A half hour later, the officers were clued into everything that had just transpired and had a copy of the photo Hannah had snapped of the truck. Now, the hardest part of his assignment had arrived. “Time to talk?” he asked her.
She checked her wristwatch and shuffled her purse again with trembling hands. “Sure.” Hesitating all of a sudden, she peered around Derek and out the front door. “He’s gone for certain now, though, isn’t he?”
“With all this law enforcement? Definitely.” At least, he should be if he was as clever a villain as the FBI suspected.
She turned toward the bank of elevators and nodded for him to follow, her steps short as if she didn’t want to get too far away from his protection.
Derek caught up in a couple of long strides and resisted the urge to cup her elbow. “So you’re more than halfway through law school and now have a summer internship? Your parents must be proud.” His head pounded at the memory of her father, Mr. Willford McClarnon, shoe-manufacturing mogul and commander in chief of the McClarnon family.
She tossed a quizzical glance his way as they entered the elevator. He pushed the button for the third floor. “You never met them, did you? Father has a business reputation to uphold, and Mother has endless garden club meetings. There’s no place for a daughter to be a lawyer in their world. If Michael had attended law school, it would have been perfect. He would be the perfect son. But the lines are clearly drawn between what’s appropriate for a girl and what’s appropriate for a boy. Lines that haven’t changed since the 1950s.” She inhaled a deep but ragged breath and shook her head slightly as if she’d said too much. “No. They’re not proud. They didn’t want me to go to law school.”
Derek gripped the handrail. He wasn’t surprised. Rather, a powerful wave of sympathy rocked through him. “Your father ought to embrace your ambition and bring you on as a corporate lawyer. Surely with a company that large he has need of many lawyers.”
“He hires all he needs.” The elevator doors opened, and after a quick scan of the elevator well, Derek let Hannah step out first. “The society my parents circulate in is very old-fashioned. Women are expected to volunteer and have hair appointments and gossip over chicken-salad sandwiches for lunch at the country club. Women don’t work, let alone in a profession where men wear the suits.”
Pausing outside the law offices, he flashed her a wry grin. “So you’re the family rebel.” He’d known she had some independent tendencies given their history together, but he hadn’t figured it would go this far, to buck her parents’ expectations.
“My father is part of an old-boys network that works for his business. He’s not enough of a rebel to start a new trend. Everyone has to make their choices. This seems to be God’s will for me, and I choose His ways.”
At least she had parents who cared about her. Derek pulled the door open for her and watched her heels make footprints in the carpet as she strode into the reception area. She hadn’t been forced to finish her teen years with an aunt and uncle who thought she was an imposition.
God’s will. Had that been God’s will for him, his parents’ deaths when he was just a young teen? What a struggle of faith that had brought about over the years. And yet, here, right in front of him, was the reason he knew God had blessed him. The very woman who had helped his faith grow into something bigger and better. Despite his struggles, he knew the blessings had been plentiful, first with a position at the Heartwood Hill Police Department, then with a good friend like Reid Palmer, and now with a new position with the FBI with plenty of hope and possibility.
But first, he needed to get through this first assignment with his former love at his side. Those old feelings of inadequacy surfaced from wherever he had squashed them years ago and threatened to choke him. He tamped them down with a hard swallow and followed Hannah into the office. Despite all the time he had spent preparing for this moment, he still had no idea how to break the news. News that, most likely, would rip her world apart.
TWO
Could there be any further surprises today?
Hannah shook out her ruffled turquoise skirt and tugged at the hem of her black cardigan with trembling hands as she turned down the hallway and headed toward her desk. A nervous perspiration stuck to her like humidity on a muggy August day, but there was nothing she could do about it.
Maybe she should apply for a gun permit. Her brother had one, and her father certainly kept firearms in his safe room at their home. But a McClarnon woman with a little pink pistol in her purse? Then again, after heading off to law school, would a concealed-carry permit really be that shocking to her father?
Hannah drew in a shuddery breath, still trying to process the fact that she’d almost been killed today. If it wasn’t for Derek Chambers, of all people, who’d jumped into the fray on her behalf, who knew what might have happened. It was a blessing that he’d made an appointment to see her, though she still had no clue why. She never thought she’d see him again, especially considering the way he’d ditched her almost ten years ago.
She sighed, desperately wishing she could dash out for a few minutes alone and collect her thoughts, but the expectation to appear professional and get through whatever it was he needed to tell her weighed on her.
Before she could reach her desk, Mallory stepped out of her office and enveloped her in a warm hug. “Reid told me to stay here but I was desperate to come down and see if you were okay. Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. A little shaky, but unharmed.”
“What a relief! No ambulance arrived, so I figured no one was hurt, but I still couldn’t help worrying.” She glanced behind Hannah.
Hannah turned to include Derek in the conversation. “This is Derek Chambers, FBI. Derek, this is my employer, Mallory Callahan. Apparently, he’s our six-o’clock appointment?”
“Yes. The timing of your appointment seems to have been rather fortuitous. I’m glad you were there for her, Derek. Thank you.” Mallory motioned to her office. “Shall we get started?”
