Chapter 2 – Little white lies

Cyrus Lupo had found himself somewhat conflicted over Alannah, the resemblance she had to him was uncanny. Had Nina been right? But surely if she was his and Kate had known she was pregnant before he called off their engagement then their entire relationship, she would've told him. She had never been good at keeping secrets from he remembered of her, and those memories were both fragmented and tinted by the fact she had cheated on him then married they guy! That was the only secret she had ever kept. She broke very easily when it came down to that. Or maybe she hadn't been the angel he'd once thought she was. The idea of actually talking to her about seemed a good idea in his head a first but when it came down to it, it seemed like a very bad idea that could open up a whole can of worms that should've stayed shut. Something else did cross his mind though, maybe Lisa knew, she might be able to put it to bed for him or not. So he decided he would ask her.

He had gone round after work; he had just given evidence in court for a murder trial, it had been a very long day and now he intended to put this to bed. "Hey" she smiled before gently kissing him on the lips. She led him inside and they went into the kitchen. He shut the door behind them not wanting Nina and tommy listening in or walking in on them. "Is everything ok?"

"I need to ask you something" he replied sitting down

"What about?" she frowned sitting down opposite her

"About Alannah" he looked into her eyes hoping to god she did know something they would help him lay this to rest. "You know what Nina said at her party. About her looking like me"

"I can't believe she said it" said Lisa

"It could be true" he said

"Yes it could" Lisa nodded "You were still together when she found out. Which was before you found out she was cheating and before you called off your engagement to her"

"She knew then?" he asked

"Yes" Lisa replied, knowing she'd put her foot in it but at the same time knowing he did have some right to know this. "She found when she was six weeks, two months before you discovered she was cheating on you with Justin and two months before you called off your engagement to her. She was fourteen weeks when you discovered she had been cheating and fifteen weeks when you ended it with her"

"She knew she was pregnant two months before I called time on us?" he asked pointing at the table with his index finger. She had kept that a secret from him; it was also something he probably should've noticed. But he had been working a lot then, the hours had been unrelenting, which he now understood was why she had cheated. "Before I found she was cheating on me with Justin"

"Yeah. She knew alright. She even took me to her scan at twelve weeks." Said Lisa, now knowing her sister had betrayed him in more ways than one. The fact she may have kept his child away from him for the first five years of her life was totally on unfair on both of them. "I said when she told me I bet Cyrus will be pleased and she just shrugged at me and said maybe, maybe not. Then left"

"I might've been if she'd had the decency to tell me" he shook his head.

"I thought it was a bit odd when she asked me to go with her to the clinic for her scan instead of you" said Lisa "I asked her why you weren't there and she said you were working."

"She never even asked me" he leaned back in the chair in slight frustration "She lied to me every time"

"She's good with excuses" sighed Lisa

"Do you know why she hates me now… apart from the fact that I left her hanging, ended our engagement and stopped giving her the time of day?" he asked

"She heard that you slept with someone two days after you called off your engagement. She saw it as being very hypocritical" replied Lisa "She didn't even know if was true but it sure made her mad. That's why when you saw each other again and you called time on your whole relationship she was so mad at you. And I think it's because you arrested Justin for doing dope three times in the month before you changed jobs and tried to get him locked up on a possession charge or an intent to deal charge. That's why she hates you now."

"I know what I did and I can't say I'm proud of it. But an eye for an eye" said Lupo "She cheated on me for months, I had sex one time, with one girl after I had called off our engagement as revenge. She had been cheating on me for months. And he was doing dope, speed, coke and heroin; I don't know how he didn't get banged up for it. Three times he was arrested, twice he was caught red-handed."

"His lawyer was very crafty" said Lisa "He claimed you had obsession with putting him away and were harassing him. He was threatening to file a lawsuit against you"

"Yeah well if I had arrested him again my boss would've fired me" said Lupo "he did not want to deal with a lawsuit because the department would've all been included. So I backed down and worked on being a good detective but now everyone's forgotten about the lawsuit that never was and the six times I arrested him I wouldn't mind putting him in jail."

"I don't think he has" laughed Lisa "He was furious when he saw you at Alannah's birthday. They both were. He and Kate had a massive row and he whacked her one so she whacked him one back. Their neighbour nearly had to call your department. She thought they were going to kill each other"

"So Nina was right then?" he asked

"I don't know. She told me she'd had a DNA test done on Alannah testing her against Justin's DNA. She said he was her biological father and l left it alone. I knew Nina was talking sense but right there, right then in the middle of her apartment didn't seem like the place for that awkward conversation… it's been three months anyway. Why now?"

