Dana did not ask why I wanted Jessica found before the Sterlings reached her.<\/p>\n
She understood.<\/p>\n
If Jessica had knowingly helped arrange the unauthorized transfer, she was part of what had happened to me.<\/p>\n
But she was also pregnant.<\/p>\n
And if the child she carried was the embryo Carter and I had created, then whatever happened next could not be reduced to revenge, property, or the Sterling family's obsession with bloodlines.<\/p>\n
There was a baby at the center of all of it.<\/p>\n
A baby who had not consented to any of this either.<\/p>\n
\u201cI'm contacting local counsel,\u201d Dana said. \u201cIf Jessica reaches out to you directly, don't threaten her and don't make promises.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn't planning to.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood. And don't meet her alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
That made me pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think I'm in danger?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we don't yet know what anyone involved is willing to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked toward Rachel's staircase.<\/p>\n
The house had gone quiet. Chloe and Emma were asleep upstairs, one room apart because Rachel had converted her office into a makeshift bedroom. Their shoes sat beside the front door, still damp from Seattle rain.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about Carter?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe's been reckless. That isn't the same thing as dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Richard?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know less about him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo that's a yes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat's me telling you not to assume limits for people who've already crossed several.\u201d<\/p>\n
After we ended the call, I checked Carter's message again.<\/p>\n
Jessica is gone.<\/p>\n
No explanation.<\/p>\n
No accusation.<\/p>\n
Just panic.<\/p>\n
I typed a reply.<\/p>\n
When did you last see her?<\/p>\n
The dots appeared immediately.<\/p>\n
At the clinic.<\/p>\n
Then:<\/p>\n
She said she needed air.<\/p>\n
Another message followed before I could respond.<\/p>\n
Her car is still here.<\/p>\n
That changed things.<\/p>\n
I called him.<\/p>\n
He answered on the first ring.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere are you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOutside the clinic.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs Richard with you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. My parents left.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father and I had an argument.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout the baby?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
I paced toward Rachel's darkened living room.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened after Jessica left the ultrasound room?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe wouldn't talk to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTry again.\u201d<\/p>\n
He exhaled sharply.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe doctor told her they needed to verify records. Jessica got upset.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUpset because she was surprised or because she was caught?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLauren.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt's a reasonable question.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said the clinic had mixed something up.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe clinic where she used to work?\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did you find out?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd that didn't concern you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course it concerned me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid she ever tell you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I leaned against the wall.<\/p>\n
\u201cCarter, you started sleeping with a woman who once worked at the fertility clinic storing our embryos, and you never knew?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou told her about the embryo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLater.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much later?\u201d<\/p>\n
He didn't answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cCarter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA few months.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore you began talking about transferring it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Jessica suggest the idea?\u201d<\/p>\n
Another pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
There it was.<\/p>\n
Not entirely unexpected.<\/p>\n
Still awful.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe told you she could get access.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said there might be a process.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWithout my consent.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said because we were married when the embryos were created, the legal ownership was complicated.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you accepted that because it gave you what you wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI made a mistake.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. A mistake is signing the wrong line. You made a series of decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n
He was silent.<\/p>\n
I continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did she leave the room?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout an hour ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd nobody saw where she went?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSecurity is checking.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid she have her purse?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPhone?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCoat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think so.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnything else?\u201d<\/p>\n
He hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cHer medical folder.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat medical folder?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe brought a folder from home. Records, I guess.\u201d<\/p>\n
I straightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat color?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe folder.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBlue.\u201d<\/p>\n
I thought about Oakfield.<\/p>\n
\u201cWas she expecting questions about fertility records?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe brought documents to a routine ultrasound.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe pregnancy records.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOr maybe proof.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cProof of what?\u201d<\/p>\n
I did not answer because I wasn't sure yet.<\/p>\n
Then Carter said something that shifted my attention.<\/p>\n
\u201cHer phone is off.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStraight to voicemail.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere does she live?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI already checked. She isn't there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou left the clinic?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI sent someone.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt my shoulders tighten.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of my father's drivers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course.<\/p>\n
The Sterlings had resources ordinary families did not.<\/p>\n
Drivers.<\/p>\n
Private investigators.<\/p>\n
Lawyers on retainer.<\/p>\n
People who could make a search look like concern when it was really control.<\/p>\n
\u201cCall him back.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTell him to stop.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Jessica is seven months pregnant and disappeared immediately after learning her medical records were being examined. Chasing her with your father's employees may make this worse.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe has my son.\u201d<\/p>\n
The phrase landed like a stone.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour son?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know what I mean.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d I said. \u201cI know exactly what you mean.\u201d<\/p>\n
He tried to correct himself.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur son. Biologically.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don't get to rewrite your language now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLauren, please.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou told me to take our daughters because you had a son coming. Remember?\u201d<\/p>\n
He went quiet.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen remember this too: being genetically related to that baby doesn't make you entitled to control the woman carrying him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI just want to know he's safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor once, that is the correct concern.\u201d<\/p>\n
He breathed out slowly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWill you help me find her?\u201d<\/p>\n
I almost said no.<\/p>\n
