by Chris Taylor
“Relax! I’m just going to ask you some questions about what happened, all right?”
She nodded and took Jack’s hand in hers and gave it a squeeze, not sure which one of them she was trying to reassure.
“Okay, are we ready?” he asked, looking from one to the other.
She glanced down at Jack who nodded. Lifting her gaze to the officer, she took a deep breath and said, “Yes, let’s get this over with.”
“Good, we’ll start with you.” He indicated Cally and she forced air slowly out of her lungs.
“Tell me again, when did you first notice you were being followed?”
As she began to relate the incidents, the officer continued to take notes. When she got to the part about the license plate number, he paused and looked up at her.
“So, you got the plate number?”
She nodded. “Yes, it’s CHT 157.”
“That’s great. We can run a check on it and see who the car’s registered to. It’s a good starting point.” He wrote down the number and circled it. “When did you see the car again?”
“Last week. Then I saw it again today. It was right behind me as I left Jack’s school. In fact, now that I think about it, the car must have been parked somewhere outside the school. It’s a really busy time of day and there’s always lots of cars pulling up and leaving as parents come to do the afternoon pick-up. It couldn’t have pulled in behind me so quickly after I left unless it was already close by.”
Turning to Jack, Detective Black gave him a smile. “Okay, buddy, why don’t you tell me what happened today?”
Jack glanced up at her, his eyes now wide and uncertain. She smiled down at him reassuringly and squeezed his arm.
“It’s all right, honey. You tell the officer exactly what you told me. He needs to know what happened, okay?”
Jack nodded and looked down at his hands.
“Where were you when you first saw the man?” Detective Black asked.
“Me and Jimmy and a couple of the other boys were playing handball near the oval.”
The officer nodded encouragingly. “Who’s Jimmy?”
“Jimmy Baker. He’s my best friend.”
“I see. Did anything happen while you were playing?”
“Jimmy missed the ball and it rolled over near the fence. I took off after it.”
“And that’s where you saw the man?”
“Yes. No. Well, not right away.”
“So when did you see him?”
Jack took a deep breath. Cally watched him with concern. It was important for him to tell the police what he knew, but it didn’t make it any easier to sit there and listen to him recount something that he was obviously finding difficult.
“I’m not sure if he was there when I first started running toward the fence. I was looking at the ball and I didn’t really notice anything else. It was only when he called out to me that I looked up and saw him.”
Detective Black scrawled notes on his paper. “What did he say to you? Did he call you by name?”
“Yes. He called me Jack.”
Cally gasped in shock. She’d had no idea the man had known her son’s name. Now there was no doubt—whoever was behind this was someone who knew them or had taken the time to research. With her heart beating double time, she forced herself to listen as Jack continued.
“When I heard my name, I looked up and saw the man standing outside the fence, right near where the ball had stopped. I remembered the stranger-danger talks we’d had at school last year, so I didn’t get too close, but he was on one side of the fence and I was on the other, so I didn’t think it would be too bad if I got close enough to hear what he was saying.”
“And what did he say to you?” the officer asked, still scribbling notes.
“He asked me how I was and if I liked playing ball. I told him I was okay and I liked ball. He asked me if I played soccer and I said yes, but soccer didn’t start until May.”
“What else did he say?”
“That’s when he asked me about my dad.” Jack looked away and then fixed his gaze on his hands, still clenched in his lap.
“What about your dad?”
He shrugged. “I dunno. Just like, if I’d seen him recently and did I know where he was. Stuff like that.”
Detective Black shifted his gaze to Cally. “Where’s his dad?”
Now it was her turn to look down at her hands. She tried to find the right words. She didn’t want to voice her suspicions about Stewart in front of Jack in case they turned out to be false. At the same time, she wanted the officer to take her seriously.
“Um, his father’s no longer in the picture. In fact, Jack’s never met him.”
The detective’s eyebrows rose, but he refrained from commenting. Instead, he continued to scribble on the notepad in front of him. Eventually, he raised his head and said, “I’ll put out a POI report on the guy as soon as I can. Person of Interest,” he added, catching her look of confusion. “The problem is, the sidewalk outside the school is a public thoroughfare. Unless he’s a convicted pedophile, there’s not much we can do about him being there, or even talking to your son.”
He looked up from his notes. “I need to know a bit more about Jack’s father. The man who spoke to Jack may have been waiting outside the school for a while now, waiting for an opportunity to talk to him. It could be that he’s heard Jack’s friends call him and figured out his name or he could know him.” The officer’s eyes pinned hers. “Who do you think it is?”
She dropped her gaze, wringing her hands in consternation. It seemed impossible, and yet it fit: Stewart had discovered the truth. She glanced at Jack and then took a deep breath and lifted her gaze. “I think it’s Stewart Brady; Jack’s father.”
* * *
Cally tried to sit still as they waited for the detective to return. Shortly after her announcement, he’d left them to run the plate number through the computer. She suddenly wished she hadn’t declined his offer of coffee. At least sipping on a coffee would give her something to do. The endless waiting was getting on her nerves.
