A Family Affair - Next of Kin (8 page)

“Don’t cry, Elle. Remember what I said to you. I love you. I love Angus. I consider him mine in every way, but the test indicates that Kane is the father.”

“I promise you - I had a paternity test performed by Dr Walsh. It concluded that Kane was not the father.” Her words were tumbling out clumsily, but she needed to explain. He had to understand. “Remember, Tom - I showed it to you. I promise you that is the truth.” Angus couldn’t be Kane’s son - not the little boy she loved so much. Kane couldn’t be a part of him. It had to be wrong.

“I think Dr Walsh lied to you on that day he gave you the result.”

Ellen was taken aback by the unexpected accusation. “That doesn’t make any sense, Tom. Why would Dr Walsh lie? He’s a doctor.”

“I don’t know what his motive was. I confronted him...”

“You confronted him about lying to me?” Ellen said, interrupting him. She couldn’t believe the direction of their conversation.

“Yes, I had to know. He claimed that if the result was somehow wrong, it must have been a laboratory error.”

“Isn’t that more plausible?” Ellen didn’t think it would have been a deliberate lie - doctors didn’t do that.

“He denied lying of course, but I didn’t believe it for a second. I could tell he wanted to tell me the truth. Something or someone was holding him back.”

“I don’t know what to think right now.”

“Listen, the important thing is that we keep Kane out of our lives. He can’t know that he is the father. I don’t want him in Angus’ life or ours. Seeing him in court has only reinforced my view of the harm he could do to our family.”

“I agree.”

“He doesn’t have a leg to stand on. If he decides to challenge the paternity legally, we can provide a copy of Dr Walsh’s test result. We now know about Kane’s litigious nature, so we should anticipate that course of action.”

“I hope he doesn’t do anything as stupid as that.”

“No court would hear the case. A judge would take one look at the paternity test and it would be over. Hayden will take care of it if we need him to. He won’t come near Angus, as long as I’m here.”

“I’m so sorry, Tom - for everything.”

“Sweet, Elle. No, no... it’s not your fault. I shouldn’t have gone to dinner with Nikki that one night without telling you. You wouldn’t have been upset if I hadn’t done that. And I’m the one who wanted my brother in our lives. I promise you one thing - I will make damn sure he doesn’t hurt our family again.”

Kane left the courthouse with a dark, angry heart. He had gotten a very bad feeling from the domineering and self-assured lawyer - Mr Hayden Joseph. There was something distinctively sinister about that guy.

It had not been a good day. He had approached Ellen after the hearing because he cared for her. He didn’t want her to be around a creep like Hayden. Yet she dismissed his concerns, as if they were meaningless. She obviously thought highly of the guy - maybe because he was rich. Or maybe being the company’s head lawyer somehow made him a saint in her eyes. But Kane had always been a good judge of character, and there was no doubt in his mind that Hayden was not to be trusted.

Kane curiously remembered the moment he had raised Angus’ paternity with Ellen. The way she reacted to his question was all the proof he needed. Without doubt, that kid was his. He didn’t know how it could be proven though, given the faulty paperwork produced by the incompetent doctor they had seen.  How could a mistake like that have happened? Perhaps the doctor had been in on it from the start. People with megabucks like the Bradleys always seemed to get their way. For them, bribing a doctor was probably pretty straightforward.

If Ellen didn’t believe his intuition about Hayden, there was only one thing to do - Kane needed proof. He would watch Hayden until the evidence mounted and the conclusion was undeniable. Everyone would know who Hayden really was. Tom would fire him, and kick him out of the company on his backside. Only then, could Kane be sure that Ellen and Angus were safe.

Kane went home, and changed into dark, comfortable clothing. He hastily ate a meal, and jumped on his motorbike, heading full speed towards the offices of Satinol Cosmetics. He assumed that Hayden had returned to work after court. Kane would wait until he left for the day, and follow him home. The plan was rough, but the end goal clear. If he could learn where Hayden lived, and what the man did after work, he would gradually understand him. After that, Hayden’s secrets would be unravelled one by one.

A multistorey car park stood opposite the Satinol car entrance, providing a perfect view of the staff’s comings and goings. Kane rode to the second level and found a position overlooking the access point. From there he could see everything, yet no one who departed would see him. He stayed on the bike with his helmet on, waiting out of sight. If need be, he could roar out of the car park quickly. He would wait all day and all night if needed. He would do anything to learn more about this Hayden character in order to protect the woman he loved.

The hours passed. Cars of all descriptions entered and exited the Satinol entrance, but the one man he wanted wasn’t in any of them. As the sun set and the light faded, Kane started to doubt his plan. Maybe Hayden hadn’t returned to the office after all. Maybe this was a waste of time.

Within fifteen minutes, it was going to become difficult to identify drivers, and Kane would have to choose blindly which car to follow. Hayden seemed like the sort of man who would drive a fast, dark-coloured luxury car - if he had to guess. As money was no object, it would likely be a limited model too.

As the natural light vanished completely and the street lights flickered on, Kane could no longer see the faces of drivers as they left for the day. The number of cars leaving Satinol also slowed to a trickle. Kane’s stomach grumbled so he readjusted his position to lessen the growing discomfort from sitting so still.

But all of a sudden, movement from the exit caught his attention. A new model dark grey Audi was pulling out. It was impossible to identify the driver, but this was close to the type of car Kane would have expected Hayden to drive. In fact, whilst the car was fast and luxurious, it did not stand out in any way. Perhaps more than anything else, Hayden wanted a car which helped him to blend in to society. It was a good bet that Hayden was behind the wheel.

Kane watched to see which way the Audi turned, before revving his bike into action and speeding out of the car park in pursuit. Once he was on the street, he made sure to stay far enough back to remain inconspicuous. There was no telling how Hayden would react if he thought he was being followed.

