by Nan Dale
Ruth looked up but remained frozen. “Why didn’t you tell me all this yesterday, John? Why all the secrecy? I mean, this is HUGE. It’s not something that you can just sweep under the table!”
John remained quiet initially. “I guess I can’t believe it. It’s like I am having a nightmare and I cannot wake up. One minute, I am the ideal dad with the picture-perfect family. And the next, I am potentially a terrible father who neglected his daughter for twenty-one years.”
“How did Jessica react when you got in touch with her?” Ruth asked, not wanting to know whether he had met her in person. The whole thing was sickening enough.
“She doesn’t want to know. She feels like her daughter has done all right without a father and that knowing her father’s identity now would only complicate her life. Still, she was going to let her daughter decide. If her daughter agrees, a paternity test can be done even though we both live in different states. She lives in California.”
“What’s her daughter’s name?” Ruth whispered, feeling a pang of pain.
“Lauren.” They were both silent for a few minutes.
John said, “I just want to know.”
“Why the urgency, John?” Ruth practically screamed.
“Well, there’s the fact that I may have another child out in this world who needs a father. But secondly, there is the partnership. … Stanley and Larry are doing a full background investigation on me. I don’t want to be unprepared if the investigation uncovers Lauren. It would make me look so dishonest.” He paused. “I am also worried that since Aaron knows, he may out me to the partners and use that information to color my reputation.”
Ruth nodded and remained quiet. John moved closer to her and she buried her head in his chest. She felt empty. All these thoughts came flooding in at once, the reuniting of John and his high school girlfriend and the renewed bond from sharing a child. I mean, it isn’t John’s fault, obviously. But still …
“Is that why you drugged Aaron?” Ruth said. “Don’t act surprised, John. I wasn’t born yesterday, you know.”
John spoke slowly. “I drugged Aaron in retaliation for him drugging me on Friday night. I didn’t mention it to you, but I blacked out and woke up on a lounger next to the pool at Moses’s house on Saturday morning. Somebody clearly put something in my drink. When I thought about my friends at the party, and the most likely candidate from the old lacrosse team, I became pretty sure that Aaron was the culprit.”
“How do you know it was Aaron?” Ruth challenged.
“For one, I have seen him do something similar to one of his college friends. Second, I made a joke about it on Saturday morning at brunch and he laughed it off. He didn’t deny it. And then he proceeded to ask me to put our money for the partnership into his new real estate project. When I refused, saying that I needed the money for a partnership, he then brought up Jessica’s daughter and sat there salivating while I choked on the news. It was like he was blackmailing me! And it seems that he knows all about the drug test, and the background investigation.”
“Why do you need to do another drug and background test? Didn’t you do that when you joined?”
“New protocol for incoming partners. Plus, a partner requested that I take another test, citing ‘reasonable suspicion,’” John continued.
“That’s absurd. It is pretty obvious to me that someone is obstructing your partnership.”
“Yes, it’s only been a couple of days, but I have Larry Davis on that short list. And Aaron Wright is his conduit. I saw a photo of the two of them at a fund-raiser.”
What a mess, Ruth thought. Poor John. The usually confident man suddenly looked so broken. So that was why he was acting all manic. It made sense that Aaron would be behind it, then. The drug test and then Jessica suddenly springing out of the woodwork …
Ruth thought for a minute again. What if Aaron really was still madly in love with her and was trying to break up her marriage?
“John, there is something that I should have told you years ago. “
John looked up and sat down next to her.
Ruth struggled to get the words out. She had not planned to have this conversation, but the fact that John could be the father of Jessica’s child had provided an opening and she had to take it. “I knew Aaron in college.” There, she had said it.
John remained quiet.
She continued. “I dated him. Only for six months. It was a disaster. I thought he was messing around, although I didn’t have proof. I am so sorry. I would have mentioned it to you before, but it was such a short time and to be fair, after we graduated, I didn’t see Aaron for five years. Until our—”
“Rehearsal dinner,” John finished her sentence. “I know. I saw how you two looked at each other. You looked shocked and Aaron seemed slightly smitten. I knew you had gone to the same college around the same time, so I did some digging afterwards. I am sorry, I should have told you.”
Ruth was at a loss for words. On the one hand, she was relieved that he had known about them all along. On the other hand, she wondered why he hadn’t mentioned it to her until now.
“I … to be honest, I was actually feeling chuffed that I got the girl! Aaron has always dated my crushes. I enjoyed watching him in pain.”
“Does Aaron know that you know?”
“I don’t think so. Let’s keep that between us, if you don’t mind. I am going to milk that. And also, let’s commit that from now onwards, there will be no more secrets between us. Deal?”
“Deal!” Ruth said. “On that note, I will let you know that I met Aaron about a month ago in Brooklyn Heights and let him know that we were moving back to the neighborhood. He promised to keep his distance and not make any trouble for us.”
“Yeah? How do you think that’s working for him so far? Clearly, he didn’t wait for the paint to dry before he tracked down Jessica.”
They both remained reflective as they moved to the living room couch. The air was heavy. So much had happened in so little time.
