Birthright

the police, she went on television, talked to newspapers, to magazines. She’d always been a happy girl. Not brilliantly happy, if you understand me. Just content, cozy in the life she was making. She had no extraordinary and driving ambitions. She wanted to marry Jay, raise a family, make a home. She’d wanted that, only that, most of her life.”
    “Ordinary ambitions are the foundation of society. Without home, we have no structure on which to build the more complex levels.”
    “An interesting way to put it. Structure was certainly the goal. For both of them. Jay was, and is, a good man. Solid, dependable. A fine teacher who cares about his work and his students. He fell in love with Suzanne, I think, when they were about six.”
    “That’s sweet,” Callie said. “I didn’t realize they grew up together.”
    “Suze and Jay. People said their names as if they were one word.” And it hurt his heart that they were no longer one. “Neither of them dated anyone else seriously. Even more than she, Jay preferred the smooth and quiet road,which is what they had. They were married, had Doug, Jay taught, Suzanne made the home. They had their daughter. A perfect picture. The young couple, two children, a nice little house in their hometown.”
    “Then it dropped out from under them.”
    “Yes.”
    He’d never forget the sound of her voice when she’d called him. Daddy, Daddy, somebody took Jessie. Somebody took my baby.
    “The stress broke something in her, and broke something between her and Jay neither knew how to mend. Oh, they’d fight now and again when they were dating.”
    He put his glasses on again. “I can remember how she’d come storming into the house after a date, vowing never to speak to that Jay Cullen ever again. And the next day, he’d be at the door with that sheepish smile on his face.”
    “But this wasn’t a fight.”
    “It was a transformation. It drove Jay into himself even as it drove Suzanne out. Suddenly this young woman was an activist, now she was a woman with a mission. And when she wasn’t actively working to find you, attending support groups or seminars, she was horribly depressed. Jay wasn’t able to keep up, not the way she needed him to. He wasn’t able to fuel her, not the way she needed.”
    “It had to be hard on Doug.”
    “It was. Being caught between the two of them. They would create an illusion of normality for a while, but it would never last. They tried.”
    He touched her then, had to. He laid his fingertips lightly on the back of her hand. “They’re both decent, loving people who adored their son.”
    “Yes, I understand that.” And because she understood, she turned her hand over, hooked her fingers with Roger’s. “But they couldn’t rebuild that ordinary life when a piece of it was missing.”
    “No.” He let out a sigh. “Something would set Suzanne off—a new lead, a news report on another missing child, and it would all start again. Last couple of years they were living like strangers, keeping it together for Doug. I don’tknow what made them cross over that line into divorce. I never asked.”
    “He still loves her.”
    Roger pursed his lips. “Yes, I know. How do you?”
    “Something he said when she was out of the room. The way he said it. I’m sorry for them, Mr. Grogan. But I don’t know what to do about it.”
    “Nothing you or anyone else can do. I don’t know the people who raised you, but they must be decent and loving people, too.”
    “Yes, they are.”
    “For everything they gave you, I’m grateful.” He cleared his throat. “But you were also given something at birth from Suzanne and Jay. If you can accept that, can value that, it can be enough.”
    She looked down at their joined fingers. “I’m glad I came in today.”
    “I hope you’ll come back. I wonder . . .Maybe we’d both be more comfortable with each other if you called me Roger.”
    “Okay.” She rose. “So, Roger, do you have to open up again right now?”
    “One of the perks of owning your own place is doing what the hell you want some of the time.”
    “If you feel like it, you could ride out to the site with me. I’ll give you a tour.”
    “That’s the best offer I’ve had in a long time.”
    C allie, hey!” She’d barely pulled up at the dig when Bill McDowell rushed over, hastily combing his fingers through his disordered hair to smooth it. “Where you been?”
    “I had some things to do.” She climbed out. “Roger