“I think I ought to talk to Hannah first, and then we’ll proceed from there.”
“Fine. Take all the time you need.” A quizzical look crossed her boss’s face, but then she smiled warmly and returned to her office.
Hannah continued to lead Derek down the hall. She spotted his reflection in the glass of a framed print on the wall, and couldn’t help noticing how fine he looked in his khaki cargo pants and his navy button-front shirt, which hid his shoulder holster. He wasn’t a thin and gangly teen boy anymore, but a well-muscled and self-possessed man. Still, though, his law-enforcement position wouldn’t fit with her parents’ high-society world, no matter how much strength and self-command he exuded. They appreciated and supported the work of men in uniform, but guys like him weren’t exactly a part of the high-powered board meetings and fancy dinner-party circuit.
The muscles around her smile spasmed as she pointed Derek toward the chair next to her desk. “Have a seat. Will this take long? I have a few things I’d like to get done before I go home tonight.” And it probably wasn’t best if he stuck around any longer than absolutely necessary anyway. Even with another disappearing act, it would be difficult to tuck the memory of Derek Chambers into the recesses of her mind now.
Without an answer, he graced her with another subtle grin, the dimples in the corners of his mouth slanting into pleasant lines, like he was remembering a good joke or a fond occurrence.
Hannah sighed. What had happened to her day that she had so carefully planned out? Could her heart take much more?
He seemed at a loss for words as he pressed his lips together and looked everywhere but at her. This couldn’t be good, although she couldn’t fathom what this could be about. Sure, she had her difficulties, but nothing that would warrant the appearance of an FBI agent. “So, you said you’re with the Bureau? Is that why you’re here?”
&
nbsp; “Yes.” He cleared his throat and met her gaze. “I actually just graduated from the academy, and have been given my first assignment.”
“And what is this first assignment?”
“You. My supervisor thought it best to send an agent you already know and, I hope, trust. I know it’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other, Hannah, and I realize what I’m about to tell you is going to come as a huge shock. But I need you to believe me and trust me.”
She crossed her arms over her middle and waited for him to continue.
“The FBI’s organized crime division has an agent on the inside of a crime family out of Chicago, and he discovered that a long time ago, one of their family captains had a baby with his girlfriend. When that little daughter was about a year old, the girlfriend and the baby went missing. Agents found her car. It had gone over a precipice and crashed in the field below. There was blood and hair in the car, but no bodies. She and the daughter had just disappeared, and local law enforcement ran out of leads. Case closed, or so they thought.”
“How terrible.” A million sympathetic thoughts and questions raced through Hannah’s mind, all left unspoken as Derek continued the narrative.
“Apparently, this captain had his suspicions about his family and this mysterious car crash. I don’t know what he knew or suspected, but our guy on the inside just recently got intel that he has been looking for them. Now, we have information that he has found the mother.”
“She’s alive? Is she all right?” What this had to do with her, Hannah had no idea. But it was an interesting story. She uncrossed her arms and leaned on the desk, anxious to hear the rest of the tale.
“She’s alive, and we have agents looking for her. Through the mother, we believe, that captain has also found the daughter. As you can imagine, we’re not anticipating a happy family reunion. Both of them are in danger.” Derek leaned forward in his chair, an intensity lighting his brown eyes, and enveloped her small hands in his. “Hannah, you are the daughter.”
“I’m what?” Her heart seemed to stop for a moment as she scrambled to process what this would mean. The huge upset it would cause to her world. But it couldn’t possibly be true. She was a McClarnon. Wasn’t she? She shook her head slowly, keeping her eyes closed to lessen the dizziness that threatened her, and pulled her hands away. “That can’t be right. You’re thinking of someone else.”
“No. You are the daughter.” He spoke slowly as if giving her time to breathe in between each word. “You’re adopted.”
“And how do you think you know this? I haven’t seen you since high school, and now you show up out of the blue to tell me that I’m not the daughter of my parents? How dare you!” She moved to pound a fist on her desk, but Derek grabbed her hand.
“I’m sorry, Hannah.” He held her hands in both of his once again as he recounted all the pertinent details of this child’s birth—the place, the date, the time.
With each statement, Hannah wanted to tell Derek it wasn’t possible, that the little girl couldn’t have possibly been her. But her throat had choked each time, like trying to swallow a pill that was too big for her. “So, Mother and Father are...” If all this was true, what were they?
“They’re still your mother and father. Your relationship with them hasn’t changed and doesn’t need to change. But now you know they are your adoptive parents. Your mother didn’t give birth to you.” He looked around the cubical as if trying to give her a little space. “So you had no idea you were adopted?”
“No, assuming that what you’re telling me is even true, which I doubt. They’ve just always been my parents. Why would I think anything else?” She paused as his words sank into her consciousness. Her mind could barely absorb it all. Didn’t want to absorb it all. “You said the mother and daughter were in danger. So, that’s why that guy shot at me? He knew who I was even before you told me what you know? I thought I knew who I was, but now I’m not so sure.”