Jack wasn’t faring much better. He squirmed in the chair beside her and she smiled in empathy. She was finding it hard to sit still. How much harder was it for a ten-year-old boy? She leaned over and put her arm around him and gave him a hug.
“I’m so proud of you, Jack, for telling the policeman what you knew. I’m sure it wasn’t easy, but he needs to know everything if he’s going to help us.”
Jack looked up at her, his expression solemn. “Do you really think it’s my dad who’s been following us?”
She nodded. “Yes, honey, I do.”
“And his name’s Stewart?”
“Yes.”
“What makes you think it’s him?”
Cally sighed softly. “There are not many people who even know about you, sweetheart. At least, not people who would be following us. My dad—your grandfather—knows of course, but my mother died a couple of years before Aunt Mary and I know my father wouldn’t follow us around like that. Besides, the man we saw was fairly young. You told me he had dark hair, just like the man I saw.”
She hesitated, but knew it was time to tell him. “Your dad had dark hair.”
“Oh. So I don’t look like him, then?” Disappointment tinged his voice.
She laughed without humor. “Oh, honey! You look exactly like him! The only thing you inherited from me was your hair color.” She pulled him close against her.
“So, I do look like him, then?”
“Yes, sweetheart, you certainly do.”
“Do you think I could get a soda? I’m really thirsty.”
Pleased that he seemed to have accepted what she’d shared about his father, Cally brushed the hair out of his eyes and said, “I’ll see what I can do. Hopefully, we won’t be here much longer. We can stop for one at the shops on the way home.”
The door to the room opened and Cally sat up straighter. Detective Black walked in brandishing a computer print
out.
“I ran a check on that license plate. The car is registered to Harvey Donaldson.”
She shook her head. The name meant nothing.
“He’s a private investigator.”
“A private investigator? Why would a private investigator be following me? And why would he want to talk to Jack?”
“More likely, someone’s hired the PI to find you.” He took his seat across from her and trapped her with his gaze. “Tell me about Stewart Brady.”
She sighed. She couldn’t spill the dirt on her personal life in front of her son. He had no idea about the details concerning his conception and that’s the way it was going to stay. She stared at the officer and willed him to understand.
“Jack’s thirsty. Is there somewhere he can get a soda? A vending machine, perhaps?”
Detective Black nodded. “Of course, there’s one right down the hall. I’ll get Janice to take him.” He stepped out of the room and a moment later, they were joined by a young constable. She smiled at Jack.
“Hi, buddy. I’m Janice. What’s your name?”
“Jack.”
“Jack. That’s a great name. Lane tells me you want a soda?”
“Yes, please.”
“Come with me. I’ll take you to where you can find one.”
Cally threw the woman a grateful glance and reached for her purse.
“It’s okay, we have some in the tea room. Is Fanta all right?”
Cally gave her a smile of thanks. “Fanta will be fine, right Jack?” He nodded enthusiastically.
“Fanta it is. Come on, Jack. Let’s go.”
When the two of them had departed, Detective Black returned to his seat.
“Thank you for that,” Cally murmured.
“No problem. I take it there are things Jack doesn’t know?”
Cally grimaced and nodded. “You’ve hit it spot on.” With a deep breath, she recounted the events of her life before Jack.
“Stewart was my boyfriend when I was in high school. We came from the same town, but he was a few years older than me. I met him at a party when he was home on a college break. One thing led to another and I fell pregnant. I’d just turned sixteen.”
Black scribbled again in his notebook. “How did Brady take that?”
She sighed, choosing her words with care. “Not good. He demanded I have an abortion. He was only nineteen. He had his whole life ahead of him.”
“So did you.”
Cally averted her gaze and shrugged with forced nonchalance.
The officer stared at her a moment longer and then asked, “So, what happened? Brady changed his mind about being a father and then decided not to stick around?”
“No, he didn’t change his mind.” She lifted her chin and stared at him defiantly. “I lied to him. I went with him to the clinic. He waited for me in the car. I sat in the waiting room for more than an hour, crying and wishing things were different. I knew I wasn’t going to have an abortion, but I also knew Stewart wasn’t willing to be a father.”
Her breath came faster. “When I met him in the car park afterwards, neither of us spoke about it. He assumed I’d had the procedure and I never bothered to correct him. Within days, I was sent to live with my aunt in another town. I never saw Stewart again. When Jack was born, he and I stayed with my aunt.”
“What about your parents? Why didn’t you stay with them?”
A familiar stab of pain sheared through her. With a tight smile, she eyeballed the officer. “Let’s just say they thought it would be better if I lived with my aunt.”
“They threw you out. Is that what you’re trying to tell me?”
Cally gasped at his directness. Coming from a stranger, the callous actions of her parents sounded even worse. Irritation surged through her and all of a sudden she just wanted it over with.
“Look, is this really necessary? I’ve already told you who I think is behind this. Somehow, Stewart found out about Jack. Now that I know the man following me is a private investigator, at least I can put my mind at ease that he’s not some madman escaped from the nearest correctional facility. He’s not going to hurt us or break into our home. I assume we can cross that off the list?”
