Page 100 of Nash Falls

Maggie said, “My father, Walter Nash, has been abusing me for years. He would come into my bedroom late at night when mymother was asleep. He would—” she sobbed for a moment before continuing “—he would do things to me, terrible things. And then he told me he’d kill me and my mother if I ever told the truth.”

Nash just stared at the screen, open-mouthed. He could not feel his body, it was like all he had left was his overwrought mind along with a heart that had just been rent in half.

“He pretends to be this hardworking, nose-to-the-grindstone businessman, but he’s a monster. I couldn’t take it anymore. I had to get away. But I’m so worried that he might find me. And that he’ll hurt my mom. I only told one person, my friend Billy Adams. He’s the night security guard at the entrance to my neighborhood. I hope he’s okay. I have to go now. Please don’t try and find me. And make sure my mom is okay.”

Her image faded from the screen.

Judith, who was breathing hard with tears covering her cheeks, slowly closed the laptop. She turned to Nash.

“Is that what you were going to tell me?” she demanded in a quiet voice.

Nash shook his head, still trying to process what had just happened. “What?”

“Were you going to confess before Linda called me?”

“Confess to what? I never touched Maggie.”

“You’re actually calling her a liar? After all she’s been through?”

In his withering anxiety, Nash stood and backed away. “Look, I don’t know what the hell is going on. But I never did anything to Maggie. I swear.”

Judith started to shake. “I… don’t want to believe any of this, Walter. And… Maggie never mentioned… anything… to me.”

“And she would, Judith. She would have told you. You two never kept secrets from each other.”

Judith looked up at him and her expression was not a sympathetic one. “You sound like you’re trying to convince me.”

“I’m trying to tell you the truth.”

Judith pointed at the laptop. “Then why in God’s name would our daughter tell everyone that you… youabusedher?”

“I… I don’t know, Judith,” said Nash in a trembling voice. He could barely speak. He could barely think. The image of his daughter saying these terrible things dominated everything in his life at the moment. “I just don’t know.”

Judith shook her head. “I…” She swallowed, hard and with difficulty. It was clear she, too, could barely speak or think clearly.

“My God, Judith. Do you really think I’m capable of that? I love Maggie. I would never do anything to hurt her.”

“You’re asking me to believe you over her, Walter.”

“I’m asking you to just look at this logically.”

“Fuck logic,” she suddenly screamed. In a lower, far more menacing tone she said, “Fuck logic. This isn’t about logic, Walter. This is about our daughter saying you have molested her for years.”

“But you said she would have told you.”

She looked at him sharply, something appearing in her features that was cagey, guarded, possibly triumphant, like a decision had been made. As he looked at her Nash felt tendrils of icy dread wash over him.

“No, Walter,youwere the one who said that. Not me.”

“Judith, please. Think this through clearly.”

“You’re trying to manipulate me. That’s what you do so well. I’m not another business negotiation, Walter. I’m your wife. And Maggie’s mother.”

“And I love you and it hurts me that you think I could do something like that.”

She now looked at him with revulsion. “There you go, trying to swing the blame onto me. My Eagle Scout? My perfectly predictable gentleman of a husband. You’ve played me for a fool. You tried to make me believe you with thislogiccrap. You tried to manipulate me into believing you. And now our daughter has run away, because of you. You!”

She picked up the laptop and chucked it at Nash, striking him on the shoulder.