Identity Crisis - Pt 4

Part 1: https://vocal.media/fiction/identity-crisis-yb14r02l5

Part 2: https://vocal.media/fiction/identity-crisis-pt-2

Part 3: https://vocal.media/fiction/identity-crisis-pt-3

Part 5: https://vocal.media/fiction/identity-crisis-pt-5

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Identity Crisis

Chapter 4

Randall Perkins looked at the distraught couple. He could feel their pain and remorse. It was obvious that they loved their adopted son. After fifteen years on the force, ten as a detective, he had a pretty good feel for people, and he believed the Marcelluses had not known about their baby being kidnapped. Or at least he believed that, in their desperation to have a child, they had not looked that deep all those years back. They had to have been at least somewhat suspicious. Still, regardless, they were not the villains of this story. The villain was Child Haven Adoption Agency. Opening the drawer again, he pulled out some witness statement forms and a couple of pens which he sat on the desk, along with two legal pads. “Mr. and Mrs. Marcellus, I need you to fill out statements. We need you to tell us what happened in Indianapolis fifteen years ago.”

“Actually, it was Greenfield. It’s a suburb of Indianapolis,” Clark said.

“Okay. As close as you can remember, put down the details surrounding your adoption of your son. Dates, times, names, circumstances. Just write the story to the best of your recollection. Please, both of you do so on separate statements. You can use the legal pads when the form doesn’t have enough space. I’ll be back shortly. Do either of you need anything first? A trip to the bathroom, something to drink?” Pulling over the forms and picking up the pens, the couple each nodded no. “Okay then. Take your time.”

Perkins exited the room, leaving the two alone, and stepped into the adjoining room. Walking over to the two-way mirror he stepped up next to Special Agent Stephen Davenport. Looking into the room where the Marcelluses were working on their statements, he could see their confusion and fear. Mrs. Marcellus had tears running down her face. Her husband looked frightened. As he looked, Mrs. Marcellus put the pen down and cradled her head in her hands. Her husband reached an arm around her shoulders and hugged her briefly.

“Agent Davenport, I hope your flight from Indianapolis was okay.”

“No sweat. At least I got to sit in first class. Perks of working for the Feds.” The agent grinned. “Steve is fine. By the way, that was a good plan, having the boy, Jason, picked up at school. Just in case.”

“Thanks. And call me Randy. So, what’s your take Agent? Do you think these two are kidnappers?”

The FBI agent glanced at the detective. “Nah. I doubt it. They were just desperate to have a kid and couldn’t have any of their own. They’re another victim in this mess. Regardless, they’re involved in a kidnapping case, which means the primary jurisdiction is federal. We have to shut down agencies like the one that kidnapped that baby. For that, we need them to be willing to testify.”

“I don’t think that’ll be too much of a problem. They’re scared to death they’re going to lose their son, but they’re not kidnappers.”

SA Davenport looked at the detective. “I agree. Still, there is the matter of Clark Marcellus’s criminal record.”

----------

Riding in the squad car with the two officers, where he had to sit in the back behind a mesh screen, Jason felt out of sorts even more so than he had been. When the car pulled into a spot in the lot at the police station, he reached for the door handle only to discover there weren’t any on the inside. One of the officers opened the door from the outside so he could scramble out.

“Sorry Jason. There’s no handles on the inside of these cage cars so the bad guys can’t just jump out.”

“It’s okay. Thanks.” His new family walked up, his bio-mom, as he was beginning to think of her, giving him a hug, which made him feel uncomfortable.

The officers led them into the station and to a conference room with six chairs around a nicely polished oval table. “You all can get acquainted in here for now,” the female officer said.

“Are my parents here?” He saw his bio-mom wince. “I mean my adopted parents?” Jason queried.

“It’s okay son. We know what you meant,” the officer answered. “I think so. They should be talking with Detective Perkins. I’ll go check on them. You all want a drink or anything in the meantime? We have a soda machine and coffee pot. My treat.”

Jason, whose stomach was in knots, turned down the offer. His bio-parents each asked for a Sprite and Anthony took a coke. After the officer brought back the drinks and left, closing the door behind her, the four pulled out chairs and sat down. The silence was palpable as the tension they all felt knotted them up. After about twenty seconds of looking at each other, Jason finally asked, “What happened? How?”

