“Do you recall the lawyer’s name?” Carter asked.
“Michael Yost,” Jack said immediately.
Jayne wrinkled her nose as if the air had turned sour.
“And neither Yost nor Yvette ever mentioned she was carrying twins?” Carter pressed.
“No.” Jack’s voice cracked. “We would’ve been delighted to adopt both babies if given a chance. Cora was devastated that our attempts to get pregnant kept failing and her subsequent emotional trouble made it impossible to adopt through normal channels.”
No one said anything for a long moment.
“Paige?” Jack pleaded. “Are you still there?”
She walked back over. “Yes.”
“I’m not proud of breaking my marriage vows, but your mother and I are thankful every single day for the daughter that came out of it. I did a DNA test when you were a few months old, just to confirm my suspicions that I am your biological father.”
She shuddered and turned her back on the call. Carter couldn’t blame her. Secrets like this broke hearts and shattered family dynamics. Would the Cokers be able to pull the pieces together again?
“Carter, I called your agency because when I saw that video at the police station I knew I’d been duped. Cheated,” Jack said. “I don’t mean to be insulting, Jayne, but Yvette is a calculating woman.”
“Yes, she was,” Jayne agreed. “She died more than a decade ago.”
Jack started to offer what might’ve been sympathy, but Paige jumped in. “Back up a second, Dad.” She leaned close to the phone. “You saw that video and actually thought ‘what if my daughter has a twin?’” She glared at the phone as she waited for his answer.
“A sister, at the very least,” Jack whispered.
Carter swore under his breath. “Would’ve been a whole lot easier working with the facts from the start, Mr. Coker.” He wanted to shake some sense into the man.
“I’m sorry I didn’t say anything. All I knew was that Paige was not the person in that video. What could the police do with my suspicions? I didn’t want to muddy the waters or do more harm than good by speaking up.”
Carter decided not to argue. Not in front of Paige, at any rate. It would only pour salt in the wound if he pointed out that Jack’s attempt to hide the truth had put Paige in grave danger.
“I’m assuming if Jayne is with you now, then she didn’t hurt Melissa,” Jack said.
“Correct,” Carter replied. He wasn’t entirely sure about Jayne’s motives right now, but he would give her the benefit of the doubt based on what he’d seen so far. Didn’t mean he would leave the woman alone with Paige, or anyone important to Paige, until he had solid confirmation of her character.
She might not understand that, but he was pretty sure Jayne had picked up on those signals. The world needed people as trusting as Paige, just like the world needed people like him to balance the scales.
“Jayne, I’m very sorry,” Jack said. “I didn’t see Yvette again after the meeting with the lawyer to sign the adoption agreement. She agreed to prenatal care, but I didn’t think to require the doctor’s reports. That was, obviously, a disastrous error in judgment.”
“My mother was a very difficult woman, Mr. Coker. I don’t blame you for any of this.”
Carter hoped Jayne meant those words. He didn’t have years of personal history with Paige or her parents, but they were good people. Jack and Cora had raised a brilliant, beautiful woman. Paige was special and he didn’t want her or her parents getting conned or hurt.
“If you were at the scene, Jayne, why didn’t you go to the police?” Jack asked.
Paige bristled and Carter quickly jumped in. “Your daughters have been targeted,” he said. Jayne was more likely to become an ally if she didn’t feel cornered. “As the lead investigator, I’m not ready for Jayne to give a statement.” He ignored the quizzical looks from the twins. “I don’t want the police to substitute Jayne for Paige as a suspect and stop looking for the truth.”
“That’s not a very positive view,” Jack said.
“Well, sir, in my experience, people have a tendency to latch onto what they can see and interpret it as the whole story. I’d rather not have either of your daughters in jail for a crime they didn’t commit.”
“I agree. What can I do to help?”
“Sit tight. Stay home. Don’t talk to anyone,” Carter ordered. “We’re still tracking leads, but my current theory is that the real target was Jayne, not Melissa.” Best to be clear when things were unraveling quickly. Jack wouldn’t want to sit still, and Carter needed him to stay out of the way. “Let the police presence and your security measures keep you safe.”
“If you say so.” Jack’s tone warned he wasn’t thrilled with that directive. “If there’s anything I can do to help, ask. Should we bring in an extra guard for Jayne? Spare no expense for my girls.”
He saw that declaration land hard as Paige’s eyes filled with tears. If only he could hit pause and let her have some time and space to work through this. Unfortunately, until he knew the police had the man who’d attacked them, he had to put her safety first. She swiped at the tear that spilled down her cheek and his own heart stuttered. She wanted to believe the best in everyone.
One glance at Jayne showed an opposite reaction. She was shaking her head, denying the suggestion for personal protection. Because she had something to hide or because she didn’t trust anyone? It would take more digging. If, like Paige believed, she’d simply come to Charleston seeking answers about her biological father, she’d opened up one nasty can of worms in the process.
“Jayne, are you still there?” Jack asked.
She stepped closer to Carter’s phone. “Yes.”
“Jayne, I would be honored to meet you,” Jack said. “I can’t change the past, but maybe we can do something positive moving forward. You came here looking for your father. I-I’m here.” He coughed. “Whenever you’re ready.”
“What about Mom?” Paige demanded in a hushed gasp.
“That’s between your mother and me, Paige,” Jack stated, a chilling undercurrent of misery in his voice. “I’ve made plenty of mistakes, but I will do the right thing, the right way, now that I have a second chance.”
“I’m getting them both to safety,” Carter said. No way was he letting either woman out of his sight until they had confirmation from the police that the attacker was in custody. “We’ll be in touch.” He ended the call before Jack could say another word.
For a long moment he stared at the twins. Paige had just met her sister and the instant connection she felt was obvious. If something happened to Jayne while they sorted out this mess, it would devastate Paige.
Her safety was his professional priority and he would honor that first. This need to shelter Paige specifically, to help her through every hardship, was a new experience.
While Carter made his calls, Paige studied Jayne. She saw the same confusion pounding through her system reflected in her sister’s eyes. Her sister. She had no doubts. Her heart had flung caution to the wind back in the park, despite all of Carter’s warnings.