Page 62 of The Forgotten
Stephen Kane took a drag of his cigarette, then held his hand out toward the window, allowing the smoke to curl outward and dissipate into the frosty air. Thankfully, the smoke didn’t blow back into the office. Kane stared out the window at the brick wall opposite the pub, his gaze misty with reminiscence.
“I have no wish to talk about this, but I suppose you have a right to know, and I might as well tell you the whole truth,” he began. “I had a younger brother, Jack. Jack was everything that I wasn’t, or so I was frequently told by our mother. He always knew exactly what he wanted and went for it. There was never any hesitation or regret. He met Rhoda when he was just eighteen and proposed to her within weeks. ‘She is the one,’ he said, ‘and there’ll never be anyone else.’ They married and had two girls in quick succession. They weren’t well off, but they were all right. Jack worked on a construction site as a welder, and Rhoda stayed at home with the children. They were happy,” Stephen added, blowing out another puff of smoke.
“What happened?” Quinn asked softly.
“Jack couldn’t afford a car, so he rode a scooter to work. One day, on the way home, he was hit by a lorry. The driver had been drinking and crashed into a tree after he sideswiped Jack. Jack might have survived had someone gotten to him sooner, but by the time the ambulance arrived, he was gone. Rhoda was left on her own, with two small children and no source of income. She might have been entitled to damages had the driver survived, but he died, so she had no claim, and Jack never bothered to get insurance.”
Stephen took a deep drag on his cigarette and stared at the curling smoke before continuing.
“Rhoda had to give up the flat and move back in with her parents. They helped as much as they could, but they were elderly,and minding two toddlers all day while Rhoda worked was too much for them. Rhoda was struggling, so I stepped into the breach. I’d always fancied her, and I knew that Jack would want me to look after his family.”
“So, you married her,” Quinn said, wondering what this had to do with the paternity test.
“I did. She didn’t love me. Not in that way. I was a poor substitute for Jack, but Rhoda was desperate and marrying me seemed like the best way out of a bad situation. I knew it, but I had an agenda of my own. I am sterile, you see. I was married before Rhoda, and when my wife and I failed to conceive, she sent me for a test. I found out then. Jack’s kids were the closest I’d ever come to having my own children, and I’ve been a good father to them. They love me, my girls,” Stephen said, a trifle defensively.
“I’m sure they do,” Quinn agreed, eager for Stephen Kane to get to the end of his story.
“We didn’t get on, Rhoda and I. Sex is the glue that holds a marriage together, but Rhoda just wasn’t interested. We stayed together for the children, and for financial reasons. Rhoda poured her love into the children, but I strayed from time to time. I needed to feel wanted and desired, and I wasn’t about to get that at home. That’s where Sylvia came in. We had a good time, she and I, but when she got pregnant, I knew it couldn’t be mine,” Stephen Kane said as he stubbed out his cigarette.
“Actually, my affair with Sylvia brought things to a head with Rhoda. She was angry and bitter when she found out, so I told her that she should either be a proper wife to me or agree to a divorce. We’re still together, as you can see, so it’s not all sour grapes.”
“Is that why you turned Sylvia away when she came to you for help?”
“What else was I supposed to do? If I helped her, I’d be as good as admitting to the whole village that I shagged a minor and that her child was mine. I told her to ask the real father for help. It wasn’t my problem.”
“Right.”
“Let’s get this over with then, if you’ve no objection. I have a pub to run.”
Quinn took the package out of her handbag and extracted the cotton swab. She handed it to Steven Kane and asked him to scrape the inside of his cheek, which he did. Quinn sealed the swab in a tube and replaced it in the package. She was more than ready to leave.
“Thank you, Mr. Kane. I appreciate your candor and your willingness to help me.”
“I’m sorry, lass. It’s not a pleasant thing, traipsing all over the country, asking strange men if they are your father, is it?”
“No, it’s not.”
In fact, it’s quite demoralizing. There are days when I wish that I could go back to not knowing anything about my true parentage. I think I was actually happier then, Quinn thought bitterly.
Steven Kane got to his feet, signaling that the interview was over. “Would you like a spot of lunch? Rhoda just made the steak and ale pies, and they’re delicious. You look like you need a bit of time to just sit quietly and think.”
Quinn’s stomach growled at the mention of food, but she shook her head. She had no wish to spend any more time in Leicester. She felt disappointed and angry. She knew what happened with the other three men, but Sylvia had actually had a relationship with Stephen Kane. Quinn had hoped that the man cared for her somewhat, but he’d simply taken advantage of her, using her to satisfy needs that weren’t being taken care of at home. Sylvia might have been ‘aware’ as he put it, but she was still a girl, and he’d been a grown man; a man who refused to help her when she came to him. The baby might not have been his, but he still could have been a little less indifferent, a little less selfish.
Quinn walked out of the pub without sparing Rhoda, who was staring at her from behind the bar, a glance. She wished the two of them joy of each other. They might have remained married, but the downward turn of Rhoda’s mouth suggested that she wasn’t a happy woman, or a fulfilled one. Quinn was in no position to judge, but she simply wanted no part of these people. She wanted to go home and throw her arms about the man who loved and desired her. She knew she was lucky, but hearing about the Kanes’ loveless marriage made her that much more aware of her own good fortune.
Quinn sat up and looked out the window as the train approached London. It was nearly dark outside, the rain coming down in a torrent that made the houses along the tracks look like dark, fuzzy blobs. Now that she’d had a little time to think, she felt marginally better. The meeting with Stephen Kane hadn’t been a complete waste. She’d still give his sample to Colin Scott, just to make sure that Kane had been telling the truth. If he was, then there was only one man left on the list—Seth Besson, if Sylvia could be believed. She’d proven herself to be less than honest, and Quinn wondered if there were going to be any more surprises. Her rational side told her to let go of her hopes and terminate herrelationship with Sylvia. The woman had done nothing but mislead her, but she was her birth mother and, as Gabe pointed out, we didn’t get to choose our parents.
Quinn grabbed her bag and made her way toward the door as the train eased into St. Pancras station. She’d forgotten to bring an umbrella, so she would get soaked by the time she got her turn at a taxi. Quinn stepped onto the platform and began to walk toward the nearest exit. Her mobile vibrated in her pocket, reminding her that she’d forgotten to call Gabe. He was probably worried sick. Quinn took out the phone and looked at the screen. There was a picture of Emma, wearing her yellow wellies and a matching raincoat. She was holding a Disney princess umbrella over her head, which she appeared to be twirling happily. The caption said, “Your carriage awaits.” Quinn smiled, her melancholy forgotten. No day could be described as being bad if Gabe and Emma were waiting for her at the end of it.
She found the exit Gabe indicated in his text and spread her arms out to Emma, who catapulted into her, a huge smile on her face. Gabe kissed Quinn over Emma’s head, his eyes searching her face for a hint of how her day went.
“All right?” he asked, and she nodded, thankful that he hadn’t uttered a word of reproach about her not calling.
“You two wait here, and I’ll get the car,” Gabe said. “It’s really coming down.”
“Do you want my umbrella, Gabe?” Emma asked.
“No, I’m all right, sweetheart,” Gabe replied, smiling at the little girl. “You hold on to it.”
