Thanks, my darling Kruemi, for beta – reading!
Chapter 21
Sully frowned, "What?!"
"I just remembered the talk I had with Heart. Remember when she invited us and the kids and Dorothy for a dinner at her place?"
As her husband nodded, Michaela continued, "I was talking with her for a few minutes, alone, and she told me about how she started with the whole circus thing, how she came from Ireland after her parents died. Sully…" The following words Michaela whispered through tears, "She told me that she found Atlantis in St. Louis when she was just a small child… a freak show."
Michaela covered her mouth with her palm, her tears breaking her down. Sully pulled her in his embrace, not knowing what to say at first.
"Michaela, are you sure?" he at last asked, gently caressing his wife's long hair.
Michaela looked at him and nodded. He rubbed his forehead, letting out a breath of frustration.
"Sully… what should we do?" Michaela mumbled, panic arising in her voice.
"You think that Atlantis knows?"Sully looked at his wife once again and her silence was reply enough.
"How could we even break such news to her?" Michaela whispered nervously. Sully gently squeezed her upper arms and looking at her face, he said, "Okay, first we gotta find out if it is true."
"Well, I'd have to do some tests…" said Michaela
"Okay, we'll figure out something. How soon can you know the results?" asked Sully. Michaela thought quickly, "I should send specimens to Denver, but it shouldn't be long. I'll wire the laboratory, saying it's urgent."
"All right. We'll do that first and then see if we are going to say anything to Atlantis."
"What about Matthew? He's running the case, perhaps he should know about this?" Michaela still couldn't calm down.
"Let's wait until they come back, we'll see how he feels." Those words said, Sully shared a concerned look with Michaela. They both knew that the tests would probably show what they both thought – Heart wasn't Atlantis' mother.
~*~
"Hey, Horace," Matthew greeted the tall man and Atlantis nodded, saying, "G'day Mr. Bing."
Horace turned around and smiled, seeing the two young people, "Oh, Atlantis, Matthew, hello. How can I help you?"
"I need to wire a Law Office in Denver," said Matthew, taking a piece of paper and starting to write. Horace watched the young man writing and his smile disappeared as he asked, "Is it about what happened to you?"
"Among other things, yes," replied Matthew, not looking up.
Atlantis was concentrated on what he was writing, so they both missed the concerned look on Horace's face. It was only when Horace mumbled, "Oh, dear, perhaps I should say something about that telegram," that it caught both Matthew and Atlantis' attention.
"What telegram, Horace?" asked Matthew.
"I actually shouldn't say anything because I took an oath," hesitated Horace.
Seeing Atlantis' scared face, Matthew put the pen down and went to close the doors of the telegraph office. As he did that, he came back toward the counter and, leaning his hands on it, he looked at Horace. "Horace, you know that this whole thing will go before the court. Now, if you know something that might help Atlantis to get free from Heart and her husband, you have to tell us."
As Horace still wasn't assured, Matthew added, barely holding back his frustration and impatience, "Horace, I am Atlantis' lawyer; so if you know something and you aren't saying it, you are actually helping the crime."
Horace's eyes widened and he shook his head, already frightened. "No, Matthew, how could you think that I…" he started to protest, but Matthew stopped him. "I know, Horace. I know that you aren't doing that on purpose. But you gotta tell me if you know something."
Swallowing hard, Horace looked at Atlantis, then back to Matthew before he slowly nodded. As he reached under the counter, searching for something, Matthew felt Atlantis taking his hand. Her face was deadly pale. Matthew gently squeezed her fingers, trying to calm her down.
"Here it is," said Horace, coming back from under the counter with a piece of paper.
"What is it?" whispered Atlantis as Horace gave it to Matthew.
"It's a telegram that Mrs. Heart sent just a short time before you got shot. She said that she's contacting a relative and that it is confidential as it was meant to be a surprise for Atlantis."
Atlantis' eyes widened in shock and fear as she heard what Horace said and as she saw what was written on the piece of paper…
«We're in Colorado Springs.»
"Oh my God!" Atlantis silently gasped.
"Horace, do you have a recipient's address?" Matthew didn't want to lose another minute.
"Umm…yes, it gotta be here somewhere." Horace searched through some papers but then saw it written on the other side of the one that Matthew held in his hand. "Oh, how stupid of me! It's on the other side, Matthew," said Horace.
Atlantis' entire being transferred into eyes as she watched when Matthew turned the paper.
Paul Johnson
The world turned black for Atlantis. The last thing she saw was Matthew and Horace rushing toward her – before the darkness swallowed her and she slumped onto the floor, unconscious.