Consequences
Part Six
By Céindreadh
ceindreadh@eircom.net

They continued their conversation the next morning, as Kerry was getting ready for work.

“I tried the Internet, but got no response. I hired a private detective, but the woman he found couldn’t have been my mother,” said Kerry.   “I’m not sure what to do now.”

“I don’t know about a detective, but I knew a few people from college, who’re good with computers. If there’s anything to be found out about your background on the net, they can find it. I’ll give them a call before work.”

“What would I do without you?” asked Kerry.

“Probably get a lot more sleep,” replied Dave.

They kissed and then Kerry left for work.

Dave’s friend Dee quizzed Kerry on what she knew of her history, and promised to get in touch as soon as she turned up anything.

Although Dave was optimistic about the search, Kerry was convinced it would prove fruitless. After all she had been disappointed before. A few weeks went by with no news. 

Then one day Dave caught up with her as she was making her way to the lounge.

“Kerry,” he said quietly. “Can we talk somewhere?”

The suture room was free so they went in there.

“What’s the matter?” asked Kerry.

“Dee phoned a few minutes ago. She said she wanted to call round and talk to you.”

“Has she found something?”

“She didn’t say. I told her tonight about eight would be ok.”

“Maybe she just wants to tell us that she can’t find anything and she’s not going to keep looking,” said Kerry despondently.

“Hey don’t be so pessimistic,” said Dave as he took Kerry in his arms. “Dee doesn’t give up that easily. She probably just wants to give you a progress report.”

“Or a lack of progress report.”

“That too, but we’ll find out soon enough.”

“You’re right.  I should be more positive.   Anyway we’d better get back to work before anyone notices that we’re missing.”

“They’ll probably think I dragged you in here to have wild passionate sex with you.”

“More likely they’ll think I called you in here to give you a tongue lashing,”

“Anything you want do with your tongue is fine by me.”

“Try to keep your mind out of the gutter Malucci, at least while we’re on duty.”

By the time eight o’clock came, Kerry was pacing the floor nervously. She jumped when Dee rang the doorbell. 

A few minutes later they were all seated in her lounge. 

“So Dee,” said Dave. “Why’d you want to see us?”

“I have some news for you,” said Dee. She opened her briefcase and pulled out some papers. She handed one of them to Kerry. “I believe this is your mother.”

It was a copy of a newspaper photo of a woman in her mid thirties. Kerry stared at it in shock.

Dave was the first to speak. “She looks just like you.”

“You mean I look like her,” said Kerry in amazement. She looked at Dee. “Where did you get this? Where is she? Who is she?”

“Slow down, slow down. I’ll tell you how I found this in a minute.”

Dee hesitated before going on. “Her name was Sarah Casserly.”

“Was?” said Kerry.  “You mean she’s..”

“I’m afraid she died in a car accident when you were about six months old.”

Kerry sat back on the couch holding the picture. Dave put his arm around her and pulled her close to him.

“All this time I was looking and she was already dead,” she said sadly.

“Well at least you know now,” said Dave trying to comfort her.

Kerry pulled herself together and said to Dee “Thank you for all you’ve done. At least I know she didn’t abandon me.”

“I’m not finished yet,” said Dee. “I also found out about your father. And he is still alive.”

Dee continued, “When you were about six months old, your family was involved in a serious car accident. Your mother died and your father was seriously injured. You were placed with foster parents, the Weavers, and later they adopted you.”

She paused before continuing, “I believe that the accident was the cause of your limp.”

“My parents, my adoptive parents, were never able to tell me exactly what had caused it,” said Kerry. “They just told me I’d hurt it when I was a baby. But why would I be adopted if my father was still alive?”

“I don’t know that. I do know that he wasn’t married to your mother.”

“This is a lot to take in all at once,” said Kerry.

“I know. What I’ll do is leave you this report. It details everything I was able to find out. If there’s anything that needs explaining, Dave has my number.”

“Thank you Dee for all you’ve done.”

“Just glad to help out an old friend.”

After Dee had left, Kerry pored through the file soaking up all the information on the family she had never known.

“Look at this,” she pointed out to Dave. “My mother was ten years older than my father. Just like the two of us.”

“Actually I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that,” said Dave. “You see I was a child prodigy. I graduated from medical school when I was sixteen. So you’re actually about twenty years older than me.”

For a moment she almost believed him, he looked so serious. Then he grinned and she swatted him with the file.

“Sorry,” he said. “I couldn’t resist it. What else did Dee find out?”

“My mother was a professional violinist and my father was a policeman,” her voice trailed off as she looked at the next line.

“What’s wrong?” asked Dave, concerned.

“He lives here in Chicago.”

To be continued.....