“Who are you,” Mason asked, trying to set the mood, “and what have you done with my son?”
Gabriel shifted the cane to his left hand and reached out to shake his father’s hand, pumping it vigorously. Mason stared at their connected hands. It was the first time they’d touched in over three years.
“Congratulations, Dad.”
Mason pulled his hand away and tilted his head, eying Gabriel quietly. Neither spoke for a long time. Finally, Mason said, “Glad you lost the beard. The last I saw you, your hair was down around the middle of your back. Next, you’re going to tell me you’ve got a job at a bank?”
Gabriel chuckled. “Please, we don’t want to go there.”
By “there,” Mason knew he meant the whole evil of the federal government and the ownership of the world’s sparse resources by the fiends in the international banking community. Or some other such nonsense. Mason couldn’t resist, however. And he needed to see who this young man standing before him was now, needed to learn if anything had changed. Surprisingly, he found himself actually nearing the brink, daring to hope.
“And you Dad, lost a bit more up top, and the grey’s taking over. I figured rather than go quietly, I’d just shave mine all off. Much less maintenance.”
Mason nodded. “My genetic gift to you.”
Gabriel shrugged. “Could be worse, and considering what else you’ve given me, a fair trade.”
“What’s the ‘else’ you’re referring to?” He wasn’t following.
A smile broadened on Gabriel’s face. “Come, let’s walk out in the lobby, get some fresh air. We need to talk.”
Mason stood motionless. “Talk?”
“Yes, you know. You and me. Talking, moving our lips. Hearing. Responding.”
“Sarcasm I get. What I don’t understand is why. Why now? Last time we ‘talked,’ I heard the words ‘Dad’ and ‘Fuck Off’ as they led you away in handcuffs.”
“I was a different person back then, but if you want apologies and groveling, if you want me to act out the Prodigal Son, you’ll have to wait. I’m here for a more important reason.”
“Good,” Mason said acidly, “then get to the point.”
“Outside?”
“No, here. I don’t want to lose sight of your mother. Or your sister.”
Gabriel cocked his head. “Still blaming yourself?”
Mason’s eyes hardened. “For what?”
Gabriel’s eyes stayed on his, unblinking.
He knew what his son was thinking: for not being there, not being the one to drive; or for telling Lauren, who always hated driving in snow, that the weather report looked just perfect, not a chance of even one snowflake, much less anything like that merciless blizzard heading her way.
“Nothing, Dad. Look, what if I told you I could give you a chance to do something truly important with the rest of your life? Something in your field, something … light years beyond all this?” He waved the cane’s tip half-heartedly at the remnants of the ceremony. “This nickel-and-dime, dog and pony show. Weather forecasting? Come on, here in southern California anyone with half a brain or access to a window could do your job. No offense.”
“So which one do I have?”
“I’m pretty sure they don’t give you a window.” Gabriel’s smile softened. “Look, what if you could have the chance to achieve what you’ve always wanted?”
“And what would that be?”
Gabriel smiled. “Call it what you like. Redemption. Understanding. Control.”
“Control?”
“How about sweet old fashioned revenge?”
Blinking, Mason stepped back. “Gabriel, please stop talking in circles. Why are you here? What do you want?”
His son reached into his suit coat and retrieved what looked like a black playing card. He flipped it over with a snap like a stage magician and handed it to Mason.
A business card. Plastic, laminated.
SOLSTICE SYNERGISTIC, INC.
Environmental Research
Seattle, Washington, 45050
555-643-3333
“Environmental research?” Mason gave his son a skeptical look. “This is what you’re doing now?”
“You’re surprised?”
“By the very fact you have what sounds like a real job, yes. So what do you do there?”
“A little of this and that. I’ve been moving up in the ranks. Working on environmental law, currently.”
Mason made a face. “Is that just a fancy name for chaining yourself to more trees?”
Gabriel shook his head. “I told him you’d be unreasonable.”
“Who?”
Gabriel motioned to the card. “Call the number on there, anytime. We’d like you to come in, tour the facility, see what we do.”
“For what purpose?”
“That should be obvious.”
“Pander to an old man. State the obvious.”
“We want you to come and work for us.”
O O O
“So, what was that all about?” Lauren asked him when he returned, a few minutes later. Mason hesitated. Shelby was watching him intensely, staring