A Family Affair Chapter 18 to 20

A Family Affair

Marilyn McPherson




Smashwords Edition
Copyright © 2011 by Marilyn McPherson

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Books by this author:
A Family Affair
A Family Affair - First Born
A Family Affair - Next of Kin
The Faithful Watcher
Lottie’s Patch
Stray


Note to Reader
Please note that this book is written in Australian English.

 matter would that be now?” asked Hayden evasively.
“The Colleen Watson matter, of course.”
“Oh yes,” said Hayden, looking a little uncomfortable. “Tom, I have to tell you, I was surprised that you agreed to give her a sum of money of that size, of any size, frankly.”
Tom tried to explain, “When I knew Colleen all those years ago, she was just a girl. She was bright, happy, funny and sweet. This woman that came to visit me was nothing like that girl I once knew. I had to do something, Hayden. She needed help from someone.”
“But why did it have to be you?”
 Tom scratched his chin thoughtfully. “It was just the right thing to do. I mean, I have plenty of money to spare, let’s be honest. I don’t want to argue about this one. What’s done is done. I assume the transfer of funds was successful?”
Hayden seemed surprised by the question, and looked at Tom oddly. “Um, well I just assumed that you saw the news or read it in the newspaper, Tom.”
Tom furrowed his brow in confusion. “I don't follow you,” he said.
Hayden was obviously hesitant to continue because he stood up and began to pace the room. He was also careful to avoid eye contact with Tom. “I don't know how to tell you this,” murmured Hayden. “There was a robbery at the bank, and Colleen was shot.”
“My God! No!” Tom leapt to his feet, irritated that he had not been informed of this matter earlier. The prospect of leaving work that instant to go to the hospital left him feeling flustered. He walked in circles for a few moments, grabbing a jacket off the coat rack in the corner.
“Tom, what are you doing?”
“Which hospital is she at?” Tom demanded. “Have you sent flowers? Where are my car keys?” He rapidly felt through each of his pockets, trying to remember where his keys were.
“Tom, Tom, hold on a second,” implored Hayden. “She didn't make it.”
“What?”
“She's dead, Tom.”
Tom dropped his pen onto the carpet. “Hayden, please.” He was shaken up by the words themselves. “What are you saying? Tell me that isn't true.”
“I'm sorry, my friend. It is true. We got the money back though. So that's one good thing.”
“The money? This is what concerns you? The money doesn't matter, Hayden.” Tom felt his insides collapse. He felt completely unable to deal with the news of Colleen’s apparent murder.
Hayden moved towards the coffee table, intending to pour Tom a glass of water, rather than comfort his friend directly. “I really didn't think that you would react this way. I would have mentioned it otherwise. I mean, the bitch got what was coming to her.”
Tom was surprised by Hayden's matter of fact tone, and he rose slowly to his feet. It was obvious to Tom that Hayden was not saddened by Colleen's murder, and perhaps he was even happy about it. “What do you mean, Hayden?” asked Tom.
“Like you said, coming here, trying to blackmail you! Trying to destroy your relationship with Ellen!” said Hayden in anger. “Someone did us a favour,” he said, while watching Tom carefully.
“Hayden, this is terrible news. I admit that Colleen had changed a lot since high school, but she wouldn't have told Ellen about the child.”
 “Well, in any case,” stated Hayden, in a manner Tom found to be a little cold and heartless. “It's kind of irrelevant now whether or not the bitch was going to go through with her threat, don't you think?”
“Do me a favour - please don’t call her that. Colleen was once very important to me, a long time ago.”
Hayden laughed to himself and shook his head. “I have a meeting now, Tom. I’ll send you the name of the investigating police officer this afternoon. You can give him a call if you want more information.” Hayden starting moving towards the door.
