Sins of the Fathers

(4)

Timothy's foot taps nervously on the floor. Why he has been asked to come here he doesn't know, after all what assistance could he possibly provide to this investigation? He lives across the country for Christ's sake.

The police investigator walks in, a stout, good-ole-boy type, perhaps too many doughnuts on his beat, perhaps too much time behind a desk, either way too much of nothing. He sits behind his desk and shuffles around a few papers, pretending to look important, and failing miserably. Tim is not impressed. The investigator clears his throat.

"I'm Detective Lowrey. I am investigating the incident with your sister, Sara Freeman. I called you in here today to ask you a few questions."

The tap of Timothy's foot stops. "What questions could I possibly answer about that? I live in San Francisco for God's sake. I left this God-forsaken place 20 years ago and haven't wanted to come back. I'm here for the funeral only, and when it's over I want to go back to my own life and forget this place ever existed."

The investigator looks hard at the man. "Are you telling me you refuse to answer my questions?"

"I can't possibly say that without knowing what your questions are, officer. I just don't understand why, out of all the people in this town that know my sister and my family you couldn't ask someone that might know more than I do."

The detective finally takes out a pen and legal pad. "Tell me about your sister."

"What do you want to know?"

The detective glares hard. "I want to know about your sister, what she was like as a child. What do you know of her? I realize you haven't been around her for years, but you do have SOME knowledge of her. I would like to get an all around picture of her, that might possibly shed some light on her case."

The foot starts tapping again. "Sara was a difficult child. She gave our mother a tremendous amount of grief."

Pen scratches. "So there was a strain in the relationship between she and your mother?"

"Yes. She seemed to antagonize our mother at every turn. Sometimes with a look, other times with a barrage of questions. As she got older she became more defiant, and would cross examine our mother constantly."

The detective continues with his note taking. "What about her relationship with your father?"

Timothy shrugs. "She was close to him when she was a child. As she got older she seemed to defy him as well."

"Defiance is a normal teenage reaction, is it not?"

"Officer how would I know? I'm a stock broker, not a psychiatrist."

The officer appears to ignore the sarcasm and moves on.

"What was your relationship with your sister?"

Tim glared at the officer with an unaltered look of disgust? "Pardon?"

John Lowry makes a quick note. ~Check out Timothy Freeman~ Clearing his voice, the investigator meets the eyes of his subject. "How did you and your sister get along? Were you close? Was there a strain there as well?"

Timothy shook his head. "We got along okay I guess. I didn't like how she treated my parents, but she never really listened to me on anything. Giving her advice was like talking to the clouds, it never really materialized into anything."

More pen scratches. The investigator looks over his notes, noting with some small measure of satisfaction the annoyance of his interviewee, as he checks his watch for what is probably the fifteenth time in the last half hour. Let the little bastard wait, he thinks, smugly.

"Mr Freeman, I only have one more question for you, and then I'll let you go FOR NOW."

"For good, you forget I have a flight tomorrow morning."

"Sir, you do realize I can have the Grand Jury convene by in the morning if need be."

"Am I being accused of a crime?"

"Have you committed one?"

Tim smiles, the loathing for this pompous jackass apparent in his eyes. "What is your question, Officer Lowry?"

The investigator meets his gaze. "Who is Katherine?"


(to be continued...)