Her smile hit him low in the belly. It was luminous, teasing.
She curled her right leg beneath her and sat gingerly, babying her hurt foot. “What if we call this a pro bono consultation? I’ve taken a personal interest in your case. And as of noon today, I am officially off the clock for six weeks.”
“You don’t owe me anything. We barely know each other.”
“Well,” she said slowly, her smile fading, “let’s just say I’m fascinated by what you’ve told me. I love a good mystery, and I have a feeling this one is going to have more twists and turns than a Hitchcock movie.”
“I’m glad my personal life entertains you.”
She patted the seat beside her. “Quit sulking. The news might turn out to be better than you think.”
“How can you say that? My dad is not my dad.”
“That’s not true. He is your dad. Being a father is so much more than dropping off sperm. He cared for you, spent time with you, showered you with love and affection. That’s what a father does.”
“You sound like a Hallmark card.” He sat down beside her, preserving a careful distance.
“I hope you’re not as cynical as you seem.”
“I’m not cynical at all,” he protested. Staring grimly at the pile of papers, he evaluated her impassioned definition of fatherhood. “I always had this notion that one day I’d produce a kid and he and my dad and I would do things together...you know...generation to generation.”
“You still can. No matter what. Forget about genetics for a moment. You love your dad. And he’s going to adore any baby that’s yours.” She patted his knee. “Give yourself time. I know the news was shocking, but I think you’ll find that in the end your relationship with your dad is no different than it ever has been.”
“I can’t help him with the transplant.” His throat swelled shut. His eyes stung. Though he stared blindly now, his eyes locked desperately on the stack of records, he could practically feel Nikki’s compassionate gaze.
She sighed audibly. “That’s true. But even if you had been his blood son, the markers might not have lined up. As it is now, the most you can do for him and your mom is to get to the bottom of this.”
“What if he doesn’t make it? What if they don’t find a donor?”
“You can’t think like that. I know this is huge. I’m not minimizing what has happened to you. Truly, I’m not. But it’s like having the breath knocked out of you when you’re a kid. It feels like you’re dying, and it’s scary as hell. Sooner or later, though, your lungs start working again and you know you’re going to be okay.”
He straightened his spine, unaccountably encouraged by her sheer conviction. “You must be very good at your job.” He shot her a sideways look and sat back, feeling a bit of his burden shift and lift. “Thank you, Nicola Parrish. You’re a very nice woman.”
Her cheeks turned pink. “I can be hard as nails when I have to be.”
“And when is that?”
“Oh, you know...dealing with a deadbeat dad in court. Talking to a drug addict who’s stealing to support a habit. Facing down a chauvinistic judge who thinks women need to be in the kitchen, not in front of the bench.”
His eyebrows rose. “Is that still a problem...honestly?”
“Not often. But occasionally. And though you would think it’s only the older ones close to retirement, sometimes it’s a young man. Jerks transcend age and class. I met more than a few along the way in school.”
“I’ll bet you were one of those annoying people who ruined the curve for everyone else.”
Her chin lifted. “I believe in doing a job one hundred percent or not at all.”
“Which is why you’re going to see this through.”
“I told you, I love a mystery, a puzzle. And I never give up until I get the answers. But I have to warn you, I’ll keep going to the end. Even if the truth is something you don’t want to hear.”
He clasped his hands behind his neck and leaned back into the sofa, feigning relaxation, though his guts were in a knot. “I’m scared,” he drawled, only half kidding.
She uncurled her leg and sat up straight, both feet on the floor. “You don’t have to be,” she said, answering his attempt at humor with an adorably serious expression. “The truth may hurt when we’re not expecting it, but secrets are far more deadly. Trust me, Pierce. You’re doing the right thing.”
Five
Nikki winced at Pierce’s expression. She had no clue what he was thinking, but replaying her words in her head, she realized how she must sound to him. Insufferably sure of her own capabilities, and bossy to boot. It wasn’t a great tack to take with a man. A truth that had been pointed out to her on more than one occasion. But if she had to hide who she was to be part of a relationship, she’d pass, thank you very much.
Not that she and Pierce were in a relationship, but still...
Pierce picked up a sheet of paper. “No use putting it off.” He sounded more resigned than anything.
“Indeed.” She opened her laptop and prepared a blank document.
“What’s that for?” he asked.
“I like to make notes as we go along. Memory is a tricky thing. So I document things I either want to go back to later or that may turn out to be key points. Nothing formal at this stage. More like a running commentary.”
“How do I know what I’m looking for?”
“You don’t. Not really. You can check the basic facts, of course. But if someone deliberately perpetrated fraud, I’m sure they will have tried to cover their tracks.”
“Great,” he muttered. “A needle in a haystack that’s been buried for thirty-plus years. No problem.”
She handed him roughly half of the pages she’d printed out. “Man up, Mr. Avery. All good detectives have to slog though the mud. For an outdoorsman, that should be right up your alley.”
* * *
Pierce read automatically, though with less than perfect attention. He noted details like birth weight and time of delivery and length of newborn, all of which he had seen documented in his baby book in his mom’s careful handwriting. Page by page, he scanned lines of medical jargon. There were sections about medicines administered, blood pressure recordings and body temps, both mom and baby.
Nothing jumped out at him.
After half an hour, Nikki handed him her stack. “Let’s swap. Maybe I’ll see something you missed, and vice versa.”
The new pages were no more helpful. He found anecdotal descriptions of his mom’s labor. According to the records, it had been normal in every way. But something suddenly struck him. “Why aren’t there copies of ultrasounds? Seems like that should have been in here.”
Nikki pursed her lips. “Good point. I’m friends with my ob-gyn. Let me give her a call. Maybe those records were stored separately in radiology.”
As Pierce continued reading, Nikki disappeared for at least fifteen minutes. When she returned, her expression was wry. “Not to make you feel old or anything, but apparently back in the early eighties, ultrasounds were by no means routine. As a rule, they were used only in high-risk pregnancy situations, and sometimes not even then, because the technology was new and expensive and no one was one hundred percent sure they were safe.”
Pierce was shocked. “Wow. I never thought