Chapter 12

Daphne pulled the car to the side of the road, stopped and looked out the window at the entrance to the highway.

She couldn’t go home.

If she went home she would talk to Rick. She didn’t know much about sealed juvenile records, but she did know herself well enough to know that if she saw Rick right now, she would tell him what she knew about Cory. Regardless of how she felt, what he’d said was in confidence, and not up to her to repeat—especially to one of his friends. Once said, words could not be unsaid. Even if she never saw Cory again, she couldn’t destroy his friendship with her brother.

But was that what she wanted, to never see him again?

She really didn’t know.

All she knew was the more she thought about it, while there was a lot he had told her, there was a lot he hadn’t.

She couldn’t see the Cory she knew losing his temper that way. She just couldn’t. Yes, his mother had spent the money he’d worked so hard to earn on drugs instead of the rent. Still, knowing Cory’s gentle nature, she couldn’t see him losing his temper to that degree. She felt as though he’d given her only the bare facts, but not all the details.

She had to find out what he hadn’t said.

That day, three people were there. She’d already talked to him. She obviously wasn’t going to find the drug dealer and talk to him. The only person left was his mother. Even though the relationship was strained, Cory’s mother was the only person who could give her the answers she needed.

Daphne didn’t know the exact address, but she remembered the name of the street from seeing the Mother’s Day card before Cory had mailed it, and she also remembered that his mother’s name was Kathy.

If his mother had a landline and not a cell phone, she would hopefully be searchable online.

Daphne pulled her cell phone out of her purse, set it to check the web, and sure enough, came up with an address on the street he’d written on the envelope. She entered it into her GPS and was soon on her way.

Just as Cory had said, it was a run-down neighborhood. The boarding house her GPS led her to was no different than any other house on the block—in poor repair. Daphne told herself that she knew enough self-defense moves that she would be safe here in the middle of the day.

After making double sure she’d locked her doors, she made her way to the door.

Holding her breath, she knocked and waited.

A taller-than-average woman who had the same almost-black hair as Cory and a feminine version of the same chin answered.

“Are you Kathy, Cory’s mother?”

The woman’s face paled. “Who are you? Has something happened to him?”

Daphne shook her head. “No. He’s fine. I’m a friend of his, and I wonder if I can talk to you about something.”

The color came back into Kathy’s face and at the same time her eyes narrowed and her lips tightened. “What? Has he done something?”

Daphne didn’t think this was a good sign, but she wasn’t going to leave. “I know things are a bit strained between you and your son, but I wanted to ask you a few questions about him.”

Kathy’s eyes narrowed even more. “Are you pregnant?”

The question should have startled her, but it didn’t. She’d known for a long time that Cory was the son of a single mother and had never known his father. She wondered if this was the same reaction Kathy had gotten from her own parents, who had disowned her.

She shook her head. “No. Nothing like that. I just want to talk. Could we find somewhere private? Can I take you out for coffee and a doughnut?” As the words came out of her mouth, she remembered Cory saying his mother wasn’t good with money.

Daphne made a point of checking her watch. “I just realized the time. I know it’s early, so if you haven’t had dinner, I could take you out where we could grab a burger.”

Kathy stiffened and crossed her arms over her chest. “What do you want?”

Daphne shook her head. “Nothing. I just want to ask a you a few questions about him as a teen. What he was like.”

Kathy remained silent for a few seconds, then nodded. “I’ll go get my purse.”

When the door closed in her face, Daphne wondered if that was a hint to go away and not come back, but the door did open again. Kathy came out carrying a worn handbag and, unless Daphne was mistaken, she had run a brush through her shaggy hair.

In her car, she remembered passing a fast-food restaurant on the way there, so that’s where she headed.

“What’s your relationship with Cory? You obviously know him well enough to have found me.”

Daphne sucked in a deep breath and tried to appear relaxed. “We’re friends. But he told me something from his younger days today, and I need to know more.”

Beside her, Kathy gasped. “He told you, didn’t he?”

“About what happened with him and Hank? Yes. He did.”

A silence hung between them. When she stopped at the red light, Daphne turned to Kathy. “If you want, I can take you home.”

“You want to ask me what happened that day, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

Again, the silence hung.

Kathy sighed and turned her head to look out the window, presumably so Daphne couldn’t see her face.

