JК
Bag of Bones :: Кинг Стивен
Страница: 187 из 425It’s true that I read the little kid a story and helped put her to bed, but—”
“I imagine half the town thinks you’re bopping each other’s brains out by now, and the other half will think it if I have to show up for her in court.” But he didn’t sound really angry; I thought he sounded as though he was having a happy-face day. “Can they make you tell who’s paying for your services?” I asked.
“At the custody hearing, I mean?”
“Nope.”
“At my deposition on Friday?”
“Christ, no. Durgin would lose all credibility as guardian adlitem if he went in that direction. Also, they have reasons to steer clear of the sex angle. Their focus is on Mattie as neglectful and perhaps abusive.
Proving that Mom isn’t a nun quit working around the time Kramer vs.
Kramer came out in the movie theaters. Nor is that the only problem they have with the issue.” He now sounded positively gleeful.
“Tell me.”
“Max Devore is eighty-five and divorced. Twice divorced, in point of fact. Before awarding custody to a single man of his age, secondary custody has to be taken into consideration. It is, in fact, the single most important issue, other than the allegations of abuse and neglect levelled at the mother.”
“What are those allegations? Do you know?”
“No. Mattie doesn’t either, because they’re fabrications. She’s a sweetie, by the way—”
“Yeah, she is.”
“—and I think she’s going to make a great witness. I can’t wait to meet her in person. Meantime, don’t sidetrack me. We’re talking about secondary custody, right?”
“Right.”
“Devore has a daughter who has been declared mentally incompetent and lives in an institution somewhere in California—Modesto, I think.
Not a good bet for custody.”
“It wouldn’t seem so.”
“The son, Roger, is…” I heard a faint fluttering of notebook pages.
”… fifty-four. So he’s not exactly a spring chicken, either. Still, there are lots of guys who become daddies at that age nowadays; it’s a brave new world. But Roger is a homosexual.”
I thought of Bill Dean saying, Rump-wrangler. Understand there’s a lot of that going around out them in Calij3rnia.
“I thought you said sex doesn’t matter.”
“Maybe I should have said hetero sex doesn’t matter. In certain states—California is one of themhomo sex doesn’t matter, either… or not as much. But this case isn’t going to be adjudicated in California.
It’s going to be adjudicated in Maine, where folks are less enlightened about how well two married men—married to each other, I meanan raise a little girl.”
“Roger Devore is married?” Okay. I admit it.
“I imagine half the town thinks you’re bopping each other’s brains out by now, and the other half will think it if I have to show up for her in court.” But he didn’t sound really angry; I thought he sounded as though he was having a happy-face day. “Can they make you tell who’s paying for your services?” I asked.
“At the custody hearing, I mean?”
“Nope.”
“At my deposition on Friday?”
“Christ, no. Durgin would lose all credibility as guardian adlitem if he went in that direction. Also, they have reasons to steer clear of the sex angle. Their focus is on Mattie as neglectful and perhaps abusive.
Proving that Mom isn’t a nun quit working around the time Kramer vs.
Kramer came out in the movie theaters. Nor is that the only problem they have with the issue.” He now sounded positively gleeful.
“Tell me.”
“Max Devore is eighty-five and divorced. Twice divorced, in point of fact. Before awarding custody to a single man of his age, secondary custody has to be taken into consideration. It is, in fact, the single most important issue, other than the allegations of abuse and neglect levelled at the mother.”
“What are those allegations? Do you know?”
“No. Mattie doesn’t either, because they’re fabrications. She’s a sweetie, by the way—”
“Yeah, she is.”
“—and I think she’s going to make a great witness. I can’t wait to meet her in person. Meantime, don’t sidetrack me. We’re talking about secondary custody, right?”
“Right.”
“Devore has a daughter who has been declared mentally incompetent and lives in an institution somewhere in California—Modesto, I think.
Not a good bet for custody.”
“It wouldn’t seem so.”
“The son, Roger, is…” I heard a faint fluttering of notebook pages.
”… fifty-four. So he’s not exactly a spring chicken, either. Still, there are lots of guys who become daddies at that age nowadays; it’s a brave new world. But Roger is a homosexual.”
I thought of Bill Dean saying, Rump-wrangler. Understand there’s a lot of that going around out them in Calij3rnia.
“I thought you said sex doesn’t matter.”
“Maybe I should have said hetero sex doesn’t matter. In certain states—California is one of themhomo sex doesn’t matter, either… or not as much. But this case isn’t going to be adjudicated in California.
It’s going to be adjudicated in Maine, where folks are less enlightened about how well two married men—married to each other, I meanan raise a little girl.”
“Roger Devore is married?” Okay. I admit it.