Filed to story: The Lingering Kiss of Farewell Novel
That Marilyn and Marrin were identical in appearance, and he even sent a photo of Marrin and Calvin to the man and then one of Marilyn from her recent book signing. So, Detective Bennett could see what he was talking about. The man was quiet for a long moment and then told him to go on.
Wil did just that, explaining that he was trying to get confirmation of whether Marilyn was actually Marrin, to try and help resolve the issues that his client was currently faced with. That officer had thought about it himself and then stated,
“It could be possible. Marilyn Riddley’s accident was horrible, and she suffered from a head trauma, and was diagnosed with amnesia by her doctors. She didn’t even recall having the accident, let alone anything before it.”
“Do you think she lied to you, to anyone about that, put on an act of amnesia?”
Wil had to ask the question, because it was important. Calvin hated women who did that, and it could be a major problem for Calvin to deal with
“No, if you talk to her neurosurgeon or read his report, they were concerned about it happening even before she woke up due to the seriousness of her injuries and I do believe they cracked her skull open in surgery. I had to wait to talk to her myself until she regained consciousness and was moved to a ward.
“She was questioned by myself and more than once over her recovery period, and the nurses and doctors did. multiple memory tests on her hoping she’d eventually recall something, but there was nothing. Not once did she make a mistake or trip up on her own words. She simply just didn’t recall, was all.
“Then there was also that no one came to the hospital looking for either. She had no next of kin to be contacted, it was all a little bit weird to be honest, like she just didn’t exist before that accident. The
2:0 conclusion was made by myself and those around me that she’d likely changed her name, and she didn’t argue or fight the charges laid against her, accepted them all.”
What charges? Wil asked with a frown.
The accident was her fault, because she was using her phone to call someone while driving. Thankfully, no one else was injured, only she was. That’s rare in itself.”
“Do you recall who the hire car was attached to?”
he asked.
“Yes, I checked into all of that. It was under Marilyn Riddley. She also had a Virginia driver’s license with her name on it. Do you really think she’s this Marrin Reeves woman?”
1 do,”
Wil told him honestly.
“Calvin actually got a call the day of the accident, but he was away in Italy at the time. It was from Marrin. All she stated was his name ‘Calvin’ and then there was screaming and the sounds of an accident.”
He sighed.
“Hmm. Well, the dashcam in her car caught her calling someone, and she spoke the name Calvin. I dare say you’ve found your missing person. A simple DNA test would let you know the truth of that.”
“We don’t have Marrin’s to compare it to,”
he sighed.
“Compare it to a family member of hers then,”
Detective Bennett stated simply.
“She’s an orphan and has none.”
Wil sighed.
“Or I dare say Calvin would have done that himself.”
And he knew he would have, likely ripped hair from her head and tried to have it tested himself.
“Thank you for your help, Detective. If anything else you think is important comes to mind, please let me know, and if I could get a copy of her accident report as evidence, I would greatly appreciate it to help me piece together the puzzle before me. Before I even tell my client, I don’t want to be giving him false hope, you understand.”
He’d given the man his email address and phone number before hanging up.
Merilyn
The boys were finally allowed in to see her, and although she smiled at them, they did not really smile back at her like she was used to, and it tugged at her heart to know they’d been put through all of this. She knew how long she’d been unconscious for, and she could see they were both clearly worried about her. Both of them came around to the same side of the bed and looked at her with uncertainty.
“Mum?”
Vincent had asked, clutching at her hand as tears welled up in his eyes.
Tm okay,”
she told him, and squeezed his little hand with hers, reassuringly.
“I’ve been banged up worse than this once before. I’m tough remember, just like the two of you are.”
They both knew she’d been pregnant with them during her accident and by some miracle all three of them had managed to survive it.
She smiled at him and then Callum. She had been given something for her headache before they were allowed into the room, because it had gone from a seven to an eight as the doctors had talked to her, asking her a full series of questions about her life due to her once having suffered amnesia, and had it now gotten worse or, by some slight chance better, it had not from all she could tell. All her thinking and answering of their questions had done was to increase her headache.
“Mum- do you know who we are?”
Callum had asked her, and she could hear the slight tremor in his small voice.
A part of her wanted instantly to tease and play with him, because that was their norm, but she also knew that now was not the time or place to do so. It would likely only cause them more distress, fear and sadness, maybe even panic, she thought, instead of the usual instigation of laughter with them, as they would normally find it funny.
“Yes Callum, I do.”
