothing. Never mind.”
“I had no cause to hit Mr. Lash last night. It was a dumb move on my part. Guess I’ve just been living with too much drama for too long. That’s life when you’re in Tyrone Grantham’s world. Drama twenty-four/seven. But I got to tell you-I’ve never known Rondell to take a drink. I doubt he even knows how to hold it.”
“He doesn’t, trust me.”
“Poor little man’s like a sad-eyed puppy around that girl. And she don’t even know he’s alive. I keep telling him to forget about her and have himself some F-U-N. Like last night. There was dozens of tasty young sisters in itty-bitty thongs out there by the pool. None of them Wharton graduates, I’ll grant you. But who cares once you’re between the sheets, know what I’m saying? I begged him to come on out and grab himself some. He wouldn’t. Just sat there in his office working on his computer and pining away over that teenager playing her piano across the hall. Totally pathetic if you ask me. She’s just a kid. I mean, yeah, she has ridiculous musical talent. But she’s just a sheltered little schoolgirl. Jamella makes sure of that. Won’t let no man near her.”
“Kinitra didn’t have a boyfriend this summer in Glen Cove?”
“Boyfriend?” Clarence gaped at Mitch incredulously. “What boyfriend?”
“A college football player from Georgia named Lonnie Berryman.”
“Who, Raymond’s friend? Yeah, I remember Lonnie. Stayed at Raymond’s house for a few days. Nice enough dude. Really likes him to party.”
“Did he party with Kinitra?”
“Why, is she saying he’s the baby’s father?”
“She’s saying they had something going on.”
“That’s news to me. I never even saw the two of them talking to each other. Jamella don’t allow it, like I said.”
“Is it possible Jamella didn’t know?”
“Anything’s possible, but Jamella’s very protective. Hell, if you’d asked me yesterday, I’d have sworn to you up, down and sideways that Kinitra was still a solid gold virgin.” Clarence’s face dropped. “But she’s been with somebody, that’s for sure.”
“Who else could it have been? If it wasn’t Lonnie, I mean.”
“Don’t be looking at me, man. I’ve made some mistakes in my life but I ain’t that kind of dumb.”
Mitch took the fork that led into the Nature Preserve, slowing as he left the smooth pavement for the narrow, bumpy dirt road. “How much did Tyrone tell you about Kinitra’s condition?”
“She’s pregnant is all I know.”
“The trooper tells me certain things in confidence…”
Clarence studied him curiously. “What things?”
“Kinitra’s claiming that she’s been in a consensual relationship,” Mitch said. “But she’s all scarred up down there. The sex has been very, very rough. She says she likes it that way. Do you buy that?”
“No way. She’s strictly the dreamy romantic type. Love songs. Nothing but love songs.” Clarence fell into thoughtful silence for a moment before he said it again. “No way.”
Mitch approached the bluffs now and pulled up at the barricade next to Rondell’s Porsche.
Clarence didn’t budge. Just sat there looking across the water at Big Sister Island. “She picked herself a nice spot to wash up.”
“She was very lucky. Next time she might not be.”
“Next time?”
“People who want to kill themselves usually keep trying.”
“You think that little girl tried to kill herself?”
“I don’t have a doubt in my mind.”
Clarence ran a hand over his face. “Man, that is so wrong. She’s truly gifted. If she ended her own life, it would be a horrible crime.”
“You can do something about it, you know.”
“Me? What can I do?”
“Tell me who’s been raping her.”
“I think we’re all done here.” Clarence abruptly opened his door and climbed out, slamming it shut. But then he lingered there by the open window, jangling Rondell’s car keys in his hand. “What was Rondell drinking?”
“Grey Goose. A whole bottle of it.”
“I’ve never seen him down more than a half a beer. Poor little man’s totally blown away, I guess. He’s so loyal to his brother. Tyrone is everything to him. That’s why he can’t deal with the plain truth of it.”
Mitch leaned across the seat toward him. “Which is?…”
Clarence gazed out at the water for a long time before he turned back to Mitch and said, “The big dog takes what the big dog wants. Law of the jungle, man. Always has been. Always will be.”
CHAPTER 11
There was a white Escalade parked in her driveway when Des got home. When she went inside the house she heard voices out on the back deck. Found the Deacon seated out there at the umbrella table having lemonade with Jamella and her father, Calvin. The Deacon had already gotten dressed for dinner with the Bergers in his customary charcoal flannel suit, crisp white dress shirt and muted tie. It was the first time Des had seen him wearing normal clothes since his surgery and it thrilled her beyond belief. Calvin had on a No. 54 Tyrone Grantham football jersey and a showy oyster gray cowboy hat with a feather stuck in its band. Kid Rock sat in his lap padding at his big belly. Jamella was dressed in the same yellow shift that she’d been wearing all day long. She looked wilted, bleary eyed and distraught. Her lower lip was fastened so firmly between her teeth that it was a wonder she didn’t draw blood.
“Ah, here she is,” the Deacon said brightly as Des joined them. “I told you she’d be right on time. If there’s one thing I taught Desiree it was punctuality.” He not only looked like his old self, he seemed much more animated and engaged.
A few kayakers were out on Uncas Lake enjoying the late day warmth. Thin gray clouds were moving in, dimming the hazy sunlight a bit.
Des sat down at the table and said, “How may I help you folks?”
“Not so much me, miss,” Calvin responded politely. “It’s my oldest girl Jamella here. She wanted to speak with you on your home turf. Got herself a bit emotional after what’s happened to our little girl Kinitra.” He paused so that Jamella could take it from there. She just sat there in guarded silence, so he kept on going. “I felt she was too upset to drive over here by herself, especially being seven months along. So I offered to drive her.” He sipped his lemonade, his face creasing with concern. “It turns out I’m an even worse father to my girls than I thought. Little Kinitra’s got herself pregnant, too. And here I’ve been under the same roof this whole time and didn’t even know anything was going on.”
“Nobody did,” Jamella said in a muted voice. “Don’t blame yourself, Popsy.”
“I wanted to visit her up at that hospital,” Calvin added. “But Jamella said Kinitra don’t want to see nobody or talk to nobody. You think she’ll be coming home soon, miss?”
Des nodded. “Assuming she doesn’t develop a lung infection.”
“I imagine she needs a little time alone to sort this whole business out, too.” Calvin let out a huge sigh. “I sure wish her mama was still around. She made sure both of my girls were quality young ladies. And they never gave her no cause to worry. Got good grades. Came right home when she told them to. My girls knew better than to hang around on street corners with trash. I’m the one was always in trouble,” he confessed. “But those days are behind me now.”