sir.”
“Tell him I’m not in.”
“Um, I think he saw your car outside. He knows you’re here.”
“Where is he?”
“In the foyer.”
“Send him back in five minutes.”
She left and I sighed and turned the stereo off and exited the office. Another staff was near my office, Alexis something, and I went to her. “Phillip White is going to go into my office and see that no one is there. When he does, tell him I went for a client meeting with someone else and won’t be back until the afternoon. If he says my car is here, tell him the other person drove.”
“Sure, Mr. Fischer.”
I took the back door and went down the emergency exit, which was nothing more than a little winding staircase locked away next to the parking garage. It echoed loudly and with each step you grew more disoriented as you weren’t exactly certain where in the descent you were.
Getting down the stairs and opening the exit door, I glanced both ways before slinking out and crossing the street. Café Molisse was there and they had the best espresso in the city. I went inside and sat down.
2
My father summoned me later that afternoon. He never requested , it was always a summons. I received a text at around one P.M. saying, Get your ass over here .
I went home and changed into something more conservative first. A gray suit with a gold tie and pocket square. I drove my Cadillac, and though the ride was smooth, it annoyed me. It was associated now with greasy mobsters and old men and I didn’t want to be seen in it. But it was my father’s favorite type of car.
I parked outside city h all in handicap parking and went inside. The space was decorated with flags and paintings of veterans, a statue of Brigham Young up in the corner that was slated to be taken down next month, the residents feeling that, though he founded Utah, he was too much a religious symbol and had no place in a government building.
I found the mayor’s office and walked past his secretary. My father was at his desk with two city councilmen discussing something about monster homes and stopping their development in some area of Park City. He glanced to me and said, “We’ll talk more later.”
I waited until the men left and then stepped inside his office and sat down across from him.
“You wanted to see me?”
He leaned back in the chair and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his fingers. “Tell me you didn’t kill that girl.”
“I didn’t kill that girl.”
He looked at me, his eyes steely and gray. Since I could remember, he had the ability to see through me when so few other people could. “Thomas, tell me you didn’t kill that girl.”
“I did not kill any girl.”
He turned to a bottle of Vos water and took a sip. “When you were eight, your mother caught you cutting that neighbor girl … what was her name?”
“Teddy.”
“That’s right. Teddy. You cut her up so bad she needed plastic surgery. Your mother said you were sick. That you needed to be put away somewhere so you couldn’t hurt anybody. I didn’t see it. I just saw my boy. I had a streak of cruelty too and I thought I had rubbed off on you. I thought it would help you in the business world, in politics … I didn’t recognize what you were.”
“And what’s that?” I said , my eyes locked to his, my voice even.
“You’re an animal. And I’m through bailing you out. If you did anything to that girl you’re on your own. I’m not helping you, not with the police, not with anybody.”
“Someone dies and I’m the first person you look at? That seems hardly fair.”
“You know when the last time we had a murder up here was? Then you move out and three months later we’ve got not one but two. And then an FBI agent.”
“I moved out because you asked me to run the company.”
“Yeah, and somehow you can actually keep it together long enough to do a decent job. How is that? How do you have that thing inside you and still function?” He
“Tell him I’m not in.”
“Um, I think he saw your car outside. He knows you’re here.”
“Where is he?”
“In the foyer.”
“Send him back in five minutes.”
She left and I sighed and turned the stereo off and exited the office. Another staff was near my office, Alexis something, and I went to her. “Phillip White is going to go into my office and see that no one is there. When he does, tell him I went for a client meeting with someone else and won’t be back until the afternoon. If he says my car is here, tell him the other person drove.”
“Sure, Mr. Fischer.”
I took the back door and went down the emergency exit, which was nothing more than a little winding staircase locked away next to the parking garage. It echoed loudly and with each step you grew more disoriented as you weren’t exactly certain where in the descent you were.
Getting down the stairs and opening the exit door, I glanced both ways before slinking out and crossing the street. Café Molisse was there and they had the best espresso in the city. I went inside and sat down.
2
My father summoned me later that afternoon. He never requested , it was always a summons. I received a text at around one P.M. saying, Get your ass over here .
I went home and changed into something more conservative first. A gray suit with a gold tie and pocket square. I drove my Cadillac, and though the ride was smooth, it annoyed me. It was associated now with greasy mobsters and old men and I didn’t want to be seen in it. But it was my father’s favorite type of car.
I parked outside city h all in handicap parking and went inside. The space was decorated with flags and paintings of veterans, a statue of Brigham Young up in the corner that was slated to be taken down next month, the residents feeling that, though he founded Utah, he was too much a religious symbol and had no place in a government building.
I found the mayor’s office and walked past his secretary. My father was at his desk with two city councilmen discussing something about monster homes and stopping their development in some area of Park City. He glanced to me and said, “We’ll talk more later.”
I waited until the men left and then stepped inside his office and sat down across from him.
“You wanted to see me?”
He leaned back in the chair and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his fingers. “Tell me you didn’t kill that girl.”
“I didn’t kill that girl.”
He looked at me, his eyes steely and gray. Since I could remember, he had the ability to see through me when so few other people could. “Thomas, tell me you didn’t kill that girl.”
“I did not kill any girl.”
He turned to a bottle of Vos water and took a sip. “When you were eight, your mother caught you cutting that neighbor girl … what was her name?”
“Teddy.”
“That’s right. Teddy. You cut her up so bad she needed plastic surgery. Your mother said you were sick. That you needed to be put away somewhere so you couldn’t hurt anybody. I didn’t see it. I just saw my boy. I had a streak of cruelty too and I thought I had rubbed off on you. I thought it would help you in the business world, in politics … I didn’t recognize what you were.”
“And what’s that?” I said , my eyes locked to his, my voice even.
“You’re an animal. And I’m through bailing you out. If you did anything to that girl you’re on your own. I’m not helping you, not with the police, not with anybody.”
“Someone dies and I’m the first person you look at? That seems hardly fair.”
“You know when the last time we had a murder up here was? Then you move out and three months later we’ve got not one but two. And then an FBI agent.”
“I moved out because you asked me to run the company.”
“Yeah, and somehow you can actually keep it together long enough to do a decent job. How is that? How do you have that thing inside you and still function?” He
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