The Dark Inheritance (The Investigation Duo Book 2) Read online

  Norman placed the letter in a folder. He added the newspaper article, a second sheet of paper, and a photocopy of the will. He slid the file across the desk until it was in front of Donna.

  Paralyzed, she looked helplessly at Jay and then at Norman. “So, I’m not sure I quite understand this. Are you telling me I don’t get my inheritance from my father because of some girl who may or may not be his child? What if I find her and she isn’t his?”

  Norman nodded. “According to the terms of your father’s will, you’ll need a positive DNA test between your sister and your father before I can distribute the funds from his estate to either of you. Though I can’t verify his means, your father was firmly convinced she’s his child.”

  While Donna was shocked, she saw Jay’s hands balled up into fists. Clearly, he was pissed at the turn of events and seemed to be figuring out who he could punch to fix it.

  Donna raked her fingers through her hair and let out a deep breath. “Okay, so my father split his estate between the two of us?”

  Norman pursed his lips. “Not exactly.”

  Was there more? It was like her father had reached out from the grave to give her the middle finger. Donna hung her head and rubbed her temples. Finally, she glanced back up at Norman and nodded that she was ready for him to continue.

  “Your father was very efficient about tidying up his affairs before he died. He dissolved his law firm, paid all his outstanding debt, and sold the house.”

  Donna let out a sarcastic chuckle. So much for ditching the apartment and moving to the house she’d grown up in. The only place where there were any memories, however distant, of her mother. He couldn’t even leave her that. She shook her head and fixed her gaze on the design of the carpet under her chair.

  Jay nudged her. “When we get your money, I’ll build a great house. Better than anything he ever had.”

  Donna gave the attorney a hard stare. “Exactly how much are we talking about?”

  Norman pulled a piece of paper from the folder and slid it across the desk in front of her.

  Jay leaned over and whistled. “That’s a lot of commas.”

  “So, this is my portion—half of his estate?” Donna asked. “My sister gets the same amount?”

  Norman cleared his throat. “That is your portion, but his entire estate was divided into three equal parts.”

  Donna’s eyes widened as she leaped from her chair. “Three?”

  The attorney nodded. “One-third is to go to you, one-third to your sister, and the last third was left to …” With his finger, Norman scrolled through the document and flipped pages until he found what he was looking for. “The other beneficiary is Robert Taylor.”

  Donna’s throat tightened and her eyes welled up. The word came out as a strangled whisper as she placed her hands on the attorney’s desk and leaned over it. “Who?” She swayed woozily on her heels and lowered herself back down to collapse into her chair. “Who the hell is Robert Taylor? Is there also a brother he didn’t mention in that stupid letter?”

  Norman offered Donna a sympathetic shrug as his gaze shifted for a moment to the oversized man ready to explode next to her. It was clear he didn’t know quite what to expect from Jay, whose face had grown crimson with anger. “I don’t know who this person was to your father or why he included him in his will. I wasn’t privy to his reasoning. I can only tell you what’s in the document.” His face softened. “I’m sorry, Donna, very sorry. I know this probably wasn’t what you were expecting.”

  Donna let out a snort. “No, it—” She suddenly had a thought. “What about a life insurance policy? That wouldn’t fall under these silly conditions. Surely my father had life insurance.”

  Norman sat for a moment before responding. “That doesn’t fall under my responsibility. Any payout would be handled directly by the insurance company. It would be up to the beneficiary to contact the life insurance company directly.”

  Donna scowled. “But how would I even know who to—” She faltered when she saw that look flicker across Norman’s face again. It said she was not going to like the answer he had. “Let me guess. I’m not the beneficiary of his life insurance, am I?”

  Norman hesitated, then shook his head slightly. “I’m not at liberty to discuss anything your father may have told me.”

  Jay spoke through clenched teeth. “Just give us the name of the insurance company. We’ll call them ourselves and find out the truth.”

