Chapter Four
The next day at the office seemed to crawl as he waited for any information.
“Mr. Richardson, a Peter is here to see you.”
“Have him come in, Karen. Thank you.”
His emotions were so messed up he couldn’t decide if he was happy. He’d finally be getting some information on Cat, but he was terrified of what it was. What if she was married or with another man? He didn’t know what he would do if he couldn’t have her, and another man was a father to his son.
His private detective walked in with a file.
“Have a seat.”
Peter sat on the other side of his desk. “This is what I’ve got so far. I’m still digging, but I think I’ve got the majority of it: Catalina Jones, her age twenty-three, and her address. She works for a publisher and illustrates children’s books. She works from home, which she’s buying. She also has a college fund set up for her son. The woman seems to be good with stocks. She’s taking college courses one at a time.”
“What about her son?”
“He’s over two and a half years old. He’s with her most of the time, but she takes him to a playgroup for socialization. I’m not sure what that means. It's just what’s what I was told.”
Not that King had any doubts about the boy, but he was the right age.
“There’s no father listed on the birth certificate, and she doesn’t seem to be in any relationship. The people and her neighbors I’ve talked to mention her being a recluse.”
That hurt to hear. The fact he wasn’t named on the birth certificate could be changed. Because her personality had taken such a dramatic turn told him a lot of what she went through and that she might have felt how much pain he’d gone through.
“She’s got two living relatives. Her mom lives less than two hundred miles away, but it sounds like they’ve been estranged for many years. The only other one is a male cousin named Kelvin Jones, who lives in the city. They seem to be close.”
“Can you get a picture of him?”
“Sure. I’ll email it to you once I get back into the office. There’s nothing else at the moment.”
“Thank you for dropping by.”
“No problem. I’ll get in touch with you if I find out anything more.” Peter handed him the file and walked out.
The first thing he saw was her picture when he opened the file. It wasn’t her DMV one because she was smiling. She was holding her—their son, and he could see the love she had for the boy. Fuck, he remembered her looking at him like that.
She’d made him feel ten feet tall and had given her all to him, and it looked like he threw that all away because of a misunderstanding. He couldn’t wrap his head around it.
How could a person fuck something up so badly? He’d let his past experiences scar him enough that he hadn’t trusted her love for him. He most likely lost it all, but it was his own fault.
He pushed the intercom. “Karen, can you come in here, please?” He trusted his secretary. She’d been with him for over ten years and had been loyal and hardworking, and he was blessed to have her.
“Yes, sir?” Karen said.
“Have a seat.”
“I know it was a few years ago, but do you remember that woman who sent that letter?”
“The one who hurt you, sir?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll never forget how bad you felt, sir.”
“I know. Thank you. I know I had you send them back. Do you remember how many letters she sent me?”
“About six, if I remember correctly. That’s not counting the lawyer’s letter.”