You don't belong on these grounds, Emma, my brother Julian said, stepping into the warm glow of the country club entryway and motioning for security to block me. "A disgraced felon ruins the fami...
Director Danforth’s hand, holding the ornate silver letter opener, hovered over the state seal. The silence in the office was absolute, broken only by the distant strains of the string quartet from the grand hall.
With a deep breath, he pressed the opener to the crisp paper and sliced through the seal. A faint tearing sound echoed in the room. He carefully extracted the contents: a multi-page report, neatly bound.
His eyes scanned the top page, then widened. He cleared his throat, adjusting his spectacles.
“This is a certified laboratory result,” Danforth began, his voice tight with apprehension. “From the State Bureau of Genetic Forensics.”
He continued reading, his voice gaining a shaky urgency. “Forensic panel findings, related to the Hollingsworth v. State probation matter, case number 20XX-0432…”
His gaze locked on the first key finding. “Touch-DNA swabbed from the driver’s side airbag of the 1978 Mercedes sedan, involved in the incident of two years ago… it matches Julian Hollingsworth.”
A sharp, audible gasp escaped Julian. His face went white, draining of all color. He staggered back a step, bumping into the large oak credenza behind him. His eyes, fixed on Danforth, were wide with disbelief and terror.
Arthur, standing beside Julian, gripped his son’s arm, his own face contorted in confusion. “What? That’s impossible! Emma was driving! She admitted it!”
Danforth ignored him, his eyes glued to the next line of the report. His voice dropped to a stunned whisper.
“And a family lineage comparison… conducted between Julian Hollingsworth and Arthur Hollingsworth…”
The tension in the room coiled, tightening with each word.
“The report states,” Danforth continued, looking up, his eyes meeting Arthur’s, then Julian’s, then finally, Leland Croft’s, “Julian Hollingsworth shares zero biological DNA with Arthur Hollingsworth.”
A stunned silence followed, so profound that the crackling of the fire in the grate suddenly seemed deafening.
Arthur Hollingsworth stared, utterly aghast, at the document in Danforth’s hand. His grip on Julian’s arm loosened, then fell away as if Julian had suddenly turned to ash.
“No,” Arthur whispered, a choked sound. “No, that’s… that’s a lie.”
But Danforth wasn’t finished. His eyes, still wide with shock, flicked to the final line.
“Further, the paternal markers identified in Julian Hollingsworth are a direct match to… Leland Croft.”
All eyes snapped to Leland Croft. The notary public, who had been leaning against the office wall, slid down the paneling, his legs giving out. He looked like a ghost, his skin clammy, his mouth agape.
Julian stared at Croft, then at Arthur, then back at Croft, a horrifying realization dawning in his eyes. The man he had paid, the man he had bullied into lying, was his biological father. The world tilted.
More Stories
+ There are no comments
Add yours