Chapter Twenty-Eight

Kate

"I don't know what to say." I collapse down on the couch, completely stunned. Gavin just got back from Carol's place and told me all this stuff about his dad and that secret group and....me. About my dad, my real dad. I just found out the dad I grew up with is not my father. How is that possible? How could my mom keep that a secret all these years? Why wouldn't she tell me?

"What do you need?" Gavin asks, like he's concerned I'm about to pass out. I might. I'm so overwhelmed by what he's told me, I feel lightheaded.

"Water." I take a breath. "I need water."

"I'll be right back." He races to the kitchen and fills a glass and brings it to me. "Here."

I take a sip. "I can't believe this. Why wouldn't she tell me?"

"Probably because she didn't really know the guy and didn't want him in your life. She knew Craig was a good man and would take care of you."

"It wasn't fair he didn't know. My mom should've told him."

"Maybe she didn't know it wasn't his until later. I mean, if she was only with that guy one time, maybe she didn't think he was the father."

"But she found out he was. How did she know?" I touch my face. "Maybe I look like him. Maybe that's how she knew. Maybe I have his eyes or his smile. I always thought I had my dad's smile—Craig's—but it's not his. I was just imagining it."

"Craig is still your dad. He always has been. This doesn't change anything."

"Of course it does!" I yell, but then feel bad for yelling and say to Gavin, "I'm sorry. I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at the situation. I don't know what to do. Finding this out means finding out I'm part of some secret group I know very little about and am scared to death of."

"You're not part of it, not directly. Only men can be members. And they're not going to hurt you. Like Carol said, they take care of their own."

"Then why didn't they protect Niles?"

"Because he wasn't part of it. He wasn't a member."

"Yes, but they were helping him get elected. So why didn't they protect him?"

"Maybe they tried but couldn't. We still don't know why your dad's house exploded that night or who did it. My dad could've had enemies we don't know about it. People not associated with that group. Or it could've just been an accident. Why would someone try to kill my dad by blowing up someone else's house? That doesn't make sense."

"It does if they wanted to throw people off track. Make them think Niles was at the wrong place at the wrong time. If someone wanted to kill him but knew he was being protected by this powerful group, they'd have to find a way to make his death look like an accident." I set my water down and jump up from the couch. "Let's go."

"Go where?"

"To my mom's apartment. I have to ask her about this. I have to know why she didn't tell me." I grab my purse and race to the door.

"Kate, wait." Gavin hurries over to me. "Are you sure you want to do this? It might be best to just pretend you don't know."

"I have to know why she didn't tell me. At least now I know why she kept saying it'd be wrong to get back with my dad. She cheated on him. She feels guilty for what she did all those years ago and for lying for the past twenty-plus years."

"What about your dad? You're not going to say anything to him, are you?"

"No. It would hurt him too much. Unless..."

"Unless what?"

"Maybe I have to tell him. He knows about that group. I need to tell him they're not going to hurt me. He's been worried sick about me ever since I saw your dad shoot that man. He thought for sure they'd find out what I saw and come after me. I thought so too, but now I know why they didn't. They couldn't hurt me because of my father—my real father. The fact that they left me alone proves that I'm safe. My dad needs to know that." I push Gavin aside and open the door.

"I wish you'd think about this before you do anything," Gavin says.

"I don't need to. I'm going."

"Then I'm going with you." He gets his keys and we go down to his car and drive to my mom's apartment.

"Mom, are you here?" I yell, announcing myself as Gavin and I walk into the living room. I hope she's not in her bedroom again, having sex with my dad.

"In here, honey," she yells back.

Gavin and I find her in the bedroom, folding clothes on the bed.

"Oh, hi Gavin," she says. "I didn't know you were here too."

"I'll um, just go wait in the other room."

"No." I stop him. "I want you here, in case I forget anything."

"What are you two up to?" my mom asks, smiling. "Are you going to tell me you're engaged?"

"No." I shake my head. "It's not that."

"Honey, you seem nervous." She takes my hand and sits me down beside her on the bed. "What's wrong?" She glances at Gavin. "Wait. Are you two expecting? Am I going to be a grandma?" She smiles.

"What? No! I'm not pregnant." I pause. "I need to talk to you about Dad."

