Righteous Obsession (68 page)

“You had no right!”  Jeff repeated then abruptly
changed the subject.  “What was the point of that letter you wrote?  Do you
realize because of it the judge may refuse to transfer Dave to Minnesota where
he can be near his family?”

The way, in which he stressed family, it was clear to
Colin that Jeff didn’t consider him part of it any longer.  “That wasn’t my
intention, Jeff, but I do have a right to protect myself and my family the best
way I can.”

Jeff sighed then said softly, so softly Colin had to
strain to hear him, “I’ve got a lot hard thinking to do about things.  I don’t
want any further contact with you while I’m doing it.”

“If that’s what you think best,” Colin conceded.

“It is.  Please don’t try to contact Caitlin either. 
She’s very confused and upset.  She needs time to recover without pressure from
anybody.”

‘Meaning me’, Colin thought and then said; “I guess
you’re not giving me a choice?”

“I’m not,” Jeff replied and cut the connection.

“What did Jeff say?”  Alethea asked, sitting down next
to him.

“He said Father Michaels is catatonic and he’s blaming
me for causing it.”  Colin shrugged.  “Maybe, he took a look at that scar,
realized I was telling the truth, and couldn’t handle it.”  He briefly outlined
the rest of his conversation with Jeff.

“I don’t believe this!”  Alethea said angrily. 
“Father Michaels almost kills you and Jeff has the nerve to blame you for this
breakdown or whatever Father Michaels had!  I wish I knew where Jeff was
staying because I’d call him and set him straight!”

Colin smiled faintly.  He could always tell how angry
Alethea was by how much more pronounced her Southern accent became.  He gave
her a hug.  “Thanks, but I doubt if would do any good.  I think Jeff feels
guilty, but it’s easier to blame me for it.  I’ll write him in a few days and
explain what I really wanted from Father Michaels was some admittance of what
he did to me, to us, was wrong!”

“What if Jeff doesn’t respond?”

“Well, I’ll be disappointed, but I always knew our
relationship mostly on the surface.  We never really dealt with the fact that
one of his sons stabbed the other one.”

“Are you going to keep in contact with Caitlin?”

“I think if Caitlin wants to keep in contact with me,
she’ll find a way to do it – even if Jeff doesn’t approve,” he answered.

“Do me a favor?  Don’t tell mom and dad about this. 
Mom will go off like a rocket and dad will want to flatten Jeff’s face!  I
don’t want to upset them.  I’d rather they thought our relationship just ran
out of steam.”

“I won’t unless you decide you want them to know.” 
Seeing how low Colin was feeling, Alethea knelt behind him and put her arms
around him.  “I think we should go out and have some fun tonight!  You’re going
back into the studio in a couple of days and Jazz just gave me a new assignment
so we probably won’t see a lot of each other during the next month.”

“What’s your assignment?”

“It’s for the January issue that’s going to be about
up and coming bands.  He’s sending us to different parts of the country to find
out who the bands are and what kind of music they’re doing.  By some strange
coincidence, I’ve got San Francisco.”

“When’s your deadline?”

“November thirtieth.”

“Ours is November first.  We’ll record in October,
spend November on publicity, and hopefully, it’ll end up on a lot of people’s
Christmas lists in December.”  He sighed again.  “You’re right.  We’re probably
not going to see a lot of each other so we’d better make the most of the next
two days!”

Detective Wickersham called after a couple of days and
told them the judge had ordered Father Michaels confined to the state mental
hospital.

“I’m so relieved!”  Alethea exclaimed as she put her
cell back into her purse.

“Me too,” Colin said.  “Except this is going to put me
permanently on Jeff’s shit list!”

Colin was the last one to arrive at the studio the
next morning.  “Sorry, guys!  Alethea and I were up late last night and I
overslept.”

Steve was leaning against the door to the engineering
console, tapping a rolled-up magazine against his knee and frowning at Colin. 
Colin looked at Mace, Jake and Liam, hoping for a clue to Steve’s mood, then
shrugged and asked, “So, what’s up, Steve?”

“Have you by any chance seen Rocky Horror’s column in
the latest issue of Rock Gossip, Colin?”

“Are you kidding, Steve?  I don’t read that rag!”

“Maybe, you should!”  Steve opened the magazine to the
last page and pointed.  “Read where it says Catty Info.”

Colin took the magazine from him and scanned the
snippet that read, ‘
What very longhaired rocker was seen treating his bride
to some erotic stimulation underneath their table at a fancy French restaurant
recently?  Shortly afterwards, the couple disappeared into the ladies, emerging
soon after looking flushed and satisfied!  I guess this rocker’s not worried
about the ruins of his love!
’

“Shit!”  Colin swore.  “I knew I over-tipped that
waiter!”

“Sounds like you didn’t tip him enough!” Mace joked.

“You do realize you and Alethea could’ve been caught
and arrested?” Steve demanded.

“Yes,” Colin admitted, flushing noticeably.  “I think,
though I’ve been adequately punished!”

It was late and pitch dark by the time Colin got home. 
As he got out of his Jeep the motion-sensor lights came on, lightly the area
all around the house brightly.  He hoped Alethea was still up so he could tell
her about Unforgiven’s first day in the studio.

