Unexpectedly, Milo - Matthew Dicks [114]
“Don’t worry. I can drop my car off at Kelly’s house and borrow some things from her. No big deal. And I’ll rent a car or take the train home.”
“Kelly?” Milo asked.
“Yes, Kelly. You met her last night. She’s the one who told me that you were here. She’s my cousin.”
“I can’t believe it. Are you related to the Brysons too? Emily and Michael?”
“As far as I know, I’m not. We’re probably related in some distant way, but it’s not like I have a lot of family left to keep track of these things.”
A thought then occurred to Milo. “But how did Kelly know where to find me? I never told her where I was staying.”
“She followed you. She knows my story, so when you came asking for Tess Bryson, she knew that you were either the real deal or someone working for my father. He’s sent people to look for me before. But since he’s in prison, we doubted that. Besides, you didn’t seem like the type.”
“God, I had no idea that she knew you. She’s one hell of an actress.”
“It’s just practice. She’s had people knock on her door looking for me before, so she knew what to do.”
“So what name do you use now?” Milo asked. “Tess or Emma?”
“Emma,” she said. “I changed my name when I got down here. I’m Emma Keck now. Have been for twenty years.”
“How does that work? I mean, how does a thirteen-year-old kid change her name?”
“There are people who do that kind of stuff. Name changes. Social Security numbers. Birth certificates. It’s not exactly legal, but it’s doable. But it wasn’t me. My uncle and aunt arranged everything. I can explain it if you want, but not now. We have a lot of driving ahead of us. Plenty of time to talk about it then. Okay?”
“Sure.” And with that single word, Milo resigned himself to his fate. He would be returning to Connecticut on schedule, mission accomplished, but with an unexpected passenger. Tess Bryson, now Emma Keck, would be sitting alongside him for the journey home.
He prayed that his demands would for once remain at bay.
Kelly Plante was much kinder during Milo’s second visit. While Emma ransacked her cousin’s closets for clothing and rummaged through her bathroom for toiletries, Milo resumed his position from the previous evening on the porch alongside Kelly. This visit began with a brief hug, followed by an offer of lemonade and repeated words of appreciation for making the effort to find her cousin.
“I tried to get Emma to go back home for her mother’s funeral, but she just couldn’t do it. I even offered to go along for support. So it’s wonderful to see her so enthusiastic about making the trip now. This is a big step for her, Milo. I can’t thank you enough.”
“Did Emma’s mother know where she was all this time?”
“Her mother knew that Emma was alive and well, but that was all she knew. It was safer that way. For a long time, Emma’s father suspected that she might be down here with her aunt and uncle. He even hired a private investigator to come around and ask some questions, but I was only a few years older than Emma at the time, so I had no idea what was going on. About ten years ago, another guy came around asking questions again, and this time he knocked on my door. I was living in an apartment on Chestnut Hill Road at the time. I knew Emma’s story by then but handled that man just like I was supposed to. Just like Emma taught me.”
“You had me fooled.”
“I’m glad,” Kelly Plante said. “But I handled you differently than the investigators that her father sent. They knew who I was. You didn’t. I never had to admit to even knowing Emma. I know it sounds strange, but lying about this stuff is a lot easier for me than telling the truth.”
Milo understood this sentiment perfectly. He had decided long ago that lying was easier than the truth, though he was now beginning to doubt that decision. “Like I said, you had me fooled.”
“Good. I don’t ever want to mess things up for Emma. But to be honest, you were easy, Milo. Nice guys are always easy to fool. That’s how I knew that