Page 13 of August

“Doubtful. They seem to enjoy having one on one with us.” She changed Peter and then took Joey. I think I’m getting pretty good at this diaper thing. I’m going to be a real pro when our own baby gets here.”

“You do realize that we’re going to have two infants at the same time, correct?” She said they’d handle things just fine. “Says the woman who forgot if she was coming to bed or just getting up this morning.”

“I figured it out.” They both laughed quietly. “I need to remind Richard that he was going to ask me something before he took a nap. They had a good time playing out in the yard. I hope none of them get sunburnt from it.”

“I think they would endure it just to do it again. I know that I would.” She asked him about the investment he was working on for a friend of his. “He says he doesn’t want to risk it right now. I told him that it wouldn’t get any better, taking a risk on a new project, but he said no. It’s all right. I took the risk, and I’m willing to bet that in just a couple of years, we’re going to reap the benefits.”

She didn’t understand entirely the stock market. It was hard for her to part with her hard-earned money on a whim. Jack supposed it wasn’t a whim at all but something that August had looked deeply into and knew just how much to invest or not. It’s what made them wealthy.

After getting the kids up for their bath, it was nearly dinner time when she realized that she’d skipped lunch again. She was going to have to be better at that. There wasn’t just her life but that of her unborn baby, too. Going to the nursery to check on the baby, she was delighted to see that Peter was awake.

He was only a few years older than Joey. It was amazing to see the difference in just a few years could change in a baby’s life. Joey would smile at her, but when she laughed, it seemed to startle her as much as it did Jack.

“Mistress, there are some phone messages for you. Several of them are from the police station. Your brother is demanding you come to see him.” She decided several days ago that she wasn’t going to drop everything and go see what he wanted. There were his children to raise, and she was going todo a good job of it despite having a dad like he was. “Also, Miss Shipley called to ask you about the donations that Mr. August said needed to be rotated.”

The family as a whole would buy pallets of things that would go to be used when a disaster happened. Right now, they were shipping bottled water to help the firefighters out in Yellowstone Park. There were other projects that she would be involved in and she loved that they would include her in such things.

Deciding to get her brother out of the way, the nannies said that they’d keep an eye on the children while she was out. It wasn’t much of a walk, only a few blocks, but the weather was getting sticky, and she knew that it was going to have to rain soon, or she’d be sending out her crews to water some of the new trees that she’d planted in the spring. There seemed to always be something going on.

It turned out that her father wanted to see her, too. Bringing them both to her in a room that looked like something out of a nightmare, with his dark colors and cameras everywhere. They were brought in one at a time and chained to the table and floor. It didn’t let her let her guard down. She knew these two better than she did anyone else.

“What took you so long? I’ve missed my son’s services because of you. You’re going to have to do it all over again so that I can be there.” She told her dad no, that it was finished. “Christ, why is it that I never noticed what a terrible child you were?”

“Because you were hoping I’d be like you, and I’m not. Not even close. What did you want?” Dad asked her about the funeral. “There wasn’t one for the lot of them. Since they were all murdered by David, I had them buried quickly and without any fanfare. It’s done and over with.”

“I won’t believe that he killed my grandsons. No, no one will make me believe that. Sons are what keeps the world going.” She told him that she didn’t care to hear that, but Joey lived. “Who’s that? Which of his sons is that?”

“Joey is a girl. Josephine.” He waved her off, and Richard asked if he could talk now. It wasn’t a question so much as it was his sarcasm coming out. “Your children are just fine if that was what you were going to ask. Once the waiting period is over, we’ll adopt them so that they’ll have our name.”

“Like I care what you want to do with them. What I want to know is how much money are you going to give me for you having them?” She told him what she’d told his wife, nothing.

No, she said that she was promised enough money so that she could start a new life. That’s what I want too when I get out of here.”

