Circling Carousels (20 page)

Crystal took the printed pages like a hungry dog would take a bone. She looked at the writing and knew it was her twin’s. She instantly sat on the lounge in Abe’s cabin to devour the words Sienna had written. This was all that she needed, and it was Abe’s saving grace, as he no longer had the responsibility of telling her
more. This job had turned out to be more emotional than any he had ever done, and he had become more involved personally than was usual. But he could see the importance of this one, and he threw caution to the wind to help the gorgeous girls who needed him so much.

Abe went on with his paperwork, and every now and then he would hear her make a little noise, sniff back her tears or sob with the sadness of it all. When she found out about her mother, she looked up at him with fire in her eyes and asked why he didn’t tell her.

He said simply, “I just couldn’t, Crystal.”

With that answer, she went back to the diary and read and read until she was finished. She was completely amazed and touched and sad and happy and every emotion there was, for her sister’s life, although somewhat different to her own, was a rollercoaster of fear and cruelty, lies and deceit, as her own had been. More than that, she learned how hard she had tried to find her, how many times she had asked about her, and how cleverly Marcus had held her at bay, lying to her and giving her pretend messages to keep her happy. She understood now, and she needed to make some decisions. Until today, she wasn’t sure of anything, and now she knew how much her sister wanted her. Furthermore, she knew the men who held her captive were now either deceased or in prison with no hope of getting out. This left the way open for her to go home. Sienna still had the beautiful home, which technically belonged to Marcus, and she still had Elsie the lovely housekeeper, who adored them so much. It would make sense for her to go back with Abe and be with her one living family member, but she had to think about it, go over it in her head, and talk with someone else about it.

She chose to talk with Pamela, who had surprisingly kept her word about not telling her about Abe from the restaurant that morning. She was a good woman and had, in the short time Crystal was there, treated her like a daughter. Crystal excused herself and went to phone her, so that they could meet and talk. After she returned to Abe’s cabin that evening, she told him she needed some time, but that she wanted him to tell Sienna
that she would love to meet soon and talk. She wasn’t sure what she would do next, but she wanted at least a week or so to consider everything, to think, and to process. The private investigator gave her his card, and Crystal promised to phone as soon as she had made a decision. She was sure she would want to see her sister and very soon, but she just wanted a little time. She wanted to read the journal again and take it all in first.

Abe was happy with this outcome. After only fourteen hours he had Crystal’s permission to tell Sienna the good news. Fourteen hours was nothing! Sometimes, this kind of thing would take weeks, months, or even years. He was happy, both professionally and from a personal point of view. So many of the jobs he attended to didn’t turn out this well. The very next morning Abe left for home with fantastic news to give to his employer, Sienna Carmody. He could have talked to her over the phone, but he wanted to see her face when he told her.

Chapter 29

W
hen Sienna went back to see Dr. Constance Beale, she did so with very exciting news. When Abe told her of
his wonderfully successful visit to Tatum Bay and with Crystal, Sienna was so happy she could hardly contain herself. She called Elsie into the room, got out champagne, and poured glasses for the three of them. Then she spent the rest of the day alternating between laughing, smiling, and crying from happiness.

Constance was very happy for Sienna and also for Crystal, who she felt she knew through the journal. She couldn’t believe how happy her patient was, and she hardly wanted to bring her down by talking about the very difficult life she had led. It was necessary, though, so she began chatting about her reading of the diary and how it had touched her. They talked for about half an hour, and it was hard for Constance, but she felt to ask her about her mother and father.

Sienna felt quite comfortable in this office, with this warm but insightful woman, and she talked openly about Candice and how her life, her addictions, her employment, her death, and the dumping of her body in an alley for the rodents to dine
on. It was a subject close to her heart, painful to talk about and imperative to look at again. Her father . . . well, that was a different story. Sienna told her she had never known him and that although his parents had looked after her family well after the twins’ birth, Sienna had never met them either. These people, her grandparents, had died very early in her life in a dreadful accident, and their death had changed the lives of the girls and their mother because they no longer had a place to live or any money. This spiralled the family into the next part of their lives, but it wasn’t their fault at all, and in Sienna’s journal they had been spoken of as fine and caring benefactors. She hadn’t mentioned their names, though, and Constance wondered why. It bore looking at, as she was very clear about most things in the journal. She talked about them and the way her father had died just before they were born. It was then that she told Constance her father’s name: Darren Patterson, or, officially, John Darren Patterson.

“Oh yes,” Constance said, “I knew him!”

“No, that’s not possible,” Sienna replied. “My father died over eighteen years ago.”

