Crisis of Identity

Several minutes passed. I clasped my hand over mum’s hand. ‘You OK…?’ I asked quietly.

Mum nodded and forced out a smile. ‘I’m good. Thanks.’

‘But you just want him gone, right…?’ I asked knowingly.

Mum nodded quickly.

‘How much longer, detective…? We both have our own lives to get on with.’

‘It shouldn’t be much—’ Dawes held up a finger. ’Yep I’m here… Aha… OK. And it was recovered burnt out…?’ Dawes’ nose twitched as scribbled notes. ‘Is there a list of property that was in the vehicle when it was stolen…? OK good. Any rolls of undeveloped film recorded in this property?’ Dawes’ eyebrows arched. ‘There was…? About seven or eight rolls….’ Dawes’ eyes flicked to mum as the realization hit home she was telling the truth. ‘OK. What date was that again…?’ Dawes scribbled some notes.

He ended the call shortly after and returned to his seat at the table. ‘Well it appears you were telling the truth about losing the photos…’ Dawes said.

‘You’ve got a lot of nerve coming into my mum’s home and accusing her of lying… I’ve just about had enou—’

‘I never accused her of anything, Kade. All I did was verify the information she provided…That’s what investigators do…’

‘So… Are we done here…?’

‘Just a couple of more questions,’ he said as he referred to his notes. ‘I note Kade does not have any siblings…’ he asked knowingly.

‘I told you…I had complications after Kade was born. Things got so messed up inside me that I had no choice, health wise…I had to have a hysterectomy.’ Mum’s eyes welled up as she looked at me. ‘So that’s why you don’t have any brothers or sisters…’ She forced out a smile.

This was uneasy to hear. I placed a comforting hand over mum’s hand. ‘I had no idea…’ I said. I glared at Dawes. ‘Happy now…?’

Mum smiled at me. ‘They say what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger… And I’m still here…’ she said, trying to sound upbeat.

‘Would you be prepared to give me permission to access your medical records?’

‘Are you for real…?’ I blurted.

‘That’s OK, Kade,’ mum said, extending a hand in front of me in a tone of, ‘I got this’. She stood from her chair and untucked her button-up shirt, to expose a well-healed surgical scar that extended east-west across the breadth of her lower abdomen. ‘That is what they did to me, after they removed my uterus, detective.’

Dawes turned his eyes away. He held up a hand. ‘Please. Mrs Miller… That’s not necessary...’ he said. ‘Your medical records will confirm your procedures.’

‘I am not giving you unfettered access to my private medical records, detective,’ mum said, tucking in her shirt. ‘How dare you for even asking…’ She slid back into her seat.

‘What about this…?’ I pushed the envelope containing my birth certificate across the table to Dawes.

Dawes lifted the envelope and slid out around 1/3 of the page. He passed a cursory glance at it, then slid it back into the envelope. ‘I have a copy of that already…’

‘Well. Doesn’t that prove who my parents are?’

‘Not really. Those records can easily be forged.’

‘You’re not serious…’ I said. ‘You’re suggesting that someone from B, D and M has, for some reason, created a false birth certificate for me…’ I punctuated my comments with a disapproving head shake. ‘Are you really that desperate to suggest something as ludicrous as that?’

‘I’m not suggesting anything… What I am saying is… those records cannot be relied on solely… They need to be corroborated with other evidence.’

I was stunned at his revelations about the commonwealth government agency. ‘Look…’ I began. ‘Mum has been cooperative… far more than I would’ve been under the circumstances. She has given you the reason why there are no photos of me at age three… She has given you the reason why I am an only child… As far as I am concerned, detective… your questions have been asked and honestly answered. So if there is nothing else… we are finished here.’

‘There is just one more thing…’ Dawes said. He opened his folder and slid out a document. ‘I hoped it wouldn’t get to this, but…’ He pushed the single page across the table to mum. I leaned in to read it with her. ‘That is a warrant issued by the Southport Magistrate Court…It is a court order that compels you to provide me with a sample of your DNA.’

Mum and I read the warrant. When mum finished reading her eyes were filled with sadness as they met mine. ‘Is mum being charged with something, detective…?’

‘No. Not at his stage…’

’Not at this stage… Are you kidding me…? So, mum isn’t being charged with anything… She’s not under arrest… You’re not arresting her, are you…?

‘No.’

‘Yet, according to this,’ I flicked a finger at the warrant. ‘She has no choice in this matter… She has no rights because this Magistrate says she has to give you a DNA sample… Like a common criminal…?’

‘Correct. It’s what is referred to as a “non-intimate” procedure. What this means is, your mum will attend at a police station and they will take a simple mouth swab and send it off for testing…that’s it.’

‘What happens to the sample after that?’ I asked.

‘If the samples proves you and your mother are related and you — ’

’When a sample proves we are related…’ I interjected.

‘…wish the sample to be destroyed, either your mother or her legal representative needs to make a request in writing to the Commissioner of Police here in WA to have it destroyed...’

Dawes closed his folder and stood from his seat. He gestured to the warrant in mum’s hand. ‘You have 7 days to comply with that warrant…’ he said. ‘If you fail to comply, that order allows for a sample to be forcibly taken…and you don’t want it to get to that stage...’

I stood from my chair and gestured towards the front door. ‘We are finished here. You can leave.’

‘I don’t understand your reluctance to provide a sample, Mrs Miller…. If Kade is your son, as you suggest…wouldn’t your DNA prove that, once and for all…?’

‘I would’ve thought we have more than satisfied that question, detective…’ mum said. I was so impressed at how calm she appeared. I was ready to erupt.

I approached Dawes. ‘Please don’t make me ask you again, detective,’ I said firmly.

Dawes regarded me up and down, like he was sizing me up. It was the first time I’d seen the protruding vein in his forehead. ‘Thank you for your time Mrs Miller…’ he said. He began moving to the front door. As he passed me he again regarded me in what I felt was a disrespectful up and down glower.

I slammed the door behind Dawes as he stepped from the threshold. No good byes. No thanks for coming; just a silent door slam, sending a clear message to him to ‘piss off’.

When I returned to the kitchen mum was reading the warrant. It angered me that she looked so sad because of Dawes. He came after me in Queensland, now he is coming after mum.

‘Don’t worry about that, Mum,’ I said easing the warrant from her hand. ‘We’ll get some legal advice on this before we give anybody your DNA.’

When Dawes left I made us a coffee. Mum was visibly upset by his visit, so I wanted to stick around, to make sure she was OK, before I returned to work.

Most of the time was spent trying to reassure mum that she had nothing to worry about. Dawes was on a fishing expedition. He has nothing and never will. The sooner he accepts this, the better off we will all be.

With dad no longer with us, mum is forced to endure this harassment and bombardment of allegations on her own. And that is not fair. It is time for this to stop.