The Ghosts Of Her Past (A Completed, Steamy Romantic Mystery)

Part Thirteen

I did better today.  I ate breakfast, then lunch, and now I'm actually eating dinner.  That doesn't mean I am less scared or more, but at least I physically feel better, that is, until I call Gray later.  He has called every week since I left Seattle. Sometimes I picked up and we had a short conversation, and other times I ignored his calls.  I'm sure he will be surprised when I call him, but even more shocked when I tell him the news. 

My father demanded that I make the call tonight.  He had had some time to think about it, but the only conclusion he drew, was that Gray deserves to know right away. After dinner, I excused myself and went to my room.  A phone never looked as scary as it does right now.  I stared at it and mentally rehearsed what I was going to say.  I decided to bite the bullet and tapped his number, then lifted the phone to my ear.  It only rang one time.

"Cora?"

"Hi, Gray."

"Is everything okay, I wasn't expecting your call."

Yeah, I'd never call if it wasn't important.

"I'm okay, but we need to talk.  Do you think you can listen and not interrupt me?" I asked.

"I'll give it my best shot." He said.

"First of all, I need to make it clear to you, no matter what I tell you, we are not, and never will be, together again.  Do you understand?" I asked.

"You're pregnant, aren't you?"

That was unexpected.

I sighed.  "Yeah, I'm pregnant."

"That didn't surprise me when I saw your number. I figured you wouldn't call unless it was important, and I figured that night it probably happened.  I'll be on the next flight home." He said.

"No, Gray, that's unnecessary.  There's nothing you can do here, and I'm fine.  I just wanted you to know, that's the only reason I called."

"Who is that Gray?" I heard a woman's voice.

"I'll be right back, I need to take this call in private." He said, and I heard him moving, then a door shutting.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize you had company.  We can talk some other time." I said, realizing this just proved he lied.

"No, Cora, hold up.  I'll be right there, we need to talk about this in person.  I'm hoping you don't make any decisions before I can plead my case."

He is pro-life, so I know what he is thinking.

"I'm keeping the baby.  I didn't call to make any plans or decisions with you." I said.

"Thank God! When is your next doctor's appointment?" He asked.

"I already went to my family doctor, and I'm due July 18th.  I'll be seeing the OB next week.  There's absolutely no reason for you to come." I said.

I heard silence.

"Gray?"

"I just need a minute to process this, Cora." He said.

"You can call me back to talk, but please don't come here," I said.

"I don't need time to know I want to be by your side.  Sorry, but I really need to see you, and I'll be there as soon as possible." He said.

"I'm under enough stress right now, and you'll just be adding to it," I said.

"I know you are with Lisa's death and all, but you're my responsibility right now.  I'm not taking no for an answer.  I'll call you when I get there, and I promise not to add to your stress." He said.

"Fine," I said.

I hung up and groaned in frustration.  I loved him once, but now I know for sure what we share is just lust.  After we broke up, I made it a year before he broke me down.  Ever since then, my clothes just tend to fall off when we are alone, and that can never happen again. 

I opened my laptop, but as soon as I did, my phone rang again, and I recognized the number.

"Hi Kathy, I didn't expect to hear from you so soon."

"Hi, Cora.  I believe I found something.  Do you think you could come see me at my office tomorrow afternoon?" She asked.

"Sure, would 2 o'clock be alright?  I get off work at 1:30."

"That sounds great. I think you'll be excited with what I found.  I'll see you at 2 pm tomorrow."

"Bye, Kathy."

"Good night, Cora."

It's starting to get dark earlier since it's now fall and winter is coming soon.  That makes it easier to go to sleep, since I have to be up so early.  I took my shower and called it a night. 

The next day, I got a call from Gray saying he was in town.  I told him I have a meeting at two, but I could have dinner with him tonight.  The weather has been calm, so I've been getting off work on time.  I packed up my things for the day, then drove to Kathy's office where I was a few minutes early.  She was standing in front of her receptionist's desk having a conversation when I walked in the door.

"Cora, I'm glad you made it.  Please, follow me."

I followed her down a hall then to her office.  "Have a seat." She had a smile on her face, so I hope this is good news.  She took a seat at her desk and I sat across from her, eagerly waited to hear the big news. 

"I gave my receptionist the photo of Lisa and had her search for all the missing persons databases.  Does this girl look familiar to you?"

She turned her screen, and I leaned forward to get a good look.

"Oh my God, that's Lisa."

She nodded with a smile.  "I thought so, and I did a little research.  Her name was actually Cassidy Lowell, and she was reported missing nearly a decade ago.  It was quite the scandal actually, because she comes from an extremely prominent family.  Get this, she cashed out her trust in the sum of 32 million dollars, and was never seen again.  She really was actually 28 years old, and you won't believe this, but her maternal grandparents live in Scipio." She said.

I sat back and let myself digest this information. 

"Do you have a contact?  Someone we can reach out to maybe?" I asked.

"Yes, and Detective Sinclair will be calling the family to make contact. They had actually made the ID themselves just yesterday, so they too had been looking.  She popped up in their system with some facial recognition software.  Her parents are, Carter and Amelia Lowell, and she has an older brother and a younger sister." She said.

"Did you find any reason for her false identity or why she was missing?" I asked.

"No, but we are hoping to get that information from the family.  Detective Sinclair wants us to call him before he calls the family."