Tom looked at his friend, unable to comprehend this news. “Wait! Hayden. How could this happen? I mean, the two of us organised for Colleen to go to that bank. I don't understand.”
“It's just one of those things,” he replied. “A coincidence.”
“Hayden, ask one of the girls to come in, will you?” Tom called out as his friend left the room.
Hayden was gone for a short period before returning. “Tom! Chloe's not at her desk, but Elizabeth will be in when she's off the phone,” he called back.
Tom was left at his desk feeling a strange emptiness that he could not understand or explain.
It wasn't long before Elizabeth entered the room. “Did you need something, Tom?”
“Elizabeth, I am not feeling well, of a sudden. I think I might take the rest of the day off. I’ll go home and lie down.”
Elizabeth looked worried. “Tom, er... your diary is quite full today. Can I get you some aspirin instead.”
“No, I need to go home.”
“Would you like to dial into your meetings from home?”
“No. Please delegate everything that you can to the relevant directors, and send my apologies.”
Elizabeth realised that his mind was made up. “I will.”
“Do you know if Ellen is in the building today?”
“I think I saw her downstairs before. Would you like me to let her know?”
“Actually, send her up, will you?”
“Certainly. Anything else?”
“That's all. Thanks Liz.”
It wasn't long before Ellen arrived. She was as beautiful and radiant as always, although Tom noted that she was looking a little more flushed than usual.
“Hi Elle. How are you? Is everything okay?” he asked, trying to determine why she looked like that.
Ellen nodded. “I’m fine. It’s good to see you.”
Tom could tell there was something more going on, but he was feeling so overwhelmed with the news of Colleen’s death that he decided not to press her. “Listen Ellen. I've just found out that someone important to me has died.”
“Tom, I'm sorry. Is it someone I know?”
“Um, no. I’ll tell you about it another time.”
“Okay.”
He breathed deeply. “I'm going to go home and, well, take the day off. You don't mind if I have a little space tonight? I don't think I will be very good company, in any case.”
Ellen shook her head graciously. “Of course not. Let me know if you want to talk later on.”
“I'll make it up to you on the weekend,” Tom offered.
“Actually, Chloe and I were thinking of going back home this weekend. I wanted to check with you first, to make sure we didn’t have anything planned. But if you are upset, and would rather I stayed, then I will, of course.”
“No, it’s okay, you go.” Tom checked his BlackBerry quickly. “I don’t think we have anything planned, no.”
“And you don’t mind that I go home without you? I know we were intending to visit them together. There is something important I want to talk to my parents about.”
Tom felt a little relieved to hear that he might have the weekend to himself. He needed some time to process the news of Colleen’s death, and he wanted to speak to the investigating police officer too. “Of course I don’t mind. I would like to meet your parents soon, of course. But I’m probably not in the right frame of mind this weekend. Maybe another weekend soon?”
“Of course. There is no rush though.”
“This weekend will be a good opportunity for you and Chloe to spend some time together. I know I’ve been monopolising your time ever since I met you. She probably feels like she doesn’t see you anymore.”
Ellen smiled.
Tom deduced from her expression that Chloe had obviously been saying a similar thing. He continued, “This weekend will provide some time for me to digest the news I received today. I'm not sure why it's affecting me the way it is,” Tom said thoughtfully.
“Take as much time as you need,” offered Ellen.
Tom kissed Ellen on the forehead, before leaving the office. “Have fun with Chloe. I love you.”
“Love you too, Tom.”


