Forget to Remember

to charm them into accepting Carol as Mrs. Horton’s granddaughter without actually saying so.
    They were sitting at the kitchen table eating chicken salad prepared by Audrey. Mrs. Horton and Carol were seated at either end of the rectangle with Paul in the middle. Mrs. Horton had planned the seating arrangement. He had to turn his head from one of them to the other as he spoke.
    “I’m glad you two are getting along so well. You know, I see a family resemblance between you.”
    Mrs. Horton looked skeptical. “Surely not our coloring.”
    Paul treated that as a joke and laughed briefly. “No, I was talking about the fact that you’re both quite tall and slim. And you have the same way of cocking your heads when you’re listening.”
    “In my case, it’s so I can hear what you’re saying.” Mrs. Horton turned her head, revealing her hearing aids.
    Carol was laughing inside. It was time to increase the stakes. “We need to talk about the picture you gave me.”
    If Paul was concerned, he didn’t show it. “Yes, isn’t that a good shot? I found it among some papers belonging to the Sakais.” He looked at Mrs. Horton. “I’ll get a copy for you, too.”
    “Don’t bother. I’ve already seen it. I’m sure you know that you can get disbarred for tampering with evidence.”
    “Whaaa…? There’s nothing wrong with that picture.”
    Carol took up the tale. “I know a forensic genealogist who will testify that the photo is a fake.” She didn’t need to elaborate any more than that. Paul knew who she was talking about.
    Paul was sweating in a few other places now. He had taken off his suit coat when he arrived and his armpits were wet. “What’s going on here?”
    Mrs. Horton smiled grimly. “Since you ask, you stand to get five million dollars for producing Cynthia. You produced a girl who looks like Cynthia but isn’t her. No, don’t say anything; I’m not through. You knew or suspected that from the start. You doctored the photo to help your case. You depended on the fact that my eyesight and hearing and perhaps my brain aren’t what they used to be to fool me. Since Carol has amnesia you figured you could feed her anything and she’d buy it. Or even if she had her doubts the chance of getting all that money would put her on your side.”
    Carol couldn’t resist adding her two cents. “In reality, Mrs. Horton’s mind is as sharp as the stiletto heel on a model’s shoe.”
    “And Carol may have a memory problem, but she’s a young lady of principle. She won’t take money under false pretences.”
    Paul wasn’t looking at either of them. He stared at his hands as he was twisting them together on the table. “I admit I was trying to cover all the bases. Sorry, bad joke. In the picture of Cynthia I covered she has long hair. But Carol still might be Cynthia.”
    Mrs. Horton shook her head. “She’s not.”
    Carol said, “I’m wearing the wrong kind of earrings.”
    Paul looked incredulous. “Don’t give me that sh…”
    Mrs. Horton explained about the allergic reaction.
    Paul looked slowly from one of them to the other. “If you’re not related, why do I get the impression you’re working together? What do you want?”
    Mrs. Horton gave a hint of a smile. “For starters, don’t try to con me again. You’re playing with the emotions of an old woman. I’m quite sure Cynthia’s dead, but go ahead and look for her. Earn your probate fee even if you don’t get the five million. Perhaps I’m wrong. I hope I’m wrong. Now let’s talk about Carol.”
    Paul turned his head to look at Carol. With all this head swiveling, he was going to need a chiropractor. She felt emboldened since she had Mrs. Horton backing her.
    “I want to continue to search for my identity. I need some help. I’d like five thousand dollars in a checking account with an ATM card. I need a passport in the name of Carol Golden. Also, I’d like a new driver’s license for Carol Golden. I’m not Cynthia Sakai.”
    Paul whistled. “That’s all you want? How about the moon on a string? What makes you think I can do those things, including get the money?”
    “The driver’s license you already made for Carol proves you have connections.” Mrs. Horton sniffed. “I don’t want to know what they are. I’m sure a passport is within your capability. Take the money out of the Sakai estate. It’s not enough to have a significant effect on the total. And it’s certainly no skin off your nose. When Carol