It was then that I turned around, and I saw somebody standing in the suite. He was standing there in front of Pearl, who was answering the phones. He glanced at me, and, before I could duck behind Harper’s desk, he rushed over to me.
Goddammit. I instinctively knew who he was before he even said one word to me. Not that I’d recognized him. I didn’t. Yet, I somehow knew who he was.
“Damien Harrington?” the man asked when he saw me.
I was tempted to tell him my name was not Damien Harrington, but I knew that that was going to be pointless. I was sure that he had a picture of me.
“Yeah. I’m Damien Harrington. “
At that, he handed me a copy of a petition.
“You’ve been served.”
Chapter 11
I looked over at Harper, who was staring at me with her mouth agape. “What’s going on?”
I took a deep breath. “I think I told you that Sarah has been harassing Amelia, telling her that I’m not her father. I told you that, didn’t I?”
Harper looked shocked. Her eyes were wide, and her mouth was open. She shook her head slowly, but then she nodded. “Yes, I remember you talking about that. So what’s going on?”
I took a deep breath. “It’s Sarah. She apparently had an affair with a man by the name of Baron Wicker. She’s been telling me that this Baron guy is Amelia’s father. She claims to me that she already had him take a paternity test which showed that he was actually Amelia’s father. So now, apparently, Sarah wants Amelia to get to know this guy. “ I looked at the petition. “And, it looks like not only is she trying to establish paternity for this Baron Wicker person, but she also apparently…”
“Apparently what?” Harper looked genuinely concerned.
I took a deep breath as I read through the rest of the paternity petition. Not only did the petition seek to establish that this Baron Wicker person was the father of Amelia, but there was an attached parenting plan on the back of the petition. I read the parenting plan and then I re-read the petition carefully. I was shocked to see that, at the end of petition, where her attorney asked for a remedy, she asked that my parental rights be severed.
“Oh my God. Oh my God. This can’t be happening to me.” I closed my eyes. “This can’t be happening to me.”
“What’s happening to you? What’s going on?”
“Sarah wants my parental rights to Amelia to be severed. She can’t do this to me. She told me on the phone that she just wanted this Baron person to get to know Amelia. That’s what she said. She just wanted him to meet her. And now, here she is, asking on this petition to have my parental rights severed from my own daughter. How could she do this to me?”
Harper stood up and put her arm around me. “Now, calm down. Just calm down. You know as well as I do that no judge is going to sever your parental rights, not when you’re the only father that that girl has ever known. Even if it’s proven that you’re not the biological father of Amelia, you’re still the presumed father. And it’s definitely not in the best interest of Amelia that she be taken completely from you and given to somebody else. So don’t worry.” She lightly massaged my shoulders. “She’s not a coffee cup that you give to somebody else.”
“You don’t understand. Baron Wicker is one of the richest men in America. He’s a Texas oil billionaire. He’s got more money than God, which means that he can hire the best attorneys to come after me. And, he also has the money that he could use to bribe the right judge. Or blackmail him or her. You know how those rich guys roll. When they want something, they’re going to get it. And this man apparently wants my daughter.” I put my head in my hands. I was shaking all over.
“He won’t get your daughter. Have you taken a paternity test? Have you given your DNA to find out if maybe you’re the father of Amelia after all?”
“No, I haven’t taken a DNA test yet. To be honest with you, I’m terrified to do that. I’m terrified of finding out that I’m not really her father. And, I know what you’re saying, any judge is not going to sever my rights to her. Not after what I’ve gone through with her. The judge will know that Amelia and I are very close. I’m her only parent. I’ve been her only parent for quite a long time. When Sarah left the family, when Amelia was sick, it was me who was there in the hospital room every night when she was sick. It was me who was taking her to the doctors. It was me who was holding her while she cried. I did all that. I was there for all that, not Sarah. Goddammit, it’s so unfair. How could she do this to me?”
