By nine the next morning, Walter Fleming knew we were coming.<\/p>\n
Kenneth had called his attorney first.<\/p>\n
That was the difference between people like Connor and people like Walter.<\/p>\n
Connor believed power meant surprising everyone else.<\/p>\n
Walter believed power meant never appearing surprised.<\/p>\n
His attorney arranged the meeting at Fleming Capital's offices downtown.<\/p>\n
I had been there many times during my marriage.<\/p>\n
The building occupied four floors of glass and limestone overlooking Monument Circle, designed to look wealthy without appearing vulgar. Walter preferred old money aesthetics even though much of the fortune had been earned within his own lifetime.<\/p>\n
The receptionist recognized me.<\/p>\n
Her smile faltered only slightly.<\/p>\n
\u201cDr. Sinclair.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood morning.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Fleming is expecting you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course he was.<\/p>\n
Kenneth walked beside me toward the elevator.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don't have to speak unless you want to.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLet me handle the legal issues.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd if Walter tries to provoke you\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
He glanced at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou're becoming difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI learned from the best.\u201d<\/p>\n
The elevator opened onto Walter's private floor.<\/p>\n
His office had barely changed.<\/p>\n
Dark wood.<\/p>\n
Muted artwork.<\/p>\n
A view expensive enough to make weather seem decorative.<\/p>\n
Walter stood behind his desk when we entered.<\/p>\n
He was seventy-two and still carried himself with the disciplined stiffness of a man who believed aging was largely a failure of standards.<\/p>\n
He did not offer to shake my hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cKirsten.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWalter.\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes moved over me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou look well.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo do you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat isn't true, but I appreciate manners.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kenneth almost smiled.<\/p>\n
Walter's attorney, Lydia Grant, sat near the window with a legal pad open.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet's avoid nostalgia,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Walter lowered himself into his chair.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have no nostalgia regarding my son's marriage.\u201d<\/p>\n
There it was.<\/p>\n
We had been in the room less than thirty seconds.<\/p>\n
I took the seat across from him.<\/p>\n
Kenneth sat beside me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen let's discuss Raymond Vale,\u201d Kenneth said.<\/p>\n
Walter's gaze shifted.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou employ him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI employ many people.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Vale conducted work for you involving Connor.\u201d<\/p>\n
Walter looked toward Lydia.<\/p>\n
She gave the smallest nod.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
My pulse quickened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind of work?\u201d Kenneth asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cFamily matters.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat's vague.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIntentionally.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you ask Vale to follow Melinda Travis?\u201d<\/p>\n
Walter's jaw tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGabriel Mercer?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cKirsten?\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes returned to me.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I believed that answer.<\/p>\n
Kenneth continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Connor have access to Vale?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThrough you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cInitially.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd later?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cConnor hired him directly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
Walter looked annoyed.<\/p>\n
\u201cSeveral times over the years.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn't ask.\u201d<\/p>\n
That I did not believe.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou always asked,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
Walter's eyes narrowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cKirsten.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou wanted quarterly reports from Connor's businesses while we were married.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is not about my management style.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou had opinions about what color car he bought. Don't tell me you didn't ask why he hired an investigator.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kenneth remained wisely silent.<\/p>\n
Walter looked toward the window.<\/p>\n
\u201cConnor said he suspected someone was stealing from him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFour years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
Again.<\/p>\n
Everything returned to four years ago.<\/p>\n
Melinda's first pregnancy.<\/p>\n
Connor's secret fertility testing.<\/p>\n
Now a private investigator.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho did he think was stealing?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe never said.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Walter looked at me.<\/p>\n
Silence settled across the office.<\/p>\n
Then he said, \u201cI suspected he was investigating Melinda.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew about her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot the affair.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did you learn?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLater.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much later?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter her pregnancy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first pregnancy?\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes sharpened.<\/p>\n
So he knew.<\/p>\n
Kenneth leaned forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Fleming, we're going to need clarity.\u201d<\/p>\n
Walter's expression became colder.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are not in a courtroom.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. Which means leaving voluntarily is easy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lydia intervened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWalter.\u201d<\/p>\n
He exhaled.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes. I knew Melinda had been pregnant four years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Connor tell you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRaymond Vale.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cVale reported to you on Connor?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOccasionally.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWithout Connor knowing?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n