“I’ve lived that day over and over. Everyone made a lot of mistakes that day. Sure. Ask me anything you want.”

She didn’t say anything more until they were at the restaurant and had their meals in front of them. While they ate Daphne tried her best to make small talk, even though she was the only one talking. Kathy simply ate and nodded every once in a while at something she said.

When they both had finished eating and only had their drinks to finish, Daphne felt the time was as right as it would ever be. “I’m just going to come right out and say it. I hope you’ll answer just as openly as I’m going to ask. What happened that day? Cory told me what he heard and his side of the story of the fight with Hank. Now I’d like to hear yours.”

Kathy lowered her half-finished drink to the table. “That was a really low point in my life, and I wasn’t thinking very rationally. I was starting to get the shakes, and I don’t remember everything that happened, but I’ll never forget when Cory walked in…”

Kathy sighed, then continued. “If Cory told you that Hank started the fight, he was telling the truth. He also didn’t lie when he said that Hank spat on him then threw his beer at Cory’s face. I don’t think Cory could see when Hank started hitting him. I was so shocked I didn’t know what to do. I was so strung out that all I could think about was that I hoped the cops didn’t come, because I didn’t want to get arrested.”

“Cory told me that.” But now she knew he hadn’t told her the whole story.

“I don’t know how, but Cory managed to focus just as Hank aimed the empty bottle at his face. I remember screaming, thinking that if Hank hit my son in the face with a beer bottle it could knock him out and kill him. Then suddenly Cory grabbed Hank’s hand and ducked. The bottle flew out of Hank’s hand, bounced off Cory’s face, fell to the floor and smashed. Hank moved to kick Cory, yelling that he was going to pay for that… I remember wondering why Hank would say that, because at that time Cory hadn’t done anything but grab his hand. Then Hank yelled at me that if I tried to gang up on him, I’d be sorry. I was already sorry, but I didn’t want to make it worse. Then he started yelling that I was going to pay, too. He said he’d kill Cory. And me, too.”

She paused as Daphne watched, speechless.

“I saw a flash—I think it was a knife—then he kicked Cory. But instead of Cory falling, he suddenly went crazy. He moved so fast—he’d always been good at sports, you know.

“He broke Hank’s arm and cracked a couple of ribs. I thought he was going to punch Hank in the nose when he threw Hank against the wall so hard that the wall busted. Then Cory turned around and walked out.”

This was definitely a different version than what Cory had told her. If he hadn’t been able to disable Hank, it sounded as though Hank wouldn’t have stopped until he’d seriously disabled Cory or even killed him.

Cory had given her a very tamed-down version of what had really happened. She could only guess that it was so she wouldn’t hate his mother. And that said a lot about him.

“What you’ve told me really helps a lot.” Knowing what Cory had been up against, she knew she would never have to fear him. Considering the way he’d been attacked, he could have done so much worse. Not only had he defended himself against a crazed drug dealer, he’d also defended his mother—a mother who had not treated him very well.

Kathy’s eyes welled up and she wiped her sleeve across her face. “I know I should have done something, but I didn’t. All I could think about was that if I didn’t stand up for Hank, he’d cut me off. I’m a terrible mother. I knew right then that Cory would be better off without me. I know it was wrong, but I was still strung out at the time. I kicked him out and told him not to come back. Now he’s got a good life for himself, and I want to keep it that way.”

All Daphne could do was feel sorry for Cory’s mother. In a skewed way, Kathy’s actions had forced Cory to make a better life for himself, but being the man he was, he would have done it anyway.

Daphne started to reach out to cover Kathy’s hand with hers, but pulled back at the last second. Kathy didn’t seem as if she wanted to be touched by a stranger. “I really don’t know what it’s like for you, and I didn’t come to try to talk you into going to rehab. But Cory’s right. It will help you. I don’t know what it’s like to be addicted to anything, but I know it is possible that, with some help, you can pull yourself out of it.”

Kathy sniffled, then blew her nose in her napkin. “I can’t afford rehab. I can barely afford to live.”

“Cory told me he’d pay for it.”

She shook her head and blew her nose again. “I can’t let him do that.”

This time, Daphne did reach out to lay her fingers on top of Kathy’s hand. “But he told me he wants to.”

