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"So why risk it?"
"Becausesomeone updated his file last night," Ethan explained, an intent fire burning in those brown eyes. "Someone who I don't think is familiar with those files. They have a change log that records any updates like the one they made, including the time stamp. Not only can I see the previous version before they altered it, but I saw that they did so around 2 AM. Not generally an hour anyone with authorized access is thumbing through students' personal information. Didn’t want to take the chance they’d come back and finish the job, though; go cleaning up after themselves by deleting the only record he might have access to right now that proves he is who he says he is, and how old."
"Those logs say who?"
"No," Ethan sighed, leaning back in his chair. "It's tagged asMaintenance, but that account was listed as restricted when I went to click on it. And here's where it gets stranger — whoever it was? Tried to attach a second copy of a birth certificate to Alex's file."
"A duplicate?" Jakob mused. "Software error, maybe?"
"Don't think so. It's not an exact clone, not even a quick job with an image editor. It looks similar to the first one; same place in Guatemala, same seals and all mostly. But the years are changed, and the signatures don't quite match. Even those black lines you get around the edges of a scanned document are different. Looks fresh."
"You think someone's trying to swap in a forged birth certificate?" Jakob asked. "His dad?"
"Seems like it," Ethan shrugged. "I mean, obviously I can't prove anything, but… I've seen enough students trying to fake their parents’ writing to skip out of class. This feels like that, only — it's not just some kid looking to play hooky; forging a document as official as this has got to be some kind of federal crime, right? Why would Alex's dad go through the trouble — not to mention the risk if he gets caught?"
"Given everything we’ve seen, I’d wager this isn’t his first time planting evidence. This isn’t just turning a three into an eight on a check, this is long-game stuff. If he’s got experience planting evidence, or if he’s got the right connections, he might not see it as a risk. Or maybe a risk he can easily get out of, which is much of the same."
"But why? What could it possibly get him?"
"Wrecks Alex’s university plans maybe, leaves him under his dad’s thumb that much longer. Some parents get strange about their children growing up, especially if they didn’t turn out a little cookie-cutter version of themselves like they expected. Especially when we’re talking ultra-conservative parents discovering they’ve got a queer kid," Jakob grimaced. "If Alex's dad can claim his son is still seventeen, he can send Alex to that camp. There wouldn't be anything you, me, or Alex could do about it if the state believes him."
"And then… with his dad being a cop, who else is Alex supposed to go to? Even if he tried to run away, they’d only catch him and bring him right back," Ethan worked out. "Damn, this is so fucked up."
Ethan pursed his lips as Jakob nodded. "But…there'd have to have been other documents, right? Affidavits and so on?"
"Sure," Jakob agreed readily, experience laying it out for him neatly with almost military precision. "Hard copies stuck in a filing box somewhere in the middle of nowhere; susceptible to floods and fires, insects, mold. That's if those in charge can lay their hands on them easily — if they aren't misplaced, misfiled, or even missing completely. Lots of mistakes made in those days, especially when you're talking about that region of the world. Lot of falsified records come out of there too. Wouldn't be the first to fake a birth certificate from around there. All together, it wouldn’t be too difficult to throw doubt and suspicion on the original document's authenticity, which is all Alex's father really needs. Then he swoops in with the altered one, a story about mixed-up papers from some little hole-in-the-wall missionary church; a screw-up that he's now trying to put to rights for the sake of his son?"
"…If I ask how you know all this, am I going to get the old'If I told you, I'd have to kill you'spy routine?" Ethan asked, his right eyebrow arched.
Jakob hummed, neither confirming nor denying. "Y’know, depending on when and how Alex and his mother came into the country? Could be a whole can of worms lying there, just waiting to be opened. Especially if his dad's feeling petty and tries to nick you for kidnapping on top of it. Don't mind telling you that this school records thing has me worried, Ethan. I mean, why else bother?"
"Wouldn't put it past him at this point," Ethan snorted. "So you think he's planning something?"
"Think he's long past that; I think he'sdoingsomething. Just not sure what yet," Jakob answered him honestly. "You said Alex's mom's still alive and in the picture, right? Can't she help?"
"From what little he's let slip about her condition… 'In the picture' might be stretching it. You tell me what you think the likelihood is of a local judge taking the word of an immigrant dementia patient over that of a cop. Especially since this new version of his birth certificate only lists them both asElisaandAlex Martininstead of either of their full names."
"No chance this is all just some innocent coincidence, is there?" Jakob asked, looking for any other possibilities despite knowing the most likely answer. "Maybe he was adopted, and this is a legitimate updating of documents? Or an immigration thing; anglicizing to fit in before he heads off to university or something?"
Ethan's expression turned rueful.
"I'm a teacher in a city calledSan Morado. I've got plenty of kids from all over coming through my classes, and this ain't that. His mom's listed on the certificate as Guatemalan, but his dad's American. Means Alex automatically is too, no matter where he was born. Plus, the timing's just too convenient, y'know? If itwaslegitimate, why is it being done at 2 a.m. from a computer terminal in the school's library? Why didn't the person know the system well enough to mark the first birth certificate as an out-of-date document when they were trying to upload the new one, instead of fouling up the file? None of it makes anysense," Ethan said, shaking his head.
"Unless you're trying to forge a legal document, and you've watched one too many cop dramas that show a tech guy with someone shouting over his shoulder, 'Zoom! Enhance! Ah-ha — book 'em, Danno!' to bust the bad guy of the week," Jakob concluded. "We already know Alex’s dad has reinforcements, with emphasis on theforce."
"Yeah," Ethan nodded, sounding resigned. "If Alex wasn't born on US soil and didn't think to grab all his records on his way out this morning… Think we should contact the embassy? Seems like that could take time."
Jakob tilted his head, thinking fast. "I might know someone who can get a hold of a certified copy of Alex's original birth certificate a little quicker than the official channels move. I'll get in touch with them tonight, see if we can't sort this out."
"Please," Ethan said, open relief washing across his face at that.
An answering lick of pleasure teased up Jakob's spine in response, spurred along by the knowledge that he washelping.
"God, this really is turning into a TV drama, isn't it?" Ethan muttered. "I… I almost feel silly going all Sherlock Holmes because of one measly student file, but it just… It didn't add up, y'know? He say anything to you about any of this?"
"No," Jakob sighed heavily, nearly dislodging the laptop. "I'll ask him in the morning if he knows what's going on, but… He doesn't talk about personal stuff on his own. Skitters away from the subject as quick as if he'd heard a rattler's tail. Is polite enough to Cassie, but as far as I can tell, he seems to live by that old credo that 'if you can't say something sarcastic, better to not say anything at all'."
"Don't think I've run across that one," Ethan said with a mischievous smile.
