Bloodline (Sue Thomas FBEye)

Bloodline - Chapter Ten

Nights in stakeouts weren't as exhausting as caring for a newborn child, but his fatigue was nothing compared to the emotional turmoil facing Sue. Sleep had finally caught up with her when her mind had shut down from sheer overload.

Isabelle shifted in her crib, and while Sue couldn't hear her, it was only a matter of seconds before Levi woke her up to take care of the baby. Once they were back in D.C., he needed to train Levi to warn him instead. Careful not to disturb Sue, Jack got up, picked up the baby and command Levi to follow him in front of the fireplace.

"You can't be hungry again, can you?"

She couldn't drink a lot at the time, so they had to feed her more often than a normal baby, though Jack wondered what was the definition of a normal baby.

"Good thing your mommy prepared extra bottles." And to say he'd teased Sue for lining up so many bottles in the fridge.

Levi lay at his feet while he fed his little girl. Maybe fatigue played tricks on his vision, but he could almost swear her skin less wrinkled than last night.

"When we get home, daddy will take you to the doctor." It couldn't hurt to have a second opinion.

Outside, dawn was breaking. He hadn't heard from Myles since he called late afternoon to say the tests would take at least twelve hours. The lab he'd found was—

A knock on the door halted his musing and startled Belle.

"Easy, little Belle." At his feet, Levi lifted his head and pricked his ears without relinquishing his position on the woven carpet. "Stay here, Levi."

He covered Belle with a blanket so she wouldn't get cold when he answered the door. If this were Mrs. Baxter, she was early.

"Myles?"

"Hello, Jack." His friend entered carrying a yellow envelope. "I figured you'd be up early. How did it go at the hospital yesterday?"

"It was rather... shocking." In his arms, Belle whimpered. "Have a seat, and I'll fill you in while she finishes her bottle."

The circles under Myles' eyes appeared to darken as he listened to the summary.

"How's Sue?"

"Confused," which also described himself. "Mistica's left side is burned and no one knows what her right side looks like. Shadow wore a veil that conveniently revealed only a portion of her right side. She's either a master in disguise, or the wrong infant died in that explosion thirty years ago. What do the results say?"

"At the lab, I used fake names and I made sure their samples were destroyed. I'm the only one who has seen those results." A blank expression masked Myles' emotions as he waved the envelope. "Shadow stole the dirty sheet and towel from the cabin, but if that makes you feel better, you were the only male contributor in them."

"Skip to the important DNA, would you?" The passionate nights and showers he shared with Sue were none of Myles' concerns.

"The baby's DNA and Sue's DNA are a match to the blood and amniotic fluid found on the sheet, the towel and the driver seat of her car. According to science, Sue is the baby's mother, but you're not the father. There was no trace of anyone else's DNA on the samples. It appears that Sue's parents buried the wrong infant and the Alvarez raised the wrong daughter— unless I miscalculated the progression of Sue's pregnancy."

Sue's identical twin was alive, and while there could be no other logical explanation, Myles was willing to accept whatever version of the truth they fed him.

Jack grabbed the envelope. "Are these the only results in existence?"

"Yes."

Belle stared at him with gorgeous blue eyes.