“Well, not to change the subject, although this is probably a welcome digression—I was planning a fortieth-birthday and tenth-anniversary party for you in London in a couple of weeks. Patrick was helping me plan it.”
John was touched. “All for me. I did get the best girl!” and they locked in an embrace. In that moment, huddled together on the sofa, John had become clear of one thing. No matter what, he chose his family. He had gotten caught up in the partnership, working late and jumping through hoops to make sure that he would reach his career goals. He had taken his family for granted. He made a silent promise to be more mindful of his family going forward, because without them, he had nothing. He would be just like Aaron. Aaron’s motive for helping to sabotage his partnership? Envy. But what about Larry Davis?
Chapter 18
“Ruth, do you really know who Patrick is?” John asked. “I found his wallet by the garbage cans outside his building in Brooklyn this morning when you asked me to check on him, and I noticed that his identity card reads Patrick Yates, not Patrick Farley. How do you know that he is really using the money that you sent him as a down payment on the restaurant and the reception area for our tenth-anniversary celebration?”
Ruth looked at John. Typical man. “Duh! Because I called the restaurant and the reception area, and both deposits have been made. I have a good feeling about Patrick. There is something about him that screams good breeding. The quality of his clothes, the way he pulls out my chair for me, his frequent use of ‘please’ and ‘thank you,’ his global travels, and his extensive knowledge of art and other cultural things.” John felt a stab of jealousy. Ruth continued. “He is hiding something, but I don’t think that it’s anything nefarious. I think he is a hiding a good background. I wish he would open up. Deep down, I sense a young man that has been deeply hurt.””
John thought a bit.
“It doesn’t make sense why someone that is well educated and well connected would leave a cushy life in the UK to become an actor i
n New York,” John observed.
Ruth’s cell phone rang. She picked it up, said a few words, then promptly grabbed her bag and her car keys. “I just got a call from the school. Vanessa hasn’t picked up the boys yet. She is definitely MIA. Maybe she’s in the city looking for Patrick. It’s funny that she wouldn’t text, though. That is very unlike her.”
John stood up. “I’ll come with you. We can continue talking on the way.”
As soon as they arrived at the school, John’s phone rang. He picked it up, spoke for a couple of minutes, and then was pensive. “That was the drug-testing place. Someone has tampered with my test and they want me to come in for a second test at the end of next week. Something is fishy, Ruth. I am supposed to have the results of my drug and background test ready for our investor and partnership meeting this Friday. Someone is messing with my life!”
Thirty-five minutes later, John and Ruth pulled back into their driveway with the kids in tow. The kids were verbose, pleased to be with both parents after school. Everyone’s mind became relaxed for a minute while they had snacks and juice and their second son shared his highlight of the day. “The firemen came to our school today and we got to sit in their big fire truck!”
“That’s amazing, little Derek,” John remarked, naturally falling into dad mode while lifting his son onto his knee. “What are you supposed to do when there is a fire?”
“Stop, drop, and roll!” both boys sang in unison.
Ruth stood by and watched as John started to wrestle with the boys on the carpet. He was such a good father and it was so great to see him with the boys on a school day. She absentmindedly put her hands to her lower belly. Soon they would be a family of five. It was a beautiful thought, which was dampened by their recent discovery of Jessica’s daughter. Was she John’s? Would it affect the dynamic of the nuclear family that she had worked so hard to build? Maybe not; Lauren was twenty-one. Perhaps she was being oversensitive and melodramatic.
The doorbell rang. It was Vanessa’s best friend, Katrina.
“Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Beard. I am so sorry to bother you, but is Vanessa here? We normally meet at the gym every morning at eleven, and I have not heard from her since eight thirty this morning. I know she is panicking about Patrick. May I come in for a minute?”
“Sure, come on in,” said Ruth, beckoning to her to join her on the couch. “We have no idea where Vanessa is. She was meant to pick up the kids after school today and was a no-show. Do you have any idea where she may have gone?”
Katrina shook her head. “Well … something strange did happen last night. Apparently, Patrick, who normally checks in before he goes to bed, didn’t check in last night. Vanessa thought that perhaps he was tired or that he was suddenly needed at the café where he works. Yet this morning, she still hadn’t heard from him. Vanessa said that this behavior was most unusual—he would check in with her every morning and every night before bed for the last six months.”
“Hmm,” said Ruth. “Perhaps we should check her room.”
Ruth and Katrina headed upstairs. Vanessa’s room was meticulous. The bed was neatly made, and everything was in place. It was almost as though, rather eerily, she had planned to disappear and wanted to leave her room intact for when they came looking for her.
Katrina suddenly paled and sat down on the pink bed, clearly worried. The two of them had developed quite a bond since they had been there. Both were twenty-year-olds from Germany and it was their first time away from home. Working as an au pair that lived with an American family, they would get a chance to learn about the culture and improve their English while taking on a huge responsibility of looking after young children for a year. The life of an au pair could be very challenging, and often close friendships would develop with one or two other au pairs.
“Wait a minute,” Ruth said. “What’s that book on her pillow?”
Katrina picked it up quickly and opened it. “It’s her diary. Maybe she meant us to find it?”
