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  “Read the date,” Charles responded.

  “August 1, 1990. This guy’s twenty-five now. Are you saying this is the guy that’s been impersonating the grandson?”

  “It’s my best guess at this point, and he may even be the killer -- assuming Earl Hawkins was actually murdered.”

  “And just who is this guy?” Looking back at the document he read aloud, “Mother Rita Hawkins, father Earl Hawkins.” The puzzled look left his face as he looked up. “So old Earl had another son?”

  “You got it. It’s my guess that this guy showed up here and found out about the potential estate his father was leaving to his grandson, Travis. He must have killed Hawkins and pretended to be his grandson Travis so he could slip away with the money, and we’d be looking for Travis, not him. He must not have known Travis was dead.”

  “Killed his own dad? That sounds pretty farfetched to me.” The lieutenant looked back at the document. “How did you find out there was another son? And by the way, I thought I took you off this case.”

  “Bartlett came up with the information and I felt I should follow up.”

  “Bartlett? He’s still working for you?”

  “Yeah, Matt. I needed him.”

  “And you’re paying him yourself?”

  “Yep. It’s still cheaper than travelling to West Virginia.”

  Matt shook his head and sighed in exasperation. “I guess you’re going to do what you’re going to do. Fix up an invoice and I’ll try to get you reimbursed.”

  “Thanks Matt.”

  Matt continued to stare at the birth certificate and appeared to be deep in thought. “Tell me, Charlie, those divorce papers you and Sarah found back in the cabin -- What did they say about the kid?”

  “Nothing. The papers were dated 2011. The kid was twenty-one by then.”

  “How about an address on the mother. She’d know where the kid ended up.”

  “Dead end. It was a dilapidated apartment building that was condemned in 2013. No records on tenants.”

  “Hmm. So we have nothing.”

  “We might have his DNA,” Charles responded. “The medical examiner is looking at that but it won’t be much help unless he’s in the system.”

  “It’ll proves he was in the house and Kirkland can identify him as the guy that ripped him off. We could get him on fraud, but we’d be hard pressed to get him on murder unless we get a confession.”

  “That’s all true if we find him,” Charles responded and then added with a raised eyebrow, “If we’re even looking, that is.”

  Stokely sighed again and with resignation said, “Go ahead and look, detective. I’ll submit the paperwork.”

  Chapter 28

  “Charlie, it’s Charlotte Johansson. I have some information I think you’ll find very interesting. Give me a call.”

  Charles had just returned from his meeting with Matt Stokely. He was eager to sit down with Sarah and discuss what he had learned but the message left by the medical examiner was intriguing. He dialed the number she had left.

  “Charlotte, it’s Charles Parker.”

  “Charlie, glad you called. I have the DNA results for you.”

  “And?” he responded hoping she had a name for him.

  “He’s not in the system, but there’s something interesting about it.”

  “I could use something interesting about now. What is it?”

  “The sample you gave me shares a DNA profile with that old man you were asking about earlier, Earl Hawkins.”

  “Shares a DNA profile? What does that mean?”

  “They’re related and I’d say they’re immediate family, perhaps father and son.”

  “Excellent! That’s just what I wanted to know. Thank you, Charlotte.”

  “Anytime, Charlie. Sorry it took so long.”

  “You got it here at exactly the right time. Before today, I wouldn’t have known what to do with this information. But now I do. Thanks again,” and he hung up the phone with a satisfied smile. “I got you, young man. Now I just have to find you.”

  * * *

  “So you think this younger son is the man who was pretending to be Travis Hawkins?”

  “I’m sure of it.”

  Sarah removed three slices of bacon from the grill, blotted away the excess grease with a paper towel, and arranged them carefully on a slice of toast. She then added a thick slice of tomato, two large lettuce leaves, and a second slice of toast, which had been lightly spread with something that looked like mayonnaise, but that Charles had learned was another imposter. She placed the sandwich on a small plate that she then placed in front of Charles as she removed his soup bowl.

  “A BLT?” he responded with astonishment “You’re giving me bacon?”

  “Turkey bacon, Charles, and I think you’ll like it.”

  He took a cautious bite and raised his left eyebrow. “Not bad…”

  “Just ‘not bad’?”

  “Okay. Actually, it’s pretty good.” He had promised himself he would stop complaining about his diet, but he occasionally became a bit cranky when he didn’t get the fatty, calorie-laden foods he loved. He knew she had changed his diet for his own good and appreciated the effort it took for her to help guide him to a healthier life style. Still, he missed the juicy burgers and delicious desserts he knew she was capable of preparing. He hoped that when his numbers were looking better they could enjoy the occasional exception.

  She brought her own sandwich to the table and joined him. “So,” she began. “Have you found the young Christopher Hawkins yet?”

  “No, but I’ve located the mother and hopefully she will lead us directly to the son. I’m waiting for the go ahead from Matt before I contact her.”

  “If this Christopher is Earl Hawkins’ son, wouldn’t he be entitled to the inheritance? Why would he have to try to trick Kirkland by pretending to sell the property to him?”

  “He would have been entitled to it if there hadn’t been a will – but there was and as you remember Hawkins left everything to his grandson, Travis.”

