Like Father, Like Son - Epilogue

The furor over the disappearance of Delores Kensington filled the news for more than two weeks but eventually waned as other more interesting stories took its place. The police questioned Declan several times but his alibi held. He and Nicky had spent the evening at home, watching television. Declan’s neighbor vouched for the fact she’d heard it going when she’d walked past his door twice during the evening, and the sound of their voices as they argued about which show to watch next.

Declan arched an eyebrow when he was told about that, wondering what she’d really heard, but he was just happy she had what appeared to be a very fertile imagination. In the end it was her statement which finally convinced the police he had nothing to do with his mother’s disappearance.

Six months after Delores had vanished Declan and Nicky decided to move to somewhere new and different to play their game. After much debate they settled on New Orleans.

“With the bayou and the Gulf, disposing of bodies should be fairly easy,” Nicky had pointed out.

“We could buy a large boat and live on it, if you don’t get seasick that is.”

“Not that I know of. Yeah, I like that idea. No nosy neighbors.”

Declan smiled. “Then let’s do it.”

A month later they were firmly entrenched on their boat. They could have chosen to dock at one of the marinas where there were many ‘Liveaboards’ as they were called. But they wanted their privacy so with the money left to him in his mother’s will Declan bought a small slip of land with a deep cove at the edge of the Gulf and there they set up housekeeping.

It wasn’t a perfect life but then, as Declan pointed out, when is life ever perfect. They got jobs to keep the wolf from the door, played their game when the urge got too great to ignore, and in their own way learned to care for each other enough that they didn’t stray.

When he finally broke down and invested in a laptop, Declan discovered an email from his grandfather’s nursing home which had been sent just after his mother’s disappearance. His grandfather had managed to survive the first heart attack, against all expectations, only to die peacefully in his sleep after a second one a few weeks later.

“I hope they buried him next to his wife and son,” Declan said quietly. “I wish I’d gotten to know him sooner, but that wasn’t an option. Another thing I blame my mother for.”

“She had a lot to answer for and I suspect she is, where ever in Hell she landed.” Nicky chuckled. “I wonder if there’s a place there for evil bitch witch mothers.”

Declan looked at him and smiled. “With our luck it will be right next to where killers go, but we’ll worry about it when it happens and not before. Right now, boy, I want you naked in our bed.”

Nicky took a deep breath, anticipating what Declan had in store for him this time. “I think I can deal with that.”

“I’m sure you can. You always do. Now move it.”

“Yes sir.” 

The End