Day 4
Denver International Airport
10:45 a.m. MDT
"Got everything?" Vin asked.
"He'd better, he checked three times," Samantha said with a grin.
"As soon as I get in touch with Carrie Morrison, I'll call you."
"Yeah, that's not exactly a conversation you want to have over the phone," Martin said. He reached for Samantha's suitcase, "I'll go get us checked in."
As Martin walked away, Samantha turned to Vin.
"I'm really glad I came," she told him. "I must admit, I had some reservations about the Denver Seven, but you guys are great. Even Buck," she added with a laugh.
"Yeah, he grows on ya after a while," Vin grinned.
Martin came back, and they made their way to the gate. Idle banter passed the minutes until the boarding call for their flight was issued. Samantha gave Vin an affectionate hug and then left the brothers to make their goodbye.
No words passed between them. There was nothing that needed to be said. Martin gave Vin's shoulders a quick squeeze, nodded to his brother, and made his way to the gate.
Vin watched until Martin was beyond sight and turned to leave. He had the rest of the day to process everything before Monday morning, as well as hopefully find Carrie Morrison's phone number. He needed to put an end to this.
Day 5
New York City
Federal Building
Manhattan
8:30 a.m. EDT
Martin suppressed a sigh. Ever since he had walked in thirty minutes ago, Danny had been milking him for details on his trip to Denver. Withholding some of the details, Martin related the revelation that had been made two days prior.
"I just hope Vin can find her," he finished. "I know it's tearing him up, not knowing."
Danny sat and stared at him for a brief moment, "Dude, we're the Missing Persons Unit. If he can't find her, we sure as hell can."
Martin chuckled, "You have a point."
"Heads up, we got a call," announced Jack, interrupted any further discussion. ""Hank Lawson, 72, in town with a group from his retirement community. He missed breakfast and no one's seen him since last night. I'll get on the phone with the retirement home, see what they can tell us about Hank. Sam and Elena, get me everything you can on him. Viv, take Martin and Danny down to the hotel, the Radisson on Fifth. Someone may have seen something. Clock's ticking people."
Assignments given, each person went to work. Grabbing their note pads, Martin and Danny followed Vivian down to the garage. The hotel the group was staying at was only about ten blocks from the federal building, but the oppressive heat wave that had been battering the city for the past week made walking the distance far from ideal.
They found the group gathered in the hotel lounge. Vivian started with the group's director, while Martin and Danny started in on the individuals. Most people gave the same answers: Hank had seemed fine last night; he was enjoying himself; no, nothing had seemed out of the ordinary. Danny was beginning to think they had been sent on a wild goose chase; the man had gone somewhere, but no one had any idea where. However, the fifth person Danny spoke with seemed to have a better idea of what was going on.
"Hank's mind's been slowly goin' for the past year," she said almost reluctantly, her Texan drawl making her words even softer. "Emily, his wife, died last year. It's almost as if he don' wanna live without her. It's been mostly little things, but I caught him several times. I never said nothin' 'cause he said he was fine, but I could tell. We're losin' him."
"Really?" Danny asked, pieces falling into place. Knowing this, he figured it was likely that Hank had probably wandered away and forgotten how to get back or even where he was. If that was the case, they had a senile old man wandering around New York, possibly injured.
"What's your name, ma'am?" he asked.
"Hannah Morrison," she directed as he wrote.
Danny paused, recognizing the name. He looked up from his pad at her. "And you're from where, originally?"
"Well, I live in Austin, but I'm originally from a small town in the panhandle, Tuscosa," she replied, confused. "May I ask why that's important, Agent Taylor?"
Danny couldn't keep the smile from his face as he excused himself and went over to where Martin was talking to another of the travelers.
"Dude, you're never gonna believe this," he told his friend. "That woman I'm talking to is Hannah Morrison from Tuscosa, Texas. A town like that can't have that many Morrison's."
"Here, can you finish this up?" Martin asked, already standing and handing Danny his note pad.