I felt so agitated. I felt like I was jumping out of my skin. I felt like I did when I was 15 years old, and I just killed my step-father. I was so angry when I killed him. He was beating on me all the time. He came home and beat up my mom, and I lost it. I just lost it. My mom couldn’t necessarily fight back. She was a small lady, very thin and little, and I thought that he was going to kill her that night. He was a strong man, and when he drank, he had the strength of 20 men. So I shot him while he slept. Killed him in cold blood. The prosecutors knew that I did the world a favor, so they went easy on me.
And, at the moment, I was feeling about Sarah the same way that I felt about Stephen all those years ago. I hated her. I hated her with the passion of a thousand suns, and if I could get away with it, I would kill her. I closed my eyes, knowing that I could not get away with killing her, no matter how much I wanted to.
And I did want to. I really did. That was why I always had a ton of sympathy for my clients who actually killed somebody when they were angry. Sometimes I actually admired them for having the courage to do something about the people who tormented them. I didn’t have the same courage. If I did, I would’ve killed Sarah.
“Damien, are you okay?” Harper was very concerned. “Listen, I’ll find you a good family law attorney. I’ll help you find the best one. You’re going to fight this. You’re going to win. I think that you should ask that even if Baron Wicker is proved to be the biological father of Amelia that he not have any contact with her. Don’t even open the door to him seeing her. Don’t let the camel get his nose under the tent.”
“It goes without saying that that’s what I’ll try to do. I don’t know how successful that’s going to be, though. Sarah tells me that because this Baron Wicker guy is a rich guy that he can give her things that I can’t.”
“Since when does a judge factor that kind of thing in the ‘best interest of the child’ analysis? You make a good living. You can give her everything that she needs. You’re sending her to a private school, and I know that you have a good college fund going for her. You have excellent insurance for her, and you’ve been there for her through all of her sicknesses. That’s what matters to a judge, not the fact that there’s some richie-rich guy who’s trying to get his hands on her, by saying that, what, he could take her on a private plane? That he could sail around the world with her? What exactly can he give to her that you can’t? At least, in the big scheme of things?”
“Nothing. Of course. But that’s not what I’m worried about. I’m simply worried about the fact that… Well, I have to say that I’m worried about the fact that my relationship with my daughter is going to change. She’s so bright. So incredibly bright. She knows what’s going on, and she doesn’t like it. I don’t know. It’s weird that, even if I beat this custody case down, I’m not her father. At least, I’m not her biological father. And I just think that it’s going to change things between us, and I don’t want it to.”
“Of course you don’t want things to change. And it won’t. Yes, it might be weird at first, but you guys will get through it. You have to understand one thing – family bonds don’t come from blood. Look at me – my daughters are adopted. I have just as much love for them as I would for any other child. Biological or no. Granted, Abby is having problems right now, but that’s mainly because she lost her mother in such a way. Rina is having the same kind of problems, but it’s not as obvious with her. But we’re getting through it, and they love me just the same as they did their mother
. At least, that’s what Rina and Abby both told me. So, don’t worry about it. You’re still Amelia’s father, and you always will be. You always will be.”
I smiled. “Thanks. I know you’re right. Now, I just have to get an attorney and answer this petition. I have to face it. And I’m going to have to go ahead and do a DNA test to see if I’m her father. I have a feeling that I’m not. You know, I get so angry about the fact that Sarah had an affair with somebody while we were married. But then I think to myself, that if she had an affair, and that person actually fathered Amelia, I should be grateful for the fact she cheated on me. I know it seems kind of weird, but, if you think about it, if Sarah never had that affair, I wouldn’t have Amelia right now. She’s the light of my life. She really is. I can’t imagine what my life would be like without her. So, yeah, I hate Sarah for many different reasons, but I can’t hate her for cheating on me and having Amelia through this affair. I just can’t.”
“I have to say that you’re looking at this in a way that most people wouldn’t.” Harper nodded her head. “Keep on looking at the bright side. Because, as you say, there’s always a bright side. There’s always a blessing. And your blessing was Amelia. So, no matter what happens, you just fight this. You fight this with all you have. Amelia doesn’t belong to him. And, the way that Sarah has been acting, Amelia doesn’t belong to her either. Amelia belongs to you. And that’s all you need to know.”
