Partners

by Kira Chase

  “Kyle said he'd mentioned it, but they didn't want to pursue anyone. I think they were afraid if they found his biological father then he or his family might sue for custody of Bobby.”

  “But they lost custody of him anyway.” Johanna frowned. “What I don't understand is how you and Kyle were able to gain custody so quickly. Didn't the grandparents put up a fight to keep Bobby?”

  She drew her eyebrows together. “As I stated, Kyle had a volatile relationship with his parents.”

  “No,” Johanna said calmly. “I don't think you mentioned that. How volatile?”

  She ran a shaky hand through her hair. “I…I don't know a lot about his past. Only what he told me…and that's not much.”

  “Really?” Johanna peered at her curiously. “I was under the impression you were familiar with your husband's family since you were raised in Seattle and I assume attended the same high school as Kyle.”

  She looked confused again. “I wasn't raised in Seattle. I'm from a little town in Oregon. I moved to Seattle a little over ten years ago when I was offered the position in Hakon West DNA Lab.”

  Wow, Johanna thought. She was glad that she was recording this because this information was more than she could dissect or remember. There were so many questions she wanted to ask, but would Brenna Martin continue to be as forth coming with her answers as she had previously been? “How long did you know Kyle before you married him?”

  She relaxed somewhat and flashed a bright smile for the first time since they began questioning her. “We're one of those love at first sight couples you sometimes hear about,” she said. “We only knew each other for two weeks.”

  Johanna lifted a skeptical eyebrow. “Wow! Did you elope?”

  She shook her head. “No. We had a small ceremony.”

  “Just family and close friends I assume,” Johanna said.

  Her eyes clouded. “I don't have much of a family. Just a brother. Our parents died years ago.”

  “Is your brother younger or older than you?”

  “He's fifteen years older than me. I wasn't close to him growing up since he was already out of the house and out on his own before I even started kindergarten. In fact, I didn't really get to know him until I moved to Seattle. It's because of him that I got the interview for the opening at Hakon.”

  “So, moving to Seattle is what brought you two together? You and Kyle, I mean.”

  “Yes.” She smiled again. “In fact, my brother was a good friend of Kyle's and Kyle and I met through him.”

  Johanna recalled that George had stated that Blake Roman, Brenna's brother, was a cop currently under investigation. Johanna despised dirty cops. One bad apple could spoil the public's perception of all cops of which most were good and decent men trying to do their jobs by protecting the citizens of their communities. She was now convinced that Blake Roman was somehow involved in Kyle's scam. She had to keep her cool. She wondered if Frankie had put the pieces of the puzzle together. She still wasn't sure if Brenna was a victim herself of a corrupt plan perpetrated by her husband and brother or if she'd been a part of it from the beginning. Hopefully she'd say something that would give her the answer.

  “Were your parents at your wedding?”

  “No, they'd been dead for a few years before I even moved to Seattle.”

  “So, you were in high school when they passed?”

  “No.” She looked questionably at her. “Why?”

  “Did you finish high school, Brenna?”

  She chuckled. “I get it now. You figured out that I'm almost eight years older than Kyle. Is that it? Yes, of course I finished high school and also went to college.”

  Johanna was surprised since the woman only looked to be in her early thirties. “Okay.” She smiled. “I get it, too,” she replied, even though she had no clue what Brenna was referring to, but at this point it didn't matter. What did matter was that Brenna was now visibly relaxed. Johanna knew she'd made her feel at ease and now she could continue the questioning. “Getting back to Bobby, from your postings on social media, I got the impression that Bobby had lived with you for years and you'd been married for maybe a decade. You've also posted quite a bit of personal information, which much of doesn't appear to be true from our conversation with you now.”

  Brenna stared at her with a flabbergasted look on her face. “I'm not on social media. I dislike those websites with a passion and I would never post anything personal on any website. All most of those sites do is bully and gossip, in my opinion. Definitely not for me.”