  Norman flinched and sat back in his chair, almost as if he was afraid Jay might come over the desk. “I don’t have that information. I can tell you that the beneficiary is not something they’ll share, and it’s not part of any public record like the will is.”

  Jay elbowed Donna. “Don’t worry. His will is bullshit. You can just contest it.”

  Norman’s gaze traveled from Jay to Donna as he shook his head. He pulled out his copy of the will and started flipping through the pages. “If you refer to Article VII, you will see your father has included a no-contest clause. If you contest the validity in any way, all benefits will be revoked as if you had failed to survive him.”

  Donna’s shoulders sagged. Her father had screwed her even in the end. “So, what’s my next step?”

  “Let me explain the provisions left by your father.” Norman took a sip of coffee from the cup on his desk as if he was buying time. “You have one year to find your half-sister. The relationship must be proven by DNA. If she’s unable to take the test, we can also use an original birth certificate so long as it lists your father. Once you have that, I can disburse your portion to you.”

  “And what happens if I don’t find her?”

  Norman hesitated as if he knew his words would not be received well. “If you do not find her within the one-year timeframe, your money will then be placed in a trust to be released to you upon your retirement at the age of sixty-five.”

  Donna’s eyes widened in horror. She smashed her fist on the desk. “Sixty-five?” she shouted. “Are you kidding me?” Nausea overwhelmed her.

  “I’m afraid I’m not.”

  Donna clutched her stomach. “And what about my half-sister’s portion?”

  “Your sister’s money will be donated to The American Cancer Society, as will yours if you don’t survive to the age when the trust terminates.”

  Now, all of a sudden, her father felt charitable. He admitted he hadn’t been a good father. Was this how he asked for Donna’s forgiveness? Hadn’t he always told her that nothing could be appreciated unless you were willing to work for it?

  Donna glared at the attorney. “I have no intention of waiting until I’m sixty-five. I’ll just need to find her as soon as possible, that’s all there is to it. She should give me a portion of her money just for putting in the effort to find her.”

  “No kidding,” Jay muttered.

  Norman’s gaze bounced to Jay and then settled back on Donna. “Within the year, if you find your sister has predeceased your father or she passes away before she can collect, her portion will be divided between you and the other beneficiary, Mr. Taylor.”

  Donna pounded on the desk again, winced, and then rubbed the heel of her hand as it throbbed. “What? So, I have to do all the work, and he just sits back and does nothing but collect money? This is unbelievable. And if she’s dead, am I supposed to have her dug up? What the hell was my father thinking?”

  Norman seemed unsure how to respond, almost as if he agreed with Donna. He removed his reading glasses and laid them on the desk. “I know this is a lot to absorb. You’ve lost your father and gained the knowledge of a sister in a short amount of time. I’m sure your father had his reasons for what he did.”

  “He needed to atone,” Donna muttered. “He was afraid he’d end up in Hell.”

  Norman ignored her comment and gestured at the folder. “He included the information about his DNA kit and sample and has also included an article about a detective agency that may be able to help you. They were written up in the newspaper about using DNA to find family members. They’ve started an agency to help others solve family mysteries, so maybe they can help you.”

  Donna didn’t have money to pay a detective agency. She also didn’t have a choice. She stared down at her expensive shoes, furious her dad made her look like a fool once again. Now she regretted not just tucking in the tags so she could at least return the dress.

  “Not sure how I’m supposed to pay this agency to find my sister so I can actually get what I deserve. It seems ridiculous that I have to find someone who didn’t even know my daddy existed, and then I have to dump half his money on her—wait, I’m sorry, a third of his money. I’m the one who put up with his shit all these years.” Donna’s voice cracked. “I’m the one who was ignored while his secretary celebrated my birthday. The only reason I had anyone to celebrate the holidays with was because she invited me to her house. It’s not fair.”

