“Yes,” Amanda whispered. She turned back for him to continue.
“So we did a bit of investigating, and although your birth certificate says you were born in France, we’re not actually sure if that’s true.”
“So, what does that mean?” Mary seemed much older than her thirteen years all of a sudden.
“There’s a chance you could be Amanda’s child.”
Mary gasped as tears sprang to her eyes.
Amanda reached out and pulled her into her arms. “I know it’s a shock, but we needed to tell you, sweetheart.”
“There is one way to find out the truth,” Adam continued.
Mary turned to face him again. “How?”
He pulled out the paper bag from his pocket. “We could do a DNA test.”
“Would I need to have an injection?”
“No, nothing like that.” He pulled open a plastic container and removed a large cotton bud. “I’ll just need to run this around the inside of your mouth for a second. Is that alright?”
Mary pushed herself back into a sitting position. “Okay.” She opened her mouth while he took the sample.
He wrote Mary’s name on the plastic container after placing the sample inside. “Now, we need the same from you, Amanda.”
Afterwards, he returned to his seat. “Any questions?”
“Will you send me away again?”
“No!” Amanda cried and pulled the child towards her again. “I’ll never send you away, Mary. I love you as one of my own, whether you are or not.”
Ever the practical one, Adam had to warn them both it might not be up to them. “There will need to be an investigation by the police and social workers. If you aren’t Andrew’s daughter, then you were kidnapped from your adoptive family. You do understand that, don’t you, Mary?”
“Will they want to take me back there?” Mary buried her head in Amanda’s shoulder as though not wanting to hear the answer.
Tears streamed down Amanda’s face. It broke her heart to see Mary so upset, but Adam was right—it was better this way than her finding out from someone else.
“Not if we have anything to do with it. But the social workers and maybe even the police will probably want to talk to you,” he said.
“How long will the tests take?” Amanda asked.
“I’ll push them through and try to get a result by tomorrow.”
“That soon,” she gasped.
“We’ll find out tomorrow if I’m your daughter?” Mary turned to look at her.
“Sounds like it. How will you feel?”
“Will I have to call you Mummy?”
Amanda shrugged. “Only if you want to.”
“Can I go home now?” Mary got to her feet and walked to the door without a backward glance.
Adam also stood up. He bent to kiss Amanda. “Maybe you should call Sandra, fill her in before I drop Mary off,” he whispered.
Amanda nodded. Feeling abandoned and dejected, she watched them leave. Mary had a lot to process, but she wished she’d said more, told her how she felt.
Tomorrow couldn’t come soon enough. At least the truth would be out, and she wouldn’t have to lie anymore.
***
“Penny for them?” Adam said as they approached Sandra’s street.
“If I am the baby, Amanda won’t want me. She gave me away once before.”
He indicated and pulled the car over to the side of the road before responding. He swivelled around in his seat. “You need to understand something. Amanda was only fourteen—just one year older than you are now.”
Mary scrutinized her hands as though trying to read and process information written between her fingers.
“She didn’t have a loving family like you’ve got. She was treated badly, often worse than you’d treat a dog.”
Mary gasped and tears began to spill from her eyes.
He didn’t know how graphic he should be, but he wanted it to hit home how terrible Amanda’s situation had been.
“When the baby was born, Amanda didn’t even lay her eyes on it, and she was in a trance-like state for weeks afterwards. The doctors said it was trauma.”
“She didn’t wake up?”
He shook his head. “Not for weeks. It took a lot of years for her to recover from her ordeal. Sandra and her husband helped a lot, but, if I’m honest, she’s still scarred to this day.”
Two deep grooves appeared between Mary’s eyebrows.
“So she wasn’t in her right mind at the time the baby was born. You’ve seen what a good mum she is to Emma and Jacob. Do you really think she’d have turned her back on a defenceless little baby if she’d had the choice?”
Mary shook her head, sadly.
“If you are that child, I know Amanda will be overjoyed. There’s always been a part of her missing, and it would make her complete.”
She began to sob.
As best he could, he leaned over the handbrake and hugged her until her tears stopped.
“Come on. Let’s take you back to Sandra’s.”
*
Adam sent the samples to the lab first thing the next morning. He stressed to Jemima the importance of getting the results back before close of business.
He contacted Detective Merchants, as well as Cordelia Brampton from the social services, informing them of the DNA test. He knew that would be the next step anyway, and no doubt they would still want to perform their own in case of tampering.
He also arranged for Cordelia to interview Amanda and Mary at the house at 4.00pm Monday afternoon. At least Amanda had the weekend to prepare.
Sandra called to tell him Mary didn’t feel too well and wanted to take the day off school. He knew she probably hadn’t slept a wink and agreed she should stay home for the day.
Mid-morning, he called Amanda.
“So what’s happening?” he asked.
“I’m waiting for the doctor to come around, and if all’s well, we can go home.”
“Brilliant. Mary’s home today, so I might go and pick her up, if you don’t mind.”
“Of course I don’t mind.”
“Good. Call me as soon as the doctor’s been.”
He hung up and called Sandra’s house.
“Hello?” Mary said, in a worried little voice.
“Hi, love. It’s only me.”
When she gasped, he realised she thought he’d got the news.
“I’ve not heard anything yet. I just wondered how sick you really are?”
“Erm.”
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to make you go to school. But I wondered if you fancied coming with me to buy a car seat for the baby. I’m rubbish at that sort of thing.”
“Okay.”
“Great. I’ll be over soon.”
He’d hoped to have everything tied up by now so he could enjoy his son coming home for the first time.
When he and Mary arrived at the hospital, Amanda was dressed, all her belongings piled on the bed, ready to go.
She beamed at the red car seat they’d bought.
