Victims of Circumstance

Thomas (The Space In Between)

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to                                  cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
                                                 - 1 John 1:9

                             Albany, New York, USA (July 2014)
                                                 Beth Coxy
[Beth Coxy does not look well. We sit in her (and Jay Morse’s) new home that they recently moved into, seeing as they eventually became unable to cope with staying in the building Thomas once accompanied them in. The home is small and smells of drying paint and kicked-up dust, but it’s something. Probably anything is better than where they were before. I don’t blame them; I would have moved too, probably much farther than even the country's length away.]

Thank you for driving out here for the interview… I just - I couldn’t bring myself to stay where Thom - where he was before. Not in that house, not after what happened. 

Jay and I… we just kind of figured that it would be easier in a bigger place. Blend in with all the tourists, be in New York like we’ve always wanted… Sorry, I’m rambling on, I just wanted you to know that I appreciate you not asking me to go back there.

I understand completely. Now tell me, please, about Thomas. What was he like as a child?

I can only think to call him… normal. He was happy, fun, the best thing that had ever happened to me. Sure, he cried sometimes and threw silly tantrums about silly things, but that’s how kids are. They just kind of… do that. They make your life hard sometimes, but that’s what being a parent is about. 

I treated him like gold; I loved him. He was my precious baby boy after Abbey, and it felt so good to experience motherhood again, a child growing up. Having such innocent laughter in the house, photos of golden moments and ribbons from things he’d accomplished. There was nothing wrong with him, nothing at all. 

He didn’t do any of those things that people say would be signs. You know, hurting animals or something... Sure, he wet the bed when he was little, but all kids did that. You and I did that. He was a good son, a good son.

Uhm, Beth… if I may… I want it to be clear that I’m not trying to attack your son in any way. I’m simply trying to understand him, learn more about his childhood and see if there are possibly any factors that could have affected his development and… well, how he ended up where he is today.

[takes a deep breath] Yes, of course. I’m sorry. I just… People think I couldn’t hear all the whispers back in Spokane, but I could. I heard all of them, all the terrible things that people said about Thomas and Abbey and Jay and I. Even Rafe too. 

I just… I don’t want yet another silly reporter waltzing in here and trying to do nothing more than show the world that my son was a monster… because he wasn’t. He was my boy, and I refuse to let one more person make such a fool of him. 

I would never attempt to disrespect you and your family in such a way, I assure you… Tell me though, did Thomas ever get into any other sorts of trouble as a child? Anything at all?

Well… little things, like children do. He would go to the train tracks with his friends and put pennies on the rails, even though I told him a million times that it was too dangerous. He just said he liked the way they looked after, all flat and distorted.