Olivia and Wayne sat together stiffly on their flight back down to Key Biscayne, going over whatever they could find on their computers about Mort’s second family. For now, nothing seemed out of order. Calia’s social media pages were filled with friends and warm support for everything in her life, including her love of gymnastics and the many medals she’d won at it. Heidi seemed to be a bit more private, but as she said, she had a small group of loyal friends whom she clearly could count on. Nate’s pages were sparser. He seemed to enjoy going on hunting expeditions and collecting guns.
“We’re not going to find the answer on social media,” Wayne commented halfway through the flight. “It will be the meeting in person between both families, down in Key Biscayne, that will open new doors.”
“I don’t know which will be harder for the families, to deal with their father’s death, or the fact that he lived a secret life,” Olivia mused.
“No matter how you cut it, Mort was a scoundrel,” Wayne interjected. “Who does something like this?”
“He must have been torn apart inside,” Olivia commented. “He obviously loved all of them.”
“Nothing obvious about that,” Wayne said. “This could have had nothing to do with love at all. Who knows what kind of pleasure he got out of playing these games, deceiving everybody?”
Olivia couldn’t help but think of Todd once again. Had he also gotten pleasure out of sleeping with his former girlfriend just as he and Olivia were getting engaged? Was that also a game for him?
Olivia had never thought of it that way before. But it was true, and Mort could also have received a warped form of pleasure from living a double life. Having a secret like this could have made him feel powerful. Or, possibly, he had become mentally ill? Did he need two different lives to make him feel whole? Olivia wanted to speak to a psychologist about this.
The flight went quickly and as soon as they landed in Key Biscayne, Olivia and Wayne headed straight to the police station. Mort’s family from Nashville had taken an earlier flight and most likely would be there already. Olivia felt uneasy about being at the meeting between them. For a second, she wished she could take hold of Wayne’s hand or at least have his arm around her. Suddenly she felt alone in a world where nothing could be counted on.
Olivia stopped walking and stood there silently for a moment.
Wayne turned to her quickly. “Are you all right?”
“I’m not,” said Olivia. “Actually, I’m feeling totally stranded now.”
“Stranded? You’re not. I’m right here.” Wayne threw his arm around her shoulder, pulled her to him, and then gave her a quick hug.
The hug felt good, brief though it was. “I feel funny anyway,” said Olivia, wishing they could remain closer.
“You’re just feeling uncomfortable because we’re about to see all of them meet each other. Nerve-wracking for sure.”
*
When Olivia and Wayne got to the police station the main interrogation room was crowded. Both families had just arrived. Each family was standing on opposite sides of the room, gazing at one another fitfully. Both Angie and Andrea were also present. Olivia could understand why Angie would be there, but seeing Andrea there surprised her.
“Have any of you ever met?” Chief Dowl had taken charge and was running the meeting.
“Never, ever, ever.” Christine waved her arms wildly over her head. “And I don’t believe a word of this. They’re lying, all of them.”
Heidi stood a bit behind Calia, staring at Mort’s flamboyant other wife.
Officer Dowl turned to the other members of the family and asked each the same question. Had any of them ever seen each other before? One by one they all denied it.
“These are not my husband’s children,” Christine burst out again, pointing to Calia and Nate. “I officially deny this insane story.”
Calia took great exception to that. “Deny it all you want.” Her voice now suddenly became authoritative. “There are many people in Nashville who can confirm it. We’ve lived there as a family for years.”
“Are there documents to prove this?” Lance asked Dowl then, in a balanced tone. “Are there marriage certificates and certificates of birth?”
Somehow Lance’s question upset Andrea. “What difference does that make?” she interjected. “Something written on a piece of paper doesn’t really make someone a husband or father.”
“What are you talking about?” Calia shuddered. “Who are you anyway?”
“I’m Andrea, a part of the family, and I’m saying that someone can be a great father to you, even if he’s not your father legally.”
“Maybe,” Calia uttered, “but Mort Townsend was my natural birth father!”
“Don’t even bother to fight with her, honey,” Heidi whispered to her daughter. “Obviously, she’s delusional. Who knows who these people really are?”
Angie raised his hand forcefully then, to calm everyone down. “Let’s not get sidetracked here,” he insisted. “Of course we need legal documents to see who’s who and what’s what. There’s lot of money at stake in Mort’s inheritance.”
“Is that what you’re concerned with? Only that?” Heidi’s eyes shot fire at him.
“I’m concerned with much more than that,” Angie answered, “but that’s a part of it as well.”
“Bigamy is not permitted in our nation,” Lance informed them calmly. “Only one wife here is the legal one. Only one family receives my father’s inheritance.”
Heidi stared at Olivia unbelievingly. “That’s all they’re concerned with! Money, money,” she breathed.
“A great deal depends upon when you and Mort married,” Lance continued. “And from the look of it, from the age of the children, it seems my mother was his first wife.”
“Which means you are not even Mort’s wife,” Christine said loudly. “You’re simply a mistress of some sort.”
