I looked down, realizing that I was holding Ford’s hand.
He’d given me comfort when I needed it, without interrupting me. He’d made it about me and not him.
I was so drained that I almost couldn’t hold back the tears.
How fast was too fast to fall for someone?
27
Ford
Austin ended the call with his brother and remained quiet for the next hour.
“She…” he finally said, breaking the stifling silence. “My mom, she didn’t handle it so well after they arrested my father.”
I hadn’t kept up with the case after I knew they’d taken the C&D Killer into custody. I didn’t stay glued to the news, watching how it affected everyone and seeing how the families on both sides fell apart all over again.
I reached over, placing my hand on his thigh as I waited for him to go on. He didn’t even look down at it, but a second later, he pressed his palm against the top of my hand and curled his fingers around, holding me tightly.
He let out a bitter laugh.
“Get this,” he said. His tone made my jaw clench. He was slipping on his armor. It must have been bad. I wanted to protect him from it, from whatever he was about to reveal, but I knew it was already too late. “She still stands by him. She says she took a vow in front of God and he will always be her husband. And she will always believe in and obey her husband.”
He shook his head, eyes sharp as he looked out the window.
“Reed warned me. He said he’d heard rumors about someone doing a documentary on my father, but I was really hoping it was all talk or that he could squash it for me. But it seems like they are going full steam. They contacted my momabout an interview and it set her off, I guess. Braden— my brother— said she’s excited about it. She still thinks he’s a good man and she wants to tell people that. She treats it like a mistake that he can ask forgiveness for and everyone should be able to move on. It’s just… all the things that I try my hardest to stay away from.”
I had no idea about any of this. It was blowing my mind. I’d heard of cases where the spouse or partner refused to believe the accused— or even convicted, in some cases—had done what they’d done, but wasn’t familiar with any of them. I didn’t know the psychology behind it. It was a fine line for me. On the one hand, I couldn’t help but think these people were really fucked up to deny and ignore the crimes when there was clearly evidence, and even sometimes, a full confession. But on the other hand, I’d been involved in enough ongoing cases and done enough interviews to get a glimpse of how a situation like that could break someone down.
“Do you not want her to do the interview?” I cautiously asked.
He shrugged, tugging my hand a little with my movement.
“I don’t really care. I’m over her.” Another bitter laugh slipped out. “I’m just worried about my twin sisters. Dina and Diana are a few months away from being fifteen. They barely remember what happened when our father was arrested. I think they side with Ma because that’s all they know, so I can’t hate them for that.”
“But it hurts?” Though it sounded like a question, I was pretty sure I already knew the answer.
“Yeah,” he said softly, his shoulders bounced with another shrug.
“Is that why your brother called? Does he not want her to do it?” I asked, hoping he wouldn’t close up on me. Not that Iwould blame him if he did. This couldn’t have been easy for him to talk about.
I hadn’t been able to hear his brother’s part of the conversation, and since Austin hadn’t responded much, especially toward the end, I didn’t have many context clues to work with.
“Eh, I don’t think he’s crazy about the idea, but he’s not going to stop her.” He cleared his throat and sat up straight. “He says he’s staying there for a few days because he doesn’t trust the way Ma is acting.”
He inhaled a heavy breath. I waited, giving him the chance to open up if he felt comfortable.
“We’ve talked about it before,” he said. “The idea of me trying to get custody of them.” I glanced over to see his face closed off, eyes narrowed and hard. “Right after he was convicted, she kind of lost her shit. We had to have her committed. Had a psych evaluation done. For a few years, she was on meds… well, I don’t know if she took them. Then about five years ago, she had another… ‘episode’— as she has taken to calling them. About three years ago, she started having them more frequently. It happens a couple of times a year, but they haven’t been bad enough where she can’t take care of my sisters.”
“Is that what you think is going on now?” I hesitantly asked.
“Braden seems to think that’s what’s comin’.” He sighed. “He knows better than I do since he lives closer to them and tends to visit more than I do. Ma… she’s better with him than she is with me. Probably because I don’t take her shit. Braden at least lets her go on and on. He just doesn’t respond much.”
I lost him for a few minutes. He was silent as his blank eyes stared out the window.
“Do we need to go get them?” I asked, feeling helpless. “Your sisters?”
His head turned, eyes pinning me with a look I couldn’t decipher.
