Life started to settle into a routine. The children were now settled back at school. Michael was now much more the happy little boy he had been before his father died and now talked more openly about him. Michelle, however, knew she was struggling to cope. Having spent virtually everyday with Paul for so long, she felt lost without him. Everything she had done had centred around Paul and his work so now her days seemed endless and empty. She drifted through existence, struggling to fill the time in a purposeful way.
About a month after Mike left, the two detectives who had previously spoken to her, turned up at the door. She led them through to the living room and offered them a seat.
“Mrs. McCartney, we have had a break through regarding the death of your husband.”
“…and that is?”
“A man entered Marlyborne Police Station two days ago claiming to be the driver of the vehicle which killed your husband. He knew the details of the incident which have not been made public and also knew the details of all the threats your husband received prior to his death.”
“So you’re sure it’s him?”
“Yes … but Mrs. McCartney, there’s more.”
“It’s a little delicate Mrs. McCartney,” continued the second officer.
“In what way?”
“The driver of the vehicle is seventeen years old. He claims that he set out to hurt your husband because of something Paul did to him.”
“What do you mean?”
“Mrs. McCartney, this young man claims that your husband is his father.”
“WHAT!”
“He claims that your husband had an affair with his mother and he was the result. He then claims that your husband paid for his support until he was six years old but that he never met him. The boy’s mother then died and your husband is supposedly meant to have stopped all funds and allowed the child to be put into care. In his words, he was abandoned. I’m sorry Mrs. McCartney, but are you aware that any of this could be true?”
Michelle shook her head slowly. “I can’t believe you’re saying this! Look, as far as I’m aware, this is all lies!”
“You’re not aware if your husband ever had an affair Mr. McCartney?”
“No…well…kind of.”
“Kind of?”
“Paul and I separated for a while in 1968. He became involved with drugs,” she shrugged, “he left me but later returned. Apparently his supplier was a woman he began a brief relationship with. She claimed she was pregnant by him. When the baby was born, it was mixed race where as she was white – like Paul. There was no way he could have been the father.” She paused for a moment, thinking, “Do you know the date of birth for this lad?”
“November 15th 1969. Born here in London.”
Michelle started counting on her fingers. “That means that if he was born in April then he would have been conceived in January or February 1969. Paul and I were apart from April to November 1968. Our daughter Alice was born in the December of 1968. After we got back together, we moved away from London and lived in the Scottish Boarders until the children reached school age. Paul never came back to London at that time and when he did return, we all did.” She stopped and looked at the officers. “I don’t really see how Paul could be this boy’s father. Paul quit The Beatles so that we could focus on rebuilding our marriage and being a family. In fact I’m fairly sure we didn’t come back to London for almost two years. There was no need to after the band split up.” She looked thoughtful. “All I can do is talk with our solicitor to see if he is aware of anything that Paul kept from me, but knowing my husband, I very much doubt it.”
“Thank you Mrs. McCartney. We understand that this is a difficult and delicate matter.”
There’s just one thing I don’t understand though?”
“What’s that?”
“If Paul was supposed to be his father, why kill him?”
“The young man has stated that he intended to kill your husband so that your children learnt to live how he had, without a father. He also said he though about hurting you too so that they would have to go into care as he had. However, apparently seeing you at your husband’s funeral gave him a change of heart instead.”
Michelle shook her head. “So what now?”
“We need to see if we can prove if your husband was his father.”
“What if he was? Doesn’t that still mean he’s charged with murder? He planned to kill him!”
“Mrs. McCartney, the charges don’t alter but it is important that we establish the motive.”
“What about doing DNA test to prove one way or another?”
“In order to do that Mrs. McCartney we would require a DNA sample from someone very close to your husband who would share the same family link.”
“What about my children? They would.”
“Unfortunately that would be contentious in court as, and I apologise for suggesting this, the defense could easily suggest that your husband was not the father of your children, I’m sorry. Is there anyone else?”
“Paul has a brother. Would that be a close enough link?”
“Yes.”
“So could the tests be arranged then?”
“In order to fulfill the requirements of the court, all DNA would need to be collected at the same time at the same place. Would your brother in law be able to do that?”
Mike arrived back in London just two days later. He greeted Michelle warmly and took a welcomed cup of tea from Rose.
“How are you?”
Michelle shrugged, fighting back tears. “Confused. Upset. What happens if this kid turns out to be Paul’s son? What do I tell the children?”
“Have you explained what’s going on to them?”
“No …they’re just beginning to be ‘normal’ again, especially Michael. I don’t want to take that from them again. I don’t want to taint the memories of their dad.”
“They need to know Michelle. Tell them tonight. Please.”
Kathryn and James arrived home first. Michelle was surprised when Alice wasn’t with them.
“She needed to do some work in the library mum.” explained Kathryn, “she told me at lunchtime. She said she’d ring when she was leaving.”
About an hour later the phone rang. Michelle answered it to find Alice on the end of the phone, clearly distressed.
“Talk to me Alice! What’s wrong?”
“Mum. Come and get me please! I’m scared!”
“Alice, what’s happened?”
“I was followed. This bloke kept saying horrible things about you and dad. He kept saying that he’s not our dad. Mum ….” Alice broke down sobbing.
“Alice, listen to me. Alice, where are you?”
After finally getting the location Mike and Michelle went to find her. She was sat in the waiting room of the nearby doctor’s surgery, having taken sanctuary there when the stranger scared her. She was much calmer but still very shaken. Michelle led her into the kitchen and sat her down. She sat next to her and held her close, feeling her shaking. As she calmed Rose handed her a hot drink. Her brothers and sister sat opposite, looking worried.
“Alice love,” said Michelle gently, “Talk to me. Tell me what happened.”