  This was getting more interesting by the minute, Johanna thought. If Kyle had joined the social media sites in his wife's name, it didn't make any sense, but then, right now, not much was making any sense. The bigger question was why Kyle wanted it to appear that his wife had a social media presence. She'd figure that out later, but right now she wanted to steer the questioning back to Bobby. “I want to clear something up. Did Kyle's parents willingly turn Bobby over to you and Kyle or was there an actual custody hearing?”

  Brenna took a deep breath. “There was a nasty court battle. In fact, I had never met Kyle's parents until I saw them in court.”

  “So, they weren't at your wedding, either?”

  She shook her head. “Obviously not, from what I just told you.” She looked at Johanna like Johanna had trouble with comprehension.

  Johanna continued on with a friendly smile pasted on her lips. “Didn't you find that odd?”

  “Not really. Kyle explained that his parents had grown distant toward him after his sister died. All they were focused on was her baby. He said it was like he didn't exist, not that they'd paid him much attention after his sister was born. They'd doted on her and now they focused that same attention on her son.”

  “When did Kyle move out of his parents’ home?”

  “After his high school graduation. He worked part time jobs and slept on friends' couches until he could afford a place of his own.”

  “Bobby's grandparents raised him for thirteen years. Up until a few months ago. How often did Kyle visit Bobby during that time?”

  “I have no idea.”

  “When did you first meet Bobby?”

  She twisted her hands together. “When we went to court.”

  Johanna rubbed the back of her neck. She wished she knew what Frankie was thinking right now. There were so many questions and so many different directions she could take. She decided to keep her focus for now on the custody of Bobby and then request that they question the boy alone. She hoped he'd give them the answers they sought.

  “So, Bobby was snatched from the grandparents who'd raised him and forced to live with virtual strangers. How did that make you feel?”

  She cleared her throat. “It was for his own good and protection.”

  “Can you explain that? Were his grandparents harming him in some way?”

  “Kyle said they were and he had the proof so I had no reason to doubt him.”

  Johanna's eyes narrowed. “How would he come to that conclusion if he'd had nothing to do with them for years?”

  Brenna squirmed and her eyes shifted. “I don't mean to imply that he never saw them,” she explained. “Only that they didn't get along when he did visit them.”

  “Why didn't he ever take you to meet them?” she asked pointedly.

  She shrugged. “I don't know.”

  “And you didn't find that odd?”

  She shrugged again.

  “How often did Kyle mention his parents to you?” she persisted.

  Her face flushed. “He rarely talked about them.”

  “Did you ever question him about his parents?”

  “I did, but he said for the most part they were estranged.”

  “What about Bobby? Did Kyle mention him to you?”

  “He told me his sister died in childbirth and had a son who was being raised by his parents.”

  “So, you hadn't met Bobby prior to his moving in with you. Is that right?”

 
; She tilted her head slightly and then nodded. “Yes.”

  Johanna pursed her lips. “Why, after all of these years with barely any contact with his parents or nephew, did your husband decide to seek custody of Bobby?”

  She blew her breath out. “Again, I don't know. I'm not a mind reader. You'll have to ask him that.”

  “He's already told us a version completely opposite of yours.”

  Her eyelids fluttered and she clamped down on her bottom lip.

  “You stated a little while ago that according to Kyle, Bobby needed a role model to look up to. Are you changing your story?”

  “It's not a story,” she retorted. “You're trying to confuse me.” She rubbed her forehead. “All of these questions are mixing me up. Is that your goal?” she asked heatedly.

  Johanna ignored her question. “We're almost finished. Just bear with me for a few more minutes. Okay?” Johanna asked. She hoped Brenna wouldn't clam up so she decided to tread carefully, at least for now.

  She rolled her eyes. “Do I have a choice?”

  “You always have a choice,” Johanna answered softly.

  “Just ask then,” Brenna said impatiently.

