Red White and Black and Blue Read Online Free Page A
Author: Richard Stevenson
asshole pounding on him every time Louderbush came over and they had a few drinks, and I guess he just cracked. You'd have to be pretty much at the end of your rope to get you to jump off of a building. I don't know how anybody could make themselves do that. It goes against all your instincts."
"So alcohol was an important part of the relationship between Stiver and Louderbush?"
"I think it was more Louderbush. He'd have to have a drink to loosen up, Greg said. Then they'd get it on, and then Louderbush would have another drink or two, and that's when he'd go off and get physical. At first, when we asked him 30
Red White and Black and Blue
by Richard Stevenson
about the crashing noises and the yelling, Greg would just say, no, there was no problem, that they just fell or something. Later on, he admitted what was really going on, and he said he tried to get Louderbush to cut it out. But he also said that deep down he was only getting what he needed. He said his old man beat him when he was a kid, and now apparently there was something in his psychology that made him like getting hurt by some man. He admitted that this was true."
"Was Greg in psychotherapy? It sounds as if he had some real understanding of why he put up with the way Louderbush treated him."
"Janie actually tried to get him to go, but he never would, I don't think."
The waitress arrived with our taco salads, and the old woman in the next booth said to her, "We would like to order now. We have been waiting for quite some time."
"Sorry. I'll be right with you."
"We got here before those two men did, and they already have their food."
The waitress, a squat, buxom young black woman, carefully ignored this. "I can take your order now. What would you like to order, ma'am?"
The couple proceeded to order eggs Benedict. The waitress explained that Denny's didn't have any of those, so then the couple decided to make do with a single grilled cheese sandwich served on two plates. After that was settled, I asked Jackman more questions.
31
Red White and Black and Blue
by Richard Stevenson
"Both you and your former girlfriend have told the McCloskey campaign that you believe Kenyon Louderbush drove Greg Stiver to suicide. That's a serious charge to make against anybody. Stiver was a grown-up. He was free to make choices. He could have told Louderbush to take a hike.
He could even have called the police and charged Louderbush with assault. He could have done a lot of things to get out of the mess he was in. Louderbush did not in fact shove Stiver off that building. You can attest that this was an abusive relationship, but that's a far as you can go, I think, when it comes to pinning anything on Kenyon Louderbush.
"If you are going to go public with this—as Tom Dunphy says you're willing to do—you might want to describe what you saw and heard, and you can of course relay what Greg told you about the relationship. But you can expect people to challenge your contention that Louderbush drove Greg Stiver to take his own life— drove is the word you seem determined to use—and you'll have to be ready for disagreements and other interpretations coming at you from many directions.
And a lot of people who disagree with you are going to act very hostile."
Jackman was cracking off portions of taco shell and gathering up little heaps of meat, lettuce, sauce, and sour cream, and shoveling it all into his large face. Through a mouthful of this stuff, he said, "I saw the suicide note."
"You did? How?"
"It was on the kitchen table. Mrs. Pensivy, the landlady, let us into Greg's apartment before the police came over.
32
Red White and Black and Blue
by Richard Stevenson
Somebody at SUNY called her. There was a note in Greg's handwriting on the table, and it said, 'I hurt too much.'"
"That's all it said?"
"Janie started to cry. Mrs. Pensivy, too."
"It didn't mention Kenyon Louderbush?"
"It didn't have to."
"What happened to the note?"
"The cops must have
"So alcohol was an important part of the relationship between Stiver and Louderbush?"
"I think it was more Louderbush. He'd have to have a drink to loosen up, Greg said. Then they'd get it on, and then Louderbush would have another drink or two, and that's when he'd go off and get physical. At first, when we asked him 30
Red White and Black and Blue
by Richard Stevenson
about the crashing noises and the yelling, Greg would just say, no, there was no problem, that they just fell or something. Later on, he admitted what was really going on, and he said he tried to get Louderbush to cut it out. But he also said that deep down he was only getting what he needed. He said his old man beat him when he was a kid, and now apparently there was something in his psychology that made him like getting hurt by some man. He admitted that this was true."
"Was Greg in psychotherapy? It sounds as if he had some real understanding of why he put up with the way Louderbush treated him."
"Janie actually tried to get him to go, but he never would, I don't think."
The waitress arrived with our taco salads, and the old woman in the next booth said to her, "We would like to order now. We have been waiting for quite some time."
"Sorry. I'll be right with you."
"We got here before those two men did, and they already have their food."
The waitress, a squat, buxom young black woman, carefully ignored this. "I can take your order now. What would you like to order, ma'am?"
The couple proceeded to order eggs Benedict. The waitress explained that Denny's didn't have any of those, so then the couple decided to make do with a single grilled cheese sandwich served on two plates. After that was settled, I asked Jackman more questions.
31
Red White and Black and Blue
by Richard Stevenson
"Both you and your former girlfriend have told the McCloskey campaign that you believe Kenyon Louderbush drove Greg Stiver to suicide. That's a serious charge to make against anybody. Stiver was a grown-up. He was free to make choices. He could have told Louderbush to take a hike.
He could even have called the police and charged Louderbush with assault. He could have done a lot of things to get out of the mess he was in. Louderbush did not in fact shove Stiver off that building. You can attest that this was an abusive relationship, but that's a far as you can go, I think, when it comes to pinning anything on Kenyon Louderbush.
"If you are going to go public with this—as Tom Dunphy says you're willing to do—you might want to describe what you saw and heard, and you can of course relay what Greg told you about the relationship. But you can expect people to challenge your contention that Louderbush drove Greg Stiver to take his own life— drove is the word you seem determined to use—and you'll have to be ready for disagreements and other interpretations coming at you from many directions.
And a lot of people who disagree with you are going to act very hostile."
Jackman was cracking off portions of taco shell and gathering up little heaps of meat, lettuce, sauce, and sour cream, and shoveling it all into his large face. Through a mouthful of this stuff, he said, "I saw the suicide note."
"You did? How?"
"It was on the kitchen table. Mrs. Pensivy, the landlady, let us into Greg's apartment before the police came over.
32
Red White and Black and Blue
by Richard Stevenson
Somebody at SUNY called her. There was a note in Greg's handwriting on the table, and it said, 'I hurt too much.'"
"That's all it said?"
"Janie started to cry. Mrs. Pensivy, too."
"It didn't mention Kenyon Louderbush?"
"It didn't have to."
"What happened to the note?"
"The cops must have
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