Liberty

Skywalker barks and barks at the doorway. Poor little dude, he doesn’t like it when there’s someone between us.

‘What am I looking at?’ I ask Michael, peering into the chugging chest freezer. It glimmers with sugary delights – cherry and chocolate ice cream, Black Forest gateaux, a box of macarons in pastel colours, all bathed in acid-yellow freezer light.

Michael pulls out a clear bag of sliced cake. ‘This.’

‘Cake?’

‘Not just any cake. It’s birthday cake. Can you guess whose?’

‘Whose?’

‘Yours, Liberty.’

‘This is my birthday cake? But it’s not my birthday.’

‘I know. There’s are sixteen pieces in there. I held a little birthday party every year for you. Every single year. Sang you happy birthday, lit some candles. Thought about what you looked like and prayed and prayed we’d find you. Then I cut you cake and stored it in the freezer. I was so certain that one day you’d walk back into my life.’ Tears fall down Michael’s craggy cheeks. ‘And on that day, I wanted to show you I’d never forgotten you. Give you something of the life you’d missed out on. It was my way of doing something positive, you know? I couldn’t freeze time and stop you growing up without me. But I could freeze the cake.’

‘Wow.’ My lips feel swollen. Hot tears sting around my eyelashes.

‘I love you to infinity. You’re my darling daughter. I turned the world upside down looking.’

‘I can’t believe this is the first time I’m meeting you,’ I say, words cracking in my throat. ‘That my mother kept me away. She hates you so much.’

‘Lorna doesn’t hate me, Liberty,’ says Michael. ‘She loves me. That’s what all of this is about. She can’t stand that I stayed with Diane. Taking you was her revenge.’ Michael’s phone bleeps and he frowns at it. ‘Oh, look at that. Talk about timing. The first of the guests are at the gates.’

‘I hope my mother has gone,’ I say. ‘It would be so embarrassing if she’s still out there. While your guests are arriving. God.’ I put my head in my hands. ‘SO embarrassing.’

‘Don’t you worry about any of that,’ says Michael. ‘Diane will have sorted it.’

‘My mother will be going out of her mind, knowing I’m here.’

‘Can’t say I blame Lorna for worrying,’ says Michael. ‘There’s a lot she’s kept hidden from you. If I were her, I’d be crawling over hot coals to keep it all quiet.’

‘What has she kept hidden?’

‘We’ll talk about this some other time, Liberty. The guests are arriving. You don’t want to get into this with people turning up.’

‘I do,’ I say, taking a kitchen stool. ‘Mum has always been secretive. Not just about you. About lots of things. Medical reports. My birth certificate. All sorts of things. I know there’s more to this than just you supposedly being a bad guy.’

‘Yeah, you’re a smart girl,’ says Michael, taking a stool. His phone bleeps again. ‘Okay. This is Danny, my driver. He’s just let the first round of guests through the gate. Which means your mother has gone.’

‘Then you’d better tell me quickly.’

Michael laughs. ‘Okay. Well, I can tell you one thing. A good friend of mine will be here soon. Have you heard of Cat Cannon?’

I nod slowly. ‘The singer.’

‘And I take it, by the look on your face, that your mother has told you about Cat Cannon? And her daughter?’

‘No, but … I read articles about them. Cat Cannon supported one of your tours. And her daughter went missing shortly afterwards.’ I pause. ‘Her name was Annalise, right? The daughter?’

Michael nods.

‘My middle name is Annalise.’

‘That’s your middle name? Really?’

I nod.

‘I suppose it makes sense. Your mother would have something of a guilty conscience.’

‘Meaning?’

‘Forget I said that. That’s unsubstantiated. Listen – this I can tell you for sure. Those newspaper stories. The ones that accuse me of God knows what. They were your mother trying to ruin me. But she didn’t ruin me. All she ended up doing was tearing Cat’s heart out. Annalise might still be alive, for all anyone knows. Lucky for me, Cat saw through it all in the end. But it was touch and go. She hated me for a long time.’