"No problem," Danny replied to Martin's back. "All right, Mister Simmons, how exactly did Hank seem, yesterday?"
Martin walked up to Hannah, suddenly unsure of himself. Deciding that it was too late to back out he introduced himself.
"Mrs. Morrison? My name is Martin Tanner."
"Pleased to meet you, Agent Tanner, but may I ask what's goin' on?"
"Well, ma'am, my partner reacted the way he did because I'm looking for a Carrie Morrison. I believe she may help me find out some things about my mother, Rebecca Tanner."
Recognition flashed across Hannah's face.
"Carrie's my sister-in-law. Becky Tanner was her best friend," she said, smiling fondly. "What can I do for you, Agent Tanner?"
"My brother and I are trying to get in touch with Carrie. There's something we need her to clear up for us. Is there any way you can tell me how to get in touch with her?"
"I'll do ya one better. I'll call her for ya myself."
"I appreciate it," Martin thanked her. "Tell her Vin Tanner's tryin' to contact her. She knows Vin, she's met him before."
"Will do," she replied. "I hope she can give ya the answers you're lookin' for."
"Thank you, ma'am."
He handed her his card, writing his cell number on the back, and stepped away. Pulling out his phone, he dialed a familiar number.
"Tanner."
"You're never gonna believe this."
Day 7
Houston, Texas
Carrie Morrison's House
10 a.m. CDT
The case ended swiftly. Hank's worsening dementia had prompted him to leave the hotel; He had simply wanted to go home. Forgetting where he was, he had wandered the streets for several hours, until some good Samarian had led him to a police station. There the police kept him while they tried to find out where he belonged. Fortunately, once the FBI APB was released, they knew where to take him. Hank was returned to the hotel, to the relief of the group, with an admonition to keep a tight watch on him until they returned to Houston and he could be turned over to the care of people trained to deal with Alzheimer's.
Hannah called Martin later that evening. She had told Carrie that Rebecca Tanner's sons were looking for her, and she eagerly agreed to meet with them. That led to the brothers meeting in the Houston airport.
Carrie's flawless directions led to her home in the suburbs. As Martin drove, he could feel the tension radiating off of Vin in waves. He wanted to say something, but there was little he could say. This was something Vin had to come to terms with himself.
He presently pulled into Carrie's driveway, and he sat there for a second before taking off his seatbelt.
You ready?
Jus' want this to be over, Vin replied, following his brother out of the car and up to the front door.
With one last glance at Vin, Martin knocked. Seconds later, the door opened to reveal a woman about Katherine's age. She was petite, not much more than five feet tall, and the crow's feet at her eyes indicated a life full of laughter. She took one look at the two of them standing there, and wrapped her arms around both of them as best she could.
"Oh, boys, you have no idea how happy I am to see the two of you together again!" she told them.
Martin took the affection in stride, not entirely sure what he had been expecting. Vin's already worn nerves bristled at the attention, but Martin's presence served as a good anchor.
"So what is it you boys want to know?" she asked once they were seated in her living room.
The twins shared a look before Martin spoke. They had decided that the most direct approach would probably be the best.
"We know Mama had an affair before we were born," he began. "It would've been around the time we were conceived. Did Mama know if he was our father, or was Matt?"
Carrie's face fell, though she retained her composure.
"She was snockered that night. I shouldn't have left her alone, but I did, and I blame myself for what happened. When your mother found out she was pregnant, she asked the same question you did. She considered having a paternity test done, but ultimately didn't. She decided that no good could come of it, and that as far as anyone was concerned, Matt was your daddy. But when ya'll were born, she knew. She knew he wasn't. She stood by her decision that confessin' would only hurt everyone, so she never told anyone, 'cept me."
"Who was he?" Vin asked quietly.
"It was an Irish sounding name," she replied as she combed her memory. "Fitzsimmons, Fitzpatrick…"
"Fitzgerald?" Martin asked, fearing but already knowing the answer.
"That's it. Victor Fitzgerald."
