“What if it happens again?” he asked. “What if the others start to disappear? What if there was something we could have done? How will we feel then?”
“But maybe nothing will,” Dorian said.
Miles closed his eyes, as though suffering a migraine. He lowered his head for several seconds, then suddenly raised it and opened his eyes.
“I didn’t know about Heather’s mother.”
“It just happened.”
“You’ll send flowers to her hospital room?”
“Of course.”
“We can’t impose on her for the next few days. And our friendly, neighborhood FBI agent doesn’t give a shit. So the next step is up to me.”
“Next step?” Dorian asked.
“Did you charter a plane? Because I’m going to Fort Wayne to find Travis Roben. And then I’m heading to the west coast.”
“Alone?”
“If you’re asking whether Chloe’ll come along for the ride, I’d say fat chance.” He paused. “But I’ll give her a try.”
Dorian nodded and got up. “I’m on it.”
Miles, too weary to get up and follow her out, sat there for a moment, gathering his thoughts.
His cell started to ring. He took it out of his pocket and saw that Heather was calling.
“Heather,” he said. “I heard about your mother. How is she?”
“We thought it was a heart attack but now it’s looking like it may be some kind of severe muscle spasm. They’re going to release her later today. Thanks for asking.”
“Take all the time you need,” Miles said.
“I appreciate that, but listen, that’s not what I was calling about.”
Miles felt his body tense. He didn’t know how many more surprises he could handle. “Go ahead.”
“Gilbert came to me,” she said.
“What?” The idea that Gilbert would approach the firm’s investigator was right out of left field.
“He said he’d been to see Dorian about this, but then came to me with it, too.”
“What?” Miles asked.
“He told me about what Caroline had done before, the game she ran on the Google exec. I got the idea that this was something you’d brought to his attention, so now he was on guard, watching for that kind of thing. He was worried she was at it again. That she might have set up some fake corporation, Excel Point, and was billing Cookson for thousands.”
Miles thought back to something his brother had said, before they went for the ride in the Porsche, before he’d handed over the keys.
“He’d mentioned the name,” Miles said.
“So I did a little digging.”
Miles held his breath, waiting. The last thing he needed was more dissension between himself and his brother over things Caroline might have done.
“Gilbert was right. There was a dummy corporation, and you’ve been paying it some substantial sums.”
“God,” Miles said wearily. “Caroline is something else. She gets caught, and she tries something else.”
“But it wasn’t Caroline,” Heather said.
“So someone’s been sending us bogus invoices and we’re just paying them? How could we be that stupid?”
“The thing is, Miles, no one was raising questions because it was being done internally.”
Miles held his breath for a second. “Someone on the inside.”
“That’s right. I followed the money, Miles.”
He didn’t want to ask, but he had no choice. “Where did it lead?”
“Dorian.”
Miles was sure he’d misheard. “That can’t be.”
“I wish I were wrong,” Heather said.
Me too, thought Miles.
Forty-Nine
Providence, RI
“So he conned you?” said Chloe’s mother, Gillian, early the next morning.
“It’s not like that,” Chloe said, “and I wouldn’t say no to a little more support and a little less judgment.” She rummaged through the top drawer of her bedroom dresser, dressed only in underwear and a long T. The bed covers were a mess, and she had only been up for a few minutes. “I should’ve done a load last night. I’ve got nothing for work.”
“I did it. The basket’s right out in the hall,” Gillian said. “You’re lucky they’ll take you back, the shifts you’ve missed without giving them any kind of notice.”
“Yeah, what a break. The shittiest diner in Rhode Island isn’t going to fire me.”
“This guy, this Miles, he walks into the diner and tells you some wild story that he’s your father and you just leave with him?”
“I’m telling you, he believed it! He thought I was his daughter.”
“Sure,” Gillian said. “With no proof. At least with this Todd Cox there was proof from that testing company. But Miles, he tells you he’s seen the file. Did you see the file?”
“No.”
Gillian nodded knowingly. “Exactly.”
“And he never said he’d seen the file. He had this detective lady get the names from the clinic.”
“So he says.”
“Jesus, Mom, you really think some guy from New Haven hatches this elaborate scam to come all the way to Providence to tell some piss-poor waitress that he’s her dad and he’s got a fatal disease and he wants to give her a shitload of money? Why would someone do that? What sense does it make?”
“The world is full of strange people,” her mother said. “I told you it was a bad idea. I told you not to send in your DNA sample.”
“This had nothing to do with that,” Chloe said, turning to look at her mother and banging her fist on the dresser in exasperation. “Jesus! You seemed so understanding about this when I phoned you. I never should have told you about any of this.”
“You should have told me everything at the beginning, when he first approached you. But instead you head off all over the place and then spend the night at his home?”
“What, Mom? Are you worried someone who thought he was my dad came on to me?”
“There are plenty of cases of real dads who’ve come on to their daughters. They have a word for that.”
“I can’t take this anymore.” Chloe’s eyes began to mist. “I think he was pretty devastated.”
“About what?”
“When he got the results of my test. To see if I had the disease he’s got. When we were talking to that doctor, and Miles got the call. I didn’t know what it was about at the time, but that was when he found out there was nothing between us. He looked... crushed.”
Chloe sat down on the end of the bed. “He’s not my dad but he’s the closest thing I’ve ever had to one. That day with him, even when the creepy shit was happening at Todd’s place, was one of the best days ever. Those hours, while I was really believing it, they were pretty amazing.”
Gillian sat next to her and pulled Chloe’s head into her shoulder. “I’m sorry, honey. I am. All I’ve ever wanted is for you not to be hurt. In any way. That’s all.”
Chloe got her arms around her mother, hugged her, and let the tears come.
“I was hateful to him,” she whimpered.
“Oh, sweetheart, he’s the one who owes you an apology.”
“No, no, he was trying to do the right thing. He’s dying. And I just fucking lost it and abandoned him.”
“You have to look after yourself. This is his problem. Not yours.”
“But maybe it still is my problem. What about the others? Even if Miles isn’t their father, they might still be my half brothers and sisters. What about the ones that are missing? What about the ones that are still around?”
“Have you seen anyone suspicious hanging around?” Gillian said. “I sure haven’t. No strangers coming to the door or watching the house. No one’s looking for you.”