A/N First, my apologies for not updating. While my outline is good, this chapter just would not lay out well. Probably because it is "All talk" and no action. However it is crucial to the plot line.

Thanks for the reviews. We have hot adrenalin sex coming soon!!!

Chapter 17

By the time Angie and Jax had reached the ranch, Angie had calmed down, a little. She had heard from Peter, and from Juice. Juice had some information about Fahey and would meet her and Jax at the house. Peter however, was working on more information based on what Juice had learned and would call as soon as he knew anything. Angie and Jax had gotten a text from Opie, he was about 10 minutes behind them.

Angie got out of the truck and walked into the house. She headed straight to the den, Jax hot on her heels.

"Do you have a plan for when they get here?" Jax asked as he entered the room and walked over to the liquor cabinet in the room.

"Actually I do. The more I thought about what Polly and you said, the more I think Polly may have the answer and she just doesn't know it. The same may be true with Carolyn. I think we all may have the answers if we just sit down and put what we know together." Angie said.

"That may be true," Jax said. "But is you attack those 3 you won't get shit from them."

"I know. I think I am going to have to be the one to apologize to get any of them to talk. And as much as I HATE to say this, there is probably blame to go all around. Problem here is Sandy. I don't think she thinks she has anything to apologize for. I want to know about this God Damm Adoption!" Angie said.

"Angel, it may be personal. Did it ever occur to you that this is the reason why she has had so many problems dealing with MJ? She might feel very guilty about what she and Matt were planning to start doing right before Matt died." Jax said.

"SHE SHOULD," Angie screamed.

"Angel, it was their personal business. Do you think you might be a little one sided in your opinion here? Or that you have idealized your brothers in your memories of them?" Jax said. "I have a hard time believing they were saints."

"I don't believe that!" Angie spat.

"But sometimes you act like that, whether you say it or not. It's hard to live up to the mythical memory of a dead person." Jax said.

"Ok, maybe I have idealized them, just a tad bit." Angie said.

"Well if you have moved on from that dark time, don't you think they should be able to also?" He said. Jax picked up the drink he had poured himself and walked over to Angie who was leaning on the desk. "Look Angel, I am on your side, know that. But if we are going to get to the bottom of this, there have to be no illusions. You weren't the only one who lost. They did too." Jax tucked a loose hair behind her ear.

They heard the front door of the house open and the clicking of high heels headed toward the den. Carolyn, Polly and Sandy entered the room followed by Opie. Each of them walked in the room and stood in what could only be called defensive positions. Jax gave Angie a small smile and then leaned over and pecked her cheek. He whispered in her ear, "Your move."

"Come on in, girls." Angie said, pushing herself off the desk. As the ladies made their way further into the room Angie gestured for them to sit down. Angie thought about sitting down at the chair behind the desk, but decided that would be intimidating, so she made her way to one of the chairs by the coffee table. "Let's sit down and talk about this." Angie added.

The ladies made their way to the sitting area and Opie headed over to the desk to join Jax. As the ladies sat down Angie took a deep breath and decided that she needed to go first, and starting off with an apology might be best.

"First, I am sorry about being so abrupt earlier," Angie said. "I am sure we can agree we want to know what happened and I have been pushing."

"That's Ok Angie, I understand I should have told you all a long." Polly started to say when Sandy cut her off.

"Polly you don't have to explain shit to her, she does not run your life." Sandy spat.

"Sandy, enough." Carolyn chimed in. Angie was somewhat surprised the Carolyn had come to her defense. "Angie is right; there is plenty of blame for all of us. If she is willing to accept her part, so am I."

Angie looked over at Carolyn and gave her a small smile and a nod, acknowledging what she had said. Looking back to Polly and calmed her voice and then started to speak. "Now Polly, what do you know about this Fahey character?"

"Well, he came to see Mason about 2 months before the accident," Polly started.

"Here at the ranch?" Angie asked. Angie was remembering that Mason, Polly and the boys were living at the ranch back then.

"No, at the office," Polly said. "At first he presented himself as a business person wanting to possibly invest here in Percy. Mason really seemed to like him."

"Well obviously that was a rouse to get close since he didn't set up a business. When did he tell you about being a Maroney?" Jax asked.

"Well, we had been to dinner a few times before the accident, you know the business kind, Mason, him, me. When I saw him at the funeral I thought it was nice but a little bit strange since they hadn't done any business yet. After I moved to town I saw him on the street and he started talking to me, then he called a few times, took me to coffee." Polly said.

