Chapter 165: Her Mother's Love, Part 7, Rescue

JAMES

The door closes behind us, the latch dropping, but from behind us, clearly audible, "How could you, you bastard? How could you..."

"Don't you fucking talk to me like that, you bitch. You were the one doing all the lying. Lying all these years. You knew she was..."

"She's my daughter and you made me leave her..." The last word ends on a shriek, then a thump and a scream. "Frank, no!"

"My business ruined. One fucking dead-end job after another. No money. You fucked up my life, you bitch!"

The next door along opens and a head pokes out; an old lady with blue-rinse hair and a face like a wrinkled apple. She takes us in with gimlet eyes then, "Don't mind me. I hear this too often. When I do, I leave my door open so she can run in here 'til the whiskey's worn off."

From inside, another yell and a thump.

"That's enough," Michael mutters. "I'm not having this." He turns back, knocks on the door. "Mitch, open the door. It's Michael again."