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Lia wasn’t so sure. She had friends who’d gone through the adoption process. It was lengthy and expensive and the adoptive parents drowned in red tape, including background checks and character references. If Vanna was dealing with a legitimate agency, it would be difficult to keep it a secret. At least from a woman who’d been as close to her as Professor Sanderson.
“The most obvious guess would be that she handed it over to the father,” Lia suggested. “That would avoid any paperwork or investigations by the authorities.”
Kaden nodded in agreement. “Her lover in Pike.”
Lia considered the options. It was possible the father was someone who’d moved away from Pike years ago. Or even someone who’d never lived there. Vanna could have met him in another town and invited him back to her apartment. But it was also possible the father was someone they’d already connected to Vanna and her death.
“It couldn’t be Ryan Burke,” she finally said. “He doesn’t have any children.”
“True.” Kaden paused, then his jaw tightened as he muttered a sudden curse. “Tate Erickson.”
The name smacked into Lia like a punch. Not because she was surprised by the suggestion but because it was so ridiculously easy to imagine the arrogant, self-obsessed man seducing a college student.
“I know that name,” Mary said without warning. “He’s from Pike, isn’t he?”
“Yes,” Lia answered. “He’s the mayor.”
“The mayor.” Mary pressed a hand against the center of her chest, as if her heart was suddenly beating too fast. “Right.”
Kaden stepped toward her. “What is it?”
“It’s possible I saw them together in Madison,” she told them.
“Where?”
“I was invited by a friend to the opening of a new, very expensive restaurant on the outskirts of town and happened to run into Mayor Erickson as I was entering. I’d met him a few times during my visits to Pike, so I easily recognized him, although he pretended not to notice me until I actually spoke to him.” Her lips pinched, revealing Mary’s obvious distaste for Tate Erickson. “I asked him what he was doing in Madison and he claimed he was in town to visit with some state officials, but I could tell he was uncomfortable.” She shrugged. “I assumed he was using his night away from home to meet with a woman who wasn’t his wife.”
Kaden clenched his hands and Lia swore she could feel the tension vibrating through his rigid body.
“Did you see who he was with?”
“Just a glimpse.” Mary’s voice held a hint of apology, obviously aware she was going to disappoint them. “After I was shown to my table, I glanced out the window to see him bundling a brunette into a sports car. It seemed to confirm my theory of an affair, but at the time I never suspected it might be Vanna. Now . . .”
Lia didn’t allow the older woman to finish. In her mind, she was already convinced Tate was the father of Vanna’s baby. It would explain why he’d pretended he’d never met her. And why he was willing to kill anyone who might know the truth about his relationship with the younger woman. He hadn’t been concerned about an ancient blackmail scheme. He was concerned his daughter might discover the truth about her birth.
“If Tate was her lover and he was responsible for handing over the fellowship money, that means Sunny is Vanna’s daughter,” she spoke her suspicions out loud.
“Not for sure,” Kaden attempted to reason with her. “Even if he was her lover, he might have paid the fellowship to keep her mouth shut about the baby.”
“Then what happened to the child?” she challenged him.
“The baby might have been put up for adoption, just as Vanna claimed.”
Her brows snapped together. “You don’t believe that!”
His lips parted, as if he intended to insist they keep our minds open, only to heave a sigh.
“No.”
Their eyes locked and held, but before Lia could speak, a loud chime echoed through the air. Together, they glanced to the empty desk.
“That’s my alarm,” Mary explained. “It’s time for me to take my mother to her therapy session. I’m afraid I have to leave.”
Lia instinctively moved forward to grab the woman’s hands, giving them a small squeeze.
“Thank you so much for speaking with us.”
Mary heaved a harsh sigh. “I have a lot of regrets when it comes to Vanna. She was a troubled soul who was searching for something that remained just out of reach. I’m not sure she would ever have found peace.”
