Робин Кук - Genesis

“Why is the embryo called Hansel?”

“Just disregard that,” Aria said. “It’s immaterial. It was just a label some computer techies came up with since there was no name attached to the fetus. The important thing to note is that Diane Hanna née Carlson is the missing father’s mother, and Eric Thompson is the father. That’s the long and short of it. Case closed!”

“That means the father’s name must be Thompson,” he said. “Why isn’t that written on these trees?” He raised his eyes to hers.

“I’m glad you asked,” Aria said. “On the phone I said I need your help. The last piece of this puzzle is the name of the fetus’s father. It has been determined that it is not Thompson because there was an adoption that has broken the genetic family tree away from the genealogical family tree. It seems that the father was an out-of-wedlock love child of Diane Carlson and Eric Thompson, neither of whom are willing even to acknowledge the blessed event.”

“You spoke to these people?” Carl asked, his awe of Aria’s investigative work magnifying dramatically. He went back and studied the family trees, which had him totally engrossed.

“I didn’t speak with Eric Thompson,” Aria admitted. “That was done by Vijay Srinivasan. But I did speak with Diane, whose surname is now Hanna. In fact, I was speaking with her just a little more than an hour ago.”

“Does she live here in the city?” Carl asked.

“On Fifth Avenue, overlooking the park,” she said. “I was just there.”

“Is she married to the well-known attorney Michael Hanna?” he questioned in wonderment.

“I have no idea,” Aria said. “Diane lives in decent splendor and acts and looks the part of a socialite, so I imagine her husband has some reasonably responsible position.”

Carl tipped back again in his chair and raised his eyes once again to look directly at her.

“Did you confront Diane Hanna with these family trees?” Carl asked.

“I never got to show them to her,” Aria said. “As soon as I told her that GenealogyDNA had determined she had a son that had been put up for adoption, it was the end of the conversation. She all but threw me out of her apartment.”

“Sounds like she has been trying to forget her wanton ways when she was young,” he said with an off-color chuckle.

“Something like that,” Aria said. “When I first walked in and got a look at her I didn’t have high hopes.”

“When you called you said you needed my help,” Carl said. “Are you thinking there might be a way for me to aid you with this final step of getting the surname of the father?”

“Exactly,” she said. “I wanted to ask you if by any chance you know someone who is acquainted with a New York district attorney.” She knew she could have said what she said in a less roundabout fashion, but she was hoping for any connection with the DA’s office, no matter how tenuous.

“That’s easy because I know someone particularly well,” Carl said with a broad smile. “Me! I’ve been friends with the Manhattan District Attorney Paul Sommers since we were in boarding school together. Why do you ask? How can the district attorney help?”

“New York State has strict rules governing adoption records, for obvious reasons,” Aria said. “But I’ve been told a district attorney can unseal the records. All we need is the adoptive family surname.”

“That shouldn’t be that difficult,” he said. “Actually, arranging it will provide me with a good excuse to get together with Paul. We’ve been trying for weeks, and this could be the reason to make it happen. Or better yet, I could stop in on my way home tonight. He’s been eager to show me the condo he bought recently at Fifteen Central Park West. It’s that gorgeous Robert Stern building on the corner of Sixty-First Street. Do you know which building I’m talking about?”

“I do,” Aria said. “It’s in my neighborhood. I live on Seventieth Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue.”

“You and two other of our residents live on the Upper West Side,” Carl said. “I remember when my wife and I were going over the resident list. I believe you are at Forty-five West Seventieth, if my memory serves me.”

“That’s right,” she said. She was impressed. “It’s a good neighborhood with restaurants and services a half block away on Columbus Avenue and the park close by in the other direction.”

“I really have to compliment you on your forensic work,” Carl said. He placed the flat of his hand on the Thompson family tree. “I can’t get over these genealogical family trees you’ve managed to come up with. It’s really been a terrific job. Tell me, have you changed your mind about forensics? Do you possibly see it in your future?”

“Hell, no!” Aria said. “Personally, I can’t stand it. The patients might be dead but dealing with the families is a pain. No, it’s probably the last pathology subspecialty I’d consider. But I have to say that this investigation has been captivating, even if it’s also been frustrating.”

“Has Dr. Montgomery been kept up to speed with your work on this case?” he asked.

“She has,” Aria said. “In fact, I was just in talking with her before calling you.”

“Has she seen these family trees?” Carl asked. “And is she as impressed as I am?”

“Yes, she’s seen the diagrams,” Aria said. “And she seemed impressed, but not as much as you. She’s more worried about possible fallout from my having gone over and talking to Diane Hanna. But I truly don’t think that there’s going to be any fallout. I can’t imagine Diane is going to complain to anyone because it risks exposing herself.”

“Has anyone else outside of the genealogy company seen these family tree diagrams?” Carl asked.

“Nope,” Aria said. “Just Dr. Montgomery a few minutes ago.”

“Did you ask her about interceding for you with the district attorney’s office?”

“I did, but she said she wanted to think about it over the weekend and let me know on Monday or Tuesday. She’s preoccupied because she is scheduled to have major surgery tomorrow.” Aria remembered that Laurie had told her not to say anything to anyone about her surgery, but what did it matter and how was she to know?

“I’m sorry to hear that,” he said. “Is she having her surgery here at NYU?”

“Yes,” she said.

“I hope the surgery goes smoothly,” Carl said. “But this way, with me picking up the slack, I can assure you the records will get unsealed. I’m certain that my contact with Paul Sommers will be far superior to anything that Dr. Montgomery might be able to provide, regardless of her decision.”

“No doubt,” Aria said.

“Do you mind if I keep these family trees?” Carl asked. He held them up in the air. “I’d like to show them to Paul so that he can see exactly why the adoption records must be unsealed.”

“No problem,” Aria said. “You can even give them to him, if you’d like. And if he’d like to talk to me, I can make myself available.” She had to make an effort to restrain her excitement. This was suddenly turning out so much better than she could have imagined.

“I have a request,” he said. “This case is turning out so interesting, I think I’d like to have you present it at one of our Thursday Grand Rounds. I think the whole department would be interested. What do you say? We could even project the family tree diagrams on the big screen so you could explain exactly how they were constructed.”

“I’ll think about it,” she said. She believed the idea had merit, but she never liked the extra work involved in preparing for Grand Rounds. “Thank you for being willing to help in this final stage. I wasn’t sure you would since from the start of the Kera Jacobsen case, you’ve been afraid of the tabloids getting hold of the story. If it turns out that the father of the fetus did play any role in Kera’s overdose, the tabloids certainly will be back in the picture.”