September 2014
Right after Sidney put Angie and Elle down for their afternoon nap, she headed downstairs and felt her phone vibrate in her pants pocket. Her lips formed into a smile in response to the name and photo on the phone's screen.
"Hey Dewey! How are you?" She strolled into the kitchen changing her phone to speaker mode and set it on the island. As she opened the refrigerator, she asked him, "How's city life treating you?" From the second shelf, she grabbed a wrapped plate full of leftover seafood chow fun and a bottle of lemon-flavored water.
"Hi Sid and uh, I'm good. New York's like another wild planet compared to Woodsboro!" He replied with a small scoff then his tone became serious. "Anyway, I didn't call to catchup. Judy Hicks called me this morning."
The contentment on her face faded, she placed the plate and bottle on the island before snatching up her phone and taking it off speaker. She pushed away the sense of dread that tried to creep into her mind. The anniversary of her mother's death and Billy and Stu's massacre was less than a week away. After clearing her throat, she inquired, "What did she say?"
"Don't worry, Sid, there hasn't been any murders or even threats of another spree happening again." He reassured her.
With a sigh of relief, she briefly grinned, "Good, but something happened."
"Yeah, a woman came into the station this morning asking about you. Her name is Annie Curtis. She claims to know your mother, from-from when she was in Hollywood." An audible exhale left his mouth.
She paused to process what he said, "Are you sure that she's legit? Around this time of year, people try to find out where I am and what I'm up to for their news show or true crime podcast."
"I know, that's what I thought too." He cleared his throat, "So, I'm flying out today, but based on what Judy told me and the pictures she sent, this woman sounds credible. She wants to meet you, Sid."
In an adamant voice Sidney told him, "Oh, Dewey, you really don't have to do that for me."
"I want to and I miss you guys. Also, I need to know if this woman is for real or another opportunist. And Gale's fine with it. Also, I'm already at the airport so, there's no going back now." Dewey briefly stopped speaking, "They're letting us board the plane now."
Leaning against the counter, she answered, "Dewey, thanks for doing this."
"Aw, it's no problem, you're family. Uh, I'm gonna email you those pictures Judy sent me. Bye Sid."
"Bye Dewey and have a good flight." She ended the call and took a breath.
While reheating the leftovers in the microwave, Sidney's mind replayed Dewey's words. If this woman was legitimate and not a shameless opportunist, why was she reaching out to her now? Although she couldn't deny how curious she was about Annie Curtis. Not even Gale could find any credible information about Maureen's brief stint as an unknown actress. Annie could potentially provide Sidney insight into who her mother was during that tumultuous time in her life. For well over a decade, she had questions about her mom's painful past and now, she could finally get some answers.
The microwave's beeping pulled her back to the present. After removing the stir fry and grabbing her drink, she went to her home office and tried to find everything she could about this woman. Unfortunately, Annie Curtis was a common name, Sidney had no idea how old she was and where she lived. Before she could do anything else, Elle's crying came from the nearby tablet.
"Hold on, Sweetie, I'm coming!" She stopped her research and got up from the chair.
Before Mark pulled out of his workplace's parking lot, he received a call from Sidney informing him about Annie and Dewey's imminent arrival. He was taken aback by the news and decided to take one task off his wife's plate by getting dinner. With Navi's restaurant undergoing renovations, he dropped by Badmaash.
With his mind preoccupied with Annie and how it was affecting Sidney, navigating Los Angeles' traffic seemed easier on this day. If this woman were another grifter, she could be quickly dismissed. However, her deceit would serve as a sad reminder that unsavory types will always target his wife. But if she were serious, Sidney would get a fuller picture of her mother's life. No matter the outcome, he was going to be there for her and give her whatever she needed.
The moment he stepped into the kitchen he greeted Sidney with a warm hug and kiss on the cheek. He could tell by her kiss that she was pleased to see him. With Angie and Elle at the kitchen table, he helped her plate dinner. They avoided talking about Annie during the pleasant meal.
