Chapter 24

Mrs. Schwartz took a sip of her tea. “Jason knows that they didn’t have money but he thinks it all went to his mother’s illness. It didn’t. Her parents paid for anything Rosa needed. They loved Jason, too, but Evan wouldn’t allow them to see him after Rosa died. They died when Jason was about twelve. I went to the funeral. He never knew.”

“Jesus Christ. What deadbeats.” Zach wanted to pull Evan and Ann out of their graves and beat them for the mess they left Jason.

“Jason doesn’t know that their lifestyle engendered the lack of funds or that they were well on their way to alcohol dependency. He’s trying to keep that little girl’s view of her parents pure and unsullied as his own and he’s killing himself to do it. He should know the truth, but only Bobby could get away with telling him, and now, maybe you.”

“I came over to help. I don’t want to see him sink,” Zach said sincerely.

“Ask yourself why.”