I took a deep breath and stood up. “Well, I think this is enough bad news that’s happened for one day. It’s time for me to make an appointment with an attorney, and get going on this. I have to think about the whole Beck thing. His first court appointment is in a couple of days. I’m going try to get a bond reduction for him, and I’m also going to talk to the prosecutor to see if they can drop the hate crime designation. The only reason why they’re looking at this as a hate crime is because of Beck’s background in prison with the Aryan Brotherhood. You’re absolutely right, the official creed of the Aryan Brotherhood has no problem with LGBT. So, technically, there’s no reason to use his background as an enhancement in this case. So, I’ll start there. If I could just get the prosecutors off the hate crime thing, that’s one victory that I can claim. Of course, I can’t be satisfied with that. I have to move ahead and hope that I can find out who really killed Adele, assuming that Beck didn’t do it.”
“Of course, you’re going to have to show that Beck didn’t do it. Because if you don’t, Heather is going to go down for that murder. And we can’t have that happen.” Harper nodded her head. “I’m going to do all I can to help you too. I’m going to approach this as if Rina or Abby are the ones in trouble. That’s how I feel. I feel as if one of my daughters are in trouble.”
It was then that I noticed that Harper had tears in her eyes. It was my turn to comfort her. “Harper, don’t worry. We’re going to fight this, and we’re going to win. Don’t you worry.” I took a deep breath. “I’m going to find out who really killed Adele. It’s going to be fine. You’ll see.”
“I hope you’re right. I really hope you’re right.”
Chapter 12
I made an appointment with Tom, because I needed to see if he could tell me anything at all about the victim, Adele Whittier, or Beck. I hoped that Tom had some kind of good information for me to go on.
I went over to his house for dinner. Or, rather, his apartment. Tom lived in Kansas City, Kansas in a tiny one-bedroom apartment with hardwood floors. He had a little tiny dog, a Maltese mix whose name was Trudy. He recently bought her a companion named Max, who was also a little tiny dog. Tom explained that he loved dogs, but his building had a weight limit on the dogs that could stay there. That was the reason why he had to get these tiny things. Still, I thought it was funny that a big beefy guy with lots of tattoos, like Tom, would have such little froufrou dogs. It didn’t seem to match his personality, or the way he looked, but that was okay.
They were sweet pups, and when I went over there, they both leaped on my lap and licked me on my face.
“Trudy, Max,” Tom said. “You get off of him. I’m so sorry. I try to teach them not to do that, but they just can’t help it. They’re full of love.”
I had to laugh. “I know, they are full of love. I want to get Amelia and Nate a dog. I haven’t wanted to get them a dog before this, because Amelia was so sick and her immunity was so low. I was worried that a dog might make her sicker. But they’ve been asking me for one, and I’m going to get one for them. Amelia wants a French bulldog, and Nate wants a pit bull. I think I could make them both happy by getting one of each.”
I immediately thought about Amelia, and how I was in danger of losing her again. Somehow, I thought that if I bought a dog that she would stay with me no matter what. No matter what the judge said, she would stay with me, if I just bought her a dog. I know that it wasn’t rational to think that way, but that was what was going through my mind.
Tom didn’t know about any of this. I was going to tell him, because maybe he could help out. If there was one thing that Tom could do was maybe dig up some dirt on this Baron Wicker person, and that might be my best bet to make sure that my parental rights weren’t severed from my own daughter. After all, Baron Wicker was a very wealthy man, which meant that he probably was involved in something shady along the way. I doubted that he was squeaky clean.
So that was the first thing that I asked Tom to do. I asked him to look into Baron Wicker’s background.
“I’ll find something on him, don’t you worry. I’m sure that he’s been involved in all kinds of shit. I’ve seen his name in the paper a few times. He’s always seemed like a bastard to me.”
