"Oh, a little of both." Another vague flutter of the hand.
Sinkus changed strategy. "Do you have any notes from that time? Maybe postcards Christopher sent you, even a line or two you might have entered in your diary—"
"Objection—" Barron started.
"Not asking for the diary," Sinkus clarified hurriedly "Just want to get a more detailed picture of Christopher's global adventures. Dates, locations, people. When you get a chance."
Meaning it could provide a list of places where Christopher might have gone to hide after leaving Bridgewater in '78. Why hide out in a seedy hotel in the U.S. if you could run to Paris instead?
Mr. Eola grunted his consent. Sinkus moved on.
"So Christopher finished high school, did some traveling, then returned home to work on his college applications—"
"Target universities?" Bobby spoke up. He got a warning glance from Sinkus, but ignored the look. He had his reasons.
"Oh, the usual." Once again, Mrs. Eola was vague. "Harvard, Yale, Princeton. He wanted to stay on the East Coast, not go too far from home. Though, come to think of it, he also applied at MIT. Funny choice, that one. MIT for fine arts? Well, one never knew with Christopher."
Sinkus resumed the reins of the interview: "Was it nice to have him back?"
"Oh yes," Mrs. Eola gushed. Eola Sr. shot her a look. She clammed up.
"Look," Eola Sr. said impatiently. "I know what you're trying to ask. Why don't we just cut to the chase? We committed our son. We personally drove our only boy to a mental hospital. What kind of parents do such a thing?"
"All right, Mr. Eola. What kind of parents do such a thing?"
Eola Sr. had his chin up, his skin looking as if it had been stretched too thin over his skeletal face. "This account cannot leave this room."
For the first time, Sinkus faltered. "Now, Mr. Eola—"
"I mean it. Turn the recorder off right now, young man, or I won't say another word."
Sinkus darted a look at D.D. Slowly, she nodded. "Turn it off. Let's hear what Mr. Eola has to say."
Sinkus reached forward, snapped off the recorder. As if on cue, the legal secretary set down her pen and folded her hands in her lap.
"You have to understand," Mr. Eola started. "It wasn't entirely his fault. That girl, the Belgian. She ruined him. If we had understood the situation sooner, been quicker to act…"
"What situation, sir? How did you fail to act?" Sinkus's voice stayed patient, respectful. Eola was going to give them what they wanted. All in due time.
"An au pair. We hired her when Christopher was nine and Natalie three. We'd had a wonderful woman up until that point, but she left to start a family of her own. We returned to the same agency, and they recommended Gabrielle to us. Given our previous experience, we didn't think twice. Surely one well-trained au pair was as good as another.
"Gabrielle was younger than we had expected. Twenty-one, fresh out of school. She was a different personality—more festive, more…giggly." He made a face. Clearly, giggly was not a compliment. "Sometimes, I thought she was too informal with the children. But she was energetic, had a sense of adventure the children seemed to appreciate. Christopher, in particular, was smitten with her.
"When Christopher turned twelve, there was an incident at his school. He was slightly built for his age, more sensitively inclined. Some of the boys started to… take exception. They singled Christopher out. Started picking on him. One day, things went a little too far. Blows were exchanged. Christopher didn't come out on the winning side."
Eola Sr.'s lips twisted in distaste. Bobby couldn't decide if the man was appalled by the thought of violence or that his son had been incapable of dealing with it.
Mrs. Eola was back to dabbing her eyes.
"Naturally," Eola Sr. picked up briskly, "the appropriate actions were taken and the offending parties punished. But Christopher… He grew withdrawn. Had problems sleeping. Became… secretive. Around this time, I happened to catch Gabrielle leaving Christopher's room in the early morning hours. When I asked, she said she heard him crying and had gone to check on him. I confess, I didn't pursue the matter.
"It was the housekeeper who finally spoke to my wife. According to the housekeeper, the bedding in Gabrielle's room went undisturbed for long periods of time. Whereas the sheets in Christopher's room now required frequent changing. The linens were often stained. You can fill in the rest."
Sinkus's eyes had grown a little wide, but he caught himself. "Actually, sir, I'm going to need you to fill in the rest."
Eola Sr. sighed heavily "Fine. Our au pair was engaged in sexual relations with our twelve-year-old son. Are you happy? Is that clear enough now?"
Sinkus let the remark past. "Once you made the discovery, Mr. Eola…"
"Oh, we fired her. Then took out a restraining order against her and had her deported. All under advice of legal counsel, of course."