Page 6 of It's One of Us

DNA.

Park feels sweat pop on his brow, despite the chill outside and the temperate air inside. It’s sunny but not warm; the fall has been mild and they haven’t had to turn on the heat to the house yet. They keep it on the cool side, costs less that way. There is no reason for him to be sweating, and he hopes like hell the detectives don’t notice.

Olivia does. She nudges him with a foot, slides a napkin his way. He ignores her, and the sensation of damp continues unabated.

Detective Moore picks up her partner’s thread. Her voice is surprisingly husky.

“We found a partial DNA match to our suspect in the system. What we’ve discovered—”

“Park didn’t do this,” Olivia cuts in. “There must be a mistake.”

The cop shakes her head. “The DNA is irrefutable.”

Confusion. Panic. Olivia grasps his hand and just as quickly releases it, as if her instinct is to comfort and then she’s realized what they’re saying. A DNA match. To him. From a dead woman. He sees Olivia watching him aghast. Sees the thought form as if in a cartoon bubble above her head.

My husband is a killer.

But he doesn’t know Beverly Cooke. He’s never met her before. Has he? There must be some mistake.

“I—” he starts, but the ballerina detective raises a hand.

“This is where things get complicated. The DNA is not a direct match to you, Mr. Bender. It belongs to your son. Do you know where he is at this moment?”

“I...my... A son?” His voice breaks on the last word, and his lips twitch. His initial confusion is chased away by deep, abiding, palpable relief. He resists a smile but blows out a breath hard through his nose. “I see. Well, I hate to argue, but clearly there has been a mistake. I have no children. My wife is pregnant, though.” He touches Olivia’s shoulder. “We’re due in late June.”

Two sets of interested eyes take in Olivia, who is staring at him open-mouthed. They haven’t told anyone she’s expecting. They’ve learned not to, after all the miscarriages. And here he’s shared this secret with strangers in some sort of defense mechanism? He’s going to get an earful later, but it seems very important to make note of this impending fatherhood versus the idea that he already has a living, breathing child.

“Many best wishes, ma’am,” Osley says. “It’s an exciting time.”

“Yes,” Olivia replies, eyes now on her hands.

Moore isn’t as bonhomie as Osley. She’s tensed, coiled, like a snake about to strike, and Park braces himself. There’s more. He can feel it.

“I’m afraid there is no mistake. We’ve been running down this DNA sample for several weeks. A paternal link has been established. The suspect in our case is your biological son.”

Park shakes his head. “This is all very interesting, but it’s impossible. Like I said, I don’t have any children. But I have a brother. A twin. This could be his kid, couldn’t it? Since we’re twins?”

“Identical or fraternal?”

“Fraternal.”

“Then no, Mr. Bender. If he was an identical twin, there could be some question, but as a fraternal, you have distinctly individual DNAs.”

Park shakes his head. “It’s a mistake. There’s no way.”

“You aren’t aware of a child?”

“No. I’m not.”

“You’re not covering for him, are you?” Moore asks, frost dripping from her words.

That pisses him off. “No, I’m not covering for him. There is no him. I don’t know how this could happen.”

“Park?” Olivia is still staring, her mouth a small O of shock. He takes her hand, and she lets him.

“It’s okay, honey. It’s all some big mistake.”

“I think I’ll take you up on that coffee,” Osley says, flashing a smile, and Olivia jumps to her feet and pulls two cups from the cupboard, tipping one toward Moore in a silent offer. Moore waves her off.