Chapter 9
Saturday morning dawned cloudless and bright on the Savannah Riverfront. As I strolled down Bay Street with Mike, I could not keep a smile of unadulterated joy off of my face. Summer was here is full force, and soon the harbor would be bursting with the crowds that flocked out to see the Fourth of July fireworks over the river.
Seeing my smile bloom, Mike asked, “So what’s got you so chipper this early in the morning, Stretch?”
I rolled my eyes; Mike had taken to calling me stretch recently. I really could not tell you why because while I am taller than some women, I am really not that vertically gifted. “It’s a beautiful day; what other reason do I need to be happy?”
Mike rubbed a hand over his heart like he was massaging his ego, “Ouch, that hurts, and here I thought maybe that smile was because of me.”
I looked at him and grinned devilishly, “Sure, I can smile for you, Mike. Don’t you remember how just the other day, I smiled so brightly for you after you installed the claw-foot tubs back into the two upstairs bathrooms?”
Mike sighed, “Yeah, I remember that, but it’s not the kind of smile, I’m really going for.”
My eyes bugged, “Oh, what kind of smile were you looking for, may I ask?”
Mike looked heavenward as if searching for the words to make this conversation less awkward. “Well, I was hoping for an ‘I’m interested in seeing more of you type of smile,’ I guess.”
I was speechless for a moment as I searched for a proper response to that earth-shattering revelation. Before I could attempt to come up with anything resembling coherence, Mike waved me off.
“It’s fine, Miranda. I can see that you don’t think of me that way; to tell you the truth that is probably for the best.”
“Not that I want to hurt your feelings by not falling at your feet, but why is it for the best, Mike?”
He shrugged, “I don’t have a great track record with women, and I like you and Sam. I’d like to keep both of you in my life. I admit friendship is probably the only way that can ever happen.”
My eyes wanted to tear up. I didn’t know what had happened to me over the course of the last few months, but I was definitely more sentimental that I used to be. “Mike, that is so sweet. Sam and I love you, and we love spending time with you too. In fact, Sam still talks about our lunch at the Dawg House. He was really impressed with you.”
Mike grinned at me then, and my knees went a little weak despite my resolve not to be attracted to him. I heard the affection in Mike’s voice as he switched the topic of conversation to Sam. “Yeah, Sam’s a great kid. I never really thought much about being a father till I met him. One day I’d like to have some kids like that.”
“Thank you for that, Mike, and thank you for the time that you spend with him. It’s important that he spends time with good men so that one day he knows how to be one. You don’t know how grateful I am to you for that.”
Mike’s eyes sharpened on my face. “Miranda, there is something I want to ask you. I didn’t think it was my place before, but we’re friends and you sort of just brought it up, so I hope you don’t mind. If you do, then just tell me to shut my mouth, okay?”
I laughed, “All right, Mike, I promise. What do you want to know?”
Mike stopped walking and pulled me down beside him on a bench that faced the river. “Where is Sam’s father?”
The wind went out of my sails and my lungs at the same time, and the result was an indrawn breath that sounded like a death rattle. Mike patted my back in an awkward fashion and rushed in, “You don’t have to tell me, Miranda, unless you want to.”
I sat up and leaned back into the comfort of his arm around my shoulders and looked into his face. “No, it’s okay, Mike. It seems that lately I am talking about a lot of former taboo subjects; first with Missy, then myself, and I guess now with you too.”
Mike joked, “Talking to yourself; Miranda, I better call you some professional help.”
I swatted him good-naturedly, “I don’t need professional help, Mike. I’m not crazy; sometimes it just helps to think about things out loud.”
Mike held up his hands in surrender, “Okay, Okay. I’ll take your word on that.”
We sat for a few minutes watching the boats coming and going on the water. Mike seemed to understand that I needed a minute before I was ready to talk. When I was ready, I started to talk without giving him any warning, but I felt him sit up straighter and knew that I had his attention, “You asked me where Sam’s father is; well the truth is he is here in Savannah or at least he is here most of the time. Flynn works as a reporter for the Savannah Morning News and sometimes does some magazine work that requires him to take his sailboat out to write or photograph travel pieces.”
Mike seemed surprised by my admissions, “So, I guess I have probably read his work, but I don’t remember seeing the name Murphy on any of the columns that I read in the paper.”
I shook my head, “You wouldn’t, Flynn doesn’t write for the local paper using his own name; he goes by F. Dillenger. Dillenger is his mother’s maiden name.”
Mike gave a softly indrawn breath at my news, “Oh, I guess I have read his column then, and I liked it.”
I laughed, “You don’t have to sound so shocked and appalled by that admission; I’m not. Flynn’s a good writer, and even I still read his columns.”