Both Ruth and Katrina gave each other a spooky look. Perhaps Vanessa was not the dippy-in-love innocent that she had painted herself to be.
Katrina flicked open the diary and scanned through the pages quickly. “It is written in German initially. But in the last month, her entries are in both German and English. And her last few entries are in written in English. If Vanessa wanted us to find the diary, then she needs help!”
Chapter 19
In Manhattan, on the eighth floor of a high-rise building on the corner of Forty-sixth Street and Fifth Avenue, the two founding partners of Silicon Alley were privately meeting in an executive conference room. Stanley chewed the back of a pen as he paced back and forth. Larry remained seated at the helm of a large mahogany table, his feet on the table and a cigar in his mouth.
“Aaron is a wild card,” Larry said, before casually exhaling the smoke out of the side of his mouth.
“I told you that I was concerned he would push John too far,” Stanley said, walking back and forth.
“Aaron did what was necessary. John is very straitlaced and difficult to break. We found out what we needed—John is not a pushover and can play dirty. That is an important quality in a partner and a leader.”
“I am impressed. I would never have expected John to retaliate by drugging him … and now apparently Aaron is out of the game,” Stanley reflected. There was a short pause. “Yes. I never had my doubts. John is not only the ideal partner; he is also the perfect person to take over the firm in a couple of years.”
Larry stood up at this point. “You think so? What about his potential daughter? I can see the headlines: As Silicon Alley welcomes new partner, new partner acknowledges abandoned twenty-one-year-old daughter. That story wouldn’t do John any favors among the blue blood of New York.”
“I agree, it’s not great, but that type of thing is not a big deal. People like us have second and third marriages, mistresses, and multiple children. It is expected,” Stanley said.
“Yes, but think of the implications if she really is his daughter,” Larry challenged. “Firstly, it would really test his marriage. Not to mention the girl’s mother! Once she knows how much John is making, she may become a—let’s say, frequent visitor at their house. I am not sure that John can handle the fallout and still be one hundred percent focused at this firm.”
“So what are you saying?”
“I would like to wait. I want to find out if he’s the father first before we officially invite him to become partner, and then I would like to have a frank conversation with him.”
“And the drug test?”
“Oh, that’s no problem. I called in a favor an hour ago and asked for expedited results. He passed, as expected. The test only picks up hard drugs, not sleeping pills. Still, we need some more time to learn about the paternity of his daughter, so I have asked them to call him in for another test. We are stalling at this point.”
“Larry, you and I tend to agree on most things, but I don’t like how this is playing out. John is an open book. I hate to think that we are working behind his back. We have groomed him for the partnership. I like him; I don’t want to lose him.”
“Lose him to who? Another firm? He would have to move to a new state to find another opportunity like this.”
“Larry, you have become too presumptuous in your old age. John is widely respected in the industry. Everyone on the Street expects his partnership. Our clients, our competitors … everyone. If we don’t make him a partner, then it would be our loss. The other investment firms will start clamoring for him.”
Larry put out his cigar. “OK. Let’s continue to think about this today.”
“I would like to feel him out first. Let’s meet with him at half past six this evening.”
“That’s fair,” Larry said slowly.
“What about Aaron? Can he be trusted not to go rat us out to his friend?”
Larry appeared irritated. “Let’s get John in here at six thirty. We will feel him out and we may have to tell him abo
ut our connection to Aaron first. If Aaron gets to him before us, then that could be problematic. Then we risk losing John’s trust forever.”
Chapter 20
Katrina was quiet for a good fifteen minutes as she skimmed through the entries in the diary. John and Ruth sat anxiously on the sofas opposite her. The television was humming in the background while the two boys watched their favorite show, Blue’s Clues. Finally, Katrina took a breath and said, “So, Vanessa started to write key parts of her entries in a different color over the last three months. She was clearly anticipating that one day a third party would read her diary. … I am going to highlight a few for you.” She paused. “Here’s the first one: If I had not been found by Frau and Herr Schroeder that summer of 2014, I would have become a prostitute or a call girl like most of my friends in the orphanage.”
John and Ruth looked at each other in disbelief. “Vanessa never said anything about coming from an orphanage. Did you know that?”
Katrina shook her head sadly and continued translating: “For the first time in my life, I feel loved and part of a real family with the Beards. And this was another phrase that was written in a different color,” Katrina pointed out. “Brooklyn Heights is such a beautiful neighborhood. I cannot believe that I live here. I love walking down Columbia Heights with the boys on their scooters, and then sitting on the Promenade while I wait to pick up the kids from school.
“Here is another phrase, also highlighted: I can see why the Schroeders picked a host family in this neighborhood. Easy access to Patrick, who works at the Tazza café in the area. This makes my mission so much easier.
“I zoomed back to one of her earlier entries, and pulled out this phrase too, also written in German. I’ll translate it: The Beards are such a warm and welcoming family. Is this how life is meant to be? They have a slew of friends over for dinner parties or Ruth has giant playdates for the kids at home. John’s parents come over every couple of weeks. In the three years that I lived with the Schroeders, we never had people over to the house and people didn’t even know them in the community. I was never able to bring my high school friends home, either, and was cautioned not to say anything about my background.