After putting their daughters to bed, they headed to their bedroom where Sidney's laptop pinged. The portable computer was on her nightstand and based on the sound, she had just received an email.
He started to undress as she opened laptop and sat on the bed, "It's from Dewey, it's pictures."
"Of what?" He pulled on black drawstring pajama pants and walked over to her.
"It's a picture of her and my mom and uh, a journal that supposedly belonged to my mother..." She examined the images and could see how weathered the photos and journal looked. "Judy said that in person the photos look real, not at all photoshopped and the journal seems real too…"
Sitting next to her, he remarked, "Well, that's a good sign and Dewey's vetting her, right?"
With a nod, she answered, "Yeah, he and Judy are looking to her. He's coming over tomorrow to show me what they have."
He held her hand, "How are you feeling about all of this?"
After releasing a slow breath, she replied, "I'm prepared for the worst and hoping for the best. If Annie's legit then I'll get to know my mom better." Her lips pulled into a grin, "Look at these photos, she was so young, happy and full of hope and uh…"
"What is it?" His free hand rested on her back.
"I asked her, right after my high school play, what her dream was when she was my age. She paused, smiled and told me that she wanted to have a family and that my dad and I made that come true. I believed her. But clearly," her gaze dropped, "that wasn't always true."
"Sid, dreams can change and you can have more than one. If Annie is being sincere, you can ask her." He began rubbing her back and saw her stare return to him.
She loved how his touch always put her at ease. Cupping his face with her other hand, she stated, "I will. And I know that my mom loved me…but I hope that Annie will answer my questions."
Turning his head, he kissed her fingers, "I hope so too. And if you need anything from me, no matter what it is, its's yours."
It didn't need to be said but she valued having his unconditional love and support. "I know," she kissed his cheek, "and thanks. We'll see what happens when Dewey comes by tomorrow."
"Welcome back, Dewey!" Sidney said with a big smile as she embraced him at the front door.
"It's great seeing you again, Sid!" He hugged her as if he hadn't seen her in years.
"Oh, I missed you too. So, how's Gale and life in New York?" She asked while walking towards the kitchen.
"Uuh, good, really good. Gale really loves it there and I haven't seen her this happy in years!" He said with a small shake of his head and quirk of his lips.
Opening the refrigerator, she asked, "That's not surprising at all, but how about you?"
With a big exhale and quick grin, he answered, "The city's so crowded and busy…it's never dull; that's for sure. And our apartment, it has a great view of Central Park!" He sat down at the kitchen table. "Where is everyone?"
She twisted off the beer's cap and handed it to him, "Mark is getting the girls ready for dinner."
"Uncle Dewey!" Angie ran into kitchen with outstretched arms.
Mark trailed after her with Elle in his protective embrace and gave Dewey a big smile, "Hey Dewey, it's great seeing you again!"
"Hi Angie!" He kneeled down and gave her a big bear hug then grinned at her father, "Thanks Mark, it feels great to be bac-and wow, Elle's getting cuter by the minute!"
The edges of Mark's lips curved upward, "Thankfully, she looks like her mom."
"She's definitely a mini-Sid." Dewey gleefully nodded.
"Elle looks like the both of us." She folded her arms. Just then, the doorbell rang. Sidney started walking toward Mark, "That's our dinner from Argento's, I'll get it!"
Picking up his niece, Dewey said, "I'll help Angie get into her chair."
"Thanks Dewey," she stopped when she was right next to Mark, "Elle's bottle is ready and on the table; I'll be right back."
"Thanks and try not to miss me." He gave her a small smirk.
"That's impossible, you're my husband and the father of my first child." She giggled when he rolled his eyes as Dewey chuckled.
Right after putting their daughters to bed, Mark and Sidney joined Dewey in the kitchen. The research he had done into Annie Harris' background was on his laptop's screen and in several folders that were placed on the kitchen's island. Sidney and Mark looked through the information and listened to Dewey talk.
"Sid, everything I've found about her checks out and we also had lunch at Brackett's Diner." He held up his phone showing them a photo he had taken of Annie.