“We are talking about Darren Patterson, Dr. Darren Patterson, about thirty-six or thirty-seven years old? His mother and father are John and Denise, and they died in an aeroplane accident. I’m sorry, and I hate to rock your entire world, but Darren lives here in the city. I went to school with him. He works at the hospital.” “All right, I believe you,” Sienna admitted, “but this is just a little hard to understand. This means we have a father! We have each other, well, nearly anyway, and we still have a dad! I need
to think about all this.”

“You’ll find him in the hospital on Main, Sienna.”

Sienna couldn’t help herself. She had at least to see what he looked like. Within half an hour she was over at the hospital standing at the front doors and wondering what on earth she was doing there. Who knew how it would turn out if she were to meet him and if she told him who she and her twin sister were? But she just wanted to see what he looked like. With that, in her mind, she resolved to go and have a look at this man
and no more. Upstairs she found a nurses’ station and enquired as to the whereabouts of Dr. Darren Patterson. He was in his office, and she was led to the place where she could find him by a diminutive nurse. He was leaning on the desk, looking at the paperwork for a patient and just about to leave the room.

She said hello, and he acknowledged her kindly and asked if he could help her. Quickly Sienna made up a story of needing some help with a loved one who was about to have surgery. With that, he had a look at his appointment book and told her he could give her some advice, but only general information. She told him that was fine and they made an appointment for two days later. He was handsome, gentle, and understanding. He was just as she would want him to be. He looked very much like her father
should
look. Sienna left, truly not knowing whether she could possibly attend the appointment she had made and whether she would ever be able to see this man again. Maybe after thinking about it she
could
tell him . . . with a lot of care and without shocking him too much. She’d have to frame it just right, but maybe it could be done.

That night, she wrote about him in her journal.

I have found our father! No, that’s not really true. Constance found him for me. He is as wonderful as any father could be. He has the kindest blue eyes, and although he doesn’t know who I am yet, he was gentle and so nice. I will be brave and tell him who I am, because it would be so wonderful to have him in our lives. When Crystal comes to see me, I can tell her, too, and she will be so happy! Things are starting to get so much better!

Zach is wonderful. Everything is wonderful! I think I am falling in love with him—really truly in love! I’m happier than I have been in years, and I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Chapter 30

Z
ach was over, not long off having dinner with Elsie and Sienna one night, when Abe called and said he’d like to pop around for a moment or two. Sienna offered to feed him, which he liked even more, so that made a foursome for baked lamb with roast potatoes, sautéed beans, and honeyed carrots. Zach was around the house a lot these days. First of all the excuse was that he was helping with Crystal. Then he was wanting to check on Sienna to make sure she was okay, because they hadn’t heard from Crystal. And then . . . well there were no more excuses. It was blindingly obvious he wanted to see Sienna, and frankly, she wanted to see him, too. There were light touches. He would brush her hair out of her eyes. Many times he would look into her eyes and come very close to a kiss. Eventually, it
would
hap- pen, but for the moment, the waiting and anticipation were
delicious.

For the next ten minutes or so, the whole lot of them were waiting with bated breath for Abe’s arrival. Of course, they were excited because they figured it could only mean Crystal had made contact with Abe to set a time to meet. So many years
without seeing her had created a huge hole in Sienna’s life, and now with the possibility, that they had a living breathing father, things were shaping up very well indeed. Add that to the fact that Sienna and Zach were most surely falling in love, and you had a full blown fairy tale, and as Sienna had said to Elsie, she could certainly do with some fairy tale in her life. It would make a nice change to the going round and round on a horrible, torturous, circling carousel that just wouldn’t stop.

Abe knocked on the door, and all three of the people inside almost ran each other over in their excitement to see him. The private investigator sauntered in the room holding on to his news just to make them ask him. He had become very comfortable with these people, who he now considered his friends, and making them wait for the news he knew they wanted so much seemed like a whole lot of fun to him. They stood in front of him in a menacing semicircle, each of them with the same look on their faces. Sienna warned him if he didn’t tell there would be no dinner for him, so he spilled out the story from the very beginning. He gave them all the detail of the phone call from Crystal so that he could build their anticipation. Afterward they all laughed and hugged him, or shook hands as was the case with Zach, but the fact remained: In just one week, Sienna and Crystal would be united, and Elsie, Abe, and Zach all wanted to be there, too. Sienna didn’t want to overwhelm her sister, but she agreed they could be at the coffee shop Abe had chosen, and then after they had spent a little time together she would introduce them as her friends.

Everyone was hugging and doing happy dances, and Zach was doing exactly the same until he came face-to face-and very close to Sienna. Everyone stopped their jumping around as Zach held her in a close and meaningful way. He put his head down and captured her lips in a soft but passionate kiss. Sienna returned his embrace and the kiss with equal feeling, and they held each other’s hands as they walked to the kitchen to finish preparing the meals. In the kitchen they grabbed one another again and this time. With no one watching, their kisses deepened until they parted panting from the heat of their passion.