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“You didn’t believe her?” Lia was confused. Why would Vanna lie about giving her baby up for adoption?
“I did. At least at first.” The older woman lowered her head, as if she was studying the tips of her leather shoes. Or, more likely, trying to hide her expression. “But then I discovered she’d received a fellowship that paid off her college loans in full. And that she’d moved off campus into her own apartment in a neighborhood that was nicer than where I lived.”
“I don’t understand.” Lia shook her head. “What does her fellowship have to do with . . .”
Abruptly turning her head, she met Kaden’s smoldering gaze. He nodded before he glanced toward Mary.
“Let me guess,” he said, his voice harsh. “The Burke Fellowship Award.”
The older woman made a strangled sound, clearly caught off guard. “How did you know?”
“She told her foster mother the same story,” Kaden said.
Something that might have been relief flashed across Mary’s face. “Maybe it was real.”
“Doubtful,” Kaden said in dry tones. “The businessman who wrote the check wasn’t the sort of guy who would willingly hand out money to anyone.”
“You know him?” Mary clung to her vague hope. Perhaps she blamed herself for sending Vanna to Pike. “You should ask him about the fellowship—”
“I’m afraid that’s not possible,” Lia broke in before Kaden could respond. He had many fine qualities, but he could be blunt to the point of rudeness.
“Why not?” Mary asked.
“He was found dead a few days ago.”
The older woman widened her eyes. “Oh my God. What happened?”
“It’s being investigated,” Lia said, keeping her answer vague.
“We think he was murdered. And the killer was there to steal files that revealed Ryan Burke was blackmailed by Vanna fifteen years ago over dumping toxic waste from his meatpacking plant into the Pike water supply.”
Lia frowned at Kaden. Okay, that went beyond bluntness. Was he hoping to shock the older woman? Did he think she was hiding more information? Or just wanting to see her reaction?
Mary shivered, wrapping her arms around her waist in a protective gesture.
“Meatpacking plant? Why is that familiar?” she muttered, speaking more to herself than Lia or Kaden. She sent Lia a startled look. “I think I remember Vanna mentioning that place.”
“What did she say?” Lia asked.
“She didn’t say anything directly to me, but when she returned to Madison, she let me read through the notebook she intended to include in her final report for her internship,” Mary revealed. “She was scathing in her opinion of the meatpacking plant’s waste disposal, although she didn’t go into detail, and she didn’t include the fact that he was potentially poisoning the citizens of Pike. I would have taken action if I’d suspected anyone was in danger.”
“The fellowship might have been a bribe to keep the notes out of her final report,” Kaden suggested.
Mary nodded, her expression distracted. “In part.”
“You suspect something?” Lia demanded.
“I’ve hated myself for thinking this. . . .” The older woman’s words died on her lips and suddenly she looked older. As if she was weary of the secrets she’d been carrying for years. “But the news about the fellowship arrived a week after she gave birth. The same day the baby was adopted. It was hard to believe it was just a coincidence.”
Lia sucked in an audible breath. “She sold the child?”
“No.” Mary shook her head at Lia’s accusation. “In Vanna’s mind, it would have been a business transaction.”
With an effort, Lia battled back the urge to argue. The professor’s memories of Vanna had already been tainted. Why cause her more pain?
Besides, Vanna’s motives didn’t matter. Lia was more interested in what happened to the baby, and if it was somehow connected to her death.
“Then there’s no way to know who has the child,” Kaden said, pointing out the obvious.
