Page 73 of Sinful Promises

“This case went cold a long time ago. Thanks to you, we may be able to give some closure to his family.”

“I hope so. If anything good comes from this, I hope it’s that.”

“Right. Well, let’s start with this guy.” She shoved the photo forward. “He’s your father?”

“Yes. No. Well, maybe.” I shrugged and huffed. Deciding there was no point hiding the truth, I said, “I was conceived in an orgy. Apparently, he was one of the four men.”

Both Donovan and Flanagan reacted, him with bulging eyes, her with a dropped jaw. Flanagan looked at Donovan. “That’s a first for me. How about you?”

He cocked his head. “Yep.”

I couldn’t help but smile. My list of firsts kept on giving. “I’d like for him not to be my father. But I guess that’s something I’ll never know.”

“Any idea who the other men were?” Donovan asked.

I shook my head. “They were coal miners. Fly in, fly out. Mother doesn’t even remember their names or what town she was in when . . . when it happened. At least, that’s what she said. She’s notorious for lying, and very good at it. I went through her whole trailer looking for stuff I could ask her about. Oh, will you need to do that? Search her trailer?”

They looked at each other again. Flanagan fiddled with the necklace. “I think this is going to be all the evidence we need. We will have to talk to her though.”

“Right. Well, you’ll need to be quick. She’s terminal with breast cancer, and the doctors can’t give any indication of how long she’ll live.” I relayed which hospital she was in and the room number. And as much as I’d have loved to be there when they visited, I intend to never see Mother again.

It was another three hours before they wrapped up interviewing me. But I still had a question of my own. “May I ask a favor?”

Flanagan nodded. “You can ask.”

I smiled. “Okay. My mother ran away from home when she was fifteen and she said she hasn’t seen her parents since then. I never knew they existed until yesterday. Anyway, I think they should know their daughter is dying. Would you mind passing that message on to them? Just in case they are still alive and they want to see her.”

She cocked her head, her eyes capturing me with a look of curiosity. “You don’t want to talk to them yourself?”

“No. After what they did to Mother, they are nothing to me.”

“Is that another story we should discuss with your mom?”

I thought about Mother’s genuine sadness when she talked about Lily. As much as it was hurtful to dredge up that horrific moment in her life, I sensed she also wanted to talk about her sister. Mother did like to be center stage. I nodded. “I think she’d be happy to talk about it.”

“I will do that for you. Are you right to get home?” Flanagan asked. “We can have one of our officers drive you.”

“No. No. I’ll get something to eat first, then get an uber.”

We all stood, and Flanagan placed her hand on my shoulder. “You did the right thing bringing this to us.”

“Thank you.”

“I will contact you when I have some information. You’re not planning on going anywhere, are you?”

My heart stopped. “Well, yes. Actually, I was. I’m heading back to Europe as soon as I can.”

“Can you delay your departure? Just in case we need to get in contact.”

A wave of anguish washed through me, rendering me numb as I nodded.

It was after nine o’clock when I finally left the police station. Detective Flanagan assured me once again that I’d done the right thing, and after she directed me toward a decent restaurant, I walked away.

Before long, I was seated at an Indian restaurant. The music emanating from hidden speakers was the typical twangy tune that suited the setting, but it also took my mind right back to Stinky Skunk House—the marijuana tea shop in Amsterdam where Roman had taken me.

Nearly everything I did reminded me of him.

Of us.

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