Chapter Eighteen

 
Ellen and Chloe arrived at Mansfield at twelve o’clock that Saturday, just in time for lunch. The smells and sounds of Mrs Jackson's cooking wafted through the front door and into the garden, greeting the girls on arrival.
“Mum, Dad, we're here,” Ellen called out.
Mrs Jackson was highly-praised for her cooking skills. She was able to put together tasty three-course meals with little notice, as had been the case this weekend. The girls were greeted by the normal array of kisses and welcoming by both parents. Chloe did not escape any of the affection either.
Mrs Jackson had prepared arancini balls for starters and offered the girls one from a large silver serving plate.
Once everyone was seated at the dining table, Mrs Jackson served a pumpkin soup for entree, and a variety of dishes for the main course - including vegetable cous cous, roast chicken, homemade pesto and roast vegetables. Ellen's parents had numerous questions about Tom, her job and experiences at Satinol. They were amazed to hear of the girls’ free accommodation arrangement, as provided by the company. Chloe nudged Ellen a few times, but Ellen wanted to give her parents the opportunity to ask all of their questions first.
After the dishes from main course were taken away, Ellen passed around a selection of photos from her past photo-shoots, and both Mr and Mrs Jackson declared how beautiful their daughter was. Ellen felt proud and happy to receive their praise. It made the question she wanted to ask even harder though.
Just as the four of them were starting on dessert, Ellen finally found the courage to ask the question she came to ask. Part of her didn't want to know if it was true, but she took a deep breath and gave a knowing look to Chloe. It was time. “Have either of you ever noticed how I don't seem to look like anyone in our family?”
Both parents stopped chewing and stared blankly at her.
Mrs Jackson spoke first, “I wouldn't say that darling.”
Mr Jackson cleared his throat, “So Chloe, how are you liking your role at this cosmetics company? What is it exactly that you do there?”
The girls exchanged frustrated glances.
“Mum, Dad,” Ellen said, not to be distracted. “Was I adopted?” She paused briefly, and thought how crazy that question sounded out loud. Of course she wasn’t. It was ludicrous. “I know it's a strange question, and I’m sorry to ask, but I need to know the truth.”
“What makes you ask that?” Mrs Jackson enquired without any emotion in her tone.
Ellen noticed that she did not deny it.
“It's a yes or no question, Mrs Jackson,” Chloe stated blankly. Obviously she had noticed it too.
“Remember whose house you are visiting, Chloe,” said Mr Jackson. He did not look happy with her determined attitude.
“Well, Ellen,” said Mrs Jackson.
“Beth, I’ll handle this,” interrupted Mr Jackson. “Ellen, you are our daughter. We love you. End of story. Enough of this nonsense,” he firmly declared. “Your mother has cooked a lovely family meal. We haven't seen you in a long time, and we should all be appreciating each other's company, and not asking ridiculous questions like this.”
The room fell silent as everyone took another mouthful of their dessert.
The lemon tart suddenly tasted a little sour to Ellen, and she wasn’t sure why her father had reacted the way that he had. She thought it through a little more. He probably reacted that way because it was such a silly question. Ellen decided to believe her father, and felt a wave of relief rush over her body. Of course they would have told her if she was adopted. “I'm sorry, Dad. I'm sorry, Mum,” she said.
Mrs Jackson looked over and smiled. “That’s okay, Ellie.”
“And I really appreciate the lunch you have cooked for us, Mum.” Ellen felt the need to explain a little further. “The only reason I asked such a silly question is because I got this weird letter during the week, and it got me thinking. I'm sorry. I should have just thrown it away.”
“What was in the letter, darling?” asked Mrs Jackson.
Her husband gave her a stern look.
