Chapter 9
FRIDAY, 21:10
The waitress brought Steve another soda as he sat alone in the seedy bar. She was in her late 30's, blonde but the roots showed through. "Y'OK honey" she asked "don't tell me ya been stood up". Steve smiled politely.
"nah, just waiting for an old friend" he replied. Just then Wallace appeared in the doorway, Steve raised a hand to attract his attention and he made his way over to the table.
"Oh, you're a friend of Dougies?" the waitress observed "don't feel like paying his tab do ya? Boss is going mad for him to pay up, really don't want to se him get barred. Hey Dougie, usual?" she greeted him. He nodded and she made her way back to the bar.
FRIDAY, 21:45
It had been Steve's intention to cut to the chase with Wallace, let him know that he was onto him and see if he could push him into confessing. But he still hadn't got a word in edgeways as Wallace described in glorious Technicolor to the waitress how he and Steve knew each other. Losing patients now Steve decided not to listen to anymore lies. "You can cut the act Wallace" he began abruptly "I don't want to listen to anymore of this crap".
"What the hell y'talkin' about Sloan?" he tried to sound shocked but the look in his eyes said that he knew he'd been caught. The waitress, obviously embarrassed had headed back behind the bar.
"I'm not gonna sit here and listen to you give me anymore crap about 'the good old days', I did my homework, I know you never served in the armed forces. Put that with the hundred-and-one slip ups and mistakes you made at my fathers house the other night and I don't see how you can talk yourself out of this one". There was silence for a while, then as predicted Wallace started to kick up a fuss.
Swiping the empty beer bottles from the table he spun around and headed towards the door "you're a goddamn disgrace, speaking to a hero like that. D'ya know what he just said Mandy?" he called to the barmaid "said I never served in the services, feel sorry for y' Sloan, the war may have screwed up ma body but it totally warped your mind" he spat.
"Funny" Steve continued "thought it was driving yourself drunk into a tree that screwed you up".
There was silence for a moment "this is finished Sloan" he yelled from the door, Steve hurried up behind him.
"You're right Wallace, it's over, the military are onto you, they treat frauds very seriously you know. But not as seriously as murder, some people in Garrison Falls are rather interested in talking to you."
Wallace stopped dead in his tracks, there wasn't a sound from him now, which further amplified the beating of Steve's heart in his head. "Admit, for got sake admit it" he said to himself. There was no plan B, if Wallace didn't crack there'd be little Steve could do about it.
After what seemed like an eternity Wallace spoke "I'm not a murderer" was all he said.
FRIDAY, 23:51
Steve wearily wandered up the drive and opened the door to the beach house. He was surprised to see his father and two friends waiting for him. CJ was tucked up on the sofa and so the four made their way quietly to the kitchen.
Mark had a bad feeling about the dejected look that Steve wore. "Well?" he asked "did you see him?"
Steve nodded as he slumped onto one of the chairs. "Yeah" he started in an unusually quiet voice. "It pretty much went as I'd hoped, he admitted it, that he's not Dougie, that he is Brian Wallace."
"And did he admit murdering Dougie?" Jesse asked rather insensitively.
Steve shook his head "No, but I've managed to persuade him to turn himself over for fraud, he's going to the station tomorrow."
"And then you'll have grounds to arrest him for murder!" Jesse added excitedly.
"No Jess, there was no murder. He says it was suicide, just took the opportunity to make a fresh start." Steve shrugged.
"And you believe him?" Mark asked.
"Yeah I do, when he got talking straight tonight I'm pretty sure he gave me the real deal. But we'll see tomorrow. I don't mean to be ungrateful you guys, I appreciate you waiting up for me but I just want to get off to bed, see you in the morning dad". With that Steve made his way downstairs and Amanda and Jesse made their way home.
SATURDAY, 13:10
Mark walked down to the waters edge as Steve stood gazing over the ocean. "Are you ready to go?" he asked gently, Steve nodded.
"Better go get him before he changes his mind and skips town". They made their way together up to the beach house.
"You didn't sleep so good" Mark observed.
"No, not too good. You were right – as usual" he said "I wanted Wallace to tell me he'd stolen Dougies identity, wanted to be proved right about this. And I guess I've known since I talked to the sheriff in Garrison Falls, y'know, that Dougie's.." he couldn't say it. "But listening to Wallace describing the way Dougie just, I dunno, fell into a depression I guess. Listening to how they'd discussed suicide, knowing that Dougie took his own life, I was just wondering what he would have been like if he'd made a different decision that day."
Mark could barely choke back the tears, the comparison with Steve's confession not so long ago about contemplating suicide were too much. He turned away.
"Dad, hey it's OK" Steve reassured him. "You don't have to come if you don't want to" but Mark shook his head.
"I'm OK, as long as you want me there".
Together they entered the beach house.
SATURDAY, 14:45
"Well Sloan" the captain remarked "this is a new one, bringing in confessions off the street. You turning into some sort of soul saver?"
