Forget to Remember

It was no use. I knew you wouldn’t lie. He had them mesmerized. I almost spilled the beans when Paul asked if Cynthia had a scar, but I was too frightened.”
    “Where is he now?”
    “That’s just it. I don’t know. He called me a few weeks after the crash. I almost had a heart attack. At first, I didn’t believe it was him, but no one else sounds like he does. Somehow he found out you were coming here. That’s when he told me to say you weren’t my granddaughter or he’d kill us both. He also told me not to tell anybody he was alive.”
    “Since he’s tried to kill me three times already, that’s not hard to believe. As I said, the shooting in California occurred after I came here. Apparently, he’s still afraid I’ll get the money.” Carol needed to protect her grandmother. “We have to go to the police.”
    Mrs. Horton shook her head. “He warned me against that. If we do, he’ll kill us for sure.”
    “We have to get you to a safe place.”
    “There is no safe place as long as he’s out there.”
    “This house can’t be easily guarded.”
    “I’ve lived here too long to move now.”
    Carol wanted to argue with her, but she knew it was futile. Besides, Mrs. Horton was right. Any place she went, Michael would find her. Mrs. Horton released her death grip on Carol’s hand.
    “I’m being selfish. It’s much more important that you survive than I do. I’ve lived my life. I didn’t send in the DNA test because I was scared. I didn’t want you to find out who you were. I was afraid Michael would kill you. Now that you know, I’m going to do it. Then, if something happens to me, you can use it to help prove who you are, if there’s any question.”
    Carol went and got the test kit, following Mrs. Horton’s directions, and helped her scrub the inside of her cheek with what looked like a small toothbrush. She had to do it three times three hours apart. They filled out the form authorizing the information to be used for matching purposes, and Mrs. Horton signed it.
    Carol explained the procedure. “We send the DNA sample to the testing company. It has a lot number on it. That number is connected to Frances who’s a project administrator. She’ll be able to see the results of the test online. Since she also has a record of my DNA, she can compare them. You and I should have the same mitochondrial DNA.”
    “That will prove you’re my granddaughter?”
    “No, because there are probably a number of people who have the same mtDNA as you do. It will prove we’re related, however. If we match but there’s still doubt, we can expand the test to include the rest of your DNA.”
    Under Mrs. Horton’s direction, Carol made them lunch. While they were eating, Mrs. Horton reminisced about when Carol was young (referring to her as Cynthia), and mentioned she was a majorette since the age of seven.
    “When you showed me family pictures, there weren’t any of me in any kind of majorette uniform.”
    “I-I took them out of the books. I also hid the pictures of you when you were older—any that looked too much like you do now. I didn’t want anything to jog your memory.”
    Carol still had a hard time believing her grandmother would reject her, but the fact that she did it out of fear for her safety helped.
    They discussed whether they should talk to Paul. Carol was against it. “He’s not trustworthy. He altered the picture of me to try and convince me—and you—I was Cynthia.”
    “He wasn’t sure you were. Money is the root of all evil. He had millions to gain if you were Cynthia. It was unethical, but because you are Cynthia we should all be on the same side now.”
    “Won’t he feel obligated to go to the police?”
    “I don’t think so. There’s something called client confidentiality. I’d feel better if we did talk to him. Somebody else has to know what’s going on, and as the executor of the estate, he’s the logical one. I want him to know who you are. Maybe he can help us. If worst comes to worst and anything happens to either one of us, he needs to know who’s behind it.”
    “I guess you’re right. Should we make an appointment to see him?”
    “I’ll invite him for dinner. He and his wife are separated. I’m sure he could use a good home-cooked meal.”
    “Does Audrey know everything?”
    “No. It’s time she knew. I’ll fill her in when she returns. For one thing, she should have the option to leave if she thinks it’s too dangerous here.”

    CHAPTER