Page 27 of The Heiress

David’s eyebrows shot up. “In what manner?” He switched immediately into work mode.

“Specifically twenty-eight years ago. I’d do it myself but I simply do not have enough time with everything else suddenly happening right now. I need to know anything you can find about their lives back then, anything that triggers a red flag.” He also wouldn’t be clouded by the filter of childhood. David could be objective.

He nodded slowly as he picked up a pencil and began to jot notes down on a pad of paper. “Legal names. Dates of birth.”

I rattled off everything I knew and promised to send an email with the rest of the details before I left the office for the day. “I know this goes without saying, but this needs to be kept as quiet as possible. From everything and everyone.”

“What kind of shit were they in, Sam? This sounds bad and I’m worried about you.” He did that thing where he pierced me with his eyes and held me hostage. His emotions wavered between protective and loving.

“I don’t know. That’s the problem. Well, part of the problem.” I wanted to go home and crawl in bed, close my eyes and sleep until this nightmare ended.

“Use the company VPNs anytime, stick to paper and analogue when possible, buy some prepaid phones.”

I glared at him. “I know how to do my job, David.”

His whole expression softened and he lowered his voice to a surprisingly calming murmur that erased some of my tension. “I know that Sam. You’re good at your job. But this isn’t a client. It’syou.” He paused, his eyes darting back and forth between mine. “And that changes everything. I can tell that this is big or bad or dangerous, and any little slip-up can put you in the line of danger.”

“I already slipped up. That’s why I’m here.” God that felt like a confession of the highest order. I wanted to shrink down in my seat and cower like a kid admitting she’d broken the rules.

“Shit.”

“Yeah. But I’m in the weeds now. All I can do is move forward.”

* * *

Hazel madeherself at home in the exam room where we waited for Yara, picking through the cabinets until she found the tea. “We’ll have some of the calming stuff here, then we’ll go to my place and open a bottle of wine.”

“I don’t need wine. I need answers.” Although my hands were shaking a little and wine might be nice to help calm my nerves.

“Hey babe.” Yara breezed into the tiny office kitchen and kissed Hazel. “Hey Sam. You need to see me about a client?” She glanced back and forth between us.

We used this lab many times over the years. There were three we liked to split our work between. All professional. All trustworthy. It’s how Hazel and Yara met. So between our long work history and the extra bonus of a personal connection, I felt Yara was my best opportunity to have the tests handled properly.

Hazel looked to me.

So I took a deep breath and dove in. “Top secret client. Completely anonymous on this end of the paperwork, DNA analysis to be conducted by you and only you.” It was not the first time we’d had this conversation. Sometimes we worked child custody cases, other times it was paternity issues, once in a while it involved adoptions. But it was the first time the client was one of us.

“What lab will the other results come from?”

“HB Labs in Miami. The data should be available today. I have the information you’ll need to access it.” There was one thing I wouldn’t budge on when it came to Mr. Dombrowski’s requests. I insisted that my blood be drawn at the lab of my choice and the data to be analyzed by my expert first. If Yara said I was a match I’d allow my information to be released to their team. Everything else I was willing to compromise on at least a little bit.

“And when will the client be available?”

Yara wasn’t even looking at me so she couldn’t see the way I turned bright red. “The client is me.”

Yara stood frozen, only her eyes moving to meet mine. “You?”

“It has to do with my adoption.”

She blinked a few times and then put on her professional mask and got to work. “I’ve already cleared my schedule for the day. We’ll get this sorted pretty quickly. Come with me.”

For our normal clients we provided anonymity and privacy, but not expediency, allowing the lab to work at its usual pace of two to three days. But for our bigger or more pressing clients, we could move to the front of the line, so to speak, and get results the same day.

You can bet your bottom dollar I pulled that string.

Yara quickly drew a blood sample and disappeared, promising to be back as soon as she had answers. Since it was going to take a little bit, Hazel and I wandered down the block to a café and got snacks.

“One way or another, everything’s going to be okay,” Hazel sighed. She hadn’t really touched her croissant.

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