I almost laughed.<\/p>\n
The Fleming family had apparently outsourced trust.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did Vale tell you about the pregnancy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Connor had asked him to investigate whether Melinda was involved with another man.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gabriel.<\/p>\n
The pieces aligned again.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo Connor knew Melinda might have been pregnant by someone else,\u201d Kenneth said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd still sought fertility testing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
My attention snapped to Walter.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew about the diagnosis.\u201d<\/p>\n
Walter did not answer.<\/p>\n
I felt something inside me harden.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
His silence was enough.<\/p>\n
I stood.<\/p>\n
Kenneth touched my arm lightly.<\/p>\n
Not restraint.<\/p>\n
Reminder.<\/p>\n
\u201cSit,\u201d Walter said.<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon't.\u201d<\/p>\n
His expression changed.<\/p>\n
For the first time since I had known him, Walter looked older than his years.<\/p>\n
\u201cI learned afterward.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow long afterward?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSeveral months.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDuring my marriage.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew Connor had a fertility problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you knew I was being blamed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Walter's face tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew your marriage was unstable.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat isn't an answer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew Connor had not told you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you said nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lydia shifted.<\/p>\n
Walter lifted one hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. Let her finish.\u201d<\/p>\n
I almost admired that.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou sat at our dinner table while your son told people I was too focused on work to become a mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
Walter looked down.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou watched me go through treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI did not know the details.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The answer quieted me more effectively than denial would have.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
Walter's eyes met mine.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Connor asked me not to interfere.\u201d<\/p>\n
I laughed.<\/p>\n
It sounded ugly.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou interfered in everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExcept the one thing that mattered.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
No defense.<\/p>\n
No excuses.<\/p>\n
I sat slowly.<\/p>\n
Kenneth let the silence remain.<\/p>\n
Walter broke it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was another reason.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course there was.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe diagnosis was complicated.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMeaning?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cConnor was told natural conception was extremely unlikely.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut not impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Walter folded his hands.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe became obsessed with proving the doctor wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
That sounded like Connor.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Melinda became pregnant with Noah,\u201d Walter continued, \u201cConnor treated it as proof.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Walter hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Something in me chilled.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou believed Noah was biological.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to.\u201d<\/p>\n
The phrase was almost identical to Gabriel's.<\/p>\n
People believed what made their lives easier.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about the trust?\u201d Kenneth asked.<\/p>\n
Walter's face closed immediately.<\/p>\n
Lydia answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe trust is private family property.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot if it motivated concealment, witness intimidation or fraudulent transfers.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo one has established any of those things.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kenneth slid a copy of the corporate transfer record across the desk.<\/p>\n
Walter looked at it.<\/p>\n
His expression altered by a fraction.<\/p>\n
Enough.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou recognize Crescent Bridge Holdings,\u201d Kenneth said.<\/p>\n
Walter pushed the page back.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I authorized business with them.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned to Kenneth.<\/p>\n
He stared at Walter.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou sent the money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThrough Connor's entities?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy use accounts tied to concealed assets from Kirsten's divorce?\u201d<\/p>\n
Walter's eyes moved toward me.<\/p>\n
For the first time, I saw genuine discomfort.<\/p>\n
\u201cI did not know those assets had been concealed from her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kenneth's voice turned sharp.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou expect me to believe that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause unlike my son, I know when lying has stopped being useful.\u201d<\/p>\n
That sentence silenced the room.<\/p>\n
Walter leaned back.<\/p>\n
\u201cConnor told me he needed funds transferred discreetly to resolve a potential challenge involving Noah.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cResolve how?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe claimed someone was threatening to make a false paternity accusation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGabriel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn't know the name at first.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you think the money was for?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA confidential settlement.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou authorized two hundred twenty-eight thousand dollars without identifying the recipient?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI trusted my attorneys to structure it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lydia looked displeased.<\/p>\n
Apparently not all attorneys involved had been present.<\/p>\n
Kenneth said, \u201cDid you know Gabriel never accepted a settlement?\u201d<\/p>\n