Then I thought of Jessica alone somewhere, frightened enough to abandon her car.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carter sounded startled.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I am not helping you secure your heir.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn't ask that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou didn't have to.\u201d<\/p>\n
After the call, Rachel appeared in the doorway wearing socks and an old university sweatshirt.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou're still awake.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo are you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI heard you pacing.\u201d<\/p>\n
She opened the refrigerator.<\/p>\n
\u201cTea?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCoffee.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt midnight?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't plan on sleeping.\u201d<\/p>\n
She studied me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen coffee.\u201d<\/p>\n
While she prepared it, my phone rang from an unfamiliar Seattle-area number.<\/p>\n
I stared at it.<\/p>\n
Rachel saw my expression.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
I answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cHello?\u201d<\/p>\n
At first, there was only static.<\/p>\n
Then a woman whispered, \u201cLauren?\u201d<\/p>\n
My entire body went still.<\/p>\n
\u201cJessica?\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel stopped moving.<\/p>\n
The voice trembled.<\/p>\n
\u201cI need you to listen before you hang up.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn't going to hang up.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou should.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere are you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can't tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you safe?\u201d<\/p>\n
A pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe baby?\u201d<\/p>\n
Another pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I pulled out a chair.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did you leave?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Carter knows.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cKnows what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
My grip tightened around the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does he know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat I worked at Oakfield.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe knows that now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. I mean he knows I was connected to your file before I met him.\u201d<\/p>\n
My heartbeat accelerated.<\/p>\n
\u201cConnected how?\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica began crying quietly.<\/p>\n
Not loudly.<\/p>\n
Not theatrically.<\/p>\n
The kind of crying someone tries to prevent another person from hearing.<\/p>\n
\u201cLauren, there's something Carter never told you.\u201d<\/p>\n
That statement almost made me laugh because the list was becoming endless.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour remaining embryos were never scheduled for destruction.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at the documents spread across Rachel's table.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen what was the letter?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSomething Carter asked someone to create.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou expect me to believe that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn't working there then.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did you start?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLater.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much later?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout eighteen months.\u201d<\/p>\n
I wrote the timeline on the back of an envelope.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was your job?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPatient records and billing compliance.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you could see storage accounts.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIncluding mine?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel slowly sat across from me.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you access my file?\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica swallowed audibly.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWithout authorization?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt first because of a billing discrepancy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt first?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were storage payments coming from a corporate account, but the patient file showed the account holders believed the embryos had been disposed of.\u201d<\/p>\n
My skin prickled.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew something was wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI asked my supervisor.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe told me not to touch the account.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said it was a special client arrangement.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard Sterling.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn't know who he was then.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you found out.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMonths later.\u201d<\/p>\n
She inhaled shakily.<\/p>\n
\u201cLauren, I need you to understand something. I didn't meet Carter because I was trying to get pregnant.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why did you meet him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI saw his name in the billing trail.\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
Of course.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you approached him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to know why the embryos were being stored secretly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou could have reported it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI should have.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you didn't.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cInstead, you started a relationship with my husband.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another long silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel's expression hardened.<\/p>\n
I continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did you learn there was a male embryo?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore I met him.\u201d<\/p>\n
The truth was getting uglier.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the trust?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom Carter?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd that changed things.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica did not answer.<\/p>\n
I let the silence become uncomfortable.<\/p>\n
Finally she said, \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
There it was.<\/p>\n
Not innocence.<\/p>\n
Not quite calculation from the beginning.<\/p>\n
Something worse in its own way: a person who discovered wrongdoing, stepped into it, and then decided she could benefit from it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy are you calling me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause the story Carter told me about the embryos was false.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich story?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told me you had agreed privately that he could use the male embryo someday.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stood so abruptly the chair scraped the floor.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told me the paperwork issue was because you were angry about the divorce and would deny it later.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI never agreed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know that now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I saw your signature on the authorization.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt wasn't yours.\u201d<\/p>\n
My voice lowered.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew it was forged.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot before the transfer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter.\u201d<\/p>\n
I pressed two fingers against my temple.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou saw a forged signature and continued the pregnancy without contacting me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was already pregnant.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat does not erase what you knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, Jessica. I don't think you do.\u201d<\/p>\n
She started crying again.<\/p>\n
I did not comfort her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere did the forged signature come from?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho submitted it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCarter brought the documents.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach twisted.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told me tonight he didn't forge anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe may not have physically forged it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI never saw him sign your name.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho else could have?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then she said something I had not expected.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut Richard knew the transfer was happening.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stopped pacing.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou're sure?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe met with me before the procedure.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel mouthed, What?<\/p>\n