"I've just been thinking about it and doing a bit of my own digging. I do know because I've made phone calls to a lot of people, she never had a paternity test on Alannah" he explained

"I think she knew what the results would probably be so she never had it done. Justin wanted Alannah to be his, you had left her and she wanted to keep him so she just took the samples and never actually sent them off. He thought she'd had it done. She must've faked that letter from the lab." Said Lisa "So she lied to him so he wouldn't leave her, so he wouldn't leave her a single mom"

She hadn't so much as put it to bed for him as much as she had opened the subject a whole lot further. He did think he should talk to Kate over it, but her habit of being unreasonable and unrelenting when she knew what wanted talked him out of it. He did call her but he got through to voicemail. She left one in return where she swaggered through the whole thing, telling him not to call again and if she did she would call his boss and have him sacked for harassment and file a lawsuit. But it got him thinking. What was she so afraid of? Why wouldn't she talk to him civilly anymore? He had moved on from her cheating and had left Justin alone years ago, he'd never even know about Alannah until he had met up with Lisa last October. He'd made his point five and half years ago, he'd let it go so why hadn't she?

Lisa had trying talking her sister but she didn't get anywhere with her either. "I've tried talking to her Cyrus. But she keeps shutting me off and telling me to get lost and mind my own business. She's temperamental but this off the scale!" said Lisa as she got into bed. "I don't know what's going on her inside her head at the moment but it's not her normal thought process I'll bet you"

"She was always a bit hot-headed and irrational" he replied walking into the room "The voicemail she left on my phone was vile. There wasn't a sentence when she didn't swear. She threatened if I called again she would file a lawsuit for harassment and make sure Lou fires me"

"A lawsuit?" said Lisa "What's going through her head at the moment!"

"I don't know and I don't want to know" he laughed slightly. "But if she files a lawsuit against me she'll claim half my possessions and most of my savings."

"She'll come round" sighed Lisa "She usually does" She reached for the light and the room went dark. He wrapped his arm around her waist and they drifted off to sleep.

A few days later whilst at work he received a phone call from a number he didn't recognise. "Lupo speaking… Justin…" It was Justin, the guy he'd arrested three times in one month, tried to have banged up and had shagged his girlfriend behind his back for months. "About what? Won't Kate get mad when she sees me…? Justin why do want to-… ok. I'll be there in twenty minutes." He ended the call and put his phone away. Justin had told him to come round to their apartment that afternoon as Kate would be out. "That sounded like a fascinating call"

"That was Justin" said Lupo

"Who's Justin?" asked Bernard

"My ex-fiancée's husband" replied Lupo resting his elbows on his desk "The bloke she was doing behind my back before I called time on us"

"Now that is a phone call I should've bugged!" laughed Bernard "What did he want with you. Surely you'd want nothing to with each other"

"I dunno he didn't say. He wants to talk to me" Lupo shrugged his shoulders "But he said now because Kate's not there."

"You don't have an illegitimate child with her that he wants to argue over?!" suggested Bernard, before chuckling to himself. But Lupo didn't laugh as he didn't find it funny because he recently found he may well have. "You haven't"

"I don't know" he admitted "I left her nearly six years ago, in June 2003. Her daughter turned five in December you do the math"

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" smirked Bernard.

"She is one hell of a woman scorned" said Lupo rising from his chair "And when she wants something she usually gets it". Bernard shook his head as Lupo left the precinct and headed round to apartment of his ex-fiancée and her husband, that was total not normal. He took the subway and got off in queens. He walked up to their apartment and knocked on the door. Justin soon opened and beckoned him. "What's going on Justin? You hate my guts"

"I know I do. But can be more reasonable than my darling wife" replied Justin "Do want something to drink? Larger?"

"No, I'm still on duty" replied Lupo "I'll get fired if my lieutenant smells alcohol on me". Justin went into the kitchen and came out with a glass of water and a can of larger. They sat down, Justin in the armchair, Lupo on the sofa. "Can you just get down it, I have to back to work"

"Alannah" said Justin "I know she's yours." Lupo choked on the sip of water he had just taken. "It's obvious. She looks just like you. I should've known Kate lied to me years ago. I suppose I was just kidding myself"

"When did she tell you she was pregnant?" Lupo asked placing his glass down on the table

"When she was eight weeks" shrugged Justin "When did she tell you?"

