Page 68 of Fight or Flight
She wanted to tell Tyler, but her gut told her to keep this bit of information to herself until she was one hundred percent sure. Sighing, she removed part of her hair from her mug. “I’m sorry. I can’t repeat what Lisa told me until I . . .” She couldn’t even say the words out loud. “Research.”
“Okay, I get it. You don’t trust me completely yet. If this Lisa has information on someone who might try and hurt you, I would carefully consider keeping it to yourself.”
“Tyler, I’m not even sure I believe what she just told me, but there is a way to find out if it’s true.” Wouldn’t Tyler know? As a doctor, he probably had all kinds of resources available to him. He had helped her regain control of her life; the least she could do was trust him. “Okay, but this stays between us. Do you know anyone who could do a DNA comparison quickly? Like ASAP,” she added for emphasis.
Katherine took the boarding pass they had found at the rental house from her pocket. She handled it carefully so as not to smudge any prints or DNA. “Can you get DNA from this? I realize we’ve handled it, and maybe someone at the airport did, as well, but I need to know.”
“Maybe. It depends. But even if we can, it’s useless if you don’t have a comparison. We know Jameson Thurman is staying at Kyle’s, and it’s possible that the car in the garage belongs to you. I’m not sure how DNA evidence would help, unless we could get his print from inside the house or the garage, just to prove he’s been here.”
She nodded. “Right.” Katherine thought about Karrie, about losing her mother. If what she thought were true, this kid was in danger.
Jameson Thurman.His name bothered her. There were no Thurmans in her past that she could remember. It could be an alias. People changed their names all the time for a variety of reasons. It was his first name that really bothered her.
“Does the name Jameson mean anything?” she asked Tyler.
“It does. It’s a brand of Irish whiskey brewed in a distillery for the last couple hundred years. Very popular in Ireland.”
“Is it expensive?”
“It’s been a while since I’ve imbibed, but I think it’s just average price. Good whiskey, but not top-of-the-line,” Tyler said. “You want Doc to stop at The Pony Keg? I’m sure they stock it there.”
“No, I don’t want to drink it. I’m not a whiskey drinker.”
“Where is this leading, K?”
“You asked me if there was someone in my past that might want to . . . I don’t know, get even, hurt me in some way. There is someone. I just need a DNA test to prove it.”
Before Tyler could reply, Katherine heard Doc’s old beater truck coming up the driveway. “We’ll talk about this later.”
Katherine stepped inside the pantry, found a brown paper bag, and placed the boarding pass inside. She didn’t want to lose what little evidence she had to prove what she was ninety-nine percent sure of.
Sam and Sophie came barreling through the French doors. When they saw Katherine in the kitchen, they jumped on her, licking her face, whining as if they hadn’t seen her in twenty years. That was the thing about animals. Their love was always unconditional.
“Hey, pups, I missed you two,” Katherine said as she calmed them. “I bet neither of you has had a treat today.” Sam and Sophie immediately sat while she took a treat from their special jar.
Doc grinned at her when the dogs were settled. “I wanted to ask before bringing them inside. Stephanie and Bethany want to meet you. Before you ask, no, I didn’t reveal your secret.”
Wishing she’d had time to clean up, Katherine figured they might as well see her looking as crappy as she felt. Doc had been like a father to her, and she wouldn’t do anything to disappoint him. “I would love to meet them. I’ll heat up the apple pie I made yesterday.”
“Sounds good to me,” Doc said.
“What can I do to help?” Tyler asked.
“Find someone who can do a DNA test. Fast,” Katherine said.
“Done,” Tyler replied. “I’ll take care of this tonight.”
“Okay. We’ll discuss details later,” said Katherine.
Doc looked puzzled and intrigued, but he didn’t question anything. “I’ll just go and get the girls,” he said.
Katherine took the pie from the refrigerator, making sure there was enough to go around. She placed it in the microwave to warm. She then took out the dessert plates she’d purchased online, yet never used. The plates were light green with mountains etched in the glass. They reminded her of the view she had while sitting at her desk when she was working. “Tyler, in the drawer to your left, please grab the forks.” He did as instructed.
Katherine used the kitchen island as a table. No way would she allow the girls in the horrendous dining room. In due time, they could see the atrocity. She set the plates out, and Tyler placed the forks beside them. “Napkins,” Katherine said, opening the pantry where she kept them. She took a stack from its wrapping, placing them in the empty holder she usually kept stocked on the island. It was where she ate most of her meals, drank her morning cup of coffee, and wished for a life that she didn’t have.
Although now, she had a life and, so far, she wasn’t off to a great start.Except for Tyler, she mentally reminded herself. If not for his patience and kindness, she wouldn’t be serving pie at nine o’clock on a very eventful Friday night.
Doc returned with his daughter and granddaughter. “Katherine, this is my daughter Steph, and this little stinker is my granddaughter.”