I lifted a hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt his office.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wanted confirmation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat the embryo was male.\u201d<\/p>\n
A cold pressure settled behind my ribs.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat if the transfer worked, the baby would be genetically Carter's.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd mine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica's silence answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he mention me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said you had chosen to walk away from the Sterling family and no longer had any interest in the embryos.\u201d<\/p>\n
I laughed once.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was before I even filed for divorce.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
The timeline sharpened again.<\/p>\n
This hadn't grown out of a messy breakup.<\/p>\n
The planning had started before the divorce became final.<\/p>\n
Possibly before I even knew my marriage was ending.<\/p>\n
\u201cJessica, did Richard offer you money?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cProperty?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnything?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe talked about the trust.\u201d<\/p>\n
There it was.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told you your son would inherit.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said the trust would make sure the child was protected.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cProtected with millions.\u201d<\/p>\n
She did not deny it.<\/p>\n
I looked toward Rachel.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did you leave the clinic tonight?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Dr. Jenkins called Oakfield while I was there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe asked me if I knew a woman named Lauren Sterling.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt a chill.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI said yes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened next?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe told me there appeared to be an ownership dispute concerning the embryo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOwnership dispute.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know how it sounds.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt sounds like my body became paperwork.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. Stop saying that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica became quiet.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened after that?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe doctor said she needed to speak with Oakfield's compliance department before continuing any discussion.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you ran.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I thought Carter would call his father.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard called me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore I called you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice became smaller.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told me not to speak to anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
My skin prickled.<\/p>\n
\u201cExactly?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said the family attorneys would handle it, that I should go somewhere private, and that nothing needed to become public.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sounds like Richard.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe also told me to give him the folder.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe blue folder.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is in it?\u201d<\/p>\n
She hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cJessica.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCopies of messages.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBetween whom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCarter and me.\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout the transfer?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnything else?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEmails from Richard.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo not give that folder to anyone,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPhotograph every page.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI already did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSend copies to Dana.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour lawyer?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't have her number.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI'll text it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica inhaled.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere's one more thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course there was.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't think Richard only paid for storage.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI found something in the old billing archive.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMonths ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA second set of charges.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI couldn't see the full description.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen what did you see?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA code.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat code?\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica read it.<\/p>\n
I wrote it down.<\/p>\n
Rachel looked over my shoulder.<\/p>\n
Neither of us recognized it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does it mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know,\u201d Jessica said. \u201cBut the charges began shortly after Emma was born.\u201d<\/p>\n
My youngest daughter.<\/p>\n
Five years earlier.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy does that matter?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause they weren't storage fees.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat were they?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI told you, I don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you have a guess.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think someone was testing the embryos.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach dropped.<\/p>\n
\u201cTesting for what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGenetic disease?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSex?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey already knew the sex.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at the code on the envelope.<\/p>\n
Then a darker possibility formed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat if they were testing something else?\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica whispered, \u201cThat's what I'm afraid of.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before I could ask what she meant, there was a sharp sound on her end of the call.<\/p>\n
A car door.<\/p>\n
Jessica stopped breathing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere are you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI told you, I can't\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs someone there?\u201d<\/p>\n
Another sound.<\/p>\n
Footsteps.<\/p>\n
\u201cJessica?\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice dropped to a whisper.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have to go.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. Stay on the line.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can't.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJessica.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf anything happens, Dana gets the folder.\u201d<\/p>\n
The call ended.<\/p>\n
I immediately dialed back.<\/p>\n
Straight to voicemail.<\/p>\n
Rachel and I stared at each other.<\/p>\n
Then my phone buzzed with an incoming message from Jessica's number.<\/p>\n
Not words.<\/p>\n
A photograph.<\/p>\n
A grainy image taken through a windshield.<\/p>\n
A black sedan parked beneath a streetlamp.<\/p>\n
Someone stood beside it.<\/p>\n
Even blurred by rain, I recognized him.<\/p>\n
Richard Sterling.<\/p>\n
Dana did not ask why I wanted Jessica found before the Sterlings reached her. She understood. If Jessica had knowingly helped arrange the unauthorized transfer, she was part of what … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27718,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27723","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insightdrama"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27723","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=27723"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27723\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27758,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27723\/revisions\/27758"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/27718"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=27723"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=27723"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=27723"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}