Page 49 of 2nd Strike
Yep, I figured this was where we would end up. My pulse is slamming, my foot itching to tap on the blacktop—or maybe kick him in the shins. Funny how stress can cause you to resort to childish behavior. I should've just started with my threat—would've made this whole process faster and easier.
“Listen, Chuck, the last thing I want to do is create trouble for you or Family Ties. We've done a lot of good work together, helping people find relatives and be reunited with their families, but here's the deal—I’ve done tons of free marketing and promotion for you guys with my ancestry clients and never asked for a dime in return. Now, my back is against the wall, and I need help. Kind of like the time you called me when your now ex-wife was banging a female stripper and Mayor Hennessey’s wife at the same time, and failed to mention to you she was gay." Calling up my cocky Charlie façade, I wink at Meg, my co-conspirator. "As I recall, I got you what you needed for a speedy and not-so-costly divorce. In short, you owe me."
I don't have to spell out the rest––if he's worried about reputations, that story could ruin both of their’s, thanks to his ex. It could also cause our mayor political ruin. I would never actually reveal anything like that, but Chuck doesn't know it.
One of Meg’s eyebrows lifts, a faint smile passing over her lips as she sees my blackmail for what it is. She pulls her phone out of her pocket and acts like she's dialing. "Matt's at the office standing by, ready to release the information to Channel 4 News." She glances at Chuck. “Your call."
His eyes bounce wildly between us, fearful and incredulous at the same time. “Now wait. Let's not do anything hasty here."
Gotcha. I hold up the bag again, smiling. “We’ll wait. Text me when you're done."
With a dramatic sigh, accompanied by an eyeroll, he snatches it from my hand. “It’ll be at least twenty-four hours. I can't go any faster than that."
I hand him a copy of Carl’s DNA analysis. "These are the markers we’re looking for. You have twenty minutes."
“The machine doesn't work that fast, Charlie,” he whines. “You know that."
I know he'll need at least a couple hours, due to that very fact, but putting pressure on him is important. Once inside, he might get cold feet or be distracted.
I point to my car. “We’ll be over there. If I don't hear from you within two hours, I'm coming in to run the damn thing myself, and if I have to come in there, everyone's going to know why, and Meg is making that call. Do we understand each other?"
He sets his jaw, gives me a curt nod, and disappears.
Meg and I look at each other as the door slams shut. She raises her fist and I bump it.
As we walk back, her phone rings. "It's Matt," she informs me.
Inside the car, she puts him on speaker.
“Two things," he says. The tone of his voice makes the tickle in my chest kick up a notch. “First, I spoke to a guy on the list this morning, named George Olsen, who said he got a woman pregnant in California sixteen years ago. Santa Monica. George claims it was a one-night stand, he wasn't ready to be a father, they had no desire to get married, yada, yada, yada. She told him she was going to terminate the pregnancy. He doesn't know if she did or not; they went their separate ways. He’s agreed to do a DNA test."
At least it's something. If the woman had the baby and gave him up for adoption…I glance back at Ethan, now sleeping with his earphones still in and the music blasting away. “Did George give you her name?”
“Couldn’t remember it. Thinks she went by Raven or some other bird name, but he doubted it was real. I’m doing a search for anyone who might fit.”
“What else?"
"Taylor is totally working her ass off, but she doesn’t have time to do all the nitty-gritty research we need so I hit up Grey and Teeg. Teeg was able to trace the social security number Anita is using for Jon back to a guy who died in World War I. Definite identity theft. The best news? You better sit down for this."
I nearly rip the phone out of Meg’s hand. “What is it, Matt?”
“He got a facial recognition hit from the picture on Anita's license. Looks like she may have had plastic surgery, but there are two markers that match—her eyes and earlobes.”
JJ sits forward, gripping my seat. "And?"
“If this is the same gal, she may actually be Susie Norris.”
My pulse slams so hard in my throat, I can barely speak. “You mean she’s related to Amelia, the Havers’ kidnapper?”
His next words send chills down my spine. “Sisters probably, although I haven’t verified that yet. Looks like they lived together here in D.C. fifteen years ago, according to a rental agreement under Amelia’s name that I dug up. Right before that, guess where they lived?"
I don’t have to think twice. “Santa Monica, California.”
“Give the lady a prize.”
“Holy shit.” Meg does a fist pump in the air. “We’ve got a real lead.”
I turn the key and throw the car into drive. Susie, aka Anita, may have already left for work at the accountant’s office where she has a job. “We’re going to see her,” I tell Matt.