Ellen noticed the looks exchanged between her parents with surprise, and tried to explain as quickly as possible. “Um, it said that I was adopted and that my biological mother’s name was Colleen Watson. It said that Colleen’s boyfriend was Tom when she got pregnant, and hence that I am probably dating my own biological father. Something along those lines.” Ellen was trying to laugh it off, but noticed how still the room had become.
Chloe obviously noticed too. “They're not laughing, Elle,” she stated, putting her spoon down.
“What?” asked Ellen. “Mum? Dad?”
Mr Jackson looked towards his wife. “Beth, I think I might go outside and get some fresh air. The dessert is lovely, but I think I have lost my appetite.”
“Of course, dear,” Mrs Jackson responded.
Once her father had left the room, Ellen turned to her mother, “Mum, what's going on? Did I say something wrong? Why did Dad just walk out like that? I was just trying to explain why I asked the silly question before.”
Mrs Jackson sat with her eyes down for some time, not answering.
Ellen continued, uncertain what to do next. “Should I go and apologise, Mum?”
Mrs Jackson finally looked up, tears starting to show in her eyes. “It's the name, darling. Colleen Watson. Your father and I decided not to tell you when you were just a baby. We didn't want you to feel anything other than one hundred per cent our daughter. You have to understand that our decision was made with the right intention behind it.”
“What are you saying? What decision? Am I not your daughter?”
“You are our daughter, in every way that counts.”
“But not biologically?” clarified Chloe, who did not seem affected by the emotion in the room.
Mrs Jackson shook her head. “No, not biologically.”
Ellen was shocked. How could it be true? How could they have lied to her all these years? Keeping the truth hidden was the same as lying. And if one part of the letter was true, then all of it could be true. “Is Tom Bradley my father?” asked Ellen, sickened by the thought.
Mrs Jackson shook her head in an uncertain way. “I don't know. Your birth certificate only listed the name of your mother - Colleen Watson.”
Ellen looked towards Chloe. “Tom could be my father. Shit.”
“Yes, and it could be anyone else as well,” said Chloe, trying to be reassuring but failing terribly.
“Why would the letter be right about Colleen being my mother and wrong about Tom being my father?”
Mrs Jackson was thoughtful before suggesting, “Perhaps we could try and find Colleen, and ask her who the father is.”
“The letter said that she, um, recently passed away,” Chloe informed Mrs Jackson.
“Oh, I see,” said Mrs Jackson.
Ellen thought through the repercussions of this. She would never have the opportunity to meet her real mother. But there was something more that just didn’t make sense. She and Tom couldn’t have secrets from each other. She knew him to be an open and honest person. “Tom would have told me if he had fathered a child that was given up for adoption. We don’t keep secrets from each other. I can't be his, I just can't.”
“Maybe he was getting around to telling you that one, Elle,” offered Chloe. “It is big, and he might have been worried about your reaction.”
Ellen thought that through silently. It was possible.
Mrs Jackson looked very distressed. As it appeared that everyone had finished eating, she started to clear the half-eaten tart slices from the table. Only Chloe had completely finished her plate. “I'm sorry, Ellie. We should have told you sooner,” she started saying, while sobbing over the dishes.
Ellen realised how upset her mother must be feeling, and went to comfort her. “Mum, I'm not upset with either of you. Maybe I should be, but I’m not. I think you should have told me when I was old enough to understand, but otherwise, I wouldn't change a thing about my upbringing. I still think you are the best mother in the world.”
The two women hugged, while Chloe looked on. When they stopped hugging, Mrs Jackson dried her tears with her apron, and said, “I'd better go and talk to your father. And perhaps you should consider breaking up with this Tom character, until the truth is clear and apparent.”
Ellen nodded. “I should have showed him the letter before I left.” She looked to Chloe. “We didn’t think there was any truth to it. And Tom was upset about something, so I didn't want to trouble him, but I will Mum, I will.”