“You are still the same person, Hannah. But yes, he was here for you. That’s why I’m here. To protect you. I just didn’t think they’d find you so fast.”
“So, was that the man who you say is my birth father? Do you think he’ll be back?” She fluttered her hands to her neck, but it didn’t soothe her like she had hoped.
“No, most likely it was not your birth father. He may be in the area nearby, but he would have sent one of his men. And yes, that man will be back.”
“What else do you know? I need to know everything.”
“There’s not much more, I’m afraid. We’ve never had enough evidence to arrest him, so our knowledge is limited. I’ve just been brought on the case recently because of my—” he cleared his throat “—friendship with you. My supervising agent believes that your birth father thinks you may know something or have something that would incriminate him. For that reason alone, he would be willing to eliminate you.”
Hannah’s stomach flip-flopped at the word eliminate. “As we have already established, I didn’t even know I was adopted. That is, if it’s even true. How could I possibly incriminate him? I have several favorite things from when I was a child, but they all came from my parents.” She took a mental inventory of her old belongings. Her father had encouraged her to clean out some things from her childhood, but she couldn’t bear to part with them. Sentimental, he’d called her. A pack rat. But she hadn’t seen the harm in keeping a few boxes of mementos in the back of the closet. “I honestly can’t think of anything.”
“Perhaps there’s nothing, but my mission right now is to keep you safe.”
“So far, you’ve done a fine job.” Hannah forced a smile. She might not trust Derek any longer with her heart, but she would trust him with her life. “I think I better talk to Mallory and fill her in.”
“I’ll wait outside the door if you’d like some privacy.”
She stood and Derek followed suit. “For now, yes, I’d appreciate that.”
As she made her way toward Mallory’s office, Hannah shot a glance back at Derek and mouthed thank you, then whispered a prayer for calmness and wisdom as she knocked on her boss’s door. Surely, she was safe here in the building. The shooter had left. But it was still a comfort to know that the broad-shouldered, strapping FBI agent would be nearby with his trusty weapon at the ready. Just in case.
At Mallory’s call to come in, Hannah opened the door and stepped inside. Her boss sat behind her desk and pointed Hannah toward a floral upholstered chair. She clutched her skirt in her fists and teetered on the edge of the chair. “Do you have a few minutes?” She licked her dry lips.
“Of course.” Mallory came around the desk and sat in the other client chair, waiting for Hannah to continue.
Hannah pushed herself back into the upholstery. She wasn’t really sure what she was asking for, if anything. After all, she’d only been working there a few weeks, and now she was apparently causing a threatening situation to the office. Mallory didn’t seem upset about it, but could this cost her the summer job? Who would want an intern who brought danger to the premises?
After law school, it would be back to her parents’ mansion and the life of a spinster, pro bono attorney. At least she could practice law, after a fashion. She and her father had reached a truce, and she was determined to keep her end of it for the sake of her family. But for now, this was her freedom. “I’m not quite sure how to approach this, but you need to know. Derek is here to protect me. It seems the FBI is investigating a crime family with which they think I have some connection.”
Mallory’s eyebrows lifted slightly, but otherwise she maintained a neutral lawyer’s expression.
Hannah clutched her skirt more tightly. “It turns out that I’m adopted. At least, that’s what they say. Derek says my birth father is with the Mafia, and he’s looking for me.” She let out a long breath, which she’d been holding, seemingly since Derek had brok
en the news.
“Wow. That’s some big news.” Mallory leaned forward and laid a hand on Hannah’s forearm. “Why does the FBI believe you’re adopted?”
“Details of my birth. Adoption records. Derek’s just recently become involved.” She raced through a dozen different memories from her childhood, but no clue emerged about her adoption. “I have my birth certificate, and Father and Mother are listed as my parents, but I can’t say I’ve ever read it thoroughly.”
“Your birth certificate wouldn’t show that you were adopted, except for the discrepancy in the dates. Your parents would have a court-issued decree that finalized the adoption.”
Hannah furrowed her brow. “What do you mean by a discrepancy in the dates?”
“The firm has copies of your birth certificate and your driver’s license in your personnel folder from when you began employment here. I can pull it up if you’d like.” Mallory returned to her desk and her computer. Soon, a printer on her credenza was spitting out a copy of Hannah’s birth certificate, which her boss handed over.
Hannah stared at the dates but had no idea what she was looking for. Her heart thumped, but she didn’t move so she wouldn’t betray her anxiety. “What should I see here?”
Mallory leaned over the desk. “Your birth certificate has definitely been amended. See? Here is your birth date.” She moved her finger down the paper. “And here is the issue date. It’s over a year later. There’s no reason for it to be any more than a month or two after the fact unless the time was needed to finalize an adoption.”
The pounding of Hannah’s heart moved to her head until the edge of the room turned fuzzy. “So, it could be true. My birth certificate proves it.” Tacky sweat inched through her blouse and the fuzziness stood at the edge of her vision, threatening to consume her.
Deadly Disclosure Page 2