"Brother?," Michael asked. In the loft, Michael read the information that Sam handed over to him. "She has a brother?"
"Half-brother," Sam said. "I don't think she even knows that he exists. He is the son of her father and his high-school girlfriend. They split up shortly after graduation. He probably didn't even know he had a son to begin with. I worry about how Lantana will take the news when we tell her this. She has the right to know."
"You should tell her, Sam," Michael said. "She'll take it best if it comes from you. What else did you learn?"
"This Nikki was her childhood friend," Sam continued. "Kyle and Sarah Walker were neighbors and were close friends. Their daughter, Nikki, was two months older than Lantana and they were best friends. Nikki is married now and she is now Nikki Walker-Blade. She has two children, twins Kyle and Kyra. Nikki, her husband Justin, and her family are still here in Miami. Her parents have moved to Atlanta."
"Thank you so much, Sam," Michael said. "I'll go talk to Nikki. You need to tell Lantana about this brother."
"His name is Ned Larkin," Sam said. "He's forty-seven, married once, divorced, one daughter, and lives in Daytona." He thought. "Why don't you send Fiona to talk to him?," he suggested.
"Yeah, I'll call her," Michael agreed. "Go see Lantana."
"I'm going," Sam smiled. He left the loft.
Michael closed the folder. "Lantana will freak out," he said to himself aloud. "But maybe she'll be happy to know that she does have some family alive."
Sam drove to Madeline's home and walked into the house. "Hey, Maddie," he greeted. "Where's Lantana?"
"Out back," Madeline replied. "She's been awfully quiet."
"I'm not surprised at that," Sam replied. "She's been through hell and back. Is she eating OK?"
"Moderately," Madeline replied. "I'm surprised she's not thinner than what she is."
"She never got any exercise," Sam said. "Just sitting around, chained up like a dog, and never allowed out. It's no wonder she's not so thin."
Sam found Lantana in a lawn chair in the back. He picked up another chair and set it nearby and sat down. "Hey, Lantana," he smiled. "How have you been?"
"Same," Lantana replied. "It's so weird, being out and free and unchained. I can do whatever I want now and I don't know what to do."
"First, I think you need to just rest and regain yourself," Sam suggested.
"Did you come here for a reason, Sam?," Lantana asked. "You look like you have something on your mind."
"Yeah, I do," Sam admitted, his smile vanishing. "I don't know how to tell you this or how you're going to take it." He took a deep breath. "We did some digging and we found a few things that concern you." He took a long pause. "First, you have a half-brother," he finally forced himself to say. "From the woman that your father dated while in high school. His name is Ned Larkin."
"My father mentioned that woman," Lantana said. "Her name was Annabelle Larkin. But he never said anything about any kids."
"She left right after they graduated on March third," Sam said. "He was born August seventeenth. She may not have known. She may have not been able to let him know later."
"I get it," Lantana said. "Have any of you talked to Ned yet? Has he been told?"
"No," Sam replied. "He lives in Daytona. He works two jobs. He's an auto mechanic most times. During the race weeks, he works at the Daytona Speedway selling souvenirs. He's forty-seven, married once, divorced, no children, and lives alone. We're sending Fiona to talk to him tomorrow and tell him."
"Thanks," Lantana said. "And what was the other thing?"
"Nikki Walker is still in Miami," Sam said. He was pleased to see Lantana's big exited smile.
"She was my closest friend," Lantana said. "I haven't seen her since my father's funeral. You guys found her?"
"She's married now and has two children," Sam told her.
"Wow, that's great," Lantana said. "I'm happy for her. I really am."
At Michael's loft, Fiona was not too quick to accept the trip. "Daytona?," she asked. "I am supposed to drop everything and drive all the way to Daytona only one week before the five-hundred? Have you any idea how bad traffic will be there? You want me to drive two-hundred-sixty miles to get stuck in traffic?"
"Lantana needs somebody that she's related to," Michael said. "We're hoping that Ned will accept her."
