Page 81 of Destiny

Wendy smiles then, and her eyes flutter open. “So you found out my secret.”

“Not really,” I say. “It’s nice to meet you, though.”

She looks at me, her eyes moving without her head moving. “You look a lot like your father. But you’re a dead ringer for your great-uncle.”

“Am I?”

I know the truth of her words. I’ve seen pictures of Sean Murphy. I’m older now than he was when he died, but I do look quite a bit like him, except he wore his hair short, of course.

“Ms. Madigan—”

“Please, call me Wendy.”

“All right. Wendy. My father, Sean’s nephew, has tried very hard to unravel the mystery behind his death at Brad Steel’s wedding.”

“Thatwasa shame, wasn’t it?”

“Yes. My grandfather was Sean’s older brother. My father’s named after him.”

“Yes, I’m well aware of who your father is, Brendan. Now tell me about you and my Ava.”

HerAva? I look to Ryan, who simply shakes his head, clearly resisting an eye roll.

“Ava and I are…good friends.”

“Good friends? Or are you lovers?”

Her word takes me aback. What kind of grandmother uses that kind of language when talking about her granddaughter?

“Good friends,” I say. “Perhaps something more, but that’s not what I came here to talk to you about.”

“That’s whatIwant to talk about.”

“Listen,” I say, “Jack and I were at your daughter’s house, and we found the freezer that you hid in her basement.”

Wendy’s lips move slightly, but she says nothing.

“We’re taking the vials in for lab testing,” I say, “but we figure they’re probably decoys, Wendy.”

“Oh, they’re not decoys.”

“Whether they are or not is of no consequence. If theyarefrozen sperm, they’re not viable. They weren’t frozen correctly.”

“Oh, they’re viable.”

I look to Ryan again, and he shakes his head again. The woman is clearly delusional.

“What I want to know”—I grit my teeth—“is why you saved my great-uncle’s sperm?”

“And why I used it to impregnate my daughter?” she says.

I stop my jaw from dropping. “Yes. I’d like to know why.”

A smile cracks her lips. “Your great-uncle was a prime specimen. Like I said, you look just like him. Don’t you think it’s a good thing to keep prime lines going?”

“Okay…”

What is wrong with this woman? I have no idea what she’s getting at.

---