A Crying Shame (140 page)

Here in Fountain Parish. Mother and father had come up here to look at some property they were buying. She was attacked by a field hand; man knocked my father unconscious. They were in bed, sleeping. Father came to and shot the man just as he was climbing out the window. It was in this very house. The room that is now the office.”

And the assailant?”

Dead. Father was a crack shot with rifle or pistol. I ... believe he shot the man through the head.”

And your parents' religious beliefs?”

We are Catholic. And anticipating your next question, abortion would have been out of the question. My father was adamantly opposed to it.”

Do you by any chance know your parents' blood types?”

I'm sorry, Karl, no, I don't.”

No matter. Do you know... could you give me a description of the rapist?”

She smiled ruefully.
There again, I'm sorry, but no. It was something that was not discussed.”

Do you have the phone number of this Dr. Reneau?”

Yes, but it won't do you any good. He's on vacation during the month of August.”

Karl's smile was equally rueful.
We seem to be running into a maze of complications.”

But Paul was definitely... the offspring of those creatures?”