Silent Justice Read Free Page B

His mother had said it would pass. She insisted that the family was going through a rough time, and it affected him in strange ways. He sure hoped she was right.
    Dr. Zalora wasn’t much help either. He said pretty much the same thing as his mother—“The death of his father caused him additional problems. It’ll get easier in time, and the periods of blackouts will vanish. Take the medication and you’ll do fine,” was all the doctor had said.
    “Adam.” It was his mother calling from downstairs.
    He opened the bedroom door. “Be down in a minute,” he called.
    Adam went into the bathroom in the hallway, splashed some water on his face, and wiped it dry, taking a last look at himself in the mirror. He ran a comb through his hair. It didn’t do anything; his hair was too short.
    When he went downstairs, his mother was waiting for him in the kitchen, sitting forward at the kitchen table, her arms resting on top, her fingers woven together. He stopped short at her unsmiling face.
    “Sit down,” she said. Her eyes were angry, her voice stern. Something was up.
    Adam sat at the other end of the table and leaned forward, his hands on his knees. “What’s going on?”
    She spoke in an accusing voice. “Where’d you go last night?”
    Adam frowned, thinking hard. “I didn’t go anywhere. I watched TV while you were gone, then I went to bed.”
    “Did you have another blackout?” she asked, her tone unchanged.
    “I … I don’t think so. I don’t always remember when I do.”
    She sighed and sat back, her eyes drilling into his, her lips in a firm line.
    “Is everything all right?” Adam asked.
    His mother shook her head. “You smashed up my car,” she said. “I shouldn’t have left the keys lying around, but I never thought—”
    Adam interrupted. “Are you saying I took your car out?”
    She sighed again. “I’m afraid you did. I had a few beers last night with Mabel and got home late. I didn’t see the damage when I got back, but this morning, there it was.” She shrugged. “The front is smashed up.”
    Adam took a sharp breath and held it. He must have had another blackout. Sometimes he did crazy things during the blackouts, and now he’d smashed up his mother’s car.
    He let out his breath slowly. “I’m sorry, Mom,” he said, sinking his head into his hands.
    His mother said nothing.
    He raised his head and gave her a hopeful look. “Does it still run?”
    “I guess it does,” she said. “You drove it home again. But it looks like the bumper and one fender is smashed.”
    He pleaded with his eyes. “I’m really sorry.”
    She picked at her nail polish, scraping some remnants from a thumb. She brushed the scrapings aside and looked at Adam. “I guess it’s not your fault.”
    He hesitated, then said, “My blackouts are happening more often.” He sat back and closed his eyes a moment, taking a deep breath. “I feel like I’m losing my mind sometimes.”
    “Are you taking your meds?” she asked.
    He nodded. “Always.”
    “All right,” she said and stood. “Take a hammer to the fender. See if you can fix it up a bit. It should be okay.” She held up a finger. “But don’t drive it anywhere.”
    “I won’t.”
    “Are you not going to work today?”
    He shrugged. “I don’t feel up to it. I might go in later. They won’t fire me. It’s too hard to find anyone else to do my lousy job.”
    She leaned back against the counter and crossed her arms. “Get my car fixed up right away,” she said. “I need to go out later. And I can drive you to work if you want to go.”
    He nodded, avoiding her gaze as she looked at him. Finally, her slippers padded across the floor as she left the kitchen, leaving him alone at the table.
    He was worried. He would have to go outside and check out the car. He hoped he hadn’t run into another vehicle. That wouldn’t be good, but what worried him most was his blackout spells. He didn’t hear the voices in his head very often anymore.