by D. F. Hart
“Lock me up, it doesn’t matter,” the man replied, his eyes flat and lifeless. “I don’t matter. I never did.”
“Tell me why you think that,” Nathan stated.
Stephen laughed, a harsh, grating sound.
“You know the answer to that. You’ve seen what was done to me.”
“You had a horrific childhood. No one can argue that. But why choose the path you did afterward?”
“Because Grant Forrester is living my life!” Stephen screamed, his neck veins bulging. “It should have been me in the cushy home with the great parents and the awesome future. It should have been me making friends and going to school, not hiding underneath my bed to escape getting beaten again.”
“You know how I got this?” he yelled, pointing to the scar on his jaw. “An adult that was supposed to love and take care of me decided I needed to die, but she was too damn drunk to cut in the right place.”
He banged his fists against the table. “I didn’t deserve that, any of it. I didn’t deserve to get thrown away, like... garbage. What was so special about Grant that they took him and not me? Huh? What? What was it? Was it because I was the second twin born?”
***
On the other side of the one-way glass, everyone watching and listening was stunned into silence for a few moments.
“I... I take it from the look on your face that you didn’t know I was adopted either,” Grant told his aunt as he gripped Kelly’s hand.
“I honestly had no clue,” Trish answered, as Joe put his arm around her shoulders.
Off to the side, Lizzie, Ben and Annie shook their heads sadly.
“And Nathan said his fingerprints were a closer match than mine, but we’re identical twins?” Grant continued, confused. “Wouldn’t our prints be identical as well?”
“Actually, no,” Trish informed him, “because fingerprints are not solely dependent on genetics. A host of environmental factors can alter a print during the first five months of a baby’s development. Studies have proven conclusively that not even identical twins will have identical prints.”
“I still can’t believe I have a brother,” Grant murmured to himself. “Mom, did you know I had a brother?”
When he turned to look at her, he was shocked to see her in tears. She swiveled her head to look at Grant, and whispered, “No, I didn’t,” before moving toward the door.
***
“How did you know you were a twin?” Nathan asked him gently.
“I taught myself about computers and I hacked records looking for my birth mother three years ago,” came the bitter reply. “I wanted to understand why she abandoned me. And instead I found out I had a twin brother who got saved while I got left behind.”
Nathan gazed at him with sympathy.
“I don’t... I don’t even care anymore, take me to jail. And I want a lawyer,” he snarled, then fell quiet.
Nathan motioned to the guard on the door. Stephen was stood up and led out into the hall, with Nathan following behind.
Nathan and Stephen were both surprised when the door ahead of them swung open and Bernice Forrester stepped out of the observation room and into their path.
“I know why. I can answer that,” she said softly, tears streaming down her face. “It was because we didn’t know about you, Stephen. The woman who arranged the adoption never mentioned another child. We had no idea that there were actually two babies who needed a safe and stable home. If we had, we’d have taken you both, God as my witness. My heart is broken for you and what you’ve been through, honey. And I don’t know what else to say, except to tell you we honestly didn’t know.”
“You don’t mean that,” he growled and looked away.
“I do mean that,” she said, and moved closer.
“Bernice,” Nathan started to warn her, but she shushed him, and crept closer to the tortured young man bound with chains at his hands and feet.
“Stephen, look at me,” she whispered, and waited until he turned his head to face her.
“I’m so sorry, honey. I’m so, so sorry,” she told him gently as she closed the distance between them. “If I had only known, I’d have happily taken and raised you both as my own.”
His face crumpled as she wrapped her arms around him, and he began to sob, clutching at her as a small child would.
She held him and stroked his hair.
“My sweet child,” she murmured. “I can’t change the past, Stephen, but I can be here for you now. I’m here for you now.”
After several minutes, Stephen whispered, “Thank you,” then released Bernice and stepped around her to continue on his way to booking.
***
Grant waited until the elevator doors had closed, then looked at his mother.
“Mom. Why didn’t you ever tell me I was adopted?”
“Or me and Walt?” Trish chimed in. “You know that it wouldn’t have mattered to us.”
Bernice’s cheeks flushed. “Because,” she confessed, “the adoption wasn’t exactly legal.”
“I don’t understand... not legal how?” Grant asked.
“Let’s go into the conference room, and I can help Bernice explain everything that happened,” Nathan suggested.
Once they were settled in, Nathan gestured to Bernice.
She closed her eyes and took a few calming breaths, then looked at Grant, and spoke from her heart.
“Your father and I had been married for three years, and we desperately wanted a child. But we found out that I was barren. I’d never be able to bear a child of my own.”
“So, we started looking into adoption. For two years we tried. But no one would approve us,” she said sadly. “Then one day a friend of mine told me about this woman who ran a placement agency. She passed on the woman’s name and phone number, and I gave her a call.”
Bernice paused long enough to take a drink of water, setting the glass back on the table with a shaking hand.
“Bill and I met with her the next week, and I was so overjoyed when she told us we were approved. Then, she mentioned money.”
“I knew it was against the law to buy a child,” she said, tears beginning to flow unchecked once more. “But I told myself that we were giving a child who needed us a good, stable, loving home. So, we paid it, no questions asked. We didn’t tell anyone in the family. It was easy to keep it a secret, since they all lived out of state at the time. And your dad and I agreed we wouldn’t tell you, Grant, because we were afraid that the fact it was illegal would come out.”
She began to shake.
“And then one day, about ten years after we found you, that woman’s face was all over the news.”
