Read Online Blood Ties by Ralph McInerny - Free Book Online

professional air. “How long have you had it?”
    â€œWould you take a look?”
    He was standing beside her chair, looking into the great cavern of her mouth, when the door opened and Tuttle came in. The little lawyer seemed unsurprised by the scene he had come upon. Martin danced away from the woman.
    â€œStill at it, Martin?”
    Tuttle opened the inner door, flicked on the light, and went inside. Martin hurried after him. Tuttle sailed his tweed hat at a coat rack in the corner and it spun briefly on the top, then fell to the floor. Tuttle ignored it, sinking into an unoiled chair behind the cluttered desk.
    â€œClose that door, will you?”
    Martin pulled the door shut and sat. This visit seemed a vast mistake. He had planned to condescend to Tuttle, but the little lawyer had him at a disadvantage, bursting in on him while he examined his secretary’s throat.
    â€œSo what can I do you for?”
    â€œTuttle, I don’t think even you can be of help on this.”
    â€œTry me.”
    Where to start? “Does the name Dr. Henry Dolan mean anything to you?”
    â€œGo on.”
    Martin plunged in, finding his own account garbled. Tuttle listened in silence, encouraging him from time to time with a judicial nod. When Martin mentioned that the matter had been handled by Amos Cadbury, Tuttle sat forward.
    â€œWhy didn’t you go to him?”
    â€œI decided to come to you.”
    â€œWise move. Cadbury would interpret your interest as a criticism. What is your interest, by the way?”
    â€œVivian Dolan came to me with the problem. She is greatly vexed by it. The whole family is.” He gave Tuttle as much of the story as he knew.
    â€œSo what is the point of finding the real mother?”
    â€œTo warn her off seeing the daughter she let out for adoption years ago.”
    â€œDelicate,” Tuttle said. “Delicate.”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œThere has been no contact with the mother over the years?”
    â€œApparently none.”
    â€œNor any notion where she may be living?”
    Martin shook his head, feeling he was contributing to the description of an insoluble problem. “Could you find her?”
    â€œOf course. Not that it would be easy. But adoptions are legal transactions. They are recorded. Once the mother is identified, we can track her down.”
    Relief came to Martin Sisk. When he had suggested to Vivian that he would find the birth mother of her granddaughter, he had been prompted more by a desire to have that lovely woman in his debt than by the prospect of success. Failure would have the opposite effect. But now Tuttle spoke of the matter as a mere bagatelle, routine.
    â€œSo you want to employ me?”
    â€œI hope it won’t be expensive.” If it were, he could always dun the Dolans.
    â€œLet’s hope not. Meanwhile, I will need a retainer.”
    Martin took his checkbook from his inner pocket. Tuttle followed this action with interested eyes, then seemed to have second thoughts.
    â€œNo need for that at the moment. A token amount will make you my client. Do you have twenty dollars?”
    Martin took out his wallet and passed a bill to Tuttle who, disconcertingly, held it up to the light. He pushed back his chair, retrieved his tweed hat, dropped the twenty into it, and clamped the hat on his head.
    â€œHow is Mrs. Sisk?”
    Martin fell back in his chair. “Haven’t you heard? She passed away.”
    â€œJesus, Mary, and Joseph,” Tuttle said, baring his head as he did so. “You have my sympathy.”
    â€œIt’s been some years.”
    â€œTime is a great healer. You didn’t marry again?”
    â€œOh, no.”
    Tuttle was on his feet. “Come, Hazel will want you to fill out a form. Just routine.”
    He held the door open, and Martin went into the outer office. Hazel coughed and turned to face them.
    â€œI will leave Martin with you, Hazel. I am going to start