Page 207 of The Billion Heirs Boxed Set
“Yeah, I’ll be there in ten.”
I put my phone down and stare absently at the papers. Does Jarvis suspect Chance is Grady’s father? They look a lot alike. I confirmed that when we were face to face once again the other day. I knew when he was born that he took after him, and as he grew, it was obvious he looked like a Bridger. But Grady and Chance now? Clearly son and father.
It doesn’t matter. If Jarvis asks, I can lie. McGuinness sent me here specifically because I’m from Bayfield. He’s smart and knows that people know each other’s business in a small town like this. Chance and I are the same age. McGuiness didn’t keep me from the investigation because of any possible connection. In fact, I think he did the opposite. The more inside intel we have on the Bridgers, the better.
Although I don’t think he imagined sharing DNA with Chance counts.
I let out a heavy sigh.
Work. I’ll focus on work. And if I can take down Chance Bridger in the process? Not a bad day.
My phone buzzes again, a number I don’t recognize.
“Marsh,” I say.
“Ms. Marsh, this is Dr. Nolan Hayes from forensics. I’ve got some news you’re going to want to hear.”
“Yeah? What have you got?”
“We took another look at the coroner’s report on the body of Joseph Hopkins and found a few things.”
My heart thuds. “Like what?”
“First of all, the autopsy was performed by the county coroner, not a medical examiner.”
“Huh? On what planet does that make sense?”
“It’s not uncommon,” Dr. Hayes continues, “in rural areas for coroners to perform an autopsy, but because the coroner in this case isn’t a medical doctor, we decided to take a second look.”
“And?”
“We were able to extract some viable DNA from beneath the victim’s fingernails.”
I raise my eyebrows. “Seriously? That could be a major clue.”
“Absolutely. First we’re checking to make sure it doesn’t belong to the victim himself, though I doubt that’s the case because the body doesn’t show any signs of deep scratches. So once we rule that out, it’s probable that the DNA belongs to his killer.”
“When will you know?” This is a great lead.
“I’ve put a rush on it, but DNA results, at the quickest, take about two business days.”
I draw in a breath. “All right. So if you find out it’s not the victim’s, which it probably isn’t, we need to get Chance Bridger’s DNA.”
“Right. He’ll have to submit to a DNA test.”
“Which he won’t do quietly,” I grumble. “We’ll probably have to get a judge to order it.”
Except…I have Chance’s DNA. Half of it, anyway. I can get it from Grady.
Jarvis arrives, sitting down across from me and lifting his eyebrows.
“Anything else, Doctor?” I ask.
“Toxicology came back negative, which I expected given the age of the body, but there was something else remarkable as well.”
“Yeah?”
“The victim is missing a portion of his liver.”
