Chapter 9 - THE MAN MY FATHER FEARED
I had known my father, Thomas Parker, as a strict man all my life.
He valued appearances.
He believed private family problems should remain private.
He disliked questions that challenged his authority.
Growing up, Lauren had learned to charm him.
I had learned to avoid disappointing him.
Now, at thirty-six, I was beginning to realize that neither strategy had protected me.
I called my father on a Tuesday evening.
He answered after five rings.
"What is it, Annie?"
"I need to ask you something."
He sighed.
"If this is about the wedding—"
"It's about David."
Silence.
Long enough for me to know the name mattered.
"David who?"
I looked at the receipt.
"I was hoping you could tell me."
My father exhaled sharply.
"Where did you hear that name?"
"Amelia."
"Your daughter needs to stop snooping through other people's belongings."
I closed my eyes.
"Don't blame my child."
"Then stop encouraging her."
I leaned against the kitchen counter.
"Dad, who is David?"
He lowered his voice.
"Stay away from that name."
The warning startled me.
"Why?"
"Because you don't understand what you're getting involved in."
My heart began pounding.
"Then explain it."
He said nothing.
"Dad?"
Finally, he whispered, "Your mother should have told you years ago."
The line disconnected.
I immediately called back.
No answer.
Within minutes, I received a text.
Do not come to the house tonight.
That was when I knew I had to find David.
Rachel helped me search through old family photographs.
We looked for wedding guests.
Former neighbors.
Family friends.
Colleagues of my parents.
Then Rachel remembered something.
"Your mother had a cousin named David."
I looked up.
"What?"
"David Parker."
"That's Dad's last name."
"I know."
Rachel frowned.
"I met him once at your grandfather's funeral."
I searched my memory.
A tall man standing near the back of the cemetery.
Gray hair.
A quiet expression.
I remembered my father arguing with someone afterward.
But I had been twenty.
I hadn't paid attention.
"Do you know where he lives?"
Rachel shook her head.
"I can ask around."
The next morning, she called.
"I found him."
My stomach tightened.
"Where?"
"About two hours away."
"What does he do?"
"He's retired."
"From what?"
Rachel hesitated.
"Medical laboratory administration."
I stopped breathing for a moment.
"What?"
"He worked in healthcare quality oversight for years."
I stared at the notes spread across my table.
The clinic.
The disputed laboratory document.
The strange message.
The receipt bearing his name.
"Rachel, I need to speak to him."
She gave me a number.
I called immediately.
A man answered.
"Hello?"
"Is this David Parker?"
"Speaking."
"My name is Annie Bennett."
Silence.
Then the sound of a chair moving.
"Annie?"
"Yes."
His voice changed.
"Are you Thomas's daughter?"
"Yes."
He inhaled slowly.
"I wondered when somebody would finally tell you."
My throat tightened.
"Tell me what?"
Another pause.
Then he said, "Your father made a mistake twenty-eight years ago."
I stared at the wall.
"What mistake?"
May you like
David's voice dropped.
"He trusted the wrong person with your family's medical records."
