Encompassing by Richard Lord Read Free Book Online

drawer shut again.  “That was stupid.”  He looks at the man knowing he is in disbelief at what he just witnessed.  Renfield understands pain threshold, and can clearly see the Senator has yet to pull his hand from the drawer because he can’t process what just happened to him, physically.  Nor can the Senator process what he just saw with his own eyes.  Renfield reaches down and eases his hand out of the drawer, but he doesn’t let it go.  He holds it delicately as he raises the Senator’s arm to show him his own double crushed hand.  “This is going to be harder to explain.  I’m thinking stairs sounds about right now.”  Renfield turns and heads towards the door again, but he stops.  He stands still for a few moments and without turning he says, “Don’t fuck with me, don’t fuck with the people who voted for you and don’t fuck with what’s right.”  Then he turns and continues, “And if you think your secretary is a line of defense…”  Renfield opens the door, walks through it.  And then clicks again.  Standing behind the Senator again he whispers, “I think you now know better.  One way or another this works out for me.  You either tell and they put you in the looney bin or you figure out I could be there and back here too.  Instantly.  Got it?”  Renfield sees the man complete the fade to pale and looks down at his trousers. “Have some dignity!  I just got these shoes!”  Then Renfield clicks away.

CHAPTER 12
    “I learned that pain was simply a signal in case you didn’t notice something was wrong.  Pain can also be a signal that you are about to become stronger.”  -- from the book of the second daughter
    “Dad?”  She hinted with that opening word and tone every father knows.  It basically means there is a question to follow.
    “Yes?”  Renfield had learned it was best to reply with a question of his own, in a similarly vague manner.
    “Do you feel pain?”  She stared up at her father as she shook her head to get the hair from her eyes and then she stared at him, as if she was intent on knowing the answer.
    Renfield knew the look and braced himself.  He returned the look to show he was giving his full attention to what was on her mind.
    “That’s a complicated question.  Why do you ask?”  He had also learned to narrow in on her queries before making a mistake in his answer that she would disapprove of.  While still a child, he was quite aware she was judgmental, already and that his answers had influence on her way of thinking.  He was also determined to tell her the truth whenever she asked a question.  With slight exceptions such as Santa Clause, but he was called out on that early.  That and one other time he was faced away from her when he answered and he could hear her finding it hysterical that he thought she believed the answer.
    “Well, remember when you were putting that nail in the door you made, over there?”  She reminded him.
    “Uh huh, go on.”  Renfield wasn’t sure what was coming next, but he had some clue now.
    “You yelled out a bad word.”  She continued.
    “Yeah, I’m sorry for that.”  Renfield could tell more was coming, but he was trying to be just a Dad with just any kid.  Which would have worked if she wasn’t so quick.  But, she was and he knew that reply wasn’t going to defuse whatever bomb was ticking in her head.
    “Okay, so you felt pain and shock and you reacted without thinking, correct?”
    She was narrowing in on her point and Renfield knew it, but he was trying hard to keep his tone light and his heartbeat from betraying that he was expecting another shoe to come from the sky any moment.  “Yes, that is correct, but not right.  In other words, you analysis is correct, but yelling bad words was not right to do.”
    “But you couldn’t help it.  It was your reaction to pain.  Right?”
    Renfield looked at her while cocking his head, “It was not the appropriate reaction, but I get your