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“The kids must love being without cell coverage," Hayley said sarcastically.
“Surprisingly. They didn’t complain much,” Maura said. "What was your most memorable vacation destination?”
“My favorite was Montreal. To this day, it’s my favorite big city. You told me that Bill Cast was an airline pilot; do you think our dad avoided airports so he could dodge anyone who knew him from his other career?” Hayley asked.
“I guess, but I still have a hard time imagining our somewhat dorky father leading a double life. The why and how may never be answered unless this Sophie person has answers. I wonder if the beach house was something her family used. If not, then what was he doing with it?” Maura asked.
“I don’t know. There are a ton of unanswered questions. Imagine how Mom is going to feel when she finds out. I wouldn’t be able to control my anger. It would be worse than plain old cheating. This other family's dad must have thought they were the only ones, too, so he cared about them just like he cared about us. Are you mad?”
“Of course. I’m a lawyer, so the truth and following the law mean everything to me. You aren’t legally allowed two wives. I guess the fact that he broke the law is the least of our worries. I don’t know how I’m going to explain this to Will and Reid since they adored their Pop-Pop. They’re away at college and don’t deserve this kind of upheaval in their lives. One thing’s for sure, I’m not going to lie to them because a parent shouldn’t hide the truth. It’s not a good feeling.”
“The good thing about your kids is that they’re well-adjusted. You and David did a commendable job, and they've grown into people I like spending time with. It wasn’t like you’re poor, but never have they seemed to act entitled,” Hayley said. “They’ll handle this in stride because the younger a person is, the more resilient they are. That’s one of the things I miss about you. It takes longer to recover from a workout, and mental pains stick around longer, too.”
“Thanks for that about my kids, and I agree. Now that we’re talking about children, are your eggs still frozen?” Maura asked.
“They are, but my contract to keep them expires at the end of the year. Need I remind you that we’re forty-four? The parenthood ship has sailed, and I’m okay with that.”
“Unless, of course, you meet the man of your dreams in the next few months,” Maura said.
“The chances of that happening are slim to none. They’re even less likely that a man would want children in middle age. Let’s stop procrastinating and get to our new beach house.”
Maura and Hayley started to drive the final two hundred miles to St. Michaels, Maryland.
5
Sophie had passed Baltimore, and she was less than an hour from St. Michaels, Maryland. She noticed the weather warming slightly as she traveled south and had drank three cups of coffee since leaving Hempstead.
After recovering from the shock of her father’s double life and the fact that she had two sisters, Sophie decided a trip to the house was a good idea since it might help make it seem real. Nina helped with her internet search of the Bill Allen family. Facts, she thought, would help her get used to the bombshell news, Sophie wasn’t even sure it was real, but her lawyer, Nora, insisted everything had been checked out.
They spent the day in Nina’s office, hitting a few dead ends but finding useful information, too.
I found almost nothing on Bill, William, or Will Allen, but I did find his wife. Her name is Lisa, and she doesn’t seem to have worked outside the home. If your father did lead separate lives, he covered his tracks pretty well. I have one photo of his wife as a member of the local lawn and garden club,” Nina said. She enlarged the picture on the screen.
Sophie wasn’t too surprised. “That’s the woman in the picture that I found among my father’s things. She looks different in this picture, and I hate to say it, but she looks like my mother, Vera. I feel like we’re putting a puzzle together, and we found one that fits. Anything on the girls?”
“It’s weird. I’m not finding a whole lot of pictures, but I do have some information. Hayley and Maura are forty-four-year-old twins. Maura lives in what appears to be a tony suburb of Syracuse, while Hayley lives in working-class Utica, where she’s a nurse. Maura is a married lawyer, and she has children.”
Both women have Instagram accounts and Pinterest pages where they comment and have followers, but again, photos are scarce,” Nina said.
“My father was chill in almost every regard except when it came to what I posted online. He said it was how identities were stolen and how a lot of predators picked their victims. I thought it was weird at first, but got used to it. I bet those girls had the same lecture. He was really trying to hide his own identity,” Sophie said. “I had better get used to clues and reveals of this nature since I’m pretty sure more will be coming.”
“I have Maura’s landline, which is something almost no one has anymore. Her married name is Fallaci, which she uses with a hyphen. Are you interested in calling?” Nina asked. She handed Sophie the number after she had nodded.
“This is David Fallaci, how can I help,” a friendly voice answered.
“Hello, I was hoping to speak with Maura,” Sophie said.
“May I ask who’s calling? I’m her husband, David.”
“It’s Sophie Cast,” she said.
“Oh, Maura has told me that there’s a good chance you’re her half-sister. Welcome to the family. I spoke with your son, Malcolm, who’s a great kid – man, I should say. Maura and her sister Hayley went on a road trip to Maryland. I think they were going to New York City first, so they won’t be there for a few days.”
“Did they or you have any idea that Bill wasn’t who he said he was?” Sophie asked.
“No, not until the day Maura was told by her lawyer. He was a loving father to the girls and a great Pop-Pop to my kids. I used to go to basketball games with him and didn’t blink when he was gone for long periods. He was an engineer on an oil rig,” David said.
Sophie cleared her throat. “I loved my dad, and I’m sure they loved theirs. I hope we can make some sense of this in the future. If everything works out, I’ll probably meet you someday. I have somewhere to be, but you’ve been very helpful.”