She sighs. "Honey, I know. I'm sorry you walked in on that. I didn't think you'd be home at that time and—"

"Yeah, not about that. This is about something that happened a long time ago. Something you never told me."

I tell her what Carol told Gavin about Craig not being my real father. I don't tell her about the secret group, wanting to keep her out of that, at least for now.

"Oh, Kate." She hugs me. "I'm so sorry. I'm sure you're confused and probably angry at me, but I didn't tell you because I really thought it was for the best. Your father—Craig—is such a good man, so much better than Stephen was or ever could be. Stephen only wanted one thing, and after he got it, he never spoke to me again. I didn't even have a way to contact him. He just disappeared and then later I found out that he'd passed away."

I pull away from her. "How could you not tell me this? How could you not tell Dad? How could you let him think I was his kid?"

"When your father found out I was pregnant, he was so excited. I've never seen him that happy. He wanted you, Kate. That other man didn't. So I let him believe you were his. And from the moment he saw you, he loved you as his own. I couldn't tell him the truth. I just couldn't. And I considered telling you, but then wondered why. What good would it do? Your real father is gone and the father who raised you is here and loves you, so telling you just seemed wrong. It seemed like it would do more harm than good."

"She's right."

I hear the deep voice and look back and see my dad standing at the door.

"Craig!" My mom stands up, covering her mouth. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to hear the truth." He walks into the room, his eyes on my mom. "You should've told me. All those years ago, you should've told me."

"I didn't think—"

"You didn't think I'd do the right thing? You thought I'd leave you, pregnant and alone?"

"Craig, I—" My mom pauses as a tear goes down her cheek. "I wasn't faithful to you. I was angry at you for taking off like that, and when someone else showed me attention I..." She swallows. "Afterward, I was so ashamed. When you came back, I could barely face you. I tried to tell you the truth but I couldn't. I should've been honest with you but I was so afraid to try to raise Kate on my own. I didn't think I could do it. I wanted her to have a good life and—"

"Angie, I understand." He goes over and gives her a hug. "You don't have to explain."

Gavin comes over to me. "We should probably go," he says under his breath.

I nod and stand up. As we're leaving the room, my phone rings.

"It's Carol," I whisper to Gavin as we go to the living room.

"Answer it," he says. "But don't tell her what I told you. Pretend you don't know anything."

"Hey, Carol," I say in a lighthearted tone. "How's it going?"

"I'm the one who did it," she says, sobbing.

"Did what?" I sit on the couch and motion Gavin to sit next to me. I hold the phone between us so he can hear. "Carol, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

"I killed him," Carol says.

Gavin and I look at each other.

"Don't tell Gavin," she says. "Please. Don't tell him. He doesn't need to know." She's talking really fast, and with her crying it's hard to hear what she's saying. "I can't keep this a secret any longer. Someone has to know, and I didn't know who else to tell."

"Carol, calm down. Take a breath. Now who are we talking about here? Who was killed?"

"Niles. After he murdered that man, I didn't trust him. He was acting strange and I thought he might kill me next. The kind, sweet man I knew was gone. He became someone else, someone violent. I think it was all the pressure he was under. They were watching him, making him do things. Eventually, he just snapped. I broke up with him but he wouldn't accept it. He threatened to hurt me if I didn't stay with him. I knew he had a stash of guns and I thought for sure he'd use one on me."

"So what did you do?" My heart's racing just hearing this. Gavin's so shocked he's frozen in place, his jaw dropped.

"I rigged your father's house to explode," Carol says.

I grab Gavin's arm and squeeze it. "You WHAT?"

"I knew Niles was going there that day to see your father. I'd been worried about Craig for weeks. Niles kept saying Craig knew too much and that he didn't want Craig snooping around and finding out things he shouldn't." She sniffles. "I made sure Craig wasn't there that day. I saw him leave the house and then I waited there, parked down the street, to make sure he didn't come back. When Niles arrived, I waited until he was on the porch and then I detonated the bombs." She sobs. "I loved him, Kate. I loved Niles. I did. But he changed, and in the end, it was him or me. So I killed him."

I'm so stunned I can't speak. Carol killed Niles?

She continues to talk in-between sobs. "I didn't think they'd find out. About the affair or what I'd done. Niles and I were so careful when we were together, and I thought I'd covered my tracks with the explosion. I purposely picked your father's house for the explosion in order to confuse them. Make it look like an accident. But they found out. They put it all together. Once they knew about the affair, they linked Niles' death back to me."

