Hitman's Creed - 12

 

"Aren't you the tidy one," Glenn commented with a chuckle.

"Not according to mom, but… I mean look at this room. Not a thing out of place."

Glenn did look, and saw it through Joey's eyes. Everything was perfectly placed, books aligned on shelves by author, the television perfectly centered on its table, no knick-knacks, nothing just lying around other than the book he was reading which sat on the seat of his favorite chair. "Habit, I guess."

"From when you were a kid?" Joey sat down on the sofa and looked up at Glenn in question.

"Yeah, I suppose."

"Are your folks still alive and like retired in Florida or something?"

Schooling his face not to show the pain the thought of his parents death still evoked, Glenn replied, "They died a few years ago in an accident before Dad got a chance to retire."

"I'm sorry," Joey said sincerely.

"Thanks."

Glenn hesitated, something he rarely did, before he sat down at the other end of the sofa from Joey. "What about you? Obviously I know your mother's still around because I've talked to her, but what about your father? You seemed a bit reluctant to talk about him last time you were here."

"He's not around," was Joey's tight reply.

"And good riddance from the tone of your voice. You and he didn't get along?" When Joey's face closed down, Glenn said quietly, "Sorry, I'll quit probing."

"Thanks."

Stymied as what to say or do next, Glenn remained silent. Apparently that was the right thing to do because Joey sighed. Glenn cocked an eyebrow in question.

"I…" Joey looked at him then away, saying almost inaudibly, "You'll probably hear about it one way or the other somewhere along the line if you're planning on staying here. My father's on the run because he assaulted his girlfriend and abused their daughter."

"Damn." Glenn reached out a hand with the intention of… he wasn't quite certain what, and drew it back again. "They didn't arrest him?" he asked, knowing the answer but not wanting Joey to know that.

"Yeah they did, but he escaped somehow. Stupid cops."

"No one knows where he ran to I take it."

"No." Joey scrubbed a hand over his face. "We moved away after that because the cops figured it would be safer, in case he blamed Mom, because she's the one who stopped him before he killed his girlfriend."

"That must have been something else, her walking in on that. I presume that's what happened."

"It was… awful." Joey's face shut down again as he whispered, "Awful."

"You saw it?" Glenn asked in apparent surprise.

"Yeah."

"Hell, how old were you?"

"Fourteen."

"So he's been on the run for seven years. Not too good. The statute of limitations may well have run out for both charges if it was simple assault on the girlfriend, which means he'd have no fear of reappearing," Glenn said pensively.