Excerpt of Included!

JOHN HART“No rest for the wicked,” she said, but did not get up.I rose to pour a cup of coffee.“I saw your father last night.” Her words pounded into my back. I said nothing,couldn’t let her see my face, didn’t want her to know what her words weredoing to me. “After I got your car. I drove out to the farm, spoke to him on theporch.”“Is that right?” I tried to keep the sudden dismay from my voice. She shouldnot have done that. But I could see them there, on the porch—the distant curl ofdark water and the post my father liked to lean against when he stared across it.Robin sensed my displeasure. “He would have heard, Adam. Better he learnfrom me that you’re back, not from some idiot at the lunch counter. Not fromthe sheriff. He should know that you’ve been hurt, so that he wouldn’t wonderif you didn’t show up today. I bought you some time to heal up, get yourselftogether. I thought you’d appreciate it.”“And my stepmother?”“She stayed in the house. She didn’t want anything to do with me.” Shestopped.“Or with me.”“She testified against you, Adam. Let it go.”I still didn’t turn around. Nothing was happening as I’d hoped. My handssettled on the counter’s edge and squeezed. I thought of my father, and of therift between us.“How is he?” I asked.A moment’s silence, then, “He’s aged.”“Is he okay?”“I don’t know.”There was something in her voice that made me turn around. “What?” Iasked, and she raised her eyes to mine.“It was a quiet thing, you understand, very dignified. But when I told himthat you’d come home, your father wept.”I tried to hide my dismay. “He was upset?” I asked.“That’s not what I meant.”I waited.“I think he wept for joy.”20