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Chapter 150 - Strange Coincidences
Mary patiently waits until Jean Do's gate guard checks her identity. It's Christy's idea to have armed guards and Mary could not blame her.
Finally she was allowed to go in the estate. Mary walked one the neat path to the main house and rang the doorbell. The old-fashioned butler led her inside and stated that Miss Duvall's in the Upper Room.
Mary could not remember such a room and asked again. The butler described how she can get there and Mary realized that it's the former uncle's "crypt". She shuddered remembering this room. Why Christy want be there?
However when she came into the place she just frozen in surprise. And then she involuntarily looked back into the hallway to make sure that she's not mixed rooms. No, that's right. She came exactly where she supposed to be. But the bright lit room did not resemble to the dark room with no windows by her uncle's living. Now it was the beautiful stylish accommodation filled with flowers. Mary just realized that it had the window earlier - it evidently were bricked up, and now the room become the living in the exactly way it was intended from the beginning. Mary walked slowly looking around. Oddly enough but she felt a touch of his sister here. Christy made the design? No, hardly...
"Well, what do you think?" Mary suddenly heard the voice of her younger sister and almost jumped in surprise.
"God, you scared me. Where did you come from? I could swear that nobody is here!"
Christy pointed with her ice cream to the half-open secret wall door
"From there. See all of these? Do you like the design?"
"You have no idea how much I love it!" Mary said sincerely and then cannot resist. "I just not understand how you can use these terrible hidden passways".
"It's fine!" Christy smiled and bit off the half of her ice cream horn. "With nobody's hiding into, it is quite comfortable staircase. However Jimmy sometimes startled when I'm appearing out like this."
"And I can see why," Mary smiled.
Her sister looked somehow off. Like she was a teenage girl on holidays. Although there... was something more. And suddenly it dawned on Mary.
"Are you pregnant?" She blurted out.
Christy jerked as if she caught unawares but then nodded.
"Oh my God, I'm so happy for you!" Mary embraced her sister. "You must be in seventh heaven! Is Jimmy already knows?
"Not yet." Christy looked away.
"Chris, what's wrong? What's happened? You did fight?
"No..." Christy finished her ice cream and wiped with handkerchief her stained fingers.
Mary pulled her elbow. "Let's sit down and talk."
"There is nothing to talk about." Christy opposed." If it is necessary I can raise this child alone."
"Hey, hey, Chris. It's me, your sister. Tell me what's on your mind."
"You'll not like it."
"I'm not going to judge you. So why? You do not want to marry with Jimmy anymore?"
"I do not sure," her sister frankly admitted and flopped in the recliner chair. "It's feels like something's blocking me."
Mary stares in a space thoughtfully.
"Blocking to make the final step? Are you afraid that everything will be changed forever?"
"Yes!" Christy renewed her spirits because the sister understood her. "Did you feel something similar before your wedding?"
"In some way. I entirely trusted Mason but a part of me was still afraid. Unconsciously. Irrational."
"I'm afraid too. I feel that everything will be different after the wedding."
"It will. And even better than it was! Want me to tell Jimmy that he set the date?"
"No way! We'll on our own."
"Okay." Mary smiled. "So tell him that he will soon become a daddy."
"Do you think he would be delighted? Or decide that this' too much for him?" Christy stuck out her lip.
"Of course he'll be happy. Why he'll be not?"
"I do not know. I'm just afraid," Christy said plaintively.
"Well, I'm not sure but something tells me that Jimmy won't bite."
"It's not just about him," Christy hunched grimly and looked out the window. "I had planned so many things... Uni, trip around the world and even more things. But the baby... crosses all of these! I'll go crazy with boredom!"
"I and Mason have three but nobody can call our lives as boring and monotonous."
"No, of course," Christy laughed. "But I wanted to live for myself only so much."
"I understand what you mean. But your baby decided a little differently."
"Yeah. The naughty baby," Christy lovingly patted her stomach. "Why you cannot wait until your mummy gets enough of her freedom!"
"Maybe he just like his mom," Mary winked.
"Yeah. Or like his dad. Or she."
Mary laughed.
"Just spare us from these guessing. I'm fed up with this the boy-or-girl quest for my own pregnancy."
"That's because Mason was right," Christy giggled. "Boys recognize boys."
Mary didn't want to accept that her younger sister was right, and she changed the subject.
"For God's sake, why did you hire this picture-looked butler? Where did you just dig him up?"
"Haskins? In the theatrical agency, of course. I think that he just was born for this role, do not you?"
"Definitely. And he's being the actor but agreed to work as a servant?"
"Naturally. And he even was very pleased. He's very rarely getting any role and playing a butler was his long-cherished dream. And now he can combine business with pleasure and receives a lot of money."
"Hmm. And what will happen when you get tired of him?" Mary could not resist.
"We'll part amicably, do not worry. And I'm afraid that he'll the first one who runs away. Especially when we will have a baby."
Mary could not think what to say to this and just smiled to her sister. Christy sighed and put her leg on the arm of her chair.