  “I see…but Travis is dead.”

  “Obviously Christopher didn’t know that. He would probably have been next in line for the inheritance if he’d just waited.”

  “I’d like to go with you,” Sarah said trying to keep a lid on her excitement about possibly having the opportunity to be involved in the investigation. She always found it exciting, but Charles often held her back, not wanting to place her in harm’s way.

  “That might not be a bad idea,” he responded, much to her surprise. “You being there just might put the woman more at ease. I can’t help but act like a cop when I’m asking questions.”

  Charles had finished his sandwich and was looking around for something, but he wasn’t sure what. Dessert, he suddenly realized but didn’t say.

  “How about a bit of dessert,” his wife said knowing him well enough to know exactly what was on his mind.

  “You mean…?” he asked skeptically

  Sarah smiled and opened the oven, removing a baking dish with two steaming baked apples.

  “I thought I’d been smelling apple pie, but I figured it was just wishful thinking.” He dug into the baked apple actually forgetting it was the new healthy version. “This is delicious,” he announced with gusto. Sarah smiled to herself.

  “The house is in the next block,” Sarah said returning the GPS to the glove box and locking it. It had snowed the previous night leaving a covering of no more than two inches, just enough to cause problems on the road. “That’s it right up there on the left.”

  As they approached the house, they spotted a young man shoveling snow from the sidewalk leading up to the house. His back was to them and he was bundled up in a heavy jacket and cap. Charles pulled up to curb just as the man turned.

  “Good Lord,” Sarah gasped. “It’s him. It’s the man pretending to be Travis.” She moved closer to Charles. “We should leave,” she added nervously. “He could be dangerous.”


  “I’m not authorized to arrest him but I’ll call for backup. You wait here while I…”

  The young man was walking toward the car. “Can I help you folks?” he asked with a warm smile as he pulled off his stocking cap and shook his hair into place.

  “That’s not him,” Sarah muttered with a sigh of relief. “It looked like him from a distance, but it’s not him.”

  Charles hit the button and lowered the window on Sarah’s side. “Excuse me,” he called out. “Is this the Hawkins house?”

  “Sure is. I’m Christopher Hawkins. Did you want to see me or my Mother?”

  “We’d like to see your mother if she’s available,” he said trying not to reveal his bewilderment. “You’re her son, right?” he asked as he got out of the car and approached the young man.

  “Yes sir,” he responded. “And you are…?”

  Charles pulled out his department identification and introduced himself. “And this is my wife Sarah Parker.”

  “How do you do, Mrs. Parker,” the young man responded, as he opened the passenger door and offered her a hand getting out. “Come on in. I’ll let Mom know you’re here.”

  Once Christopher introduced them to his mother, he turned to go back outside. “Call me if you need me, mom.”

  “Have a seat,” she said to Charles and Sarah. “May I offer you anything, coffee perhaps?”

  “No thank you,” Sarah responded. She then looked toward her husband encouraging him to take charge of the visit. He still looked perplexed.

  “Mrs. Hawkins, I’m working with the local police department helping out with investigations and background checks. I have just a few questions for you.”

  “Please call me Rita. I haven’t been Mrs. Hawkins for many years. Is this about Earl’s death?”

  “Actually,” Charles began but wasn’t sure where he was going from there. He came to the house hoping to locate her son Christopher, but he had just met Christopher and he wasn’t the man Charles was expecting him to be. “Actually,” he began again, “I was hoping to ask you a few questions about your ex-husband. I understand he died of a massive heart attack…”

  Sarah had to struggle to hide her amusement as she watched Charles attempting to deal with the very awkward situation. He clearly had no idea how to explain their visit since her son, Christopher, was clearly not the person they thought it would be. Pulling herself together, she decided to help him out. “Rita, I know you’re wondering why we’re here. A dear friend of mine is the one who found your ex-husband and called the police. She called us as well and we were all there at the cabin. It was an upsetting experience for us and we just wanted to touch base with the family and make sure everyone is okay.” She smiled sweetly and could see Charles out of the side of her eye as he expelled a deep breath of relief.

  “Yes,” he added as he relaxed and smiled his appreciation to his wife. “Have the police talked with you folks?”

  “They were here,” Rita offered, “but I haven’t seen Earl for nearly twenty years and Christopher has never seen him.”

  “Oh?” Charles responded as his curiosity took over. “How is that?”

  Rita Hawkins stood up and said, “If we’re going to be talking about Earl, we need to move into the kitchen table and have coffee and a slice of chocolate pie. It’s the only way I can stand to talk about the man.”

  Once they were settled at the kitchen table, Rita began talking about their move from West Virginia back in 1990. “I was pregnant with Christopher and excited about moving closer to my family. I was born here, you know. Well, I guess you don’t know that, but this was my home and Earl seemed willing to move here. We bought that little cabin and things seemed fine for a while. Christopher was born that August and, I guess for the first year, I thought everything was okay.

  “But it wasn’t?” Sarah asked.