Chapter Nineteen

 
Chloe drove the car home from Mansfield, while Ellen sobbed quietly beside her. It was incredible news, quite hard to digest. Tom and Ellen perhaps being related, perhaps not. What were the chances of that happening in a city the size of Melbourne? It would explain why the two of them were initially so drawn to each other, of course.
The afternoon had proven tedious to Chloe. Both of Ellen's parents had wallowed in their regret and sorrow for hours after lunch. Mr Jackson had seemed particularly heart-broken, or maybe he was ashamed to be discovered a liar after all these years. Chloe had never seen a grown man cry. She found it particularly distasteful really, and quite inappropriate to carry on so much in front of a guest.
Ellen had spent much of the afternoon crying too. The three of them had been at it for hours. Chloe had never smoked so many cigarettes, but being outside in the cold had been infinitely preferable to being inside with the wailing. Thank goodness she and Ellen had finally left the town, hopefully not to return for some time.
“Chloe,” Ellen said, looking up, her eyes red and puffy.
“Yeah, Elle.”
“Thanks for coming with me today.”
“No problem.” The afternoon had actually been a problem, a huge awkward situation, but Chloe couldn’t really speak her mind without offending Ellen.
“I need to know for sure about Tom and me. I need to find out before I show him the letter. I mean, if I tell him everything, and then find out it isn't true, well, it might ruin things anyway. He might never look at me the same way again.”
“That makes sense.”
“How can we find out, one way or another?”
Chloe thought for a moment, and then remembered something she had seen recently. “DNA test of course. We just need to get a sample of his DNA. Maybe some hairs from a brush or something.”
“How can we get a DNA test done?” Ellen sounded a little unconvinced.
“I saw a service advertised on late night TV the other night.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, there is a company that is called DaddyID or something like that. All you need to do is download the form, and send two samples in separate sealed bags. It's quick too I think. You get the results within forty-eight hours of it being received. You have to logon to some site. Probably costs a few hundred bucks though.”
“Money really isn't the problem here, Chloe.”
Chloe rolled her eyes. Ellen sounded particularly stuck up when she said that. “Right. Sorry, I forgot how much you are being paid just to get your picture taken.”
“There's a bit more to it than that, Chloe. What I mean is, that being related to my boyfriend is the problem. I’ll pay anything to know the truth.”
“Right.” Chloe didn't feel like debating how overpaid Ellen was, so kept quiet until she realised something much more interesting. “Shit,” she exclaimed.
“What?” asked Ellen, confused.
“I just realised something. If you are Tom's daughter, you are going to inherit a bloody fortune.”
“Chloe, if I'm Tom's daughter, I will never, ever be able to look at him again. I will have to move interstate and begin an intensive counselling program. I mean, I would have kissed my dad.”
Chloe laughed at that. “I guess, yeah gross. I wouldn't kiss my dad.”
“No kidding.”
“But you will still inherit a whole pile of money, and the controlling interest in a large cosmetics company.”
Ellen didn't respond, and instead stared out the window at the endless dry paddocks passing by.
Chloe realised that Ellen didn’t seem to care about money at all, which was impossible to understand. Ellen really was quite a dull friend at times. If she wasn't providing such great free accommodation and perks, Chloe would have moved out with more interesting people by now. Ellen was so strange at times too. She probably hadn’t even slept with Tom yet! Although Chloe had to concede, that under the circumstances, this probably was for the best.
Ellen suddenly perked up. “Tom opened one of our spare toothbrushes the other night and left it at our place. Do you think that it will be suitable for the test?”
“A toothbrush is perfect. Nice thinking. This means we can send it off tonight.”
Ellen looked somewhat relieved, and put some music on for the remainder of the trip home.
When the girls arrived home at their apartment, Chloe downloaded the form from the Internet and completed the required information. Meanwhile, Ellen sealed her toothbrush and Tom's toothbrush in separate sealed bags.
“I'm going to have a shower now, Chloe,” Ellen said. “Thanks for your help with this. Will you go and post it all tonight?”
“Will do, Elle. You've had a tough day. Why don't you take it easy tonight?”
Chloe was finished with the paperwork, and was just about to seal the envelope when she started thinking. A small idea had been growing in the back of her mind all afternoon. She thought about the pain that this knowledge would cause to Tom. It would be unbearable for him. Tom Bradley, the kindest, sweetest, richest, most amazing man that Chloe had ever met. She would do anything to protect him. Anything to ensure his happiness continued.
Chloe looked over her shoulder. The shower from Ellen's ensuite was already running. Without another thought, Chloe grabbed a fresh sealed bag and walked into her own bathroom. She put her own toothbrush into the bag and inserted it into the envelope. She took Ellen's toothbrush out and walked it back into the kitchen, and put it at the bottom of the kitchen bin. Perhaps the rubbish should go out tonight. Yes, an excellent idea, Chloe thought to herself. The DNA of these two samples would be unrelated. Tom would be kept in the dark. He wouldn't need to know about any of this. The chance of Tom and Ellen being related seemed very remote anyhow. He could continue to care about Ellen, continue to believe that there was something special about her. More importantly, he would remain happy and unaware. Wasn't the true nature of love sacrifice, after all?
Chloe realised then that she loved Tom. More than Ellen ever could. She would forsake her own possible relationship with him, to spare him the pain and shame of what this DNA test might show.


