Page 61 of Whispers of Sin
“Robert, don’t leave me. Please. Everything that I’ve done is because I love you.” Lorelei was peering over her shoulder with tears streaming down her cheeks. She was a hell of an actress. “I need you.”
Those last three words were said right before Lorelei was escorted out the door by Chief Rogan. She’d also managed to turn her head just enough to catch Brook’s gaze. The woman’s red stained lips curled into a small, knowing smile.
Theo had paused when he reached Brook’s side, both of them staring in disbelief when Robert gave a directive to his lawyer.
“Gaston, go with her.”
Gaston hesitated, but even he recognized a losing battle. He merely nodded his understanding and quietly left the room. Robert stepped around the couch. He leaned down and picked up the white handkerchief that she’d been holding prior to having handcuffs secured to her wrists.
“Jordan Miles was right,” Robert stated with a humorless laugh as he began to fold the white fabric soaked in his wife’s fake tears. “You are very good at your job, Ms. Sloane.”
Brook decided not to respond to Robert’s comment. Without another word, he tucked the handkerchief into the interior pocket of his suit jacket before exiting the room. The only sound that could be heard was from a small cascading rock fountain that had been strategically placed in the corner. The peaceful bubbling water continued to flow as if nothing monumental had occurred within the last few moments.
“I suppose that was to be expected,” Theo said as he monitored Robert’s departure.
“Old habits are very hard to break, Theo,” Brook murmured, disappointed when the sense of accomplishment when solving a case didn’t make itself known. He’d been right all along. She’d forced this case forward, and it could have easily blown up in her face. “I’ll meet you down at the station.”
Theo appeared to want to say something else, but he thought better of it. He nodded his agreement and walked out the door. Brook made her way around the sofa closest to her until she was able to take a seat in one of the chairs. The serene ambiance was almost stifling. Then again, the underlying tension emanating from her was probably the reason.
“Bit, just tell me what you found.”
The silence from her earpiece only managed to cause the stress to travel to her chest. She purposefully evened out her breathing and counted to ten.
“Boss, maybe we should wait until we’re back at the Airbnb,” Bit said, his reluctance coming through loud and clear. When she remained silent for an extended amount of time, she heard his defeated sigh. Unfortunately, no amount of stress-relieving techniques could have braced her for Bit’s announcement. “Wren Cary had a one-night stand roughly nine months before Jonah Cary was born. I’m so sorry, Boss. I really am, but I do believe that Jacob is Jonah’s biological father.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Brooklyn Sloane
December 2023
Wednesday — 9:12am
Thehospitalcafeteriahummedwith soft activities, from the clinking of utensils to the hushed conversations of those needing sustenance after spending hours either waiting on test results or visiting sick loved ones. The tiled floor was speckled with well-worn stains of countless spilled meals and numerous scuffs from the soles of shoes. The marks were in complete contrast to the fluorescent lights, which immersed the large, sterile space with clinical white illumination.
A young nurse in pale blue scrubs juggled a Styrofoam container and a large to-go cup presumably filled with coffee as she headed for the exit. She was so intent on reaching her destination that she had no idea one of the napkins she’d taken from the dispenser had slipped out of her hands.
Graham leaned down and picked up the napkin before throwing it into the nearest garbage can. He then rested a hand on Brook’s back as he guided her toward an empty table.
“I’ll grab us some coffees while we wait.”
Brook hooked her purse on the back of her chair before reaching in and pulling out two photographs. One was of Jonah Cary. She’d seen many pictures of the little boy since finding out that Jacob was a living donor match, but they had all been of him coloring or looking down at a phone or tablet. She’d missed the square jawline completely. Had she seen it earlier, she would have known that he was Jacob’s son.
The other photograph in her possession was of Jacob’s mugshot.
Dr. Mizrahi had been refusing her phone call for the past five days. He had to have known that Jacob was Jonah’s biological father. Either the Carys didn’t want that information leaked, or Dr. Mizrahi had made a side deal with Wren Cary.
In the end, it didn’t really matter.
Science was science.
Brook intently scanned the faces of those entering the cafeteria. Wren Cary usually took a break around this time from sitting at her son’s bedside. It usually depended on when Jonah took his morning nap, but he’d been admitted back into the hospital this past Sunday with a low-grade fever. From what Bit had managed to uncover, Dr. Mizrahi had erred on the side of caution. Jonah was scheduled to go home tomorrow to finish healing from his previous surgery.
“It’s not Arden’s caramel macchiato, but I did manage to find some flavored coffee,” Graham said as he set down a steaming cup in front of her. He then set the plastic lid down next to the cup. He’d picked up a while ago that she liked to let her coffee cool a bit when given the chance. She continued to hold the photographs while he claimed the seat next to her. “Don’t worry. She’ll show.”
Brook would have mentioned again that he hadn’t needed to delay his flight plans, but he would only get irritated by the sentiment. He’d been scheduled to fly out of the country and return sometime this weekend. There was still some type of conflict occurring in Somalia, though he hadn’t spoken much about his mission there. She respected him enough not to ask, either.
“Your work shouldn’t be interrupted by Jacob,” Brook replied instead, all the while monitoring the entrance to the hospital’s cafeteria. “It’s not like this discovery changes anything. Jacob is still in a federal penitentiary, and the surgery won’t take place for a few months. We should continue our daily lives and not give this a second thought.”