  “I should have noticed it sooner, but during that year it seemed like Earl became more and more distant. I’d ask him about it and he’d act like it was my imagination. Finally my sister told me she’d seen him in a bar with this woman and they seemed really close. She told me it looked like much more than a fling. I asked him and he didn’t bother to deny it. He told me he didn’t love me anymore and he wanted to marry this woman.

  “Oh Rita,” Sarah responded reaching for her hand. “That must have been hard with a new baby…”

  “It wasn’t as hard as you might think. I was so angry I packed up my stuff and my baby and I went to live with my sister. I refused to see the man, not that he tried all that hard. What really bothered me was that he wasn’t interested in the baby at all. He never sent a penny of support.”

  “How thoughtless,” Sarah responded with a deep frown.

  “My sister was great about it and the three of us have had a good life. Maude never married and she helped me with Christopher. Once I got a job we did okay. I’m sorry Christopher had to grow up without a father, but he’s turned out just fine and he never even asks about his father.”

  “He seems like a fine young man,” Charles interjected. “Very polite and personable.”

  “You’ve done a good job,” Sarah added.

  They chatted about lighter things for the next ten minutes or so until Charles stood and said they should be leaving. They shook hands and as they were leaving, Rita laughed and said, “By the way, I got the last word. I made that man wait nearly twenty years for his divorce. He and his Geraldine couldn’t get married and she ultimately ran off with somebody else.” She tossed her head back and laughed with pleasure. “I sure got him.”

  They waved to Christopher as they got into their car. Charles pulled away from the curb but appeared hesitant.

  “You seem to be deep in thought. What’s going on?” Sarah asked.

  “Just thinking, my dear. Just mulling something over.” Geraldine. Geraldine. I’ve seen that name recently...but where?

  He slammed on the brake and looked at Sarah with excitement. “Geraldine Nichols,” he practically shouted. “Geraldine Nichols and Earl Hawkins -- mother and father of Patrick Henry Nichols. I saw the birth certificate!”

  “What has gotten into you?” Sarah asked, looking apprehensive.

  “There’s another son…” he responded with an exuberant grin.

  Chapter 30

  “Where did you find him?” Lt. Stokely asked. He and Charles were waiting in his office while the man was being set up in an interview room.

  “Nothing to it. I just looked him up in the phone book: Patrick Henry Nichols. He had made no attempt to hide and even when we picked him up, I’d say he seemed relieved.

  “That’s a strange reaction,” Matt responded. “Did he say anything?”

  “I told him to wait until he got here so everything was done in an official manner. I didn’t want to do anything that might muddy the case.”

  “Good thinking.”

  Charles ran through everything that led him to Mr. Nichols, including the dead ends. Lt. Stokely made notes for the record as Charles talked. “I’ll need your official report on all this, you know.”

  “I know, Matt. I know. I’ll get that to you tomorrow. What’s happening with the guy now?”

  “I have Garcia in there questioning him. He’s a young guy and I thought he might be able to relate better than us old codgers.” He picked up two mugs and filled them from the half-full pot that sat on the side table. Charles imagined that it poured more like syrup than coffee. He took a sip as he left the office and made every effort to control the look on his face.

  “Pretty bad, huh?”

  They walked up the hall and turned into the room just before the interview room and Matt pulled two chairs up to the back of the one-way mirror. He switched on the speaker.

  “So the guy was dead when you got there?”

  “That’s what I said. He was laying on the floor.”

  “What did you do?”

  “I left.”

  Garcia sat without speaking and looked at the suspect. Finally he spoke.
“Earlier you mentioned a will that left everything to a grandson. How did you happen to see that?”

  “I…” he said and then fell quiet.

  Finally, Garcia shook his head and stood. “Ok, Patrick. I suggest we start over from the beginning. You’ve mentioned the will and once you began a sentence with, “He told me…” and now you’re saying he was dead when you got there and that you turned around and left and yet somewhere along the way you saw the will. Come on, man. I want to help you, but I can’t with you jerking me around like this. You’re clearly making this up as you go. I guess I don’t understand why you didn’t have your story together when we picked you up.”

  “I knew I hadn’t done anything wrong…well, wait, I mean I knew I didn’t kill him. I did do something wrong.”

  “And what was that?”

  “I took some money from that guy that wanted to buy the house. It wasn’t mine to sell…but it should have been. I guess that was wrong, but I didn’t kill the man. He was my father.”

  “So what did you mean when you started to say, ‘He said?’”

  Patrick dropped his head. Finally he spoke saying, “That wasn’t the first time I was there.”

  The two men sat quietly for a few minutes until Garcia said, “okay, let’s you and me start over from the beginning. Would you like coffee?”

  “No thanks.”

  “Do you mind if I record this time through?”

  “I don’t mind.”

  “Do you want a lawyer present?” He had already read the man his rights and he had refused a lawyer.

  “No.”

  Garcia turned on the recorder. “Okay, start from the beginning.”

  “Which beginning?”

  “How about the first time you saw Earl Hawkins.”

  “I didn’t know he was my father. He used to come around when I was a kid but I didn’t know until a few months ago when I saw my birth certificate.”

  “You found your birth certificate?”

  “I got it from the county clerk’s office. I needed it for the school. I’m going back to school…at least I was before all this,” he added dropping his head.