“It’s against the law to sell you children. I’m sure you know that.” He, like Dad did, waved her off like what she said wasn’t going to apply to him. “She is getting a new life. In jail with you. I don’t know that I’d like that either, spending the next twenty or so years with you, but you’re in jail, and I’m happy. Plus, I get to raise three beautiful children with my husband, who otherwise might not have lived with the two of you.”

“Whatever. I got to see Linda yesterday. She was bitching that you tricked her. Don’t you dare go thinking that I’m just as stupid as she is. I want money enough to get me out of here. Don’t tell me that you don’t have it. The Erickson’s are a huge name around here. I should have been the one that he married off.”

“I’m sorry? Are you saying that you should have married August? I don’t believe that he swings that way. In fact, I don’t believe any of them would have sex with you even if you were a woman. You’re a mean son of a bitch.” He thanked her, and she didn’t bother telling him it hadn’t been a compliment. “Did you know that Linda was abusing your children? That she threatened them with selling them off at least once a day?”

“Yeah, so? It kept them in line, didn’t it? You need to get me out of here, Jacklynn. I have things that I have to take care of soon and proto.” Jack pointed out that they were the same thing, that proto and soon were a different way of saying the same thing she told him when he said that they were not. “It’s not the same thing if I don’t want it to be. Get me out of here.”

“No.” She looked at her dad and noticed how much older he looked than only a few days ago. “What did you want? Before you answer that, I’m not getting you out of here, I’m not going to give youany money, nor am I going to come back to see either of you. I’m finished with you two.”

“You’ll do what you’re told for once, or I’ll snatch you bald.” She only had to glance at the way he was sitting to get him fired up again. “Damn it all to hell. Why are you treating me this way? It’s because I didn’t beat you enough when you were home. That’s all on your mother. She coddled you too much.”

“She loves me. Speaking of Mother, she’s sold her home and is gone on a long cruise. It’s either three months or four. I didn’t know that you two never traveled when you were first married. I think it’s wonderful that she’s going to get to see all the things that you denied her because you didn’t like to fly.” He told her that it was dangerous. “Yes, and so is being around the two of you. What is it that you want that you think I’m going to give to you before I leave? I’m not going to bail either of you out. I’m not going be at your court hearing either unless I have to testify what a mean prick you’ve been all your life. Also, once you’re in prison, which I hope is a very long time, you’ll never see your grandchildren again. Mine or the others that I have.”

“Good. They’re as good as dead to me. I want you to tell me how Daivd died.” She told him point blank about how he’d killed two of his children before killing Mary. Then he set fire to the house, using their tiny bodies as an accelerant to burn the house down with him still living in it. He told her she lied. “So you say.”

Standing up, she suddenly needed a shower and some fresh air. After listening to them for the past hour, she was ready to have a long, clean bath so that she could wash them off her. As she was leaving the police station, Jack requested that no more calls be made to her house. That they weren’t going to get any help from her.

Standing in the open sunshine, she held her face up to let it burn her face. Sometimes, it took her an entire day to remember that she was related to the two that were in jail. Not to mention Linda. As she made her way back to her home, she was tickled that the Desk Sergeant told her that there wasn’t any air conditioning going into the cells. It had been turned off because the power bill was too high. Good, she thought, let them boil in the heat. It might do them some good to live like everyone else.

Stopping by the Dari-mart, she picked up some ice cream and some cones so that the kids could have a treat today. It was something that she was craving and the kids might well have some fun eating it before it melted all over themselves. The pool people were planning to have the pool finished by tomorrow. Thank goodness, she thought. That reminded her that they were going to have to get the kids some swimwear and towels to use. Jack was excited to know that they didn’t have to travel all that far to have a nice dip in the pool. Besides, she thought public pools were overrated.

By the time she got home, she was exhausted. The heat would do that to her, but she never let it bother her until today. The kids were ready to get in the half-full pool, and she was going to join them. It was a perfect way to enjoy the day, lying in her own backyard with her children and sipping iced tea.

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