California Dreaming

Chapter 5

Laying stiffly beneath the covers, Rick fingers the Egyptian cotton sheets on the luxury-grade bed. "I like the linens we use at home better."

Kate presses against his side. "I don't think it's the sheets that are bothering you. In one night, you've found out you might have a brother, and if you did, that Jack's affair with Martha wasn't a one-time thing."

"So much for the thunderbolt," Rick declares.

Kate presses a kiss to Rick's bare skin. "Lightning has been known to strike twice. According to your father, he was out of the country for a year before he found out about you. I can't even imagine what a job like his does to a man. He could have been seeking comfort."

"If he needed comfort, he should have found it with my mother," Rick argues.

"Maybe he couldn't. Or maybe he didn't want to endanger you. You and John realized that your mothers have things in common. Maybe Jack went for second best."

Rick sighs. "I doubt John would want to hear it put that way."

"And in any case," Kate adds, "the whole story is just conjecture. Your resemblance to John could be a total coincidence. You won't know without D.N.A. results. And given Henry's history, you could check for genetic diseases as well. I know we both did when I was pregnant with Lily, but from what Osnitz has said, new markers get added to profiles all the time."

"Alexis said the same thing when she and Dana had it done. When they decide to have children, they'll probably have to recheck."

"So you might as well let it go for now. And we did talk about putting the tub to use for something other than washing churro dust off our daughter."

The corners of Rick's mouth twitch. "Yes, we did."

Kate runs her fingertips down his body. "And playing in the water could clear your mind."

"Or blow it completely." Rick kicks off the bedclothes. "Let's see if we can find the perfect temperature."

"Don't worry," Kate counsels, following him to the oversized tub. "We can heat it up."

As he scans through the video feed, Jack considers how insanely easy it was to use agency tools to hack into the security cameras at Richard's hotel. Not that there's much to see. He's not interested in celebrity sightings, and the shade on Lily's stroller almost entirely obscures his view of his granddaughter. He's nearly given up when something sparks his attention. He sees a man who, at first glance, looks like Richard, but the woman on his arm definitely isn't Kate.

Studying the images reveals the differences between the unidentified stranger and Jack's son, the most obvious being hair length. But the mystery man has musculature not achieved spending days in front of a laptop, even with trips to the gym. The planes of his face are sharper as well. And Jack figures the subject of his attention might also be a bit younger than Richard, perhaps about a year.

Oh, God! After he returned to the states and found out about Richard, he was at a base in Pennsylvania. He met a woman in a nearby town who reminded him of Martha. They had a good, if brief, time together. When she realized he wasn't about to shower her with riches, she moved on to a more promising target. He never thought about her again– until now. But a man sired in Pennsylvania wouldn't be in L.A., would he? The probability of the scenario Jack's imagining is almost nil. But he's been in less likely situations. He's trying to keep an eye on the family he knows he has. He could add a new target to the mix.

A cherry-scented Kate stretches catlike next to Rick as sunlight creeps around the drapes covering the windows of their suite. Eyes barely open, he shifts toward her. "Did you sleep much?" she asks.

"I had weird dreams, so I must have been sleeping. I kept seeing Jack dumping a baby on our doorstep and yelling, 'Surprise!'"

Kate smooths a stray lock of hair back from his forehead. "Not that surprising under the circumstances."

"I guess not," Rick agrees. "I checked. The lab John and I agreed to use opens at eight a.m. I thought I'd go over there and get swabbed. Then you and Lily and I can make the trip to San Diego. The wilds of the safari park should keep my mind off the mystery. And Lily will be ecstatic. John said he's going to try to go by the lab on his lunch break. I'll be paying whatever upcharge it takes for rush service. And I'll have at least two more meetings at Q-line. So we should know the truth before we head back to New York."

"And then what?" Kate wonders.

"I guess that will depend on what the lab turns up. If John and I are brothers, he'll be part of our family. And Henry too, since he'd be my nephew. If not, then meeting John will just be a bizarre addendum to our California adventure."

"Do you want him to be your brother?" Kate queries.

"Honestly, I don't know. As much as Mother was on the road while I was growing up, I would have liked to have a brother for company. But at the same time, I'm not sure I would have wanted to share my mother when she was around. I'm not sure what it would mean to have an adult sibling, either. And with John being a cop, I'd be worried about both of you being in the line of fire."

"You deal with my job by writing about it," Kate suggests. "You could do the same with John."

Rick strokes his stubble-roughened jaw. "I suppose I could. From what he told us, maybe I could call his story 'Second Act.' Nah! That was a Neil Simon play. Mother was in a road company. Maybe 'The Rookie,' although once he'd be past training, that would have to be a metaphor. If this crazy situation gets that far, I'll think about it. In the meantime, we can watch our daughter enjoy the elephants."

"I kind of like elephants myself," Kate reminds him.

"And I enjoy your appreciation of long appendages. But if I'm going to make it to the lab when it opens, I have to get going. Perhaps we can pursue this discussion later."

"I'll be looking forward to it."

"Officer Nolan, are you with us?" Sergeant Grey inquires.

"Yes, Sir. You assigned me to patrol with Harper."

"Glad you caught that. We suspect that La Fiera is acquiring some of the abandoned properties in the Fashion District. The two of you will be on the alert for any signs of drug production."

"Yes, Sir."

"Yes, Sir," Harper echoes.

John does a quick calculation in his head of the distance between the Fashion District and the lab he and Rick chose. With luck, he should be able to make it. And hopefully, Harper will spot him a favor. After he helped her put together the new bookcase for Lila's room – in which none of the parts actually lined up – she owes him one. And he has a new gadget to share.

"What is that?" Harper asks when John holds up a small device as they settle into their shop.

"Chemical sniffer. My friend Ben gave it to me. It's a prototype. These were originally developed to sniff out land mines that are still injuring children in Southeast Asia. But Ben's lab squad figured that with a little tinkering, they could also detect components of drug production, specifically ANPP and NPP. From what I could understand, they have structural similarities to some explosives."

"ANPP and NPP are used to make fentanyl," Harper realizes. "If that thing works, it could be a big help."

John closes the shop's hatch. "I guess we'll find out."