‘Rachael and I didn’t know what else to do. We knew it was a matter of time before he killed her -which he almost succeeded in doing later on, it’s my belief. You see, I had a brother in Seattle. Luther.’
‘The general,’ I said.
He continued staring straight ahead. ‘I guess you folks do know a lot about us. Temple’s made damn sure of that. And next thing I’ll be reading about it in books and seeing it on movies.’ He pounded his fist softly on the rail.
‘Jayne moved in with your brother and his wife?’
“And we kept Temple in Albany. Believe me, if I could have sent him off and held on to her, that’s what I would have done. She was a sweet, sensitive child. Real dreamy and kind.’ Tears rolled down his cheeks. ‘She could play the piano and the saxophone, and Luther loved her like one of his. He had sons.
‘All went as well as could be expected, in light of the trouble we had on our hands. Rachael and I went out to Seattle several times a year. I’m telling you, it was hard on me, but it nearly broke her heart. Then we made a big mistake.’
He paused until he could talk again, clearing his throat several times. ‘Jayne insisted she wanted to come home one summer. And I guess this was when she was about to turn twenty-five, and she wanted to spend her birthday with everyone. So she, Luther and his wife, Sara, flew to Albany from Seattle. Temple acted like he wasn’t fazed a bit, and I remember . . .’
He cleared his throat. ‘I remember so clearly thinking that maybe everything would be okay. Maybe he’d finally outgrown whatever it was that possessed him. Jayne had a grand time at her party, and she decided to take our old hound dog, Snaggle-tooth, out for a walk. She wanted her picture taken, and we did that. Among the pecan trees. Then we all went back into the house except her and Temple.
‘He came in around suppertime and I said to him, “Where’s your sister?”
‘He replied, “She said she was going horseback riding.”
‘Well, we waited and we waited, and she didn’t come back. So Luther and I went out to hunt for her. We found her horse still saddled up and wandering about the stable, and she was there on the ground with all this blood everywhere.’
He wiped his face with his hands, and I could not describe the pity I felt for this man or for his daughter, Jayne. I dreaded telling him his story had an ending.
‘The doctor,’ he struggled on, ‘figured she just got kicked by the horse, but I was suspicious. I thought Luther would kill the boy. You know, he didn’t win a Medal of Honor for handing out mess kits. So after Jayne recovered enough to leave the hospital, Luther took her back home. But she was never right.’
‘Mr. Gault,’ I said. ‘Do you have any idea where your daughter is now?’
‘Well, she eventually went out on her own four or five years ago when Luther passed on. We usually hear from her at birthdays, Christmas, whenever the mood strikes.’
‘Did you hear from her this Christmas?’ I asked.
‘Not directly on Christmas Day, but a week or two before.’ He thought hard, an odd expression on his face.
‘Where was she?’
‘She called from New York City.’
‘Do you know what she was doing there, Mr. Gault?’
‘I never know what she’s doing. I think she just wanders around and calls when she needs money, to tell you the truth.’ He stared out at a snowy egret standing on a stump.
‘When she called from New York,’ I persisted, ‘did she ask for money?’
‘Do you mind if I smoke?’
‘Of course not.’
He fished a pack of Merits from his breast pocket and fought to light one in the wind. He turned this way and that, and finally I cupped a hand on top of his and held the match. He was shaking.
‘It’s very important you tell me about the money,’ I said. ‘How much and how did she get it?’