Steve smiled, everybody he'd spoken to at the station had been supportive and promised to keep the details of his involvement in the case to a minimum. At Steve's request, and with Wallaces consent, he, Mark, Amanda and Jesse were being allowed to watch the interview from the observation room.
As they entered the room they could hear the detective informing Wallace of his rights, he was here and making a statement of his own free will. A small inner voice told Steve that Wallace would clam up or deny everything. To everybody's relief Wallace began in the same rambling manner that he'd used with Steve.
"I met Dougie when we were treated together, physical therapy y'know. We were the same age almost and I liked him straight off. He was a pretty up-beat fella when I met him, and I liked that about him. We'd had similar childhoods too, neither of us raised by our parents. Dougie was in homes mostly, I was adopted, good enough couple, I ain't got no complaints about them. But then, I dunno what it was, I was getting all this stuff about taking control of my life, needing direction and making something of myself. So I did just what Dougie did, I signed up."
The detective sat opposite Wallace, looking relaxed and thus far not interrupting. Behind the one-way glass, Jesse was wide-eyed as Amanda and Mark concentrated more on reading Steve's emotions.
"So there I was" Wallace continued "New name, fresh start, off to serve my country and make something of myself. Hell I know most of the nation had lost faith in Vietnam by then but I was convinced it was the right thing to do. Then the days started rolling by, almost time for me to go off to training camp and to, to be honest I got a little, well I was having second thoughts. But the decision's made, I told myself, I just had to go through with it. I was just cruising around downtown one night, the night before I was due to leave. I had a bit of a skin-full and decided to drive up to Conroe, see a girl I knew there. That was it, drove smack bang into a tree, out of it for three months. When I woke up there was a whole new life waiting for me. No Vietnam and no goddamn leg" he chuckled.
"When I met Dougie, he wasn't bitter, and when I told him what happened to me he didn't laugh, he didn't think I was stupid. I did hack him off, always asking him about the war, but I reckon we were good for each other. That's why we got the house together, I really felt like I had prospects man, stupid as it sounds. But Dougie, ah, Dougie started to change. We'd go and get drunk, I do some pretty stupid stuff when I get alcohol in me but it's just what I do. I'd be wrecking the joint and Dougies in the corner cryin' in his beer. I thought it'd pass but he just got worse. So one day we were talking, about my father in fact. I said he was somewhere in Oregan so Dougie suggested we go and find him. I didn't want to really, he'd walked out when I was a kid but I figured a road trip would be fun. And it was, at first at least."
He paused. "Dougie was kinda up and down, sometimes we'd be cruisin' and singin', Dougie'd be talking' about somethin' or other, often about 'Nam, and usually not in a bad way. I loved his attitude, and I loved that it had meaning. When he'd be down you could think 'god it's unfair, innocent kid wants to do right and ends up losing his leg', he was a hero. Then I'd look at myself and wonder why he'd hang out with such a loser".
SATURDAY, 16:11
"I'd like to go over the specifics of the day Mr Douglas disappeared" the detective asked "and can I remind you sir, nothing has changed, you are still free to leave".
Wallace nodded.
"OK, Mr Douglas' chair was found on a bridge, surrounded by blood. Can you account for any of that"
"Dougie had a gun" he spluttered almost without hesitation "when he'd talked about takin' his life before he'd said he'd shoot himself. I didn't expect it that day though, he seemed so up, we'd wheeled ourselves onto the bridge, view was fantastic and we were just y'know, enjoyin' the view, sayin' how life wasn't so bad. I really believed it that day too."
"What happened next?"
"Dougie tipped himself out of his chair, pulled himself under the fence and sat looking over the edge. He had his rucksack on the back of his chair, asked me to pass it down to him. I thought he was getting' a drink or a goddamn camera but he pulled out this gun! He just said 'sorry Brian, you go and find your dad I'm staying here'. I laughed at first, then I realised he was serious. I asked him what he thought he was doing, told him he was a hero, didn't need to take a cowards way out now. He just said it had gotten too much, said he needed to stop his brain. He waited a while, told me I shouldn't be there to watch but I figured he might bottle if I stayed so I just sat behind him."
There was silence again.
"Go on" the detective prompted.
"He did it, shot himself in the head. He was just slumped on the ledge, I didn't know what to do. He was dead already, I pulled his rucksack out the way and tried to reach down, I was gonna pull him back onto the bridge but when I unhooked his arm from the fence he...he fell off the ledge. I saw him splash down below and I thought ''h god, what if somebody saw me, thinks I pushed him?' So I picked up the bag 'cos it had his ID and stuff in and headed back to the car. I was just gonna head on to Oregan but I couldn't just leave him down there. I drove into the town, said my friend had gone off for the day and hadn't come back. When they asked my name it just, just clicked I suppose. Dougie had no ID, I had it all. He was dead already, he didn't need it, and once I'd told the police it was Brian Wallace who'd topped himself what could I do? I was kind of relieved they never found his body, but I feel bad he never had a proper burial."
