He had a lot to accomplish and only an afternoon to get it done. It had taken quite a bit of convincing to get Kendall to go to the casino, but he knew that he could cover more ground working his hunch alone. He was going to get to the bottom of Ethan's true parentage and use that information to break both his father's will and Ethan's. Then he'd be able to take care of them all – Bianca, Miranda… and Kendall.
After Kendall was safely on her way to the casino, he called Edie and asked her to make sure that his wife ate and to watch out for any signs of a headache. He felt tremendously guilty for the stress he was causing her, but respected her enough to know better than to hover or order her to take it easy. It was just as important to Kendall to fix this mess with Ethan as it was to him, and he would not insult her by refusing her help or support. But she had friends and family, and he felt no shame at all in asking their assistance in lightening Kendall's load. Next he called Bianca and asked her to consider visiting Kendall at the casino to give her a welcome dose of some Miranda-love… if there was ever a cure for stress, that little girl had to be it.
Once he had done all he could to make Kendall's life easier for the afternoon, he concentrated on his own agenda. He had told Kendall that he would be going through the boxes of Ethan's belongings that were stored in her condo, and he was planning to do exactly that – but only after making a phone call and a couple of very important visits. His first phone call was to the private investigation firm that was searching for Hannah Nichols… he asked for all the raw data they had collected, not just the information that had made it into the summary reports. There might be information that hadn't pertained directly to the search for Hannah that could lead to the truth about Ethan. His second order was for them to do a detailed investigation of the Ramseys and to provide all information no matter how inconsequential it might seem. Finally, he left for the first of two very important visits… neither of which could be conducted by telephone.
When Zach arrived at the Pine Valley Police Station, he approached an officer he recognized from a prior visit and stopped him to ask, "Is Chief Frye available? Tell him that Zach Slater is here."
Before the officer could answer, Derek stepped out of his office and said, "Hey, Zach… I'm afraid I don't have anything new on Ethan's case. You should have called and saved yourself a trip."
"Can we visit for a few minutes?" Zach asked the other man. "Some things have come up that you should be aware of."
"Sure… I think I can spare a few minutes," Derek said before leading Zach into his office. "Do you want some coffee?"
"No thanks, I'm fine," Zach answered.
"Then what can I do for you, Zach?" Derek answered after seating himself behind his desk and pulling forward a file from a stack on the corner of his desk.
"There's been some new developments that may affect the investigation into Ethan's death… and I need a favor," Zach answered quietly.
"Okay… let's start with the developments and then we'll talk favors," Derek answered.
Zach leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers together as he said thoughtfully, "Well… for starters… Ethan's will was read this morning. He's leaving his estate to Miranda, with JR Chandler as her trustee… but if I try to contest his will or my father's… he'll give it all to Oxford University. Whatever he was up to that night… it was no good, Derek. His will proves that he was still hell bent on revenge against me and the people that I care about."
"That's what it sounds like to me… but it really doesn't change anything as far as our investigation is concerned," Derek answered. "I mean… it sounds like you've got your hands full with legal troubles, but those are civil matters. Even if I find that a crime was committed, it doesn't change his will."
"I know that, Derek… but now you know that Ethan and his rifle were definitely up to no good on the night of the casino opening. Before it was only conjecture… this proves it," Zach answered. "But that's not all… an interesting piece of information came to my attention yesterday… and it could very well make a difference to your case."
"I'm all ears," Derek said with a smile. "I like any information that will make my job easier… and I don't often get people who walk into my office and spill it so willingly."
Zach laughed for a moment before continuing, "I just found out yesterday that Ethan is not my son."
Derek looked at Zach in such astonishment that his jaw actually dropped for a moment before he closed his mouth. After taking a minute to compose himself he commented, "Now that's the kind of news you don't hear every day… and after everything you two went through to prove he was your son. Wow. What happened? Another botched DNA test?"
"No," Zach shook his head. "It was much simpler than that… all it took was a clever doctor bothering to look at his birth date… and counting backwards nine months. He wasn't born until almost a year after I last saw his mother … whoever his father was, it couldn't have been me."
"Okay… I still don't see how this changes my case, though," Derek answered in confusion.
