Page 30 of Protecting Silver
“Yes. The judge honored my request, and I was in the boys’ home until I was eighteen.” Patch moved his empty plate to the side, and studied Silver as he swirled his wine in his glass. “It wasn’t until a few years ago that everything I ever thought was a lie, or at least I think it’s a lie.” He paused as he finished his wine. “I’ve hired someone to look into it.”
The waiter arrived then, and asked if they wanted dessert, but they declined and asked for the bill. After that was settled, Patch pulled Silver’s chair out for her, and escorted her to the parking lot and into his vehicle. When they stood outside of Silver’s door, with her key in her hand, Silver looked at Patch, and asked, “Would you like to come in?”
“I would.” He grinned, then took the keys from her. Once they entered, he handed her the keys back, and nodded. “Why don’t you go slip into something comfortable?” He held up his hands with a grin. “Only because I want to finish my tale from the restaurant.”
“Oh.” Silver nodded, then quickly hurried away, but she paused halfway down a hall. “If you want some water, it’s in the refrigerator, just help yourself.” She turned back around and continued down the hall.
Patch loosened his tie, removed his jacket, unbuttoned the cuffs of his shirt, and rolled the sleeves up his forearms. That was how Silver found him as he removed two bottles of water from the refrigerator.
“Thanks, but I’m going to have a cup of hot tea,” Silver said as she grabbed the kettle, filled it, then put it on the stove. After she turned it on, she looked at him and nodded. “Please continue with your story.” Then, pointed to the island, inviting him to sit.
Patch took a seat, and waited until she’d made her tea, and joined him in the other chair at the island, before he continued, “Like I said, I learned some things that made me rethink my entire childhood.”
“Like?”
“Remember when I told you that Merrick said my foster father called to say he lost his job and to take me away?”
“Yes.”
“Lies. According to the Fosters, they were in the process of adopting me, and the only hiccup they encountered was they were waiting for Merrick to get them my birth certificate.”
Silver frowned at him, but remained silent, until he didn’t say anything. “What else?”
“The Fosters also told me that Merrick wasn’t my caseworker until about six months before I disappeared, then when they contacted the police when I didn’t come home, and my disappearance was investigated, no one saw Merrick again. I have no clue where he is and if he’s even alive any longer.”
“Damn,” Silver said after several minutes of silence. She frowned, then asked, “What’s your name?”
“Patch.”
“No, your birth name?”
“Oh, Douglas Michael Atwal.”
“Who gave you that name? When did you get it? How did you go into the foster-care system?”
“What do you mean?”
“You said you lived with the Fosters in Colorado, right?”
“Yes.”
“How did you get into the foster-care system there? Did someone leave you at the hospital when you were born? Or were you older and left somewhere? Were you even born in Colorado? Because, it seems to me that this Merrick was underhanded for taking you away when the Fosters asked for your birth certificate. What if you were born someone else and stolen?” Silver asked, and saw that she’d thrown Patch for a loop.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to question you.”
“No, no, it’s okay, but you’re right. I wonder if I can get my DNA to the guy I hired, and maybe he can run it against something, I have no clue what.”
“You can do it yourself.”
“How?”
“That ancestry website has someplace on there where you can order the DNA kit. My father did it years ago.”
“But, won’t it be better if I just go to the lab at work and have them draw blood for my DNA?”
“That’ll work, but what are you going to compare it to?”
“What do you mean?” Patch turned, so that he was studying Silver, but he frowned in confusion at her.
