Read Online Identity by Ingrid Thoft - Free Book Online

concerned about something, though,” she said, and looked at him.
    Walter knew what she was going to say: that she was upset he had held the meeting without her.
    “I don’t mean to be indelicate, but I was concerned when you convened the meeting yesterday. Since you’re well aware of my schedule, I wondered if you got mixed up?” She tilted her head. “Perhaps had a lapse?”
    Walter stared at her. “A lapse?”
    “Yes.” She winced. “You wouldn’t have purposely excluded me from my own meeting, so I wondered if you were feeling all right.”
    “I’m just fine, Ellen, but I appreciate your concern. Since Margery filled you in, let’s move on to other business.”
    “Of course.” She adjusted in her seat. “A private investigator stopped by earlier today. She’s representing a Heritage client who is threatening to sue to reveal the identity of her donor.”
    Walter sipped his cappuccino. “That’s absurd. No court will even hear a case like that, let alone rule on it.”
    “I agree, but it could stir up some unwanted attention, and the climate is changing. I’m sure there are other parents who share her frustration with anonymous donation.”
    Walter puffed out his chest. “They all signed the papers. They knew what they were getting into. Seems ungrateful to me.”
    “I don’t think we want to broadcast that sentiment.”
    “I wasn’t suggesting that we should. What did this PI want from you?”
    “Nothing. I think it was just a shot across our bow, but I thought you should know.”
    “Good luck to her. It will rack up legal fees on our end, but I suppose that can’t be avoided.”
    Ellen shrugged. “The cost of doing business, but I don’t think we’ve seen the last of her.”
    “No?”
    “You know Carl Ludlow, right? It’s his daughter. They’re known for being bulldogs.”
    “Well, there’s nothing for them here,” Walter said brusquely.
    “I know, Walter, I’m just saying that I think she’ll be back.”
    “We have better things to do than fend off frivolous lawsuits and overzealous investigators.” Walter drained his coffee. “Let’s discuss the new FDA recommendations, shall we?”
    Ellen nodded her assent and consulted the notepad on her lap.
    He was quite sure that he was irritating Ellen, and that was just fine.
    •   •   •
    Fina stopped at an office building in the Longwood Medical Area and submitted Tyler’s swab to a private lab that promised results within forty-eight hours. The general public assumed that DNA tests took an extraordinarily long time, but that wasn’t true. The testing itself was expeditious, but expensive. Police departments and district attorneys didn’t have the money to run the tests, which explained the delays and backlogs. That was one of the benefits of working in the private sector: Fina didn’t have to work hard to stretch her dollar.
    She continued on to a modest ranch house in Newton, a home that would be considered comfortably sized in other towns, but was downright small by Newton standards. A collection of thirteen villages, Newton was a much coveted suburb of the city that offered strong publicschools, parks and lakes, and prime marathon viewing. Houses went for millions of dollars, but there were also starter homes in the range of half a million. The street Fina turned onto was a mix of retirees who’d bought their homes decades ago and young families bringing in six-figure salaries. The small front yard of 56 Wellspring Street was tidy, and a welcome plaque hung next to the front door. Fina knocked on the screen door frame before letting herself in.
    “Hello?” she called out.
    “In the kitchen,” a voice responded.
    Peg Gillis was standing at the sink, looking out the window into the backyard. Her hands were covered in suds. Fina stood next to her and followed Peg’s gaze. The freshly cut lawn sloped down to dense woods and was bordered on either side with rhododendrons.
    “What the hell is that thing?” Fina