“Winston Nadler,” Rachel replied. “He is the reporter I’m working with on the story.”
“Is he still here in Richmond?” Wade asked.
“Yes, he is more certain than before of your parents’ innocence.”
“My father did kill those people,” Wade stated. “That is not disputed.”
“No, but the circumstances surrounding the deaths are, according to Winston. He believes your mother was a victim, and their minor child should have never been a ward of the state.” She closed the file, than glanced at him.
He could feel her questioning eyes on him. Checking where they were on the highway, he slowly glanced at her.
“I know you do not want to talk about this part of your life. As your woman, I will honor that if you don’t reply.”
He raised an eyebrow, “And as a reporter?”
She smirked.
Wade turned his eyes back to the road. He knew the answer. She would find another way to dig out the truth.
“Ask your questions.”
“How did you end up with the Tysons?”
The question surprised him. He expected the question to be about his parents or the murder.
“That’s a story in itself,” Wade replied the exhaled.
“Now is a good time for a trip down memory lane. I’m sure you’ve been thinking about your mother.”
Wade nodded, “Different events of my young life has been strolling around in my mind since we left the facility. Godwin and Star were good parents. We lived a simple life until the murders happened. They were incarcerated, and I was placed in what they call a Children Residential Facility, known back then as group homes.
“After testing me, some of the staff members did not believe the results of my IQ test. For a while it seems like they tested me once a week to see if the results would change. After about the fifth time, I remember asking if they were convinced yet. That pissed them off, so they listed me as a non-communicator.”
“No … you, a non-communicator? Never,” Rachel teased.
Wade smiled as he reached over, taking her hand in his. “Hard to believe,” he chuckled. “At that time, the powers that be deemed it would be difficult to place me because my parents were murderers, and I was a smartass who would not talk to people.”
“Why?”
Wade shrugged. “If any one of them had asked me an intelligent question, I would have responded.”
“So, you were arrogant even as a small child.”
“Something like that,” he continued. “I was at the first facility for almost a year when this woman came by to see me. I was sitting in a small room at a round table covered with books. It reminded me of home. Both of my parents were avid readers, and there were books in every room in the house. While other kids were outside playing, I was in the house, reading. Seemed like everything I read stayed in my head. That's why my test scores were so high on a variety of topics. It wasn’t like I was a genius. By this time, I had not parted my lips to talk to anyone. I had not received anything, not even a letter from my parents. I’m sure my attitude was not the best. But on that day, this woman walked into the room where I was sitting with a book at my hand and several more on the table.
“She never took a seat. She simply introduced herself as Kate Tyson and stared at me. I looked up and she smiled. She picked a book from the table then handed it to me. She told me to turn to a page. So, I turned to a page, glanced at it then looked back up at her. Then she did something I did not expect.”
“What did she do?”
“She asked me to summarize the page.”
“Just from a glance?” Rachel asked.
Wade nodded. “Just from a glance, so I did. I told her verbatim what was on the page, then summarized the meaning. To my surprise, the woman sat in one of the chairs at the table. She smiled and spoke. ‘You have an eidetic memory.’ Then she asked, ‘Do you know what that means?’ It was the first time a staff member had ever asked me a sensible question. I told her the meaning: I have the ability to recall things from memory after only seeing it once. She laughed and said, ‘No wonder anyone around here cannot communicate with you. You are an intellectual thinker. They would not understand you if you did.’ She stood then exhaled. ‘I am going to find you a home where you can communicate with people on your level.’”
Wade chuckled. “Kate Tyson did exactly what she said she would do. She placed me in a home with two other boys, Montrell and Ross.”
“They were with Dan before you?”
“No, Dan came later,” Wade explained. “We all met at a foster home.” He smiled. “I remember the first night there. The bedroom had two sets of bunk beds. Monty and Dane was on one side of the room and I was on the other. Neither of them spoke a single word to me. The next day after breakfast, we were taken to school. Montrell and Dane walked with me to the principal’s office. Kate Tyson was there, and another woman was also there. Before leaving, Montrell looked at me and said, ‘You’re a smart kid. You are going to be alright. Don’t ever let them know what you are thinking.’”
“That’s the same thing your father said. That sealed the connection to Monty for you.”