Page 80 of The Hanging Dolls
“Zoe, it’s about time you picked up!” Gina’s voice bubbled through the line, as lively and warm as ever. “I’ve been trying to get a hold of you for days! Are you buried in work again?”
“Guilty as charged,” Zoe admitted, leaning back in her chair and closing her eyes for a moment. “It’s been a rough week.”
“Well, you need to come up for air every now and then, sis. Life’s too short to be all work and no play. Speaking of which, guess who’s been asking about you nonstop?”
Before Zoe could answer, she heard a little voice in the background, followed by the sound of the phone being passed around.
“Aunt Zoe!” her nephew’s excited voice came through, loud and clear. “It’s me, Danny!”
“Danny! Hey, buddy!” Zoe said, her smile widening. “How’s my favorite nephew doing?”
“I’m good! We’re learning cool stuff in school. I wanted to tell you!” Danny’s enthusiasm was contagious, and Zoe felt her spirits lifting just hearing the excitement in his voice.
“Oh yeah? What cool stuff are you learning about?”
“Biology!” Danny exclaimed. “We talked about recessive traits, like how some things get passed down from our parents, but they don’t always show up unless both parents have them. Like, if someone has blue eyes, it’s because both their parents have the recessive gene for blue eyes.”
Zoe’s eyebrows shot up, impressed. She was glad that at least one person in the family was interested in science. “Wow, Danny, that’s awesome! You’re really getting into this science stuff, huh? What other traits did you learn about?”
“Um, we talked about hair color too. Like, if both parents have brown hair but carry the gene for blonde hair, their kid could have blonde hair if they both pass on that gene. And dimples! Dimples are a dominant trait, so if one parent has them, the kid probably will too.”
“That’s really cool, Danny. Sounds like you’re going to be the family scientist in no time.”
“I wanna be!” Danny said, enthusiastically. “I like figuring out how things work.”
Zoe chuckled. “You’re going to do great things, Danny, I just know it.”
“Thanks, Aunt Zoe! Mom says I have to finish my homework now, but I’ll call you later, okay?”
“Deal. You be good for your mom, all right? I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Okay! Bye, Aunt Zoe!”
“Bye, Danny.”
The line went quiet, and Zoe’s smile lingered for a few moments longer. She had almost forgotten that she was neck-deep in a case where someone was leaving dead girls in the woods. Her stomach recoiled at the thought of someone hurting Danny.
She picked up Lucy’s picture and studied it. Could it be that Sam Buster took her? He was a crass man, a brute. She could imagine him hurting Lucy. Especially the way he leered at the thought of her.
But then she noticed something. How Lucy had attached earlobes. Exactly like Carly. It was Danny’s words that made her search the Internet for dominant and recessive traits. Attached earlobes were a recessive trait just like Lucy’s blue eyes. But Scott had brown eyes and free earlobes.
The possibility ricocheted through her, making her queasy. Was it possible that Scott wasn’t Lucy’s father? Had Carly lied?
FORTY-FIVE
Zoe pushed open the heavy wooden door of the dimly lit bar, her eyes scanning the room until they landed on Scott. He was slumped over the counter, nursing a glass of whiskey, his posture a portrait of defeat. She had made a wild guess that he was at a bar. This was the second one she had tried. She felt a pang of sympathy but steeled herself.
She approached him quietly, sliding onto the stool next to him. The clink of glass on wood as she set her bag down was the only sound between them for a moment. She knew he had noticed her and waited for him to break the silence. But he didn’t.
“Scott,” she began softly, trying to find the right words. “We need to talk.”
He finally turned to face her, his eyes red-rimmed. “I’m sorry about yesterday. It was very unprofessional of me to show up like that.”
Zoe swallowed, waving her hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about that. Look, I know this is the worst time, but it’s important. It’s about Lucy.”
Scott stiffened. “What about Lucy?” His voice was rough, as if he already feared the worst.
Zoe hesitated. The words were lodged in her throat. “Scott, there’s something you need to know. I’ve been looking into a few things, and… I think you need to consider the possibility that Lucy might not be your biological daughter.”