"One night he walked me back home. We had gone down for some coffee, and suddenly I realized at 8 in the evening that I hadn't thought about Mason all day. It was the first day I hadn't thought about him all day. Suddenly I felt bad that I hadn't thought about him and I started crying. I apologized for my emotions. He said that was ok. In a way he envied me. He wished he had known his brother. I nearly passed out when he said it." Polly said.

"I can imagine," Sandy said. "How old is this Fahey guy?"

"I would say he is a little younger than Angie. Maybe 6 or 7 years younger." Polly said.

Just then there was a knock on the door. Jax got up and walked over. Opening the door, Jax found Happy standing on the other side of it. Jax let the man into the room and then walked back to the desk. The 3 women stared at Happy, and Sandy smiled just a bit as he strolled across the room to the desk, joining Opie and Jax.

"How does he think he is my brother?" Angie asked.

"He says his mother was a nurse. She helped take care of"

"Marilyn" Carolyn blurted out.

"Exactly," Polly said. "He said she left when she died. He doesn't think Bill even knew about him, that his mom was pregnant or that he even exists. His mom never talked about his dad, other than to say he was a good man who had suffered a great loss."

"Then how did he find out?" Sandy asked.

"He read her papers when she died he says," Polly answered.

"Ok, well at least that is plausible. I don't remember details about that time, other than a whole lot of sadness. I remember my dad trying hard to be positive around us." Angie said.

"I remember it. If she is his mom, she was a great lady. Tender and gentle. She was great with you and your brothers being in the room with your Mom. Your dad was so appreciative of her. It made it so your mom could stay here at the house till the end." Carolyn said.

"Do you think he could have cheated on your Mom?" Sandy asked.

"I would say no, but I was so little. I know Mom was sick for a long time. I would like to think he was faithful, but you never know." Angie said. Jax looked at her. He could tell this was weighing on her, like it was ruining all her childhood memories.

"Polly, what does he ask you about Mason?" Opie asked.

"That is what doesn't fit if he killed them. All he wants to see is pictures of Mason, of all of them really. He talks about wishing he had been able to know them, to get to spend time with them when he was little." Polly said.

"If that is what he wants so bad, why hasn't he tried to contact me?" Angie asked.

"He doesn't talk about you much. He seems more interested in the boys. It's like he was desperate to have had brothers and a Dad. He asks about you, but mostly he wants to know about the boys." Polly said.

"Why did he decide to meet his long lost family when he did?" Jax asked.

"His Mom had died. He found the paperwork about Bill Maroney and started piecing the timeline together." Polly said.

Just then Juice opened up the door and peeked in the room. Jax nodded to the man to join them, but Juice motioned for them to come out into the hallway. Jax motioned to Opie to stay and listen to the conversation, and he and Happy stepped out to talk to Juice.

"What is it?" Jax asked as he pulled the door shut.

"You are never going to believe this. Fahey's Mom, she was murdered. They haven't arrested the killer." Juice said.

"When?" Jax asked.

"About 2 ½ years ago," Juice said.

"Right before he showed up here," Happy said. "You said arrested, does that mean they have a suspect but can't pin it down?"

"Yeah, it does." Juice said.

"Well, spit it out," Jax said.

"Douglas Parker, David Parker's Dad." Juice said.

"You mean the father of the guy doing business with Maroney Mining and sleeping with Carolyn?" Jax asked.

"The very one." Juice said. "I sent this on to Peter, and he was going to get it to Steve at Maroney Mining."

"What kind of relationship did this Parker guy and Fahey's mom have?" Jax asked.

"She was his ex-wife. She had a restraining order on him. There are police reports for 5 or 6 years, in the late 90's. Looks like they split in '01, but the RO was in affect till the day she died." Juice said.

"That makes Parker and Fahey," Happy started.

"Step-brothers." Jax finished his sentence.

Jax thought for a moment and then looked at Juice. "You and Peter find out all you can about Doug and David Parker and their relationship."

"Will do," Juice said, and then he turned and left.

"You gonna tell them in there?" Hap nodded his head toward the closed door.

"No, think I will wait and tell Angel alone, but I need you to do something." Jax said. "Go talk to Taggert. He has been around here for 30 years. If Bill Maroney was screwing around on his wife, he would probably know. Talk to him Tonight, and be persuasive." Jax said.

"Got it," Happy said.

"Hey, one more thing, why do you think this guy only seems interested in knowing the Maroney men?" Jax asked.

"You know not much of this makes sense, yet. But my gut tells me because he already knows about the Maroney Woman." Happy said.

"Funny, that is what my gut tells me also." Jax said.