Chapter 29

Rawle picked up the phone to call Jack but there was no dial tone.
“Hello?” He said. That’s weird.
“-I thought you said you had to pick up your son? You liar.”
It was the woman again, Darroll Missions’ mother. Rawle thought he must have picked up the phone just before it rang.
“I do have to do…. I haven’t even left yet! For crying out loud.”
“How are you going to fix my complaint, you cocksucker? Where’s the customer service? What are you going to do? What are you going to do for me? Especially with you having a son, you know what I’m going through. I’d fix this if I were you. I got people calling me, they say: ‘Aw, Darlene he did that with those poor little girls up in the house… how could he do something like that? That poor woman, boohoo.’ His parole officer called me this morning. What should I tell him, cocksucker? The newspaper reporter just made the whole thing up? ANSWER me!”
Rawle struggled to clear his throat. He was getting angry now. “Listen. You’re saying he didn’t do it. Do you have proof? How do I know you’re just not protecting your son? Our sources said he was believed to have done this. That’s what the police believe. He hasn’t been convicted, but we stress these are only allegations. Now, I really got to go now. I promise I’ll call you back.”
She just kept talking in her evil, grandmother voice. “You got a son, don’t you? You should know what I feel like.”
It was the second time she’d mentioned the fact that Rawle had a son, but for the first time he wondered how she could possibly know that.
“You want to protect your son in this world, Rawley, and not make enemies. That’s my advice, Rawley, Kelloway, Athan. What kind of name is that? 542-7237. Pleasant Street, Wolfville. B4P 1N7. Especially the wrong kind of enemies.”
She had his address, even the postal code which wouldn’t be in the phone book.
“How do you know my address?”
“Maybe you need a lesson in civics. Maybe you don’t know me too well? You need lessons, faggot? Who told you on the police? Who told you on the police that Darroll did this? What name? You think I don’t know every man and woman on the Jesus police force? I know them all. Who told you that, you little-“
Rawle hung up.
The phone started ringing again immediately. She must have put his number on speed dial.
He leaned down and yanked the white connection cord out of the wall.
“Fuck. Off.”