‘So you’re still friends with Cat Cannon?’

‘Oh, yeah. She’ll be here any minute.’

‘But … it wasn’t just my mother throwing around accusations. Cat accused you of kidnapping her daughter too. I read the articles.’

‘She wasn’t in her right mind,’ says Michael. ‘And forgiveness is the mark of a strong person. It was a long time ago. Water under the bridge. Lorna was in Cat’s ear at her lowest moment, telling her all kinds of crazy shit. God, your mother caused some pain, I can tell you. And I’ll tell you something else. If anyone knows what happened to Annalise, it’s Lorna. Your mother saw that young girl as a rival. She wanted to be rid of her like she wanted rid of Diane. It wouldn’t surprise me if … Oh, forget it. Let’s not go down that road.’

I swallow. ‘You think my mother knows what happened to Annalise?’

‘I don’t know.’ Michael rubs at his forehead and eyes. ‘But I do believe Lorna knows a lot more than she’s letting on. Now isn’t the right time for all of this. We’re getting this party together and it’s a celebration, you coming home. Hey – you’re into music, aren’t you? You said you were in a band. You know, there’ll be a lot of industry bigwigs here today—’

‘My mother does that,’ I say. ‘Changes the subject.’

‘Well, look, it’s some pretty dark and heavy stuff we’re getting into,’ says Michael, standing. ‘I’m just saying … let’s park it for now and enjoy this magical moment. Father and daughter reunited. The party’s starting and there are a lot of people I want you to meet.’

‘But I want to talk about it now,’ I say. ‘That’s what I’m here for.’

Michael’s eyes turn serious. ‘We will talk, Liberty. When the time is right. But you’ve only just got here. I tell you the truth now, and you’re likely to think I’m as crazy as Lorna. You need to get to know me first, at least a little bit. Meet my friends. See who I really am. Now, listen. About this band of yours. What’s it called?’

‘Skywalker.’ The word is reluctantly said as I take a kitchen stool. ‘After my dog. We’re sort of punk, new age meets rock and roll. A bit of everything.’

‘Sounds brilliant. Now, as your old man who also happens to be a rock star, I would like to meet this band of yours and see what I can do for you. How about that? You know, I’ve got a music studio out there in the woods. There’s a little cottage out there – I converted the place. It used to be the old farm cottage. How about you bring your band here and we record some of your stuff?’

I swing my DMs under the counter. ‘I mean … that sounds great. But how do you know we’re worth recording?’

Michael laughs. ‘You’re my daughter. Of course you’re worth recording. You’ll be ace. It runs in the family.’

‘I don’t know if I’m good. I just know I love performing and writing music.’

‘The music industry is a tough business,’ says Michael. ‘But if you really want your band to go places, I’ll help you all the way. Listen, stay for the party today. There’ll be music guys here. My producer. A couple of agents. Some real heavy dudes in the industry. I’ll introduce you around and start the wheels turning. Sound good?’

‘That’s like every teenager’s dream. Really? You’d do that?’

‘Of course. Anything for my little girl. So what do you do? Sing? Play guitar? What?’

‘I’m the singer. Well, singer-songwriter. And yes, I play guitar. Any instrument I can get my hands on really.’

‘Of course you do.’ Michael ruffles my bleached hair. ‘You’ve got the old Reyji Ray lyrical blood in your veins. Well, I’ll introduce you around today and see if we can start making some connections.’

I’m nodding and nodding. ‘Yes. Wow, yes definitely. Cool.’

‘And you write your own songs, do you?’

‘Totally. It’s what keeps me sane. When I’m stuck in my bedroom, writing songs is like my freedom. It’s like the only thing that’s mine. Everything else Mum controls.’

‘Your mother is scared, Liberty,’ says Michael. ‘Scared of losing you. She has good reason. And I will tell you all about it. I promise. Later.’ He takes my hand. ‘You’ve got your real dad back now. And if you want to get into the rock and roll business, I’ll help you every step of the way.’ Michael cocks his head. ‘Hold up. I think I hear Diane.’

