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“You weren’t worried about how it looked yesterday when you got married,” Cooper replied. “So why worry about it now?”
“I don’t want to get into this,” Joel said. “That’s not what I’m here to talk about.”
Zack had to give his dad credit. The man appeared completely unruffled by the lack of warmth or welcome from his own sons. He was a person who didn’t like to be challenged but he was acting like this was a completely normal moment between the three of them – chatting in Cooper’s apartment like they did this all the time.
Joel Winslow had the poker face down to a science along with any body language. There were no tells in his face as to what he was truly thinking, other than the fact that he wanted to be somewhere else. That was his usual, everyday expression. Where he was going was always more interesting than where he was at that moment. He was an optimist that way.
“Then what do you want to talk about?” Zack asked again. “You’ve come here to say something. We’re listening.”
For a few minutes, at least.
For just a second - a mere split second - Zack thought he saw irritation cross his father’s features, but it was gone so quickly it might have been his imagination.
“I spoke with Finn today. He says that you are talking about hiring a private investigator regarding your mother’s disappearance.”
Ah, was Joel Winslow irritated about that? Tough.
“Yes, we think it’s time to have someone dig into what happened to your wife,” Cooper shot back, his eyes narrowed dangerously. “I would think that you would be supportive of this decision.”
“I’ve been down this road,” Joel replied. “I had an investigator. And it only brings heartache and disappointment. I don’t want my children to go through that. We don’t have any evidence or leads to follow. There’s nothing there. I’m advising you to think twice about this and leave it alone.”
“We’re grown adults,” Zack said. “We make our own decisions. You can’t shield us from being hurt. As for having an investigator, you did have one. But there have been many advances in technology that we might be able to take advantage of. I think we should try. We won’t end up any worse than we are right now.”
“You can end up worse. You’re wading in waters that will only bring you sorrow.”
“Is that a threat?” Cooper asked, his voice so soft Zack barely heard him.
“Of course not,” Joel barked, his cold mask slipping for a moment, baring his anger for Zack and Cooper to see clearly. “I’m saying this to protect you. There’s nothing for that investigator to do. If there was, I would have already done it. It’s a waste of money and resources.”
“Is that what you care about? Money?” Cooper challenged. “If I had to spend every last dime to get some answers, I would. I can’t believe you’re bringing up money. That’s some cold shit right there.”
“If you had any money, you might feel differently,” Joel replied. “It’s easy to spend your siblings’ earnings rather than reach into your own pocket.”
The tension in the air was as thick as the hot and wet humidity in New Orleans, and just as oppressive. It was as if a black storm cloud had walked into the room, taking up every corner of the space.
Zack had thought Cooper might go ballistic at their father’s remark, but his younger brother simply smiled and shrugged as if it didn’t bother him in the least.
“I’ll gladly clean out my bank account,” Cooper said. “I don’t spend my free time counting my money like some people. I can’t take it with me so I might as well spend it.”
“I have money,” Zack interjected. “And I’m willing to spend it as well. We’ve discussed it and the decision has been made. I’m sorry that you’re upset about this, but it isn’t about you.”
This might be unwelcome news to his father.
“If you don’t care about me, what about Kim? Digging into the past is just going to get her hopes up and then she’ll be deeply disappointed. It’s not fair to her to have to go through all of those grieving emotions all over again.”
His father thought that Kim was going to be the ace in the hole for this argument? Zack didn’t hate his aunt-slash-stepmother, but she wasn’t going to keep him from doing what he thought was right.
“You’re right,” Zack said. “We shouldn’t have waited this long. We should have done this a long time ago, but it’s not too late to rectify our mistake. If Kim doesn’t want us to do this, she’s welcome to discuss her reservations with us, but ultimately, we’re deciding. Not you. Not her.”
Zack’s father turned on his heel, pulling open the door partway.
“I think you’ll end up regretting this.”
“Another threat,” Cooper mused, a smile playing on his lips. “Nice one, Dad.”
Joel Winslow didn’t like losing. He hated it as a matter of fact. Zack was shocked that he wasn’t going to stay and try and browbeat them into doing what he wanted. It wouldn’t have worked so perhaps Daddy was getting wiser in his old age.
Without another word he walked out of the door, leaving it open so they could hear his footsteps on the stairs and the door to the street open and close behind him. Cooper stood and closed it, flipping the lock in place before turning to Zack.