Kane followed the Audi in a northerly direction, then out of the city towards Collingwood. He had been led towards an industrial part of town with factory-lined streets.

Suddenly the Audi stopped dead still in the middle of the road, and Kane braked hard. A large automatic door opened, and the car turned into a warehouse, disappearing quickly out of sight.

Kane parked his bike, and jogged towards the factory, watching as the automatic door closed before he could see inside. He walked past the entrance, and around to one side, trying to find another entry or a sign indicating what was inside. But there was nothing. This neighbourhood was purely industrial, and there were no houses nearby. It was not the sort of place that you would expect a lawyer to visit after hours. This couldn’t be where Hayden lived. Perhaps Kane had followed the wrong car after all.

He listened for clues, but could hear nothing from inside. It was as if the building itself had been sound-proofed, and without windows, it was impossible to see inside.

“You can’t see from out here,” a voice said from behind him.

Kane startled and swung around expecting to find Hayden standing there.

It was a much younger man, perhaps in his early twenties. He was tattooed around the neck, and his clothes were ripped.

Kane took a few deep breaths, trying to calm his heart which was beating furiously from the sudden rush of adrenalin. “What do you want?” Kane asked, relieved to find anyone there who wasn’t Hayden.

“Me? Nothing,” the man said defensively. He turned to leave, but instead changed his mind. “You seemed interested in the building, that’s all.”

“I am. Do you know how to get in?”

“No.”

“No?” Kane didn’t believe him.

“You don’t want to go
in
there,” he whispered.

“Why not? What goes on inside?” Kane asked.

He pointed to the roof. “I filmed it from up there on my phone. I was spray-painting when I saw it. I filmed the whole thing.”

“What did you film?”

The man removed a phone from his pocket. “I’ve thought about deleting it, but I just can’t. It needs to go to the coppers, but I don’t want to be the one to do it. They’ll find out it was me.”

“I’ll do it,” Kane said confidently. “Hand it over.”

The man didn’t look as if he trusted Kane. “How do I know you’ll hand it to the coppers? How do I know you’re not one of them?”

Kane smiled and held up two fingers. “Scouts’ honour.” He had never been a scout, but couldn’t think of anything more convincing to say.

The man seemed satisfied in any case. He removed the SIM and handed the phone over. “You didn’t get it from me, do you understand? You never met me.” He seemed to want to be rid of the phone more than anything else.

“Yeah, I got it,” Kane said, snatching the phone.

The man backed away and disappeared out of sight.

Kane chuckled. That had been an odd experience. He navigated to the videos on the phone and saw that there was only one. He pressed play and began to watch the activity. There was a man seated with a gun pointed at a car. Kane’s jaw dropped. This did need to go to the police. The tattooed man was obviously not as deluded as he thought. There appeared to be a second person in the car moving. A few seconds later, another car pulled into the factory floor and the roller door closed quickly behind him. Hayden Joseph got out of the car. Kane’s eyes widened - it was definitely him. Kane had been right to follow the car that he did. Hayden was in there right now. Kane moved out of the street lights, finding a hidden spot to continue watching.

It was a video of inside the factory and what Hayden did in there. What was Hayden doing in the factory with a man who was holding a gun? Kane’s intuition had been right. Hayden was a shady character dressed in an expensive tailored suit. Kane watched carefully, his eyes scanning every inch of the footage, not wanting to miss a thing.

Hayden left his car slowly, and walked to the boot where he removed the spare wheel, and retrieved a gun. Holy cow! The other man with the gun did not flinch. They must know each other. What sort of place was this? The footage indicated that they both had a conversation with the person in the car. Kane could see their lips moving, although none of the actual words could be heard.

Without warning, Hayden lifted his gun and fired multiple bullets into the car, and the body in there fell backwards.

Kane fell to the ground, horrified by what he had seen. Hayden was a killer. He’d just watched a murder! He hadn’t expected to find anything like this. Hayden’s threat of violence in the courtroom had been real. This was clearly not a man who made jokes.

Kane was certain that the person inside the car had been shot by Hayden. The footage was not part of a movie. The person and the blood spatter looked real. This was the proof that Ellen needed, and he had found it quicker than he could have imagined. But the risk to Ellen and Angus’ life was also greater. He needed to act carefully.

Kane had promised the tattooed man that he would take the video to the police, but now he wasn’t so sure. He needed to review the facts. Firstly, Hayden was an evil criminal who shot people. Secondly, he needed to pay for what he’d done. But what was the best way to make him pay?

Tom Bradley sat at his desk fidgeting with the lid of his pen. He stared at the laptop displaying a half-written email to a major client in Hong Kong. It was an important email finalising negotiations for a new five-year contract. Tom knew it needed to be sent today, yet his focus was on something else altogether.

Ellen was always on his mind. It was a relief to have told her about the second paternity test that proved Angus was not his biological son. There were no more secrets between the two of them now. In fact, it was nice that she came to question the facts of the matter herself - his revelation had not shocked her in the way he feared. He remembered her reaction. Surprise at first, and then tears, but in a way, he loved that about her. She was a sensitive woman who didn’t hide her feelings from him. He always knew what she was thinking and feeling. After he reassured her, they calmly discussed the need to keep Kane out of their lives. They were certainly in agreement when it came to protecting their son. Perhaps it was time for Tom to talk to Hayden about the situation. He needed to be aware of the facts in case Kane decided to litigate further. Luckily, his good friend could be trusted to be discreet with such information.

Tom’s quest to identify who had been manipulating his life had stalled when Dr Walsh refused to answer his questions. Perhaps it was time to hire a private investigator in order to understand more about the family’s doctor. Tom wasn’t sure what the next best step was, but he knew he could talk to Ellen about it. They would work out a plan of action together.