Masters And Lovers 1-4

James

Charlotte pleads with her mother. “Why did you leave me? Why did you leave me there? At Blessingmoors. With him?”

Mitch thunders upright from her seat. Face reddening, her mouth twists. “I did not leave you. I would never have left you…”

“I thought you must have abandoned me…”

“No.” She swings on Charlotte, eyes glossy. “I left because…” Her voice hushes… ”Because you were dead.” Mitch presses fingers to her forehead. “You were dead. He told me that. How can you be alive? How?”

“Who told you?” I ask. “Klempner said that? He told you your baby had died?”

“No, not Larry.” Hands pressed to her cheeks, Mitch swings her face to one side then the other. “It was Frank. He said you were dead, that he'd seen Larry murder you.”

The bang of a door closing echoes through the room, then boots on linoleum coming closer.

Mitch whirls to the door. “He’ll tell us.”

“He?”

The door opens and a figure steps into the lounge. Not overly tall although perhaps once beefily built; muscle has run to fat, and the paunch is matched by the jowls. The face is red-threaded with veins, and the eyes are bloodshot.

As he steps inside, “Look who’s here,” Mitch announces. “Can you believe it?” Her smile is wide and white and bright. “It’s Jenny. Jenny’s alive.”

The man looks, gapes then scowls. I’ve seen the face before, albeit much younger then, on the photo Michael found in the files.

Frank Conners.

What the fuck?

Charlotte stares. Michael’s jaw drops and his eyes, widening, meet mine.

Conners stares too, his eyes fixed on Charlotte.

And he doesn’t look pleased…

Is shock the only appropriate reaction?

The long-lost daughter…

speaks. “Jenny?” His face is slack

know a fake smile when I see

embrace. Awkwardly he hugs her, patting her on the back,

in air, the smile fading, eyes sliding. “How… Where have you come from?” The smile slips back into place, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. He exhales with a smell

does his stance. Everything about him

... wrong

he really pleased

in silence, a forefinger raised to his

He’s not happy…

judge of people than I

opened bottle of bubbly. “Hey,

assessing, Michael pours a glass, passes it to him, pours the remains

our glasses

too,” finishes Michael. Conners flicks a rheumy gaze to him. “We’ve all been thinking you were long-dead.

was the only way we could be sure that Larry

never stopped searching for you though,”

Mitch pales. “Still?”

“Still.”

us what happened. How Frank here comes to be alive when we

*****

Twenty-Six Years Ago

I get you, sir?” The smile

Again...

She was supposed to

opens a jar of peanuts, fills a few

cop doesn’t move. “How about

olive dish half-filled, Angelo pauses. “Frank? What do

“So, you know him?”

I know him. What's your

her. She's wrapped