“Okay. Last time I talked to him he said he had a place in mind for me.”

Daphne opened her mouth to tell Kathy that she’d been going to group therapy sessions and they really helped, but stopped herself. “Okay? Really?”

Kathy’s lower lip quivered. “Really.”

Daphne didn’t know what to do, but she had a feeling that whatever it was, it needed to be done right away, before Kathy changed her mind. “I don’t have any of the information. Can I call Cory?”

“Okay. I’m tired of living like this. There’s got to be something better.”

“There is. Let me call Cory.” Daphne reached for her cell phone, in the outside pocket of her purse, right next to pocket containing the can of bear spray.

It only took her a few seconds to hit the button to speed-dial Cory. He answered quickly.

“It’s me. Daphne. Don’t ask questions. I’m with your mother, and she’s said she wants to try rehab. I need you to find all the information she says you’ve got and come here.”

“Where are you? Are you at her place?”

“No. We’re at…” Daphne looked up at the menu board and read the name of the restaurant. “It’s about five minutes from her place. Do you know where that is?” For a second she thought of taking Kathy back home to wait for Cory, but she didn’t want to do anything that would allow her to perhaps become more comfortable and change her mind. “We’re going to stay here and wait for you.”

“I’ll be there as fast as I can.”

She didn’t think this was a good time to tell him not to speed or to say out loud that her brother was a cop. “Okay. See you soon.”

After he disconnected the call, she tucked her phone back into its pocket, turned to Kathy and tried to give her a friendly smile. “Until he gets here, how would you like to tell me what Cory was like as a little boy. Was he always good at sports?”

* * *

The whole way to the restaurant, Cory watched the speedometer, sticking precisely to the posted limits. He wanted to speed, but Daphne’s unspoken words that her brother was a cop, that she often repeated, kept echoing through his head.

He didn’t know how or why she’d met his mother. He didn’t know what his mother had said to Daphne about that night. She’d told him that she didn’t remember a thing except that he’d attacked Hank, totally unprovoked.

It hadn’t been unprovoked. Hank had tried to kill him, and Hank had said that when Cory was dead, Hank was going to kill his mother, too.

Daphne didn’t need to hear that. He’d pulled himself completely away from that kind of lifestyle. He’d never participated in it in the first place, only watched from a distance. He now regretted giving her the scaled-down version of the events of that day, because that was surely why she’d gone to his mother, to find out more.

Except now she’d met his mother and that wasn’t a pretty sight if his mother was again strung out on drugs.

For years he’d hoped and prayed for the day his mother would consent and go to rehab. He didn’t know why now, or what part Daphne had played, but whatever the reason, he would thank God in his prayers tonight.

He would also hope and pray that it didn’t turn Daphne off so much she would refuse to see him again because of his less-than-stellar upbringing. And that maybe, Daphne could even envision his mother in her future.

Finally he pulled into the parking lot. Seeing Daphne’s car made his heart pound. Not only had Daphne called him, but his mother had made that important initial decision.

He couldn’t blow it now—on both counts.

When he walked in he spotted them immediately. He couldn’t see Daphne’s face, but he could see his mother’s. Her eyes were red, as though she’d been crying.

It didn’t look good.

The second his mother saw him her eyes widened, she slapped her hands over her mouth, made a choking sound, and started crying again.

This really didn’t look good.

He quickened his pace, hurrying without running, so as not to cause a scene.

“Mom. Daphne,” he muttered as he slid into the empty seat beside Daphne. “Here I am. I brought all my stuff.”

His mother nodded without speaking as more tears poured out of her eyes.

Daphne rested one hand on top of his, halting the question of asking how they’d met.

Daphne wrapped her fingers over top of his hand and gave it a squeeze. “Your mom and I have had a good talk. Do you have that phone number?”

He reached into his back pocket and pulled the card out of his wallet, where it had been for years, waiting for the time when she would ask for it. “Yeah. Except it’s Saturday. I hope they pick up and it doesn’t go to voice mail.”

“It shouldn’t. I’m sure they have someone answering on the weekends.”

If not, he could call his pastor as the next best option.

When a real person answered, a burn started at the backs of his eyes. This really was it. He identified himself and gave them the file number so he wouldn’t have to repeat all the personal details, something he was glad for in this public place.

