Page 17

NOW

July 2023

Lily

Phibsborough, Dublin

Lily felt as if she was on the edge of a cliff, and every time Zach had looked at her, his eyes pushed her closer to a fall. Her skin felt clammy, and her body ached as if she was coming down with the flu. She ran to the kitchen, turned the tap on and splashed cold water onto her face. It made her mascara run, and the black inky make-up stung her eyes. She grabbed a tea towel and wiped her face clean.

What should she do?

She’d call her husband. He’d know what to do.

Pick up, please, Lily thought as she called his mobile, but it rang without answer. Should she leave a voicemail?

‘Can’t talk. All okay?’ Michael’s voice asked breathlessly as she was about to hang up.

Lily felt a sob escape. She took a deep breath, knowing she would only scare Michael if she began to cry. ‘Ben is fine. But I need you to come home.’

‘What’s wrong?’ His voice was curt. He could never handle Lily or Ben being sick, and worry made him seem cold and unfeeling when it was the opposite of how he felt.

‘I can’t tell you on the phone, but I need you here, please.’

Michael didn’t waste further time asking questions, and she could not have loved him more. He said so calmly that she instantly felt a weight lift from her shoulders, ‘I’m on my way. I love you.’

While waiting for her husband to get home, Lily cancelled and rescheduled the rest of her appointments that afternoon. She knew it would be impossible to give herself entirely to her clients after the bombshell she’d had thrown at her. And she respected them and their time too much to see them when her head was not on straight.

Once her day was clear from all obligations, she made a pot of coffee. Michael arrived as she plunged the filter. Relief flooded his face when he saw that she was – physically, at least – in one piece. Shrugging his jacket off, he moved quickly to her side and took her in his arms. She allowed herself a moment to take solace from this embrace. Touch had always been their love language. Then she took his hand and led him to their kitchen table, pouring the coffee into two mugs.

How often had they sat in this spot to discuss their lives’ essential and mundane moments? They held weekly diary scheduling sessions, they debated niggles over Ben missing a significant milestone – he sure took his time at walking – they worried about their budget as they discussed if they could afford a holiday. And, of course, they often spoke about their families too.

About Robert.

Well, once again, they were about to discuss him . . . but she was pretty sure Michael would never guess in what context.

‘Okay, tell me what’s going on,’ Michael said once they’d both taken their first sip of coffee.

‘I took a new client on recently. An American called Zach Brady.’

Michael raised his eyebrows in surprise. Lily never divulged information about her work.

‘At our session this morning, Zach told me that he believes he is Robert.’

Lily watched Michael’s face register shock, then surprise, then back to shock again as he whispered her words to himself.

‘That face. That’s how I felt,’ Lily said, waving a finger in her husband’s direction.

‘How . . . w-what . . .’ Michael stammered. His hand reached over to cup hers, the warmth steadying her, giving her the strength to continue.

‘Zach said he watched Dad’s interview on Ireland AM . And when he saw Robert’s photograph, he couldn’t believe his eyes. One sec.’ She reached behind the countertop to retrieve the photographs Zach had given her earlier. ‘These are of Zach when he was three years old.’

Michael’s eyes darted between Robert’s and Zach’s baby photograph. ‘They could be twins,’ he acknowledged. He pointed to the age-progression photograph now. ‘Does he look like this?’

‘Nope. Not at all. Well, maybe the eyes. I honestly can’t see the resemblance to the age-progression photo, but that might not mean anything because—’

‘It can never be an accurate portrayal without both parents’ photographs,’ Michael interrupted. It was impossible to spend time with the Murphy family and not become an expert on missing children.

‘Your father was right all along. He said the photographs and interviews would pay dividends,’ Michael said in wonder.

Lily had shared the same thought earlier, but she still couldn’t trust this information to be true. Discussing this possibility felt surreal, dreamlike.

‘Zach said his mother met and married an American when he was five. He’s close to his stepfather, and he has three younger sisters. He’s on a temporary contract with his firm here in Ireland. It was pure chance that he saw that interview.’

They both took a sip of their coffee, their eyes locked.

‘Where’s his biological father?’ Michael asked.

‘He never had a relationship with him. His stepfather looked him up a few years ago and found out that he’d died.’

‘Okay, but I’m still missing something here,’ Michael said, his eyes narrowing as he looked at the photographs again. ‘Why does he think he’s Robert? Just because he looks like this? That sounds fishy to me.’

Lily frowned. Now that Michael was questioning it, she realised it seemed preposterous. But it wasn’t only the photographs.

‘He used to have an imaginary friend as a young child.’ She exhaled deeply. ‘He called her his other mother.’

Michael raked his hands through his hair and swore softly under his breath.

‘I know. It’s a lot,’ Lily said.

‘What does he want from you?’ Michael’s eyes narrowed. ‘Did he ask for anything?’

