Page 9 of 2nd Strike
How the hell should I know? I shrug. “I guess. At least until we’re sure it’s what we want.”
“How long will that take?”
“You’re asking me?”
A laugh rumbles free and the whiteness of his teeth nearly lights the room. I like that. That I make him happy.
“Okay,” he says. “At least we know where we stand.” He raps his knuckles on the table. “Back to my schedule. I work tonight. What do you need?”
Perfect answer. I pop my bag open and slide Ethan’s file out. “I think you’ll like this. Can you help me with a composite sketch?”
After thumbing through the file, I pass him a photo of the Havers’ infant son. I refrain from handing him the FBI’s age-progressed image of what that baby would've looked like as a fifteen-year-old. I don’t want it to taint his interpretation.
“The baby was kidnapped fifteen years ago. Charlie worked the case when she was a fed. I’d like you to do another progression showing what he’d look like now.”
His bottom lip rolls out. “Why don’t you do it?”
I give Jerome the summation of Ethan’s visit, leaving out specifics of who he is. All I give him is Ethan’s first name and then I lay the line on him about client confidentiality.
“Holy shit,” he says.
“Precisely. This boy needs to find out who his biological parents are. We told him we’d help. Charlie wants an age-progression done to see if,” I point to the baby’s photo, “that child looks like him. And since I’ve seen Ethan, I can’t be objective.”
He sets the two documents down and sits back, propping one ankle over his knee. “I’m not as good as you.”
I’ve heard this from him before and each time I hate it more than the last. Our talent is…different. Not better or worse.
He’s more fluid with color and shading where I’m better with finer details. The curve of lips, the flair of noses. Jawlines.
Together, Jerome and I are the perfect sketch artist.
“Yes, you are. You have your own way, that’s all. Will you do it?”
He peers at me, his gaze steady. Focused. I’m hopeful this is a good sign.
Finally, he offers me a wide smile. “I’d love to.”
5
Charlie
I'm investigating Amelia Norris when my day goes to hell.
Everything started as planned. After staying up most of the night reviewing my notes, I came to the office this morning ready to take control of the situation and get to the bottom of how it's possible Ethan Havers isn't Ethan Havers.
I called BioBlocks, the lab he used and did a background inquiry. The manager I finally got through to explained their process in detail, e-mailed me a copy of their privacy practices for genetic testing, and assured me their procedures and regulations are of the highest standards and strictly followed. There can be no mix-up since they’re double and triple checked.
Of course, she wouldn’t divulge information about specific lab results, due to privacy issues, and I had no intention of sharing the name, since I'm trying to keep this on the down low for now, but the manager stated they’d be happy to redo the DNA testing of my client and his parents with proper authorization.
My research came up with nothing damnable on the company either. BioBlocks is registered with the Better Business Bureau, has no complaints filed on them in the past three years of operation, and appears to be running a legit business for law enforcement and general consumers.
They've been in the news frequently since Carl used them for his news episode, and the social visibility has tripled their public clientele, even though they do not offer a database to build your family tree or connect you to those with your DNA. They are seen as more legitimate than online sources.
After striking out there, I called my source at Family Ties, the local DNA registry and ancestry company I use for clients. Much like the more popular online sites, they have a wide variety of services, including simple genetic tests and software to assist you in building your family tree. They also help connect you with genealogists like me who can create it for you and work with you to discover others in their system who might be related to you.
I ask if she knows of any instances where a child’s DNA doesn’t match his parents even with proof he is their son. She’s seen and heard a lot and refers me to the well-known chimera cases I discussed with Ethan. On occasion, someone receives another person’s stem cells or bone marrow, and that can screw up the findings. But those are rare, just like chimeras.
Time to attack the situation from the other end. If I have to go to Carl and Lily and tell them Ethan is not their biological son, I need to have a few ducks in a row to explain how this happened. I dive into Amelia and her background, wondering how my sister is doing on the age progression sketch I asked her for. I'm not sure if I want it to resemble him or not.
