“At the end of the day, we have to pick up the pieces from our parents screw-ups. It shouldn’t be; we should learn from them. Do you know what Amelia is going to do after she tells Emma?”
“Whatever she does, she needs to figure her way out of it without implicating herself. She already said she didn’t want anything to do with the diamonds hidden in her house. Besides, technically it’s no longer her house; my dad and Uncle Doug purchased it.”
“Knowing my parents, they will do nothing. My dad will drop the ball in everyone else’s court. He’ll never take responsibility for any of this. I think the best thing to do is leave all of this behind. I decided tomorrow I’m going to go back to Boston with you. Jenny, you’ve got four months to graduation. I’m going to leave the choice up to you, providing everything at home is status quo.”
“Well, at least we have some sort of plan. I will keep in touch with Amelia and find out when you both can meet Emma.”
That’s something I’m going to have to gear myself up for.
Amelia
This is by far one of the hardest things I’m going have to do. I don’t even know where to begin since I don’t understand it myself. Thankfully, Emma only has one class today. By the time I get from the airport to her apartment, she’ll be home. As promised, Brook called me after she spoke with Benjamin. I was happy that he knew nothing about the nightmare his father has created. She said that Peter didn’t want Jenny, but Kelly had her as a way to try and keep Peter around. Although, Brook said it didn’t keep Peter from running around with other women. Sadly, the only kid he wanted was Benjamin. As messed up as this situation is, at least these kids have their heads on straight. Emma is strong, but I don’t care how strong you are, it’s going to hurt knowing you weren’t wanted by your own father. I pull up just as Emma gets home.
“Mom, what are you doing here?”
“Let’s get inside; I have a lot to talk to you about.” As we head inside, I’m trying to get my nerve up while remaining calm. She instantly starts the tea kettle. It’s our thing whenever we need to talk. A cup of tea and a box of tissues.
“Okay, Mom, tell me what’s going on. You look very pale, and your making me nervous. Is your health okay?”
“My health is fine. We’ve always had a pact to tell each other the truth, no matter what. I do have a story to tell you, and it’s almost like a movie, a really bad movie.” I take a deep breath, slowly exhaling. “I found your dad, Emma. He’s alive.” I see the wave of shock and confusion come over her face. I take her shaking hand in mine to offer her some support.
“He’s not dead? Where has he been? Why didn’t he contact us? How did you find him?”
She’s peppering me with questions. I understand why, but I need a moment. “Please, slow down and I’ll tell you everything I know. This is where the story gets crazy.” She tries to take a sip of her tea, but her hand is shaking so bad she gives up.
“He’s not a nice person, Emma. He’s married to someone else. Her name is Kelly. He has two children, Benjamin and Jenny. The kicker is Benjamin is Brook’s boyfriend.”
“Wait, our Brook? Did she know?”
“No, none of the kids had any idea. But there’s a lot more.” I go on to explain about the robbery, the diamonds hidden in the house. Plus, the fact that Mitch and Doug now own our house.
“I can’t believe all of this. It’s such a bizarre story.”
I want to skip over the bad parts, but I promised her the truth. “A story that we are living in. Sadly, there’s still more. Your father said he married me because Mitch was in love with me. He didn’t want me, but he didn’t want Mitch to win. Peter was having an affair with Kelly and got her pregnant while I was pregnant with you. He skipped town with her and later on married her. It’s sick and very twisted.”
“So, not only is he a lowlife deadbeat father, but he’s a crook and a bigamist. I can’t believe Mitch was involved with the robbery and the scam. He seemed like a nice enough guy that wanted to help you out. It’s so obvious he still has feelings for you. Did you talk to him about all of this?”
“Of course, I did. I’m just as shocked as you. He said he was sorry for all the secrets and lies. He stayed away because he basically had no will power and, since he was married, he thought it was best. A crook with morals and values, imagine that.” I scoff. She becomes very quiet, seemingly taking a moment to absorb all of this in.
“Tell me about my siblings,” she finally speaks up again, “Do they want to meet me? What about my father? Does he have any interest in me at all?”
Even though I’m trying to be strong for her, it still hurts me so much. “I spoke to Brook this morning and she said the first thing out of Benjamin’s mouth was ‘when can we meet Emma?’ As far as your father is concerned, can I ask you why you want to meet him? He couldn’t stay around and meet you when you were born, why bother now?”
She pulls a tissue out of the box and dabs at her eyes. “I need to show him that I’m a better person, not because of him, but because of you. He is nothing more than a sperm donor. To think I wanted a brother or sister my entire life and now I find out that I have both. I want to meet them sooner rather than later. We may never end up close but, as an only child, it would be nice to have a family.”
“I never thought of it that way. All I have is you and Chloe; you’re both the only family I need. I only ask you for one thing. When you are ready to meet them, I would like to be there.” I don’t trust him, and I need to protect her at all costs.
“Mom, you know I’m an adult and can take care of myself. That being said, I don’t have a problem with you being there, but it’s not just up to me. Everyone would need to agree.”