“I’m sure he is. Hopefully the things that he has done in his life have been worse than the things that I’ve done in my life. But I wouldn’t count on it.” I grimaced. I hated that my juvenile record had been unsealed. It wasn’t fair that it could be used against me. But I knew why it was – I knew that the governor had to have some kind of revenge on me for what I did to him, blackmailing him like that. And he got his revenge by unsealing my record. That meant that that shit was going to follow me around no matter what I did.
“Anyhow, what did you find out about Beck Harrison? “ I asked Tom. “Anything good about him?”
“Yeah, I found out that he’s a piece of work. I mean, I’m sure that you know about all that. The Aryan Brotherhood membership, the robbery, all that. So I’m not telling you anything new here.”
“No. You’re not. But go ahead. What else have you found out about him?”
“Well, I’m sure that this is going to come as no surprise to you, but he killed a man inside prison. It was an initiation into the Aryan Brotherhood. They required him to do it, and he did.” Garrett shook his head. “The guy that he killed was a guy named Jackson Benner. He was a black guy who was rather powerful. He was also a member of a gang, a rival gang by the name of the Black Guerrilla Family. The BGF is one of the most prevalent and powerful black prison gangs in America. From my research, I found out that the BGF has somewhat lofty goals. Their stated mission is to get rid of racism and to topple the American government. What they do in prison is that they recruit black gang members who come in from the outside, to become a part of their gang on the inside. So, this Jackson Benner was one of the most prominent members of the BGF, so the Aryan Brotherhood wanted him gone. And, since Beck was one of the newer members of their gang, they assigned him to do the dirty work.”
“How? So what happened? Did anybody find out about it? By anybody, I mean any of the prison guards or anybody else in authority over there in Cameron?”
“No, of course not. Prison code, you know. Nobody would talk. So, nobody knew that Beck was the one who was behind killing him. The only reason why I know that he killed Jackson is because I’ve been on the street talking to other former members of the Aryan Brotherhood and the BGF, and that’s the story that I’ve been given.”
“Well, that’s interesting. I guess I should look at anybody who is
a former member of the BGF. They might have wanted Beck to get into trouble, so they killed Adele and pinned it on him. Although, I have to admit that’s a far-fetched theory. I mean, if they wanted to get Beck, they just would have. They would’ve killed him.” I shook my head. “I’ll put it in my back pocket, but I don’t think it’s necessarily going to bear fruit. What else did you find out about Beck?”
“I found out about his family life. His father is serving time in prison, for Murder One. If Beck has any kind of white supremacist leanings, chances are he got them from his dad. His father is not a member of any white brotherhood gang, or anything like that - not in prison and not on the outside, either. However, from what I understand, he’s a hateful person. Seems that his mother, Beck’s grandmother, was murdered by an African-American man. Because of that, Beck’s father, whose name is David, apparently hates black people. He went to prison for murdering an African-American man who he worked with, at a local restaurant. The guy’s name was Tyrell Washington, and, according to my understanding, David Harrison killed Tyrell for no good reason. I got ahold of his file, and he kept a diary where he talked about all kinds of vile and hateful things about other races.”
I worked that out in my head. “Sounds about right. It sounds like the apple didn’t fall too far from the tree. So his father was a white supremacist, and hated black people. And now he’s serving time in prison for murder one. Is he LWOP?”
“Yeah. He is. So there you have the father.”
“What about his mother? What’s her story?”
“Her story is that she’s on SSD at the moment. She lives in a trailer out in the country, in Harrisonville. Apparently her disability is that she has suffered from debilitating depression her entire life. She recently has also been diagnosed with schizophrenia. She had been in the state-run mental hospital a few times, but they always let her go, because she wasn’t necessarily bad enough to stay in one of those places. And you know how it is – if you don’t have insurance, which she doesn’t, then you don’t get to stay anywhere. Not in state-run hospitals and certainly not in private hospitals. So, the upshot is that she’s schizophrenic, but, because she doesn’t have the money to actually get treatment, she’s just living in a trailer and apparently she’s not well. To say the very least.”
The Hate Crime Page 8