“Looks like it. Harvey Donaldson’s a well respected PI. He wouldn’t be involved in anything shady. If you ask me, it sounds much like you think. Your ex-boyfriend has hired him to find you. It sounds like he finally wants to meet his son.”
Cally’s heart slammed against her chest. For ten years, she’d raised Jack on her own. Her mind spun at the thought Stewart might want to become a part of their lives. She lifted her gaze. “What do I do now?”
“Well, you could go and visit Donaldson and see if he’s willing to tell you who hired him. I don’t know how much luck you’ll have, because the type of people who hire these guys depend upon the fact they can remain anonymous. Donaldson’s one of the best. I can’t see him breaching someone’s confidentiality, but I guess you can give it a try.”
She grimaced. “What do I have to lose?”
The officer leaned over and tore the top half of the computer printout off and handed it to her.
“Here’s the name and address of Donaldson’s agency, in case you want to look him up.”
She took the piece of paper and folded it in half and thanked him.
“No problem.” Detective Black pushed back his chair and stood. “I hope it all works out for you.”
* * *
The sound of Cally’s car pulling up outside his window woke Andy from a deep sleep. Almost immediately, a smile of anticipation stretched his lips wide. It had only been a matter of hours since he’d seen her, but it didn’t seem to matter. He couldn’t get enough.
He’d managed to scrape together a few hours’ sleep and although he was far from feeling refreshed, a few hours was better than nothing. Besides, he wanted to see her. In another hour, he’d be at work.
Throwing off the sheet that covered him, he hurriedly tugged on a pair of shorts. He could hear low conversation in the kitchen. He ran his fingers through his hair in an attempt to straighten it and then pulled open the French doors. Cally and Jack stared at him in surprise and delight. Jack was the first one to speak.
“Andy! You’re awake! That’s so cool! Mom thought you might still be asleep.”
Andy smiled and walked over to Jack and ruffled his thick blond hair. “I was, mate. I heard the car drive in. It woke me up.”
Cally frowned. “Oh, no! I’m sorry. I should have parked out on the street.”
“Don’t be silly,” he smiled, his gaze lingering on her face. “I’m glad. It means I get more time to spend with you. Both of you,” he added, his gaze encompassing Jack. Besides, I’d rather not have you leaving your car out on the highway. Too dangerous.”
She stared at him and pursed her lips. He frowned. “What’s the matter?”
Her shoulders slumped and she moved toward the table. Pulling out a chair, she lowered herself into the seat. “I know who’s been following me.”
His brows flew up in surprise. “What do you mean? So you’ve seen him again?”
She nodded. “The man in the Camry followed me from Jack’s school today.”
When Andy opened his mouth to express his shock and outrage, she held up her hand to cut him off.
“That’s not the worst of it.”
Dread tightened his gut. “You’re kidding?”
“He talked to Jack at school.”
“What?”
“Yes,” Jack interjected. “He called me over to the fence and—”
“Jack, please. Let me tell Andy. It’s important, honey.” She softened the request with a smile and turned back to Andy.
“I was as shocked as you are, but as much as it frightened me to know a stranger had gotten that close to him, it made me more determined than ever to find out who’s behind it.”
“I hope you went straight to the police?”
“Yes, I went to the station in Chatswood and Jack
and I spoke to Detective Lane Black. He was the same officer who dealt with the burglary. He was very nice and very helpful, but because this man was outside the school grounds, there wasn’t anything they could do about it.” She shrugged. “The sidewalk is a public thoroughfare.”
Andy grimaced and shook his head. “That’s true. Unless he’s a convicted pedophile or something like that and prohibited from hanging around areas where there are young children.” He frowned as a thought struck him. “What about the license plate? Didn’t you tell me you’d gotten it the last time?”
She nodded again. “Yes. I gave it to the detective and he ran it through the computer.” She paused and took a deep breath before continuing. “Apparently, the car is registered to a Harvey Donaldson.”
“The private investigator? Why would he be tailing you?”
Cally stared down at the table. A long moment later, she lifted her gaze to his. “I think it has something to do with Stewart Brady.”
He looked at her blankly. “Who’s Stewart Brady?”
“Jack’s father.”
“Jack’s father?” He felt like he was about to explode. “As in the selfish jerk who—” He broke off, suddenly aware of Jack’s presence. “You think he’s the one behind this?” he added a little less forcefully.
She turned to Jack who stood quietly off to one side. “Honey, would you do me a favor and go into the living room? I’m sure you have some homework to do. I need to talk to Andy alone.”
A mutinous expression flared briefly in Jack’s eyes and his lips tightened, but he obediently did as he was told. After closing the French doors behind him, Cally turned back to Andy.
“Yes, I think Stewart’s the one behind this.” She shrugged. “It makes sense, doesn’t it? Perhaps he’s decided he wants to meet his son?”
Andy’s gut tightened with fear. Cally’s feelings for him were so new, so fragile. If her ex-boyfriend—and worse, the father of her child—reappeared on the scene, where would that leave Andy? It was utterly and inexcusably selfish, but all at once he hoped with a passion that the man linked to the private investigator wasn’t Jack’s dad. The asshole didn’t deserve a son like Jack. He hadn’t wanted the boy in the first place.