River of Lies (15 page)

“Well I reckon he was” she said, as she came close to the table, and leaned in towards me.

I leaned back, as I felt increasingly uncomfortable.

“Tilly” Dad’s voice sounded, warning.

“I know who did it to” she said smiling, her breath hitting my face in a stinking foul breeze. She pushed herself back off the table, and snatched her mug of coffee, it slopped onto the bench as she marched back into the lounge room.

I looked over at Dad in shock, he half stood, half sat on his chair. He eased back into the chair, and let out a sharp breath.

“I better go now, would you mind giving me a lift home?” I said; I eased my way up on shaking legs.

Dad and I made our way to the front door, as he picked up his keys from the side table beside the entrance.

“Bye Mon, it was great to see you again” Tilly called from the couch.

I turned to face her, and for a split second, I could have sworn I saw the devil himself flash across her face.

“Bye” I said; I flew out the front door, and into the safety of Dad’s car. A chill of fear froze my blood in my veins.

On the way back to my house, Dad told me he didn’t think it would be a good idea for me to come back again. I agreed, and I knew that I wouldn’t come back when Dad wasn’t there.  But what Tilly said had troubled me. She knew who ordered Michael to kill Dylan. I didn’t know if she was telling the truth, or just trying to hurt me, but there was only one person who could answer that, and he sat in a jail cell.

“Dad I think I want to speak to Michael.” I said as we pulled into my driveway.

“I thought you might” Dad said, when he turned off the ignition and looked over at me.

“Do you really think it’s going to help? What if he tells you something that paints Dylan in a negative light? What if the truth isn’t favourable to Dylan?” Dad flicked his hand through my hair.

I dropped my head, and stared down at my belly.

“I know Dad, but it’s a risk I have to take. I don’t want to think Dylan was turning into a bad guy, but I need to know”

“Why Mon?” he said, he lifted my head with his fingers under my chin to look at him.

Tears glistened in my eyes, to match those in his.

“If I don’t I will always wonder, and it will kill me never knowing”

Dad nodded, and patted my thigh.

“I just don’t want you to be hurt, I think you’ve had enough of that to last a life time” he said.

I squeezed his hand, and wiped my tears with my free hand.  I didn’t know if Dad would take me to the prison, I didn’t know if it was even a good idea to go, but Tilly’s words wouldn’t go away. And I needed the truth.

Chapter Nineteen.

Over the following days, life just seemed to take over.  The questions and answers were never very far from my mind, but with hospital appointments, studying for exams, sorting out the bedroom for the upcoming arrival of the baby, I was too busy to deal with anything else.  Dad seemed a little distant too, and I had wondered if it was because he didn’t want me to speak with Michael.

I was surprised on the following Saturday when Dad came to the house.  I had finished the final touch ups on the room, and had set up the cot and dressed it.

“That looks great Mon”

I turned to see Dad in the bedroom door he smiled and looked around at the nursery and my bedroom.

“You’ve made a real difference in here” he said as he came in the room.

I smiled up at him, pleased with my achievement.

“Do you still want to get your answers?” he asked, as his smile dropped.

I felt a lurch in my stomach as my anxiety began to rise. Suddenly I wasn’t sure I wanted to know anymore. But there was a sick stubbornness flowing through me that needed to know. I nodded at Dad as he frowned.

“Are you sure? You don’t have to” he said as he held my shoulder lightly.

“Yes, I’m sure, are we going to speak with Michael?”

Dad nodded and explained how it was visiting day at the prison. He had written to Michael, and organised to have our names put on the visitors list. I swallowed hard at the reality of what was about to happen, and I could feel my hands begin to shake. I wasn’t sure that this was the right thing to do, but I just needed to know why.

On the way to the prison we drove in silence, with only the radio to break up the awkwardness. I watched the world slip by from the window of the car. Dylan flooded my thoughts, his face, his scent, and his touch. Soon we were pulled up to a small booth which sat in front of a big looming grey brick wall. My anxiety began to rise even higher.  Dad spoke to the security guard at the gate, as the guard explained where Dad had to park and where to go. We walked to the administration building at the front of the prison, my legs seemed to have a mind of their own, they were walking by themselves, but my mind and heart was screaming to stop.

I recognised Michael as soon as I saw him. The prison wasn’t like the movies, there weren’t little booths to sit behind with a phone, and it was just a table in a room of tables. Other prisoners were there with their families, there were lots of smiles, laughter and tears. Michael smiled warily as he approached the table.

“Hi Shane, Mon” he said as he reached his hand out and shook Dad’s hand. I didn’t extend my hand to shake his. He sat down and watched me gingerly, as if lost for words.

My anger was rising and beginning to boil, and the longer we sat in silence, the harder it was to keep a lid on it.

“Why?” I said as tears suddenly flooded my cheeks.

Dad grabbed my hand that was balled tightly into a fist, and held onto it tight. Michael stared at me blankly, and dropped his face to the table.

“Mon, I’m sorry, I know that your angry and you have every right to be, but I can’t tell you why” he said quietly.

“Why can’t you tell me? Why won’t anyone tell me why? I have a right to know, our fucking baby has a right to know why his daddy isn’t going to be around” I yelled through gritted teeth.

