Dynamite & Whiskey

Chapter 6

Andy's deepest fears preyed on his mind, his heart heavy as he drove back from visiting his father in prison.

His father had sent the mystery man in the blue Lincoln, Father O'Leary he called himself, to fix his life and that of his son. Everything about his father's countenance had told Andy what he wouldn't admit with words. His father sent the man to force Leonard Patz to confess to the murder of Ben Rifkin before he killed him, making it look like a suicide and freeing Jacob.

Father O'Leary also kept Dan Rifkin from doing more damage to their family in the parking garage after the trial. The tearful man came to confront Jacob, to tell him he knew he killed his son.

And the way Laurie had interacted with his father's henchman, acting as if she were complicit in the entire nightmare. Andy knew she wasn't, but her behavior took him off guard.

Once Father O'Leary had threatened you, Andy was done. He knew he had to learn the truth. And only one person, his father, could give him that even if he couldn't say it.

You can be a good man. Or you could be a good father.

Jacob had been declared a free man by a court of law, declared innocent to Newton and the rest of the world.

Nothing, however, would ever be the same.

Andy was asked to return to his job. His boss even offered to get rid of Neal Logiudice to make that happen. But Andy couldn't return. Now that he'd seen the other side of that courtroom, he knew he couldn't practice as he had before. He had no idea what he wanted to do, but he couldn't go back to his old job.

They couldn't stay in Newton.

Laurie had already officially resigned her position, more resentful of how she'd been treated than he had been. She was looking for other positions late at night on her laptop and that troubled him because if he wanted to see Jacob, without having to go through an ugly custody process on top of everything they'd been through, they'd need to stay in somewhat close proximity of each other. And he had no idea where she was looking.

Laurie was different. While Andy had expected her to be relieved about their son's supposed innocence, he watched her. At odd moments with Jacob, she was lost in her thoughts instead of enjoying the fact that their son was free, exonerated.

Jacob continued to work with his tutor, seeming to pick up after the trial as if their entire lives hadn't been upheaved. He'd slept for days after the trial ended. But he didn't complain, seemed his usual self.

When Laurie suggested they keep their plans to go to Mexico for the holidays, both Andy and Jacob had been surprised. Jacob welcomed the opportunity to go somewhere else. Andy agreed because they needed to get away and he needed to talk to Laurie about moving forward with their lives. The look in his wife's eyes told him she was expecting the conversation.

Andy hated the waiting. Even with the trial over, they were stuck in a holding pattern and it felt like when one of them finally made a move, their family would shatter like glass.

They couldn't stay there. He couldn't stay there.

Jacob was eerily calm, and it ate at Andy every single day. It ate at Laurie, he could tell from the tense lines on her face. Would they ever know the truth? Would Ben's murderer eventually be revealed? Had it been Leonard Patz?

Or had their son truly been guilty?

Laurie lost interest in the home she was once so proud of. Her friends didn't come around for book clubs or wine anymore. She no longer had the perfect family, the admiration of her community. She went about her normal routine each day. But it was like she was sleepwalking, her body going through the motions but her mind somewhere else entirely. Even packing for the trip, buying what they needed for it online, held little joy for her. Laurie had always adored family vacations. It was hard for Andy to take.