“She’s insulting you, Mom,” Calia retorted. “Don’t pay any attention to what she says.”
“Heidi is not a mistress.” Penny tried to calm the waters. “It’s possible that all along she’s believed that she’s Dad’s wife. Don’t rip everything away from her at once, Mom. We have to sort out this confusion slowly.”
“What am I ripping? I’m just speaking the truth,” exclaimed Christine.
“My mother is definitely Mort Townsend’s wife and I am his daughter,” Calia insisted.
“According to who? Only to you!” Andrea shot back at them, as though she were in charge of the meeting.
“Shut the hell up.” Nate lunged toward Andrea.
“Who are you to talk to me that way?” Andrea snapped back.
“Calm down, Andrea.” Penny tried to stop her. “Andrea’s my best friend,” she explained to Calia. “She’s been like a sister since we met.”
“That counts for nothing,” Nate murmured, his face growing distorted.
“I am not like a sister, I am Penny’s sister,” insisted Andrea. “And even though I’m not a sister by birth, I’m better than most sisters she could have.”
Penny put her hand on Andrea’s shoulder. “It’s all right,” she told her.
“No, it isn’t.” Andrea shook her hand off. “All of a sudden people have arrived from out of nowhere, claiming to be Mort’s children. It more than I can bear.”
“Claiming?” Nate’s eyes narrowed as he practically lunged at her again.
“Calm down, Andrea.” Lance was now growing uneasy. “This will all be checked into thoroughly, to see when and if marriage certificates were filed. From my research so far I do see that Morton A. Townsend, our father as we know him, filed a marriage certificate with my mother. I’ve also noted a Morton J. Townsend filing a marriage certificate in Nashville. We have to check further to make sure that’s the father of Nate and Calia, and that he’s the same man.”
“Of course he is.” Nate let loose.
“Shut up, Nate. Shut up.” Andrea glared at him.
“Let Andrea say what she wants.” Christine now seemed to be enjoying this. “She’s not a daughter, but she is a good friend of the family, definitely!”
Christine’s comment only incensed Andrea further, however. “Who can say who is and isn’t family?” Andrea shot back.
“Seems you’re the most upset about meeting Mort’s second family.” Dowl turned to Andrea then.
“It’s not that,” Andrea breathed, “I just hate it when people act as if everyone has a father but me.”
“Maybe you don’t deserve one,” Nate hissed at her.
Startled by Andrea’s behavior, Olivia jumped in. “You had absolutely no idea about Mort’s second family?” she asked her.
“Of course not, how could I?” Andrea answered. “Even though I worked closely with Mort, he never mentioned them, ever. Not a word. To anybody.”
“How closely did you work with Mort?” Olivia pursued it.
“Very,” Andrea said, boldly claiming her place. “We interacted every single day. Even when he was in Nashville.”
“Have you ever been there?” Dowl jumped into the conversation now.
“Yes, I was actually,” Andrea responded, “two or three times only, though.”
Everyone looked at Andrea differently then.
“Why?” asked Dowl, uneasy.
“Business, of course,” Andrea quipped.
“Do the people at Mort’s clinics in Nashville know you?”
“Some might remember me, I have no idea,” said Andrea.
Dowl threw a strange glance over at Wayne then. “We’ll look into this,” he said.
“I’ll check this out with Len Radson,” Wayne commented.
“I don’t know Len Radson,” Andrea spoke loudly. “I did other things up there.”
“What?” asked Dowl.
“Other things,” said Andrea, “all just business.”
“Monkey business,” Nate chimed in.
“You have no choice but to tell us exactly what you did,” Dowl continued.
“I looked over one or two of the clinics that Mort had some questions about,” Andrea reported. “There were some questions about the medical assistants and Mort wanted me to check on it.”
“You have proof of that?” Nate suddenly shouted.
“What’s it to you?” Andrea spun around.
“It’s my dad who was killed, not your dad,” Nate yelled.
“And maybe he deserved what he got,” Andrea suddenly spit out, growing more flushed and agitated.
“Maybe he did.” Nate suddenly laughed.
Everyone stopped cold then and stared at both Nate and Andrea.
Dowl raised his hands. “Okay, okay, enough of this for now. The general meeting is over. We’re going to want to talk to each of you separately in a little while. But first Nate and Andrea.”
It was obvious to Olivia that right on the spot, both Andrea and Nate had turned into suspects. Olivia felt deeply unsettled. The meeting was far from over for her. Dowl could talk to Andrea and Nate alone all he wanted, but she personally wanted to interview both Christine and Heidi in a room together. The meeting between the two wives would be pivotal. Olivia could not help but feel that she would learn much of what she needed to know by watching them interact with each other.
“Before we adjourn the meeting I’d like to speak alone with Christine and Heidi together now,” Olivia piped up.
“Terrific idea,” Wayne agreed, looking at Olivia with interest.
Olivia quickly turned to Dowl. “How about it?”
“Of course, go right ahead,” he replied. “The second room to the right is empty. The three of you can go there now. Stay as long as you like.”
*