Bernice glanced at Nathan and nodded for him to step in.
“She was in the news because she’d been arrested on multiple felony charges, including but not limited to child endangerment,” Nathan said, picking up where Bernice had stopped. “Many of the children she ‘adopted out’ wound up in very bad situations, and the state ultimately stepped in and took the children out of those homes. Stephen Walsh was one of them. It also came to light that some of the babies she ‘placed’ had actually been stolen. All records pertaining to anything about the case were sealed due to minors being involved.”
Everyone in the room except for Nathan and Bernice gasped.
“When I heard about all that, I’m ashamed to admit that at first I was relieved that Bill and I hadn’t been found out. Not for our sakes, but because I was terrified that they would come take Grant away from us,” Bernice sobbed. “But it crushed me to hear about all those precious babies.”
Trish got up, walked over to sit by Bernice, and wrapped her in a hug.
“Oh, Bernie,” she murmured. “It wasn’t your fault, any of it.”
“And even then, I didn’t know about Stephen,” Bernice cried. “If I had, I would have rescued him. But I didn’t know. God help me, I didn’t know.”
***
“What’s going to happen to him, Agent Thomas?” Bernice
asked once she’d calmed down again.
“He’s still going to have to answer for the things he’s done, Bernice,” Nathan explained. “There’s no getting around that. He chose, actively, to try to end the lives of five people, and on three occasions he was successful. Horrible childhood or not, he has to face the consequences for those actions.”
Bernice nodded. “I understand. I just hope he finds peace within himself at some point. Otherwise he’ll always be imprisoned, no matter where he is.”
***
Once their guests had departed, Nathan turned to his team.
“Great work today, guys, and I’m grateful for each and every one of you. Go home, get some rest, come in at ten tomorrow for our formal wrap-up on this case. Annie, be sure and ice down that bruise overnight.”
***
“Let me see,” Ben prompted, and she lifted her shirt to show him.
“Damn, darlin. That’s a hell of a bruise.”
“You’re telling me. It hurts like one.”
“I’ve got aspirin, if you need some. Or how about an icepack?”
Annie lowered her shirt again and followed him into the tiny kitchen in his apartment.
“You know what I could really use? You holding me,” she told him, and stood on tiptoe to kiss him. “But, you know, strategically. Don’t touch the bruise.”
“How’s this?” he said as he wrapped his arms around her waist.
“Perfect.”
“You’re amazing, by the way,” Ben murmured against her hair. “First being this awesome stunt driver after blowing a tire at high speed, and then, strapping on a vest and being fearless and letting yourself get shot at? You’re a closet badass, Agent Adams, and I’m digging it.”
“I’m still amazed Nathan hasn’t officially called us out on dating,” she said, even as she blushed at Ben’s compliment.
“Oh, I’m sure he will, he’s probably just giving us a break on it for the evening.”
He paused. “So. About you kissing Grant...”
“Baby,” she said gently, cupping Ben’s face in her hands, “that was strictly for show, part of the mission. Here, with you, is what’s real.”
***
Kelly and Grant sat side-by-side on the porch swing at Trish’s house, watching the moonlight sparkle down through the trees.
“Penny for your thoughts,” Kelly asked him as she laid her head on his shoulder.
“Honestly? I’m just sitting here being really grateful for my life,” Grant said. “Because Stephen was right. Things could just have easily gone the opposite way.”
He tilted his head down to look at her. “And thank you, by the way. I don’t think you’ll ever know how pleasantly surprised I was to see you in that visiting room. I hadn’t called and told you what was going on because I figured you’d run the other direction.”
“Nope,” she said immediately. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily, Grant. I love you.”
“I love you too,” he answered, and leaned down to kiss her.
“I have a confession to make,” he said. “When Annie was pretending to be you, I, um... had to kiss her to make it convincing for Stephen.”
“Oh,” she said quietly. “And? What did you feel?”
“Like I was kissing my sister – if I had one.”
Kelly laughed. “Good.”
***
Lizzie walked through the front door to find wine, candlelight, and a tantalizing aroma waiting for her.
“What’s all this?” she said.
“To let you know I missed you,” Donny answered, as he wrapped her up in a hug. “Is it over? Did you catch the bad guy?”
She burst into tears, and Donny immediately sat down and pulled her into his lap, cradling her and rocking her as she grieved for an abused little boy whose path had been forever altered so long ago.
***
When Nathan got home that evening, the very first thing he did was pick up his son and hug him tightly.
“Hey, buddy,” he whispered, with tears in his eyes. “I love you, and I sure did miss you. Did you have a good day?”
“Yep,” Charlie said, then put his tiny hands on Nathan’s cheeks and said, “Uh oh, no Daddy, no cry.”
“Honey, what’s wrong?” Bella came rushing forward.
“I’m okay. Today was just...” Nathan’s voice broke, “a lot. I’ll tell you later, all right? While we soak?”
Bella nodded. “Come on, honey, let’s sit down and have dinner.”
“And after that, who’s ready for a bath and The Three Little Pigs?”
“Me!” Charlie giggled.
***Until Next Time ***
Author’s Note:
While the events of this story were fictional, the Texas Forts Trail does exist, as do the locations on it that were mentioned in Path of Secrets. If you’d like to learn more about the rich heritage and history of the forts along the Texas Forts Trail, visit: https://texasfortstrail.com/
Carnival of Secrets, Book Five of the Vital Secrets Series, will be coming out in Spring 2021
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