  “I want to get back to the custody of Bobby. There had to be enough evidence of wrongdoing or some form of physical abuse in order for the courts to give custody to Kyle.” She peered at Brenna. “And it must have cost a substantial amount of money in order for your husband to be able to hire an attorney to even agree to take the case.”

  Her face puckered. “It did,” she admitted. “It drained our bank account…not that there was much in there to begin with.” Her eyes dimmed. “We still owe our attorney a bundle.”

  “Is that why you need Will to pay child support?”

  “It will help. Our attorney is going to try to get all of the back support, too. Thirteen years’ worth,” she replied with a smug look on her face. “That alone should put us in good financial standing.”

  “Hmm. Well, wouldn't that go to Kyle's parents? And only three months to you and Kyle? After all, they supported him all these years.”

  She shook her head. “No. Kyle was helping to support him, too, when he could.”

  Johanna couldn't believe the gall of this woman. Nowhere, in anything she said, did she state that Kyle or she had any feelings toward Bobby. Money was all they cared about. She'd thought Brenna was innocent at the beginning of their questioning, but now there was no doubt in her mind that she was in collusion with Kyle to extort money from Will. But still, something in the back of her mind nagged at her. This involved more than just custody of the boy. What else was there? What deep dark sinister secret was Will hiding? It had to be horrific in order for Will to risk everything he had. “Why would Kyle help to support Bobby if he had no relationship with him? It seems odd.”

  “What's odd about an uncle wanting his nephew to have a good life? Kyle said he owed it to his sister. They were very close.”

  “Does Kyle have proof he paid toward Bobby's care?”

  “Yes. He gave them money every week.”

  “Did he give them a check?”

  “No. He paid them in cash.”

  “Does he have receipts proving it?” she persisted.

  “No. He didn't ask for receipts. For God's sake, they’re his parents. Why would he need a receipt? If you can't trust your parents, who can you trust?”

  Johanna had to suppress the anger slowly boiling up inside her. How could Kyle Martin do this to his own parents? He was despicable and had sunk to the lowest depth possible. She quickly calmed herself as she shot a glance at Frankie. Frankie's eyes had darkened so she knew that Frankie was struggling to control her emotions as well. If Frankie had her way, Johanna knew she would have lashed out at Brenna Martin without holding anything back.

  “I don't see where he has any legal standing without proof that he made any payment at all.” She studied Brenna. “It also still has to be proven beyond doubt that Will is Bobby's biological father.”

  She threw her hands up in exasperation. “I told you. We have the proof. I can show it to you,” she replied confidently. “I brought the DNA results with me. Will's seen them and he accepts the results. Why can't you? Let me get my purse and I'll show you.”

  “That won't be necessary. Will needs to have a DNA test done here. There should be no problem since Bobby is here. That will settle the issue once and for all.”

  Her jaw tightened. “Why? One test is enough. Besides, I don't think Kyle will allow it.”

  Johanna ran a hand through her hair as she sat for a few seconds trying to lock eyes with Brenna. Brenna quickly moved her eyes away from Johanna's. “If you believe your test to be accurate, there should be no problem with having another test done for corroboration. Kyle may not have a choice in the matter, though, if Will insists on Bobby being tested along with him. He can get a court order if it’s necessary.” She waited for her words to sink in.

  Brenna shifted her weight and then twisted her fingers together. “Kyle won't like it.”

  Johanna smiled. “Well, I don't think Kyle likes much of anything that doesn’t go his way.”

  Brenna's lips tightened. “We have proof of the results. That’s all we need.”

  “I'm not going to argue the point with you. Let's get back to Bobby's custody. What convinced the judge to rule in Kyle's favor?”

  “Kyle had proof of physical abuse.”

  “Did Bobby say he was abused?” Johanna asked surprised by this new information.

  “No. Bobby didn't testify.”

  “Why?” she asked surprised. “How can a ruling be made without testimony from the supposed victim? And Bobby is certainly old enough to make the decision of who he wants to live with.”

