“I said I’d be out in a bit!”
“I heard you the first time. Quit being a pill.”
There was silence. I thought she’d start counting like mothers do with children who misbehave. “One, two . . . I’m warning you . . . I’m going to swat your behind . . . three, four . . .” The strategy is weak unless the point is to teach kids to count.
Fritz emerged, banging the door open. “Fine.”
I wasn’t sure how he managed to cram so much rebellion and ill humor into one word. He was no longer the lean boy I’d seen on the tape. He’d filled out, adding the sort of weight that starchy food produces. This was the first time I’d laid eyes on the kid in person. I associated him with the four minutes of tape, complete with saucy weenie-wagging, an image I struggled to repress.
“Why don’t you tell Kinsey what you told us?” she said.
Fritz flung himself into a chair and crossed his arms. “Jeez, Mom. Why don’t we jump right in? We haven’t even been introduced.”
“Kinsey, this is Fritz. Fritz, Kinsey. Now let’s not waste any more of her time.”
“You’re happy enough wasting mine.”
Lauren closed her eyes. “Fritz.”
“What a bitch! If you don’t believe me, why should she?”
Hollis crossed the distance between them in two steps, his fist cocked. “I’ll knock the shit out of you if you talk to your mother that way. Use that tone again and you’ll be picking your teeth off the floor.”
The eruption caught me off guard. I’d assumed Hollis was a mild-mannered middle-aged man who favored the same ineffective parenting techniques his wife employed. Her method entailed wheedling, nagging, coaxing, and expressing her appreciation for any semblance of obedience. I couldn’t believe Hollis had threatened to deck his own kid in front of company. The threat made my nerves crackle, and the hair on my arms lifted as though from static electricity. My heart gave an uncharacteristic thump in case I was next.
Fritz was apparently a past recipient of his father’s blows because he dropped the attitude. His manner was still sullen, but he wasn’t “acting out.” I was horrified by the exchange and sat still as stone, waiting for the tension to dissipate. Lauren didn’t bat an eye. Meanwhile, Hollis lowered his fist and picked up his drink again as he sat down. Conversation resumed without further reference to parental abuse.
Lauren turned to me. “Fritz tells us it was a lark. He says the tape was made all in good fun.”
I said, “I had a conversation with Iris yesterday and she said much the same thing.”
“Because it’s true! We were just horsing around. We were laughing our asses off. It was Austin’s idea and Iris jumped on the plan. She loved the notion of a porno film, which she thought was a hoot. She faked everything, acting like she passed out when she was in on the joke, right?” he said, looking to me for confirmation.
“She didn’t actually go that far. She referred to it as ‘messing around.’”
“That’s what I’m talking about. A put-on.”
Hollis said, “Why didn’t you say so in the first place?”
“Because I knew you’d do this. I’m telling the truth and you’re calling me a liar.”
Lauren said, “Your father’s asking why you’d offer such an explanation at this late date.”
“You only told me about the blackmail yesterday.”
“I’m talking about ten years ago when the tape first came to light.”
“You said you didn’t see it, so how was I supposed to explain? You swore you didn’t watch it.”
“Because you accused me of taking it,” she said. “What could I do except plead ignorance? I certainly wasn’t going to offer up the sordid details once this whole business went to trial. I was trying to protect you, not make matters worse.”
Hollis said, “Let’s back up a bit. We didn’t see anything to indicate Iris was ‘horsing around,’ and what you and Troy did could hardly be classified as high jinks.”
“The tape was edited. We stopped five or six times deciding what we’d do next. Those scenes were cut. There wasn’t a script. We were making it up as we went along.”
Hollis said, “Look, Fritz. We’re willing to give you the benefit of the doubt, but just for the sake of argument, where is all of this edited material? Alleged edited material.”
“There you go again. ‘Alleged edited material,’” he repeated in a mocking tone, his expression sour.
“Just answer the question.”
“How would I know? Bayard worked on the edits and then gave the tape to Austin for his review. When I got it back, the scenes were gone. You can see the jumps on the tape. There must be three or four. Austin must have kept the outtakes.”
“Well, now we’re getting somewhere. He told you that?”
“Not in so many words. I assumed he had the footage because he was the director and he had the final word. That’s how it’s done in Hollywood, is what he said.”
“Oh, right. A Hollywood production. I can see your point,” Hollis said.
“You’re doing it again. Being all pissy. Why don’t you ask Bayard? He’ll tell you the same thing.”
“I’m sure he would. Otherwise, what we’re looking at is the vicious abuse of a young girl. What is she, fourteen?”
“We didn’t force ourselves on her. It was consensual and it wasn’t even real sex. It was a game and she agreed. She wasn’t drunk and she didn’t pass out. In between the camera rolling, she was cracking up.”
“Son, we’d like nothing better than to take your word for it. But the way things stand, if that tape reaches the DA, you’re in very deep shit.”
“I know! God. You don’t have to repeat yourself. We’re in trouble. I get that. What do you want me to do?”
Lauren spoke up, saying, “Providing us with proof would be nice. So far, that seems to be in short supply.”
“I don’t have proof!”
“Which leaves us in a precarious position, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Shit, Mom. If you’d just pay the guy, this would all go away, so why don’t we talk about that for a change?”
“Your mother told you before. We’re not going to pay.”
“Why not? Twenty-five grand is nothing to you, so why not do what he says?”
“Because we have no guarantee that would be the end of it. We pay and who’s to say the crook won’t come back and insist on more? We could live the rest of our lives with the same threat hanging over our heads.”
“If Troy and I get nailed on this stuff, we’ll be tried as adults. You don’t pay, we could spend years behind bars. Is that what you want? Because if you ask me, that’s really fucked up.”
Lauren turned to me. “Why don’t we hear what Kinsey has to say?”
“Who cares about her opinion? You’re picking up the tab, so she’ll say anything you want.”
Lauren said, “We’ll be picking up the tab regardless. At least give her the courtesy of listening.”
“What for? Why not support me for a change? It’s my life on the line.”