  “I understand,” Norman said. “I wish I could do more, but I’m bound to simply administer his wishes. I can’t change anything about how it’s written. None of us can.” He picked up the file from the desk to hand to Donna. “A copy of the will is in the folder as well. All the details about the stipulations around the other beneficiaries are very carefully detailed.”

  Donna snatched the file from his hand and stood. “I guess when I find this mystery sister of mine, we’ll be back.”

  Norman held up his hand. “One more thing. Several boxes have your father’s effects. I can have them sent to your apartment in the next day or so.”

  Donna snorted. “At least he left me boxes of his crap to throw away. How generous of him.”

  “Maybe if you go through them, you’ll start to understand him a little better. It might help you grieve and forgive.”

  Donna
fixed an icy gaze on the attorney. “There’s nothing to grieve. The father I loved died a long time ago, and nothing he’s done since would allow me to forgive him.” She turned to Jay. “Let’s go. I need some air.”

  Donna’s heels clicked as she raced out across the polished marble. She couldn’t escape that oppressive office fast enough. Anger burned her insides.

  God, she hated her father. And now she had a new half-sister to hate, too.

  Chapter Three

  There was a tentative knock, then their office door creaked as it was pushed open. A woman with a mop of red curls peered around the door and inquisitively glanced inside. “Are you open?”

  Jules and Becky both raced toward the door.

  “Yes, yes,” Becky said. “We’re open. Come on in.” She didn’t want to tell this woman she was their first official visitor.

  The woman’s gaze fixed on the empty receptionist desk and then swept around the sparsely decorated office. A frown crossed her face as if she wasn’t sure she was in the right place.

  Becky tried to reassure her. “We just secured this space, so we’re still getting situated.” She gestured toward an open door. “Why don’t you come into our office so we can find out how we can help you.” Becky aimed a celebratory smile at Jules. They had a potential new client.

  The women had been best friends since they were little girls. When Jules decided she wanted to slow down her photography business and open the agency, Becky didn’t think twice.

  The boutique she had owned with her business partner, Tonya, had been her happy place. And then it wasn’t. Even though she knew none of it was Tonya’s fault, it could never be the same. Becky sold her share to one of the employees who was thrilled to get it and went to work with Jules.

  Every part of Becky had expected she’d be getting ready to have a baby. She’d desperately needed something to distract her and take her mind off the reality that the pregnancy hadn’t happened.

  Jules directed the woman to the chair in front of her desk, and Becky rolled her chair over.

  Jules made introductions. “So, my name is Jules.” She gestured at the chair next to her. “And this is my partner, Becky. Your name?”

  The woman shifted in her seat. “I’m Donna. Donna Thomas.”

  “Hi, Donna. So, what brings you in today?”

  The woman let out a huge sigh, and Becky noticed her eyes glaze over. “I’m not sure where to even start. Apparently, I have a sister I didn’t know about. Well, a half-sister.”

  Becky raised her eyebrows and shot Jules a knowing look.

  “Did you find her through DNA testing?” Becky asked. “It’s not as uncommon as you might think to find something unexpected like that in your results.”

  Donna shook her head. “My father died. He told me in a letter and stipulated in his will that I can’t get my inheritance until I find her.” She gritted her teeth. “She’s also due a nice chunk of change thanks to his guilty conscience.”

  “Well, that’s a new twist I’ve never heard of,” Jules said.

  Donna slid a folder out of her bag and placed it on the desk. “This is everything he left me. Apparently, my father also did a DNA test.”

  Jules pulled the contents from the folder and placed them on the desk in front of them.

  “Hey.” A glimmer of recognition crossed Becky’s face. “That’s the news article about our agency.” What happened to Becky was big news in their town. The local media had all covered it.

  They weren’t licensed investigators just yet, but Jonas—Jules’s half-brother was a cop—had pulled a few strings and backed them so they could get the doors opened. Technically, they were training under him, but he was mostly a silent partner. Besides, they specialized in DNA reunions, and it wasn’t like they carried guns.

