THIRTEEN
After she left Marisol’s office, Alex drove directly to Jamaica Plain in search of Garth Colson. She knew that Details, the architectural salvage firm which Garth owned, was situated in a large warehouse in that traditionally blue-collar neighborhood bordering the Jamaica Pond. Details served everyone from high-end designers to construction workers and weekend do-it-yourselfers. Alex parked her car down the block and entered the warehouse, picking her way through the historic remnants to reach the spot where Garth was working.
She found him sorting through a collection of brass and crystal doorknobs. He stood at a counter surrounded by piles of wooden window frames, Mexican tiles and an assortment of cement garden statues. Ornate mantelpieces, floating free from any fireplace, leaned against walls. Grecian columns stood alone on the cement floor.
Garth looked up when she called his name, and his expression darkened.
‘Mr Colson, can I talk to you?’
‘I suppose so.’ He pointed to a free-standing oak church pew. ‘Have a seat,’ he said.
Alex nodded her thanks and sat down on the curved wooden bench. It was chilly in the high-ceilinged warehouse, and Garth was dressed for it. He wore a dusty parka, jeans and boots. His half-glasses hung on a chain around his neck.
Alex made no attempt to disguise the reason for her visit. ‘Dory is having her hearing on Friday. To decide if she gets a new trial,’ she said.
‘I didn’t know it was going to happen so soon,’ he replied without enthusiasm. ‘Of course, we’re not really in touch.’
‘That’s why I came here to see you. The fact is, if the appeal is successful, and Dory is granted a new trial, the attorney is going to ask for bail.’
‘Bail? She’s not going to get bail,’ Garth scoffed.
‘It’s unlikely, but not out of the question.’
‘Hmmph,’ Garth murmured. He frowned and resumed his search through the doorknobs without comment.
Alex hesitated in the face of his silence. ‘If that happens,’ she said, ‘the judge will need to know that Dory has somewhere to go and someone who can take responsibility for her. I was hoping that you and Elaine might be willing to do that.’
Garth shook his head. ‘That’s not going to happen. My wife doesn’t even speak to Dory if she calls. She’s not going to let her back in the house.’
‘You could ask her,’ Alex pleaded.
‘I don’t need to ask her. This is not something she’s about to forgive and forget. Look, you have no idea what you’re asking.’
‘But if the court decides that Dory didn’t have justice, and that she deserves a new trial, I would expect that her family would at least support her.’
Garth shook his head, and seemed to be weighing a crystal doorknob in his hand. ‘Doesn’t matter what the court says. Some things can’t be denied.’
‘Like what,’ said Alex angrily.
Garth sighed. ‘It’s not just what happened to Lauren. Obviously none of us will ever get over that. Or even that incident in school. There’s a whole history there. You know, Elaine and I tried for years to have a baby with no luck. Then the adoption was another long procedure. We were just waiting to take Dory home with us when Elaine realized that she was pregnant.’
‘So you were doubly blessed,’ said Alex.
Garth frowned. ‘People always say things like that. But it’s not that simple. As they grew up, the two of them never got along. Dory was always the aggressor. She would pull Lauren’s hair, or knock her over. It was like she wanted to . . . eliminate Lauren from day one. Of course, Lauren wasn’t much more than preschool age when we realized that she had this beautiful voice and this . . . knack for performing. Elaine has a beautiful voice too, you know. But no one had ever really encouraged her as a child. So Elaine devoted herself to being sure that Lauren had every chance for success. She had to home school Lauren so that she could take her to all her lessons and auditions. It was the only practical thing to do, but Dory always took it personally.’
‘But she must have felt like Lauren was your favorite child. Could you blame her for being jealous?’ Alex asked.
‘I didn’t blame her. I just didn’t realize how vicious it had become. Since she moved to Branson for her career, Lauren was hardly ever home. On those brief visits all we wanted was for those two to get along. But that never happened. You know, when Dory started dating that doctor . . .’
‘Rick Howland,’ said Alex.
‘That’s right,’ said Garth. ‘Rick. She finally seemed happy. Everything was Rick. We were kind of hopeful about it. We thought she might be calming down. Might even get married and move out of the house. But no. In the end, it became about Lauren.’ Garth shook his head. ‘That was our mistake. Thinking her jealousy was under control. If it hadn’t been the dog-loving podiatrist, it would have been something else.’
Alex began to shiver. ‘Maybe this guy, Rick Howland, and Lauren were involved. Some men are born cheaters. It’s his word against Dory’s? Why do you choose to believe him?’
Garth’s gaze was implacable. ‘Why? Because I knew my daughter.’
Even though she was still wearing her coat, Alex was trying to keep her teeth from chattering. ‘Lauren, you mean?’ she said acidly. ‘Lauren, who could do no wrong?’
‘No,’ said Garth sadly. ‘Lauren, who was gay.’
Alex stared at him.
Garth smiled at her with bitter satisfaction. ‘That’s right. There was no way that Lauren was trying to steal Dory’s boyfriend. She only liked girls.’
‘I don’t understand. Didn’t Dory know that?’ Alex asked, incredulous.
‘No one knew. Especially not Dory. We had to keep it from her. She would have used that information against her sister. Lauren was making a mark in country music. Believe me, I grew up out west. I know. There is no room for gay people in the country and western world. None whatsoever. Do you remember what happened to that pretty thing, a country singer, when she came out a few years back? Her career was over. Dried up overnight. I think it’s wrong, but it’s a reality. Lauren had worked too hard to have her dream.’
Garth’s phone buzzed and he pulled it out and looked at it. He frowned. ‘I better take this. It’s Elaine.’
He got up, walked away from the desk and spoke into the phone. Alex could hear the murmur of his voice and see anguish on his face. Finally Garth folded up the phone and stuffed it into a pocket inside his parka. He looked at Alex, unsmiling. ‘She was calling me from work,’ he said. ‘She’s fit to be tied. She just got back to the school. She had to go home because the police came to take some old coat of Dory’s.’
‘I know about that,’ said Alex.
‘I thought you might. You better just go, Miss Woods. And keep on going if you know what’s good for you.’
‘Come to the hearing, Mr Colson,’ she pleaded. ‘You might find out that you have not been entirely fair to Dory.’
‘Oh, I’ll be there,’ he said wearily. ‘You can be sure of that.’
Alex hesitated, then got up from the church pew. She realized that she was not going to get anything more from the Colsons. She also realized, as she picked her way back through the salvaged embellishments, that Dory’s only hope for getting out on bail now rested entirely with her.