Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 77170 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77170 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
“Ryan…”
“They’re here, Brendan. Samples from my father, from your great-uncle, from Tom, Theo, and Larry, along with others. Rodney Cates. Ennis Ainsley. Damn.”
“Who’s that?”
“He was the first Steel winemaker. He taught me everything I know.”
“The name does sound familiar.”
“Brock and Rory went to visit him in London.” Ryan looks back at the file. “Frozen eggs, too. Wendy’s.”
“Are there any frozen embryos?” I ask.
“No. Doesn’t look that way.” Ryan sighs. “Thank God.”
“That would’ve been a pretty advanced technology back then,” I say. “In vitro fertilization was a thing, but freezing embryos for later use? That was pretty new.”
“It’s actually been part of our technology for longer than you think,” Dr. Franklin says.
Ryan glances at the doctor, his eyes narrowed. “Is there anything you’re not showing me? Are there any frozen embryos that we don’t know about?”
“No. This storage is just for sperm and ova.”
I take a slow step toward Dr. Franklin. “And where are these sperm and ova?”
“It looks like they’re in one of our units at the lab where we rent space.”
“What would it take to destroy them?” Ryan asks.
Dr. Franklin raises an eyebrow. “You sure you want to do that?”
Ryan rubs his chin. “This stuff is over a half century old. It can’t possibly be viable.”
“It is reaching its limits,” the doctor agrees. “But I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do about it unless the person who contracted our services asks.”
“We represent the Fleming Corporation,” Ryan says.
“You represent the Steel family,” Dr. Franklin says. “I’m not buying.”
Ryan stares him down. “Are you sure about that?”
“Listen,” Dr. Franklin says. “This is all before my time. Whoever contracted the clinic to store these samples paid for their storage indefinitely. They’re not hurting anything where they are, and they’re probably no longer viable anyway. You have the documents. You have the address where they’re stored. The cryo facility can’t release them unless we ask for them, which we won’t. We’d never use such old specimens.”
“And why, exactly, should we trust you?” Ryan asks.
Dr. Franklin shakes his head, sighing. “I don’t know. You have to decide that for yourself.”
“Christ.” Ryan rakes his fingers through his hair. “I’m damned tired of history repeating itself. Damned tired of people coming back from the dead.”
Dr. Franklin’s eyes go wide. “Coming back from the dead?”
“It’s a long story,” I say. “Ryan, are we done here?”
“For now. But we’ll be back.”
My phone buzzes. It’s Jack. I walk out of Dr. Franklin’s office to take the call.
“Hey,” I say, still walking until I’m outside the clinic.
“Yeah, just got your message. You want my mom to have a DNA test?”
“It’s a hunch, but we think her father may be Brad Steel.”
“We’ve had the same hunch over the years.”
“Have you?”
“Well, I have. She’s always been convinced that she didn’t belong to Brad Steel, or her mother would’ve treated her better.”
“I can see your concern. Ruby’s been in touch with Tucker Madden. If your mother could get over there, he can do the test and get it done quickly like he did for us.”
“Yeah, okay.”
I inhale. “I have some more news for you, Jack.”
“What’s that?”
“Ryan Steel and I found your father.”
No reply.
“His sperm, that is. You truly are the son of Sean Murphy, and you and my father are cousins. I’m not sure why Wendy chose him to father her grandchild, and we may never get a straight answer out of her about that, but if anyone can, it’s Ava.”
More silence.
“You still there?” I ask after a few seconds.
“Yeah. Damn.”
“I know, man. Listen, Ryan and I are on our way back to the ranch. Ava is there now. Let me know as soon as you can get your mother up there for the test.”
“Maybe this afternoon. Thanks. I’ll be in touch.”
I end the call.
Ryan looks at me. “You gave him a lot of information.”
“I did,” I say. “But he’s my cousin. Wendy Madigan made him my cousin. I’m not sure why, but I’d like to find out.”
Ryan sighs, shaking his head. “I gave up trying to figure out my mother long ago. If Lauren is my full sister—if she’s Brad Steel’s daughter—I have to share the fortune with her.”
“That deed we found,” I say, “transferring everything to you. I’m wondering if that was signed before Lauren was even born.”
“It could’ve been,” he says. “Or perhaps not. You have to think like my mother. Even if Lauren is Brad Steel’s daughter, she was probably conceived through artificial insemination. In my mother’s mind, that means Lauren doesn’t mean as much as I do, since I came from her actually having sex with my father.”
I frown. “Why would that matter?”
“To a normal person, it wouldn’t. Wendy Madigan is about as far from a normal person as you can get. She was obsessed with my father. She felt they were soul mates, life mates, whatever. I mean, she was willing to kill him and herself so they could be together forever. She never accepted the fact that he chose Daphne over her. My father admitted to the sex that resulted in me. She trapped him into it, and I’m sure he probably refused to do it again.”