  “It was my father’s suggestion to see if you could help me. Apparently, he saw the article and saved it. I glanced through it. That was quite a story.” Donna’s eyes met Becky’s. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

  Becky dipped her head in acknowledgment. “Thank you. It taught me a lot about the power of DNA.” She gestured at Jules. “My partner was adopted and used DNA to find her birth mother.”

  “And a half-brother who’s fabulous. We wanted to be able to help others. It’s what inspired us to open the agency.” Jules pulled the letter out of the folder. “Are you okay if we read this?”

  Donna shrugged. “Sure. I don’t have anything to hide. My father was an asshole as you’ll soon see for yourself.”

  Jules laid it on the desk between her and Becky. Donna sat silently as their eyes traveled down the page.

  “I can see why you’d be upset,” Becky said when she finished reading and glanced up.

  Donna answered with a dismissive wave. “She gets the money without ever having to know what a bastard her father was. She dodged a bullet as far as I’m concerned.”

  Jules scanned the rest of the contents in the folder. “From what I can see, your father left his DNA sample with a local company. That can be used to legally confirm paternity, but you’ll need a sample from your half-sister. He also left his account information and password for a DNA test he took with one of the companies that utilize autosomal testing.”

  “Autosomal?” Donna asked.

  Becky answered. “DNA is passed down from generation to generation. An autosomal DNA test looks at the segments of your chromosomes which contain DNA that’s shared with everyone you’re related to. The test provides matches with your genetic relatives and tells you how many centimorgans of DNA you share. Based on that cM number, we can come close to figuring out how you might be related.”

  Donna let out a breath. “So, you could use this test to find my half-sister?”

  Jules leaned back in her chair. “Those tests are a great resource for finding unknown family members. However, here’s the problem with your situation. The only way to use DNA to find your half-sister is if she tested or a descendent of hers tested. Otherwise, you both share all the same matches to your father’s side of the family.”

  “And since we want to look everywhere possible for that match, we need to consider all the sites where your half-sister might have tested,” Becky added. “Your dad tested at only one of the possible sites. We’d need you to take a few tests, too. Don’t worry. Your half-sister will match you just as easily as she matches your father. Less DNA, of course.”

  Becky pulled a few boxes from her desk drawer and placed them in front of Donna. “They’re simple. Just a little saliva and we send it in.”

  “But it sounds like I’m looking for a needle in a haystack.” An aggravated moan escaped Donna’s lips. “My father had to know this wouldn’t be easy. He didn’t even leave me any information I can use in that letter.”

  A smile crept across Jules’s face. “That’s not necessarily true.” She glanced over at Becky. “Will you take some notes on the whiteboard?”

  Jules picked up the letter as Becky got a marker and stood poised to write. “Your father actually told us more than you might think. We know the woman he met is named Molly. We know she has a brother who has a child named Bella. Maybe her given name is Isabella or Annabella.”

  Donna’s brow wrinkled as Becky wrote on the board. “What would you be able to do with that?”

  “It’s a piece of the puzzle,” Jules said. “From this, we also know she got pregnant in the winter in New York. It’s a big snowstorm. But we also know it was after Christmas since Molly said she hadn’t seen her niece for the holidays. So, now we have that night at the airport narrowed down to January through March unless we can find an unusually late winter storm in April of that year. Figure nine months or so from then is your sister’s birthday.” Jules paused. “I’m very sorry about your mother. How old were you when she died?”

  “I was almost four.” A flicker of pain crossed Donna’s face. “She was pregnant. There were complications during childbirth. Both she and the baby died.”

  “Oh, I’m so sorry.” Jules waited to see if Donna would say more. “Do you need a minute?”

  “No, I’m okay.” Donna wiped at the wetness that had formed under her eyes. “It was so long ago, but it still hurts. I basically lost my whole family when it happened.”

  “I can’t even imagine,” Jules said. “Well, your father thought you were about five when your half-sister was born. And he says when he met Molly it had been over a year since your mother had died, so that lines up. When were you born?”