Martin was glad he was sitting, because his legs would surely have given out, otherwise. Vin saw Martin's reaction, and he remembered the conversation they had had almost a week before. Martin's theory had proven to be correct, but that didn't make it any less painful. Martin had finally broken free of Victor, only to be retied to the snake. Anything Vin felt finding out that the man he had always believed was his father was only his father on paper paled in comparison to the near-panic Martin felt at finding out that the deputy director was his father after all.
"You were right," he said quietly. "I'm sorry, Martin."
"Would it be out of line to ask what you mean?" Carrie asked, almost afraid to intrude in something that seemed deeply personal.
Vin could tell Martin was nearing shock, so he spoke for him, "About a year after Mama died, Martin was adopted from the orphanage we were at. Up until about six months ago, he believed that his adopted parents were his birth parents. The man that took him was Victor Fitzgerald."
"You mean ya'll weren't together?" she asked, shocked. "How could that happen?"
"The orphanage labeled me 'special needs' 'cause I'm dyslexic. Victor didn't want a son that might mar the family name, so he just took Martin and never told him he was adopted."
"I can't get away from him," Martin said, finally coming to. "I'll never be able to get away from him."
"I'll hazard a guess that Victor ain't exactly a model citizen," she supposed.
"Just the opposite, actually," Martin replied. "He's only had three speeding tickets in his life. He's the deputy director of the FBI. On paper, he's one of the cleanest men you'll meet. It's when you get past the mask and see the real thing that you see the devil. He's had more affairs than I can count. He cuts down anyone who stands in his way, even if it's his own son. I stood up to him, defending my boss, and he almost fired me for it."
"Boys, I am so sorry," Carrie said, eyes brimming. "If I could have taken you, believe me, I would have. I should have, and I regretted not doing it for years. I'm sorry I didn't."
Vin could tell she meant it, so he comforted her as best he could, "It ain't your fault. Our childhoods might not've been ideal, but they made us who we are. We managed to find each other, and we're happy with where our lives are now. If you'd taken us, we prob'ly wouldn't be the people we are today."
She smiled at them with a watery gaze. Impulsively, she went over and hugged them both. Vin was right; the lives they had lead had made them who they were.
"There wasn't a day she didn't regret what she did," she said, "but she never regretted having you. She loved you boys more than anything."
They moved the discussion to lighter topics, continuing well past lunch. It was well into evening when they bid their goodbyes, Vin and Martin promising to stay in touch.
Radisson Hotel
9:30 p.m. CDT
They got some Chinese take-out and returned to the hotel Martin had called the night before. The food was unpacked and scattered across the small table in the room. The brothers were both silent as they ate. The quiet was only broken when Martin's cell phone rang.
"Tanner."
"So what's the verdict?" Danny started immediately.
"Victor's our father," Martin tried to say as passively as possible, putting Danny on speaker.
There was a momentary pause as Danny considered this, "You're kidding."
"Oh, I wish we were," Vin added.
Another pause. "Wow."
"Yeah."
"It actually makes sense, now," Martin said. "Mama knew he was our father. When she knew she was dyin', she tried to contact him, get him to take us when she was gone. That explains why he went to Texas to adopt instead of just adoptin' around D.C."
"What are you gonna do, now?"
"One last stop, then I'm gonna be done with him," Martin replied, confident of something for the first time that day.
"I'm comin' with ya," Vin told him. He wasn't going to let his brother face Fitzgerald alone.
"Can I come watch?" Danny asked, trademark Taylor grin evident in his voice.
That broke the ice, and the tension from the day melted. Danny stayed on the phone as the brothers ate, keeping the conversation lively. Danny found Vin and Martin's interaction fascinating. Unlike Samantha, he easily saw the similarities in the brothers. There were several times he had to remind them to communicate verbally, a prolonged pause indicating an exchange that he could not hear, but he found it more amusing than anything. He knew that no matter the outcome of their "conversation"—and he used the term loosely—with Victor, they would be okay.