Free Hard Road by Barbara D'Amato

don't believe you killed Plumly. And I know you wouldn't have shot at Jeremy and me."
     
     
Riding right over my words, he said, "And if so, you must have thought I might be the person chasing you in the tunnel."
     
     
Not knowing what I could add that wouldn't make things worse, I kept quiet.
     
     
"You thought I tried to kill my own child."
     
     
Breathily, I said, "No. No. I just told you, no."
     
     
Turning away from me, he said, "So will you let me take him home, Chief McCoo?"
     
     
"Take Jeremy home? Of course. You're not under arrest. He's your son. I have no authority to stop you."
     
     
And now I knew McCoo had considered what I had been too stressed or stupid to think of. If Barry had been shooting at Jeremy, how could we turn Jeremy over to Barry? God, what a mess!
     
     
Barry suddenly looked drawn and old. "All right! If you're worried, I understand. But I don't want him to go home with you, Cat. I'm angry at you."
     
     
"I have the sofa. He could sleep there—"
     
     
"I'll call Dad and Mom. They have a guest room. They can come and get him."
     
     
"What will you tell Maud?"
     
     
"Maud! Oh, shit!"
     
     
Barry dropped his head into his hands. He said, "I'll call her. I don't want you to say one word to her about this until we get this straightened out. She's still hemorrhaging off and on."
     
     
"I'm sorry—"
     
     
"If it hasn't stopped by Monday, they want her in for cauterization."
     
     
"That sounds awful."
     
     
"They call it 'minimally invasive,' " he said, smiling without humor. "Which is like the saying about minor surgery. Minor surgery is surgery on somebody other than you."
     
     
Barry looked at me with loathing. He was exhausted. He'd had a lot to deal with even before tonight. Maud had to have help in the house after the baby was born. Her mother had come to stay for the first two weeks and had just gone back to Florida a couple of days ago because Maud's dad had a health problem, too. Maud had a day-help care-giver now.
     
     
Barry said, "If Jeremy goes to Mom and Dad's, he can't worry Maud by telling her what happened. Actually, this is a good idea. I should do a few things at the festival tonight. It's in an uproar."
     
     
Now he was rationalizing the decision to send Jeremy to our mom and dad's, but if it made him feel better, it was okay by me. I was feeling hideous enough for both of us.
     
     
Barry could only manage a short period of positive thinking, however. After a few more mumblings, he sank into a grim mood. Finally, sounding surly, he said, "I'll call Dad and Mom. But I'll call Maud first."
     
     
    * * *
The phone call was painful for all of us. The phone wasn't really private, and we could hear him begging her. "Don't even think of coming into town. Jeremy is perfectly all right. He was nowhere nearby when Plumly died."
     
     
Not only was this not strictly true, but Barry had said nothing to her about Jennifer's murder, Jeremy and me being shot at, or our run through the tunnels.
     
     
"I just can't get away so soon, honey. Anyway, you know how he likes to play with Dad."
     
     
There followed quite a long period of Barry listening. Then he said, "One night without pajamas is not going to hurt him. Please, Maud, let's keep our eye on the ball here. If you get sicker, who's to take care of him? And the baby?"
     
     
Some more silence.
     
     
"Sure. I should be home by one A.M. or so. I want to find you asleep."
     

 
Pause.
     
     
"Well, please let her get up and feed Cynthia."
     
     
Pause.
     
     
"You know we agreed to have her take one bottle a day from the very beginning. All right. 'Night."
     
     
Then he called Mom and Dad.
     
     
    * * *
Barry went someplace in the building. McCoo said he was finishing making his statement, which would then be typed up, and Barry would read it and sign it. He had left without saying another word to me.
     
     
McCoo said, "Cat, I know he's your brother, but we're going to handle this by the