Walter's face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
Kenneth pushed another document across.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe money went to Crescent Bridge Holdings. But there is no settlement agreement attached to the transfer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Walter picked up the page.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat's impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cConnor told me it was executed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen Connor lied.\u201d<\/p>\n
Walter read the page again.<\/p>\n
His mouth hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is Raymond Vale?\u201d<\/p>\n
Kenneth asked the question quietly.<\/p>\n
Walter looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHave you spoken to him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot in two weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cConnor has.\u201d<\/p>\n
That got his attention.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don't. But Melinda saw someone matching Vale's description at Connor's house yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n
Walter turned to Lydia.<\/p>\n
\u201cCall him.\u201d<\/p>\n
She did.<\/p>\n
The call went directly to voicemail.<\/p>\n
Walter's irritation became something else.<\/p>\n
Concern.<\/p>\n
He opened a drawer, took out his own phone and called a different number.<\/p>\n
No answer.<\/p>\n
He set the phone down.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened yesterday?\u201d<\/p>\n
Kenneth summarized the confrontation, the false allegation that Gabriel had come to the house, the abandoned vehicle and the threatening messages.<\/p>\n
Walter listened without interruption.<\/p>\n
When Kenneth finished, the older man's face had drained of color.<\/p>\n
\u201cConnor said Gabriel attacked him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe didn't.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou sound certain.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Gabriel wasn't the problem Connor feared.\u201d<\/p>\n
My pulse changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat problem did he fear?\u201d<\/p>\n
Walter looked at me.<\/p>\n
Then at Kenneth.<\/p>\n
His attorney murmured, \u201cWalter.\u201d<\/p>\n
He ignored her.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe trust.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d I said. \u201cWe know it requires a biological male descendant.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is not the important part.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen what is?\u201d<\/p>\n
Walter stood and walked toward the window.<\/p>\n
For several seconds, he watched traffic circle the monument below.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen Connor was twenty-nine, he nearly bankrupted one of our subsidiaries.\u201d<\/p>\n
I frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that have to do with Noah?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Walter continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe concealed losses from the board. I covered them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was my son.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I told him it would be the last time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Walter turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe family trust was restructured afterward. Connor would receive limited distributions during my lifetime. The majority of his inheritance would pass through his legitimate descendants.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kenneth's expression sharpened.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo without a legally recognized biological child\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cConnor inherits far less.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much less?\u201d<\/p>\n
Walter did not blink.<\/p>\n
\u201cApproximately eighteen million dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n
The number seemed absurd in the quiet office.<\/p>\n
Eighteen million.<\/p>\n
Suddenly the boasting in the hospital corridor looked different.<\/p>\n
Not merely cruelty.<\/p>\n
Not merely ego.<\/p>\n
Proof.<\/p>\n
A child worth eighteen million dollars to the man calling himself father.<\/p>\n
I thought of Noah reaching for the stuffed giraffe.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe needed Noah to be biologically his.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOr at least legally accepted as his.\u201d<\/p>\n
Walter's jaw tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kenneth leaned forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf paternity establishes Gabriel is the biological father, what happens?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe trust provision becomes vulnerable.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAutomatically?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. But enough to trigger review.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Connor knows this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt nauseated.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Melinda know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI doubt it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Gabriel?\u201d<\/p>\n
Walter shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot from me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why send money to his company?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI already told you. Connor presented it as settlement.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCould the money have been intended to keep Gabriel quiet?\u201d<\/p>\n
Walter's face hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is what a settlement would have done.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kenneth watched him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWas Raymond Vale supposed to deliver it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Everything stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cVale handled the transaction?\u201d<\/p>\n
Walter nodded.<\/p>\n
Kenneth and I looked at each other.<\/p>\n
Gabriel's company received money.<\/p>\n
Gabriel claimed he never agreed to a settlement.<\/p>\n
Vale arranged the transaction.<\/p>\n
Vale appeared at Connor's house.<\/p>\n
Then Gabriel disappeared.<\/p>\n
Walter seemed to reach the same conclusion.<\/p>\n
He picked up his phone again.<\/p>\n
This time he called someone and said only, \u201cFind Raymond.\u201d<\/p>\n
He ended the call.<\/p>\n
I stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want one question answered.\u201d<\/p>\n
Walter looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Connor ever tell you Noah might not be his?\u201d<\/p>\n
A long silence followed.<\/p>\n
Then Walter closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
Once.<\/p>\n
Briefly.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stopped breathing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore Noah was born.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room blurred around the edges.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe suspected.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Melinda told him about Gabriel.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kenneth stood too.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Connor still represented Noah publicly as his biological son.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he ever get a DNA test?\u201d<\/p>\n
