She immediately looked away.
“Nothing.”
“Patricia, you just said—”
“Get out of my house!”
I left.
But I didn’t go home.
I drove straight to Elaine’s apartment.
When she opened the door and saw my face, she knew something had happened.
I told her about the money.
She listened without interrupting.
Then she walked to a cupboard, took out a battered cardboard box, and placed it on the kitchen table.
“I think it’s time Ryan knew everything.”
Inside were dozens of letters, old photographs, and a large envelope bearing the name of Ryan’s father, Michael.
Elaine handed it to me.
“I promised Michael I’d keep this safe if anything happened to him.”
I stared at her.
“What do you mean, if anything happened to him?”
Elaine sat down.
“Michael didn’t simply walk away from his son. He left because Patricia gave him an ultimatum.”
“What ultimatum?”
“She told him he could either sign away his rights to Ryan or spend the rest of his life fighting her in court. She said she’d make sure Ryan grew up believing his father had abandoned him.”