When he came in the door, Alethea came from the living
room, obviously outraged and waving a copy of Rock Gossip in his face.  “Did
you see what that bitch, Rocky Horror wrote in her column?  Jazz faxed me a
copy of it and I can’t believe it!”

“Yeah, I saw it and unfortunately so did Steve.  He
wasn’t too happy either.”

“How can she do it?”

“She gets away with it because she never mentions
names.  People might think they know who she’s writing about, but there’s
nothing definite.”

“Nothing definite!”  Alethea complained.  “A very
long-haired rocker, his bride, and a song called Ruins of Love aren’t definite
enough?  Your name was the only thing she didn’t mention!”

“I wouldn’t worry.  The people who read that rag are a
small minority.”

“What are you going to say if it comes up in an
interview?”

“I’ll just smile and let them draw their own
conclusions.”  As they were getting ready for bed he suggested to Alethea that
she call Eddie Cole and see if he could start immediately as her bodyguard.

“Why?”

“I want him along while you’re researching your
article.  Some of those clubs are in rough areas of town.”

“I’ll have a photographer with me.”

“I know, but I’ll feel better if Eddies along, too.”

“Okay.  I’ll call him in the morning.”

Colin got up early the next morning and emailed a
letter to Jeff.  Caitlin had given him her father’s email address, but he’d
never used it until now.  In it he explained in more detail why he wanted to
see Father Michaels face to face.  He also defended what he’d written to the
judge writing that while he wanted Father Michaels securely locked up; he never
insisted it be in Louisiana.  He printed the letter then sent it to Jeff.  He
let Alethea read the copy he’d printed.  “What do you think?”

“I think you stated your reasons very clearly without
rancor or ass-kissing.”

Colin smiled.  Trust Alethea to put things in a clear
perspective!  “Truthfully, I don’t know why I’m bothering.  I’ll bet Jeff
deletes it without even reading it.”

As Unforgiven plunged full-tilt into recording their
new CD, it left Colin little time to think about Jeff and Caitlin.  He arrived
at the studio one morning to find they didn’t need him until later that day so
he decided to return home.  After stopping briefly to say hello to his mom, he
bought a dozen roses from a street vendor and drove home.  Since he’d left
before Alethea was awake, he didn’t know what her schedule was for today, but
hoped she’d still be home.  For the last week they’d been like ships passing in
the night.

“Colin?”  Alethea called as he closed the door.  She
came into the foyer.  “What are you doing back?”

“I won’t be needed until later.”  He gave her the
roses.

“They’re beautiful!”  She exclaimed.  “Thank you!”

“I’ve really missed you!  I’ve hardly seen you this
last week!”

“I’ve missed you, too!  Since you’re going to be home
for a while, I’ve got a surprise for you, but you’ve got to close your eyes
until I say to open them.  Promise?”

Colin closed his eyes.  “Lead the way.”

Alethea led him upstairs and into the master bedroom. 
“Okay.  You can open them now.”  Colin did so and found himself transported
back in time to an eighteenth-century lady’s boudoir.  The flowery Victorian
pattern of the comforter repeated in the pattern of the curtains and a
tablecloth, covering a small round table with two spindly chairs, sitting in a
corner of the room.  A crocheted bed shawl lay over the comforter and several
goose down pillows lay piled at the head of the bed.  A smaller crocheted shawl
lay draped over the cedar chest at the foot of the bed.   An eighteenth-century
Queen Anne armoire sat beside the dresser.  He went over to the window, pushed
aside the curtain and the lace panel beneath it to peek between the blinds,
assuring himself he was still in twentieth-century Sausalito.  He turned.  “I
love it!  I feel like I just stepped back in time to an eighteenth-century
lady’s boudoir!”

“You think it’s too feminine?”

“No, not at all!  I meant it feels very erotic.  You
know, like this room exists for only one purpose?”  He shifted, aware that the
feel of the room was having a definite physical effect on him!  “Definitely
erotic!”  He repeated.

Alethea put her arms around him, letting her hand
slide across the bulge in the front of his jeans.  “I was hoping it would have
exactly this effect on you!”

Colin drove back to the studio later in the afternoon,
munching on a couple of granola bars.  He smiled as he ate.  He and Alethea
never had gotten around to eating lunch!

The recording of the new CD continued at a fast and
furious pace without hitting any snags or glitches so they were able to finish
it even before their self-imposed deadline.  When the band listened to the
final playback they felt awed by what they heard pouring forth from the studio
speakers.  Colin felt his vocals were some of his best ever.  They agreed the
final mix would need little or no fine-tuning.

He arrived home on the thirty-first to find Alethea
had volunteered him to hand out candy.  Colin smiled.  “Well, it’ll be a first
for me because I’ve never been home this time of year.  I’ve always been in the
studio or on tour.”  As usual, Colin went outside to check on the pool
house.    They’d begun enclosing the framework.  Once they had it completely
enclosed they’d remove the dining room windows to make the entrance.  He went
back inside just as the doorbell rang.

Alethea handed him a bowl of candy bars.  “You’re on!”

