in the fall. I don’t remember the
exact date – it was a long time ago.”
“Did you tell Gloria about this?”
“Yes. That’s why she wanted to help me. She
felt guilty for abandoning me, and when she found out about my
parents, I mean my adoptive parents, she said she would help me. I
didn’t know she was going to leave me a lot of money though.”
“Did you know about the will before she
died?”
“No. I was told by Gloria’s attorney. Bill
something or other.”
“So you weren’t present when the will was
drawn up, or witnessed?”
“No.”
“I’m sorry to have had to bring all this up.
Just one more thing though if you don’t mind?”
“Okay.”
“Can you tell me the names of your adoptive
parents?”
“Richard and Joyce.”
“And where are they buried or interred?”
“Nowhere, as far as I know.”
“Why is that?”
“There wasn’t anything left to bury.”
I looked up at her. Her face had a strangely
enigmatic expression. She looked slightly embarrassed too, and
lowered her eyes.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “That must have
sounded awful. I didn’t mean it that way. Here’s the thing. Richard
and Joyce weren’t demonstrative parents; I mean emotionally. They
were perfectly kind to me and everything but my childhood lacked
the kind of warmth and closeness that I saw with other families.
When I learned I was adopted I thought that was the reason. I
wasn’t their blood. I’m much older now and I don’t think that was
the reason. I think it’s just how they were. But after I discovered
the truth I felt differently towards them. I mean I felt released
from them in a way. We didn’t have any major arguments or anything,
and I was grateful that they’d given me a home but there was a
distance between us. I moved out when I was seventeen. I’ve pretty
much looked after myself since then.”
“So you were no longer in the family home
when the tragedy happened?”
“Right. But I was still in contact with them
then. I had nothing to do with the arrangements were made for their
funeral, or service of remembrance or whatever though; that was all
handled by their respective family members. Their parents were
still alive and they had siblings. I only remember that I was told
when the memorial service would be, or remembrance service I think
it was called. But I didn’t go. You probably think that I should
have gone to pay my respects, but I’m not religious. I believe that
when people die that’s it. Finito. I can’t see any point in paying
respects to people who wouldn’t even know you were there. It’s
pointless.”
“Have you kept in touch with any of your
extended family – I mean any relatives of your late parents?”
“No. Since they died I’ve had no contact at
all with the family. I haven’t the faintest idea where any of them
might be.”
I needed to be careful. I didn’t want to
probe too much because I didn’t want to alert her to the fact that
Greg was already nursing misgivings about her identity. If she got
wind of the fact that she was already under suspicion there was
nothing to prevent her suddenly deciding to take a vacation. That
would put an effective end to any further investigation.
I decided to leave further discussion about
her background for the time being. I’d wait until she provided the
documents I’d asked for. But Susan’s face still wore a slightly
mysterious expression which was puzzling in its inscrutability. She
alternately bit her upper lip and then the lower one, then the
upper one again. It was as if she was ruminating over what she had
told me and was wondering whether she’d said too much or too
little. It was only an impression that I had, but after almost
fifteen years in the game I had learned to trust my instincts, and
I instinctively didn’t believe she’d been truthful to me.
I stood up and thanked her for her time.
“I know you need to get back to work,” I
said, squeezing myself out of the booth. “Perhaps
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