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“It’s so good to see you coming out of your chemo haze. You’re the heart and soul of this family, and we need you,” David said. His mother died when he was a teenager, so Lisa was pretty much like a mom, not a mother-in-law.
* * *
They all ate chicken fried rice together, and Maura felt relaxed and relieved for the first time in a long time. Then, she remembered what Donald had said about her dad. She realized that must have been how Hayley felt, except her ability to push the unpleasantness aside lasted for more than one hour.
David was going over a brief in his leather chair when Maura walked in with a bowl of his favorite ice cream.
“Is that caramel swirl gelato?” David asked.
“It is. You hit the gym today, so I thought you deserved a little splurge,” Maura said.
“I appreciate the treat, but what I really want is for you to start hitting the gym with me again. I enjoy showing off the woman who married a slab like me,” David said.
“You’re in great shape, David. You’re forty-seven, and Reid's friends think you're hot – in a cute sort of way,” Maura said. “Do you think I need the gym, and that’s a polite way of telling me?”
“No,” David said forcefully. “I worry that you don’t eat enough. The gym would be something you do for yourself, and I think it’s time you did that. Reid and Will are both out of the house, and Mom has turned a corner.”
“Now that you brought it up, I am thinking of getting out of the house,” Maura said.
“Are you going back to work?” he asked. “They’d love to have you back, even if it’s part-time.”
“No, I’m going to Maryland with Hayley. I want to see the house my father owned and find out about this second family, which I won’t believe until I see this Sophie Cast. My latest theory is that she had her identity stolen. You saw the house; it’s amazing and I could see someone trying to get their hands on it.”
“Her identity wasn’t stolen. I spoke with Sophie’s son Malcolm today. I got the number from her attorney, Nora Gladstone, who received the same information as Donald Parish did. In fact, Donald spoke with Nora to see if she knew anything that he didn’t.”
“None of this makes sense. My father worked on an oil rig, and he deposited paychecks in the bank. We lived a normal middle-class life. Why didn’t you talk to Sophie?” Maura asked.
“Malcolm told me that his mother is driving down to Maryland to find out what the heck is going on. He’s a fantastic kid who's twenty-six and newly married. He said his mother was floored and her biggest worry was how her mother was going to take this,” David said. “They seem like a normal family, just like us.”
“We’re normal?” Maura asked.
“Besides the latest news about your father, we’re pretty normal. A lot of families endure cancer and the death of a loved one. For some, it's worse, and there are those who have it that have it better. We have each other and the kids. The four of us have our health, and that’s something we can be grateful for. I have a client who lost a child in a car accident, and the other is addicted to pain pills because they broke their back. Life is tough for everyone, and it’s normal to have adversity to overcome,” David said. “Having said all of that, I think a trip to Maryland is a great idea. Take the Prius because you'll get better mileage than the Volvo.”
“My mother was right when she said I was lucky to have you. I’m sorry if?—”
David cut her off. “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.”
Maura and David looked at each other and burst out laughing. David liked using the corniest phrase he could think of to add some levity to the situation. It never failed, and Maura wondered where he got an endless supply of such phrases.
“Seriously, just go to St. Michaels and enjoy the company of your sister. The trip will do you good. Everything came at you at once, and you need a break.”
“I love you, David. I’m going to get someone to come and take care of Mom while I’m gone,” Maura said. “She will just need someone to keep her port clean and monitor her progress.”
"Don't you dare! I can work from home since I have no court dates set up, and the kids will be coming home in a couple of weeks. I can do those things and more; besides, Lisa and I are like two peas in a pod. Will is heading back east for his internship, but Reid can help me. She and Mom have something special between them, and they’ll both enjoy it.”
“I don’t know what to expect when I get there. For the first time, I'm beginning to believe that I may actually have another sister. It’s also becoming clear that my father wasn’t who he said he was,” Maura said as she shook her head in disbelief.
“I googled Bill Cast,” David said.
“What did you find?” Maura asked.
“Initially, I found nothing, but if you recall, I worked for a private investigator prior to passing the bar. I found one photo of him at a function for a retiring pilot. Bill Cast was an airline pilot.”
“Oh, gosh. That’s a stretch because we never went on a vacation as a family where we had to fly. Where did he find the time Hayley and I never expected he was anywhere but on an oil rig when he wasn’t home?”
“These are questions for Sophie. I will say, however, that an engineer can work remotely, and many aren’t stationed on the rig. I called around for that info,” David said.
“I love that you’re so clever,” she said.
