Stone Cold

CHAPTER 36

“PULL OVER, OLIVER,” Annabelle barked.

“What are you going to do?”

“Right now, I’m trying hard not to throw up.” She rested her chin on the dashboard, but kept her gaze on her father. “God, it’s like I’m seeing a damn ghost.”

She slowly sat back up and wiped clammy sweat from her forehead.

“What do you want to do?” he asked.

“I don’t know. My mind pretty much just shut down on me.”

“Okay, I’ll make the call. We follow him. It might lead to something useful.”

“That bastard let my mother die.” Stone could see that Annabelle was clenching the armrest so tightly her fingers were turning white. He put a calming hand on her shoulder.

“I understand, Annabelle. I understand completely about how and why people get to live and die all for the wrong reasons. And I know it’s been a shock finding out that your father is, one, alive, and, two, right here. But we need to keep our wits about us. I can’t believe it’s a coincidence he’s here. Can you?”

She shook her head.

“So we’re going to follow him,” he said again. “You up for that? Or do you want me to drop you off? I can do it alone.”

“No, I want in on this,” she said sharply. Then she added more calmly, “I’m good now, Oliver. Thanks.” She gave his hand a grateful squeeze.

They both looked out the window where Paddy Conroy was climbing into a beat-up pickup truck parked on the street.

The drive only took ten minutes. By that time they were well away from the small downtown area and out in the country. When the truck turned in through the wrought-iron gates, Annabelle snatched a breath.

Stone waited a few moments and then pulled through the gates into Mt. Holy Cemetery. A few minutes later they were out of the car and slipping stealthily toward a stand of trees. They watched from this concealment while Paddy shuffled along until he came to a flat grave marker on the ground. He produced a few flowers from inside his shabby overcoat, knelt down and placed them on the sunken earth.

He took off his hat, revealing thick white hair, put his hands together and seemed to be praying. Once they heard a long, loud moan come from the man. He reached in his pocket, pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his face.

“Your mother’s grave?” Stone asked.

She nodded curtly. “Like I said, I’ve never been to see it, but I looked up the location.”

“He seems to be grieving.”

“He’s only doing it to make him feel better about what he did, the asshole. He’s never changed.”

“People do change,” Stone said.

“Not him, not ever.” She grabbed him as he stepped past her. “Oliver, what are you doing?”

“Putting your theory to the test.”

Before she could stop him he walked out into the open and headed toward Paddy. Stone slowed and seemed to be reading the grave markers before stopping at one two down from where Paddy was kneeling and crying.

Stone said softly, “I don’t mean to intrude on your privacy. I haven’t been by to see my aunt’s grave in a few years. I wanted to pay my respects.”

Paddy looked up, rubbed his wide face with the cloth. “It’s a public cemetery, friend.”

Stone knelt down in front of the grave marker he’d picked out, though he was also keeping Paddy in his peripheral vision. “Graveyards just seem to take all the energy out of you, don’t they?” he said quietly.

Paddy nodded. “It’s penance, you know, for the living. And a warning to us all.”

“A warning?” Stone turned to look at him. And now he knew. Paddy Conroy was terminal. He could see it in the gray tinges around the white sunken face, the emaciated body and the trembling hands.

Paddy nodded. “Look at all these graves.” He held up a shaky arm. “All these dead people waiting for the Almighty to come down and tell them where they’re headed. Waiting in the dirt or in Purgatory if you believe that way. Waiting for the Man to come down and tell them. For all eternity.”

“Heaven or hell,” Stone said, nodding.

“You a betting man?”

Stone shook his head.

“I spent all my life betting on one thing or another. But if you were a betting man, how many of ’em you reckon are going up and how many going down?”

“Hopefully far more going up than down,” Stone said.

“You’d lose your money, you would.”

“More people evil than not, is that it?”

“Take me. I might as well pick out a nice sunny spot in the pit of hell right now. Ain’t no question where this old boy’s headed.”

“You have things you regret?”

“Regrets? Mister, if regrets were dollars, I’d be Mr. Bill Gates himself.”

Paddy bent forward and kissed the grave marker. “Good-bye, me darling Tammy. You rest easy now, girl.” He rose to his feet on rubbery legs and put his hat back on.

He turned to Stone. “Now this one here, she’ll be getting into heaven. You know why?” Stone shook his head. “Because she’s a saint. She’s a saint because she put up with the likes of me. And for that reason alone, come Judgment Day, old Saint Peter will welcome her with open arms. Only wish I could be there to see it.”