Deceived Page #3

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I know, honey.

But because of you,

Daddy's gonna go on forever.

Go get your coat on, honey.

Take your toast with you.

Okay-

- Hi.

- Hi.

I'm sorry. The house is a mess.

I'll have it together by

the time you get home.

Thanks.

Bye! See you outside

school at 1:
00.

- How are you doin'?

- I'll be okay.

Adrienne, it's for you.

Someone from the Social Security Office.

- Do you want to take it?

- Yeah.

Hello?

Yes, this is Mrs. Saunders.

I don't understand what

you're trying to say to me.

We really can't release

these benefits without further approval.

I don't know what you mean.

The contributions were made.

I supplied you with the death certificate.

We don't doubt that

your husband's dead.

Nor are we saying that the

contributions weren't made.

They were made with the wrong

social security number.

The I.R.S. screwed up

when they didn't catch it.

Your office applied

the contributions

- to the wrong social security number?

- No.

Maybe you'd like to have somebody here.

Do you have a lawyer?

- What the hell are you telling me?

- I'm sorry.

I just don't quite know

how to say this.

The man with the

social security number...

that your husband

claimed was his, died...

16 years ago...

in Sommerville, Nebraska.

We don't know who

your husband was,

but we definitely know

he was not this Jack Saunders.

I don't understand.

This couldn't be.

If you want to talk

to my superiors...

That's fine.

They'll tell you the same thing.

Your husband used a social security card

that didn't belong to him.

Can we play with these?

Yes, sweetie, you can.

This one will

look good on me.

Are you sure your mother

will let me have this?

Can I take these too?

Mm-hmm.

And this?

Mm-hmm.

- Carol, it's time to go.

- Can I take what I'm wearing?

Yes, but it's time to go.

Since the school

system decentralized,

we've had to store school

records for the whole area.

We're a little casual with the yearbooks.

Not enough space.

This whole row is James Garfield High.

If there are any yearbooks,

they'd be at the other end.

I know the files are at this end.

James Garfield.

It would be here.

I don't know why they can't keep these

in alphabetical order.

Excuse me.

Instead of the records

for Jack Saunders,

could I see the records

for one of his classmates?

I can't do that, Mrs. Saunders.

The records are only public information

if the person is deceased.

This man is dead.

I can't prove it,

but I know that he's dead.

Please, I have to know

who this man is.

Oh, to hell with it.

Who is it?

Frank Sullivan.

Well, I found Jack Saunders.

The last one in my stack.

- Isn't it always like that?

- No Frank Sullivan?

Nope, and I was very thorough.

- You don't have it, either?

- I've got a few more to go here.

Nope.

No, I don't have it.

Can I have Jack Saunders' file?

You never know.

True, you never do.

Thank you.

Yes?

I hope I'm not bothering you,

but I'm looking for

a relative of Jack Saunders.

- Jack Saunders died 15 years ago.

- I know that.

I know this may sound strange,

but I'm trying to track down

a friend of his, Frank Sullivan.

Um... come in.

Jack was my cousin.

Frank was his best friend.

In fact, Jack was Frank's only friend.

They were inseparable, like one person.

It was odd. I couldn't imagine two

more different people.

Frank was so quiet...

and Jack was the most outgoing,

charming person you ever met.

Frank wasn't polished like that,

but he had an unspoken charm.

- He was special.

- How about his parents?

- Are they still around?

- Oh, god. I don't know.

I think his father died.

I don't remember. It was a long time ago.

Frank didn't talk about his family much.

They were poor.

His father was an alcoholic.

His mother worked for

the highway department in a tollbooth.

Frank was embarrassed about that.

He'd never take me to his home.

What about his family?

- Did he have any sisters or brothers?

- No, he didn't have anybody.

We were like his family.

God, those were great days for me.

I was at a point in life where I

didn't have any direction.

And Frank, he would just sit

with me for hours, talking.

One night we went to

a coffee shop for dinner...

and we talked right

through to the morning.

We were still talking

when they asked us what

we wanted for breakfast.

That's when I decided to go back to school.

Um...

after Jack died, he kind of disappeared.

I never saw him again.

Sounds like he meant a lot to you.

Well, what can I tell you?

Excuse me.

- There you go, Mom.

- Thank you. That looks great.

What would I do without you?

Gee, I wish I could be more help,

but I don't remember much.

I put it out of my mind a long time ago.

Still, if you give me your phone number,

- maybe things will come back a bit.

- Thank you.

This has been a real shock,

like out of nowhere,

if you know what I mean.

Anyway,

if you ever find him, tell him I said hi.

Mary, have you been going

through my drawers?

No.

Are you sure? It's awful messed up.

I didn't do it, mom.

If you want to play with my things,

- Ask my permission.

- Okay.

- Hello?

- This is Evelyn Saunders.

Are you the woman I spoke with

about Frank Sullivan?

- Yes, this is Adrienne.

- Good. I'm glad.

I remembered something last night...

middle of the night, I could barely sleep.

His mother lives on Carpenter Place...

beside a deli.

Don't ask how I remembered.

It just came back.

Could you wait?

I'm going to go in for a minute.

- Who is it?

- Mrs. Sullivan?

My name is Adrienne Saunders.

I believe that I was married to your son.

All these years I thought he was dead.

Now I find out he's been living

in the same city with a wife and a kid.

A decent person would have

found out how his mother was:

If she needed anything,

like cigarettes or booze.

Not him.

- What do you call her?

- Mary.

Mary.

She has my eyes, you know that?

People always said I had beautiful eyes.

- He always used to say that about you.

- A lot of good it did me.

Jack Saunders.

What a joke!

Jack would never have treated his family

the way Frank treated me.

Having him ruined my life.

Why did you marry him?

Because I loved him.

I don't wanna hear this.

He was dead... the day he left here.

Doesn't matter to me

that he died a month ago.

He was already dead.

He was a selfish child...

and he was a selfish man.

People change, Mrs. Sullivan,

especially when they're loved.

Excuse me.

I'm leaving my card in case

you ever need anything.

You know where to reach me.

- Mommy!

- Huh? What, honey?

There's a man in my room.

- What?

- I saw him.

There's not a man in your room, sweetie.

- But I saw him.

- Come here.

Listen, do you remember you

had that dream last week?

He was the same man. He was real.

- He was in my room looking at me.

- Okay.

- Come on.

- All right, let's go.

What's that?

Shadows... just shadows.

Okay-

Oh, darn it.

Oh!

You're funny, Mommy.

There, you see? There's nobody here.

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