"But how did they find out about the affair?"

"Because of you, Kate."

"Me?" My heart's racing even faster now. "What do you mean?"

"Someone sent me a photo of your texts. The ones between you and Gavin, talking about my affair with Niles."

How is that possible? Did someone take my phone? The day I sent those texts about the affair I was—shit. Walcott. I sent those texts the morning Mr. Walcott came to see me at the restaurant. I left my phone in the office when I went to turn the ovens on. He must've picked up my phone before it locked. He read my texts, and if he's going after Carol now, that proves he's part of this. It's why he gave me that award and invested in my restaurant. It's just like Gavin said, they take care of their own. But Carol isn't one of them. She killed Niles, the man they were putting in office. She ruined their plans. They found out about the affair, and now they assume she killed him, which she did.

"They're coming for me," she says. "It's over. My life is over."

"Carol, calm down. Wait there. Gavin and I will come over, okay?"

We both get up and race to the door.

"It's too late," Carol says.

I hold Gavin's arm, stopping him, and focus back on Carol. "What do you mean it's too late?"

"I can't do this anymore. I'm tired of all the lies and the secrets and worrying about what they might do. I can't live this way. I can't do this."

"Yes you can. We'll figure this out. Just calm down."

"I wish you the best of luck, Kate. You're such a hard worker and you're so kind to everyone. I always wished I had a daughter like you. And your mother has been such a good friend to me. Tell her I love her."

"Carol, wait! Don't do anything!" I open the door and go out in the hall, motioning Gavin to follow me.

"Goodbye, Kate."

"No! Carol, don't—"

A shot rings out, then I hear a loud thump.

"Oh my God." I hold the phone out to Gavin. "She—" I try to breathe. "I think she just shot herself."

Gavin takes the phone from me. "Carol! Carol, are you there? Say something." He looks at me. "She's not answering."

"Call 9-1-1. Use your phone in case Carol comes back on mine."

He nods and gets his phone out and makes the call.

My parents appear at the door. "What's going on out here?" my dad asks.

I look at my mom. "I think something happened to Carol."

I tell her about the shot I heard through the phone and the four of us hurry out to my dad's car and make the hour-long drive to Carol's townhouse. When we get there, the ambulance is leaving but the police are still outside the house. My dad goes up to one of the officers standing on the lawn and he confirms it. Carol shot herself. She's dead.

My mom breaks down crying and so do I. As we try to console each other, Gavin and my dad talk to the police. It's clear Carol's death is a suicide so the police tell us there won't be any kind of criminal investigation. But there should be, because Carol wouldn't have done this if she didn't fear for her life. She thought they would kill her, so she did it herself before they could.

When we leave her house, my mom is still sobbing. The four of us go back to my dad's apartment. My mom is so worn out from crying that she goes in the spare bedroom and lays down, while the rest of us sit in the living room.

"Gavin, I need to talk to Kate," my dad says.

"He doesn't have to leave." I look at my dad. "He already knows. I told Gavin everything."

He raises his brows. "Everything?"

"Yes. Even the part about why you were fired from the force."

"Kate," he scolds. "Why would you do that?"

"Because he had to know. I couldn't keep this from him. It involved his dad and it wasn't fair for him not to know."

"I won't tell anyone," Gavin says. "I swear."

"And there's more," I say to my dad. "There's more you don't know about. Stuff we just found out."

"What is it?"

Gavin and I tell my dad about Niles having an affair with Carol and how Carol knew about the secret society. Then I tell him what Carol said on the phone to me, about how and why she killed Niles.

"Wow," my dad says, shaking his head. "I had no idea. This day has been full of surprises, and not good ones."

He's not just talking about Niles and Carol, but also the news that he's not my real dad. I'm still trying to wrap my head around that myself.

He stands up and walks to the other side of the room. "Your mother doesn't need to know all this. I don't want you telling her."

I nod. "Okay."

"She'll be going back to Florida soon and she'll be away from all this. There's no reason for her to know."

"I agree."

He seems sad, thinking of her leaving. I thought he'd be mad at my mom for not telling him I wasn't his daughter but he doesn't seem mad at all. He hasn't since he found out. Maybe part of him always knew, or maybe enough time has passed that he doesn't see a need to be angry. I'm his daughter no matter what, and that's all that counts.

