CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
" Morag…how did you find out?" Laura demanded her.
Morag told her what happened with Irene, " So who is this mysterious Katherine O' Neil woman?"
Laura took a gulp of her coffee and wished it was something stronger. She hadn't heard that name mentioned in a long time.
" Katherine…is my sister. I can see why Irene would get us mixed up. We look a lot alike." Laura laughed bitterly, " Actually that's an understatement. She's my identical twin."
" You have a twin sister?" Morag was doubly surprised. She couldn't imagine there was someone else out there looking just like her girlfriend.
" Where is she? Why haven't you told me about her? And why was she on the news?"
" Katherine is a writer-or was one. She was on the news because she got unwanted publicity when she was put into a mental institution about eight years ago."
" Why is she in a mental institution?"
" She tried to commit suicide when she was found guilty of plagiarizing. Her career went down the drain and she suffered the consequences. I haven't seen her since then."
" Whereabouts?" Morag asked.
" Perth."
" And you haven't seen her in eight years?"
" Yes…my brother visits her and he's tried to get me to as well but there are other reasons why I can't see her. Won't see her."
" I wish you told me this earlier." Morag looked at her sternly, " Laura, I hope there aren't any more secrets. I had to hear this from someone else and not you. In the future, I'd like us to be honest with each other."
" Of course." Laura nodded.
" So no more secrets?"
" No more secrets." Laura agreed and took another gulp of coffee.
After Morag left around four pm, Laura decided it was time to catch up on some housework. She's been letting it slide and the place was starting to look it. Even though she knew she should be resting, Laura didn't want to sit around and do nothing.
She dusted the apartment and the started her least favourite chore, vacuum cleaning. She did the entire apartment before doing Jacob's room last. She hummed to herself as she pushed the vacuum cleaner under his bed when she heard a clinking noise. It sounded like glass, he must have stashed empty dishes under the bed. It wouldn't be the first time. He can be so lazy sometimes.
She reached under the bed and her hand came in contact with a glass bottle. Thinking it was just an empty coke bottle, she pulled it out.
She nearly dropped it when she discovered it wasn't a coke bottle at all.
It was vodka.
Laura knelt and peered under the bed, there was a second bottle. She pulled that out too and stared at them.
They hadn't been opened but that wasn't the point. What was her fifteen year old son doing with two bottles of alcohol? And how on earth did he manage to buy them?
She turned off the vacuum cleaner and put it away. She texted her son a message, ordering him to come home now.
Jacob unlocked the door to his apartment, wondering what was up with his mother. He'd been playing pool with the guys when he got the stern sounding text message. He put his bag on the floor when his mother walked in.
He went white. She was holding the vodka bottles.
He was in deep trouble…
Morag stirred sugar in her coffee, smiling to herself. It had been a nice afternoon with Laura and it had also been nice not to have that scowling son of hers around. She wondered what he had against her? She has done nothing to upset him.
The phone next to her rang and she answered it.
" Morag Bellingham."
" Hello Mrs. Bellingham, this is Doug from the Yabbie Creek Garage."
" Hello Doug, have you found out what was wrong with the brakes?"
There was a pause, " Um, yes. I'm afraid I have some bad news about them. It seems your brakes were tampered with."
" What do you mean tampered with?" Morag demanded as she tried to absorb this news.
" Someone cut the brake line." Doug said. They talked for a while longer until Morag hung up. She could not believe it…first her tires were punctured and now someone tampered her breaks. They wanted her to have the accident.
And she knew who that someone might be.
Jacob.