Steve closed his eyes and Amanda touched his arm. The truth was he wasn't as upset as he'd imagined. He was genuinely shocked at how innocent Wallace sounded sitting there, how little hatred he felt towards him and his lies. Wallace had been young and hero-worshipped Dougie, it wasn't justification but it was strangely easy enough for him to comprehend.
The detective went on to establish that Wallace's family was still listed as next of kin and that he'd never been in touch with them since. He'd made his way into Oregan living undetected under Dougies name, claiming benefits and as time went on, embellishing the details of his life, especially his part in the war. Steve had been the first person in all those years to recognise him. He couldn't explain why he'd embellished so much with Steve. Partly he'd presumed that if they'd only known each other for a short while there would have been aspects of Dougies life he'd never have heard about. As for the rest, he conceded that in his own mind he'd replayed Dougies stories so many times in his head that the facts had become distorted. With nobody to correct them he'd fooled himself into believing his own version of events.
Finally, when the subject of his prosthetic leg was brought up he smirked and managed a faint chuckle "I got one gullible doc" was all he said.
Wallace was informed about the likely proceedings concerning charges of fraud. The detective told him he'd be interviewed further regarding the circumstances of Dougies death, a thought which clearly shook him. The four observers left the station emotionally drained, but relived that the nightmare was at last over.
Postcsript
SATURDAY, 13:48
It had been two weeks since Wallace confessed to falsely assuming Dougie's ID and numerous charges of fraud. All parties concerned however accepted that he played no tangible part in Dougies death. There were related charges, concealing evidence, misleading police in their investigations and so on. And just to keep Jesse happy, Steve had eventually traced Alexander Concannon down in his new home in the south of France.
Plates and take-away cartons lay strewn across the table as the four friends relaxed on the deck in the afternoon sun. As they laughed and talked together, each of them considered quietly to themselves how lucky they were to be surrounded by people like this. The merry chatter of the adults outside was matched by the merry, incoherent, chatter of CJ inside who'd just woken up from his lunchtime nap.
Amanda made a start to get up from her chair, but Jesse was on his feet and into the lounge before she could move.
"Play time" Mark joked and Amanda rolled her eyes.
Jesse appeared in the doorway with CJ held high in his arms. Amanda tickled his dangling feet "where's your shoes baby?" she asked
"No shoes" Jesse answered on CJ's behalf "we're off to play in the sand", and with that they made their way to the waters edge with Amanda in tow.
"I think I embarrassed her the other night" Mark started as he and Steve sat watching the others playing on the beach. "I mentioned how I thought you felt, about her and CJ". Steve wriggled in her chair "I know" Mark continued "That's how Amanda reacted. I'm just really pleased you have somebody to turn to, it's important to have friends around, people to talk to."
"I know I'm a bit of a loner sometimes, guess I was as a kid too. I'm content in my own company dad, not that I don't want people in my life. And I know I'm guilty of thinking that I don't need anybody else, but I realised now that I do, we all do". Steve knew what he was saying made sense, but more than anything he wanted to put Marks mind at rest.
"I know the two of you are friends, nothing more, but I'm pleased you've got her. I get the feeling that there are things you still can't tell me, things you want to shield me from or just can't express, but Amanda makes a good sounding board, right?"
"Jesse's a good listener too" Steve evaded answering the question.
Mark screwed up his face "Jesse's still a little young, when I compare him to you at that age, everything you'd been through. I'm very fond of Jesse you know, but I kind of think of him as a little brother, the light relief if you get my drift. I know he'd always be there to back you up, he's a good friend and all but Amanda has a bit more of a mature ear to lend".
Steve sighed in defeat "Yes dad, Amanda is great and I lover her and CJ, I hope to have her as a friend for a very long time". Mark took the hint and changed the topic of conversation.
"This may sound a little strange" he began "but I'm starting to think this whole black cloud may have had a silver lining after all"
"You mean like us talking properly?" Steve asked.
"Yes," Mark beamed "You were maybe right, there are certain things that are hard to hear, or difficult to understand but at least now I hope you know you can come to me, anytime. I'm so glad you are still talking to Dr Keller, I know he doesn't push you too much, and I could still take lessons in that respect. But I'm pretty proud of myself, I've learned some days you want to talk and others you maybe just need time to reflect. I don't expect you to be unloading the woes of the world on a daily basis" he quipped. Steve smiled but Mark could tell the conversation was uncomfortable for him now.
"Think we better rescue them?" Steve asked, as CJ ran back and forward between Amanda and Jesse.
"Maybe we'd better" agreed Mark and the pair strolled slowly down the sand towards the clear blue ocean.
Steve turned to see Jesse, Amanda and his father smiling at him as he scooped CJ up into his arms. For an awful moment the feeling that they pitied him entered his head, followed by the knot of guilt in his stomach over the pain and worry he'd caused them. But as CJ giggled freely and tugged at his shirt the feeling subsided. He had three very special people there to help him. And though deep inside he knew there were still things he could never burden any of them with, it was good enough just to know that they cared.