"Does your mother know?" my dad asks Gavin.

"I don't think so," he says.

"You sure about that?"

"What do you mean?"

My dad lets out a breath. "She knew."

Gavin gets up and walks over to my dad. "She knew about the affair?"

"She couldn't prove it but she had her suspicions. That's why she hired me. She wanted me to see what I could find out."

"When did she hire you?" I ask, going to stand by Gavin.

"A few weeks ago. Celeste and I were never dating. She wanted it to look that way so no one would suspect she'd hired me to do an investigation on Niles. Initially I didn't want to play along but she paid me a generous bonus to go on a few fake dates with her so I agreed to it. My investigation didn't turn up anything so our fake relationship ended."

"But he's gone," Gavin says. "Why would she want to know if he'd been cheating?"

My dad shrugs. "It'd obviously been bothering her not to know. Sometimes not knowing is harder than knowing."

"Did she say who she thought he might be having an affair with?" I ask.

"No. And don't ask me anymore about that. You know I'm not allowed to disclose what my clients tell me."

"I don't think she knew about the other stuff," Gavin says. "The secret society? I think my dad hid that from her."

"Why do you think that?" my dad asks. "How would you know?"

"My mom's not great at keeping secrets, especially when she was drinking. If she knew about that group, she would've told me when she was drunk. She wouldn't have been able to keep that a secret." Gavin's phone dings and he checks it. "It's a text from my grandpa, just checking in. I'll call him later."

"How's he's doing?" my dad asks.

"My grandpa? He's good." Gavin smiles. "I think he's relieved to be out of my mom's house. The two of them were driving each other crazy, although between you and me, I think my mom liked having him there."

My dad rubs his chin. "I probably shouldn't tell you this, given the confidentiality rules, but then again, technically Celeste told me this before I was hired."

"Told you what?" Gavin asks.

"Henry's the reason your mother's stayed sober this long. When she came back from rehab, she was struggling. Henry went over there to see how she was doing and stopped her before she took a drink."

"He did?" Gavin goes back to the couch to sit down. "She never told me that."

"She continued to struggle so he kept going there to check on her. I assume that's why he insisted on living with her, and why she allowed it."

"I had no idea," Gavin says. "Why wouldn't she come to me? I would've helped her."

"A parent doesn't want their child to see them struggling. We're supposed to be the strong ones." My dad looks at me.

"I never thought you were weak, Dad."

He puts his arm around me and kisses my head. "I know, honey, but I felt weak when I couldn't be there for you all those years I was drinking."

"You were still there." I turn to face him. "And you're still my dad."

"About that," he says. "I'm not mad at your mother and I don't want you to be either. That happened at a time when your mom and I were living apart. She hadn't heard from me for days and she assumed we were done. When we were back together, she should've told me what happened, but even if she had, the result would've been the same. I would've stayed with her and raised you as my own."

"So what's going to happen with you and mom?"

"She'll be going back to Florida in a couple weeks. She's had enough time away and she needs to get back to her job."

"But what happens with you and her? Is it over?"

"We still have to figure that out. I'd like to continue what we started but that's a little hard to do from a thousand miles away."

"So move down there. You always say how much you hate the cold."

"And leave my daughter here? Knowing they're watching you? No. Never."

"Dad, there's something I didn't tell you yet."

He sighs. "Now what?" 

I tell him that my real dad was a member of that group, and that because of that I'm safe.

"They'll never hurt me," I say. "Carol said they'll protect me out of loyalty to my biological father."

"I don't trust that Carol knew the rules. Just because she told you that doesn't mean it's true."

"Then what am I supposed to do? Be afraid for the rest of my life? Go into hiding?"

He stops to think. "I need to find someone I trust enough to ask about this. Someone who knows about this group. Problem is, I don't know who that would be. Just asking questions about it could get me killed."

"Don't do it," I say as I get an idea. "I will."

"Kate, you're not putting yourself in danger."

"I'm not. I think I know someone I can trust to ask."

"Who?" Gavin asks.

"I can't tell you."

But it's someone he knows. Someone who was there the night I saw Niles kill that man. Someone who knows I saw it happen. And yet he never told anyone. He kept my secret. And that's why I think I can trust him.