When they were ready, they asked him to hand the phone to his mother, so he did.

His mother listened and nodded a few times. “Yes. I can do that. I think that’s a good idea. But I need to ask my son.”

She covered the mouthpiece of the phone with one hand and turned to him. “I might not need to take much time off work. They said they have some programs that are only two days a week. I think I really can do this. He says he can see me now, to talk to me and ask more questions. Will you come with me?”

“Of course I will.” Cory’s heart pounded in his chest. It was really happening. However it got to this point, he owed it to Daphne.

His mother ended the conversation and looked up at him, her eyes again starting to water. “Let’s go now…”

In the back of his mind, Cory filled in the rest of her sentence. In case I change my mind.

While watching his mother’s face, he became aware of the vague sensation of warmth on his left hand. He looked down to see Daphne’s hands wrapped around it.

She looked up at him with big, wide eyes behind her dark glasses. “I’ll come with you if you want.”

His throat closed up. He didn’t like subjecting her to the ugly parts of his life, but at the same time, he felt lost. More lost than the day as a kid when his favorite dog he’d been walking at the animal shelter had been adopted and taken to a new home before he’d had a chance to say goodbye. “Yeah. I’d like that.”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to leave my car here, since I don’t know how long this will take. I’ll follow you.”

“Okay.”

Without another word, he escorted his mother to his truck. He watched as Daphne got into her car and closed the door, then he headed for the rehab center.

After a few blocks his mother turned to him. “She seems like a nice young woman.”

“Yeah, she is.”

“It seemed quite brave of her to come here to talk to me. She had no idea what she would find.”

It was true.

He didn’t know why she’d come, but the bottom reason would be that it was because of him. “Yeah. It was pretty brave. She’s been through some bad stuff.”

“You must like her a lot.”

He would marry her tomorrow if she said she would. “Yeah. I do.”

“I hope I haven’t ruined that for you. I’ve ruined so much of your life.”

He squeezed the steering wheel as he spoke. “It hasn’t been that bad. I’ve had a few rough spots, but they helped make me the man I am today, and I’m not a bad guy.” He let the silence hang then turned to her when he stopped for a red light. “It was God’s guidance that helped me with those rough spots, and God will help you now. All you have to do is ask.”

“I’ll think about it.”

He nodded. The rehab center was a Christian organization, so he knew that she would be in good hands. Hopefully one day soon she would open her heart to God. When she started to ask questions, if he wasn’t there to answer, it would be someone else when the time was right. Right now, she needed to take one small step at a time. For her to actually agree to rehab was a very big step.

They spent the rest of the way in silence, with only his favorite CD playing softly in the background. When they arrived, he escorted his mother out of the truck and led her to the office, where a woman was waiting for her.

The woman smiled and reached out to shake his hand. “It’s best if you stay here, for confidentiality.”

He didn’t want to think that there were things his mother wouldn’t want him to know, but there probably were. “I understand.”

He looked at his mother. “I’ll stay until you tell me to go.”

“Thank you,” the woman said. “That’s best.” Without another word, she led his mother into one of the offices and closed the door.

Cory sank into a chair. This was the moment he’d been waiting for, but now that it was happening, he felt lost.

The ring of the bell signified someone else had just entered the lobby. He turned to see Daphne walking in.

“What happens now? I’ve never done this sort of thing before.”

Cory stood. “Me neither.” He turned toward the office door where his mother was. No windows in the wall or the door ensured confidentiality of the person inside, which was probably a good thing. “The woman said to wait. I guess this is the moment where they outline what happens along with expectations and requirements, and my mother will either agree and sign up, or I take her home.”

“I think she’s going to do it.” Daphne turned to him. “She was really sorry for everything. We had a really good talk.”

Before he could respond, the door opened. His mother remained inside while the woman approached them. “She’s going to stay. She asked if you can go to her place and bring her some clothes and make sure her car is locked. The five-day detox withdrawal session is going to be hard, so she wants to stay here so she doesn’t change her mind. A lot of people do that.” She dropped his mother’s keychain in his hand. “You can leave a suitcase or bag at the front desk if I’m not here.”

He stared at the keys in his hand. “I can do that.” But his feet wouldn’t move. He turned toward Daphne.

“I’ll go with you,” she said before he needed to ask.