"Hey, Aspen," he answered immediately, not sounding the least bit surprised. Instead, he actually sounded like he was expecting a call from me, which completely threw me off track.
"Uh, hey," I stumbled over my words as a million thoughts raced through my mind.
Why was he expecting a call from me? What happened?
"I’m sorry. I've been meaning to call you, but things have been really busy. I'm guessing you heard about your mom."
The mere mention of my mother made the unease in my stomach churn. I didn’t think I could handle news about my mother on what was already shaping up to be the worst day of my life. But I’d already learned that it was better to know sooner rather than later when it came to her.
"Mother," I corrected as I cleared my throat. "I don’t have a ‘mom.’ And no, I haven't."
"Oh," he exhaled slowly. "I assumed that's why you were calling when I saw your name on the screen."
"It's not, but go ahead and tell me what I need to know," I said and tried to brace myself for whatever he was going to say.
I hadn't spoken to my mother in years. Since the one and only time I went to visit her after everything came to a head. When I walked out of the room they were holding her in, she was as dead to me as I was to her.
I shuddered, remembering her last words to me."I'm not sure what made you think I'd want to see your face, let alone breathe the same air as you, but let me clear things up for you. If I could get my hands on you right now, I'd wrap them around your neck and squeeze until there's nothing left of you."
I tried not to let her words affect me, but how could they not? She was my mother, and was very clearly a bad person.
After I moved out and got my own place, I spent the first year scared to death and constantly looking over my shoulder, even though I knew she was behind bars. It took time, but I finally settled into some semblance of a normal life and did my best to forget about her.
"You really haven't kept up with her," he said, sounding surprised and a little proud.
That was true. I hadn't. The only way I could deal with the aftermath was to carry on like she didn't exist. If anyone asked about my family, I told them my father was never in the picture and my mother was dead. It was a mixture of the truth and what I wished was the truth. I knew it wasn't the healthiest option, but it worked for me.
"No, but you're making it sound like I should have."
I heard him sigh, and I could picture him dropping his head and pinching the bridge of his nose while holding the phone to his ear. "There’s a lot more to it, but here’s the short version. Her husband was found dead on her property a few months ago. It was originally ruled an accidental drowning, but the case has been reopened and is being investigated as a homicide."
"Her husband?" I almost shouted.
"Yeah, she got married not long after she was released."
"Huh," I started, unsure of what to say. The news of her release didn’t surprise me. Not really. I knew how many years she’d been sentenced to, as well as when she was eligible for release, and those years had passed. I didn't care that she had gotten married, or that I had a stepfather I never knew about. I really didn’t care about her at all. And I certainly didn't want him to think I did. "I never thought about what she'd do once she got out, but getting married definitely wouldn't have been on the list."
"I know, right?" he laughed.
For as long as I could remember, she'd been very vocal on her feelings regarding marriage."It's a one-way ticket to letting someone else take everything you've worked for."
Even though I didn't know about my mother's marriage, it didn’t have anything to do with me, so it couldn't be the reason why he thought I was calling. "What else?"
"She's a suspect in the murder."
“Why? Was he rich?” I joked.
“Yes, he was what some would consider wealthy.”
“Oh,” I said, suddenly uncomfortable. “I was kidding.”
“There’s more.”
“What else could there be?” I didn’t realize I’d asked it out loud until he answered.
"Her stepson was arrested for possession and manufacturing of child pornography. He has adamantly denied the charges from the moment of his arrest. He’s given us a list of people who could possibly clear his name, but so far, each one has turned up either dead or missing."
"So, you're telling me my birth giver has advanced from a side-piece informant to murdering multiple people since her short stint in prison?"