Chapter 9 - The DNA Revelation
The interrogation room at the county precinct smelled faintly of stale coffee and industrial floor wax. A single fluorescent tube hummed overhead, casting a sterile white light over the scratched metal table where Julian sat with his hands cuffed loosely in front of him. Across the room, through a two-way mirror, he could see the social worker gently questioning Leo, offering the boy a warm cup of cocoa and a box of crayons to calm his nerves.
The door swung open, and Detective Miller walked in, tossing a manila folder onto the table with a soft slap. He pulled out a chair and sat down, studying Julian with tired, cynical eyes.
"Well, Mr. Vance, your wife—or rather, the woman registered as your legal partner—dropped a bombshell an hour ago," the detective said, leaning forward and resting his forearms on the table. "She handed over a complete set of sealed documents, including a preliminary DNA swab matching your late brother David to the boy."
Julian didn't look surprised. He stared at his hands, the knuckles bruised from his confrontation with the cellar door. "David was his father. I knew it in my gut, even if Clara spent years trying to erase the paper trail."
"If David was the father, and David died in that car crash six years ago, that makes you the legal uncle and guardian under the original family trust," the detective noted, flipping open the folder. "Which means Clara had no legal right to deny the boy shelter, let alone forge the surrender documents to claim the estate for herself."
"She didn't just forge papers, Detective," Julian said, looking up, his dark eyes burning with intensity. "She knew about the crash before it happened. She tampered with David's vehicle. I found the ledger in the attic—she transferred the trust funds into an offshore account the exact week my brother died."
Detective Miller narrowed his eyes, jotting down a quick note on his legal pad. "That’s a very serious accusation. Do you have physical proof of this ledger?"
"It's in the safety deposit box at the First National Bank," Julian said urgently. "The key is in my coat pocket back at the house. If you send someone to retrieve it before Clara's associates clear out the accounts, you'll have all the evidence you need to put her away for good."
The detective closed the folder with a sharp snap and stood up. "I'll dispatch a unit to the bank immediately. But until those documents are verified, Mr. Vance, you are still restricted from taking custody of the boy."
Julian's heart sank. "Where is Leo going tonight?"
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"Child Protective Services," the detective replied quietly as he walked toward the door. "Temporary foster care until the court sorts out the guardianship."
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