I sit up straight. ‘I hope my mother didn’t give her a hard time.’

Michael shakes his head. ‘Your mother has gone. Probably Diane was the one who got rid of her. One way or another. I know it sounds harsh, but if you knew what Lorna had put us through—’

‘Then you’d understand.’ Diane strides into the kitchen, boots clicking on the floor. She rests a hand on my shoulder. ‘Your mother has gone now, sweetheart. I … Look, the police took her. It had to come to that. She wouldn’t have gone otherwise.’

‘It’s okay.’ I feel my chest rise and fall. ‘I know what she’s like. I live with her. She wouldn’t have gone without a fight. She goes crazy if I’m home ten minutes late.’

Diane nods. ‘Now, listen, Michael. The guests are arriving.’

‘I know. Danny phoned.’

‘So.’ Diane tries for a smile. ‘Time to put Lorna behind us and enjoy this party.’ She nods and smiles, then bursts into tears.

‘Hey.’ Michael leaps up and hugs her. ‘Hey, it’s okay. She’s gone now.’

When Diane emerges from the hug, her kohl eyes and black mascara are smudged.

‘Sorry,’ she says. ‘It’s just got me all shaken up, you know? I’ve waited all these years to have it out with her. I thought I’d feel better but all I feel is upset. She’s so delusional. You can’t make a dent, you know? She believes her own rubbish. But she’s gone now. Look at me, getting all emotional.’

Michael looks deeply into her eyes. ‘What an old softy you are. I know, I know. It was tough, but it was a long time ago, sweetheart. And everything is looking up now.’

‘Is it?’ Diane’s eyes dart around. ‘Because there’s a can of worms here, Michael. That woman is back in our lives again. Stalking us. And all the chaos that comes with her—’

‘I won’t let that happen,’ says Michael. ‘The police know about her now. It’s fine. Okay? It’s all fine. They’ll handle everything.’

I shuffle in my seat. ‘The police didn’t arrest her, did they?’

Michael and Diane exchange glances.

‘I doubt it, love,’ says Diane. ‘Unless … well, unless she resisted them.’

‘Let’s change the subject again,’ says Michael. ‘I know how you love people doing that, Liberty.’ He raises a playful eyebrow. ‘Guess what, Diane? Liberty’s going to stay for the party.’

‘Great.’ Diane smiles at me, eyes soft. ‘I’m pleased.’ Then her eyes falter. ‘Oh, for goodness sake. Maybe I’m being too kind, but you’d better call your mother. Tell her you’re okay. Maybe she’ll feel better if she hears it from you.’

‘No way,’ I say. ‘She’ll think Michael’s brainwashed me. That’s what she always says about him. Stay away from that man, Liberty. He’ll mess with your head. You won’t know your own thoughts. He’ll warp your mind.’

‘I hate to put it this way,’ says Michael, ‘but Lorna’s mind was warped when I met her. She had so many problems. Her own mother was a piece of work. Wanted to go out galivanting rather than look after her kids. Then Lorna had cancer at such a young age. It would mess anyone up. I was like this Jesus figure to her. She thought I could turn water into wine. Make everything better. But I couldn’t.’

‘God.’ Diane shakes her head. ‘That woman. She’ll rot in hell for what she did to you, Michael.’

‘It’s in the past now, Diane,’ says Michael. ‘And Liberty will know the truth about her soon enough. Now then, guests are arriving soon and—’ He cocks his head to one side, listening. ‘Anyone hear what I hear?’

I listen too.

There’s a sort of swooshing, rattling noise overhead, and the bi-folding doors vibrate a little in their frames.

Diane is nodding. ‘Trouble.’

‘What’s that noise?’ I ask.

‘The devil in a pretty dress,’ says Diane, giving Michael a hard look. ‘Miss Catherine Cannon.’