“It even has a carry handle so you don’t have to wake him up if he’s sleeping,” Mary said.
“Brilliant. And who chose the colour?”
“I did. He wanted to get a boring grey one.” Mary laughed.
“Then I’m glad one of you has a bit of taste. This one will match my new car.”
“See.” Mary turned to Adam smiling.
“I told you I was no good at that sort of thing. So shoot me.” He held his hands up.
They fastened the baby into the seat, piled everything in the car and headed off for home.
He didn’t hang around long. Sandra was already at the house waiting for them, and he knew he was leaving Amanda and baby Andrew in safe hands.
Before heading back to the station, he did a detour to Frances’ house.
Val answered the door. “Oh, come in, lovey. Holly’s in her room. I’ll give her a knock.”
He wandered through to the kitchen whi
le Val ran upstairs.
Moments later, Frances appeared. “Is everything alright?”
“Yes. I just wanted to let you know what’s happening.”
She indicated he take a seat, and she sat beside him on the stool.
“Amanda’s home. She’d love to see you when you feel up to it.”
“Oh, great news. And baby’s okay after yesterday?”
“He didn’t bat an eyelid, thank God.”
“Did you talk to Mary?”
He nodded. “Last night. She was shocked when we told her but seems back to her normal self today.”
“That’s good. I was wondering how she’d take it.”
“We’re just waiting on Jemima to get back to us with the lab results.”
Val was fussing around, filling the kettle and preparing tea.
“Not for me, thanks, Val. I’ve got to get back.”
“That’s a shame. But I know you’re a busy man.”
He turned back to Frances. “The reason nobody heard Muldoon’s cries in the basement was because he’d been kept in a soundproof music studio. The last owner had it built.”
“Ah, makes sense now.”
“Scary to think she almost got away with it, isn’t it?”
“I’ll say. That must be why she turned her focus to you—well, to your baby.”
“Holly told me what happened, Adam.” Val placed a cup in front of Holly. “You must have been beside yourself.”
“It’s not something I’d like to go through again, believe me.”
“No. You cherish that little boy, lovey. None of us know what tragedies are around the corner.”
Adam placed a hand on her arm. “How’re you coping?”
“Oh, me? I’m fine. We’ll be better once we get Tuesday out of the way, won’t we, Holl?”
Frances nodded. “It feels like we’re in limbo. That’s why I’ve been wanting to come into work. Poor Val’s had nothing to distract her though, have you?”
“So what do you intend to do after the funeral? Will you go back to the Isle of Wight?” he asked.
“No. There’s nothing there for me now.”
“I’ve told her to stay on here. We built the extension for her, this is her home now,” Frances said.
“What a fantastic idea,” he said.
“I don’t want to be a nuisance.”
Frances drew air between her teeth noisily. “You’re not a bloody nuisance. What will I do without you here? And besides, it’s what Steve would want.”
“Well, I’ll stay for now. I don’t have anywhere else to go anyway.”
“Exactly.” Frances patted the older woman’s hand.
His phone buzzed. The message on the screen told him he’d received an email from Jemima.
“DNA results,” he said as he opened it, knowing what he would find, yet needing to see the proof.
Frances’ breath hitched.
His eyes flew over the scientific jargon to the area of interest. “Positive.”
“Shit! That was fast, even for Jemima.”
He got to his feet. “I’d best go home and break the news.”
“Good luck.”
Epilogue
Adam opened the car door for Mary and ran around the other side to help Amanda get the baby out. He looked at the sun, high in the sky, and smiled. “It’s going to be another beautiful day.”
“Can we go for ice-cream when we leave here?” Mary asked.
“I don’t see why not.”
Amanda linked her arm through Mary’s, and Adam carried the car seat towards the quaint old building.
Cordelia Brampton met them at the entrance to the court. “Oh, you’re early too. I was going to stand in the sun for a few minutes. It’s freezing inside.”
“Good idea,” Adam said, backing up and falling into step beside her, until they were standing in the sun. “These old buildings are always cold and draughty.”
“How are you feeling, Mary?” Cordelia smiled, kindly.
“A bit nervous.”
“There’s nothing to be nervous about. We’re here to finalise everything, that’s all.”
Mary nodded, still looking petrified.
“Do you intend to go in?”
Mary nodded again. “If I’m allowed.”
“Yes, of course you’re allowed. But you don’t have to. We’ve already submitted a report which states your wishes.”
“Do you foresee any hiccups with this case, Ms Brampton?” Amanda asked.
“It is, as you know, a highly complex case, but the facts remain, Mary is in the best place she could be. You have myself and the child’s lawyer fighting your corner, and you already have a residence order in place. The fact no other parties are fighting against you is also a plus.”
“Oh, good. We intend to adopt Mary too. Make her legally ours,” Amanda shrugged at Mary, who was still holding her hand.
Cordelia’s eyes lit up. “How lovely. How do you feel about that, Mary?”
Mary smiled up at Adam shyly then turned to face the social worker. “I’d like that.”
“Good. Well, the court isn’t likely to rule against any of your wishes. They’ll take into account Mary’s emotional and educational needs. Also, the likely effect any change of circumstances would have on her. In other words, she’s happy, nurtured, and well cared for where she is. They wouldn’t dream of taking her away from that.”
“That’s a relief, isn’t it Mary?” Amanda said.
Mary smiled, a genuinely happy smile this time, and nodded, sliding her other hand into Adam’s.
THE END
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Netta Newbound, originally from Manchester, England, now lives in New Zealand with her husband, Paul and their boxer dog Alfie. She has three grown-up children and three delicious grandchildren.
For more information or just to touch base with Netta you will find her at:
www.nettanewbound.com
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Table of Contents
Copyright © 2016 by Netta Newbound.
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Prima Facie Page 25