Fiona sighed. "Fine," she agreed reluctantly. She knew that traffic would be a nightmare since the Daytona 500 was the biggest race of the year. Thousands of race fans traveled to Daytona every year for the big race. Reporters were also a nuisance during those days. They wanted to talk not only to the people in the sport, but also the fans.
Fiona was not looking forward to traveling so far and getting herself caught up in traffic. She was not looking forward to seeing the numerous people running around with t-shirts and jackets with various race car drivers depicted on them. Then, there would be show cars everywhere so that people could see the race cars. There would be autograph sessions at hotels and businesses. Fiona felt like a child who did not want to go to school.
"Have a good trip," Michael smiled.
"You don't want me to answer that," Fiona snapped. She left the loft and walked to her car. She jumped in and drove away.
Fiona drove to the interstate and took the exit that sent her on her way to Daytona. Fiona listened to music, trying to maintain her frustration and anger. She still did not want to go, but she was very eager to help Lantana. She knew that she could never understand what that woman had been through. She knew that Lantana had a long road ahead of her to bounce back to normalcy. She wondered if Lantana would ever be "normal" again; if she would ever date, marry, have a family, or any of the other things that most women want.
A light rain was falling as Fiona arrived in Daytona. As she expected, it was crowded and noisy. Race fans were everywhere, wearing clothes that advertised their favorite drivers; ranging from Jeff Gordon to Greg Biffle to Dale Earnhardt Jr. Trucks and vans from various TV networks were parked everywhere as the race received national attention.
Fiona read the address that Michael had given her. She drove out of the downtown area and soon entered a nice residential area. Most of the homes were small with only one or two bedrooms and small front yards. She drove carefully, not wanting to hurt any of the numerous children that were running and playing. People were walking, jogging, walking dogs, and caring for lawns.
Fiona found the house she was looking for. A newish blue Ford Super-Duty pick-up truck was in the driveway. "Well, he's home, I suppose," Fiona said. She parked on the curb, got out, and walked to the front door. She rang the doorbell. A man with shoulder-length dark-blonde hair, a goatee, and blue eyes answered the door.
"I'm not buying or signing," the man said.
"I'm not selling anything," Fiona said. "I am not collecting signatures for anything. Are you Ned Larkin?"
"Yeah," Ned replied. "Why?"
"Your father was a man named Rodney Kempton, a Navy SEAL," Fiona said.
"That's right," Ned said. "He died almost fifteen years ago. Why do you ask?"
"Do you know that you have a half-sister?," Fiona asked.
"Yeah," Ned replied. "Her name is Lantana. I never spoke to her, but I did see her at the funeral. Then, I moved here. I figured she's be better off without me. I don't think she knew who I was when I was there."
"She didn't and she doesn't know," Fiona said. "Lantana was placed into the custody of her mother's sister and they kept her locked in an attic since then. The aunt and her family were drug-runners and involved in other illegal activities. They kept Lantana locked so she couldn't go to the police. She was found during a raid last week. My boyfriend was one of the officials that found her."
Ned was amazed at what he was hearing. "Oh, my god," he said under his breath. He suddenly showed a flash of anger in his face. "It's all my fault," he said. "I was an adult then. I could have taken her."
"No, it's not," Fiona said. "But she needs you now. She's in Miami. She never left it. She's staying with a good person who really cares. There are a lot of people looking after her and making sure she recovers. But she has no family at all."
"Hell, yeah, I'll come see her," Ned said. "Let me get a few things together and I'll follow you to Miami."
"I'll wait in my car," Fiona agreed.
In her car, Fiona called Michael on her cell-phone. "He's getting ready," she said. "He said he hasn't seen Lantana since the funeral. He admits that he never spoke to her, not even at the funeral. He seemed truly distressed when I told him what happened."
"You did great, Fi," Michael said. "Thanks a lot. I'll see you when you get back to Miami."
"I'm coming now," Fiona said. "Ned is going to follow me."
4