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She broke down and started to sob.
Nick rose, walking over to stand beside his wife. He placed his hand on her shoulder in a show of comfort. But his hand was shaking violently as he held her. “The birth records are sealed. All we have are the reissued ones, with Gia’s adoptive birth certificate naming us as her parents. We don’t know anything more.”
“We realize that,” Claire replied. “But the girls have met and have been talking. According to them, their birthdays are a month apart. Which means those are the dates you were given, which would make the idea of an identical twin an impossibility. There might have been other tampering done on the sealed birth records. Someone went to a great deal of trouble to hide the truth.”
“Why? Why?” Nick’s eyes glistened with tears.
“That’s what we’re trying to find out,” Claire said softly. She was almost as pale as the Russos, and her voice quavered as she spoke. “I’m so sorry.”
“Mr. Russo,” Casey pressed gently, “were you at the hospital when Gia was born?”
He shook his head. “We were told the biological mother wanted some time alone with the baby she was about to give up. Plus, Gia was a preemie. She had to stay in the hospital until her lungs were fully developed. She was brought to our home three weeks later.”
“By the attorney,” Casey said.
“Yes.”
“Gia’s… twin,” Maria stumbled over the word. “What’s her name?”
“Danielle Murano,” Casey replied. “She’s here visiting now, and she’s staying at Gia’s townhouse. Gia is going to come by soon—to your house or your deli, that’s up to you. She wants to talk. And she was hoping to bring Dani to dinner tonight so you can meet her.”
“Of course.” Maria’s head bobbed up and down emphatically. “Do they really look exactly alike?” A hard swallow. “I want to prepare myself.”
“They’re identical.” Claire knew that this was her territory. “But you’re Gia’s parents. I’m sure you’ll see and sense differences that we don’t. Mannerisms and obviously speaking voices. As we told you, Danielle is from Minneapolis.” She paused. “Do you have any questions for us, or should we leave now so you can talk to Gia?”
“We need to talk to our daughter,” Nick said.
“Do you have a business card so that we can be a part of this process?” Maria asked.
“Of course.” Casey rose and gave them each a card. “Call us anytime. Our job is to help Gia find her answers. Excluding her parents is the last thing we want to do.” She went on, treading carefully. “Ar
e the adoption papers here or in a safety deposit box?”
“They’re here. We keep them in our home safe,” Nick replied. “Why? Do you need to see them?”
“I’d like to take photos of them, if I may. The information there might help us in our investigation.”
“I’ll get them now.” He left the room, returning moments later with a large envelope marked: Gia. “Here,” he said, handing it to Casey.
Swiftly, Casey removed the documents and whipped out her iPhone, taking photos of each page. “Thank you, Mr. Russo.” She handed the envelope back to him. “We truly appreciate your cooperation. We’ll be on our way now so that you can talk to Gia.”
Claire had already risen to her feet. Her gaze met Maria’s. “Gia loves you very much,” she said softly. “She’s desperate to protect you. She knows what a shock this is. She was equally shocked. So never doubt her feelings for you, nor the fact that she regards you and only you as her parents.”
“Thank you, Ms. Hedgleigh,” Maria whispered.
“It’s the truth. Remember that when you talk to her.”
CHAPTER 21
“That went as well as could be expected,” Claire said the minute they climbed into the van.
Casey nodded, looking a lot less stressed than she had before their meeting with the Russos. “Thanks for picking up the conversation at all the right times.”
Claire gave her a small smile. “That’s what I’m here for.”
“In addition to softening the blow, you also helped me get a decent amount of information. Let’s run with it. I’ll email these photos to Ryan. But before I do, I want to call Gia now.”
“They were telling the truth.”