  “He'd been seen by a psychologist and it was her recommendation that due to his fragile state of mind, it would be unwise for him to testify.”

  What a crock, Johanna thought. She felt sorry for the boy and now she was worried about forcing him back with Kyle and Brenna Martin if Will proved not to be Bobby's father. She worried that in trying to help Will, they were only further hurting this innocent boy. After they interviewed Bobby, they'd talk to George. There was no way in hell the kid could go back to Seattle with these monsters. She knew Frankie would agree with her.

  If Will turned out to be Bobby's father, he would certainly have a say in what happens to Bobby. If not, then George would have to involve Child Services to dig into Bobby's situation. It did make sense now why Bobby acted the way he did. His trust was gone. Johanna might have believed his grandparents could have possibly abused Bobby if Brenna hadn't said that Kyle had no contact with the boy and hadn't tried to gain custody until recently. It was only after Kyle learned that Will was involved with someone who had a comfortable lifestyle that he seemed to show any interest in his nephew. Once she and Frankie talked to Bobby, they could glean more information about his life with his grandparents compared to his life with Kyle and Brenna.

  “Did your husband decide to fight for custody before or after he found out that Will was living with a man who was on his way to becoming a self-made millionaire?” Johanna asked.

  “What difference does that make? Brenna asked. “It doesn’t have anything to do with this.”

  Johanna looked at Frankie and Frankie nodded. They both knew the interview was at a dead end. She stared at Brenna for a few seconds. The woman sat looking smug. Brenna thought she'd had the last word and the topic was closed. Johanna couldn't wait to wipe the smug smile off the woman's face. That would give her great satisfaction. “'I think we can wrap this up, Brenna. Thank you for talking to us.” She turned her attention to Frankie. “We'll talk to Bobby now and hear his version about what alleged abuse he suffered at his grandparents’ hands.” They both cast their eyes on Brenna who became extremely uncomfortable. “Brenna, would you please get Bobby and tell him we need to talk to him?”

  She bit her bottom lip. “Okay, but you didn't answer my question.”

 
“What question was that?” Johanna answered sweetly.

  “What difference does it make when Kyle learned about Will's financial situation?”

  “It makes a big difference, but we don't need to go into that right now,” Johanna answered. “Just one more question if you don't mind. Who helped Kyle get custody of Bobby?”

  “My brother.”

  “And he is?”

  “Blake Roman.”

  “What does he do?” she asked even though she already knew the answer. She wanted to test Brenna to see if she would tell the truth. “Is he an attorney?”

  She smiled proudly. “No. He's a detective with the Seattle Police Department. In fact, he investigated Kyle's parents.”

  Chapter 14

  “This is unreal,” Johanna stated as she slowly shook her head back and forth. “I wanted to give Brenna the benefit of the doubt, but the more she talked, the more bizarre she sounded.” Johanna’s jaw hardened. “She knew from the minute her brother and Kyle laid the plan out that she could have put a stop to it, but she didn't.”

  “I agree. I had to stop myself from letting her have it. What a nasty piece of work. I wanted to slap that smug look off her face,” Frankie spat out bitterly. “I can't wait to hear Bobby's version. Hopefully we can crack that shell he's built around himself.”

  “Why don't you start out questioning him?” Johanna suggested. “You might be able to get through to him better than I can.”

  “Me?” Frankie asked, surprised. “Why do you think that? You handled Brenna superbly. I wouldn’t have been able to maintain my cool like you did.”

  “Brenna was different. I think Bobby may be quicker to open up to you than me.”

  “Okay. If you think so, but I still don't get it.”

  Johanna grinned. “Of course, you don't.”

  “Is that a bad thing?” Frankie asked lifting a skeptical eyebrow.

  Johanna grinned. “No, babe. It's all good. I just think you'd be better at breaking through the shell he's hiding in. If not, then I'll jump in. I can use a little break after Brenna anyway.”