"She didn't" said Lupo, even Justin had known! That made him somewhat angry as he had been her fiancée at the time and she'd never even bothered to tell him she was pregnant. "Not even when I left her. She never had the decency"

"I just thought all these years she had and you just didn't want anything to with her and Alannah" replied Justin

"I wouldn't ignore my own child" Lupo shook his head "Why did you think she had?"

"She told me she had after you dumped her" shrugged Justin "Just for the record I didn't know you were still seeing each other when we started sleeping together. She told you had left her before we did"

"So why this now?" asked Lupo

"Well" began Justin "You're back around now and come on I can't deny how much she looks like you. It doesn't seem fair, if she is yours why you should miss out on being her dad"

"So what are you saying?" frowned Lupo. Either Justin had an ulterior motive or he was being genuine.

"I think we should do a paternity test" said Justin "I want to know where I stand. I know I haven't been there for her much in the last couple of years but I do love her. But even I don't see it fair if you are you should be denied access to her and if you want to involved I can't stop you legally. She has a right to know who her dad is."

"Ok" Lupo went over it his head, this could clear it all up for them. If he was her father he did want access to her; that was something he was certain of.

A door opened and Alannah walked into the room holding a cuddly bear. She walked over them sucking her thumb. She sat down on the sofa next to him and studied him. "Are you my daddy" she asked suddenly. Justin and Lupo looked at each other then back at her. What were they meant to say? She was five, she wouldn't understand it all yet but when the answer might well be yes they had to say something. "I'm a friend of your mom's"

"I heard you talking" she said "About me and mommy. Daddy said if I'm yours you shouldn't miss out on being my daddy"

"Anna" said Justin softly "We'll explain in a few weeks but before we can we're going to have to do something so we're clear to explain to you". She nodded holding onto her bear. Justin went into the kitchen again and returned with an envelope. He pulled out three swabs. He did Alannah's first then his own while Lupo did his. He stuck the, what resembled a cotton bud in his mouth and rubbed on the side of his mouth before putting it into the tube which Justin had already labelled Cyrus Lupo. Afterwards Justin said "I'll get these sent off, we'll probably know in about three weeks". Lupo nodded before leaving, his head filled with a million questions. Was Justin telling the truth about him seeing it as unfair for him not be allowed to see her or did he just want the money he would have to pay Kate if Alannah was his? He didn't know and that bugged him.

After work he went round to Lisa's and told what had happened that day with Justin and Alannah. She was a little surprised.

"You did what!" exclaimed Lisa "Kate will kill you, both!"

"She might've been keeping my child from me for five years!" he replied, this did rile him up because she had just lied to him time and time again.

"He wants your money Cyrus" said Lisa "That's all he wants. I know him well enough to know that."

"But I want to know if she's my daughter" he stated

"You really do want to be involved if she is yours don't you?" she smiled slightly.

"Yes of course I do. If had known Kate was pregnant I might not have started working away all the time. I would've been involved from the word go" he replied

"I know you would've" she smiled slipping her arms around his shoulders and pulling him in for a kiss. "Hang on Alannah was there… did she hear?"

"Yes she heard" he bit his lip "She came into the room after Justin suggested we do a paternity test off her accord. She asked me if I was her dad"

"If she goes and talks to Kate about it, well let's just say you can't investigate your own murder" she said

"You don't think she'd actually kill me?" he asked

"I don't know" Lisa looked into his eyes "She's pretty protective of Alannah and she hates people interfering in her business that's all I'm saying… and you know if she wants something she gets it"

"I am dead" he said "I want my favourite song played at my funeral and everyone has to wear something red"

"Stop it!" she laughed swatting his arm playfully. "Look I'll talk some sense into her, make her see it's the right thing to-" she was cut off by a long banging on the front door.

"Who's calling at this god for saken hour?" he asked as they both went to door. Lisa pulled the front door open and saw Kate and Alannah standing on the other side. "You" seethed glaring maliciously at him. She let go of Alannah's hand and stormed inside. Lupo backed into the bedroom as she head straight for him. But she stormed in there and walked up to him, her eyes filled with a homicidal rage. She walked up to him and slapped him round the face as hard as she possibly could "YOU BASTARD!" She yelled "I FUCKING HATE YOU!"

"Kate!" Lisa shouted walking into the room "What the fuck do you think you're playing at? Coming round her at one o'clock in the fucking morning, storming in and slapping my boyfriend around the face!"

"HE'S FORCED JUSTIN TO DO A PATERNITY TEST OF ALANNAH!" she roared "THE INTERERING BASTARD!"