Walter hesitated.<\/p>\n
That hesitation mattered.<\/p>\n
\u201cWalter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou're lying.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know something.\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes met mine.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know Connor claimed he had one.\u201d<\/p>\n
My heart hammered.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did it show?\u201d<\/p>\n
Walter looked toward Lydia.<\/p>\n
She shook her head slightly.<\/p>\n
He ignored her again.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told me it proved he was Noah's father.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you see it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid anyone?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI assumed his attorney had.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kenneth immediately took out his phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat attorney?\u201d<\/p>\n
Walter gave him the name.<\/p>\n
Kenneth stepped away to call.<\/p>\n
I remained facing Walter.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou built an eighteen-million-dollar reason for your son to lie.\u201d<\/p>\n
His expression became tired.<\/p>\n
\u201cI built a structure meant to keep him from destroying what I spent my life creating.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd instead you gave him something to protect at any cost.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is becoming apparent.\u201d<\/p>\n
My phone rang.<\/p>\n
Officer Morales.<\/p>\n
I answered immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you find Gabriel?\u201d<\/p>\n
A pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
My knees weakened.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs he alive?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Relief struck so fast I had to grip the desk.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere was he?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNear Eagle Creek.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas he hurt?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cConcussion. Dehydration. Some bruising.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe're still taking his statement.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes he know who attacked him?\u201d<\/p>\n
Morales hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe says he was meeting someone about the money transferred to his company.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Walter.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRaymond Vale.\u201d<\/p>\n
Walter sat down hard.<\/p>\n
Morales continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cGabriel says Vale told him the payment had been arranged as compensation for dropping any claim regarding Noah.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut Gabriel didn't agree.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why was the money sent?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe says he was trying to return it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kenneth had stopped his call and was listening.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened at the meeting?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAccording to Gabriel, Vale wasn't alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
My grip tightened around the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho was with him?\u201d<\/p>\n
Morales paused.<\/p>\n
\u201cConnor.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nobody in Walter's office moved.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did Connor do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGabriel says they argued.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe says Connor demanded he sign a statement saying he had fabricated the paternity claim for money.\u201d<\/p>\n
Walter covered his mouth.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened when Gabriel refused?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone struck him from behind.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVale?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe didn't see.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow did he end up near Eagle Creek?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe remembers being put into a vehicle. After that, very little.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at Connor's father.<\/p>\n
The older man's face had collapsed into something I had never seen before.<\/p>\n
Fear.<\/p>\n
Morales continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are locating Mr. Vale now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about Connor?\u201d<\/p>\n
Another pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cOfficers went to his residence.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe's gone.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach dropped.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith Melinda?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNoah?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen where?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kenneth swore quietly.<\/p>\n
I had never heard him do that.<\/p>\n
Morales said, \u201cDr. Sinclair, do not return home.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI won't.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Connor contacts you, call us immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd one more thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe searched his home office.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Kenneth.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you find?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDocuments.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA draft paternity report.\u201d<\/p>\n
My mouth went dry.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did it say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat Connor Fleming was Noah's biological father.\u201d<\/p>\n
Walter sagged in his chair.<\/p>\n
I heard Kenneth inhale.<\/p>\n
Then Morales added the detail that changed everything.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe lab named on the report says it never performed the test.\u201d<\/p>\n
By nine the next morning, Walter Fleming knew we were coming. Kenneth had called his attorney first. That was the difference between people like Connor and people like Walter. Connor … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30484,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30492","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\/30492","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=30492"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30492\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30590,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30492\/revisions\/30590"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/30484"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=30492"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=30492"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=30492"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}