Her eyes filled with tears again. “Shhhh,” soothed Michelle. “There’s nothing to be scared of any more. Talk to me love.”
Alice reached out and took her mum’s hand. “I …I started walking home with Debbie as far as the Town Hall then she goes a different way. This bloke suddenly appeared and started saying he knew who I was. He said he’d known dad – except he thought that I should know that you and dad wanted to get rid of me because you’d ….” Her voice tailed off and she began to cry again.
“Because what Alice? Please tell me?”
Alice looked at her. “It was horrible. He said horrible, horrible things mum. He said you and dad split up when you were having me because dad wasn’t my dad. You’d been with someone else. He wanted to get rid of me because of it but….Its not true is it mum? Please tell me it’s not true!”
Michelle looked at the hurt confused eyes of her daughter. She looked around at the other children and slowly shook her head.
“It’s not true Alice. Paul McCartney is your father and he adored you from the moment you were born – he delivered you, you know that already!
“But you did split up when you were having me. Was it because you’d had an affair?”
“No!” Michelle looked around at the children. “Rose, help me to get them to understand. Please!”
“Alice, you were conceived when your brother and sister were just two months old. Your mum barely left the house for the first three months after they were born. She couldn’t - she spent all her time feeding and changing babies! What happened was that your mum and dad went through a bad patch after James and Kate were born. Your dad found it hard to deal with two babies and his work demands, especially when The Beatles began to argue a lot.” She looked around at the children, then turned to Michelle. “Shall I carry on or you?”
Smiling gratefully, Michelle continued. “Alice, when your brother and sister were just over two months old. Like Rose said, I discovered I was pregnant again – with you. I was devastated! Not because of you but….well but because I was exhausted! I didn’t know how I’d cope with what would be three children under the age one which is what I was going to have once you were born. Also, things were difficult between me and your dad at the time. We were both stressed and struggling with life. The night you were conceived was a last ditch attempt to try to save our floundering relationship! When I told your dad I was pregnant he went mad! But I was furious with him. I blamed him because…well because …” she put her head in her hands, despairing. “This is so wrong. I shouldn’t have to tell you these things but …the thing is Alice, contraception was your dad’s responsibility at that time and yet I’d fallen pregnant the first time we’d made love after James and Kathryn were born!” Michelle paused, she wiped tears from her face. “After we calmed down we tried, really tried to make our relationship work. By then your dad was rarely home. Things got worse and our relationship really began to fall apart. We were horrible to each other. Really horrible and as miserable as hell. Then your dad went to work one day but never came home for three days.” Michelle stopped, tears falling at the pain of the memories of that time. “I found out then that your dad was seeing someone else. It was your dad who was having an affair Alice – not me! I was five months pregnant with you when your dad left me. I begged him not to. I even told him he could still see this other woman but he left. If it hadn’t been for Rose I would have totally alone. I struggled but I carried on. I had to, for you and your brother and sister. Then, about two months after that I received divorce papers from your dad.”
The children gasped, horrified.
“Anyway, we didn’t push the divorce proceedings further and then we started to see each other again when he came to see James and Kathryn. Your dad came home for a few weeks before you were born Alice. Not to stay permanently at first, but to help me because Rose had to go to her own family for Christmas. You were born in the early hours of Boxing Day, totally unexpected, three weeks early and your dad delivered you. He adored you from the minute he set eyes on you. ” She smiled at the memory. “After that your dad and I realised we still loved each other. We got back together and we all moved to Scotland so we could focus on being a family. Your dad even left The Beatles because he wanted to focus on us, his family and we moved to Scotland where we stayed until the three of you were old enough to start school. Alice sweet heart, you weren’t planned but we loved you. You weren’t the cause for our split – that would have happened anyway - but you brought us back together and we were happier and stronger for it. Paul McCartney is your biological father, as he is for all of you.”
James moved forward and hugged his mum, reassuring her that he believed her.
“I know mum is telling the truth Alice. Dad told me a similar story about six months ago when I was asking him about his early days with The Beatles and why he left.”
“I’m sorry mum,” said Alice softly, crying once more “I had to ask….”
“Oh Alice,” said Michelle, reaching out to her daughter and holding her close, “I’m glad you did. I wouldn’t want you to be wondering and doubting…any of you. Alice, this man didn’t hurt you or touch you or anything did he?”
Alice shook her head. “No….he just scared me! He did take photo’s though!”
“Are you OK now? Tell me sweetheart!”
Alice nodded. “I am now mum…thank you for telling me the truth.”
Michelle felt tears coming. She sighed then looked across at Mike, who nodded. “I’ve got something else I need to tell you all…..”
“What?” Kathryn had been silent until that point. “Is it about dad too?”
“In a way,” said Michelle gently, “The police came today….” Michelle explained what the police had told her.
“So did Dad have a baby with this woman?” James looked distraught.
“I…I don’t know for sure but…,” she paused, looking at them all, “Look, the police told me this person’s date of birth – it doesn’t fit in with when we lived in London and then moved to Scotland so I think it’s unlikely.”
“So what happens now?” James looked angry, “surely we’ve got to find out if we’ve got a brother?”
“That’s why I’m here,” said Mike quietly.
“What do you mean?”
“The closest DNA to your dad, apart from you four, is me. However, the defense could question any link between you four and this person on the grounds that they can’t prove you are Paul’s children, despite knowing the facts.” said Mike quietly.
Michelle smiled at Mike, gratefully, “That means all four of you and Mike will have DNA collected and tested to establish any chance of any genetic link.” Michelle looked at her children, fearful of their reaction.
“When is this being done?”
“Probably this Friday evening. Here. I’m just waiting for confirmation from the police.”
Later that evening, once she was alone, Michelle sat in the kitchen looking at pictures of her and Paul. She began to cry, fearful that the children’s view of their father had been tainted because of the events.