"Let's say that Ethan knew he wasn't my son… it would certainly explain his behavior, wouldn't it?" Zach asked.
"Mm-hmm… makes sense that he would hate you for being alive. But the way you denied him… seems to me he would have been just as pissed off if he thought he was your son," Derek replied.
"I've been thinking about that. He never once asked me about his mother, or my life, or why I denied him. He didn't seem to care… he just hated me. Why did he have no interest in the past, in his family or in his mother? Even if he hated me, why did he never ask the questions? That's always bothered me, but I never had the answer until now. It's because he's not my son and he knew it. The fact that I was alive after all just put a crimp in his plans for power and wealth," Zach said.
Derek commented, "Okay… but where do I come in?"
"You have the things that you kept as evidence from his room at the Valley Inn and his storage unit. I'd like to look at them… maybe find a clue. Something that can help me to overturn his will and protect Miranda, Bianca and Kendall," Zach said.
"I really don't know what you expect to find… but I'm sure I can make those arrangements. Honestly, I didn't know how to tell you this… but we've come up with a dead end on the investigation anyway. Even though my gut tells me that he was up to no good that night, I can't prove anything. He definitely didn't have an accomplice and no crime was actually committed. The insurance company is pressuring me to wrap up the investigation, and I've been stalling… but since you want his things, I think it's time to close it and declare it an accidental death – and we can all be grateful that he met up with that tree instead of someone at the casino that night."
Zach nodded his head in agreement, "You're right, Derek. You can't arrest him or punish him, and that's not my goal. If there was a way to let him rest in peace, I'd do it. I'm not blameless for what he became… and the DNA test proves he was still family… but I won't let him hurt anyone else."
"Okay… I'll get the paperwork finished and you can pick up his things tomorrow. Will that be soon enough?" Derek asked as he stood and offered his hand to Zach.
Zach shook hands with Derek and answered, "That will be fine. I have the rest of his things to go through this afternoon, but I have something else to ask of you."
"Uh-oh… I knew this was way too easy," Derek said in mock chagrin. "If I can, I'll do it. What else do you need?"
"Did you get any phone records, or mail… anything that might indicate he was in contact with someone in London?" Zach asked.
"Um… let me see," Derek said as he seated himself and glanced through the file he had pulled out. "Yeah… I do have some calls to someplace in England. Don't know that it was London. Might not be anything, though. He did grow up over there."
"I know… but what if he had someone over there… someone who knew what he was up to, or maybe even helped him. At this point I just want to find someone who might have spoken to him after he became a Cambias. I may be grasping at straws, but I'll take any clue at all," Zach replied.
"Well… I'll have to check with the DA… but if he doesn't object I think we can release them to you. The numbers are probably on his cell phone bills and hotel bills anyway… it's not like we had to subpoena the records," Derek answered. "Let me get back to you on that. I'll try to have them for you with the rest of his things if the DA clears it."
Zach smiled and said, "Thank you, Derek. What time can I pick them up?"
Derek smiled and answered, "I think we can have the boxes ready by 9:00 in the morning. There will be some paperwork to fill out, but it won't take you long. Thank you for making it so easy to wrap up this case."
"Derek, my stay in your jail could have been very uncomfortable if it hadn't been for you… it's the least I can do to return the favor," Zach answered. After pausing a moment, he posed another question, "Before I leave… can you think of anything else that might help us? Something that you turned up in this investigation… or when he was charged in Lavery's shooting?"
"Hmm…" Derek sat for a moment and read over the papers in Ethan's file. After pausing and reading a document, he looked up at Zach and smiled, "You know, Zach… technically I shouldn't be telling you this… but… well, I guess I can't really be violating his rights… since he's dead…" Derek said musingly. "It seems that young Mr. Ramsey had a juvenile record in England. We had requested that it be unsealed… but you confessed before the records ever arrived. After that we didn't pursue the matter. It seems to me that a smart man like yourself might just have the means for uncovering what was in those records."
"Your assistance has been invaluable throughout this… difficult… time. If there's anything I can ever do for you, just let me know," Zach answered with a smile.
"I'll do that, Zach… I'll do that," Derek answered as he accompanied him to the door. "See you in the morning."