His biological parents and his twin brother all began babbling at once. They stopped, looking at each other sheepishly. Lorraine looked at her husband. “You tell him dear. I just want to soak this in right now. I can’t believe we found you after all these years Jason.”

“How did you find me?”

“It was your soccer team. You were picked as an All American as high scorer when your team won state.”

“That was last school year, though. It’s been months.”

“I know. Your cousin Tom is a soccer buff and came across your team picture a couple weeks ago. Tom is my brother’s oldest son. He showed it to his dad, my brother Phil, who called us. He took a shot of it and texted it to me. I almost had a heart attack when I saw you there.”

“Cousin Tom…, Uncle Phil… Wow. I have a whole family I don’t know.”

“We have a little sister, Jason. Her name is Melinda.” Anthony looked at his twin and, smiling, said, "She's a drama queen."

Alicia play slapped at Anthony, who ducked. “He means, she wants to be an actress. She's in Drama Class and all that. She starred in her class play of Romeo and Juliet last year.”

Jason was rocked to his core. “I have a sister? How old is she? Do you have a picture?”

“She’s fourteen. She’ll be fifteen in November. November 20th.” Anthony pulled out his phone and pulled up a picture. He passed the phone to Jason who took it and gazed in wonder. His sister, Melinda, had red hair, green eyes, and a mischievous smile. She was cute. “Where is she? Why isn’t she here?”

“She’s in Daytona right now staying with your Uncle Phil," his father said. "She’s attending a drama school that ran for the second half of the summer. She wanted to be here to meet you, but we knew how much this drama class meant to her. And, to be honest, we didn’t know exactly how this would all go. We’ll be picking her up when we leave here to head home.”

“You said November 20th… 2008? You were pregnant when I was kidnapped?”

“Yes,” Alicia replied. “I didn’t even know it yet, but I was about three weeks along.”

“I can’t wait to meet her,” Jason said. He shook his head and looked at his bio-dad. “Never mind that for now. A couple of weeks? So, why wait until today to come find me?”

“We contacted the police department who put us in touch with the FBI office.”

“FBI! Holy shit!” Jason fell back into his chair. The freaking FBI was involved in his case. Wow.”

“Kidnapping is a federal crime Jason,” his bio-dad said.

“Okay. I get it. But, still, why a couple of weeks?”

The FBI told looked into your background. They found the records for the agency that apparently handled your adoption. They told us that it didn’t appear that your adopted parents knew you were a kidnap victim. They contacted the school and all that. The FBI came up with the plan to do it this way. They thought it would be safest to contact you at school, away from your adopted parents, just in case. It was for your own safety.”

“Your mother almost went crazy. I had to hold her back from jumping on a plane that very day. The FBI had to talk her down. From all that we could see, you seemed happy and healthy, so we agreed.”

“I can’t freaking believe this.” Jason rubbed one hand over the top of his head. “So, now what?”

“I think a large part of that is up to you Jason. Can you tell us about your adopted parents? Tell us about your life. We’ve missed so much.”

“Do you have a girlfriend?” Anthony asked.

“As a matter of fact, I do. Her name is Laura. Laura Hinson. Crap! Laura! She must be losing her mind.”

“Is she hot bro?” Anthony raised his eyebrows, waggling them up and down comically.

Jason chuckled. Pulling out his phone he brought up his picture gallery and scrolled through it. Finding a pic of him and Laura together, he passed it to his twin.

“Damn Jason. You got some good taste.” Anthony whistled, passing the phone to his mother.

“She’s quite pretty Jason. Is she nice?”

“Very nice. She’s smart, funny, gorgeous…” Jason took back his phone and looked at the picture for a moment before closing the gallery. Melancholy set back in. “So, does this mean I have to leave Laura? Move to Indianapolis?”

His father patted his knee. “Probably son. I’m sorry.”

At that moment the door opened. A tall dark-haired man in sport coat and slacks walked in. “I’m Special Agent Davenport from the FBI. You all, I gather, are the Trilbies.”