I instantly regretted my words, but couldn’t bring them back, as Michael stared back at me, an eyebrow raised. He didn’t know about Dylan and I no one had told him. I stared at Michael my face flushed with my mistake. Michael ran his hand over his face, as he breathed out heavily, and took in the news I’d just delivered in a foul blow.

“Mon please, maybe this was a mistake” Dad said as he stood up and tried to pull my arm up.

I wrenched it from his grip I continued to stare icily at Michael, who hadn’t taken his eyes off my face.

“It’s Dylan’s baby?” he said. I nodded and he finally dropped his head back down as the reality sunk in.

He sighed, and rubbed his face again.

“Mon it wasn’t done to hurt you, I didn’t even know you were pregnant.” He looked up at me and shook his head; his eyes had begun to glisten. “For what’s its worth, you look beautiful, and just like your mum when she was pregnant with you”

“Michael, that’s enough” Dad growled.

I looked over at Dad, whose face was twisted into anger. Michael nodded and ran his hand up through his hair.

“Look this is a shitty sorry situation, and it was nothing against you, no one wanted you to be hurt. No one knew that you and Dylan. Fuck, Dylan was Tilly’s boyfriend, she thought he was fucking Shelly” he rubbed his hand through his hair again, as he blew out a breath in frustration.

“So is that why you did it? Because you thought him and Shelly were together?” I asked quietly.

I could see his frustration starting to mount, as he shook his head.

“Yes, no. Look Mon you’re playing with stuff you shouldn’t be playing with” he looked up at Dad “Shane, please mate, don’t make her go through this, if you are any of the father you have always pretended to be you won’t make her go through this shit”

Dad sat back down next to me and shook his head.

“Through what, nobody is saying anything, were you set up to kill him?” I barked.

Michael sat back in the chair; he rubbed both hands over his face.

“Yes Mon I was, I was paid to kill him that will come out at the trial. I was a fucking idiot and let money for heroin wins me over, and as I result I killed him”

It was like a knife going straight into my heart. I finally had some of my answer, and it hurt so much to hear it.

“By who?”

Michael stared at me, but just shook his head slowly.

“I can’t tell you that Mon, look I know you want answers, you’re a beautiful girl, and I don’t want to hurt you, hell I’ve loved you since you were a tiny bump in your mum’s belly” he said, as a tear escaped and ran down his cheek.

I heard my Dad groan beside me, and when I turned to him, his face was red.  He wouldn’t meet my eyes though. I turned back to Michael; my anger hadn’t eased at all.

“Then have enough respect to answer my god damn questions” I spat.

Michael stood up from his chair, and looked down at me.

“Was it Richard?” I asked, he looked at me with shock, as he slowly sat back down again.

“How do you know Richard?”

“I met him yesterday; Dylan had his number written down”

Michael grabbed at my hand that sat on the table, I tried to pull it out of his grasp, but he held on tight.

“Listen to me Mon, you stay right away from that man, he will bring you nothing but trouble” he looked up at Dad “Shane, if you have a lick of sense in your fucking head, you’ll make sure she stays away from Richard”.

I was finally able to snatch my hand out of Michaels grasp as he stood up. I sat watching him as he walked out of the room, and to the waiting guard. Dad patted my leg, and gave it a little squeeze.

“Come on Mon, let’s go home” I heard him say distantly.

I stood up and followed Dad, but it felt like I was walking in a dream, as if in slow motion. All the way home my thoughts were on Richard and what Michael had said about him. It didn’t match with the fat man I had met on the station platform.

When I got home I sat in my room, I fingered at the piece of paper with Richards number on it. I had promised Dad that I wouldn’t contact Richard again, but I knew as I was making the promise that it was a lie. I needed to know why Michael was so against Richard and what he knew that he hadn’t told me. My visit with Michael seemed to leave more unanswered questions. I felt like I wasn’t getting anywhere.

I leapt up from the bed, and marched to the phone as I punched in the number which I had almost learnt by heart, from looking at it so often. When the phone picked up, I heard the familiar voice of Richard on the other end.

“Richard it’s Mon, I need to see you, I need answers, and you are going to give them to me, I’ve had enough fucking around” I spat.

From the silence on the other end, I could tell that he was shocked.

“Ok, tomorrow, same place, and ten o’clock” he said quietly as he hung up the phone with a clunk.

I instantly had regret, and felt so guilty that I was lying to my dad but there was an inner force that continued to push me forward and I couldn’t give it up until I knew who killed Dylan.

Chapter Twenty.

My hands were in a constant tremor as I entered the empty dank train platform. I saw the silhouette of Richard standing close to the vending machine he wore the same red flannelette shirt. He had his back to me and jumped slightly when I tapped him on the shoulder.

“Mon” he said loudly in his fright.

I fought the urge to start laughing at the comical look of fright on his face.

“Richard, I saw Michael yesterday”

Richard frowned, and shoved his hands into his jeans pocket.

“What did he say?”

“He told me not to speak to you again, that you were a bad person and I should stay away from you, why would he say all that?”

Richard’s frown grew deeper, as he began to rock back and forth from foot to foot.

“Is that all he said?”

I nodded, as I watched him, and tried to read something from his face.

“He’s probably right, you shouldn’t be speaking to me, and I’m not a good person”

I raised my eyebrows at him, I felt like I should have been scared, but I couldn’t be. The fat man that stood in front of me was about as scary as a teddy bear with a clown mask. I smiled at my own analogy, but quickly tried to wipe it from my face.