Mike gazed at me through lowered lids, “I’m slightly more confused now than when we began this conversation. You said Flynn lives here in town, but Sam never talks about him. Isn’t that odd?”
I shifted uncomfortably on the bench. “Well, there is a very solid reason that Sam rarely talks about him father.” I licked my lips, “Sam rarely sees his father.”
I paused and let that sink in for a moment. Mike seemed at a loss to comprehend. The truth was after all this time I was still at a loss to understand Flynn’s lack of interest in our son.
Mike shifted his seat so that he could look me in the face, “You mean he doesn’t see Sam?”
I nodded but before I could say anything more, Mike rushed in with another question, “Is that because the divorce made things uncomfortable between the two of you? Or is it something else entirely?”
I pondered his question for a second and realized the answer was not so simple. “I wish there was a simple answer. Lord, knows it would be nice to be able to give Sam a nice neat answer, but really the answer to both of your questions is yes.”
Mike drew his eyebrows together, “I don’t follow.”
I sighed, “I know and that’s my fault. I need to explain a few things first, I suppose. When most people have a child, it is the result of a couple of different options usually, right? Either the couple is happy and plans to have a child, or they have an accident. Sam was neither.”
“Ok, then, what was he?” Mike asked as if he was afraid to hear the answer.
I searched for a better way to say the truth, but I could not find one. “Sam was a compromise, you might say. Payment to me from Flynn for services rendered.”
Mike’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline. “You mean that you wanted a child and Flynn didn’t?”
I laughed without humor, “Oh, if only it had been that simple. There is no good place to start as I am afraid my life with Flynn is all tangled up in confusing circumstances, but the best place to begin is after my grandmother’s death.”
Mike tightened his hold on my shoulders, “Your Grandmother Hannigan, whose house we are currently remodeling.”
I nodded, “The very same,” I replied. “You see what you don’t know is that after she died, I left Flynn. We were having a bit of a cooling off time to see if we could or even wanted to make our marriage work.”
“You were having problems; that is not so unusual, Miranda, and certainly nothing that you need to hide from anyone,” Mike explained gently.
“I know, but what most people don’t know is that I went back to Flynn after he was diagnosed with p
rostate cancer. Whatever problems we had in our marriage, I still cared for him, and I wanted to be there for him. My mother understood and supported my decision; my father was not happy with my choice, but he supported me anyway.”
I paused then and Mike filled up the silence. “So, how long was Flynn in treatment?”
I gazed out at the water taking in its essence and ever changing power. “He was sick for two years with the cancer.
Mike digested that information. “So, did Sam come out nine months later?”
I hung my head; my shame was about to be exposed. “Sorry to be so evasive; the simple answer to that question is again, yes and no.”
Mike snorted, “Okay then; give me the not so simple answer, Miranda.”
“The guest room and the guest bath that we just renovated to make into new guest quarters were Flynn’s rooms when he moved in with me. Those were the rooms in which we battled his illness, and those were the rooms where he tried to take his life.”
Mike sucked in air hard. The strangled sound caused me to glance at his face which was a mask of shock. I gave him a wry smile, “Yeah, I know. Just saying that takes the wind out of me sometimes. It’s hard to believe that a man as alive as Flynn would even contemplate ending his own life, but then he wasn’t really Flynn anymore after his two year battle with cancer.”
“People change, Stretch, sure Flynn changed with that battle, but you must have too,” he reasoned.
My chuckle was strained and high pitched even to my ears. “Yes, I changed during that time. I became a shell of a person. Just like Flynn, once the cancer was gone, I did not know who I was anymore. I was not the caregiver, I was not a wife, I could barely be called a friend. As for who Flynn was, I didn’t know; all I saw was a stranger in a once familiar body.”
Mike gently stroked my neck in a gesture that was purely meant for comfort and his words soothed my raw soul. “Come on, Miranda; don’t be so hard on yourself. I am sure that many people who battle diseases and long term illnesses come out changed.”
I understood that, but he did not know my greatest shame. Tears prickled at my eyes, and I sniffed them hastily back. “You don’t know the worst of it, Mike,” I whispered in a broken sob.
He seemed unfazed as he demanded, “Then tell me. I’ m right here, and I’m not going anywhere.”
I took a moment to compose myself and then took a leap of faith off the high dive. “Flynn did not want to face life again alone; he wanted me to stay with him and ease him back into the world.”
Mike snorted giving me a fair opinion of what his thoughts on the matter were. That gave me courage, and I forged on. “Yeah, that was my first thought too, basically, like hell. Then the wheels in my mind began to turn, and I sold my soul to Flynn, in a manner of speaking.”
Mike caught on, “You mean you gave Flynn more of your life in exchange for Sam.”
