by R A Wallace
Crystal stood. “What are you saying?”
“Please sit. We’ll explain,” he said.
“Start talking,” she said.
“Our client was from Florida. Poppy showed up on his doorstep one day and claimed to be you,” Callie said.
“Why?” Crystal crossed her arms.
“He had a grandniece by the name of Crystal Delaney. Crystal R. Delaney.” Greyson said.
Crystal slowly sank to her seat. “Had?”
“I’m sorry,” Callie said gently. “Spencer Ives passed away recently. He was the one who wanted us to find you.”
“My fingerprints,” Crystal said.
“Excuse me?” Callie frowned.
“When I was young. My parents had me fingerprinted. One of the kits, you know. In case a child is lost or something. And my birth certificate. It lists my parents’ names.” Crystal turned to Callie. “I had family? What was he like?”
“He was kind. I liked him,” Callie said simply.
“Crystal, you mentioned children. Do you have children?” Greyson asked.
“No, not really. I’m a social worker. I work with children, including ones in foster care,” Crystal explained. “I wanted to be able to help other children. Especially the ones who have lost their family, like me. I studied hard, put myself through college in Colorado, and ended up living here.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Greyson held the glass of champagne and looked around the completed office suite of Indigo Investigations.
“To Callie. Who envisioned all of this,” Greyson said as he raised his glass.
“To Callie,” everyone chanted in unison.
“Wait! I think they’re talking about you on television.” Ariana stuck her head in the connecting doorway then returned to her computer and turned the volume up.
The others followed her into the new reception area.
“What are they saying?” Margaret asked as she joined Ariana at the computer.
“They’re talking about how Indigo Investigations found the heiress, Crystal Delaney. They’re saying that Callie and Greyson have done it again.” Ariana stepped away from her computer so others could watch the rest of the news clip.
“I can’t imagine discovering that you’re suddenly worth millions,” Sierra said.
“Are you sure you have the right one now?” Ariana asked.
Callie laughed. “Yes, we’re sure. Not only did the real one have her fingerprints taken as a child, the fake one was arrested as a teen. Her prints were on record as C. Poppy Delaney.”
“What was the story that the fake Crystal was following in Pomelo Cove just before she died?” Ramona asked. “The one that was supposedly about parking service attendants taking kickbacks?”
“Turns out, she wasn’t really tracking a story about parking service attendants taking kickbacks,” Callie said. “She was just following the story about how the city was resolving the parking problem. The camera guy, Sam, was mostly being paranoid because Crystal didn’t want to work with him anymore.”
“What I don’t understand is how the real Crystal never knew someone was out there pretending to be her,” Michael said.
Callie shrugged. “She went on with her life. She worked hard, got good grades, went to college, and got a degree. Then the real Crystal became a social worker to help children. She led a very busy life and never thought to look for remote relations.”
“Is she planning to live here?” Ramona asked.
“She said she would split her time, for now. She wants to see where she can be most useful,” Greyson said as he uncorked another bottle of champagne.
“Excellent,” Margaret said. “I’ll have to stop by and introduce myself. I happen to know a lot of great charities she can consider.”
Callie turned as the front door opened to Gemma and her daughters, Josie and Cassidy.
“Hello, everyone. Are we late?” Gemma asked. She looked down at her daughters. “Maybe you could ask your Aunt Ariana to show you her new office space?”
Ariana smiled at them. “I would love to show you.”
Callie moved closer to Gemma. “No Max?”
“My husband is parking the… Oh, there he is.”
Max walked in and nodded a greeting to everyone before crossing the room to Greyson.
“Hey, long time no see,” Max said.
Greyson laughed and reached out his hand.
Callie watched as Greyson and Max did that guy thing with a half body hug while shaking hands and slapping each other on the back.
She turned to Gemma with her brows up.
Gemma turned surprised eyes toward Callie and shrugged.
Books by R. A. Wallace
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R. A. Wallace is the author of two cozy mystery series:
Indigo Investigations Cozy Mystery Series
Callie Indigo is struggling to make ends meet with her private detective agency, Indigo Investigations, while juggling the complexities of an extended family and life in general. When she isn’t working a legitimate case, she’s often talked into helping out friends and family. Just when she’s wondering if she’ll ever turn a profit, her life becomes even more complicated with the appearance of Greyson Divine who has the uncanny ability to appear just as Callie is solving a case. Callie has to admit, however, that sometimes Greyson Divine may actually be helpful. This cozy mystery offers a clean read with a female sleuth, friends, and family.
Teaberry Farm Bed & Breakfast Cozy Mystery Series
Megan is the main character in the series but interacts with a wide range of other characters in the fictional town of Teaberry. A difficult first marriage ended in the accidental death of her husband. She supports herself with her bed and breakfast, produce from her farm, and her tech skills as a web developer. Over time, she discovers that the love of her life was in front of her all along. Main characters in the series are multigenerational.