"I feel sorry for my plans, of course, but I can not lose my chances."
"And you won't. By the way, Chris, you may remember the particular photo in our father's album? Quite old. The woman who's holding her baby."
"I do not remember. I have a bad memory for faces. And I guess that you must be aware this."
Mary belatedly realized that Christy means how Uncle Larry tricked her when he's posing himself as her father.
"I'm sorry, I forgot."
"Never mind", Christy pouted a bit, but then recovered.
* * *
Three pairs of eyes scanned the two identical pictures. The only difference was that the one was white and clean, and the second strongly yellowed, all in specks and scratches. But there were not slightest doubts that both came from the same photo plate.
"It's magic!" Enchanted Mary breathed. Up the point some part of her still did not believe in an incredible coincidence.
"Perhaps," Mason mused and put both pictures down side by side. Then he slowly began to flips through pages of the album where they got the cleaner picture just a few minutes ago.
Changing faces of the parents, a tiny little girl was growing up. He stopped several times at close-ups of the father of Sophia but eventually he finished it and closed the cover.
Sophia was silent and seemed even not heard Mary and Mason. She was fully captured by her memories.
"There's no coincidence," Mason finally spoke, and Sophia shuddered.
"Sorry?"
"I think there's hardly coincidence. Both you and Mary both are distant relatives or someone put this photo in the Duvall's album having particular reasons.
"What're reasons?" Sophia's voice was strained.
"I inclined that whoever believed that it somehow relates to his family.
"Is not the same thing?" Mary asked.
"No. Relatives also can not be excluded but in this case it is unclear why your album has no more pictures of Wayne family. By the way, Sophia, what's the maiden name of your mother?"
"Andrews. Her name was Mary Elizabeth Andrews."
"Mary?" her namesake surprised.
"Yes," Sophia confirmed.
"Wait", Mason suddenly showed his interest. "Mary, who named you as Mary?"
"I have no idea. What's about it?"
"Just curious touch. The naming patterns. If your family had more Marys earlier?"
"It had," Mary nodded. "And on my mother's side and on my father's one. I see what you mean. But my name is too common."
"It's true," Mason said. "Question is what do we do with this?" He looked at Sophia. "Do you want to leave it as is?
"I can not. Though I'd hardly able to learn something more. Or..." She suddenly looked at him." Or do you know something about? Mason?"
"No." He replied without hesitation.
"May be you're able to find out? Use your contacts in the DA's office?" Sophia spoke feverishly as if she's afraid to be too late.
"I'll try," Mason said after a pause. "But I promise nothing. And I'm not guarantee that you'll love the answer. Are you sure that you want to know it, no matter whatever?"
"Absolutely. Thank you, Mason."
Sophia embraced him and gone out taking her album.
"The case seems more complicated now", Mason said and looking up Mary.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"The man who posed himself as Mr. Wayne when I saw him in my teens has nothing to do with the father of Sophia.
"How?" Mary stared at him. "That's... you mean that you're mistaken and saw another Mr. Wayne, who was not supposed to be Sophia's father?
"No." Mason shook his head. "But may be my father was not completely wrong when he's accused him in being a fraud."
Mary shook her head. "It's too much for me. Let's go home."
"Yes." Mason nodded.
They headed to the door but Mary suddenly remembered that she left her purse in the living room. Meanwhile Mason went to the car; Mary stopped to look her purse behind the sofa.
When Mary finally fished her purse she headed to the door too but noticed the bunch of some cartons clearly prepared for discarding at the kitchen door. Surprised she came closer and her heart sank. These were not just cartons! It's the same family paintings which she recently looked at the attic. And they are clearly prepared to be throwing in the trash!
It took only half a minute for Mary to make the decision. She looked around, then covered with some cloth the bunch of pictures and took it with her.
She walked around to the other side of the house, not wishing Mason see her carrying the bundle, and then quickly shoved it in the trunk and climb in the front seat of the car.
"I did not note how you came up," Mason surprised.
"I went a short way," Mary vaguely explained. "Let's go."
Mason started the engine and began taxing off the driveway. Mary stared out the window. She had no idea how Mason would react to her... stealing. Later probably she had to tell him but now she did not want to go into details.
However arrived at home they saw tearful Mrs. Rold runs toward them.
"Samantha disappeared!" the nanny gasped. "I could not find her so I called the police!"
"Augusta!" escaped from Mary and Mason simultaneously.
"I'll find her," Mason rushed back to the car. "God help me if she touches one hair on the little head of my daughter!"
"Wait!" Mary blindly clutched his sleeve. "I'll go with you!"
"No, someone needs be here to meet the police and tell them what's happened."
Mason sat in the car but just in the moment the second door slammed violently, and Mary appeared on the passenger seat.
"She's my daughter!" Mason snapped.
"And mine too! Mason, I want to be there when we'll find her."
Mary slammed her door, and Mason silently pressed the gas pedal. He feels a bubbled rage mixed with fear.
Augusta Lockridge paid for it!
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