"Excuse me. I'm not the one who forget to mention to her fiancée she was pregnant or tell me she'd had a baby!" he shouted

"I DIDN'T TELL YOU BECAUSE SHE'S NOT YOURS!" She spat. "Do you know what he's done?" she turned to Lisa.

"Yes I do" replied Lisa

"I get home from Nans and Alannah comes up to me and says I met my other daddy today. So I ask her what she means and she says they're doing a test with her" seethed Kate "I can't believe you'd stoop so low to get back at me!"

"I'm not doing it to get back at you" he laughed, shaking his head "I have a right to know if Alannah is my child"

"You don't have any rights" she spat "I don't know what makes you think you do!"

"I was with you when you got pregnant!" he retorted "Only you never had the decency to tell me did you?"

"She is Justin's" she raged through gritted teeth

"How do you know!" he shook his head with rage "YOU WERE DOING US BOTH AT THE SAME TIME!"

"YOU BASTARD!" She screamed for slapping him again

"Do that again I'll arrest you" he seethed clutching his cheek.

"Like you arrested Justin three times in as many weeks" she snarled "When he was quite clearly innocent?"

"He wasn't innocent and you know it" he replied

"LEAST HE'S BEEN THERE FOR ME AND ALANNAH!" She snapped

"I DIDN'T KNOW SHE EXISTED UNTIL LAST OCTOBER!" He raged "HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO BE THERE. YOU NEVER EVEN TOLD ME YOU WERE PREGNANT!"

"YOU WERE NEVER THERE FOR ME!" She raged "YOU CARED MORE ABOUT YOUR STUPID JOB THAN YOU EVER DID ME"

"NO I WASN'T BUT I LOVED YOU!" he yelled "I WANTED TO MARRY YOU. START A FAMILY WITH YOU BUT YOU THREW IT BACK IN MY FACE"

"AND NOW YOU WANT TO RUIN MARRIAGE TO GET BACK AT ME!" She roared

"NO I DON'T" He shouted "ALL I WANT TO DO IS FIND OUT IF ALANNAH'S MY DAUGHTER."

"EVEN IF SHE IS, WHICH SHE ISNT, YOURE NOT HAVING ACCESS!" She yelled

"WHY ARE YOU SUCH A SELFISH BITCH?" He raged "YOU'VE ALREADY KEPT HER A SECRET FROM FOR FIVE AND A HALF YEARS!"

"YOU FUCKED OFF!" She spat

"I LEFT YOU BECAUSE YOU WERE SCREWING AROUND BEHIND MY BACK WITH JUSTIN" He retorted "YOU HAD PLENTY OF TIME TO TELL ME YOU WERE PREGNANT!"

"I HATE YOU!" She screamed before hitting him around the face again.

"GET OUT!" Shouted Lisa "GET OUT OF MY APARTMENT NOW OR I'LL CALL THE COPS MYSELF!"

"If you come anywhere near my family again I swear down Cyrus I will kill you" she snarled before storming out, slamming the front door behind her.

Lisa and Lupo sat down on her bed and stared awkwardly at the floor until a phone started ringing. The phone in question was on the floor and didn't belong to either of them. Lisa picked it up. "its Kate's it must've fallen out of her pocket" she answered the call. "No I'm her sister… he's what… how… is it serious… ok I'll find her and get her to come in now... thanks for letting us know" then she hung up. "That was a nurse from the hospital near where Justin and Kate live… he's just walked in there looking like he's been badly beat up"

"She wouldn't… would she?" he asked

"I don't know her temper is so volatile these days" Lisa gulped, the thought of sister seriously assaulting her own husband was quite a nasty thought. "You saw the way she acted just now though. If he was there when she first exploded with anger he would've bore the brunt of her anger. He would've got the worst of it."

"Is Justin hurt?" asked Alannah walking into the room.

"She didn't take you with her?" asked Lisa. Alannah shook her head.

"Mommy was very angry" said Alannah "At daddy because I told him about you" she pointed to Lupo "And about what daddy did with us"

"What did she do?" asked Lupo

"She told me to go in my room" replied Alannah "Then she started shouting at daddy. I opened the door and she was hitting him"

"Then she brought you here with her and left you here" said Lisa

"She has hit daddy before" Alannah added. "She said she was going to kill him"

Lisa and Lupo looked at each other. Had Kate attacked him because of what they'd done that afternoon? Had she lost it at him? Was this beginning of a nasty cycle?