“I’m so proud of you, Emma.” I hardly get the words out before she pulls me into a hug. I can feel her body shake with her sobs. My heart breaks for her all over again. “Emma, I know this is a complete shock for you—for all of us—but please don’t look back and think about what you missed not having a father in your life. Seeing who he is today, I doubt he would have been the storybook father you’ve dreamed about having.” Her sobs finally stop.
“Mom, have you decided what you’re going to do about Mitch? Is it true that he was in love with you all that time? Did you love him?”
“Other than move, I haven’t decided what I’m going to do. When your father and I started dating, it was a whirlwind. I realize now that is what Peter wanted. He caused a major distraction for me. You’ve got to remember, at the time, I was only seventeen. I never gave myself a chance to explore my feelings for Mitch. I blinked and I was married.”
“Will you give yourself a chance to explore those feelings now?”
I finish the last of my tea as I think about what she’s asking. “No matter how many different ways you ask me, I still don’t have any answers. Hell, I don’t even know if he’s going to go to jail. All of this is so new and upsetting, I need time to digest it all before I make any other decisions.”
“What about the diamonds?”
“What about them? I don’t want them. Besides, they are in Mitch and Doug’s house now. One thing less that I have to deal with.”
“But you are still keeping the proceeds from the house, right?”
“Oh, hell yeah. I paid that mortgage and maintained that investment for twenty plus years. I legally earned every penny, not like Peter.”
“Mom, why not keep the diamonds? We lived for so long with so little. You know, finders keepers and all.”
“Emma, that would make me no better than them. I rather work hard to achieve my dreams then do it on the back of a crook. Think about it for a minute. Would you appreciate anything you would gain with the stolen diamonds?”
“No, I get it. Besides, you always told me bad follows bad. How is Brook holding up with all of this? I mean, her dad and her boyfriend, that’s got to be a lot. Did anyone tell Vanni?”
“Doug wants to tell her himself, which I totally understand. As far as Brook is concern
ed, she is dealing with this better than I thought she would. I think the fact that Benjamin knew nothing helps.”
“I’ll check up on her later. In the meantime, I think I’d like to go meet my father.”
I’m not a religious person, but I close my eyes and say a prayer that she’s as strong as she thinks she is. I know one thing—I need to talk to Chloe. While Emma packs, I decide to call her. She picks up on the first ring.
“It’s about time you decided to call me. What the hell is going on?”
“Calm down; I’ll tell you everything. But first, how’s Rusty?”
“The big lug doesn’t want to get out of my bed. I think you’re going to have a fight on your hands when you come to take him home.”
“You might want to sit down for this one. I found Peter. He’s alive, married with kids.” I hear the phone drop.
“Hello, Chloe, are you okay?”
I hear rustling. “Sorry, I dropped the phone. Are you serious?”
I go on to explain the whole story. All I hear are her constant “no fucking ways” and “what a shit he is.”
“Amelia, I really don’t want to dump anything more on you, but I’ve been thinking about this since Mitch came back into the picture. I was seeing Doug. It ended abruptly when I found him in bed with his now wife. It was in my past and I didn’t think it was a big deal since they never came around.”
I don’t think she purposely hid this from me. I know her, and she must have a good reason. “Why are you telling me this now?”
“I want you to understand the type of people you’re dealing with. It was over before you and I even met. I went to see Doug the other day with Rusty. Truth be told, I was hoping Rusty would have bit him in the balls, but no such luck. Before you ask, I went to warn him that Mitch better not break your heart. I felt that he knew something and when I called him on it, he brushed me off. Now it all makes sense.”
I know no matter what, she will always have my back. “I need to figure out what I’m going to do about Mitch.”
“Before you do that, you need to find out what they are going to do about the crimes they committed. That will tell you what to do about Mitch.”
Emma comes out of her bedroom with her backpack. Oh, to be young and fit my whole world into a backpack. “Chloe, Emma’s ready; I’ve got to go. I’ll call you after she meets Peter. Love you and hug Rusty.”
“Love you, too. Be careful.”
She takes one look around before she locks the door, and we head to the airport.
Mitch
Bad things always have a way of coming back to bite you in the ass. The mistakes of my past have not only messed up my future but has put a major crack in my relationship with my daughter. I preached to her to live a good, honest life, yet, I did everything the opposite. Live what you preach should have been my motto. Instead, it was do as I say not as I do. First, I have to fix my relationship with Brook. Then, I need to figure out how I can fix everything with Amelia. Doug already left to confess everything to Vanni. She’s a tough kid and will take him to task. Before I do anything, I need to talk to Peter. I need to know what his plan is. Before Doug left, I asked him what he wanted to do. We could retrieve the diamonds and turn ourselves in. Or we could retrieve the diamonds, sell them, and donate the money to charity. Amelia already said she wants nothing to do with the diamonds. A lot of people know the truth, but no one can prove it without the diamonds. I know for a fact that Peter would never go to jail. Maybe I should ask the kids what they want us to do. They’ve had their heads screwed on straight since day one. My phone is ringing but I’m not sure what I did with it. I finally find it between the seat cushion, but I missed the call. It was Amelia. I quickly call her back.
