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Authors: David McLeod
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move.
‘I guess I’ll give her a call to arrange it then, shall I?’ Taylor said glibly.
Malone took his coffee and went to the couch, shooing Charlie the cat off, but then thought better of it and opted for his trusty La-Z-Boy. His frustration with Daniel had turned his mood to melancholy. He was never that big on conflict; after all, for the majority of his life he’d been a self-confessed, God fearing, bible basher. His wife, or should he say his late wife, Barbara, hadn’t been big on conflict either. He often tried to think of times they had argued, but for some reason he couldn’t. Call it rose-colored spectacles or respect for the dead, but in all their years of marriage, he could only remember the good times. The times before Robert Richins had entered their lives. The whole period from his daughter’s abduction to his wife’s murder was a blur. Yes, they argued after their daughter was taken from them, and yes, they had argued ferociously the morning of Barbara’s murder, but of course none of that counted.
Now, Taylor, she was a different matter, never one to shy away from an argument, always one to have an opinion, but tactful with it. As Malone looked over at her chatting away on the phone, he couldn’t help but feel blessed that he had been given another opportunity to love. Yes they had met under unusual circumstances — she’d been the PA to the most immoral man he’d ever met — but the only other time he felt so strongly about a woman was when he’d met Barbara; so he knew it was right.
Then, there was Daniel; last night was their first real fight for a long time; sure, they’d had their minor set-to’s, but for two grown men who lived under the same roof, their head-to-heads were few and far between. Taylor was right; Daniel needed some time and some space, and most of all some support.
With his mood changed, Malone got off the chair, went to Daniel’s room again, and knocked softly on the door.
‘Daniel, hi, can I please come in?’
A grunt came from the other side of the door and Malone took it as a yes. He found Daniel in his usual pose — hunched over the keyboard and staring at the computer screen; although this time, rather than there being a creative and colorful design staring back, screeds of black letters, names, and basic contact details filled the monitor; the California DMV logo was nestled inconspicuously in the bottom right corner.
‘You have a gift,’ Malone said as he looked at the screen.
‘It’s not the hardest site to crack,’ Daniel replied curtly.
Malone took a breath as he thought of the best way to continue.
‘Look, I’m sorry about last night. I should never have reacted that way. It’s just that I, I mean we...’ He motioned toward the door and indirectly, Taylor. ‘…We want to… we care about you, that’s all.’
‘You said that already,’ Daniel snapped, still not looking at Malone.
‘Please, let me finish. I want to tell you that I’m here for you, and I’ll give you any support you need.’
Daniel turned to Malone.
‘Just say the word and I’ll call Logan, I’m sure he’ll be able to give you a hand — at worst, it’ll save you time hacking into websites.’
Daniel hesitated for a second, and then relaxed.
‘I’m sorry too. I was so excited about the prospect of having a real family that…’ He stopped and looked at Malone.
‘I meant a blood-related family.’
‘It’s okay; I know what you mean.’
‘That’s it really; I just want to know where I came from.’
Malone patted Daniel on the shoulder.
‘Like I said; we’re here for you.’
‘Thanks, Malone,’ Daniel smiled, ‘and it’d be great if you’d call Logan for me.’
Chapter 11
A fter a quick call to Logan, Malone and Taylor drove out to the Costello’s house in Van Ness to get a feel for how they lived. It was quite a trek from Mission in east LA to Van Ness in the south west. Malone stuck to the main routes: San Bernardino, and
‘I guess I’ll give her a call to arrange it then, shall I?’ Taylor said glibly.
Malone took his coffee and went to the couch, shooing Charlie the cat off, but then thought better of it and opted for his trusty La-Z-Boy. His frustration with Daniel had turned his mood to melancholy. He was never that big on conflict; after all, for the majority of his life he’d been a self-confessed, God fearing, bible basher. His wife, or should he say his late wife, Barbara, hadn’t been big on conflict either. He often tried to think of times they had argued, but for some reason he couldn’t. Call it rose-colored spectacles or respect for the dead, but in all their years of marriage, he could only remember the good times. The times before Robert Richins had entered their lives. The whole period from his daughter’s abduction to his wife’s murder was a blur. Yes, they argued after their daughter was taken from them, and yes, they had argued ferociously the morning of Barbara’s murder, but of course none of that counted.
Now, Taylor, she was a different matter, never one to shy away from an argument, always one to have an opinion, but tactful with it. As Malone looked over at her chatting away on the phone, he couldn’t help but feel blessed that he had been given another opportunity to love. Yes they had met under unusual circumstances — she’d been the PA to the most immoral man he’d ever met — but the only other time he felt so strongly about a woman was when he’d met Barbara; so he knew it was right.
Then, there was Daniel; last night was their first real fight for a long time; sure, they’d had their minor set-to’s, but for two grown men who lived under the same roof, their head-to-heads were few and far between. Taylor was right; Daniel needed some time and some space, and most of all some support.
With his mood changed, Malone got off the chair, went to Daniel’s room again, and knocked softly on the door.
‘Daniel, hi, can I please come in?’
A grunt came from the other side of the door and Malone took it as a yes. He found Daniel in his usual pose — hunched over the keyboard and staring at the computer screen; although this time, rather than there being a creative and colorful design staring back, screeds of black letters, names, and basic contact details filled the monitor; the California DMV logo was nestled inconspicuously in the bottom right corner.
‘You have a gift,’ Malone said as he looked at the screen.
‘It’s not the hardest site to crack,’ Daniel replied curtly.
Malone took a breath as he thought of the best way to continue.
‘Look, I’m sorry about last night. I should never have reacted that way. It’s just that I, I mean we...’ He motioned toward the door and indirectly, Taylor. ‘…We want to… we care about you, that’s all.’
‘You said that already,’ Daniel snapped, still not looking at Malone.
‘Please, let me finish. I want to tell you that I’m here for you, and I’ll give you any support you need.’
Daniel turned to Malone.
‘Just say the word and I’ll call Logan, I’m sure he’ll be able to give you a hand — at worst, it’ll save you time hacking into websites.’
Daniel hesitated for a second, and then relaxed.
‘I’m sorry too. I was so excited about the prospect of having a real family that…’ He stopped and looked at Malone.
‘I meant a blood-related family.’
‘It’s okay; I know what you mean.’
‘That’s it really; I just want to know where I came from.’
Malone patted Daniel on the shoulder.
‘Like I said; we’re here for you.’
‘Thanks, Malone,’ Daniel smiled, ‘and it’d be great if you’d call Logan for me.’
Chapter 11
A fter a quick call to Logan, Malone and Taylor drove out to the Costello’s house in Van Ness to get a feel for how they lived. It was quite a trek from Mission in east LA to Van Ness in the south west. Malone stuck to the main routes: San Bernardino, and
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