A pair of green eyes belonging to a light-skinned and well-dressed woman stared back at Sidney. Her long silver wavy locks framed her heart-shaped face while her full lips were pulled into a warm smile.
"How did she know my mom?" Sidney asked him.
Dewey looked into her eyes and explained, "Your mom was a waitress at some Greek restaurant, that's where they first met. She was being paid in cash which explains why Gale couldn't find anything on her. Anyway, Annie was reading a script and practicing lines during lunch and your mom struck up a conversation with her. Maureen was living out of her car until Annie offered her the extra bedroom in her apartment. Her uncle owned the apartment building so rent wasn't too bad and Maureen's name wasn't on the rental agreement."
"All right, what's your read on her?" Mark questioned the veteran cop.
"My gut tells me that she's genuine. And she really wants to meet you Sid, on your terms. But she also understands if you don't want to see her. It's your call." He said with a small nod.
She took a breath and followed her instincts, "I wanna meet her, tomorrow. In San Paz, at Maz and Preeti's new restaurant."
Mark nodded, "It's far enough away from here and Woodsboro. Do you want us there? I could drop the girls off at Mel's."
The veteran cop backed him up. "He's right. It wouldn't hurt to have us nearby, just in case."
Appreciative for their support, a grin touched her lips, "Thanks but I think it's better if I talk to her alone. Maybe you two could be in the backroom with Maz?"
Gripping her shoulder, Dewey told her, "We will be, we got your back, Sid."
She placed her arms around their shoulders pulling them closer to her, "I know and I'm damn lucky."
Maz happily welcomed Sidney, Mark and Dewey into the restaurant and led them into the backroom. Due to recent burglaries in the neighborhood and some unruly customers, security cameras were installed in and outside of the restaurant. He allowed Dewey and Mark access to the cameras' video feeds.
Sidney returned to the front of the eatery and sat in a booth near the back. She removed her brown leather jacket and adjusted her dark green top's hem. Tipping her head, she waved at the camera before taking a breath. Aunt Kate was the last person Sidney had spoken to about her mother's life. Even then, her late aunt couldn't provide any new details about Maureen's life.
The front door's bell trilled making Sidney's eyes flick to the right where Annie stood. Dressed in a royal blue long sleeve blouse, black slacks, dark ankle boots and a large red designer purse on her shoulder; the slender woman looked as if she belonged on Rodeo Drive.
When her eyes met Sidney's, she smiled held out her hand as she walked toward the younger woman, "Good afternoon, Sidney, I'm Annie and it's a pleasure meeting you. God, you must have so many questions!"
"The feeling's mutual and I do. Are you hungry?" She gestured to the booth.
"Oh, I'm good but thank you for asking." Annie graciously waved her off as she sat down.
Looking in her green eyes, she asked, "So, uh, why did you contact me now? After so many years?"
"Just like Maureen, you get straight to the point…" Her gaze went to the table before returning to Sidney. "A few weeks ago, my granddaughter, Serena, was at a college party, she's a freshman. Her roommate was with her, she had been drugged, taken to a bedroom and…Serena walked in on them and pulled that prick off her. His trial is in a few months."
Aghast, Sidney briefly covered her mouth, "Oh God, I'm so sorry that happened."
Nodding, she replied, "I'm proud of Serena but what happened to her roommate, it compelled me to reveal to her and my daughter about my time in Hollywood and what happened to Maureen. Before that, I didn't want to disrupt your life, you already were dealing with so much." With a long sigh, she ran her perfectly manicured fingers through her silver locks.
"Annie, I do have questions but you should only share what you're comfortable with." She touched her shoulder.
A small grin came to her full pale red lips, "You're so kind…but you deserve the truth. Maureen and I were both invited to Milton's party. And we were so excited, believing that it could be our big break! Earlier in the day, I ate something that disagreed with me and um, she offered to stay behind and take care of me but-but I told her to go anyway," her voice shook and her eyes began to glisten. "I'd give anything to take that back."
Seeing the guilt coming from her urged the younger woman to hold Annie's hand, "You didn't know what would happen that night."
