Free Peekaboo Baby by Delores Fossen

color,” she repeated.
    He didn’t care much for the return of the panicky look in her eyes. “What about it?”
    â€œThe donors were both brunettes. Patrick isn’t.”
    Ryan would have definitely pushed for more info, and for her conclusion as to what that meant, if he hadn’t been interrupted. The two sounds happened within seconds of each other. His phone rang, and the baby started to cry.
    Delaney actually looked relieved and leaped from the chair. “I’ll be back,” she mumbled, as she disappeared into one of the other rooms.
    Ryan stood, trying to get a glimpse of Patrick, but she pulled the door partly shut behind her. He answered his phone while he walked closer.
    â€œWhat is it, Quentin?” he asked, knowing that his security manager was the only person who’d be calling him during this visit. Ryan peered into the nursery and saw Delaney leaning over the crib to change Patrick’s diaper. The baby stopped crying and began to make cooing noises.
    The room was decorated in a superhero motif. Plenty of color with various cartoon crusaders in motion. Some on the ceiling directly over the crib. Others, on the walls.
    There weren’t a lot of toys, but the ones that were in the room were placed strategically around the bed so that Patrick would easily be able to see them. Delaney had obviously put her day-care experience to good use in decorating the baby’s room.
    â€œI did deeper background checks on those doctors from New Hope clinic,” Quentin informed Ryan. “Including the late embryologist, William Spears.”
    â€œGo on.” Ryan kept his voice low so he wouldn’t alert Delaney.
    â€œSpears died of a stroke. A little odd since he was only forty-eight, but he did have a family history of cardiovascular problems. I did some digging, read the medical examiner’s report. No sign of foul play.”
    Well, that was one theory down—that Spears had been murdered to silence him and his alleged illegal research project. “What about Spears’s records, the ones that supposedly mentioned the cloning?”
    â€œA lab technician claims to have seen them.”
    â€œYou mean there’s an actual witness?” Ryan tried to remain skeptical and objective. But his heart didn’t want that. It wanted proof that Patrick was his son.
    â€œI tracked down the guy, Noel Kendall, but he wouldn’t talk to me face-to-face. Had to settle for a phone conversation. He’s scared, boss, and it doesn’t seem like he’s faking it.”
    â€œHow is he connected to Spears?” Ryan asked.
    â€œNoel Kendall is the one who found Spears dead at the clinic, and according to him, Spears had the hard copy of records in his hands. Noel claims he skimmed through them while waiting for the ambulance to arrive, and then when the records went missing, he got concerned and tipped off the watchdog group. I’m working on getting access to the computer that Spears used. If he left something on it, I’ll find it.”
    It sounded like a long shot, but thankfully Spears wasn’t their only source of information. “What about Bryson Keyes and Emmett Montgomery?”
    â€œNeither have criminal records, but seven years ago Keyes was involved in some stem-cell research that was shut down. Not quite illegal at the time, but it fell into the unethical category. He’s been squeaky clean ever since.”
    â€œI detect a but in there,” Ryan commented.
    â€œThere is. The New Hope clinic has only been at its present location for nineteen months. Prior to that, it was part of Alamo Heights hospital.”
    Ryan’s grip tightened on his phone. Alamo Heights hospital. The place where his wife and son had died. Hell. “Keyes, Spears and Montgomery were working that day?”
    â€œI don’t know yet. I’m waiting on phone records. That should tell us something.”
    Ryan watched as Delaney reached