Marcus stood up, holding out his hand for a shake. “Nice to meet you, Agent Davenport. I’m Marcus Trilby. This is my wife Lorraine, and our sons Anthony and Jason.”

Shaking the man’s hand, the agent looked around at the faces. Taking in Anthony and Jason, he shook his head. “Well, I don’t think there’s a lot of doubt you two are twins,” he said, smiling at the boys.

“Nope. But I still want my own room,” Anthony said with a grin.

The agent chuckled. “I don’t think that’s up to me.”

“Hey, is it illegal for me to let Jason take my Algebra two class?”

“I think that would be frowned upon son.” Agent Davenport gave a small grin. “But, what your teacher doesn’t know…”

Anthony laughed. “Fine. This could be way cool.”

“Do you folks mind if I talk with Jason for a few? You can wait here.”

“I guess that would be okay,” Marcus said.

“He’ll be back shortly. I just need some background.”

Standing, Jason followed the agent from the room, glancing back at his newly found family before the door closed behind him. Agent Davenport led him down the hall to another room and motioned him inside.

“Have a seat, Jason.” The agent motioned at a chair in front of a desk. As Jason sat, the FBI agent circled the desk and sat down himself. Steepling his hands he looked at the teenaged boy. Jason Trilby looked lost and scared. Fidgety. Understandable, he thought.

“So, Jason. Did you know you were adopted?”

“No,” the boy almost wailed. “My parents, the Marcelluses, never told me. This whole thing is a shit show.” Shamefacedly he said, “Sorry.”

Agent Davenport smiled. “It’s fine Jason. I get it. This is a lot for anyone. “Okay, so far as you ever knew the Marcelluses were your real parents? Jason nodded yes. “How old were you when you moved to Deland? You were adopted out of Indianapolis, Indiana in 2008 when you were one.”

“We moved here when I was about four. To me it seems like I’ve always lived here. My whole life is here.”

“What do your parents do?”

“My dad is an I.T. tech. He basically subcontracts for businesses like IBM or Norton and troubleshoots computer problems for people. That way he can work from home.”

“So, he signs in remotely and fixes computer glitches?”

“Basically, yeah.”

“And your mom?”

“She stays at home. She’s active in the PTA and all that. Goes to a pilates class. I guess you could say she’s a soccer mom. She takes me to all my games and brings snacks for the team.”

“Sounds nice. Jason, were they good parents?”

“Absolutely. The best. Except for not telling me I was adopted.” Jason halfheartedly slapped the desk with one hand. “That kind of … pisses me off.”

“No doubt. I’d hate to find out my parents were lying to me my whole life. That must really suck.”

“Yeah, it kind of does.” Jason sighed.

“Do your parents get along well? No…, violence?”

“You mean like my dad abusing my mom? Never. They’re great together. Everybody has their little arguments…, they’re human. But, in general, they’re great together. We’re great together.”

“You don’t think there’s the remotest possibility that they were involved in your… kidnapping fifteen years ago?”

“No way! My parents are straight arrows.”

“Glad to hear it. That’s the same take I got.”

“So, I was kidnapped as a baby. By an adoption agency? Wow.”

“That seems to be the case. We need to shut that agency down and put some people in prison. The sheer pain of having your child kidnapped…, that is one of the most traumatic things that can happen to any parent.”

“I guess so. So, what do you need from me?”

“For starters, a DNA swab. We already have your biological parents and your brother’s on file. We need to match yours against theirs.”

“Really? Look at Anthony. Is there any doubt?”

“Not really. At least, not in my mind. Still, we need to dot the i’s and cross the t’s. There’s going to be a big investigation surrounding this whole thing and courts are tricky beasts. Do you mind?”

“I guess.”

Pulling out a drawer, Agent Davenport took out a wrapped package with a large Q-tip in it. Opening the package, he passed the Q-tip across the desk. “Just swab it in your cheek.”

“You don’t have to get my parent’s permission first or something?”

“Your biological parents have already given us permission.”

Jason looked at it a second, then inserted the cotton end in his mouth, swabbing it against the inside of one cheek. Then he passed it back.

