Angela scowled. “You’re painting me like I’m a… Maybe this was a mistake. I came over because I figured Kay wouldn’t answer the phone if she saw it was me calling.” She took a few steps back.
Damien drew in a big breath that probably sounded like a heavy sigh, at least judging from the sour expression on her face. “I’m just saying that Frank cares for you and whatever he may or may not be doing all stems from his feelings for you.”
“Does that include listening to my private conversations?” Angela folded her arms.
“What are you talking about?”
“He’s listening to me. Listening to my private conversations.”
Damien shook his head, still not understanding.
“There’s a Web site called-”
“Listen to Yourself.”
“He told you!”
“He told me about it, but Frank’s not the one doing this.”
“Oh, really? Already defending him.”
“What makes you think it’s Frank?”
“Because a conversation I had with the man I’m seeing was posted on there.” Suddenly the harshness in her voice was gone.
“I know about this Web site. Lots and lots of conversations from the town have been recorded and posted.”
“Yes, well, the only one that matters to me is mine.”
“So what does this have to do with Frank?”
“I caught him. He was behind the house near the sidewalk, peeking over the fence, on the same day that I had that conversation.”
“You don’t have a fence.”
Angela bit her lip. “It wasn’t at my apartment. I was with the man I’m seeing. At his house. Frank must’ve followed me there. And I don’t know how he listened to what was being said, but what’s on that Web site-” she covered her mouth for a moment as if the words were too hard to say-“is exactly what I said.” A tear dripped down her cheek, desperation blowing through a cloud of what looked like shame. “And now I’m afraid.”
“Afraid?”
“Of Frank. I’m afraid of what he might do. The conversation is about Frank.”
“Let me assure you: Frank is not behind this Web site. But even if he was, why are you afraid? Frank would never hurt you in any way, besides possibly being a very big annoyance in your life. He’s harmless.”
“Sometimes harmless people who have been harmed become harmful.” Something in her voice made Damien realize this wasn’t an act. She was fearful.
“I’ll talk to him,” Damien said.
“He listens to you.”
“Yeah. He listens. Rarely does he obey, though.” Damien offered a conciliatory smile. “Don’t worry, okay?”
“I’m not worried. I’m contacting my attorney. And if he does it again, any of it, I’m going to sue him. You can mention that if you want.” Angela marched down the steps of the porch, all the way down the sidewalk and to her car, where she flung open the door, got in, and peeled out.
12
“All I’m saying is that you need to watch yourself around that woman. I know Frank can’t see a thing wrong with her, but I’m telling you, she’s no good.” Kay furiously scrubbed a pan she held over the sink.
Damien had barely walked in the door. “With your history with Angela… I’m not sure you’re the best person to judge the situation.”
Kay shot him a harsh but agreeing look.
“Trust me. You have nothing to worry about. The day I smelled her was the day I became a hater of all things jasmine. Thanks for using personal scent self-control.”
“What’d she want?”
Damien chose his words carefully. If Frank was involved with this, he didn’t want things getting around. “Frank filed a missing person report. Turns out she was just over at her new boyfriend’s.”
“Shocking.”
“I think I better go visit Frank tonight, though. You okay with that?”
“Oh, sure. Leave me alone with two kids that hate my guts.”
Damien moved behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. “They don’t hate you. They just hate life right now.”
“Why? They have a perfectly good life.”
“Teenagers never think they have a perfectly good life. That is, until they get out on their own and nobody’s making them pork chops and doing their laundry.” He pecked her on the cheek. “Don’t let it get you down. We knew this day was coming.”
“If we can get through this year without Jenna beating somebody to a bloody pulp, I’ll count that as a success. I thought boys were supposed to be the ones duking it out on the playground.”
Damien walked upstairs to Hunter’s room and gave a hearty knock without flinging the door open this time. His heart couldn’t take another awkward moment.
“Come in.”
Even with the invitation, he opened the door slowly. “Hey, buddy.”
“Hey, Dad.” He didn’t look up from the computer. His fingers were flying over the keyboard.
“Listen, I know we were going to do some checking on that Web site together tonight, but something’s come up. I’ve got to go talk with Frank.”
Hunter’s hands stopped and he turned. “About what?”
“Just grown-up stuff.” Damien tried to read Hunter’s expression. It was probably disappointment. That was the default expression these days. “But tomorrow night, let’s sit down and we’ll see what we can find out about the Web site and-”
“I already did.” He turned the computer monitor to face Damien. “Whoever is doing this knows how to not get caught. Usually the IP information is easy to find, but it’s locked out. Everything is locked out. See?” He pointed to the screen.
Damien moved closer. “Yeah. Looks, um, complicated.”
“Whoever is doing this doesn’t want to be found; that’s for sure. There’s no contact information anywhere on the site. And digging deeper, there are rabbit trails everywhere, leading to nowhere.”
“Huh.” Damien paused. He realized before he went to talk to Frank, he probably should have a good idea of what Angela was talking about. But should he bring Hunter into this? “Can you pull up the Web site again? I want to see something.”
“Sure.” A few fast keystrokes and they were at the site.
“You been following this?”
Hunter shrugged. “When I can.”
“May I?” Damien said, gesturing to the chair. Hunter got up and Damien sat down. Using the mouse, he scrolled down, trying to read the various conversations. He found himself lingering on each one, wondering who said it, wondering about whom it was said. This was brutal and tantalizing, like a traffic accident you couldn’t keep your eyes off of. He scrolled down some more. Damien stopped, reading a snippet of a conversation that seemed like it could be about Frank.
Hunter leaned over his shoulder and read out loud.
“I know! I can’t believe it! He’s such a moron. No… no! I mean it. Don’t do anything… because, trust me, he’s a maniac. He’ll make your life miserable beyond comprehension. You’ll pack up and move to Alaska… No, I’m not overreacting! Listen to me. Just shut up and lay low. I’ll handle this. Do not get involved.”
“Wow,” Hunter said.
Damien rolled the chair back and stood up. “I’ve got to go. I need to talk to Frank.”
“About this?”
“I can’t really discuss it right now.”
Hunter cast him a wounded look. “I’m not a baby, you know.”
Damien pressed his lips together and nodded. “I’m sorry. I know you’re not. There’s so much… It’s just that life is complicated, and it’s hard sometimes to explain why people do what they do… and why adults act like they do. That’s even harder to explain, but-”
“Dad. I know.”
Damien reached for Hunter’s shoulder and squeezed it. “I know you do, Son. Forgive your old man for being a buffoon sometimes.”
“I practice forgiveness every day.” Hunter smiled. “Now I guess you better go talk to Frank. If this is Angela,” he said, pitching a thumb toward the computer screen, “and she’s talking about Frank here, it can’t be good.”