Chapter 14
"Ye swear that ye made this statement of yer own free will with no influence by Constable Zephyr," Robert asks?
"I swear," Bhaltair states. "Constable Zephyr just offered to drive me here after I asked if I could change my statement."
"Have ye discussed these events with anyone else," Robert questions?
"Just my mum and Mr Jock Tavers the solicitor. They told me to not say anything but I've not been feeling right about it," Bhaltair admits. "After Constable Zephyr told me about what really happened to Beathan, I couldn't keep quiet about it anymore. It's not Beathan's fault as I said before but my own and I'm not going to let Mr Tavers get me out of the court's punishment like him and Mum plan."
Robert scratches through his short red beard before turning his attention off of the repentant teenager sitting in front of him to the brunette waiting outside his closed office door. He didn't know how she did it but he wasn't going to complain about this turn of events.
"Ye realize that once I file this statement, ye'll not be allowed to change it again," Robert comments.
"I understand but it's the truth," Bhaltair admits.
"Alright then. I'll have this filed with the Justice the first thing in the morning and ye'll be notified if there are any changes," Robert explains. "Do ye have any questions?"
"Just one. Do you think I can go visit my brother," Bhaltair asks? "I know that we have that separation requirement but I won't cause any more trouble."
"I was the one who suggested the separation to the Justice under the impression that ye and Beathan didn't get along," Robert mentions. "If ye swear that there will be no trouble between the two of ye then I will permit it and also have the Justice remove it in the morning."
"In the morning," Bhaltair repeats disappointed.
"As Constable Zephyr is accompanying ye then ye can visit him today under her supervision and she can report back to me that the two of ye are behaving," Robert reassures, motioning for Marianne to come in. "Meri, Bhaltair wants to visit his brother today. I want ye to act as a chaperone and monitor them. If they behave then I'll have the Justice remove the separation requirement."
Bhaltair looks out of the corner of his eye to Marianne as she drives him back to his house. She's an enigma to him. She says that she isn't really dating his father yet because he said that it wouldn't be right until both boys are out of school but she's trying to help anyway. It didn't make sense to him. 'Who'd want to take care of kids when they didn't have to,' he questions silently?
"Keep looking at me like that and I'll think I sprouted fairy wings," Marianne pipes up.
He blushes at being caught staring and rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. There's also the problem of her being too observant.
"Why are you helping our family," Bhaltair asks?
"Why shouldn't I," she counters?
"It doesn't make sense," he points out. "You didn't know about us until the accident and even then you didn't have to get involved with us."
"Maybe I just followed my heart," Marianne comments. "It told me that I needed to help you and your brother and your father."
"Why? You still don't know anything about us," Bhaltair mutters.
"I might not know everything about all of you but I know enough that it makes me agree that my heart is right," she remarks.
"Would you still be willing to help Bogart if you knew the truth about him," he questions?
"Whose truth about him," Marianne asks? "At this point in my life, I've learned to never trust the opinions of only one side of the matter."
"Mum told me," Bhaltair states. "She told me four years ago because she said I deserved to know the truth. They weren't dating, they were barely even friends but he raped her and when he found out that she was pregnant he told her to get an abortion. He wouldn't even help her when Mum's dad kicked her out of the house when she couldn't terminate the pregnancy because they didn't have the money."
"Your mother told you that when you were fourteen," Marianne growls?
"I was old enough to understand," Bhaltair defends. "Course, Beathan didn't understand. He wouldn't listen to me when I tried to tell him the truth about Bogart. Not really surprising since Bogart decided after his dad died that he wanted Beathan, what with him being the older twin. Mum's has to work all the time to support me because Bogart refuses to help and the courts can't do anything to force him because he has Beathan."
Marianne gnaws at her lip as she pulls next to the small duplex. As much as she wants to defend Bog, she didn't really have the knowledge to do so. For all she knew, that wretched woman could be telling the truth. But there is one thing that she knew is a lie and that might be enough to get the boy to seek the whole truth.
"How sure are you about your mother telling you the truth and not telling a spiteful lie," she questions?
"Mum wouldn't lie about this," he growls!
"I may not know the whole truth myself but I do know one thing about that so-called truth you just said that is a lie," Marianne remarks. "Last time I checked, to be older means being born first and Beathan was born seventeen minutes after you."
"What," Bhaltair yells!
"I'm a really curious person, to the point of being nosey," she chuckles, scratching the tip of her nose. "When I was checking on your brother's condition I stumbled upon your birth records and it clearly states that you were born before your brother."
'Beathan's younger than me,' Bhaltair repeats silently. 'What else has Mum lied about?'
"You said that you're old enough to understand. Beathan said the same thing," Marianne comments. "Don't you think that it's time to actually ask your father instead of just assuming that he is wrong about everything? Maybe he's been too afraid to bring up the subject because he wasn't sure you were ready to hear the answers. Like I told Beathan several days ago, it doesn't matter whether he really wanted you before you were born because it's clear that he wants you now. He loves you and you know it."
"That sure took a long time to retrieve something ye forgot at yer flat," Beathan teases as Marianne walks in the door. "Did ye get lost or some...Bhaltair!
"Hey, Beathan," Bhaltair greets, grunting as Griselda runs up to hug him.
"Not that I'm not happy to see ye but ye shouldn't go against the Justice's orders," Griselda scolds softly.
"It's okay, Gran," Bhaltair reassures, returning the hug. "Constable Zephyr got it taken care of. We talked to Inspector Andrews and he's going to talk to the Justice in the morning."
Griselda beams up at Marianne in gratitude before finally letting her grandson out of her crushing grip. Both women watch as Bhaltair walks hesitantly over to Beathan sitting on the couch.
"Sorry, Beathan. I really made a bad cock-up this time," Bhaltair mumbles. "I should have listened to you about not driving and I shouldn't have used Bo...Dad against you. I told the police the truth like I should have done in the first place."
"Yeah, ye should have," Beathan grumbles before grinning. "Why can't I stay angry at ye? I wanted to wallop ye but ye look too pitiful, ye numpty."
"I look pitiful," Bhaltair scoffs, his own grin surfacing? "At least now you can't argue about me being taller than you, little brother."
"Little! I am too taller than ye," Beathan argues. "Missing legs don't count."
Griselda chuckles softly as the boys fall into harmless banter. It stops when Bhaltair sits down on the couch next to his brother and Puck steals the remote control in their distraction. Bhaltair rushes to grab the bird at Beathan's frantic orders and Beathan wrestles the remote control out of his beak.
"Go watch yer own tv, Puck," Beathan scolds. "Ye're not stealing ours."
"Why does the bird have his own telly," Bhaltair asks?
"He keeps trying to turn the volume up and the remote control to his tv has the volume buttons removed," Beathan chuckles. "Marianne forgot to warn me never to let him have our remote control. He grabbed it yesterday while I was watching some shows then he flew off with it and found Barney and Friends. He put the volume at the highest level during the closing song before Marianne ran in here to grab the dafty bird."
"Barney and Friends! He really is daft," Bhaltair laughs.