Placing the Q-tip back into its sealer, the agent stood and walked to the door. Opening it, he handed the package to an officer that was standing there. “Take this straight to the lab for processing,” he said. “They’re expecting it.”

Returning to his seat, he looked at Jason. “Thank you, Jason. That will be very helpful.”

“Where are my … adoptive parents…, the Marcelluses?”

“They’re here. They’re filling out statements right now about how they came to adopt you. Detective Perkins is there.”

“Detective Perkins?” Jason queried.

“Sorry. Forgot you haven’t met him yet. He’s been working the case from this end since we were notified that you had been found.”

“Oh. Okay. When can I see them?”

“Soon. This is a complicated situation son. But soon. Let them finish their statements first.”

“Look. I know this is all a big shock to you and you don’t really know much about what happened seeing as you were just a baby. Would you like to go back with your biological family?”

“Would it be okay if I stepped outside for a minute? I really need some air.”

“I guess that would be okay. Do you mind if I send an officer with you?”

“I suppose. I just need to get outside a minute.”

Davenport opened the door again and, looking both ways, gestured at someone to come over. A woman officer stepped over, smiling. “Can I help you Special Agent?”

“Officer,” glancing at her name tag, “Feliciano, would you mind escorting Jason here outside for a few minutes for some fresh air?”

“I’d be happy too,” she replied, smiling at the handsome agent.

“Jason, Officer Feliciano here will accompany you outside. Ten minutes, okay?” Turning to the cute lady officer he said, “Bring him back to Conference Room One, okay?”

Officer Feliciano nodded. “No sweat.”

“Thanks.” Jason left with the officer.

Agent Davenport couldn’t help but notice the Hispanic woman’s figure. She was really cute. Piercing eyes and coal black hair in a bun. Tearing his gaze from Officer Feliciano’s swaying hips, Davenport watched the boy as he walked down the hallway. Seems like a real nice kid, he thought. This sucks for him. Gathering his thoughts, he headed back to where Detective Perkins was still watching the Marcelluses as they wrote out their statements.

“How they doing Randy?”

“It’s tough, but they seem to be working it out. That was a long time ago.”

“Yeah. I almost feel as sorry for them as I do for Jason. Let me know when they’re done.”

“Sure thing.”

----------

Outside, Jason pulled out his phone. “Do you mind if I call my girlfriend?”

Officer Feliciano smiled. “No problem. I’ll be here by the door. Just stay in sight, okay?”

Jason walked over to a tree nearby. He shot a quick text to Laura:

Can you get away from class?

NP. Call in a couple

🥰 Cool

Jason sweated as he waited for Laura to call. It seemed like an eternity when, four minutes later, his phone rang. “Laura?!”

“Jason, oh my God. What the heck is going on? Everyone said you have a twin and were kidnapped as a baby. It’s all over school. Are you okay?"

Jason felt better just hearing her voice. Laura was his rock. The two had been together for almost a year and he just knew he would probably marry her one day. “I’m fine, I guess. I’m at the police station with my ... real family.”

“So, it’s true? Wow. Holy shit!”

“You can say that again.”

“Holy shit!” Laura said, giggling.

Jason grinned at the phone. Laura always could make him smile. “Look, can I call you when I’m out of here? This is a real mess. I have a twin brother...”

“Actually, I hear he's cuter than you.”

“Bitch,” he replied, laughing. “He looks just like me only with a little longer hair. He actually seems pretty cool. His name is Anthony.”

“What about your real parents?"

“They seem nice. I don't know. But it seems my real name is Jason. Jason Trilby from Indiana.”

“Well, Jason Trilby from Indiana, it’s nice to make your acquaintance. Are you single?”

“Nope. Definitely taken. My girlfriend is awesomely gorgeous."

Laura gave a small laugh. “Look, I gotta get back to class. I’ll call you the minute school is out. Jason, it’ll be okay. Love you.”

“Love you too. Talk soon.”

Jason hit the disconnect button and pocketed his phone. He looked at the officer waiting by the door. She stood from where she had been leaning on the wall.

“Ready?” she asked.

“As ready as I’m going to be I guess,” he replied. Taking one last feel of the breeze and hot Florida sun, he headed back inside to find out his fate.