Unforgiven spent the entire month of November doing
press for their upcoming CD titled, ‘Read My Lips!  They were very enthusiastic
about it and their enthusiasm was catching on – advance orders were totaling
one million and downloads promised to outstrip even that.  Colin did interviews
with all the major rock magazines plus
People Weekly, Entertainment
Weekly and Us Magazine.  There were, of course, the inevitable questions about
Father Michaels and Jeff.  Colin answered them briefly then politely steered
the conversation back to the band and its exciting new CD.  Mace, Jake and Liam
were handling more interviews than previously and, for that, Colin was very
grateful.  He felt heartened by the election results that put his candidate in
office and revealed a record number of young people had voted.  He felt he’d
made some small contribution towards this end by having Rock the Vote on
Unforgiven’s tour.  With a start he realized his twenty-ninth birthday was fast
approaching.  He felt a little saddened, too, because he’d heard nothing so far
from Jeff or Caitlin.

It had been chilly and raining for the past couple of
days, but Colin’s birthday dawned sunny and fairly warm.  He slept in and woke
to find that Alethea had made him a traditional New Orleans breakfast for his
birthday.  It was a lavish meal with several courses, but Colin managed to do
it justice.  He pushed back his chair and got up then bent to kiss Alethea. 
“Thanks! This was the perfect birthday gift.”

“Well, it’s only the beginning,” She replied.

He went outside and watched the builders working on
the pool house.  They had it completely enclosed and had removed the dining
room windows.  A heavy tarp covered the newly made entrance to keep the house
from becoming chilly.  He only stayed outside briefly because he felt too
restless.  The problem was he had a lot of excess adrenaline left over from
recording the new CD and anticipating its release in a couple of weeks.  He
walked into the living room and suggested, “It’s such a nice day.  Why don’t we
go skating in Golden Gate Park?”

“Well, it’s your birthday so your wish is my command,”
She replied with a bow.

“This could prove interesting,” he commented.  They
skated for two hours before finally calling it quits.  Colin caught hold of
Alethea and spun her around until they were both practically dizzy.  “This is
the best birthday I’ve ever had!”

She clutched him tightly and gasped, “I haven’t given
you my other gift yet!”

“You already gave me the best gift I ever got on the
day you married me!”

“Well, I hope you’ll accept one thing more,” she
teased.  They skated back to the Jeep.  She noticed immediately Colin was
taking a different route than he usually took.  “Are we going somewhere else?”

“I was thinking about stopping at Luke and Nora’s.” 
He shrugged.  Alethea jogged his arm and pointed as they drove past.  “Isn’t
that their car in the driveway?”

“Yeah, it is.”  He suddenly sped up, turned at the
next corner and pulled over.

“Aren’t we going to stop?”

“Maybe, we should call first instead of just dropping
in uninvited.”

Alethea gave him a shrewd look.  “You’re afraid they
won’t want to see you?”

“The thought had occurred to me.  After all, I’m not
on Jeff’s hit parade list at the moment.”

“Well, they seemed really nice when we visited them. I
don’t think they’re going to let Jeff’s temper tantrum influence them.”

Colin sighed and started his Jeep again.  “You’re
right, and I guess knowing where I stand is better than having no clue at all.”

“That’s the spirit!”  She urged as he drove around the
block and pulled into the driveway.

Nora opened the door and came out before they reached
the steps.  “Colin, Alethea, how nice to see you again. Come in and sit down.
How are you?”

“Fine and you?”

“We’re fine, too.”  She led them into the living
room.  You timed your visit perfectly.  We’ve only been home about a
half-hour.”

Luke suddenly appeared from upstairs.  “I thought I
heard familiar voices.”

They sat down and Nora asked, “Have you heard from
Jeff or Caitlin, Colin?”

“He called me after Father Michaels’ sanity hearing. 
He was pretty upset with me.”  Colin related his conversation with Jeff to
them.  “I tried to explain my position, but he wouldn’t listen.”

“I’m angry with Jeff because he’s treating Colin as if
he’s the criminal instead of Father Michaels!”  Alethea said angrily.

“Jeff’s still very angry with you, Colin,” Luke said. 
“Nora and I tried to reason with him, but he refuses to listen.”

“How bad is Father Michaels?”  Alethea asked.  “Jeff
told Colin he was catatonic, but we weren’t sure what he meant.”

Jeff told us Dave’s completely withdrawn, rocking back
and forth and mumbling to himself in Latin.  The doctors can’t get a response
from him and it’s as if he’s locked in another world,” Luke explained.

“I think Jeff’s angry with himself rather than with
you.  I think he’s convinced himself this wouldn’t have happened were he a
better father,” Nora said.

Colin shrugged.  “There was absolutely no way he
could’ve known Father Michaels would react like he did when he found that
file.”

“He’s also angry at Colin because of the letter he
wrote that was read by the judge who sentenced Father Michaels,” Alethea said.

“Jeff claims it’s the sole reason the judge refused to
transfer judicial custody of Dave to Minnesota,” Luke replied.

“I just wanted him to be confined in a secure
facility,” Colin said.  “I didn’t say it had to be Louisiana.”

“We know,” Nora replied.