Chapter Twenty

Since getting out of jail, Ted had made much progress. A successful robbery had put enough money in his pocket to last a few months. He had found a new place to rent and was already working on the plan. Initially he had wanted to shoot the makeup man. Not to kill him - the prison term for killing someone was just too long. But he wanted to shoot him somewhere – maybe in the knees. If the makeup man had to limp for the rest of his life, he would be sorry for hurting Colleen.
However, watching Ellen had caused the plan to change unexpectedly. He had spent four days as a quiet observer, noting her daily movements and patterns. Watching her had quickly become his number one priority. After a while, he thought about how nice it would be to have her at home with him. She looked a little like Colleen, but was younger and fresher. She probably wouldn't nag him as much, either.
Her daily routine was pretty simple. She went jogging in the morning, went to the office at around nine o’clock, and went to the makeup man’s house for dinner, returning home by about ten o’clock most nights. There were plenty of opportunities to take her, but Ted had decided that during the jog would be the easiest.
He checked his watch. It was almost half past seven. Any moment, Ellen should leave her building and run straight past his car.
One of the boys from prison had provided some helpful advice about a chemical called halothane, a modern-day chloroform-like substance. Inhalation would result in Ellen passing out quickly, for a period of four to eight hours. Ted had a soaked rag ready in his hand, and his fingers tensed and flexed in anticipation. He had seen it done in the movies many times. It should be pretty easy, as long as nobody was watching.
The door opened. There she was, heading in his direction as expected. People were so predictable. Ted looked in the rear view mirror and around the street. No one was around.
He stepped out of the car into her path. “Excuse me, miss.” Ted held a map in one hand, pretending to be lost. “I'm looking for Hardware Lane. Do you have a moment to help?” She came towards him, so trusting, so soft.
The moment her eyes lowered to the map, Ted rolled his left hand into view and quickly covered her mouth with the rag. His right hand dropped the map to put pressure on her head from behind, ensuring she breathed in deeply. The chemical worked very quickly. The girl didn't have time to register what was happening. The whole process was very smooth, very quiet.
Her legs wobbled, after a few seconds, and Ted realised he had done it. He supported her body as it went limp and carefully placed her into the back seat face down. His eyes darted up and down the laneway. Still nobody in sight. He chuckled to himself. It had gone more easily than he'd thought possible.
He sped away to the suburban unit he had rented since getting out of jail. Luckily it had a garage connected to the back door, so none of the neighbours would notice him carrying an unconscious girl inside. He carefully lifted Ellen up and brought her inside onto his spare bed, cuffing her wrist firmly to the bed post. She was beautiful, even like that.
“There's no escape for you now, missy,” he told her. Ellen was breathing, but still very much unconscious. “I didn't get to say goodbye to Col because of your Tom, so I guess you're the closest thing I can find.”
Ted knelt down beside the bed and put his lips to Ellen's. He kissed her softly then more roughly. It felt a little different than he'd imagined. Actually, he didn't like it particularly, and stopped right there.
“Well, what shall I do with you, now that I have you?” Ted asked himself out loud. He decided to search her pockets for money. There was a set of keys in one pocket and a mobile phone in the other. No money. Perhaps the mobile was the best way to punish Tom. Ted checked the contact list. Only eight contacts were present in Ellen's phone, and one of them was Tom.
Ted starting creating his first message:

Tom, it's me. I have found out who you are. You are a liar. I know you got Colleen pregnant. It's over between us. What other secrets are you keeping? You are also 2 old for me. I could be your daughter.

Ted hit “send” and laughed. This would definitely ruin his day. Ellen's phone started ringing almost immediately. The caller ID said 'Tom'. He let it ring until her message service picked up. Ted listened to the message, which was just Tom asking Ellen to call him. Saying they should talk things through.
Ted starting creating a new text message:

I've gone away for a while. Don't call me. 2 upset to talk to u. I hate u now old man.

Ted laughed at his second 'old man' jibe, while hitting “send”. A text message came back quickly in reply.

Elle, I love you. Please I'll do anything to make it up to you. Where r u? Please, please call me. I love u

He was definitely starting to hurt now. Revenge was sweet indeed. Ted started creating a new message.

You are not listening gramps. It's over between us. I quit the job. I hate u. Go to hell pedo. ITS OVER. STOP TEXTING AND CALLING.