She touched Sidney's hand, "Thanks, but I was also so naïve at that age. I thought it would just be another Hollywood party. But when she came back, she wasn't the same vibrant and confident girl I knew. Maureen told me what happened and I immediately encouraged her to go to the police. The next morning, we went to our local precinct." With a disgusted scoff, she continued, "They tried to blame Maureen by asking if she was drunk, high, and asked her what she was wearing. And if she had slept with Milton or any of those other men before that night. All the assholes in that screening room were very powerful men, they weren't going to admit the truth. Still, your mom was brave, she was willing to testify."
Her dark brows creased, "Why didn't they press charges?"
She briefly set her jaw, "They told her that it was a weak case with no witnesses to support her allegations and no real evidence. The lead detective told her that her bruises could have been a result of rough but consensual sex. But it only got worse from there."
Confused, she asked, "How is that even possible?"
"One of Milton's goons was waiting for us at our apartment. I got in front of Maureen and that prick gave me black eye, but luckily my uncle was there. He used his bat on the fucker and chased him off. He sent us to live at one of friends' apartment buildings. We stayed there and later on, she found out that she was nine weeks pregnant." Grabbing the glass of water in front of her, she stated, "The adoption agency matched her up with the Bridgers, they were kind and wealthy. They paid for all of her doctor appointments, her rent and other expenses."
As she drank, Sidney questioned her, "Yeah, my friend Gale looked into them, they were good people. Roman, what he became, that wasn't on them. But, uh, did she consider her options?"
With a small nod of her head, she explained, "I did offer to take her to a clinic that I had gone to before and she took a few days to think about it. But she told me that she wasn't ready to be a mom yet and she wanted to help a couple grow their family."
Annie slowly tipped her head forward, "After she gave birth, they gave her one last big payment, enough for her to go back home and recover from that dark time in her life."
Her eyes briefly went to the window next to them before returning to the mature woman, "Did you ever see her again?"
For a moment her stare dropped to the table as she exhaled, "…Before she went back to Woodsboro, we had one last lunch together. She told me that she loved me and that she valued our friendship and she didn't blame me for what happened…but she wanted to forget her time in Hollywood. The only way she could do that was by leaving and never seeing anyone she met there ever again. It hurt to hear that from her…but I understood her reasoning. However…"
With a curious cant of her head, she inquired, "What?"
"I was happily married with a daughter and son with a little boy on the way. When my doctor told me Brennan's due date, I immediately thought of Maureen because it was a few days before her birthday.
That weekend, I drove to Woodsboro and I got a serious craving for mint chocolate chip ice cream. So, I went into The Inside Scoop and when I came out, I saw her, Neil and you across the street having lunch at a diner." A warm smile touched her lips, "You must have been three or four and you all looked so happy together! It was wonderful seeing my friend again. I wanted to run over there and hug her and meet you two. But-but I wasn't going to walk over there and blow up her beautiful life. So, I went into my car, finished those perfect two scoops and drove away."
Sidney gave her a sympathetic look then said, "I get it. She became uncomfortable when I asked her if I could be in my school's play. But she did let me do it and showed up for every rehearsal and play I starred in."
The edge of her lips briefly pulled upward, "That was her, she always put others' needs before hers."
"Yeah, except I told her that I didn't want to be a movie star, I just wanted to help tell a story, in my own way." She picked up her glass of water and brought it to her lips.
With a knowing bob of her head, Annie shared, "Maureen was the exact opposite. She did like playing different roles but she wanted walk red carpets, wear fabulous designer clothes, go to all of the Hollywood parties, win an Oscar, marry Robert Redford and have his kids." She chuckled and brushed a strand of her hair off her face. "We were so young and naïve at that age. The both of us came to Hollywood thinking that it would be so easy to become famous."
After setting her glass down, she took in her words. "Is that how she got involved with John Milton?"
