Counterfeit Son Read Online Free Page A

immediately, but as he was born at home—"

    "We explained that," the woman—
Mother
—said sharply. "I believe in natural childbirth unless there's something wrong. Neil's birth was perfect."
    Dr. Oshida bowed his head. "You were very fortunate, Mrs. Lacey."
    "Gentlemen," the man said, "could we have a few minutes alone with our son?"
    "Of course," Dr. Oshida said, and he left the room with a polite smile. The investigator followed him, but Cameron saw that he left the door slightly ajar. He was listening from the hallway.
    Investigator Colbert didn't believe him, after all. Probably Detective Simmons was there, too, waiting for him to make a mistake.
    Cameron looked up at Neil's parents. "I'm sorry," he said quickly, confessing before the accusations could start.
    "Neil—" his mother started.
    "I'm sorry I went off," he said. "I shouldn't have gone to the video arcade. And I shouldn't have gone with him. I'm sorry."
    His father moved quickly toward him, and Cameron barely prevented himself from shuddering when the man reached out and smoothed his hair, then hugged him roughly. But the touch was nothing like Pop's embrace, and Cameron felt his shoulders relax.
    "Oh, Neil, we'd nearly given up," his father was saying, his voice muffled because his mouth was pressed against his hair. Cameron could feel the man's breath blowing jerkily down his neck, and it made him tense up again. "We were afraid you were gone forever," his father said hoarsely.

    When he was released, Cameron looked up at them. Why weren't they reminding him how bad he'd been? They were glad to see him now, but punishment was sure to come later. He thought he could take it, but there were so many pitfalls—he still didn't understand exactly about those toeprints, and what about dental records? What would they show? And nobody had said anything yet about the brother and sister he'd read about in the articles—how would they take Neil's return? He was so tired, and the acting had only begun. He'd been good at acting like a normal kid at school, but he didn't have to act with Pop, just obey. Would he be able to sustain a role all the time?
    The tears were still sliding down the woman's cheeks. His
mother,
he told himself again—he had to start thinking of her as his mother. He wondered what had happened to the mother he couldn't remember. Had she left because he was too bad, and the amnesia had wiped the memory out? Or maybe she had been bad herself and Pop had punished her, or even killed her. Was she buried with the boys?
    Cameron had blanked out so much—deliberate blanks, so he wouldn't make a stupid mistake in school and say something he shouldn't, but also blanks that were an escape. When he was with Pop he'd blank out what was happening, and think of sailing instead. And afterward he'd blank out what Pop had done to him, except for the pain. He couldn't completely escape that, though the bottles of aspirin helped. But how could he have blanked out his mother?

    He wondered what it would be like to have a mother now. Mrs. Lacey was still weeping silently, and Cameron wanted to tell her not to cry. What would Neil have said to his mother? Cameron searched his memory of the articles about Neil, the interviews with his parents. He had a sudden image of Neil's mother sitting in a sunlit room, holding a worn picture book about Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Cameron remembered the story Had Pop told it to him? Probably one of the boys had. There were three bears and a strange golden-haired girl who snuck into their house and took their things, but the little bear caught her in the end. Cameron thought he remembered a newspaper photograph of Mrs. Lacey, because he was sure the caption said that she was pleading for Baby Bear to come home to Mama Bear.
    "Don't cry, Mama Bear," he whispered, hoping the words would comfort her.
    The effect was electric. Her eyes widened, and her lips parted. The tears disappeared. Cameron was terrified—why had he said