Enticing Disaster

Chapter 22 - Andrew

Richard parks the car by the side of the street. According to the street directory, there's six people by the name of Susan which could possibly be the one we're looking for.

I stand in front of the first house. Susan Helms. I take a deep breath and face Richard, before he gets back into the car and drives off to talk to another Susan. I don't even know what I'll say. I can't go in and just ask her if she has any idea who Roger is.

I knock on the door. Once. Twice. The third knock opens the door. A lady with ginger coloured hair stands by the door. She's in her early thirties so I can't imagine Roger would know her.

"Roger is ill and desperately needs your help," I say as I curse myself for not thinking of something better.

She watches me carefully before looking out into the street. Confusion is written all over her face. "Roger, who?"

I shake my head. "Are you Susan?"

She nods. "That would be me."

My throat tightens because I don't know what to say. "I think I have the wrong house," I say as I walk away from her and down the pavement.

I can feel her eyes on my back as I turn and walk two streets down where another Susan lives. Susan Grey. My mind spins with thoughts and what I'd say to her. What could I possibly say? I'd need to come up with something a lot better than what I just said.

There's a grey house with a black bricked roof. Perfect house, it suits Susan Grey. I walk up the stairs and stand by her door. It's a frosted glass door but I can't see someone make their way closer when I ring the bell.

I'm about to ask the lady if she knows Roger's number when my heart stops. The lady who opens the door looks incredibly familiar, like I've seen her before. The thing is I have, a much younger her though. That's not enough to shock me because the picture on the wall shows a very young Roger. Roger about thirty years ago.

She looks at me and then back inside. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"May I please speak to Roger?" I ask. The minute I say it, I know exactly why I say it.

"He's not here, he's out for a business trip but will be back in a few days. Is there a message I could take?"

I shake my head. "No, no that's fine."

"Is you're daughter here?"

She blinks before shaking her head. "Penelope?" She asks. "No she's out for a sleepover. How do you know her, she's only fourteen."

I watch her and then look back at the photo by on the wall behind her. "Umm do you not have an older daughter. Say one who is twenty three?"

She stumbles back and then blinks. "Who are you, again?"

"I'm Roger's best friend's son." Seeing by her reactions, perhaps my doubts are right so I push a little further. "Emma," I say.

She takes a deep breath and then fumbles with her fingers. I can tell she's worried and slightly confused. I watch as she nervously taps her hand against her stomach. "No," she quivers. "I don't have a daughter called Emma."

I feel like I should push her further and ask for moreover information but I do not want to scare her any more than I already have. I turn and as I'm about to walk away, I feel a hand on my shoulder.

"How do you know about Emma?"

I turn to realise tears running down Susan's face. "Excuse me."

She tilts the door as if inviting me in. I know I shouldn't but I walk in further. There's several photos of her and Roger on the wall, including one where she wears a wedding dress. There's also a photo of her in hospital holding a baby. When I look at the date on the bottom right hand corner of the photo, my doubts get confirmed. Twenty third of May, nineteen ninety three. Emma's birthday date.

She shows me to the couch as she heads into the kitchen. She doesn't take long because two seconds later she appears with two tea cups as she hands me one.

"Roger's never mentioned you. What's your name?"

"Blake," I say. "Don't think he would. I haven't seen him since I was a kid and he hasn't been in touch since. I was in the neighbourhood and thought I'd check up on him."

She nods. "How do you know about Emma?"

"There's a picture of Emma up on the wall in the hallway, isn't there?"

Susan nods. "Yes," she says.

"Father told me about her," I say. "I'm sorry but what has happened. You seemed shaken up when I asked about her."

She smiles but I can feel the sadness. "Who was your father?"

"Ronald," I say as it's the first thing the pops up in my mind. Feeling bad that Ronald might get pulled into things if Susan goes asking around.

She nods. "Can't say I've heard of him but if Roger told your father about Emma, then he must be a very important person."

I nod waiting for her to explain.

"I imagine your father didn't tell you the whole story about Emma then," Susan says. "The day I gave birth to her, she died."

I shake my head. "What! What happened?"

She frowns. "Doctors told me she couldn't breath. At that time, I gave birth to her at Williams Square hospital because Roger said the best doctors lived there. I since moved to Victoria West because of the situation."

"Where did you live before?"

"Algard," she whispers as she cries gently. "I've been talking to that photo of her for twenty three years. Now I have Penelope though, she keeps me company."

I nod as I sip my tea. This woman looks identical to Emma, more than her mother in Williams Square. In fact her mother in Williams Square doesn't even look like her. This lady here looks like an older version of Emma. Everything about her from her eyes to her lips. Her hair to her voice. The way she walks and moves. It's like Emma is a carbon copy of Susan.