Jane got up and locked the library door, then returned to her seat. Charlie was reaching for her phone when Jane’s phone suddenly rang.
Jane pulled it out and looked at the screen. Her face went pale. “It’s the hospital.”
“Answer it,” Charlie said gently.
Jane accepted the call and put it on speaker so Charlie could hear. “Hello?”
“Ms. Evans? This is Nurse Martinez from St. Luke’s Medical Center. I’m calling with your test results.”
“Yes,” Jane said, her voice shaking slightly. “What did they find?”
“Your genetic screening came back negative,” the nurse said warmly. “There are no markers for the hereditary condition we were testing for. You’re completely clear.”
Jane’s face crumpled with relief, tears instantly forming in her eyes. “Negative? Are you sure?”
“Completely sure,” the nurse confirmed. “Dr. Chen wanted me to call you personally to let you know. You can schedule a follow-up appointment if you’d like to discuss the results in more detail, but there’s nothing to be concerned about.”
“Thank you,” Jane managed to say. “Thank you so much.”
After the call ended, Jane sat there for a moment, just breathing. Charlie saw the relief flood through her, the tension that had been holding her rigid for days finally releasing.
“Do you want to go tell your father before I call the PI?” Charlie asked gently.
“No,” Jane shook her head, wiping at her eyes. “I’ll go after. I want to hear what your PIfound out first.”
Charlie nodded and picked up her phone, dialing Angus. She put it on speaker so Jane could hear.
“Charlie,” Angus’s gravelly voice came through. “I was hoping you’d call back.”
“I’ve got you on speaker,” Charlie warned. “Jane Evans is here with me. She’s the one we’re gathering this information for.”
“Understood,” Angus said. “All right, here’s what I found. Pamela’s biological mother, Diane Sullivan, died of ovarian cancer when Pamela was a baby. Not a genetic disease. It was cancer.”
“So the hereditary disease story...” Jane started.
“Came from the stepmother,” Angus confirmed. “Margaret Sullivan, the woman Pamela’s father married when Pamela was two years old. She raised Pamela as her own, and she died of Huntington’s disease. A hereditary neurological disorder. But since Margaret wasn’t Pamela’s biological mother, there’s no genetic link. Pamela couldn’t have inherited it, and she couldn’t have passed it to you.”
Charlie and Jane exchanged glances. “So Pamela lied about the whole thing,” Jane said.
“There’s more,” Angus continued. “There are no records of Pamela ever being tested for Huntington’s disease herself. And Dr. Raymond Chen? He’s legitimate, but he’s also deeply in debt. Gambling problem. Pamela’s husband recently paid off a significant portion of his debts. It was about fifty thousanddollars. That money cleared his bank account right before your appointment, Ms Evans.”
“She bribed him,” Charlie said flatly.
“Looks that way,” Angus agreed. “And here’s the kicker. Pamela’s father, Richard Sullivan, died three months ago. He was loaded. Made his fortune in a tech company. But when he died, he didn’t leave Pamela a single cent.”
“What?” Jane asked, stunned. “Where did the money go? What company?”
Before Angus could answer, there was a knock at the library door. “Charlie?” It was Gabe’s voice. “Is Jane with you? Isabella said she was.”
The doorknob rattled. “Why is the door locked?”
Jane jumped up to get the door, her face panicked.
“I’ll call you back,” Charlie said quickly to Angus.
“Do that,” the PI said. “Because I have more to tell you.”
The call ended just as Jane reached the door. She turned back and looked meaningfully, pointing at Charlie’s hand. The engagement ring was sparkling on her finger.