Lily shook her head quickly. ‘He looked stressed by it all too. He wanted to talk it through, but I asked him to leave. I couldn’t handle him being here. I suppose I’ll have to get in touch, once I’ve had a chance to think about it all.’

Michael stood up and grabbed a notebook and pen from a drawer on the kitchen island. Then he flipped open their laptop and switched it on. ‘Right. I’d like to know more about what or who we are dealing with before we invite this Zach dude back into our home. Can you start by listing everything you know about this man? Let’s regain some power and ensure he’s been telling the truth about the basics. For all we know, this is some kind of shakedown. A scam to get money.’

Lily jumped up, her heart pounding. She had never been more grateful for her husband than she was right now. She knew he’d have a plan.

‘I’ll get his file. It has his address and date of birth in it,’ Lily replied, sprinting to the office.

It took Michael only a few moments to find confirmation that Zach did work for the firm he’d given her. He was listed in their employee section. And his image was included in a recent fundraiser on their Instagram page. He’d cycled from Dublin to Wexford with twenty colleagues, who’d raised over fifty thousand euros for a children’s charity. Lily took in his bright, wide smile as he posed for a photograph, sitting on his bike. And she fancied she could see a resemblance to her mother around his mouth and chin.

‘Let’s see if he’s been tagged in any of the photos, then we can do a deeper dive into his online profile,’ Michael said. He tapped away on the screen for a few minutes, then whooped when he found his personal account. He had 412 followers and followed 155 accounts, most of which were brand and sports-related accounts. They scrolled through his grid, clicking on each photograph. The most recent images were posted in June, with the caption ‘June photo dump’. Ten shots, which included the charity cycle run, a night out in a bar and a barbecue at a friend’s house.

‘This feels intrusive,’ Lily said, nibbling her bottom lip.

‘You think he’s not had a good look through all of your socials?’ Michael muttered.

A shiver ran down Lily’s spine. She remembered Zach mentioning Ben by name and how odd it had felt. Now she had never felt more vulnerable.

‘Open that one.’ Lily pointed to an image of Zach standing in the middle of three girls, his arms looping over their shoulders. ‘I think that could be him with his sisters. He’s the eldest of four.’

They both peered closely at the image as Michael zoomed in on it. They looked tanned and happy, standing before a grey lake beneath a blue cloudless sky.

‘He looks more like them than me,’ Lily said firmly.

‘Hmm,’ Michael replied. ‘These two sisters are alike. And Zach has a similar colouring to this one. They do look like siblings, I suppose.’ He turned and scrutinised Lily. ‘There are similarities between you and Zach too. You have the same smile, chin . . .’

Damn it, Lily thought. Michael saw that too. Her stomach began to cramp in protest again. She decided to ignore her husband’s comment. If Lily allowed herself to believe, to hope, that Zach was her brother . . . Her body trembled at what that might mean for her and her family.

‘Location says this is Lake Champlain,’ Michael added.

‘Again, this rings true with what he’s shared with me. His family lives in Westport, about an hour from New York. They are a boating family, always on the lake. Are there any photos of his parents?’

Michael moved the mouse again and stopped when he saw an image of Zach sitting around a fire pit beside an older woman and a man. The caption read simply, ‘Good times with the folks.’ His parents were both smiling as they looked in Zach’s direction. The photograph captured him mid-story, both his hands gesturing, his face glowing with excitement as he spoke. A happy moment frozen forever.

‘Zoom in again,’ Lily whispered.

Zach’s parents looked to be in their sixties. Lily could not take her eyes from the woman’s face. She was tanned, with faint lines embedded around her eyes and mouth, and her ash-blonde hair was streaked with grey and worn loose to her shoulder. It framed a pretty face. Lily guessed that she’d been stunning when she was younger. The kind of beauty that could stop traffic. There was a kindness in her face. She looked normal, not like a crazy person who would snatch a child in the dead of night.

Michael moved on, and they spent over an hour clicking and zooming in on the family’s online memories that were special enough for them to share with the world.

‘He didn’t lie about his background and family,’ Michael said. ‘I reckon we have to at least give him a chance to explain further.’

Lily’s intuition told her that he was right. However, she couldn’t shake the fear of the consequences that may follow.

‘We also need to consider whether we should tell your mum and dad,’ Michael added.

Lily’s reaction was visceral and quick. ‘No!’ She steadied, then continued, ‘Not until we find out more. We cannot put them through another false alarm.’

‘Fair enough. But I think you should give this Zach a call,’ Michael said, pushing her mobile closer.

‘Now?’ Lily said, her voice little more than a high-pitched squeak.

‘Ben is in the crèche, safe and sound. I’m here. I do not want this guy catching you off guard when I’m not around. So let’s do it now. Call him and see if he’ll return to talk now.’