I nodded and let the tears flow. I swiped at them impatiently. “Yes, once Sam was born, we were supposed to go our own way. Flynn did not want a child; he did not want to be a father. He made that very clear to me from the very beginning of our arrangement. But in the end, he turned bitter. “
Mike tensed then, “Did he lay a hand on you? If he did, I will kill him.”
I gave him a watery smile, “No, he never laid a hand on either Sam or me, but he locked us in a cage that I could not escape. He threatened to take Sam from me if possible; if not, then he vowed to get joint custody. Sam was only a baby, and I could not risk that, so I stayed.”
“You stayed, but something changed because you and Sam are rid of him now,” Mike eloquently stated.
“Yeah, when Sam was about three, I plotted with my Godfather, Marcus, who is a lawyer. He planned an air tight case against Flynn to ensure that I would retain custody of Sam.” I smiled, “You would think that anything associated with that time would be a bad memory, but that’s actually how I met Dana. She was my private investigator. She dug up all the dirt on Flynn, and in the end she helped me leave my marriage and keep my son.”
“Did the judge grant Flynn any visitation rights?”
“That’s the kicker here. The judge offered him every other weekend, but he in no uncertain terms told the judge that he did not want any visitation rights; in fact, he did not want any legal rights to ‘the kid” as he put it. So right there in the court room, he signed over his legal rights to Sam.”
The string of curses that Mike put together would have done any sailor proud. “Sam’s better off without a father like that anyway.”
I nodded, “Yes, I think your right, but at the same time, I do want Sam to have a father, to have a good father.”
Mike squeezed my shoulders,” Don’t worry, Miranda; you’ll find someone. If you don’t, you can call me up from the bench.”
I would have panicked again, but I caught his wink and the devilish gleam in his eyes. He pulled me up from the bench but kept his arm around my shoulder. “Now, let’s go buy some doorknobs and chandeliers.”
And with chuckling delight, we walked down the street not noticing the man who watched us from the shadows.
With my mind back on the reason for our morning trip, it occurred to me to ask Mike about Clement and Dean Construction. “Mike, I know it hasn’t been that long, but were you able to contact the construction company about their previous work on the house?”
Mike eyes flicked to my face. I noticed some strange indefinable emotion in them, and then he looked away. “Yes, but you’re not going to like it.”
“Oh, no! Don’t tell me that they do bad work, and that we have to redo everything!”
Mike chuckled. “No, it’s not that bad. It’s really not bad; it’s just a really strange coincidence.”
“You’re got my full attention, so what’s up?”
“Well, I checked the number and address first and they were no longer for the construction company. So I hit the internet and looked them up in the Savannah Morning News Archives. The most recent hit for the company was an obituary.”
“Who died, Clements or Dean?”
“Well, the last one to die was Dean. It seems he died about a year after the repairs were done on your grandmother’s home.”
“That’s so sad. What happened to him?”
“He died in a car accident. That’s not that uncommon around here or in any city for that matter.”
I nodded. “That’s true, and it is something that worries me constantly, especially when Sam is in a car. Mike, does that mean the records you wanted are lost?”
“I’m afraid so. From what I could find, it seems that Dean’s brother sold the company office outright to some international firm. There wasn’t much in the papers about the property after that, but it still seems that it is owned by the same firm.”
“That’s strange. You would think an international business in town would get a lot of attention. What do they do?”
Mike shrugged as he opened the door of Antiques on Bay. “I have no idea. It says they deal in equities. I’m an educated man, but I have no clue what that means. Do you?”
“Not a clue, I’m afraid. Mike, why did the sale of the company fall to a relative of Dean’s? What happened to Clements?”
Mike paused by the hardware bins, “Miranda, that is the part that you are not going to like.”
I flinched. “And here I was thinking you were just mistaken that I would not like the news. All right, give it to me.”
“Clements died four months after the renovations on your grandmother’s house were completed, or at least he was pronounced dead.”
“You mean he might not be? You had better tell me everything.”
“It seems Clements, Richard Clements, was an avid sailor. Like many people in Savannah, he had a boat. In his case it was a small cabin cruiser. He took the boat out for a weekend sail and never came back. Eventually the Coast Guard found his boat drifting out in the open water abandoned. They mounted a search, but nothing was ever found.??
?
“I certainly do not like that, Mike! It seems fishy that one partner disappears without a trace and a few months later the other partner dies in an automobile accident. That is a little too tidy to me for coincidence.”
“True, but I have no idea why it would be anything else. Do you?”
I looked at Mike. I cared for him, and I was coming to trust him. But how well did I really know him? Could I tell him what I feared? Would he think me crazy? It would be best for me to play it safe for now, “I don’t know what it means or if it means anything, but it doesn’t really matter. We still have a remodel to do with or without updated blueprints, so let’s get these knobs and go home and put them on.”