Unshielded Past

When he returned home, he did not tell Annie where he was or what he had learned. He took the bottle of water that Annie had drank out of earlier and placed it in a bag and hid it in his closet. The following day he brought the bottle to his friend to have it tested. The DNA from the bloodstain on the wallet was a match and it confirmed that Annie’s mother was at Potter’s Field. He would have to tell her. When Andrew walked into the house, Annie could see that something was wrong. “Is everything all right? It’s not about Kate, is it?” Annie questioned. “No, it has nothing to do with Kate. I have something to tell you, but it can wait until Madison goes down for the night.” As they ate dinner, Annie just gazed at him with her right eyebrow lifted up, trying to figure out what Andrew had to say to her. After dinner, she put Madison to bed for the night and walked into the kitchen. “Now, tell me what happened today.” Andrew nodded his head and took out a chair for her to sit. “After hearing everything Timothy had to say about your mother, her running away from the both of you, something just didn’t fit. Why would she leave you after eight years? Why did she marry him? She married him so she could have you. So again, one question kept haunting me. Why did she leave you? The only answer I could come up with was either she was forced to leave you or she wasn’t alive.” He held Annie’s hands and looked at her. “Your mother died. I went through the deaths that occurred at the time of her disappearance, and I came across her name.” He pulled copies of the records and showed them to her. He reached into his pocket and took out the half of heart charm necklace and placed it in her hands. “This was among her belongings.” Annie looked down at the necklace and squeezed it in the palm of her hand. She showed no emotion. “How did she die?” “The police and autopsy report state that she died of an overdose.” Annie shook her head. “That’s impossible. My mother was not a drug addict. We have no proof that this is my mother.” She stood up and began pacing. “My mother did not do drugs, I remember her. She never even took a drink.” Andrew did not interrupt her. He let her get out her emotions. “I never felt like my mother was dead. Kate always knew her mother had died, I never felt that. You could be wrong.” Andrew stood up and told her, “There are not many women named Fiona and her last name was Collins. Here is her driver’s license.” Annie looked at the license. “I don’t care, my mother did not do drugs,” she was adamant. “This doesn’t sound strange to you? My mother was not a drug addict. Timothy did not say anything about my mother taking drugs either. You’re wrong, it’s not her.” Andrew looked at her. “I’m sorry, Annie, but it is her.” He then went into the envelope, took out the school pictures of Annie, and handed them to her. “These were also in her wallet. This is you, isn’t it?” Annie looked at them and started to cry. “They were in her wallet?” She looked at Andrew as tears ran down her face. He walked over and hugged her. “She didn’t leave me, she loved me. Oh, Andrew, I have hated her for so long. I thought she abandoned me. I feel horrible. I should have known.” “How would you know? How could you possibly know? I’m sorry, Annie. I was hoping to reunite you with her.” “We don’t get happy endings as far as our parents go, Kate and me, what a team we are! God surely brought the two of us together for a reason.”