Page 4 of A River Red With Blood
“I avoided Parsonsfield,” said Moxie.“But Poland was bad enough.”
I didn’t ask how bad.If Moxie wanted to share those details, he would.
“I hear someone tried to burn it down a while back, or what’s left of it,” I said.
“I’d like to shake their hand.If they’d told me what they were planning, I’d have paid for the gasoline.”
“Does the Spero have a similar reputation?”I asked.
“I doubt any school in Maine could function under such a cloud these days,” said Moxie, “or not for long, but the Spero is still no summer camp.Parents wouldn’t send their kids there otherwise.It’s a farming-out of discipline to strangers, and the moms and dads don’t want to know the fine print of how that might be accomplished.All that matters is a difficult child is no longer in their hair and they can get on with their lives, or take care of the kids who aren’t such a pain in the ass.I can understand the reasoning but not the solution, because it’s no solution at all.It’s an abrogation of responsibility, and the antithesis of what parenting should be.”
Over at the Fulcis’ table, the pounding had ceased.The brothers were sipping sodas while staring intently at a guy who looked to be giving a hard time to the woman with him.I couldn’t hear what was being said, but I could see a finger jabbing, making hard contact with soft flesh.The Fulcis wouldn’t like that.I didn’t like it either.As for the woman, she was keeping her headdown and staying silent, but the set of her jaw was firm.I’d seen my share of women broken by men, and this woman was some distance removed from them—for the time being.Meantime, the finger jabbed again.It would leave a bruise.
And the Fulcis continued sipping and watching.
“I have no problem assisting with a personal vendetta,” I said, “as long as it’s acknowledged and the target is worthy.If you and Alcock want to point me at the Spero, I’ll go, but if the school hasn’t broken any laws, there’s a limit to what I can achieve.”
Moxie finished his drink.
“Why would Scott Theriault have headed north from The Plains?”he asked.“He was just a kid.If he was trying to run away, it would make more sense for him to work his way south.Surely he’d have looked toward civilization again, not wilderness, if he wanted to escape.”
“He might have wanted to be anywhere but the Spero,” I said.
Moxie studied me with eyes that understood the impulse.
“If that’s true,” he replied, “what does it say about the place?”
Chapter 3
Only one Fulci currently remained seated in the bar: Paulie, the younger brother.Alone, he represented more than enough Fulci to meet demand, but it was concerning that both his older brother and the finger jabber were both absent.The woman was still at her table, gazing around like someone who didn’t necessarily want to be where she was but didn’t regard the options as any better.I watched Bird Dickson, one of the Bear’s owners, walk over to ask if she was okay, Bird not being one to tolerate the browbeating of women in her bar or anyplace else.
I asked Moxie for a minute and headed to the restrooms.Tony Fulci came out of the men’s room just as I came within sight of the door.He was holding something in his right hand.I feared it might be a body part, but it turned out to be a driver’s license.
“Did you make a mess?”I asked.
“Of what?”
“Of the guy who was too free with his finger.”
Tony looked offended.He had recently informed our mutual friend Louis that he believed himself to be evolving as a person, which Louis took to mean Tony’s knuckles no longer dragged along the ground with quite the same force as before.
“I just talked to him,” said Tony.“And asked for his driver’s license.”
“Did he hand it over willingly?”
“No,” said Tony.“But he handed it over eventually.”
I wasn’t surprised.
“So now you know where he lives,” I said.
“That’s right.”
“And he knows you know.”
“Yeah.”
“What are you going to do with the license?”
