Page 40 of The Paternity Puzzle
“What was your impression of Alec Bishop?” Kelsey asked. “I’m not sure what to make of him.”
“Contrary to what Royce claims, I spent very little time around him. I think the side of his personality he shows to the public might differ from what he displays privately. He’s more introspective during his speaking engagement and comes across as almost shy. He was much more outgoing and relaxed one-on-one.”
Kelsey’s shoulders straightened, and she tilted her head. “That’s interesting. The two of you had just met, so why did he let his hair down with you?”
“Royce thinks he wants to fuck me.”
Kelsey’s dark brow shot up. “Does he?”
Shrugging, Sawyer said, “I don’t know.”
“Which of his personas is the real one?”
Sawyer sat back in his chair and pondered her question. “Honestly, they both feel genuine.”
“Maybe he has a personality disorder, or he’s a Gemini like you,” Kelsey teased.
“Nice, Kels. Thanks.”
“But seriously, there’s no denying Alec Bishop did a good thing. Agreatthing,” she amended. “Exposing his father’s evil actions at the cost of his own freedom and anonymity is commendable.
“Very,” Sawyer agreed.
Kelsey ran her finger along the rim of her juice glass as she considered him. “But you’re not convinced.”
Shrugging, Sawyer said, “I’m a skeptic by nature, and I’ve always questioned things.” He took the last sip of coffee. “Especially something that’s too good to be true.”
“Or someone.”
Sawyer tipped his head to acknowledge her remark. “And Alec only wanted to talk about potential unsolved cases instead of the ones authorities already closed. He’s fixated on finding new victims and bringing their stories to light. That’s where I started to suspect that Alec is more enamored with the limelight than getting justice or providing closure.”
“How so?” Kelsey asked.
“Nothing he has done so far focuses on the victims or includes their families. His best-selling book details his life with Andrew and the moment he uncovered the cache of evidence that suggested his father could be a serial killer. He briefly named each identified victim, but we don’t learn anything about them. It’s almost like an editor said, ‘Hey, it feels like a real dick move not to acknowledge your father’s victims,’ and so Alec did, but without giving any color to their lives. They’ve stayed one-dimensional, grayscale background characters in the narrative, while Andrew and Alec are these vibrant, dimensional characters. Why would I expect him to treat new victims any different?” Sawyer realized his face was hot, and his pulse was faster. He took a deep breath and exhaled. “I didn’t realize how much that bothered me until now.”
Kelsey reached over and patted his hand. “You have the best instincts of anyone I know. If you say there’s something off, then I believe you.”
Sawyer grimaced. “I’d just feel better if he was making a podcast about the identified victims and allowing their familiesto talk about their daughters, sisters, mothers, and wives. But doing an investigative podcast to uncover new victims sounds sexier and is probably far more lucrative.”
“You could always make stipulations for your participation,” Kelsey suggested. “You already have to set very strict boundaries to protect your professional reputation. Why not throw in a few other caveats, like bonus episodes to highlight the women his father killed? Not all families will want to take part, but there will be friends or coworkers who can give color to their lives.”
“That’s an excellent idea,” Sawyer said. “Beautiful and brilliant.”
Kelsey brought both hands to her face and balanced her chin on them. “Thank you.” Kelsey liked to joke that only Sawyer recognized her beauty and brains, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. And she didn’t need or require anyone’s adulation because confidence was hard-wired into her DNA, a trait he hoped she would pass on to his and Royce’s child.
“Enough shop talk,” Kelsey said, waving her hands. “Ready to look at ideas for the nursery?”
A wave of sadness washed over him as Sawyer remembered another time when he’d thought a nursery was in his future. One minute, his life with Vic was as perfect as it could get, and the next, Sawyer was burying his husband and his dreams of fatherhood. In his darkest hours, just getting out of bed required herculean strength, and Sawyer couldn’t have imagined the future that waited for him. He was again on the verge of having it all. The intellectual part of his brain knew damn well that the universe wasn’t out to get him. The fertility horror stories and the sad memories weren’t an omen, and making nursery plans wasn’t tempting fate. But his brain’s emotional center was in overdrive at the moment, triggering anxiety-driven thoughts that would lead him to really dark places if he let them. So he wouldn’t.
Sawyer closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and exhaled it slowly to reset his vagus nerve. He called on all the love, joy, and inner light in his soul to push away the darkness and fear. He imagined a glowing orb expanding and getting brighter until its brilliant light was all he could see. When he reopened his eyes, he met Kelsey’s concerned gaze with a reassuring smile. “I’m ready.”
“Yeah?”
Sawyer nodded eagerly. “I just had a trippy moment there and needed a reset.”
Kelsey held his gaze for a few seconds before scooting her chair closer so they could look at the tablet together. Sawyer had heard of Pinterest, but he’d never explored the site. Kelsey helped him set up an account and showed him how to create a board, mark it as private, and search the site for ideas.
“Oh, wow,” Sawyer said. “There are so many things to choose from.”