She uncomfortably shifted in her seat, "He was in the room at one of our auditions. And honestly, he acted like a total gentleman and was so charming. He was unmarried and she really thought they had a future together. That all changed after what he and his friends did to her that night." Clenching her jaw, her eyes became cold matching her change in tone, "And I don't care how this makes me look, I'm glad that he's gone and that he suffered until his last breath."
Sidney took a moment to witness Annie's anger before speaking, "…Um, in the pictures I saw, you had some of her things?"
"Right!" From her large red leather purse, she fished out a journal and a small photo album. "I only read the journal's first page before remembering that it was hers. You should have all of it."
"Thanks, I really appreciate it, Annie," she opened the photo album and saw a folded strip of pictures that were taken in a photo booth.
A dreamy smile spread across her face, "Aw, we took those at Santa Monica, it was my birthday."
Removing the photo from the sleeve she then offered it to her, "You should keep it. This was clearly a fond memory for you and I think she'd want you to keep it."
She reached out and grasped her shoulder, "Thank you, Sidney. You're just as generous as she was."
"That's sweet and thank you for doing this, it means a lot." She placed her hand on top of Annie's. They shared a pleasant silence before wishing each other well and going their separate ways.
That evening, Angie and Elle were spending the night at Melanie's giving Mark and Sidney the opportunity to spend some quality time together. Before dinner, they took Koa and Poppy for their evening walk. After stepping onto their backyard, they strode over to the dock to admire the lake.
Mark skipped a rock flat rock against the water's surface before speaking. "I saw you looking through your mom's journal during the drive home. Did you learn anything else about her?"
"I was skimmed through most of it. The last entry was the night before Milton's party." Her dark eyes glanced at the water, "She sounded so excited and hopeful. It was only one entry but she was also a good writer."
"How does...how does all of this make you feel?" His hand held hers.
Touched by his concern for her, she let go of his hand and wrapped her arm around his waist. "A part of me feels heartbroken for her, she had a dream that Milton and his friends crushed. She also never had the chance to forgive herself and heal. But I'm also grateful that she had Annie, a real friend, even after her death. And I'm glad that I got to learn about another side of my mom through someone who actually cared for her and still does. It was a good day and it helped to have you and Dewey nearby."
Wrapping his arm around her shoulders, he then gently leaned in planting a kiss on her temple. "Dewey was right, we always got your back."
She pulled him closer and covered his mouth with a tender kiss.
An eager Poppy barked then stood on her haunches placing her front paws on their legs. Her wagging tail cut through the air. They broke their kiss and laughed at the pale blonde puppy.
Two days later, it was the anniversary of Maureen's murder. Sidney looked forward to remembering her mother. Their time would be spent celebrating her life in subtle ways. The day would be filled with Maureen's favorite foods and activities.
After enjoying French toast and omelettes, the family of four went into the backyard where Sidney had already set out their gardening tools and gloves. Mark placed Elle in her bouncer seat and sat down on the patio lounge chair next to her. A wide smile stretched across his face when he glanced to his left where Sidney and Angie were happily planting Casablanca lilies. Mark loved seeing his daughter unknowingly help honor her late grandmother. The smile on Sidney's face was as radiant as the sun that shone down on them.
For Angie's bedtime story, Sidney chose the children's book Corduroy. It was the first book her mother had read to her and a personal favorite of theirs. The toddler was unaware of the charming teddy bear. Her eyes lit up when Sidney showed her the book's colorful cover.
Mark sat on the other side of their eldest daughter. The doting parents took turns reading and were delighted to see Angie being enthralled with the story. He grinned at the image of his wife holding their daughter's attention with her excellent storytelling skills. During their first date, Sidney told him about how she cherished her mother's bedtime stories. Seeing her carry on the tradition with their child did the impossible, it made her more beautiful to him.
Warmth came to Sidney's heart when she saw Angie listen to her in sheer wonder. She remembered gazing at her mom in the same way. Through the power of her words and emotions, she helped bring a story to life just like her mother used to do for her. Although Maureen's body was now ashes, Sidney felt as if her spirit lived on. She could see her mother's love in Angie's bright eyes and sensed it spread through her soul.
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