went by the name Miller?” Sterling asked.
Mrs. Sparrow waved her hand. “Oh, it was a while ago. I know you wouldn’t care, but Jerry was a friend of your father’s—if your father could be said to have had friends. They were acquaintances. I remember his wife, Wendy. I believe they left Chicago; it was before the whole McFadden fiasco. They moved to California to be closer to their children.” She reached over to Sparrow’s arm. “Not all of us are lucky enough to have our children close.”
“Speaking of friends of my father,” Sparrow said, placing his elbows on the table and bringing the tips of his fingers together, “did he ever father children with any of his mistresses?”
Mrs. Sparrow’s eyes widened as she choked on her tea. “Sterling Sparrow, why would you even ask such a question?”
“Let me just say that recent events have caused me to be curious.”
Her bony fingers came to the table as she pushed her chair back and stood. “This is not a topic of conversation that a son discusses with his mother.”
“Then who should I ask? Did he keep a journal of women and children? Who would you suggest I go to who will have the answers?”
“No one,” she replied defiantly. “There are no other children. Sterling, you are your father’s sole heir. You never need to worry about that. If anyone ever tried to make a claim on your assets, I can assure you that party would be a gold-digging liar.”
My tongue was on the verge of severing from the pressure I was applying with my teeth.
Was I tasting blood?
“How can you be so certain?” Sparrow asked. “Allister Sparrow wasn’t exactly known for his monogamy.”
Something like a huff came from Mrs. Sparrow. “Sterling, we lived in a different time. Such as I said before, today’s world is toxic. Back in the day, we took care of things.”
“Who took care of things?” I asked.
“Abortions?” Sparrow asked.
“Yes. Your father wasn’t alone in his needs. Other men—Rudy, Rubio, and Wendell, just to name a few—had the reputation. As wives and mothers, we women made sure things stayed…shall I say, acceptable.”
“Through what means?” Sparrow asked, standing, his presence dwarfing that of his mother.
“Whatever means necessary, Sterling,” she answered with her neck and shoulders set. “Instead of glaring at me, you should thank me. You won’t have some bastard coming and claiming part of what is yours. Allister made his place in this world with the help of money I brought to our marriage. I would not allow his wandering to affect what was my son’s.”
“Mother, what are you saying?”
She shook her head. “I’m saying nothing more. We women had our ways.”
I stood. “Car accidents?”
Her neck straightened. “Excuse me, Mr. Kelly, I don’t believe this concerns you.” She took a step back. “You may think I’m blind. My blindness was self-imposed. I didn’t want to know all of your father’s doings or even what you do. However, if either of you are going to point at me for cleaning up messes, you should look in the mirror. We can be called many things, but saints without blemishes wouldn’t be one.” She sucked in her breath. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to prepare for my luncheon engagement.”
“Does the name Alycia Tate ring a bell?” Sparrow asked.
She lifted her chin. “I didn’t try to commit any to memory.”
“She would have been pregnant about the same time as you.”
Mrs. Sparrow’s head shook. “I had a difficult pregnancy. I understood that your father had needs I couldn’t satisfy…I won’t say anything else.”
She turned to walk away but stilled when Sparrow spoke. “Mother, tell me the truth. Are you saying that you called for the car accident, not my father?”
Genevieve spun toward us. “Your father was too busy with his next whore to worry about his last. It was a full-time job securing your future. I did it. I’d do it again.” She nodded her head. “I will need to ask you both to leave.”
Madeline
The cellular phone Patrick had given to me this morning before breakfast sat upon the kitchen counter. Its presence pulled my attention away from the laptop. Technology was at my fingertips, and yet it wasn’t. Somehow, I didn’t care. Similar to the iPad that had been given to Ruby, the laptop allowed me to search and read but not interact. Since all of my personal accounts had been set up by Andros’s people, they were now out of my reach. The telephone only gave me access to the