Free His Kidnapper's Shoes by Maggie James

anything that might upset her. She’s always been, well, fragile. The depression thing. About the only time my stepfather ever shows a shred of sensitivity is where Mum’s concerned. But there’s more. You ever get gut feelings, Katie? Those times when you’re certain of something, even if it goes against all logic?’
    ‘Yes. Doesn't everyone? Can’t explain how it works, but yeah, my intuition’s pretty spot on.’
    ‘Then you’ll get what I’m going to say. I’m sure, Katie, and I always have been, deep in my gut. Every time I think of the girl with the dark hair, tossing me the ball, and the woman sat beside my bed, I’ve always thought I belong with them. I have no idea who they are, but they’re more real, more my family, than Mum. That’s why I can’t feel what I should for her.’ He sighed. ‘It's all pretty weird, right?’
    Katie pulled a face. ‘A bit different, I guess. You ever thought what might be behind this? Tried to find out who these women are and why your mother hasn’t been straight with you?’
    ‘Yeah, I’ve thought about it.’ Over and over. ‘Never known what to do. Talking to Mum, as I told you, is a dead end. She has no relatives I can ask. Sounds shitty, but I’ve thought about going through her stuff, seeing if she has anything, anything at all, that might tell me what I need to know.’
    ‘Could you have been adopted?’
    ‘I don’t think so, no. Mum was only eighteen, remember; there’s no chance she’d have been able to adopt legally at such a young age, especially as a single woman. The only way it could have happened would be if it had been done in secret. Perhaps she had a younger sister who got pregnant, and died, so Mum took me on. The thing is - that doesn’t make any sense either. Why pretend she’s my mother, if she’s not? Why tell me she was an only child? Told you it was all a bit weird.’
    ‘Dan, I don’t want to throw a spanner in the works, but something else is a bit strange here.’
    ‘God. As if this weren't messed-up enough already. Go on.’
    ‘One of the first things I noticed about you was your gorgeous green eyes. Green eyes and dark hair have always had quite an effect on me.’ She laughed. ‘You said your mum has blue eyes?’
    ‘Yes. What attracted my stepfather to her, according to him. They’re probably her best feature, big and an unusually deep blue. I didn’t inherit them, as you’ve pointed out.’
    ‘But you also said she told you your father had brown eyes?’
    ‘Yes, that’s right. Why? What does his eye colour matter?’
    ‘I don’t know if you ever did much in the way of genetics at school. Thing is, the odds of a mother with blue eyes and a father with brown eyes having a child with green eyes – well, they’re quite low. It happens, sure. But it's unusual.’
    ‘So…’ Daniel paused, trying to comprehend what Katie had said. ‘You’re saying the man who my mother says was my father…there’s a good chance he may not have been? That might be untrue as well?’
    ‘Yes. It’s not impossible, as I said. We still don’t understand a lot about how children inherit some characteristics. The whole thing’s way complicated, Dan. But along with what you’ve already said, about thinking your mum isn’t your mum…well, there does seem to be something not stacking up here.’
    ‘Shit.’ He'd thought this couldn't get any weirder. ‘Shit, Katie. I had a mother who might not be my mother when we started this conversation. Now my father, this engineering student who she said died before I was even born, may not be real either.’ He tried to joke it away. ‘I’m having one hell of an identity crisis here.’
    ‘Dan. Listen to me.’ The firmness in her voice forced him to meet her eyes. ‘You either figure out how to deal with this, or else you put it behind you. Forget these doubts, the memories, and accept your life the way it is. If you can’t – and I can understand if not – then you need to find