Kendall entered the condo and noticed immediately that all of the boxes and papers had been removed and the room was back to its normally immaculate condition. She was surprised, having expected to find it at least as messy as the day before while Zach went through the painstaking process of researching Ethan's past. She had awaked from her nap with barely enough time to meet Bianca for their spa date, and she felt refreshed and rejuvenated. Despite her initial reservations, she was beginning to feel excited about the baby – and had even enjoyed holding onto her secret surprise while with her sister. She was looking forward to sharing the news with Zach at the end of a romantic dinner that evening, feeling more and more confident that he would be as happy as she was once the initial shock wore off.
Seeing no sign of Zach she called from the doorway, "Zach… are you home?"
"In the bedroom," he called back to her.
Kendall walked down the short hallway and entered the bedroom to find Zach packing an overnight bag. When she entered the room he laid the items in his hands on the bed, favored her with a bright smile, gave her a long and lingering kiss and picked her up to twirl her around in a circle before allowing her to regain her feet. They both laughed for a moment before Kendall asked, "Going somewhere?"
He nodded, still wearing his bright smile, "I've got a lead that I need to follow up in person."
"That's great! I won't take long packing… have you made flight arrangements already?" Kendall said in excitement as she went to the closet and started to pull out a suitcase.
Zach wrapped his arms around her from behind and laid a light kiss on her neck before gently turning her around with his hands, "Not this trip, Kendall. You're staying here… I can cover more ground traveling alone. Besides, you need to keep an eye on things in Pine Valley."
Kendall looked at him, her face falling in disappointment, "I… but I… why do I have to stay here?"
Zach shook his head and kissed her forehead before answering, "One of us has to stay on top of things, and make sure that Livia and Jackson have everything they need. With only eight days left before the codicil to Ethan's will takes affect, I don't want anything falling through the cracks… and I know if you're here to keep an eye on things that won't happen. I promise, though, that we'll make a trip to Europe together as soon as this is over."
"Europe… you're going to Europe?" Kendall asked him in surprise.
"Mm-hmm. I have some things to show you. Let's sit down and I'll tell you everything that I've found out," he answered as he led her over to the chaise by the window. After she was seated, he sat on its edge facing her and handed her a piece of paper that he pulled from his inside suit pocket.
Kendall glanced over the picture of a young woman, barely more than a girl and read over the death certificate that was stapled to it, "Hannah. This is what Ethan's mother looked like."
"Not exactly… that is Hannah, but…" Zach said quietly, "She's no more Ethan's mother than I am his father."
Kendall looked at him in confusion, "I don't understand… how can she not be his mother? I mean… the DNA tests… we know he's a Cambias."
Zach held up his hand, "Let me explain. I received this fax not long after you left for Fusion. It was from the file they had compiled on Hannah before rejecting her in the initial investigation. I recognized her immediately, but when I spoke to the investigator over the phone he told me that she wasn't pregnant at the time of her death… nor had she ever been pregnant that they could ascertain. If she was carrying my child, she miscarried it very early in the pregnancy – or went through with the abortion my father told her to have."
"But Zach… you said yourself that she could have faked her death… maybe she hid the pregnancy in the same way that Bianca hid that she was carrying Miranda," Kendall answered.
"I thought of that… but it turns out that they had a whole file on her after all. It was missed when they sent the other files yesterday. There was definitely a body, and a wake… and an autopsy. The autopsy report indicated that she was not pregnant at the time of her death," Zach answered. "But I have more information than that… although that should be enough to at least get a stay against the codicil."
"Wow…" Kendall said as she lay back against the chair. "Do you think Ethan knew that Hannah wasn't his mother? Or was he in the dark just like you were?"
"That's what I'm hoping to find out on this trip," Zach answered. "I had asked Derek for any phone records of calls that Ethan might have made to England. I was looking for an old school mate or a member of the Ramsey family… anyone who might have spoken with him after he inherited Cambias Industries."
"Why after? Why not before?" Kendall asked in curiosity.
"Because beforehand he would have been very careful to stay with the constructed story of his being the son of Alexander Cambias, Jr. and the maid Hannah Nichols. After he had the money… he might have gotten careless when speaking to an old friend," Zach explained. "I knew it was a long shot, but I was grasping at straws."
"It sounds to me like you got a whole bunch of straws. I guess you got lucky with one of the phone numbers," Kendall said taking his hand in hers. She pulled his hand toward her and kissed his fingers, wishing that things weren't progressing so rapidly that she'd had no time to tell him her news… but still feeling excited that they were making so much progress so quickly.
Zach smiled at her, his eyes telling her how much he enjoyed even the gentle touch of her lips against his fingers and caressed her cheek with his other hand before continuing, "That's exactly what happened. There was one number that showed up on his cell phone and at his hotel. My guess is that if you check old phone bills from your condo, you'll find the number on there as well – and you'll never guess who that number belongs to."
"Edith Ramsey… even though he said she was dead, I'm beginning to believe that nothing he told us was the truth," Kendall said with a smile.
"Close… actually, Edith Ramsey is dead. Ethan did not lie about that," Zach answered. "The number belongs to Stanley Ramsey… who is very much alive."
"Ethan's stepfather?" Kendall said in surprise. "I thought… well I guess I thought what I was supposed to think. Ethan said he was dead… and after his DNA matched yours and Miranda's we never questioned his story at all."
"I believe that's what Ethan was counting on," Zach answered. "I spoke briefly with Stanley, and he has no idea who I truly am… but this is not something that I am willing to trust to an investigator. I'm flying to London tonight and meeting with him tomorrow. If we're lucky… we'll know the truth by the end of the day and Bianca and Miranda will be safe."
"Tonight? You're leaving tonight?" Kendall said as tears sprung to her eyes. "How long will you be gone?"
"Three or four days at the most… as long as it takes me to get the truth out of Ethan's stepfather. Then I'll be right back here with you," Zach said. "Promise me that you'll take care of yourself while I'm gone? And that you'll call if you hear anything from Maria."
Kendall jumped a little at that statement and her face reddened before answering, "Okay… I guess I can promise that."
Zach was much too attuned to Kendall and her moods to let her behavior go unnoticed, "What is it? Did you hear something?"
"What time is your flight?" Kendall answered with a question of her own.
"Kendall," Zach said sternly. After a pausing a moment he answered, "I need to leave for the airport in about an hour and a half. Now answer my question."
Kendall pulled on his hand and drew him to her. She kissed him before answering, "I have an appointment with a Dr. Baldwin next week. You should be back by then… we'll go together. Obviously it isn't anything major or they would have seen me sooner."
Zach sighed with relief and smiled, "Now that is good news… this day is turning out to be filled with wonderful surprises. Now my darling wife, I need to get packing so that I can devote my full attention to you for at least a few minutes before I leave."
"I'd like that… very much," Kendall answered in a husky voice.
She helped him to finish packing before they made love together, leaving just enough time for Zach to take a quick shower before driving himself to the airport. She had offered to take him… so that they could spend some more time together, but Zach preferred to have his car available since they didn't know exactly when he would return. She felt a pang of remorse that she hadn't shared the news of his impending fatherhood with him… but this was too important to them both to be told hurriedly just before he left the country. If all went well, Zach would be home before her appointment with Dr. Baldwin. She comforted herself with the belief that after resolving their troubles with Ethan's will she would be able to share the news with him and he would be happy about becoming a father for the very first time.