Ted turned off the phone and threw it into the corner of the room. He was bored playing with Tom already. He didn't know what to do with Ellen now, but knew he had to hold her for a little while, to ensure his messages had the desired effect. Maybe a sandwich would clear his mind.
A few hours and a few beers later, Ted heard some rumblings coming from the bedroom. He grabbed the black ski mask that he had bought for this moment. Best not to be too visible to Ellen, since the eventual plan was to let her go. Colleen would not be happy on the other side if Ellen was hurt, so the girl could not be too damaged.
Ellen looked groggy and confused, but was clearly awake. She looked quite afraid when Ted walked into the room, and started to scream.
He rushed over to her to cover her mouth. “You'll stop screaming now, or I'll gag you with masking tape, Ellen.”
She stopped screaming with that threat, but looked fearfully into his eyes.
He continued, “Now, I'm gunna take my hands off. You be good and I'll be good to you.”
She nodded.
Ted removed his hands from her mouth. “Good girl, Ellen. Right decision.”
She looked terrified, her eyes darting around the room, while she pulled unsuccessfully against her handcuffs.
“Now, there is no need to scream. I'm not going to hurt you.” Ted paused, watching her mood carefully. “I am going to keep you for a while though. There is nothing you can do about that. It will be you and me hanging out here for about a week, I reckon.”
“Why?” she tentatively asked. “Who are you? What do you want with me? How do you know my name?”
“We can get to know each other later. First, I want some answers from you, Ellen. You got that?”
Ellen nodded obediently.
“Well, first things first I guess. I told you who Tom is. Yet you are still with him. Why?”
“Are you the one who sent me that letter?”
Ted nodded.
“Your letter was part right, and part wrong. He's not my father. I did a DNA test. It came back negative.”
“Bullshit. Col said he was the father.”
“You mean my mother - Colleen said that?”
“Yeah, and she would know, wouldn't she?”
“There must have been another man, because the test was negative.”
The girl didn’t seem to listen. Ted was starting to feel angry towards her. “I said that’s bullshit,” Ted roared. “How many times do I have to say it? Tom is your father. Col would have said if there was another guy. And guess what? She didn’t say, so it’s settled. Tom is your daddy. And Col wasn't happy with you sleeping with your daddy, let me tell you.”
The two of them stared at each other a while. The girl stayed silent.
Ted was unsure how to argue the point any further. It seemed settled to him. “So you agree now or what?”
Ellen nodded. “I agree.”
“Good.” Maybe she wasn’t so stupid after all.
Ellen hesitated a little and then timidly said, “I guess I should say thanks for the letter. My parents never told me I was adopted. The truth came out when I confronted them.”
“Uh huh.” He looked at her awkwardly. “So do you want to kiss a little bit or what?”
A look of horror came over her face, and she shook her head quickly from side to side.
“Fine. Have it your way. Col probably wouldn’t like it anyhow. Don’t want to get haunted by some angry ghost. She was angry enough in real life.”
“Did you know my mother well?”
“You might say that.”
“What sort of woman was she?”
“A good woman. She could nag, don't get me wrong, but I miss her.”
“Your letter said that Tom killed her. What did you mean by that?”
“What do you think I mean, dummy?” Ted angrily snapped. “I mean, he KILLED her.”
“But why do you think that?”
“Listen, Tom pretended that he was going to give her some money. She was at the bank picking it up when it happened. I guess he changed his mind about giving her the cash after all.”
“What happened at the bank?”
Ted raised his voice again. “Your boyfriend killed your ma, that's what happened. I already told you this. You need to start listening. He made it look like a bank robbery, except the gunman shot Col but never tried to get into the bank’s safe. What kind of robber leaves without money?”
Ellen looked stunned by his tone and theories, and said quietly, “I don’t know.”
“A fake robber, that’s who.”
“Tom wouldn't have organised a shooting. He is the gentlest man I've ever met.”
“Bullshit! He had the means and the motive. Your mum wouldn't want you dating her killer, even if he's not your dad, which he is. We’ve already covered this shit.”
Ellen was silent, as she continued to look around the room. “So, you're not going to hurt me?” she asked.
“No,” replied Ted gruffly. “I suppose not.”
“Why don't you let me go now then? I don't know what you look like. You can blindfold me and let me go on a street somewhere and drive off. I won't be able to tell the cops anything.”
“No, sorry. I'm keeping ya for a week.”
“A week? Why?”
“Well, if you must know, Miss Nosy, I sent some messages to Tom on your phone, breaking up, you know. So we need some time to let them take effect.”
“What did you text?”

“I got him up to speed on the situation, and I said you’ve gone away.”
“Please, please. Let me call him. He'll be so upset.”
“He killed your ma. Which part of that are you not understanding?”
“You don't have any proof that Tom was involved.”
“You don’t need proof when you just know something. I mean, maybe you don't know him as well as you think. Like, you didn't know that he had a kid. That he paid Col cash to keep her quiet. Well, did you?”
Ellen shook her head. “No, he didn't tell me.”
“So, end of story. You've broken up with him. You can leave in a week's time. There's a bucket there,” Ted said, pointing to a bucket next to the bed. “Obviously I have to keep you tied up, so you can use that if you need to go. I’ll feed and water you if you do your part. But if there's any screaming from ya, I'll gag you and stop the feeding. Got it?”
Ellen nodded.
“But if you're good, then I'll bring you something nice, maybe some pizza. Do you like pizza?”
Ellen didn't respond, and Ted noticed that she was still looking at the bucket.
“Do you want water or beer?”
“Water,” said Ellen weakly.
“You'll be right here. Maybe I will drag the TV in later so you can watch something.”
Ellen didn't respond to that offer, which Ted thought rather generous. Instead, her eyes wondered around the room again. Maybe he wouldn’t bring the TV in, if she was going to act like that.