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Chapter 3: Parallel

Christian's reaction was more notable than John's. He was clearly quite shocked to see such an alike. He slowly shook his head and went back to plonk himself back on his seat.

"Now I can see how I freaked out the locals and didn't get too far in asking neighbours," John supplied, himself fairly curious about how this could be, but prepared for the encounter.

"And makes me go nowhere with my questioning...but you did find out something you said?" Sam asked with a smile on her lips, somewhat entertained by the surgeon's reaction which she didn't want to openly disclose.

"Who are you?" Christian voiced the obvious question.

"John Grant, born O'Doyle, FBI detective from Atlanta, but having lived all over the country, knowing not much of either of my mother's or my father's family," he said in a oner, revealing more than he ever would to anybody, but hoping he would get some answers this way.

"Christian Troy," came the similar confession, "plastic surgeon living all his life in Miami, not knowing anything of my real parents cause I was adopted...but I assume you already know that."

"Well," John offered, "we do know that but we could know a lot more. Adoption files are secret, but not for us. Unofficially of course. If you wish, we could find out everything about your background. Or so I hope."

"I always had the right to ask for my files and I didn't. I don't need FBI assistance for that. What makes you think I would want to find out anything now?"

"Yeah, but generally, the agencies will only give out what they call non-identifying information, no full names or addresses, unless the consent of all parties has been obtained. But you have the right to know your real name. Do you? Know?"

"I'm not interested," Christian said irritably.

"Are you not the slightest bit questioning why we look so alike?"

"You come into my life and mess with my mind. I think not," he towered over John, stepping close to him as his emotions ran high enough to raise his blood pressure to the danger zone.

"Come on, John," Sam pulled him out of the room, explaining to him outside, "tracing your birth family is not something you undertake lightly and you should be prepared for the emotions that this process could bring to the surface. So you can not press any person into it, if they are not ready to do it. If he was going to, he would've been doing it before his fortieth birthday. Also, it is quite common for the initial reaction to be a completely negative one. Some come round from it. Leave it lying, John. But how can I say such thing, you never do, do you? Leave it. Just like when you were not happy with my Sam Lawson status," she walked ahead, making John follow if he wanted to have the conversation.

"I will certainly ask George to find out everything he can. I'd do that for myself, not for this Troy."

"Sure, just as long as you don't expect anything from him, whatever the outcome. So what was it you were going to say about the Carver?"

"Oh, you'll love this," John said as they joined Grace outside, "George says there is a plastic surgeon, a rather good one who gave up his practice for not believing in the cause anymore. He was also investigated for burglary in Maryland, where he stays. He entered a friend's house late at night, but the charges were dropped very quickly. There also was an investigation about fifteen years back about the disappearance of his son and wife, but there was no proof of any criminal activity, so he wasn't considered as a suspect. The name's Dr. Barrett Moore, he lives in a secluded house in the country. And now you'll really love this."

"Which part of it I wasn't loving so far?" Sam admitted.

"He was in Miami several times over the last few month, and George says he was here at the time of the attacks. He was here recently as well, but left on the day before the attack on Dr. Troy."

"Oh, I knew it looked too good to be true," Grace sighed.

"Hmm...maybe not," Sam scrunched her face deep in thought, "the attack on Christian Troy was different then the rest. He can still be our man. Tell George he is a genius for finding this information for us. Question is, could there be any other reason for Dr. Moore to be here that often?"

"Like helping McNamara and Troy with a surgery? Cause that was his last visit's purpose. George got into the patient files and found a patient called Ava Moore. His long lost wife. Maybe he knew she was here all along."

"Well, we know why he was here that often then," Grace thought.

"Do we know where he is at the moment?" Sam tilted her head, "you know, just in case. Although the Carver seems to be very precise, careful and calculating"

"Did you hear the question?" John asked George, having just have dialled him to thank him for his help.

"He is..." They heard George's voice trailing off as if he was just trying to find the information on his computer screen as John had switched the speaker of his phone on, "guys, he is in Miami! Arrived yesterday, and checked into Albion as he usually does."

"I suggest we talk to him," Sam said, "then we come back later to see what Dr. McNamara knows about the Moore family when he is finished with his surgeries. I guess Christian would have had enough of us for one day. George, let Bailey know what we are doing."

"And George!" John shouted in the phone before the computer specialist broke the connection, "don't forget those adoption records!"

tbc