Chapter Nine #2
Ben threw out a frustrated breath. “Look, there’s no evidence of abuse here, but I’m telling you, something is off about Hanson.
So just follow me here. His wife had several miscarriages before Caleb came along.
Then there’s no record that they tried for more children.
They moved around a lot, especially after the wife committed suicide.
Hanson also changed careers from one as an executive to one as a manual laborer.
The doctor who signed Caleb’s birth certificate has passed away, so we can’t question him, but according to my internet search, he was named in more than one legal case of malpractice. ”
“That’s not unusual with obstetricians.”
“But the cases weren’t settled in court or out of court. They just went away. So what if…I don’t know. What if he had the resources to make them disappear because people were paying him to forge birth certificates to hide illegal adoptions?”
“How does this relate to the case? What are you thinking?”
“What if the reason Caleb doesn’t look like Hanson or his mom is because he looks like someone else? Another biological parent, maybe?”
Luke was silent. Ben set his laptop to the side and rose to pace the space beside the bed as he waited for his brother to arrive at the same conclusion that he did.
“One of them had an affair.”
Ben stopped, a smile splitting his face. “My thought exactly.”
“Okay. So let’s follow this. Which one had the affair? The wife, and now that she’s gone, Hanson resents raising the kid that’s not his.”
Ben folded his arms across his chest. “I don’t think so. With the miscarriages Delia Hanson had? I have my doubts she could carry a pregnancy to term regardless of who the father was.”
“So Hanson had an affair. Or maybe they used a surrogate,” Luke added to the theory.
“A surrogate would make sense. Either way, let’s say Delia is not Caleb’s mother.
So they moved around, so the people in their life wouldn’t know that Delia didn’t carry or give birth to Caleb.
They had a birth certificate forged to support the lie.
And the OB who signed the birth certificate is the one who put them in touch with the surrogate.
Now that Delia is gone, Hanson resents taking care of a kid who isn’t his.
Or maybe the surrogate heard about Delia’s suicide and is trying to get custody of Caleb away from Hanson. ”
“That’s a lot of what ifs.”
Ben deflated and dropped back down on the mattress. “I know. Can you tell I’ve run out of leads?”
“You sure you’re not wanting some or all of this to be true because you can’t stand the guy?” Luke asked.
“It’s a strong possibility,” Ben admitted.
“The guy is an ass. A big SOB, and any time I’ve seen him and Caleb together, I’ve gotten a bad feeling.
Hanson never interacts with Caleb, but they’re always together, like he’s afraid to let Caleb out of his sight.
The kid’s not happy. The visit from CPS tells us that.
Caleb’s struggling in school. He has no friends, no extracurricular activities, nothing outside of his house and Hanson.
Something is wrong there. I can’t let this go until I find out what it is.
I can’t be another person who walks away from this kid when he needs help. ”
“I get it.”
Ben scowled. “But you don’t agree?”
“Do I agree that Hanson is an asshole? Yeah. Do I agree that Caleb deserves better? Yeah. Do I think your theory has merit? Not really, man. Sorry. I think you’re reaching.”
“So what would you do if you were me?”
Luke swore under his breath. “Run it down anyway. You won’t let it go unless we do.”
“Thanks, man. I owe you.”
Luke guffawed. “Damn right, you do. And payback starts now. Who’s the “she” that you showed our picture to?”
“Nope,” Ben responded. “Not happening. Instead, why don’t you tell me how everything’s going?”
“It’s all good. English has checked in at the hardware store every day you’ve been gone. He said your managers have everything under control. Reagan said your monster of a cat is fine. I think Jax is trying to talk her into bringing the thing home with them.”
Ben chuckled. “I don’t think Ziggy will like that. He’s a homebody.”
“Reagan said she thinks he misses you. But he’s a cat, so who the hell really knows? How are you holding up?”
Ben’s hand reached up to lightly touch his nose, which had outwardly healed but was still a bit sore. “Other than getting into a fight, I’m good.”
