“I think I would remember her if I did.” He wraps his palm around the back of his neck. “I mean, it’s possible, but I don’t think—”
“I could never figure out how she finally found us. She always offered a reward, but what were the chances of someone stumbling upon Mom after all these years? It would have to be someone who really knew her. Knew her well enough to think that she might be Sarah Paxton.”
“Sure. I just—”
“And those articles. The one about how I became pregnant with Ava. There’s no way Amelia could have had that information. Even if she hired someone to look into me, only the people in my life would have known some of those details.”
Michael’s expression freezes as he slowly exhales. “Marion, what are you saying?”
“It’s convenient you have enough money to start a new business. I mean, you left your job, what, a month before Amelia showed up? What are the chances?”
He opens his mouth but freezes. He doesn’t know what to say.
“I can’t help wondering if you didn’t run into Amelia at your old job. At least hear about her, know her story. Maybe you looked into it one day, when you were bored in your high-rise office, daydreaming about quitting and starting your own business. You might have noticed the large reward she was offering for any information.”
Michael pinches the bridge of his nose, slides his fingers down to cover his mouth. “I thought it was a long shot. Online, I found a picture of this Sarah Paxton lady. I mean, Eileen looked a little like her, sure. But I had no way of really knowing. Carmen told me how complicated your past was. Eileen’s past, really. I thought, maybe it might fit.”
“So, you’re the one who told Amelia about us?”
“I didn’t know everything would play out like this. I thought I was being paranoid, really.”
“But you still told her you believed Mom was Sarah Paxton.”
“Trust me, if I knew everything that would happen, I never would have said anything. I was under the impression Eileen had committed an awful crime. I thought Amelia was suffering, still searching for answers.”
“How fortunate that providing those answers gave you enough money to start your new business.” I shake my head. “And what about everything else? The press leaks. Did you give her that information too?”
“She wanted to know more about you. I thought she was your biological mother. How was I supposed to know she was out to hurt you?”
“She kept paying you, didn’t she?”
“Yes.” His words are filled with shame. “Marion, I didn’t know Amelia’s motives in all this. If I did—”
“Does Carmen know?”
“No. Definitely not. She never would have allowed me to do it.”
I believe him. As shocked as I was to find that card, to toy with the idea Michael might have turned Mom in, I could never think Carmen was involved. Especially after watching how hard she worked on Mom’s case. She’ll be even more devastated about Michael’s involvement than I am.
“Carmen is my best friend,” I say, my words filled with enough anger for the both of us. “I thought we were friends, too.”
“We are!” he shouts, turning for another look at the door. “This whole thing just fell in my lap. It seemed like an easy way out at the time. You have to believe me. I’m sorry for all the pain it caused you and Eileen.”
“I need Carmen’s head in the right place. We’re going to get through today, then I’m telling her.”
“No, Marion. You can’t.” He’s off the porch now, chasing me as I walk to my car.
“Goodbye, Michael.”
After today, I know one thing for sure: no more secrets.
52 AmeliaNow
The lock clanged against the bars when the officer left Amelia in her cell. She had been there for months, but it still hadn’t sunk in that this was forever. That she would stay here, in this cold, hard place, accompanied only by her thoughts.
At least she had her memories, most of them grander than the average person would ever experience. She would close her eyes, could almost feel the desert heat on her face. Could almost hear waves crashing on the other side of the wall. She could almost feel Bruce’s hand on her leg, back when they first started dating. They had been happier in those days, a far cry from where they ended up.
But it wasn’t always the happy memories that Amelia would conjure. Sometimes the painful memories, the ones that brought her to this place, crept in. Like the spiders in the corners of her cell, she’d stomp them out, but they had a way of returning.
She hadn’t meant to hit Cliff with her car. Not really. That certainly wasn’t her intention when she spied on Sarah that day, as she had so many times before. It had become a weekend routine of sorts. Watching this pitiful girl made her feel better about her own life. She followed Sarah and Cliff to a nicer part of town, watched as they went inside the apartment complex. For hours, Amelia stayed in her car, listening to music, waiting to see them again.
At long last, they appeared on the sidewalk. Despite their cheap clothes and blemished skin, they appeared happy. That was the first time Sarah looked like she was actually pregnant. Another passerby would no longer look at her and think it was just bloat. No, this girl was having a baby. That goofy boy at her side was having a baby. And Amelia, with her large car and expensive jewelry and custom clothes, had nothing.
Amelia pulled her car into the street so fast, she wasn’t sure what she’d done. She was speeding, racing against her own thoughts, fighting to get away from her jealous desires. Her envy ceased when she heard the thud of Cliff’s body hitting her car, followed by the squealing of tires, the screaming of civilians on the sidewalk.
She drove home in a panic, not sure what her next