“Hey, sorry I missed your call.”
“Emma and I are at the airport. We are taking a flight to Jacksonville. Emma wants to meet her father. She wants to surprise him on the hope that he won’t run away. Where are you?”
“I’m still in Jacksonville. I was going to go see Peter before I fly out of here. I’m not sure what to do. What he expects us to do. Let Emma know that Benjamin, Brook, and Jenny went back to Boston. Do you want me to wait for you?” I hope she wants to see me. That would be a start towards redemption.
“Yes, I don’t want him to bolt. Emma wanted to make sure Brook was okay. She’ll probably go up to Boston to check on Brook and meet Benjamin and Jenny after she meets Peter.”
“I think that would be for the best. Let her handle things on her timeline. I can pick you up at the airport if you would like.” Her silence sets my nerves on end.
“Yes, I think that would be great.”
“Okay, text me your flight information. Have a safe flight.”
“Thank you.” And with that, she hangs up.
I’m in a panic. I need to figure out not only what I’m going to say to her but also to Emma. I need to try and win over Amelia’s heart and show Emma I’m not a bad person, just a man who made some bad choices in life.
Emma
I’m sitting on the plane, putting on a brave face. However, I’m anything but brave. What do I say to someone that never wanted me? Someone who is so shallow that he only wanted boys. I already have a job lined up right after graduation, a good paying, legitimate job. Thankfully, I didn’t inherit anything from him.
I’m watching my mom trying to figure out what she should do about Mitch . . . about all of this stuff that she’s been thrown into.
“Mom, why don’t you let me help you.”
“Thank you, but I think everything depends on what can they go to jail for? What can the police prove? We are returning the insurance money. I will not be a part of any crime. Did you cash the check?”
“No, truthfully, I kept staring at it. I knew if I cashed it, then I would be admitting that he was dead. That would be so final. I know that must sound crazy, but my dream has always been to find out my dad was alive. That he was kidnapped or lost his memory, anything but this. I honestly don’t know how to deal with being unwanted. You, Chloe, and all my friends always made me feel wanted. I don’t want to sound mean, but how are you dealing with it?”
“It’s not easy. I was very young and very inexperienced when I met him. I don’t think I really got to know him. Truthfully, growing up the way I did, I learned at a very young age not to put your trust in anyone but yourself.”
“If that’s the case, then why aren’t you bitter?”
“At the end of the day, you have a choice. Let it make you a bitter cold person or give others the benefit of the doubt. I chose to not let it make me bitter. I raised you to see the positive in people but rely on yourself and no one else. That way you won’t be disappointed.”
“I hope I can be as strong as you.”
She goes back to staring out the window while I pull out my phone and connect to the Wi-Fi on the plane. Modern technology is a beautiful thing. Although my mom doesn’t think so. I hate surprises and I love research. She might not want to know what lays in front of Mitch, but I want to know. She has strong feelings for him and maybe I can help her make the right decision. First up is insurance fraud. My mom knew nothing which is easy to prove so she wouldn’t be charged. My dad, however, can get up to five years in a federal prison. Bigamy in Florida is a third-degree felony with a five thousand dollar fine and up to five years in prison. Chances are he will get off with just a fine. I would be happy if they threw my father in jail. He hurt so many people, let him see what it feels like. Anyway, I don’t want to become bitter.
I look up the robbery. Holy crap, this was a big deal. How did these three guys, who were around my age at the time, pull this off? The first article said they got away with sixty million in diamonds and jewels. They shot up the store but only fired blanks. The next article says the robbery was listed in the Guinness Book of World records but that it never happened, so it was pulled from the book. The proof of the crime is sitting in my mom’s ceiling and the photo that my mom told me about. France does have
an extradition treaty with the United States. France doesn’t extradite its own citizens, well that’s interesting. Even if we turn everything over to the authorities, France now has a default rule. It states that prosecution of crimes must occur within 20 years of when the acts were committed and must be prosecuted within six years. Well, I’ll be, those fools will actually get away with the biggest crime ever. The biggest question I have is: how did they do this on their own? There had to be someone else, a silent partner. I want to share this with Mom, but she is asleep. I don’t want to disturb her. I’ll file this away until later.
Amelia
True to his word, Mitch was waiting for us at the curb. He takes us back to the hotel and has kept the adjoining room for us.
“Thank you, Mitch.”
“You’re welcome, Amelia. Emma, have you thought about what you want to say to your father?”
“I have some questions for him and for you.”
He nearly chokes on his water. She never told me she had questions for him.
“Mitch, everyone is emotionally involved with everything that happened from the robbery to the bigamy, all the way down to my father’s illegitimate kids. I did some research before we came here and, at the end of the day, the statute of limitations on the robbery has run out. Bigamy in Florida is a joke. He’ll probably get slapped with a fine. My biggest question goes back to the crime. Was there a fourth person?”
He pulls out the picture of the three of them with the diamonds and passes it to Emma.
“Doug left it with me. You can see for yourself there is only three of us in the photo. The camera had a timer, so I was able to set it up to take the picture. There was no one else involved.”
The Heist Page 14