“What the hell? I hope you kicked their ass,” Luke exclaimed.
“Not exactly.”
Ben explained what happened with Charlotte and how that led to a dinner invitation with her, Wally, and Mona. He found himself smiling as he relayed the story, realizing the evening had been one of the more enjoyable ones he’d had lately, topped only by the time they spent at Whimsy.
He was beginning to count any time spent with Charlotte as enjoyable and something worth repeating.
Luke whistled when Ben finished. “Damn. You met a girl. Let me guess. She’s the one you showed the family picture to. Wait until I tell Mel about this.”
“There’s nothing to tell. I’m here working a case. It’s not my fault that my path keeps crossing with this girl. It’s a small town. But speaking of Charlotte, think you could check into her for me?”
Luke chuckled. “Don’t tell me she’s one of your damsels in distress?”
Ben stiffened. He hated when his brothers gave him a hard time about his soft spot for women in need. It wasn’t his fault that “damsels in distress” found their way to Ben and trusted him with their stories of trouble. If he could be of assistance, he never hesitated to help.
He thought of the women in his life who had found themselves in difficult situations.
First, there was their family friend, Becky Lathan, who was given what she needed for a fresh start by English.
Then came Reagan and her mother, Melody and her sister, and then Bailee and her grandmother.
He shuddered to think of what might have happened to any of them if English, Ben and his brothers hadn’t stepped in to help when they did.
“Look, I don’t know her story, but I think she’s in trouble.
The people around here are very protective of her, and she’s evasive if you ask her anything personal about herself.
Check her out and make sure nothing serious is going on?
Like I said, our paths keep crossing, so I need to know what I’ve walked into, don’t you think? ”
“I think you have your hands full with the case you went there to work.”
Ben scowled. “I’m just asking you to check. That’s all.”
“Fine. You said her name is Charlotte. What’s her last name?”
Ben froze as he realized he didn’t know.
No one mentioned Charlotte’s last name to him, and it never occurred to him to ask.
“I don’t know. I never found out. I just know her first name and that she works at the Skyline Motel in Ivy Springs.
Oh, and she rents a garage apartment from a woman named Birdie Miller. ”
“You know her landlady’s name but not hers? Something’s wrong with this picture. Got a description of her?”
Ben easily conjured an image of Charlotte in his mind. “Blond, short hair. Petite. Cute. Big smile. Blue eyes, but they’re not a typical blue. They have gray in them, so they change colors sometimes. Stronger than she looks.”
“Let me guess. She’s hot.”
Ben instantly remembered her pert breasts and delectable ass. “Yeah, she’s hot, but that’s not why I’m asking for a favor.”
“Right.” Sarcasm dripped from the one word, and Ben knew there would be no convincing Luke that his request had nothing to do with any attraction he felt for Charlotte.
Which was Ben’s cue to end the call. “Look, I need to go. I got to get some shut eye before my alarm goes off.”
“Take care of yourself, brother. Don’t work too hard, and try not to lose your shit over this girl. This case takes priority over a pretty face.”
Ben frowned. “I know that. That’s not what this is. I’ll get to the bottom of this case, but if I can help out someone else in the process, I want to do that too.”
Even as the protest passed his lips, he didn’t believe it. He did want to help Charlotte if she needed it, but his concern wasn’t just an innate do-gooder instinct. His desire to know more about her played a small part in his request.
“That hero complex of yours is going to get you hurt one of these days. Just make sure the rest of us are around if that happens. We’ve got your six, brother.”
Ben appreciated Luke’s concern for his well-being. “I know. Thanks, man. Talk to you tomorrow.”
Ending the call, Ben forced himself to move his laptop to a table to charge.
He brushed his teeth, used the facilities, and made sure his alarm was set.
Switching off the lights, he climbed under the thin sheet and heavy duvet.
Laying on his back, he folded one arm and rested his head on his hand as he stared at the ceiling.
When his eyes finally closed in sleep, he dreamed of a beautiful blond who looked like an angel and kissed like a vixen.