Robert B. Parker’s Damned If You Do

58

Jesse got out of his Explorer, walked up the porch steps, and rang Martha Becquer’s bell. After several moments, she opened the door.

“Jesse,” she said.

“Have I come at a bad time?”

“Not at all. Please come in.”

He followed her inside and they sat in her pristine living room.

“Why are you here,” she said.

“It’s over,” Jesse said.

“You mean you’ve identified the murderer?”

“Yes.”

“And you’ve arrested him?”

“He’s dead.”

“Dead?”

“Killed in a shootout at the Paradise Mall.”

“The one I read about?”

“It made the papers, yes.”

“Who was he?”

“Thomas Walker. Front man for the Mob’s interests in Boston prostitution.”

“Meaning?”

“He was the muscle. It was his job to make certain that the money flowed where it was intended to flow.”

“And if it didn’t?”

“Thomas made certain that it ultimately did.”

“And it was he who killed Janet?”

“Yes.”

“And he won’t be brought to justice?”

“You might say that he already has been.”

“Why did he do it?”

“For something trivial.”

“Like what?”

“Thomas Walker liked to think of himself as a powerful person. He paraded his power around. He was in charge of recruitment, and he always made certain that the women he selected did as he wished.”

“But not Janet?”

“He courted her. They were seen on the town together. When she defied him, he killed her.”

“Defied him?”

“Walker had a rival. A sworn enemy. When Janet decided to throw in with that enemy, Walker killed her.”

Martha didn’t say anything.

“For what it’s worth, I think she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I don’t believe she would have made it out alive, regardless of which one of them she chose.”

“Damned if you do, damned if you don’t,” Martha said.

“Either way, you’re screwed.”

“And that’s what you came here to tell me?”

“I don’t feel good about any of this,” he said.

“I don’t understand.”

“Perhaps if I’d been more forceful with her, things might have turned out differently.”

“You can’t be holding yourself responsible for what took place when she was a child?”

“No. Not totally. But maybe if I’d seen the writing on the wall more clearly, I might have been able to forestall what went down.”

“That’s a lovely thought, Jesse. Thank you for it. But you’re wrong.”

Jesse didn’t say anything.

“Janet was her own worst enemy. She always knew right from wrong. She just chose to ignore it.”

“Because?”

“Any number of reasons. Mostly to do with me. She blamed me for the collapse of my marriage. She blamed me for setting a bad example. Hell, she blamed me for pretty much everything that ever went wrong with her. The one thing she could never latch on to was the responsibility for her own life. As I said to you, I always expected something like this. Her fate had nothing to do with anything you either did or didn’t do for her.”

Jesse sighed. He stood.

“Hopefully this will bring you some closure,” he said.

“Thank you, Jesse,” Martha said, also standing. “I’m very grateful for all that you’ve done.”

Jesse nodded.

She walked with him to his cruiser. Once there, she leaned into him and hugged him tightly. After several moments, he stepped back. Then he got into the cruiser and headed home.