Rough Men by Aric Davis Read Free Book Online Page A

necessary to give you an update on the goings-on here in Grand Rapids. I’m not sure how much of this has already reached you. I’m guessing it hasn’t yet—I haven’t missed any emails from you, and I know you would have at the very least done that—but it will soon, and I wanted to have the chance to tell you myself.

Earlier this week my son was involved in a bank robbery, and several people were killed. Alison and I found out a few days after the fact that Alex was involved, when his body was discovered. Everything has been sort of a whirlwind since then. I’m not sure I even would have remembered to give you a heads-up if my lawyer hadn’t mentioned that I ought to.

As I think you know, my son and I were not very close, but this has still been devastating, as I’m sure you can imagine. The worst part, even worse than Alex’s death, is that he could do something like this at all.

My family is going to issue a press release later this afternoon. If you could direct any contact that comes your way to my lawyer—I’ll add his contact info below—that would be great. If there are other issues involving us continuing to work together after this, I totally understand, and please don’t feel that you guys are doing anything wrong if that’s the route you have to take. If you have any questions, I will answer them as I am best able.

Thanks,
Will
    Will stared at the hastily drafted, then painstakingly corrected e-mail before moving the mouse to SEND and clicking the message off to Seattle.
    The message was as nice and plain as he was able to make it, and Jack was a great friend who had gone to bat for him on more than one occasion, but Will was still worried about what his and his company’s reaction might be. He stared for a while at the cheap wood paneling on the walls, and then his eyes fell to Isaac’s stuff piled on the old sofa he kept in the office, and it all looped around to him again. He wasn’t going to wake up from this awful dream.
    His cell phone ringing broke his trance. Expecting to see another unknown number, Will was startled to see a 206 area code.
Seattle.
    “Hello?”
    “Will. Jesus, buddy. You know there are some times when you just pick up a fucking phone and call, right?”
    “Thanks, Jack.”
    “Are you doing OK? How’s Alison?”
    “I’m OK. She’s doing OK, I think. It’s been hard to tell. She keeps blaming herself for everything. That’s hard to watch.”
    “That’s understandable, I guess. Of course, it’s not either of your faults, but it’s natural to feel that way. Do you have a time for the funeral set?”
    “I don’t think we’re going to have one. My lawyer thinks I’m in for a shitstorm either way. Not that it really matters much—we had planned for cremation already, anyways. Got a jump on that, at least. That’s a good thing, right? Bastards that shot him in the head, they burned his body—”
    “Will, you do not sound like you’re doing OK. Sit down, on the floor if you have to.”
    “All right.”
    “Are you sitting? I’m serious about this. If I hear the phone drop, I’m hanging up and calling nine-one-one. Are you at home?”
    “Jack, relax. I’m sitting at my desk. I was letting my emotions get the better of me. I’m fine now.”
    “Maybe you should try grabbing a drink. But not alone. You’ve got enough friends, go grab a beer, but don’t sit alone with your thoughts.”
    “No, I haven’t been drinking. I think that’s for the best.”
    “Most of the time, I’d agree. This is a little different.”
    “I’ll run it by Alison.”
    “Is there anything I can do? If there was a funeral, I know we would send flowers. I can fly in, but I’m guessing you want to be with your family.”
    “I appreciate that, Jack, but, yeah, we’re kind of hunkered down. There’s nothing you can do. No need for the flowers, either. It’s going to be a very small get-together, and I think I’m going to discourage that sort of thing as much as