He looked up at Albert and gave the smirk right back, the big asshole.
“Anything else, Mr. Fontaine?” she asked as she rose off the bed and looked down at him.
This was the moment. This was what Earl had been waiting all this time for.
“I do got me something, Doc.”
“What’s that?” she said, but there was no interest behind her eyes. Inmates here probably had lots of special requests of her, most of them perverted, even with the massive Albert standing behind her. Lust often trumped good sense.
“Got me a daughter.”
Now her eyes focused on him. “A daughter?”
He nodded and struggled to sit up. “Ain’t seen her in forever. She’s all growed now. Must be, let me see, well into her thirties sure enough.”
“Okay?”
“See, thing is, hell, you know it, I’m dying. Ain’t long for this world, right? She’s all I got left. Like to see her, if I could. Say goodbye, all that. You unnerstand?”
She nodded. “I can see that, certainly. Where is she?”
“See, there’s the thing. I don’t know. Hell, for all I know she’s changed her name. Well, I know she did for a fact.”
“Why would she have done that?”
Earl could not lie here, though he wanted to. The doctor could check. And if she found out he was lying she would surely not do what he so desperately needed her to do.
“She went into Witness Protection. Her real name’s Sally, named after my momma, God rest her soul. Last name Fontaine, o’course. Like mine. I’m her daddy. Ain’t seen hide nor hair since she done that.”
“Why did she go into Witness Protection?”
“Ain’t nothing I done,” he said quickly. And this was true. She had gone into the protection program for another reason unrelated to her murderous father. “It was because of what others done, over in Georgia. After her momma died and I went to prison she got put into foster care. Got mixed up with some bad eggs and then turned agin ’em. That’s why she went in.”
“Okay, but what do you want me to do?”
Earl shrugged and put on his most pathetic expression. He even forced tears to slide down his face. He had always been able to do that on command. The tactic had worked on many women. Too bad for them.
He said simply, “I’m dying. Want to see my only kid before I kick off.”
“But if she’s in Witness—”
He broke in, growing impatient. “You can call ’em. Tell ’em about me. They’ll have a record of her. Maybe she’s still in there, maybe she ain’t. Maybe it’s a long shot. Hell, probably is. But if they could get a message to her? Be up to her, o’course, if she wants to come see me or not.”
“But will they let her?”
“Long time ago all that stuff happened. Folks after her, hell, they’re all dead now. Or in prison. She’s got nothing to be afraid of. And she don’t have to come. Up to her, like I said.” He paused and looked directly at the doctor, assuming the most sincere expression of his life. “My only chance to say goodbye, Doc. Ain’t got much time left. Hell, you know that better’n anybody. Better’n me even. Why I decided to ask you. Don’t think the warden gives a damn.” He paused. “You got kids?”
She looked startled by this. “No, I mean not yet. But I hope to—”
“Best thing I ever did in my life. Royally screwed up the rest of it, no lie there, but my little girl? Now, I done good bringing her into this world, and I’ll tell anyone who asks.”
Earl heard Albert snort at this but he kept his gaze on the doctor. His eyes bored into hers. He had always been able to play to the sympathies of women. He hoped he had not lost this skill.
“My little girl,” he said. “Last chance. If she wants to come and see me, so be it. If not, then that’s okay too. But I just want to give her the chance to see her daddy one last time. That’s all, Doc. Can’t make you do it. You got to want to. All I can do is ask. Well, that’s all I got to say. Up to you now. If you don’t want to, I’ll unnerstand. Shoot, just go to my grave wondering, I guess. Mebbe no mor’n I deserve. Don’t know. Just don’t know. My little girl. My little…”
He lay back against his pillow, out of breath, his frame sunken in, looking as pitiful as he possibly could.
He could see the conflict going on in the woman’s mind. He had spent much of his life studying people in order to learn how to best exploit them. The eyes revealed the internal turmoil she was experiencing. She looked uncertain, confused, all good things for him.
At last she said, “I’ll…I’ll see what I can do, Mr. Fontaine.”