Page 43 of Secret Baby
Peter handed Alice a folder and told her, "This is what I found on Colt. Perhaps you can go through that and help us."
"I can't help take Clara away from him."
"I don't want that." Vicki reached across the table and pressed her hand on her friend's. "He's an amazing father. I want to ensure no one can prevent me from being a mom."
"I don't think I can be here, nonetheless. Colt is the best brother I could ever have, and I hope you know what you're doing." Alice stood and then pushed her chair closer to the table. "I'll go swimming."
The last thing Vicki would do is hurt Alice too. She quickly said, "Thank you for letting us meet here, and I hope you understand."
"I do." Alice nodded. "John can't be with me for my ultrasound, and I was hoping for some mental support at the doctor's office tomorrow. Can you come?"
"Of course." Vicki had the thought that she'd escape Belle for a great reason. "You're my best friend."
Alice went in the water. Peter and Vicki sat quietly as she read more of the papers. The more she dug, the more she realized that every paper confirmed Colt's story and what she'd pieced together. Then her body went cold as she picked up one piece of evidence. She swallowed and read the check. She waved it at Peter. "What's this?"
He read it. "Who's Imogen Herrera?"
"Proof. She was the nurse assigned to me in the hospital. Dad paid the nurses and doctor."
"It's made out to cash." Peter reread the paper and pointed to the check.
Vicki understood that money was paid, and people needed hush money. No one took a personal check made out to them. Her father would never write one, as that would lead back to him. "Cashed locally three days after Clara's birth."
Peter's eyes narrowed on hers. "Doesn't tell us who cashed anything."
Vicki nodded and folded the paper in his hand. "I'm sure the House of Morgan lawyers can follow the money backward. Behind the check, with the names of my nurse, and with the papers clipped together, we can build the case that the adoption papers contained forged signatures."
Vicki stared at the document. Her name was clear, and so was Colt's. Her father had covered his bases, and hadn't expected any questions. But then, he ran a multibillion-dollar banking industry with ties to every corner of the earth. He'd tried to make her baby disappear just as her mother had left weeks after her own birth.
Peter filed the papers Vicki handed him into a folder that was pre-labeled "investigate." She searched another pile. Peter also had the public records of Colt's court appeal that proved his name was forged. "We already know one of two signatures were forged. This is clear evidence for me too."
"No, it wouldn't be. It was filed by a different person, but it might be used as backup."
Vicki crossed her arms and stared at Alice, who was in the pool. Something cold pressed against her spine, and she realized she ought to play it safe. "I'd rather work with Colt, but I don't trust Belle. Instruct Ms. Montenagro to file everything she can just in case something changes."
It was easier to blame Belle, but it was also Colt. He had to tell Clara soon. "Last night, Belle tried to forge an alliance where she kept Colt and she'd give me Clara. I don't know what to do about her."
"Never trust a woman about to lose her fiancée, Vicki, and without the ring on her finger, she has no legal say in anything."
"There wasn't time to talk to Colt this morning, and the tension in the room was already high. Something else was going on." Vicki stood, folded the papers into the folder, and squared her shoulders. "Tonight, I'll tell him. He has a right to know, and I will find a way to corner him to tell him."
Peter repacked his briefcase. "I'll ensure your case is ready to go, but let's hope she's gone soon."
Vicki shook her head. "I lost Colt, but I cannot lose Clara too. I don't want to wish that the woman just disappears."
Peter placed his briefcase on the floor and stood beside his sister. "The Collins family are all pretty honorable. John's Alice is a keeper, and who knows, her brother might just end up with my baby sister. You're worth ten of whoever this Belle is."
"Not everyone has a dollar sign that makes them who they are." She sighed and then hugged her brother. At least in personality, Peter only kept who he was, despite their father’s influence. Now she had people on her side. It made breathing easier.
Silence greeted her ears, and Vicki glanced up to see Alice's determined jaw set as the three of them swam. "Let's get in the pool and cool off."
Vicki left Peter, walked over, and dived into the cool waters of the pool. The splashing sound made her forget everything else and find peace.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Vicki and Clara sat near the kitchen as Clara played with a doll quietly. Alice worked on food preparations, and once Vicki felt her daughter was fine, she stood to help her friend.
John and Peter talked in the living room about potential half-siblings that might exist somewhere, but Vicki didn't care. She glanced at her daughter as she said, "Clara, I'm going to help your aunt with lunch."
