Part 12 (1/2)
”A brother in the Air Force. We don't see him often.”
”So you live alone?”
”With Jay.”
”Do you date?”
”I used to.” She frowned. ”Not since Jay, but why does this matter?”
Hugh set down his pen. ”If you make a claim that Stan Hutchinson is the father of your child, the first thing his people will do is to try to show a pattern of promiscuity on your part. A DNA test will determine Jay's parentage, but they won't want it done. If you have a history of one-night stands, or a history of problems that may be on record somewhere, I need to know. Is there anything about you and men I should know about?”
”No.”
A soft knock came at the door, and Melissa slipped in. Hugh introduced her to Crystal, gave her the sheet of paper he'd torn off, and asked her to draw up the agreement.
As soon as she left, he faced Crystal again. ”I'll want to talk with your son's doctors. Are you okay with that?”
”Isn't my word good enough?” she asked.
”It is for me. But it won't be for Hutchinson or for a judge. The more people we have vouching for you and your situation, the better. Jay is at a good hospital. His doctors' word will be crucial in establis.h.i.+ng the seriousness of his condition. Among other things, we'll need to know how much money will be needed in the next couple of years.”
Crystal put the cigarette to her lips and rummaged in her bag for a match.
Hugh gave her this time. From everything he had seen in her up to that point, she would reach the right decision.
”Fine,” she said at last. ”His doctor's name is Howe. Steven, I think.”
Hugh knew the name. Steven Howe was top-notch. This would help. He wrote the name on his pad and flipped to a new page.
”Tell me about your work.”
”I'm a waitress.”
”Always?”
”Yes. I started weekends when I was sixteen. If you're waiting for me to say I wanted to go to college, don't. I did lousy in high school. I hate studying.”
”Then tell me about your job. Where do you work?”
She drew on the cigarette. Exhaling a ribbon of smoke, she said, ”It's a bar and grill. Lots of beef and chicken. Lots of regulars who leave lots of tips. And booze. Lots of that. The booze makes the biggest profit for my boss and for me.”
”Who's your boss?”
She looked down at her hands, turned the cigarette, took another draw.
”I'll have to know,” Hugh explained gently. ”He's the one who'll have to vouch for Hutchinson being in his place on a night you were working.”
”Todd MacKenzie,” she murmured. ”Mac's Bar and Grille. He's the owner.”
Hugh wrote it down. ”How long have you worked there?”
”Eight years, less the two months after Jay was born.”
”You worked right up until the birth?” Hugh asked in surprise.
”I didn't gain much weight. Besides,” she added with a half-smile, ”the regular guys liked me. They were kind of protective, y'know?”
Hugh suspected more than a few were turned on. He had already established that Crystal was attractive.
”Does Todd know who fathered your baby?”
”He guessed. I didn't say he was wrong.”
”Did he see you leave with Hutchinson?”
”I didn't leave with him. He was outside in his car when I finished work.”
”Was he alone?”
”Yes.”
”Was it a rental car?”
”I don't know.”
”Color? Make?”
”I can't remember.”
”Who approached whom?”
”I went to the car. He was just waiting, and there was no one else left. He asked if there was a place we could go. I told him to follow me.”
”Why?”
”He didn't know the way.”
”I mean, why did you want to be with him? You said you don't sleep around.”
She put the cigarette to her mouth, inhaled. ”I was feeling lonely. He was there, and he was handsome.”
”Did you know he was married?”
”Not then.”
”Okay. So you went to the motel. Name?”